Don't Call it a Comeback

Today Ben, Norm and I met at Fred's house, and did about 50 miles, 3:15 riding time. I added another 22 miles for ride to and back for a total of 72 miles, and 4:30 hours.

We went across the state line by Wash crossing, where Ben thought we'd just take River rd to New Hope, but I thought it would be fun to add a bunch of miles and elevation and go over Jericho mtn. With the nasty wind, a relatively mellow ride turned into a bit of a workout :getsome:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/21517665

In New Hope, we took over a small French coffee shop:

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For Maurice -

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nice ride. i like that route you did through pa....

Norm, what did you think of eagle road?
 
stb222 said:
Norm, what did you think of eagle road?
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When we first turned onto it, it was like Paradise because it meant we got to go perpendicular to the 20 mph wind as opposed to directly into it. IIRC, there were some icy spots which wasn't the greatest thing in the world. Solid climb, which Ilya's GPS apparently claimed was 18 or 22%? I'd go with 13% in spots. That was my Official Squid Grade-O-Meter rating.

The downhill was brutal cold at the time. But then after today, I fondly remember it as if it were summer.
 
Norm said:
When we first turned onto it, it was like Paradise because it meant we got to go perpendicular to the 20 mph wind as opposed to directly into it. IIRC, there were some icy spots which wasn't the greatest thing in the world. Solid climb, which Ilya's GPS apparently claimed was 18 or 22%? I'd go with 13% in spots. That was my Official Squid Grade-O-Meter rating.

The downhill was brutal cold at the time. But then after today, I fondly remember it as if it were summer.
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This one climb I measured with garmin a few times in the summer. I got an overall grade of 11.3%. One time I tried to do the top section and bottom section separately and I think the top was like 16 average. I like that climb...
 
BiknBen said:
I climbed it with a 1x9. That means it doesn't even register on my climb-o-meter.
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i guess none of the climbs on the sourland range do then......🙄

By the way, ended up taking Barry rd back to pleasant valley and they road is awesome! Came the other way once and didnt realize how step the one climb was going towards 518.
 
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stb222 said:
i guess none of the climbs on the sourland range do then......🙄
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I grew up further north and enjoy climbing. The Sourlands is relatively small range. Zion Rd. offers just 400' of climbing. Good roads for intervals though. :getsome:
 
BiknBen said:
I climbed it with a 1x9. That means it doesn't even register on my climb-o-meter.
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To pile on...the bike I rode yesterday (old road bike) has a triple, and it stayed in the middle ring in the front for the climb. I did not stand on the climb.

To contrast, the Adamic and Shire climbs I did the day after Christmas were both in the granny gear of a triple, and the Shire climb had me really wishing I had 1 more gear towards the top.

It's not completely objective but it's a reasonable comparison.
 
Norm said:
To pile on...the bike I rode yesterday (old road bike) has a triple, and it stayed in the middle ring in the front for the climb. I did not stand on the climb.

To contrast, the Adamic and Shire climbs I did the day after Christmas were both in the granny gear of a triple, and the Shire climb had me really wishing I had 1 more gear towards the top.

It's not completely objective but it's a reasonable comparison.
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ok, the bike i have been riding is a 1x 9 with a 44 front. I am pretty sure i would have been hurting on eagle road with that but have climbed everything else in my immediate area, just slowly. Improving my strength is on the list this year...
 
I really enjoyed that climb. The steep punches were just enough that you could power up them without feeling like your legs were going to detach from your body (ie. federal twist). I really did not like going down tho.

Edit: I never knew how quickly you could get to the PA border. That opens up a new realm of exploration! 🙂
 
ArmyOfNone said:
I really enjoyed that climb. The steep punches were just enough that you could power up them without feeling like your legs were going to detach from your body (ie. federal twist). I really did not like going down tho.

Edit: I never knew how quickly you could get to the PA border. That opens up a new realm of exploration! 🙂
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that downhill does suck

the PA side is good, like Kush said (actually think his wife said it) you seems like you are always climbing or decending. There are some really good road over there....
 
stb222 said:
that downhill does suck

the PA side is good, like Kush said (actually think his wife said it) you seems like you are always climbing or decending. There are some really good road over there....
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The downhill sucked because it was cold, the pavement was choppy, and I was leery of there being ice patches on it.

That area of PA is nice, though it suffers the same problem as up the river near my parents. The roads are sometimes a little thin and the cars blaze by you at 50-70 mph. The sholder was 3" in spots. 611 is a great road in theory, but you repeatedly get buzzed by people. The rumble strips in the middle of the road are a mixed blessing. Yes it warns you that people are coming but it also sounds like a WWII bomber is fast approaching.
 
