Taking August Off (sort of…)

Note: This post was updated on Aug. 5, 2015 to change the date of the NJ Coastal Ride. Our ride is now scheduled for September 12, 2015. This change is due to a large scheduled event at Sandy Hook, the 2015 “Iron Girl” women’s triathlon, which will result in restricted access to the park on September 13.  

I’d like to provide notice to our Delaware Valley Trike Riders’ Club members that I will not be leading a “monthly” club ride during the month of August 2015. Over the past several months I’ve found that planning rides, mapping routes, and scouting trails I haven’t visited for a long while, all takes a fair amount of time – particularly when trying to match these rides with the feedback from club members regarding our current abilities and goals.

While I won’t lead a “monthly” ride in August, I will begin offering a repeating ride, the 30-mile “Odd Sunday Sundae Ride.” More information about this repeated ride will be available in an upcoming post.

If YOU would like to lead a club ride this August, perhaps along your favorite or familiar trail, or if you know of another ride that our club members might be interested in joining, something for fun, for charity, etc., please let me know and I will post the details online.

During this 2015 season – our first riding season – I’ve tried to offer rides that were easy, some more challenging, and one that someone said was insanely difficult. While most of these rides have attracted only small groups, the feedback I’ve received suggests that our club members want to continue group rides… and that is news I’m happy to hear. For much of the remainder of this season I will rely more heavily on destination rides as well as rides organized by others (see details below). These rides have been mostly selected for their trike-accommodating terrain, their proximity to our “home” region (thinking… “day trip”), their visual or historical points of interest and relative ease of access to food, restrooms and nearby mechanical support. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for accommodating weather!

Beginning again in September 2015, here are some club rides I hope you can join:

Sept. 12: NJ Coastal Ride from Long Branch NJ to Sandy Hook and back (<25 miles). The goal is to take a leisurely morning ride to soak up the last bit of summer sun, share a few laughs, catch some refreshing ocean breezes, view some of the historic structures along the route and wrap up with a hearty late lunch at a local restaurant.

Oct. 4: Tour de Pines Final Day, $40 fee, supporting the Pinelands Preservation Alliance (27 or 45 mile loops). This is the final day of five day’s of pinelands bike touring for a single fee. See http://www.pinelandsalliance.org/exploration/ppaprograms/tourdepines/ for details. Weather permitting, I also plan to ride the first day’s tour (Sept. 30) “Ride like the Devil”, a 48 mile loop. These are “follow the leader” (starting at 9:00 AM) or “on your own” rides that are typically well attended. Be aware, they do not provide SAG, so be sure to carry your repair kit. Average speeds on bike-friendly roads, following Tour ride leaders, are between 11 – 13 MPH.

Oct. 24 or 25: Lehigh Gorge Trail. One of two options will be selected depending on your interest (please contact me with your option and date preference). This trip is planned to take place before the end of the peak of fall foliage amongst some of the beautiful vistas  along the Lehigh Gorge Trail. We will likely take several brief stops along the trail to view the many waterfalls, white-water rapids and other points of interest within the gorge. Be sure to bring your camera!

Option 1 (parking fee only – about $6.00 per vehicle): Lehigh Gorge Trail, from Jim Thorpe to Rockport and back (30 miles). We’ll take advantage of a typically warmer, late morning start from Jim Thorpe and enjoy our home-packed lunch at the Buttermilk Falls before returning.

Option 2 (parking $6.00, and shuttle $19.99 per bike): Leaving at 10:00 AM sharp, we will be shuttled (by Pocono Biking) from Jim Thorpe to White Haven where we will proceed at a leisurely pace south along the Lehigh Gorge Trail, stopping to enjoy our packed lunch at the Buttermilk Falls before proceeding to Jim Thorpe. This is a 25 mile, one-way trip.

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For each of these club rides, more details will be provided as they get closer on our calendars.

Thank you for your support, interest and membership in our club. I know I’ve made some very good cycling friends these past few months, on both scheduled and ad-hoc rides, and I look forward to riding with you soon!

Wayne K

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Trip Report: Wally’s Niagara Falls 2015 Tour

I’d like to invite you all to visit our fellow Delaware Valley Trike Riders’ Club member’s “ride summary” of his recent trip to Niagara Falls on his recumbent trike. Wally Hertler, a long time member of the White Clay Bicycle Club, has been leading cyclists on yearly, long distance tours for over 40 years.

