On Conquering a Hill

Last year, I wrote about a hill that defeated me. Union Hill Road. Here’s an excerpt from that post:

“There’s this road called Union Hill that runs through Parsippany just past Greystone Park. Man, that hill almost gave me a heart attack. I first started tackling the road with determination figuring it would eventually flatten out. After what seemed like hours (probably minutes) I finally gave up“

Yesterday I was riding, and knew that I was near that terrible road.  For some reason, I got it set in my mind that I would be able to ride the hill without bailing.  The closer I got, the more I convinced myself that it wouldn’t be as bad this time, after all, I know have a year of dedicated riding under my belt.  Finally I came across the road where it intersects.  As I approached, I debated changing my mind.  Multiple excuses came to me, like the fact that I needed to have energy after the ride for a BBQ so that I could chow down on hamburgers without my jaw falling asleep.

Finally I crossed onto Union Hill.  My heart started racing as I grew more nervous over the anticipation of having to climb this beast.  I didn’t want to fail out on this road.  I lowered my gears, and after a few yards, succumbed to the granny gear.  Not good, I thought.

Climb I did.  Slowly, but at a manageable pace.  Eventually the pain became something I was able to ignore.  I forced myself to take deep long breaths.  Cars passing by were only mere distractions, but I did not falter.  As I continued up the gigantic hill, a truck full of teenagers passed.  While their attempt at a joke may have disgruntled me any other time, this time I took it as encouragement to continue my quest at defeating the dragon hill.

And so, on I continued…

Halfway through, I was tired.  I kept moving.  I cannot stop, or else lose my momentum, and if my foot plants once, that means the hill defeated me again.

After some time, it was just me and the hill.  I think the hill knew that I was ready today.  It tried to slow me with the its ally, the wind, but my mind was made up.  That son of a gun of a hill was going down.  I think I heard “Eye of the Tiger” filtering through the leaves from a nearby BBQ.  I was encouraged.

Then.

Hill crest.

There I was.  My legs slowed down as I raised the gearing.  I had defeated a once worthy nemesis.  Union Hill Road was now mine.

Tons of riding

My Specialized and I had a truly wonderful vacation (oh, and wife and kids too).  I rode down by the shore one day (this was with my father-inlaw’s hybrid), and had plenty of day trips around Denville, Rockaway, Morris Plains.  I even rode with a former co-worker, though I was trying to convince him to ride on the right side of the road, and not the sidewalk.  He drives a motorcycle, too so I was a little suprised.  He did ride safely on the quieter roads.

Of course, last day of vacation being yesterday, my last mile I scored a flat tire!  No repair kit, and I’m all out of spare tubes.  Nice!  That’s life.

Also, I wore bike shorts yesterday.  Pete the crazy cyclist would be proud.  Luckily, these are the kind with the extra layer, so I don’t show off my leg definition.  I’m taking these things in small steps, folks.  I’m sure some years down the road I’ll be shaving my legs like the rest of them, but for now, I’m sticking it  conservative style.  The bike shorts are very comfortable, though.

Funny thing, even though my inlaw’s bike is a hybrid, I felt like I was flying, when compared to my Specialized Hardrock.  Makes me wonder if I should just finally get an old steel road bike.  In fact, the guy down the street was selling an ancient steel bike for $50.00.  I don’t remember the name of the company, but it seemed Italian or French.  I know if I want to start getting some serious mileage, I will need a road or touring bike.

Vacation

I’ve had a cheap vacation staying at home with plenty of riding.  Not much else to say, I’m still in vacation mode right now.

Longest. Ride. Ever. (For Me).

33 Miles

Today I set out on a mission.  To break my record, which, though I don’t remember it, I pretended is somewhere in the 20’s for mileage distance.  I can’t remember any rides longer than 25 miles since I started riding again last year.

Here are the details of the ride, with some unprofessional photographs, and the first ever Shaky Metalcommuter Video!

