Glad to be back. (sort of) Key West was great for eating, lounging, snorkling and eating key lime pie- all activities I'm fond of, however, there aren't many options for long distance riding. There is a bit of a circle around the southeastern portion of the key(maybe 5 miles), but Route 1 North is really the only option for non-circular distance. Today's goal was to get over Seven Mile Bridge into Marathon .
Eaton Bikes was the only place in town that had decent road bikes for rent. They were kind and efficient setting me up with a Kona Jake- an aluminum frame cyclocross bike. It has 10-sp cog and a triple in front. I don't know what other riders do with all those gears. I would've been fine with a single speed. I left before sunrise from our rental along the historic seaport. Not the safest thing to do since I didn't have lights. I did wear my reflective jacket which, I'm guessing, helped keep some cars from hitting me. There is only one road off the island- Rt. 1 and I missed it. I began seeing the waterfront along the southside of the island and realized I had already gone past the only turn I needed to make. U-Turn.
Once on the Rt.1 bridge I was heading ENE to Boca Chica and directly into 25-40 mph headwinds. I knew it was going to be a wind fight for the next 40 miles and I needed to be back in Key West by 12:30 for brunch. (tough life, eh?) Off to the east the waters began to lighten with emerging sun. Unfortunately, it was too cloudy to get a proper sunrise. As soon as the sun was above the horizon though, the temperature began rising. By mid-morning it was up to high 70's and I was gulping down water like it was August in Baltimore.
Route 1 was scenic for me, but loaded with traffic traveling anywhere from 30-60mph. The route is part of the Eastcoast Greenway with plans to have a ped/bike path along the entire stretch. They're a long way off from that though. I took the trail once and it lasted not much longer than 1/2 mile before I was unceremoniously dumped back onto the main road. So, I rode the remaining miles on the shoulder which was mostly clear and smooth and only occasionally narrow, glassy and/or rutted. I lost count of how many bridges I went over. The route is just a series of frog hops over channels. Each bridge gives you a reason to get out of the saddle and rewards you with great views of the complex waterways as well as easy views of sponges and sea critters through the clear, shallow water. Good stuff.
I felt a bit uncomfortable getting on the Kona for this ride. Riding a bicycle for more than a few hours creates a relationship between rider and bicycle. A strong relationship is built on familiarity and a variety of trusts. Kona and I had none of that and I was hoping we would at least be civil and respecting of one another. We were not a perfect match. The frame was a bit small for me. I felt cramped in the top tube and was constantly repositioning my hands to take the weight off the bars as I couldn't find a comfortable balance point. As a part of the initial fitting, I'd raised the seatpost twice, but should've put it up another couple cm. So, I felt like I wasn't able to put in a proper power stroke. I was determined to be pleasant with the Kona and I was. Oh yeah, another thing- there was a slight leak in the rear tube which became rather sloggy by the end of my ride. Okay that was all. Kona was a pleasant rental, but we were not destined for one another.
I was nearing the southern base of the Seven Mile Bridge around 9:30 and realized that even with a quicker return ride I was not going to make it all the way up to Marathon and then back to Key West by 12:30. Although the bridge is a bit less distance than its namesake, it would be completely un-sheltered from wind and I'd be slow getting over it. I decided to accept my backup goal which was to ride out on the abandoned Flagler bridge from Little Duck Key. The bridge, an abandoned section of the old Overseas Highway, runs parallel to the new Seven Mile Bridge. It is missing several pieces in the middle because of storms and a movie stunt explosion, but long sections of it are still accessible from Marathon to the north and Little Duck Key to the south. I rode out for nearly a mile on it, passing fisherman and sight seers to the concrete barrier at the end of the section. It's kinda creepy looking over to the other inaccessible portion of the bridge. Then it was time to head back.
Traffic was getting heavier, but the tailwind made it a much faster trip. I chatted briefly with some Aussie road bikers in Little Pine key and finally made it back to Key West before my rear tire got too soft. I stopped to return the bike at Eaton bikes. They were shocked and amazed that I had ridden that distance and I soaked up the attention.
Two days later I rented a cruiser bike. Key West has perhaps, more humans on bicycles than anywhere I've visited except Amsterdam and 90% of the bikes are cheap cruisers. In Baltimore, I live in a world where owners tout their own individual choices in bicycles and bicycle parts. What you ride becomes an expression of your personality. Custom steel, Carbon, Ti? High performance, long distance, commuter. We define ourselves and are defined by our bikes. No so in Key West. A bike is just a "red bike" or a bike with big handlebars or "the one with the milk crate". Strange and wonderful. After riding a red cruiser with a yellow milk crate for a full day, it made me appreciate the Kona. In spite of our differences, I went back to Eaton bikes to rent the Kona again. The shop was closed. Like an excitable kid, I cupped my hands at the front window looking to see if I could see it hanging up inside. I wondered whether it might be taking someone else up to Marathon Key.
More pics from my trip: http://www.flickr.com/photos/27976837@N00/sets/72157623279683853/