Wally’s “summary” is actually a wonderful photographic journal, annotating highlights of the trip and thoughtfully reflecting on the challenges that rolled up. With the dust hardly settled behind him, Wally has started organizing for next year: Wally’s 2016 Tour of Somerset that will include a visit to the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, PA.

Thank you for sharing this with us, Wally, and we hope to ride with you soon!

Wayne K

Club Ride: Lower Perkiomen Trail with Lunch

Reaching out to our Delaware Valley Trike Riders’ Club members from our more “western” regions, I would like to invite you to join our next club ride on Saturday, July 18, 2015 (starting at 10:30 AM, sharp). Beginning in Lower Perkiomen Valley Park, we will follow the Perkiomen Trail north to Schwenksville where we will take a break to stretch and grab a quick slice at Ortino’s Restaurant before turning around and heading back.

Note: If there is interest in joining this ride on a future Sunday, please let me know and we will add it to our schedule.

Please Register your intent to ride via email, phone or a comment to this post, by 8:00 PM, Thursday, July 16, 2015. This is a fair-weather event and trail conditions may be affected by heavy rain within 24 hours prior to ride. Please include your phone number with your registration (it will remain protected). If Ride Is Canceled, I will call you, or text you if you prefer, between 6:00 and 6:30 AM on the day of the ride (sooner if conditions are clearly dreadful).

Key Points:
Arrive early – After a brief introduction the Ride Starts at 10:30 AM, sharp, Saturday, July 18, 2015. This is about a 22 mile round trip, and is mostly flat. Average speed: 11 MPH (faster speeds possible when on paved surfaces). The Perkiomen Trail provides mixed surfaces, crosses a few small roads and provides several miles of tree-shaded travel following the stream. No one left behind and we will stop for breakdowns. Restroom opportunities are available at our start and turnaround points as well as in Collegeville. Ortino’s is a well regarded Italian Food and Pizza shop that is located about 50 feet from the trail. A picnic style lunch is also possible on the shaded, nearby trail.

Please bring a lock and cable for a group lock-up during lunch. Also, please familiarize yourself with Preparation Guidelines and Rules for Club Rides. Trip Sheet and Map are available (but you likely won’t need it for this ride).

Cautionary Note:
This is a summer season ride so please prepare for yourself accordingly: adequate hydration, snacks, and protection from the sun.

Geo-Coordinates:
Lower Perkiomen Valley Park: 40.131151, -75.446247
Ortino’s Restaurant in Schwenksville: 40.260804, -75.464627

As always, all members are encouraged to lead a ride on your favorite trail, or if you are looking for some company to test yourself on a challenging route, there are Delaware Valley Trike Riders ready to join you!

I look forward to riding with you soon!
Wayne K

Correction: Stockton – Frenchtown “Do Over” Club Ride

Please note that our Delaware Valley Trike Riders’ Club “Do Over” ride on Saturday, June 20, 2015 (starting at 9:30 AM sharp) has been revised. We will be riding the D&R trail, in New Jersey, not the D&L trail in Pennsylvania. The original post incorrectly stated that we would ride the D&L Trail.  All other content is correct. Sorry for the mix-up.

Stockton – Frenchtown “Do Over” Club Ride

This post was edited on 6/18/2015 to correct the name of the trail. We will be riding the D&R trail in New Jersey to Frenchtown, not the D&L trail in Pennsylvania. 

I would like to invite you to join our Delaware Valley Trike Riders’ Club “Do Over” ride on Saturday, June 20, 2015 (starting 9:30 AM sharp). There were a few disappointed members who missed our first ride this season and a few new members requesting a Saturday ride, so this will be our second-chance “Do Over” ride. Starting in Stockton, NJ (at the Prallsville Mills/Stockton Visitor’s Center) we will cycle north along the D&R (mistakenly referred to as “D&L” when originally posted) Canal trail to Frenchtown, NJ, returning via Rte. 29. While in Frenchtown, we will take a brief break at Marie’s Cafe (snack, restroom, stretch) before returning.