The Start

I started out heading down Franklin road towards the south end of Denville (or Ward 4, according to all of those political signs out on the yards right now).  This is a rural part of town with winding hilly roads, and even a couple farms.  My first stop was at the Veterans Memorial Park on Zeek Road:

This is a nice park with soccer fields, baseball diamonds, a dog park, and…a tank!

Like any red blooded American dude, I had to stop.  I love tanks.  If anyone can tell me anything about this particular model, please do.  I know next to nothing about the intricacies of the American tank.  I do know they are awesome at blowing things up.  My Specialized looked great next to it, though I was a bit worried the tank would just crush it.  Doubtful, because the Specialized is made of aluminum alloy, which sounds like Terminator.

Insane

After confronting an American tank, I swung past the local insanity asylum.  Greystone Park, in New Jersey, is a must do for all Weird NJ trekkers.  I didn’t go past the haunted building, but I did catch a sign as proof that they weren’t able to put me into the cuckoo’s nest.

I once read that the original hospital had the largest building footprint in the world until the Pentagon was constructed.  I would not recommend trespassing because you’ll get arrested.  There are cops stationed at the road entrances waiting for midnight runners.

Patriot’s Path

Eventually I ended up on Sussex Avenue in Morristown.  I finally spotted the paved portion of the Patriot’s Path.  It was a nice break from the roads, though I was confronted with more uphills later on.  This was about 3 miles, and no one was on the road.

Village City

Eventually I ended up on Washington Street in Morristown.  I didn’t stop to hang out, though.

I followed South Street down to the Loantanka Park.  I have visited this park plenty of times, and love it.  There are a few miles of paved trails, and a dirt trail that takes you through a brook a few times.  Fun, easy, and a top of the line park.

Funny, I drafted a couple newbie roadies on the way to the park.  The girl was in the lead, and the guy was trying to hammer it to break me.  Heh, first time on the road, probably.  I let them go when I turned into the park.  Not bad for a 240 lb guy on a mountain bike, carrying a pack on the rear rack.

Timeout for the word

I took a much needed break and spent sometime studying the book of Exodus.

There were plenty of recreational riders with the kids, a cool thing.  Again, this is a favorite park of mine.  I guess I hold some sentimental memories for this park.

I then headed down the trail towards Madison.

More paved trails in the woods.  Morris County New Jersey is a nice place to live.  This one taken while in motion.

Sweet Tea

I decided to stop at Atlanta Bread in downtown Madison.  Lori and I spent many of our “honeymoon” years living in downtown Madison.  Madison is a cool little town with a lot of boutique shops.  Also, for a conservative town, they are really bike friendly.  It seemed like there were “Share The Road” bicycle signs every 50 yards, and they painted out bike lanes on most of the major roads.

Ymmm…sweet tea hit the spot.  While there, my wife called.  She locked the keys in the car, and was at her brother’s house in Parsippany.  It was decided she’d just wait for me to get home.  Good, because I was a long way from home.

This is my 30th birthday gift.  I love it, and can’t imagine carrying a backpack ever again.

Madison-Morristown Traction Line

From there, I headed towards the Traction Line.  Or, I tried to find it, going down side streets off of Madison Ave.,  only to realize that the Traction Line entrance in Madison is off of Park Ave., which runs on the other side of the train tracks.

I did catch an entrance at the Convent Station stop.  I used to ride on this for exercise back before my bike commuting days.

You can see the sky grew dark.  That is because it started raining.  As soon as I entered the dangerous intersection on the Morristown side, it started to downpour.  Honestly, the rain was refreshing.  No big deal.

Through Morristown onto Morris Plains, and back up my familiar bike commute.  Here’s a picture of the Mt. Tabor park entrance.

If you like old Victorians, then you’ll love Mt. Tabor.  Some very interesting architecture lay beyond these gates.