I avoid the PA roads. In the Delaware River valley, they tend to be more narrow undulating and turning. There is not much traffic but when it comes it always causes some type of issue. The driver can't see the road ahead and has to wait, therefore riding up your butt and so on. I've done hundred of miles further west (from Quakertown to Scranton) and the entire length of the river up to Route 80 and that theme continues.

My biggest gripe is the bridges. You are required to walk them. Total BS. I could understand this during a summer weekend between New Hope and Lambertville. Any other time it is dumb. I've gotten yelled at and hassled many times by the guards while attempting to ride across.

Therefore I give PA the big FU and am perfectly content to stay in Jersey. When I insist on exploring new roads...I go further north.
 
BiknBen said:
My biggest gripe is the bridges. You are required to walk them. Total BS. I could understand this during a summer weekend between New Hope and Lambertville. Any other time it is dumb. I've gotten yelled at and hassled many times by the guards while attempting to ride across.
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I totally agree with this. Since i typically have limited time, walking across the stupid bridges sucks up extra min. Go over to PA isn't bad because the guards are usually on the jersey side but coming back I almost always walk.

As you said the roads have limited traffic and shoulders but most of the stuff if no different then Pleasant Valley Road and Goat Hill, so I don't really since the difference. However, you guys were on Wrightstown Road for awhile, which is horrible for people going 70 mph. Pretty much all of the other roads aren't much different then the jersey side, safety wise.
 
stb222 said:
As you said the roads have limited traffic and shoulders but most of the stuff if no different then Pleasant Valley Road and Goat Hill, so I don't really see the difference.
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Much of it has to do with the motorists' attitude. In Jersey, there are a number of highways or thoroughfares that drivers will use for their high-speed travel. You have routes 546, 579, 518, 519, 29, 202, 95, 31. I rarely ride on any of these roads. I let the motorists use them. Once they turn off, they are likely close to home or their destination and tend to go slower or have a more relaxed attitude.

In PA, there are fewer of those high-speed roads. Therefore motorists are stuck on these country roads to get around. The cyclists are forced to mingle with them. Frustration is bound to occur.

My opinion is also based on my experience working in an office consisting of mostly PA residents of that area. Whenever the topic of cycling came up (happened often cause I commuted to work by bike) they were not shy about explaining their hatred. 😱
 
Interesting analysis. I agree that the route designation does make a difference since all PA routes are technically owned and maintained by the state where in jersey, jurisdiction (at least to what the general public sees) is handled much differently. Also, the 500 routes system is a secondary system to the National Highwway System, which foundation is for military strategic purposes, so those roads and typically better maintained and wider (ie, more shoulders) because of more funding for those level roadways.
 
BiknBen said:
Much of it has to do with the motorists' attitude. In Jersey, there are a number of highways or thoroughfares that drivers will use for their high-speed travel. You have routes 546, 579, 518, 519, 29, 202, 95, 31. I rarely ride on any of these roads. I let the motorists use them. Once they turn off, they are likely close to home or their destination and tend to go slower or have a more relaxed attitude.

In PA, there are fewer of those high-speed roads. Therefore motorists are stuck on these country roads to get around. The cyclists are forced to mingle with them. Frustration is bound to occur.

My opinion is also based on my experience working in an office consisting of mostly PA residents of that area. Whenever the topic of cycling came up (happened often cause I commuted to work by bike) they were not shy about explaining their hatred. 😱
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This is exactly my thought when I was in the Poconos this Fall. I was happy I didnt bring the road bike because the roads were tight and full of really fast moving cars. NJ's back roads in the Sourland area are so good.

However, some of the roads in Bucks county are great. The stuff that the Covered Bridge Ride hits is really nice and no traffic. I still need to get back to Ringing Rock Park. I need to ring a rock, Im not sure why, but I feel compelled to ring one. Maybe I'll put together a "Lets go ring a rock" group ride in the spring.... 🙂
 
Forgot to put out an out of office message.

"I'm currently away from the office, at 12000 feet on one of vail's peaks. If you require urgent assistance, you're SOL"
 
kush said:
Forgot to put out an out of office message.

"I'm currently away from the office, at 12000 feet on one of vail's peaks. If you require urgent assistance, you're SOL"
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hope you dont mind i borrowed your superfly and am testing it out a sourlands.
dont worry if it breaks, i can fix it...my dads a tv repairman and hes got an ultimate set of tools
 
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