JCC Cycle Fest - I need friends next year! - 2014

We're riding 60 or so miles in Staunton in a month. I remember those hills! So I set out on the 5th Annual JCC bike Fest to help me get in shape. 5th annual? And this ride basically leaves right from my house! I don't know how I've missed this every year.

Here I am gearing up for another solo ride:

This was so fun - discovering these new routes, I wanted to include the cue sheets - but they don't really translate (I tried).

The thing I'll remember about this ride is getting smoked while riding 19 miles an hour on 4 mile run!!

5 burroughs in NY, NY! - May 2014

What a crazy ride this is!

Forty miles of pushing ourselves along with one foot!

Here is the start:

Deidre, Me, Lisa, Katie.
We got separated from Deb, her sisters & Ciel at the start :(

We thought the crowd would thin out as the ride progressed.

 



It didn't. But we kept our positive outlook!

A cold beer never hurt either!

And with a little patience, we did eventually see some pavement:

Quick pic at the end, then a long line and big crowd to get on the ferry.

When we could finally sit down, we could have slept. You can see it on Lisa's face!

The real disappointment of the weekend is that I have no pictures of the bizarre photographs in the flat we rented - women with scars, women and guns, a disturbing conflagration of women, sex and violence. Interesting backdrop for a women's weekend away!

All in all, this was an interesting concept: ride the 5 burroughs in NY to get to know the city. But the ride was so crowded we hardly pedaled. Then when we did, we didn't dare deviate from the crowd to stop for a pic, a drink, or to take in the scenery. On top of that, the route took us through main streets only - which makes sense with the crowd, but doesn't really let us get to know the neighborhood.

I think we all agreed, cool experience, but once is enough.

Williamsburg Wine on a Bike--November 2013

Come November, Katie and I had to take the girls to William and Mary for a synchro clinic. Of course, we had to sneak away for a bike ride.

It started out with a 10 mile stint down the something or other parkway which turned out to be cobblestone all the way. ugh! My brain will never be the same.

Eventually we got off that road onto a beautiful coastal road.

Katie - I know I took a picture of you here, but where is it? Add it if you have it!

We tried to visit Jamestown but discovered it was more of a Disneyland type thing - a reproduction cordoned in behind a fake stake fence. We tried to check out the museum but the curator kicked us out because we brought our bikes with us. Katie put her in her place by pointing out there was no bike rack.

After all that excitement, there's really nothing else to do but:



visit the Williamsburg winery!

I think we each bought 4 bottles or so. Wine never tasted so good! Esp. VA wine!

After that, we had to ride 10 miles back to town to get the girls with our bikes just a bit heavier than they were when we started out!

Canandagua, NY - Just me 2013 (and 2012)

September 2013, Steve and I spend our 20th anniversary in Lake Canandaigua. I motivate on one drizzly afternoon to ride around the lake (sort of. not really. just out and back). Despite the overcast weather, it's a beautiful day and I miss my friends. Katie and I did a similar ride years ago when we vacationed here together.

Some moments that motivated me to get off my bike and haul out the camera (ok, just my phone).

My godmother, Peggy Lettny's house -
I didn't even know she lived in Naples!

The year before, the whole fam went to Canandagua with the Fischers and Tommy and Kim. I snuck out for a few rides that week under brighter sunshine. When Steve and I went alone, we stayed on the East side of the lake. All of the other years, we've stayed on the West side where my choices for biking are downhill and South, away from the lake, or uphill and North along the coast. I always choose up and North because this is where I end up.

Love seeing this pic of the old bike out on the trail!

The wildflowers along the side of the road are always beautiful.

Not exactly a wildflower, but still interesting.

Rides around this area always take me past rural farm stands that use the honor system.

For a different kind of New York riding, see the post about the 5 Burroughs ride though New York City.

Solo century-2013

September 2013: I've been out of commission since my car accident the year before. The River Ride approaches and I feel compelled to make it a century. After a year of pain, chiropractor appointments and stress, I want to feel strong on my bike (and in my life) again.

I plan to ride the century but no one else feels the same drive. Katie and Lisa say they'll try, but they don't know.

The morning is overcast and cool. Katie gets a flat tire before we even start. Katie and Lisa look at the route and decide they can't commit to 100 miles, so I'm on my own. We take a quick pic before I leave.