Please Register your intent to ride via email or phone or a comment to this post (please include your phone number, it will remain protected), by 8:00 AM, Friday, June 19, 2015. This is a fair-weather event and trail conditions may be affected by heavy rain within 24 hours prior to ride. Please include your phone number with your registration – if Ride Is Canceled, I will call you, or text you if you prefer, between 6:00 and 6:30 AM on the day of the ride (sooner if conditions are clearly dreadful).

Key Points:
Arrive early – After a brief introduction the Ride Starts at 09:30 AM sharp, Saturday, June 20, 2015. This is a 24 mile round trip, and is mostly flat. Average speed: 10 mph (faster speeds when on highway return leg). Mixed trail surfaces: bike-friendly highway, paved trail, hard-pack gravel, hard-pack dirt with spotty grass. Mostly shaded and tree-lined closely following the Delaware River. No one left behind and we will stop for breakdowns. There are several opportunities for breakaway sprints. Several restroom opportunities are available along the trail.

Please familiarize yourself with Preparation Guidelines and Rules for Club Rides.
Trip Sheet, and Map are available (but you likely won’t need it for this ride).

Cautionary Note:
This is a summer season ride so please prepare for yourself accordingly: adequate hydration, snack/power bars and protection from sun.

Geo-Coordinates:
Prallsville Mills/Stockton NJ Visitor’s Center: (40.409095, -74.984901)
Frenchtown NJ: (40.526301, -75.063015)

I look forward to riding with you!
Wayne K

Challenging Tyler State Park Ride Report

I’m offering this report to my fellow members of the Delaware Valley Trike Riders Club. As I write this I’m still catching my breath. Note: if anyone is interested in joining me next time – please let me know of your interest – I will be riding this again while applying what I’ve learned from this attempt. Just bring a strong heart, strong legs and a strong will to succeed. That is about all I had with me and it was great fun!

A few DVTR members, who I’ve not had the chance to ride with yet, have hinted that they were looking for a ride that was challenging. In an effort to find such a ride I visited some well known and beautifully paved trails that run through Tyler State Park in Newtown, PA. If you are looking for a challenge, this is the place… particularly for recumbent trikes. Tyler State Park offers about 10.5 miles of paved, cycle-friendly trails that seem as though they are all uphill.

I mapped out roughly a 9-mile route so that the steepest grades were on the down slope and set out early in the morning in order to beat the heat (it was very warm when I got there and warmer still when I finished). As I was preparing my trike after parking, I began mentally reviewing over all of the advice I had heard from others regarding challenging, novel rides:
• Start with a carbo-load
• Pace yourself
• Hydrate often
• Take a break at the plateaus
• Remind yourself “This is not a race”
• Take in some of the beautiful scenery along the way

I scored 1 out of 6 for myself. I skipped my toast and honey because I wasn’t feeling hungry after loading the trike (it was *very* humid at 6:00 AM and I just didn’t feel like eating when the deed was done). I was very excited to ride on a paved surface so I just took off like kid on the last day of school (I’ve been triking gravel trails almost exclusively). I did drink, but maybe not enough on a day like today (I probably should have mixed my raspberry electrolytes before I left home). Admittedly, I’m a second-wind person and thought that I could catch my breath sufficiently on the descending trails (“Ride Leader School” says “Always wait at the top of a climb to regroup”). Again, I couldn’t help but to “race” after finding so little friction between me and the smoothly paved road. After all of this, I did somehow notice that the cornfields had matured nicely since my last visit (hiking) and that the Neshaminy Creek was still flowing well in the absence of needed rain, and that most of the folks sharing the trail with me, cyclists, pedestrians and equestrians, were friendly and accommodating (except this one guy who insisted on running the center of the trail with headphones – arrrgh!).

If you’d like to join me on my next, more thoughtfully strategic attempt, here are some statistics to help you decide (this WILL be a challenge no matter what your training has been):
• 9+ miles – about 6.5 of them uphill
• 445 foot elevation gain
• 7.5% Max uphill grade (granny-gear all the way!)
• 25+ MPH downhill coasting
• Average Speed was 9.8 MPH

Following this post, I’ll announce another ride for this upcoming weekend.

I look forward to riding with you soon!
Wayne K