My plan was to start in the borough of Bay Head, which is the railroad terminus of New Jersey Transit’s Coast Line. I didn’t feel the need to do the complete 90 miles of out-and-back riding, and would take the opportunity to cut off about 18 miles by catching the train in Long Branch and relax on the rails back to my starting point.
Not that I am complaining too much, but it has been difficult to gauge what clothing is necessary when the mornings start off in the fifties and then climb into the seventies by mid-afternoon. Luckily, when I unloaded my Cannondale (the one I picked up during that Sandy Hook-Sea Bright stage) shortly after 10:00, the temperature had reached the 60s, and because there was no wind (a rarity at the shore), I knew I’d be comfortable in a short-sleeve jersey once I was moving and had warmed up.
I pedaled off from the Bay Head train station, turned right and was speeding to the south along Ocean Avenue (Route 35). The road was smooth tarmac with a marked bike lane most of the way, down through Mantoloking and a series of named beaches in Brick Township. Here the road split, with each direction being a two-lane one-way street, separated by about a block of houses and businesses. This street arrangement continued for a few miles through the township of Toms River and the boroughs of Lavallette and Seaside Heights.
It had been nearly forty years since my parents and I took a day trip out to the shore here in order to visit a girlfriend and her family, so I took a little detour just to look at the beach and boardwalk area. Amazingly, with such little wind, the ocean’s gentle waves looked more like those on the Great Lakes than on the Atlantic Ocean! Finding out that I didn't have a whole lot in my memory banks about the neighborhood around Seaside Heights, I promptly veered back onto the adjacent Ocean Terrace and, after a couple of blocks, cut back over to Central Avenue to reach the entrance to Island Beach State Park.
What a surreal environment this was! Other than a couple park structures, a Coast Guard station and the Governor’s Mansion, the 8.5-mile stretch of poker-straight road was bordered only by dunes, tall grasses and scrub pine. Adding to the strange atmosphere was the complete lack of traffic - I think I was passed by five vehicles during the whole 17 miles of pedaling - and the cloudless blue sky provided a dimensionless background to the stark scenery.
Not that I am complaining too much, but it has been difficult to gauge what clothing is necessary when the mornings start off in the fifties and then climb into the seventies by mid-afternoon. Luckily, when I unloaded my Cannondale (the one I picked up during that Sandy Hook-Sea Bright stage) shortly after 10:00, the temperature had reached the 60s, and because there was no wind (a rarity at the shore), I knew I’d be comfortable in a short-sleeve jersey once I was moving and had warmed up.
I pedaled off from the Bay Head train station, turned right and was speeding to the south along Ocean Avenue (Route 35). The road was smooth tarmac with a marked bike lane most of the way, down through Mantoloking and a series of named beaches in Brick Township. Here the road split, with each direction being a two-lane one-way street, separated by about a block of houses and businesses. This street arrangement continued for a few miles through the township of Toms River and the boroughs of Lavallette and Seaside Heights.
It had been nearly forty years since my parents and I took a day trip out to the shore here in order to visit a girlfriend and her family, so I took a little detour just to look at the beach and boardwalk area. Amazingly, with such little wind, the ocean’s gentle waves looked more like those on the Great Lakes than on the Atlantic Ocean! Finding out that I didn't have a whole lot in my memory banks about the neighborhood around Seaside Heights, I promptly veered back onto the adjacent Ocean Terrace and, after a couple of blocks, cut back over to Central Avenue to reach the entrance to Island Beach State Park.
What a surreal environment this was! Other than a couple park structures, a Coast Guard station and the Governor’s Mansion, the 8.5-mile stretch of poker-straight road was bordered only by dunes, tall grasses and scrub pine. Adding to the strange atmosphere was the complete lack of traffic - I think I was passed by five vehicles during the whole 17 miles of pedaling - and the cloudless blue sky provided a dimensionless background to the stark scenery.
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| A few clouds lurk in this image borrowed from GoogleMaps, but you get the idea. |
Though there were still many new areas to see today, the actual halfway point of my excursion came on the return back up to Bay Head, and I was stunned to see that Barnegat Bay still looked fairly mirror-like. I was really enjoying cruising along on this breezeless day! I had a few fuel sources in my jersey back pockets, but on this occasion I unwrapped the foil packet and munched on the traditional half of a peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwich that I bring on my longer rides.
I passed my starting point at Osborne Avenue in Bay Head and continued on into Point Pleasant Beach, where I added another train station to my “collection”:
I was surprised to find the surface, all the way up through the borough of Spring Lake, was the composite Trex boards and not wood. The boards here were a grayish beige that replicated the weathered wood one might find in Wildwood or Ocean City. The center of the walkway also had a center lane where the boards ran lengthwise, providing a soft, smooth surface for the wheels to glide over. I just wrapped up watching an exciting week of coverage of the track world championships, and I imagined this was what it felt like to ride on a wooden velodrome!
Into the borough of Belmar, the Trex was a dark, and very attractive, mahogany color. In total there were about 6.5 miles of nearly continuous boardwalk riding, and I had to take one of the short breaks here to cross the drawbridge over the Shark River into Avon-By-The Sea. Now on the more traditional weathered wood, I was soon within sight of the famous Stone Pony music venue in Asbury Park. I had to share this photo I found of Springsteen and a friend on a tandem:
Finally leaving the boardwalk at Deal Lake, I pedaled into its namesake borough and through Elberon, where the streets were lined with block after block of posh estates! It was obvious that I was now into areas of the New Jersey shore where people lived year-round.
As I entered Long Branch, the commuter neighborhood feel only increased. While I definitely wouldn’t call this era “urban”, I certainly noticed a greater number of hospitals, schools and businesses – more of the structures to support residents than one would see in communities to the south that sit isolated out on the barrier islands and have mostly summer-oriented populations.
I soon noted Morris Road, where I would later be making the turn to reach the train station. Moments afterward, I noticed a bank clock and realized I only had a half hour to finish the remaining 8 miles to Sea Bright and return in time to catch the 2:26 train back to Bay Head. Averaging 16 mph for this last segment would be quite an effort after already being in the saddle for sixty miles, but trains only ran every two hours off-peak, and I did not want to miss mine.
I dug in and made it with just minutes to spare… that is, to wait ten more minutes for the late train! Oh well, better to get (more of) a workout and make sure I caught the train then to end up having to wait around for the next train. Actually, I would have just “sucked it up” and taken on the last 18 miles to ride my bike back. I still had a long drive back to Royersford, and all this pedaling made returning in time for dinner a priority!
I've had the bicycle listed for a few weeks but somehow managed to forget posting photos of the completed bicycle here. I recently picked up a 2001 Wilier-Triestina Isoard for a bargain price. Painted for that season's Liquigas pro team, the frame is a lightweight composite construction of Easton SC7000 scandium/aluminum and carbon fiber tubes. The bike is built up with an excellent Campagnolo Record Carbon 10-speed group and a set of their Neutron wheels:
While I'm at it, I'd also like to share photos of the early-1990s Peugeot 1100 Team Line bicycle that I was finally able to complete. I've fortunately sold some bikes and been able to make room for new projects. As planned, the bike has been assembled with mostly French parts, and a full component list can be found on the For Sale page.