Katie, Lisa, Deidre, Debbie, Me

When I head up the road on my own, I feel really alone. It doesn't help that the sky is gray and the ride is poorly attended. Many of the century riders left earlier, so I am (literally) alone on the road. I tell myself I can do this - just pedal. In fact, I tell myself, I've probably clicked off several miles already! I look down at my odometer: 1.87 miles. OMG. I only have 98.13 miles left to go!

For the first 17 miles (before the first rest stop), I wonder what I'm doing. What's more important, riding with my friends? Or riding 100 miles?

Twenty miles in, I meet up with two women. Lisa and ?? (of course I can't remember the other's name). They are sisters from Reston. They agree to let me tag along with them. We ride together for the next 30 miles. They never mention how loud my bike is. It sounds like it's 100 years old - and I've only had it for 25 years!

In fact, on this ride, I decide it's time to get a new bike. Separated from my friends, I see my bike through the eyes of strangers, and I can see how truly old it is. At the first rest stop, people actually gathered around and marveled at it. Time for a change.

This museum and general store are a regular landmark on this ride.

Anyway, the day stayed gray, and despite my new friends, I stayed lonely. Then Lisa and Katie showed up at my lunch stop to meet me!

I was so excited to see them I could have cried. Except they thought they were farther along than they were. We still had 50 miles left. While they stayed to stretch, my 4 person "field" of riders took off. Now I was separated from the other century riders.

Eventually, Lisa and Katie decide they've had enough. They were troopers, riding 80 miles (or more - not really sure) when they hadn't come out prepared to ride 100.  In the end, I rode the last 20 miles by myself. At this point, I was okay. With only 20 left to go, I knew I'd make it.  As I rode the final stretch to pelican point (or whatever it was called!), the sun came out, the water glistened, birds dove for fish, and eventually, my odometer clicked 100!

That night, we went out for our usual dinner in the Thai restaurant in town then the usual breakfast at the restaurant in Tappahanock on the way home. For a terrible 5 mintues, we thought it had closed but thankfully, discovered it just had a new name! wew!

New Market to Staunton and back, 2012

It's September 2012. Deb Lane is still in china. We console ourselves with a self-created trip to Staunton where we plan to watch King John in the Shakespeare Theater in town.  Katie and I have the brilliant idea to read the play and meet on several nights to discuss, but alas, it didn't come to fruition.

We spend Friday night at Green Meadows where Lisa refuses to let us talk about ghosts, but where one just may have visited Katie in the middle of the night. She woke us by screaming when she felt something had poked her in the stomach hard enough to wake her up. Creepy!

We set out from Jay's parent's house in New Market the next morning:

We don't know how ready for this ride we are. At least I don't know. My ankle has been swelling inexplicably lately. I don't know if it will hinder me. Meanwhile, Katie's bike fell off her car just week's before. We don't know if that will hinder her...

It's 60 miles to Staunton (I think), but just 10 miles or so in, we stop for a pic. We've already gotten our asses kicked on the Shenandoah "hills." Lisa may have even walked at one point. But I can't confirm it.

Thankfully, there were also downhills.

Eventually, Katie's bike trauma (the falling off of the car) caught up with us. We spent several hours in H'burg doing repairs, which led us to this bizarre german fest.



Typical college party: lots of beer. Weird food (basically sausage and potato chips). When the bike was finally (and hopefully) fixed, we hit the road again. Thirty miles later, we reach Staunton.

I remember passing this sign. I didn't know if I could go any further!

We check into our B&B with little time to spare before the start of King John at the local Shakespeare theater (no pics allowed), so it must have been Lisa who snapped this!

The next day, we head for home feeling overwhelmed by the hills, so at Katie's behest, we head straight up route 11, thinking the traffic will be easier to contend with than the hills. It's a good call.

Before we know it, we're in H'burg again. This time spending our time visiting with Charlie instead of lounging around the bike shop.

The more leisurely ride on rte. 11 gives us the energy to enjoy the scenery.

Ok, yes. Several of those pics are all taken in the same place. :)

When we start to get tired, Lisa (the geography major) shows us there's hope. We can see where we're going - that pass in the distance!

In the end, we ride into New Market past a winery (name, lisa!?) and decide we have to stop. We are always easy customers after a ride, so we left with our panniers loaded down, riding the last few miles with an extra of liter or so in tow.

Great weekend!