Thunderstorms rolled through Ithaca on Sunday night with strong winds and torrential rains, leaving some unhappy and soggy campers at Robert Treman State Park. Aside from a little water that leaked into my tent through a tent fly that I had failed to close and a wet bicycle seat (need to remember to put the plastic over the seat at night), I was fine in the morning.
During a trip like this, it is almost like changing time zones. The days shift was you move outside and fill your waking hours with exercise. Our mobile village of 500 riders wakes at 5:00 am and is pretty much quieted down and asleep by 10:00 pm. We live by the sun and are very much more attuned to the weather.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/9921078
This link was the Day 2 ride. Just a little more than four hours of riding with some frequent stops at rest stops and for one large mechanical failure. 104 kilometers and 933 meters of climbing. A fairly normal day of riding in the Finger Lakes.
Geoff (New York), Kent (DC suburbs) and I rode together. About 30 km into the ride, Kent’s rear derailleur cable broke, putting him into the highest of gears (not good for climbing hills.) Together, along the side of the road, we attached the broken cable to the cable housing on the down tube and using a tire lever we levered the cable over a bottle cage, shifting the rear derailleur into a middle gear. Kent had a fairly good gear and the use of the front derailleur and was able to finish the ride.
The weather cooperated again. No rain but lots of searing sunshine and temperatures in the high 20s. Each day now is all about getting in enough liquids, not just during the ride but afterwards and throughout the day. In this heat, while cycling, the body can lose far more fluids than you can drink while riding.
Early in the ride I was having some knee pains, something that I had not experienced in years. I figured that maybe in putting in the new seat, I might have raised my cycling position up by a millimeter or so since the new seat was not as compressed as the old one. I had really worn that old seat out over the years. So, I dropped my seat post down just a bit and the knee pain vanished. Now the only problem is keeping my cycling shorts dry and the region between the shorts and the seat clean and sufficiently aired out when I am off the bike to avoid any inflammation, otherwise known now as Brugliera Syndrome.
This is my campsite in Watkins Glen, a sleepy town at the southern end of Seneca Lake.
As the sun set, cyclists read, rested weary legs and sampled the bottles of wine gathered from the wineries along the route. The organizers are good about helping the riders support the local wineries. They send a SAG wagon around to all of the wineries with tastings on the route, collecting the purchases of the riders. At the end of the day the truck delivers the bottles to thirsty campers. Nice touch.
Today (Tuesday) we are off early for a 115-120 km ride. The weather looks to be clear and hot, with temperatures expected in the lower to mid 30s. It is a day to hydrate and maybe take it a bit easy after riding hard for two days.
Googled for the ride and found your comments. You have me cranked. Friends are riding Bon Ton 10 -- and now I'm inclined to join them. Thx for sharing.
Posted by: Peter Toomey | January 02, 2010 at 10:20 PM