I left my house at 5AM yesterday with no idea what might come of the day. More than half of this route, I knew only from views on google. Lines on a screen don't tell you much more than when and where to turn. That is one of the best things about a challenge like this one: the unknown adventure. I met Isaias at Perring pkwy and Satyr Hill rd. and 10 minutes later we were grinding up Manor rd- a long climb that proved to be just one of many.
The weather was good for riding. Cool for this time of year and cloudy. We cleared the PA border and as we neared the first rest, we caught a wave from Carl driving past. He'd decided to drive up to meet us and ride 100 miles of our route. It was great to have more company.
North into PA we rolled through Stewartstown. At Red Lion we moved easterly to the waters edge and the beautiful, if hazy, views of the river. A long hard climb on Long Level rd. led us up to Wrightsville. This stretch was not excessively steep- just long. However, I felt a lingering fatigue in my legs after getting up to the flat sections after the climb. Not a good sign especially when I am only at mile 60. But hey, the day is still young. We crossed over the Susquehanna to Columbia on the wide shouldered Veterans Memorial Bridge.
The exploration of new physical spaces while on my bicycle is wonderfully satisfying. Underneath the Wrightsville bridge, the Susquehanna river, strewn with huge glacial rocks, is surging with springtime rains and partially covered by blobs of cloudy haze. Columbia, PA is a handsome old town that showed off block after block of 19th century rowhouses. We cross through to the north and head up Kinderhook rd., another beast of a hill, steep and long.
I pretty successfully scaled this one, but I could tell that it was tearing up my increasingly precious leg strength. By the time we reached the rolling farm country north of Lancaster I began slowing down. The snacks I ate in Mt. Joy didn't help me. In fact, it seemed like I was just storing food and water in my stomach and it wasn't going any further down- just sitting and bloating. The terrain got flatter, but I didn't speed up. At this point, Carl and I discussed the option of shortcutting my day by getting a ride back to Baltimore in his truck. That seemed like a smart idea but I'd have to decide after lunch.
The clouds were beginning to break and the air was heating up as we pulled in to Strasburg and the halfway point. We had a nice break and a nice lunch. Strasburg is a train enthusiasts dream. There were antique trains and small scale trains rolling on different tracks as well as a train museum. After lunch we cruised through the rest of the town and then started heading south. Nicely, this rolling terrain was mostly downhill and gave us wonderful views of Amish Farms, buggies on the move, fields of draft horses, mules and chickens. Carl brought my attention to the bike/scooters the kids must ride- large wheeled like a bike, but with no pedal or chain and a small platform between the wheels to prop your cruising foot. Nice design, but I couldn't do this ride on one. My lunch had been minimal and tasty and I could feel that I had gotten fluids into me. But inexorably I began to slow down again. This was very frustrating. Carl stayed back with me and we watched as the sky darkened and thunder rattled overhead. We regrouped with Isaias at a convenience store. Another group of cyclists there warned us of severe weather and tornado warning for the area. After a brief break we rolled on hoping not to be sucked up into the sky.
At the right turn onto River rd. the plops of rain began to fall. Then tiny mushy hail, then deluge. A driver stopped and rolled down his window to tell us about the tornado warning. We thanked him and rolled on through the cooling, but slightly worrisome storm. I felt the grime and slime of the last 100 miles getting scrubbed off me. Once every bit of me was soaked, I began feeling cooler and happier and almost... stronger. The road was a mass of spray and water was streaming off the brim of my cap. I could see Isaias's red Dinotte light up ahead and could just make out Carl in my rear view mirror behind me. The long descent down Holtwood to the Susquehanna was thrilling. The river was gray and the surface of the water was fuzzy with rainsplatter. I was rejuvenated and entertained thoughts of reversing my decision to shortcut with Carl. I would wait to see how my legs did on the big climbs out of the valley and up to Delta, PA
Isaias and I climbed at first together, then he slowly pulled ahead. The rain was letting up and the stream beside the road was surging with runoff. After a couple miles of climbing Carl and I reached Whiteford rd. I needed to make a final decision. The storm hadn't made my legs any stronger, but it made me want to continue riding. I did the math- 55 miles more, with 4 hours of sunlight left. How bad could the remainder be? I didn't know. I decided to continue on the original route. Isaias and I said goodbye to Carl and off he went to finish up his Susquehanna Paradise short version.
I got a little coffee at the next rest stop and Isaias switched his Garmin gps to begin a new file for the end of the ride. The Garmin didn't like that idea and locked up. After several minutes of trying to reset it, we rode off without a functioning Garmin. There had been several points during the day that I was thankful to have Isaias's gps working for us, but now we had to go back to the soggy cuesheets. We stuck together over the next miles, me slowing down on hills, but trying to conserve energy and ride efficiently.
South of Churchville we hit a very nice long stretch on Carsins Run rd. A moment after turning onto Nova Scotia rd we hit dirt road, very rutted, but luckily downhill. It was actually pretty scenic with a small river beside us, but the bounciness was making my fragile stomach feel uneasy. We popped out near a Dunkin Donuts. We were both hungry, but I convinced Isaias to wait for for Mc Donalds in Bel Air. The very next turn brought us to another long bouncy dirt rd. and this one was hillier. My legs just couldn't take the abuse and for the first time I got off the bike and walked up a steep section. At the top we turned onto pavement for no more than a quarter mile and then back to dirt. Unfortunately for me, this stretch was even hillier and bumpier. It knocked the last bit of resolve out of me. I walked up another hill and by the time we came out on Emmorten rd in Bel Air I was toast.
At the McDonalds I could barely eat a bite. Both of us got the shivers in the air conditioning, except that my shivering kept up even after going back outside. I looked at my watch- 8:15PM. Not gonna happen. I told Isaias I wouldn't go any further. He looked disappointed. I felt guilty. I used his phone to call my sis to come pick me up. She'd just sat down for dinner, but she'd come. I felt more guilty. Isaias re-routed for a quicker path home, we bid each other well and off he went into the sunset (literally). Very slowly, my shivering let up and I managed to eat, but it took almost an hour. My ride picked me up and I was rescued from a McDonalds by an automobile. I felt even more guilty.
It didn't turn out well, but this day was a long one. The majority of the ride was lovely and the camaraderie was great. In the light of a new day I can second guess my two big decisions- (1)continuing to ride after Carl's kind offer of taking me home and (2)deciding to call it quits in Bel Air, only 28 miles from a finish. I still believe these were the right decisions. During the last 4 hours of riding I covered beautiful stretches I had never been on, I confirmed that some of these stretches were not right for this route and I pushed myself to just keep trying while I still wanted to. Then, in Bel Air I might have considered re-routing back to Baltimore with my lights ablaze all the way down Harford rd, but I would be attempting this in total darkness on a fairly trafficky road while feeling very physically unstable. That would've been too dangerous.
The route: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/463363
Miles ridden: 160, not-ridden: 30. My camera died, probably in the rain, so no pics.
Lesson learned: I need more practice.
Huge thanks to Carl and Isaias for the company and kindness.
