The Start of Gran Fondo NJ 2011
Day 72 Argentia to St Johns 83 Miles
15 years ago
Monday, December 5, 2011
I'm back!!!
NOTE: There are 2 video links in this post - make sure to select the full HD viewing option for the best user experience.
My apologies to all my followers for the long pause in adding to the blog. It has been a very busy year with lots of cycling related news.
The bulk of my 2012 "Summer Behind Bars" was spent as the Event Director for Gran Fondo NJ. This was not only the first Gran Fondo NJ, but also the first time I have ever put into practice all the things I have learned from riding in other events of this nature.
I continue to be astonished by all the "behind the scenes" activities needed to deliver an event of this scale (three routes of 100, 60 and 40 miles; 5 rest stops, 3 "mini" rest stops; 1,000 participants to keep entertained; 120 miles of route to mark; 9,000 gallons of water to distribute along the route; etc.; etc.; etc.). The most fun was riding and scouting the planned routes - I managed to ride the 103 mile "Gran" route twice, the 63 mile "Medio" Route about 6 times, and the 40 mile "Piccolo" route more than 10 times - by the end of August, I could name every road and turn on all 3 routes by heart.
I spent the summer working many long days with the event promoter (Marty of Marty's Reliable Cycle - you will recognize him from the bike jerseys that appeared in my photos of 2010). As you can see in this video, we managed to pull everything off without a hitch - well one minor hitch...
The original event date was August 28th. Five days before the event we were thrown a "curve ball" by the weather gods - Hurricane Irene was predicted to make landfall with a direct hit in the area on the day of the event. With just 4 days to go, we were faced with a major decision and an even more major (if that is possible) logistical challenge - cancel the event, delay the event, or "damn the torpedoes" go forward with the event anyway. We approached this decision with the same guiding principle that we used for all other decisions regarding the Gran Fondo. As a cyclist participating in the event what would we like to experience. Riding in the rain is no fun, hurricanes can be extremely dangerous, and canceling the event would be a major letdown - so we decided to postpone.
Four days before the event we notified our 1,000 participants of the decision, as well as a new date just 3 weeks later.
Everyone (well about 99% of everyone) loved the decision - they weren't looking forward to the hurricane and its implications - on August 29th, judging from the damage inflicted upon the route, it was clear we had made the right choice.
Another three weeks of monitoring the clean-up operations to make sure we had passable, and safe routes, repainting the directions (all that running water and gravel "sanded off" many of the markings), rerouting one section of the course and getting the municipal approvals (a bridge was closed for repairs) and re-coordinating all our 200+ volunteers and support staff, and we pulled off an amazing experience. Thanks to all for their support and help, and to our riders who trained hard all summer, and were very accommodating to our date change.
If you have never ridden a Gran Fondo, I highly recommend it. It is a great blend of touring and competition - you can relax and enjoy the route along the way, and then on the timed hill climbs, test your climbing capabilities.
If you want, come down to New Jersey for next year's event - I have once again taken on the role of Event Director.
Cheers, and have a great winter training regimen.
Bill
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Riding Safely on Narrow Roads
As this year's crop of riders narrow in on their 10 week adventure across Canada, it is interesting to see on the bulletin board, that they share all the anxieties that we had last year in the weeks and days approaching the start. The most reassuring thing to keep in mind is that others have done it, and we all shared your anxieties before the start!
One thing that I thought I'd share with the 2011 crew before they depart, are the thoughts that I had formed, mostly going through the busy roads in the Rockies, and along the north shore of Lake Superior, on how to minimize the risks of cycling on 2 lane highways, with sometimes very narrow shoulders. For my American friends, the trans Canada, along the north shore of Lake Superior, is the main artery across the country (think of I-10, I-40, and I-80 all bunched up into a 2-lane highway...).
1) Ride in as straight a line, and as predictable a line as possible.
2) If there is a shoulder, ride on the right of the white line, as far to the right as possible.
Sometimes highway debris does not make this practical.
3) Never pull out, or veer left to pass another cyclist, unless you have checked that there are no cars, 18 wheeled semis, etc coming from behind.
4) If there is a vehicle approaching in the opposite direction, do not pass or veer out for any reason.
5) If there is a semi, or other large vehicle approaching in the opposite direction, stay as far to the right as possible.
6) Try to avoid riding two abreast (i.e. not in single file) unless you do so to the right on a wide shoulder - if you are riding abreast, it is always a good idea to get back into single file if vehicles are approaching.
7) If you have a mechanical, or flat, get off the road and get off the shoulder to fix it.
8) Use your ears, as well as your eyes, to listen for oncoming traffic.
9) When approaching the crest of a hill, make sure you are well to the right and riding single-file, just in case a semi comes speeding up over the top in the opposite direction - you want to make sure that drivers on your side have room.
