A free weeknight, YAY! Since Ave and I are batching it this week and it’s the only night of the week where he doesn’t have baseball, he hightailed it to a friend’s house for the evening while ol’ dad decided it was time to re-attempt my Dillsburg ride.
With a trued wheel containing all 28 spokes, I took off to Wellsville; but not before checking out the rowing at Pinchot. I spotted one lone sculler leaving the inlet just as I pulled in, but no one else around. Admittedly, it was a bit breezy, which can put a damper on your feathering technique as you try to row over the waves, and I sense the old racing contingent of the club has pretty much retired.
Wellsville is…quaint; and I really should explore the town with a camera. There are a lot of very old homes that have been modernized, but still retain their aged persona. It’s a pleasant change from many of the McMansions that are springing up in the more affluent areas. If I had the money, I’d much rather settle for an older home with character than some of these monstrosities that are springing up.
This is a near perfect course for biking. Both Route 74 and York Road have recently been repaved (actually York Road isn’t quite done), there are good berms most of the way, and there is a combination of flats and hills, none of which are too steep, but a good test of the spinning skills nonetheless. Route 74 is basically a winding 2-lane through farmland, and York Road is a faster road, but with 8 foot paved berms. Although I didn’t stop, Dillsburg offers an excellent halfway point for a cup of coffee or a refueling snack. There were a lot of kids out along main street, and I sensed that they may not be used to seeing a biker cruising through that often.
Without really trying, I ended up riding at a faster pace. It was probably the pavement conditions and the nice tailwind I had on the return trip. If anything, I’m trying to slow down a little so I can go out further, but I really don’t want to focus on my pace, and I refuse to switch my computer readout to the average speed setting. Still, I found myself looking at those little arrows on the speedometer that tell you if you’re above or below the average, and I noted that I glance at the odometer every 8/10ths of a mile (must have been getting bored).
It was a little hot, but not overwhelming. Red had picked up a couple of shirts for me on clearance, and one is an Adidas “ATS Dry”, meaning it’s supposed to wick away any sweat. When you first put it on, you can feel it holding in some heat. But once you start moving, the breeze flows through it, and you can feel the wicking. Overall, I’ll give the shirt high marks – it looks like a nice t-shirt with some striping, but not like your typical lycra jersey. And I suppose it looks far more stylish than my old cotton work shirt.
I was, however, having trouble with my helmet. I have started wearing it again, but I need to figure out what to do on hot days. I put my bandana in my pocket and would wipe my face periodically, but I think using it as a headband would have been better. I really don’t want to spring for a new helmet if I don’t have to.
Another scene where I could kick myself for not yet replacing my camera… about a mile north of Rossville I passed three nubile bikini clad tween-somethings standing in a yard jumping up and down and waving to cars. I’m sure if I would have stopped to snap a pic I’d end up on some sexual predator registry, but the shot would have been priceless. Still, I can only assume that these girls were doing this because there were no adults home – so while it was great fun, it’s probably not a smart move, girls. Nevertheless, thanks for the encouragement.
Finally, I noticed about a mile from home that my Superflash had stopped superflashing. For those last few minutes I thought about how a dynamo tail light would solve that problem, but then I pulled in the garage and replaced the batteries in about 30 seconds, and I was superflashing again.
Misc. Miles: 6.7
Distance: 32.8 miles 2009: 570.6
1 response so far ↓
John // June 27, 2009 at 8:40 am |
I have always wonder what they call it when someone doesn’t make the rowing team. A crew cut perhaps.
I had to wear my helmet for the first time in a year on Thursday for the longest day of the year ride. No helmet, no pizza was the rule.
CNN showed that young lady dying from a gunshot to the heart last week over and over and over. But all hell broke lose when Jannett Jacksons exposed part of her breast.
Taking a photo of waving girls in bikinis probably would have branded you for life.
Taking a photo of one of them getting shot would get you interviews on all the networks.
Everything seems to be on the wrong shelf these days.