I leave you with a terrible video of the last minute of my ride.  This was taken with my digital camera, and you can tell my attempt at creative angles failed miserably, and the auto-focus feature had a hard time keeping up with my pace.

All in all, it was a great ride.  I’ll be feeling it tomorrow.

Rogue Trail Riding

So I’ve been using the Morris Plains “Borough Walking Trail” for the ride on the way to work.  This cuts about 5 minutes from my commute, and the descent is F-U-N!

The entrance has a sign which states “No Vehicles Permitted”.  I believe a bicycle is a form of a vehicle, but I pretend the definition means motorized vehicles when I ride past that sign.

The thing is, the trail is like an alternative to coffee.  It is just too fun in the morning to ignore.  Hoping along at over 30 miles per hour on a short steep hill is something I look forward to know.

The normal way is just boring, though I do get to look at Pfizer on one side and Johnson and Johnson on the other.

Feeling Stronger

I recently had a record time heading the most direct route home.  Thirty minutes portal to portal, including the massive (not so massive) hill in Mt. Tabor.  I don’t know, something clicked, and I decided to ride the entire trip with very little coasting breaks.

Compared to a few weeks ago, I feel like my legs are in slightly better condition, though I haven’t dropped a ton of weight.  Yet.  This will start to happen as I get smarter with my diet.

Pete has encouraged me to take longer more challenging routes.  I’ve taken his advice, and the route of choice takes me an extra thirty minutes with much more challenging hills.  I hope to have some pictures, because this route is pretty (well, except for the high tension power lines on some of the ride).  While it has less traffic, I’ve noticed myself a bit intimidated climbing a winding country road hoping the next car flying around the bend sees me before it is too late.  My direct route has nice shoulders for much of the ride, whereas this route forces me to take the road.

Flat Tire Mishaps

I’ve had two flats in as many weeks.  Both times, the rear tire mysteriously emptied out over night.  I am beginning to wonder if I have some sort of bicycle gremlin lurking in the shadows of my basement, waiting for the most inconvient time to wreak havoc.

I think the reasons for the flat tires are to be attributed to riding in the early season when road debris is at a higher level.  Still, I hate flat tires!

Boston Sports

Both of my spring time playoff teams were knocked out of the playoffs early.  Alas, this means that the Bruins, and Celtics will be hitting the links, cruising in their yachts, getting dental surgery, or whatever it is that pro athletes do in the offseason.  On the plus, this also means that I won’t be staying up all hours of the week watching my teams win championships, the plus being that I’ll go to bed at more Godly hours ready to ride early in the morning.

I’m still rooting for the old team in Boston though.

Work Move

Next week my company moves.  This maybe adds a quarter mile to my commute, but I’m wondering if they have showers.  So far, I have had no luck in locating them, but I’ve only looked at the one men’s room near our new office.  Bonus, they actually have a cafeteria.  Not that I have money to spend there anyway.

I may have to learn how to commute without taking a shower.  Yuck!  I know other (if not most) commuters do it this way, but once you have the luxury of a shower you start taking it for granted.  Some good advice I’ve read, is to take it easy on the way in so that you don’t build up a terrible sweat, and then get the real work out on the way home.  I may practice this next week.

My thought

The president wants to make it so all new cars by 2016 have to have a minimum 35.5 MPG.  I’m not sure this is realistic, and I’m also unsure if this is the best way to confront our dependency on foreign oil.  While I’m a big fan of new technology and advancement in different energy outlets, I wonder if we should just allow the market to dictate MPGs and how to figure out a cheap way at extracting the oil from shale.

Then again, I’m no energy expert, I just enjoy riding a bike.

Weekend: Blah

I never had a chance to ride this weekend.  Saturday, we were doing a little hiking, when I received a phone call from a client.  So as the weather cleared up, I was stuck on the phone until the evening trying to fix an access issue.

Now it’s been a few days without a ride.  I might ride home tonight, weather permitting.