I am sure there are other pointers that I may be missing here, but these are the ones that stuck in my mind as I rode on some ery narrow shoulders of some fairly busy roads.
Safe cycling to all - and on that note I am heading into NYC for the afternoon, cycling to various bike shops to promote my touring business...
One thing that I thought I'd share with the 2011 crew before they depart, are the thoughts that I had formed, mostly going through the busy roads in the Rockies, and along the north shore of Lake Superior, on how to minimize the risks of cycling on 2 lane highways, with sometimes very narrow shoulders. For my American friends, the trans Canada, along the north shore of Lake Superior, is the main artery across the country (think of I-10, I-40, and I-80 all bunched up into a 2-lane highway...).
1) Ride in as straight a line, and as predictable a line as possible.
2) If there is a shoulder, ride on the right of the white line, as far to the right as possible.
Sometimes highway debris does not make this practical.
3) Never pull out, or veer left to pass another cyclist, unless you have checked that there are no cars, 18 wheeled semis, etc coming from behind.
4) If there is a vehicle approaching in the opposite direction, do not pass or veer out for any reason.
5) If there is a semi, or other large vehicle approaching in the opposite direction, stay as far to the right as possible.
6) Try to avoid riding two abreast (i.e. not in single file) unless you do so to the right on a wide shoulder - if you are riding abreast, it is always a good idea to get back into single file if vehicles are approaching.
7) If you have a mechanical, or flat, get off the road and get off the shoulder to fix it.
8) Use your ears, as well as your eyes, to listen for oncoming traffic.
9) When approaching the crest of a hill, make sure you are well to the right and riding single-file, just in case a semi comes speeding up over the top in the opposite direction - you want to make sure that drivers on your side have room.
I am sure there are other pointers that I may be missing here, but these are the ones that stuck in my mind as I rode on some ery narrow shoulders of some fairly busy roads.
Safe cycling to all - and on that note I am heading into NYC for the afternoon, cycling to various bike shops to promote my touring business...
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Bike to Work - the Commuter Challenge
Last week I answered one of life's great mysteries: How do you participate in "Bike to Work" week when you work from home?
For the answer see this YouTube Video...
This morning I was the only "solely human powered" entrant in a "Bike to Work Commuter Challenge" which pitted 3 modes of transport against each other in an early morning commute from Madison NJ to Morristown.
A cyclist with a folding bike traveling on the NJ Transit train, an all electric Chevy Volt (first time I had seen this car 0 really neat!) and me riding my bicycle the 5.2 mile distance.
The clear winner, as predicted by me earlier in the week, was the train/cyclist as the challenge began from the train station, when the train stopped at the station platform. He finished his journey in 12 minutes.
Second was the Chevy Volt (which passed me about 2 miles into the ride) finishing in just over 15 minutes.
Despite being held up behind a school bus and hitting a bunch of red lights, I finished in 19 minutes - per the timer on my GPS. I was very pleased with my performance and didn't really break a sweat in the ride.
Here is what the paper reported...
A perfect day for cycling - sunny skies, low 80°s... I ended up going down to Califon mid-day to help capture video footage of the route for this August's Gran Fondo NJ., and distributed a bunch of flyers for my new bike touring company...
Tomorrow we are off to cycle around Manhattan in New York City visiting 11 major bike shops to market both the Gran FOndo and my NYC to Montreal Bike Tours...
The weather once again looks perfect.
For the answer see this YouTube Video...
This morning I was the only "solely human powered" entrant in a "Bike to Work Commuter Challenge" which pitted 3 modes of transport against each other in an early morning commute from Madison NJ to Morristown.
A cyclist with a folding bike traveling on the NJ Transit train, an all electric Chevy Volt (first time I had seen this car 0 really neat!) and me riding my bicycle the 5.2 mile distance.
The clear winner, as predicted by me earlier in the week, was the train/cyclist as the challenge began from the train station, when the train stopped at the station platform. He finished his journey in 12 minutes.
Second was the Chevy Volt (which passed me about 2 miles into the ride) finishing in just over 15 minutes.
Despite being held up behind a school bus and hitting a bunch of red lights, I finished in 19 minutes - per the timer on my GPS. I was very pleased with my performance and didn't really break a sweat in the ride.
Here is what the paper reported...
A perfect day for cycling - sunny skies, low 80°s... I ended up going down to Califon mid-day to help capture video footage of the route for this August's Gran Fondo NJ., and distributed a bunch of flyers for my new bike touring company...
Tomorrow we are off to cycle around Manhattan in New York City visiting 11 major bike shops to market both the Gran FOndo and my NYC to Montreal Bike Tours...
The weather once again looks perfect.
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