After some recent knee flare ups he has taken to pedaling the roads, with a machine he admits is a bit too cumbersome. On Saturday I took one of my extra road bikes up to Bethlehem so that we could not only enjoy each other’s company on a ride, but also to give him an idea of how a really good road bike would improve his experience.
Knowing that at this point clipless pedals would be an accident just waiting to happen, I removed my Look variety and put on a pair of platform pedals with toe clips that were just laying about the shop. I also pointed out the functions of the cycle computer, so that he could later brag about his stats with his buddies.
Once I had explained the basic operation of the brake lever shifters, some call brifters, and provided some advice on the most efficient way to use them on hills, we took to the local playground lot for some practice. He shook his head the first few times, attempting to get the hang of which lever he would need to shift in order to go faster, versus the one he would need to make climbing hills more easy.
These particular Shimano shifters on my Cannondale rotate the brake lever to change to bigger ring or cog size and have an underside paddle to release to smaller sizes. Once he gave me a confident, “Okay, let’s hit it!” we set off from his house downtown to the northeast, towards our old high school – fairly flat terrain over which to start.
There is a small hill up to the junior/senior high complex, one that I always like to launch up, and I warned him about what I was going to do and that I would wait at the top. I do something similar when I'm on rides with Sue in our neighborhood, and she’s used to it as a trade off for my more relaxed pace when I accompany her on rides. I was not issuing Craig a challenge in any way, but he is a really good athlete and simply did not want to get dropped!
Sure enough, at the top of the hill I turned around, and he was right on my wheel. I joked, “Now don’t let me see you breathe out of your mouth!”, but he’s in better shape than that.
I noticed on some of the flats that he liked pushing gears in the big ring and I explained the benefits of spinning in the smaller ring to develop leg speed and also cadence, so that you aren't rotating the pedals at different tempos for uphills and downhills. I also told him to feel free to blow by me if he wanted to “stretch his legs”, but to be sure to give notice, in case I swerve for a pothole or, more likely out in the farmlands, roadkill.
Shortly afterward we hit a nice long flat without much traffic. “Alright, let’s go,” he said as he pulled up alongside, doing about 25 mph – in the big ring. I cruised a distance behind him (No wheelsucking allowed!), spinning in the smaller ring with a pretty good idea of what was coming up ahead on our route.
The next left-hand turn sent the road directly into a short, steep highway overpass and continued on a gradual climb for about a half mile. I thought I was holding a reasonably moderate pace, and throughout the ride I was regularly checking Craig’s proximity, but I kind of zoned out in my effort up the hill. I felt bad that I had left him back about 100 yards! “Well, I paid for that little sprint,” he said as he came puffing back to me.
We then headed into the westward leg of the loop, about three miles of which were simply BRUTAL! The temp was nearing the mid-90s and there was a steady breeze that gave absolutely no relief – convection oven became our catch phrase of the day.
The last few miles, except for one more short, steep climb, were flat or slightly downhill, which probably felt even better knowing some A.C. and a cold drink were waiting for us! Craig immediately asked what route we were doing next ride, which made me feel great. We spent the time winding down with conversations about many topics, but several centered on cycling, and the opportunity to find him a decent road bike. All right – a convert!
Sunday, July 7 - STAGE TWO:
A couple of years ago my wife and I had done this ride from Ft. Lee, NJ, across the George Washington Bridge, three laps around Central Park, down to Battery Park and back, but it was about ten degrees cooler. It is not a flat ride, with the Park loop being surprisingly hilly, and the final 230-foot climb back up to the bridge from the river level is just plain NASTY.
Although I don’t regularly ride this far, I would not consider this among the most challenging routes I do, but the heat more than made up for it. By the time I returned to my car, I had gone through the original two bottles of water and five other refills! I had another bottle and a can of Dr. Pepper that were waiting for me on ice in a cooler, and then I stopped at a local 7-Eleven and had a large piña colada Slurpee.
Other than an incredibly annoying flat tire during my first lap at the park, the ride was rather uneventful, although a parent at a lawn party almost chased his kids directly across the trail into my path. I enjoyed riding down Riverside Drive, all the way from 165th Street down to my access point to the Park at 100th. It was so empty of traffic, I think I was passed by maybe four cars the whole way!
The Hudson Trail is a fantastic place to ride, not only because it is very nicely designed, but also because the views of the river and high-rises are wonderful. The trail was a bit more congested with weekend crowds, but that may have been a blessing because it kept my speed down and prevented me from really blowing up!
The funniest part of the ride was pedaling behind another cyclist who was really struggling up the steep trail to the G.W. Bridge. When she decided to quit and walk the rest of the way, I grinded by slowly and muttered, “They need an elevator for cyclists.” From around a curve below someone yelled, “You got that right!”
The next left-hand turn sent the road directly into a short, steep highway overpass and continued on a gradual climb for about a half mile. I thought I was holding a reasonably moderate pace, and throughout the ride I was regularly checking Craig’s proximity, but I kind of zoned out in my effort up the hill. I felt bad that I had left him back about 100 yards! “Well, I paid for that little sprint,” he said as he came puffing back to me.
We then headed into the westward leg of the loop, about three miles of which were simply BRUTAL! The temp was nearing the mid-90s and there was a steady breeze that gave absolutely no relief – convection oven became our catch phrase of the day.
The last few miles, except for one more short, steep climb, were flat or slightly downhill, which probably felt even better knowing some A.C. and a cold drink were waiting for us! Craig immediately asked what route we were doing next ride, which made me feel great. We spent the time winding down with conversations about many topics, but several centered on cycling, and the opportunity to find him a decent road bike. All right – a convert!
Sunday, July 7 - STAGE TWO:
A couple of years ago my wife and I had done this ride from Ft. Lee, NJ, across the George Washington Bridge, three laps around Central Park, down to Battery Park and back, but it was about ten degrees cooler. It is not a flat ride, with the Park loop being surprisingly hilly, and the final 230-foot climb back up to the bridge from the river level is just plain NASTY.
Although I don’t regularly ride this far, I would not consider this among the most challenging routes I do, but the heat more than made up for it. By the time I returned to my car, I had gone through the original two bottles of water and five other refills! I had another bottle and a can of Dr. Pepper that were waiting for me on ice in a cooler, and then I stopped at a local 7-Eleven and had a large piña colada Slurpee.
Other than an incredibly annoying flat tire during my first lap at the park, the ride was rather uneventful, although a parent at a lawn party almost chased his kids directly across the trail into my path. I enjoyed riding down Riverside Drive, all the way from 165th Street down to my access point to the Park at 100th. It was so empty of traffic, I think I was passed by maybe four cars the whole way!
The Hudson Trail is a fantastic place to ride, not only because it is very nicely designed, but also because the views of the river and high-rises are wonderful. The trail was a bit more congested with weekend crowds, but that may have been a blessing because it kept my speed down and prevented me from really blowing up!
The funniest part of the ride was pedaling behind another cyclist who was really struggling up the steep trail to the G.W. Bridge. When she decided to quit and walk the rest of the way, I grinded by slowly and muttered, “They need an elevator for cyclists.” From around a curve below someone yelled, “You got that right!”
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