Oh well, I guess a few days without a ride beats a few weeks.

Critical Mass

Last Friday I rode in company with about 70 zombies. Luckily, my brains are still intact. Pete showed up in his motorcycle gear. I’ll try to refrain from any Village People jokes from here on out.

My thoughts on the Critical Mass

1.  Fun.  Honestly, I really enjoy riding by myself, which is probably why I waited almost a year to join in with the Critical Mass.  I’m glad I did it.  This seems like a nice way to meet other people enjoying creation.  In fact, my wife can vouch to the fact that I had a good time, as this is all I talked about over the weekend.

2.  Organized.  The two words “Critical” and “Mass” sound chaotic.  You would think it would be an unorganized mass of cyclists cutting in and out of traffic reeking havic on the streets.  You would think wrong.  People were assigned to direct traffic, it started on time, and nobody harrased pedestrians or drivers.

3.  Short.  Understandbly, the route was very short, but when you have children along, it is best to make it easy for the youngsters.  Later on, while I was riding home up long hills, I was happy with that fact.  Besides, it seems that part of the ride is to take in the sights.  I felt like I was in a parade, so it was interesting to see the bystanders reactions as this huge mass of body and bikes rambled by.  Morristown is a perfect town for such a ride.

Ride Home

After the CM, Pete and I decided to head home.  I was feeling a little under the weather, was broke, and foolishly thought it would take me 30 minutes to get home.  Pete, ever the glutton for punishment, took me on the “easy” hills through Morris Twp, Parsippany, and Denville.  I think with the combined riding of the morning, afternoon, and the evening, I was just plumb tired.

I thank Pete for keeping it at a slow pace, or else I fear I would have just stopped near Graystone Park and checked into one of their empty rooms.  Also, I forgot to bring a blinky, so he wisely offered one of his spares.  This I was very thankful for when the night grew dark after parting our ways.

The Tourne

I took Saturday off from riding, keeping myself busy in the yard, and throwing a BBQ with some friends.  However, by Sunday, I was itching to try the Red Trail at the Tourne again.  I brought a bottle of water with me because the weather was in the 90s (according to my cyclometer, it was 95 when I rode).

I reversed the trail from last time.  I seriously think it was easier, but the fact that I was tired and it was so hot, I had to stop more times, and the actually bailed once!  No scratches or bruises, just my pride was hurt.  I tried to make a boulder, but instead of pulling up, I went head over handlebars as my bike fell to the ground.  I had room to run so as not to let the bike crash on me, but I’ve read that some advise to hold onto the bike while it is falling.  This is why I’m a newbie when it comes to MTB’ing.

Legal?

There’s some doubts as to whether it is permissable to ride this trail.  Why?  Because a few years back most trails were closed to bicycle traffic.  I found only one sign that prohibited bikes, but this was on a trail in Mtn. Lakes, not the Tourne trail.  While I headed towards the Red Trail from the parking lot, I spotted a cop, he noticed me, but went on with his conversation.

So, I will have to find out for sure where I can ride, because there are inconsistencies when it comes to signage.

Review: Red Trail at The Tourne

Truth be told, my mountain biking experience is rather limited. Other than the occasional off-road excursions, and my experiences at the Patriot Path, I have, well, no experience. I have ridden the Tourne a few times before, but I never rode the Red Trail. At least, not on purpose. I once got lost in the Tourne trying to find easier downhill access that proved fruitless after bonking out.

So it is established. I am a complete novice, n00b, and for surfers, a barney (except not in the water). Well, I’m a barney in the water too, because I surf maybe once every five years. Anyway, my wife unleashed me from the homestead for a few hours on Sunday. This means I didn’t have to haul dirt around in her garden, and no smelly diapers for me to change.

