The Revolutionary Ramble - Doh!

I rode the Revolutionary Ramble this weekend expecting it to be the icing on the cake of my 5 ½ months of training for the tour. The ride was a fairly hilly 65 mile route through a lot of the sites where Washington and the Continental Army spent their winter in New Jersey in 1781. It was fairly interesting along some of the more rural roads of the route, where we could see what appeared to be defensive berms built up by the opposing armies.

Despite the peaceful surroundings of the woods, there was the occasional marker reflecting on more troubled times for the area.

Specifically a memorial marker to a Continental Army Captain killed while trying to suppress the Pennsylvania Line Mutiny.

As you can see I have already started the transition to "touring" which means taking the time to stop and learn a little bit of the history of the areas through which we are riding.


On Friday, I worked on my bike - cleaning and lubing the chain, and cleaning the bike itself as it was getting rather dirty. Early Saturday morning, I rode 13.5 miles down to the start of the ride, and met up with the other riders from our cycling club who had signed up for the "Ramble.".

The morning started out OK, but for some reason, I did not feel quite as strong as usual, always searching for an easier gear to ride in. As well I was lagging behind, which was not typical of this year given my training for the tour. We finished the 65 miles, ate a big lunch (meatball sandwich and salad with a balsamic vinaigrette), and then headed uphill for the 18 mile ride back home.

The ride itself can best be summed up by that American Icon, Homer Simpson...

With about 10 miles left, I felt something odd coming from my rear wheel when braking, and decided to stop and have a look. Off the bike, I performed the first check, spinning the wheel to see if it would spin freely. Normally it should spin without any hesitation until the brake is applied. It did not and stopped immediately – apparently for the first 85 miles, the wheel was rubbing against my brake shoe.

That probably explained the lack of energy and my lagging at the back. Once I opened up the brakes, and the wheel was not obstructed by them, I got all my energy and strength back for the last three (Big) hills to get home.  Lesson learned – sometimes it pays to check the basics when things aren’t going well, and not just assume you are having an off day. It did make for a very good training ride with all that added resistance!

Apparently the airline recommended that I arrive at the airport at 4:30 AM since I am travelling with over-sized luggage. That will mean leaving the house at 3:30 AM on the 22nd. Oh well, I can sleep on the flight to Vancouver.

9 days to wheels up in Newark.

Today's posting provides a preview to the types of postings I plan to make during the tour.  A brief summary of the day's riding, providing a perspective on either the history or geography of the region, and our progress as we make our way across the continent..