"Lost" Ride

Picked up the rental bike at Barren Bicycles in Fishbourne today, just as the new delivery of Ridgeback Terrain MXKs arrived.

These will be relaxed rides here, so no weight weenie worries about the rental bike's heft ... and the complementary basket on the front — I tried to figure out how to take it off, but the gear and brake cables were routed through it, and I figured it was not worth the aggravation to disentangle then for just a week.  For a heavy-built bike with a few weight-adding extras, it was surprisingly fast. They tyres were idea for the path/trail mix. And rugged enough to handle off-road flinty paths, where the front suspension was much appreciated. On the generally flat terrain I explored here, the weight was not really an issue. This area offers an abundance of on/off road riding that's perfect for this type of bike, rugged tourers, or cyclocross bikes.

Might as well use the basket, since it's there, "to put the bits in," said the shop ... those included a complementary bike lock, mini-pump, spare tube, my own water bottle and, for now, a phone running Strava, bouncing around in the bottom. 

So how did this qualify as a "lost" ride. Well I hadn't been here in two years, and I managed to get re-routed on the Fishbourne paths, as part of the bike path was closed. No problem, just a small diversion that showed me some other footpath options to ride another day. Paths I didn't know existed, I wonder where they go?

This part of the Fishbourne Footpath is part of a couple of Strava segments. It's neither particularly scenic, it just happens to run in between the railroad/railway lines and the ruins of the 2,000 year old ancient Roman Palace, which are mostly covered underground excavations. Definitely worth a trip. They date back to the Roman invasion of Britain, which at this point is an almost forgotten and irrelevant-seeming part of British history, were it not for the many legacies of that civilization including central N,S,E,W street configurations, roman baths, central heating, aqueducts and viaducts,   advances in science and medicine ... the list goes on.

But for Stravaites, the segment is named Emperor Way — after the inhabitant of the Palace — and it's a flat sprint involving a couple of 90-degree bends, and narrow fence lines. The only chance of PRs here is if there are no pedestrians. It's near a school; so watch out for people, people.

Once beyond the Fishbourne paths, it's onto local streets for a little bit, and another sprint section, from the "subway" under the highway, to the railway line crossing. I got really lost here. Not only has this part of town been redone, but they built a new bridge over the railway that made me think I'd take the wrong road. So I did a back and forth here, and eventually too the ramp bridge over the busy road.

It deposited me right at the entrance to Centurion Way, in Westgate, near the Bishop Luffa School entrance. Ready for the 1.3 mile 100 food climb to Brandy Hole Copse. 

Then I got off Centurion Way prematurely, finding myself in heretofore unexplored-by-me areas of Parklands. No problem, just rejoin the trail, and eventually locate my exit. It's good to get a little lost.  

Fathers' Day Ride with Family -- say no more, OK a little more

Fathers' Day Ride with Family -- don't need to get imaginative with a title here — this is all I need.

Wife/kids don't ride with dad much these days, especially not the teenage son, so it's always appreciated when they come.

M,  R & G used to ride the trail about 8 years ago, but when the kids stopped riding with the "embarrassing" parents (understand this is situation normal for a lot of male teens), it put a bit of a crimp in the bike outings.

Now, road riding in traffic is not their idea of a good time, and they don't care much for the rigors of the trail when it gets technical, gravelly, sandy, or too closely fringed with poison ivy, and clingy or thorny as it does in some places (can't blame them for that, either). And M's ankle is on the DL (that's hockey parlance for disabled list) for any hard pedaling, so easy ride today. Just glad to have the family company.

R and G had not ridden in about a year, and their bikes were in teenager-borrowing-proof mode: deflated and disengaged tyres. (Understand the resident teen has tended to bring back his own, then his brother's borrowed bikes in various states of trashedness; broken brake levers, broken derailleurs, with busted just about everything, so the rest of the family's bikes are now off-limits.).

Getting the stuff together, then. was a wee bit of a challenge...and wouldn't you know, I ended up forgetting a couple of helmets. Oops. rob wore my helmet and I put on a Walz cap and marg a baseball cap, *cough*. This was going to be a slower pace ride.

Three full-size MTBs is about all this 5-bike rack can take.

The Bethpage bike path is a relaxed place, anyway, and most of the irregular punters are headgear free, so we kept a chill pace and rode mindfully as possible.

With the rain last night and the day before, the path was lined with verdant SHRUBBERIES, and the remnants of spring's fragrant blooms. Yes, this was/is a summer solstice ride too, so ... the very end of spring.

Green finches/gold finches, other blue-gray birds I've never ID'd before, cardinals, rabbits, and one kangaroo-like thing ;) ;) -- musta been a very large rabbit! ... a fellow walking up ahead studied the bushes into which it had vanished. Lengthily studied them.

With a late start to mitigate the mid day heat we came home at dinner time — Wild Fig in Roslyn Heights does a rather decent approximation of a falafel sandwich, although their approach to a falafel sandwich is more akin to Moe's Southwest Grill — it ends up being a bit much, but after a decent ride, who's complaining?

Roadriding's Sea Breezes — the Pause that Refreshes

Could it be? Was I really heading into a north/northwest wind, or was this just "induced" wind? It felt fresh-ish, despite the heat. neck zipper undone, ventilation engaged.

Understand that much in the way of induced or apparent wind for me is not a likely scenario. I am no Bradley Wiggins-type of cyclist here.  More like a clydesdale among many local thoroughbreds. Plod, plod.

Had to wait to Lighthouse Road to get the answer to that question, and it wasn't the one I was hoping for.

Nope, not a northwest wind. In fact, quite the reverse, a bit more southwest if anything. So guess what? No tailwind for you on the ride back, you will be riding into the wind. And so yes that really was induced wind, well maybe with a bit of a crosswind mixed in -- it felt dry enough to be from the west.

Either way, enjoy the breeze. If it's going to be close to 90 degrees, you might as well enjoy any cooling breeze you can get, no?

The other good thing about wind — at least not the kind induced by beans or cabbage — is that it also keeps the bugs off when you're going really slowly uphill. That is, if you happen to go uphill as slowly as I have been known to go. Those interior hill roads through the wooded parts of the peninsula have some beastly little blackflies that just orbit the front of your face, and harass your lips, eyes and nostrils. Why do they antagonize the face? I don't know.

But here, out in the real breeze — no flies. Wind= too much work for flies, green heads, mosquitoes and most flying bugs.

Anyway, forget the Strava segment time for this section today; this was meant to be a relaxed ride. So, I stopped for a slug of 'Electro-mix' and to take in the view ... snap a few cell-phone snaps. 

Here's a wee panorama — in pieces — without the stitching up.