Knowing that I live in the shadows of the Tourne (really, the Tourne is a small hill, but in this part of NJ, anything higher than a three story building can cast a shadow for miles), I decided to research online the trail system of the park. The reviews were mixed, but everyone seemed to state that the Red Trail was a good ride for both beginners and experts. This trail loops the entire park, running about 4.5 miles, I believe.

There are multiple entries with parking access to the trail, but I chose to enter on the Mountain Lake sides. You ride past a small lake (looked full with derby fishers). Eventually you’ll enter the Red Trail (why is it called the Red Trail?). For the first few yards, it was easy for this totally inexperienced MTB’er. I thought this would be no sweat. About 10 minutes in, I hit a dramatic hill littered with huge boulders (dramatic to me). For me, being as out of shape I am in, I had to dismount and walk it. I was losing traction on my rear tire as a I tried to climb while standing (which I think proves my technique is off), and grew weary real quickly.

After reaching the top of that hill, I was met with some nice coasting down a thickly forested part of the trail. I was holding onto my brakes though, as I still didn’t build up the nerve to bomb out on single track. Eventually I had to climb more trails (and more dismounting), but finally started to gain some confidence in my skills. I already knew about picking your path and riding it out. I now know that sitting down while hopping rocks makes the ride seem more unstable then if you raise your back up a couple inches above the seat.

There were some logs to climb, which I had no problem rolling. I think my experience riding curbs and such as a youngster helped the transition to the trail for log rolling. Some of the rocks were scary, though. I’m sure plenty people who ride this trail would laugh at my foolish baby steps, but I found the trail to be challenging, technical, and fun! Fun is the key, because this is what I set out for last Sunday.

Oh yeah, I did get lost. As I was on the final leg of the trail, I couldn’t find the trail back to that little lake in Mountain Lakes. So I continued to follow the Red Trail feeling as if some things were familiar. When I had to dismount, I seriously began to wonder if I was on my second loop. After an hour of what for me is intense riding, I was not ready for a second loop. I reached the top, and when I spotted the random bench, I knew my bike had tracked this section over an hour ago. So I turned around and bombed the descent! Whew, this is what riding is all about!

I found the lake, and rested on a grassy hillside overlooking another lake for a few minutes relishing my first MTB ride of the year.

In short, I definitely suggest anyone who has an hour or two to spare, to come out and enjoy the Red Trail at the Tourne. If you haven’t been to the Tourne, then first check out the gravel road that goes to the top. At the top, you have a nice almost 360 degree view of Morris County, and on clear days you can see the NYC skyline.

I have a feeling that I’ll be paying this trail many visits this year.

Bonus: Later that afternoon, my two year old finally figured out how to pedal her tricycle on the paved path that runs along Boulevard in Mountain Lakes! If she’s like her papa, she’ll be bunny hopping skateboards in a few years.

Spring is here

Yes, it is official. Warm weather is finally upon us.

I’m back in the habit, out of hibernation. Yesterday I rode into work, even though I had a client visit in Montclair at 1:30. Remember, we have one working vehicle, and technically, the car I’ve been driving everyday is my wife’s. She normally works from home, but had a meeting in the morning. To work around this, I met her at home during lunch. Riding a bike during lunch is an excellent option for me, because most of my client visits are in the afternoon. I had enough time to ride home, take a shower, and scarf down a burrito.

I found the Morris Plains “Borough Walking Trail” a few months back.

This connects Route 53 to a residential neighborhood a few blocks from route 202. You’ll recognize the high tension wires that run parallel to the trail. I’m not sure if bikes are permitted on the trail, but I’ve yet to see anyone hiking on it.

My odometer (now reading in miles, instead of KMs) had me at 30 miles per hour bouncing down the steep hill! What a thrill this was for me first thing in the morning. My grin was plastered on my face the entire minute and thirty seconds it took me to fly down. (Normally a walk down would take about 10 minutes). I don’t think I’ll be using the trail on my commute home.

I think I’ll take a nice long detour today. The weather is so nice, that it is actually energizing me for a ride.