where are your gloves and your helmet?

So.

43 miles yesterday worked out pretty well after all. Didn't have to get off and walk except for the time I stopped to check on a guy (he was having brake trouble) partway up a short steep slope where I couldn't get up enough momentum to start moving. I won't say some of these hills didn't hurt like hell, or that there weren't a few where I verified no one was coming before taking up quite a lot of zigzagging back and forth across the road to effectively reduce the uphill angle of any given stretch, or that I didn't spend an amazing amount of time in the lowest gear/chainring combo Oorah* had available, but... I made it through and I didn't stop on the hills to breathe (I stopped on a few long low upgrades to drink water or swallow a packet of sugar goo- I'm sorry, 'energy and electrolyte replenishment gel'). And I made it through 43 miles in about four hours, maybe four and a half, which is kind of amazing given a) the hills and b) my past approximate times over the 39 miles of the Five Boro Tour. So I'm good.

I did this ride to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, seeing as how a good friend of mine was diagnosed with leukemia some months back. Probably going to do more events with them when I can. Other people did this ride for an area homelessness charity, and a lot of others did it for the Seeing Eye, which has its headquarters in the Morristown area. There were blind bicyclists involved. No, seriously. They were all paired up with sighted riders- and on tandem bikes, you know, the old school 'bicycle built for two'? Like that. Sighted rider in the front, blind rider in the back. Bit slow on the uphills because those tandems are heavy, but mother of God do not get in their way on the downhills. There were downhills where people on singleton bikes were hitting forty miles per freaking hour. Those tandems, even if they took the downhills with all their brakes on the way I did, must've been blowing through those downhills like a Japanese bullet train.

Survived the downhills okay, myself, despite the occasional patchy pavement, the sharp turns, and the lack of sunglasses. Fell and bruised my entire right side on the way home after all was said and done, which was not as bad as it could have been because I landed on the rather large duffel I was carrying with my clothing in it, but I would prefer not to do that again.

Next stop is the MS New York ride on October 2nd. Thirty miles, one lap of Manhattan, city streets and highways only.





*The bike was named Oorah some time ago. On the first long ride I took it out for, I was trying to decide on a name for it. I passed a car with a lot of 'my kid is in $MILITARY_BRANCH' bumper stickers, one of which happened to have the Marine Corps motivational slogan 'oorah' on it, and that's when I decided on its name. It was that or Irene, after the hurricane, and that just didn't seem like a wise idea.)

That ride I'm doing to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society? Postponed. Got the message this morning:

"After coordinating and negotiating with the State Police, the 22 different municipalities through which we will be riding in Northwest New Jersey, and our volunteer support teams, we have made the decision to postpone the ride and all associated events until the weekend of September 18th - the ride itself will be on the 18th."

Which... is something, I guess. Gives me more time for hill practice, and getting my bike brakes tuned. And at least it won't be the day after Grandpa's funeral, so.

Is it wrong of me to be looking at the Medio Fondo course for the leukemia fundraiser ride I'm doing and thinking 'maybe I should switch down from 60 miles to 30 miles'?

Went to my parents' today, to make getting to the Bedminster training ride that's scheduled for tomorrow easier. Decided I wouldn't take the train any farther than I had to, and so took the PATH to Newark Penn Station, then lit out for Morris County. Fourteen miles.

Had to stop and rest a few times due to the hills along the way. Had to get off and walk in the area between Millburn and Summit. I am not sanguine about my chances on tomorrow's training ride.

Nevertheless, I made it to my parents' place under my own power from Newark, and that is something.

14.91 miles today. Then a flat tire. Patch kit, spare tube and pump were at home. Oh well. At least it happened when I was close to a light rail station and already on my way back. I'll deal. And fix the tire later.

Somewhat more than sixteen miles today. Home to Hoboken PATH; got off at Christopher Street; made my way to the West Side Greenway; up to 79th Street; over to AMNH. Watched IMAX movie, made mandatory circuit of the Spiral of Time in the Hall of Earth and Space and paid my respects to the blue whale in the Hall of Ocean Life, then took bike and did the Central Park loop incl. Cardiac Hill. (That's what my old skate group used to call it. It's the one you have to go up if you don't take the 102nd Street cut-through but keep following the Park road.) Then back over to the greenway and down to the ferry because I just didn't want to go all the way down to a PATH station. NB: the ferry prices have gotten nasty lately. $9 for an adult, $1.25 extra for the adult to bring a bike along. And then from the ferry terminal home with a brief stop at Starbucks because I really wanted some iced coffee.

Must remember to wear sunscreen next time. The Leukemia Society will not thank me for getting skin cancer in the process of getting ready to raise money for blood cancer.

Okay, so, like I said, doing the NJ Gran Fondo at the end of August for Team In Training for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

If you feel the urge to lend a hand, and you have the means to do so, here's where to go. I promise not to bombard folks with any more requests like this until it's time for Camwyn Climbs The Stairs again next year. But for now if you wanted to lend a hand with kicking leukemia in the crotch, I'd be more than happy to show you where to put the boot.

Thanks.