Semi-Annual Long Ride

OK, I've written about these before, but since I have been double writing my blog to livejournal as well there might be some who don't know what I am talking about. Suffice it to say, twice a year (Memorial Day and Labor Day) I take my bike on a ride that is at least 40 miles long, just to be certain that I am still able to do it.

This year Labor day caught up with me and I almost forget that I had to ride this weekend. I elected to be rather boring and rode the Schuylkill Bike Path up to Valley Forge. Not really a hard effort, but it qualifies. I made several stops on the way for one reason or another, and I think that may be why I returned with a fair amount of energy. Things that happened on the way:

1) Had a nice conversation with a young lady at the 'rest stop' (Actually a gift shop that is on the bike path that wisely sells gatorade and snacks). I met up with her a couple times after that. Odd.

2) My seat position popped about three times, requiring a stop for repair.

3) I hit the back of a jeep on Main street in Manayunk. Not hard, mostly annoying. The car in front of the jeep stopped suddenly and my brakes couldn't stop me in time. The guy was cool about it and stopped to ask if I was OK (I was). I was mostly just annoyed with myself for being too close to the Jeep.

4) Chamois Cream is a godsend for long rides, but it doesn't keep your butt from getting tired. Seriously, my legs could ride forever, but my rear end gets annoyed with endurance runs. Don't laugh until you've tried a few. Thicker pads do not help the problem. At least the cream stops saddle sores.

I'm still uncertain about the retail space, BTW. There was a counter offer made with only one change... a minor one. I probably won't know until Tuesday if we are good to go.