Bike Riding, round 2

After the muscle cramps and sore bottom wore off, I felt reinvigorated to ride again. As a kid I rode my bike all over town. The product of a single parent childhood, my dad was always working when I needed to get anywhere so it was natural to ride my bike to work or around town to get where I needed to go.

This time I took the bike down to the Cape Cod Canal. The ride was 13 miles - 6.5mi each way. The canal separates Cape Cod from "the mainland" of Massachusetts. There are two bridges that cross the canal, the Sagamore and the Bourne Bridge respectively. There is a marina where local fisherman dock their boats and a variety of sailboats, day cruise lines and even oil tankers that pass through the canal.

Cruising at my own pace, with no pressure of other riders, I had an opportunity to reflect. The swirling currents of the man-made canal were always something to fear when we were growing up. "Don't get too close to the edge, you'll get swept away!" Pedaling the canal brought back a lot of memories.

Relentless Power.
Riptide Current. Emotions.
The Crying of Waves.

I finished the 13 mile ride in 48 minutes. Not too shabby for my second time on a pedal bike in the last 10 years!

Bike Riding aka "Cycling"

I was back east on Cape Cod and the Boston area for most of June and was lucky enough to mix some work with some family and friend time. One of my oldest buds also happened to be in the area while I was there so I tried to fit in with his frequently changing hobbies. His current time waster has been "cycling". He made it a point to correct me every time I mentioned going for a "bike ride".

So one sunny day I set out with Jesse and his friend Ken for a leisurely "bike ride" through the upper cape.... or so I thought! These guys show up with their $2500 racing bikes, spandex (yes, I said spandex), race helmets, riding gloves and bike shirts... and I'm sitting there with my Dad's 10 year old Canondale, casual shorts and a wifebeater undershirt! Man, I know I'm in for it now...

We started out in Dennis and after only a few miles I was already struggling to keep up. We continued through to Chatham and rode through the beautiful downtown area and stopped to have lunch at the Chatham Bars Inn for lunch. The food was great if you don't mind paying $17 for a cheeseburger.

After lunch I was dreading the trip back to Dennis when I find out that we aren't going back just yet, we are going to wind up Route 28 to Orleans. As if riding on a trail made for bikes was not challenging enough, now we are riding on windy, overgrown roads with no shoulders. And, let's not forget I don't have a helmet... because I thought we were going for a bike ride! Cycling? Really?

I survived this trek and was only run off the road a couple times. Oh, and I forgot to mention that this was the first time I've ever ridden a bike (sorry, "cycled") with my feet LOCKED into the pedals. Ya! I had those shoes that lock your feet into the pedals. So every time I went to stop and put my foot on the ground I nearly killed myself - you have to twist your feet out and it takes some getting used to!

Anyway, we made it to Orleans with the pro riders a steady mile or so ahead of me. Luckily we picked the trail back up in Orleans and cruised back to Dennis. My butt was sore for 4 days after that! Holy crap. The good thing is the scenery was absolutely beautiful and you really see a lot more from a bike.

This trip ended up just over 36 miles. Find out more about the Cape Cod Rail Trail.