It seemed ridiculous to me to have a bike rack, after all, wasn't the point of having the bike to use it to get to places? Well, yes. Where I grew up and spent the majority of my college years in Maine, this was definitely the case. If I wanted to go somewhere, I'd just head out on the door on my bike and I could get there. Sometimes people would be jerks and try and push me off the road, but for the most part, it was decent.
But now down in Jersey where I live, the streets are much more populated with cars, and bikes are the last thing people want to deal with. I'm always riding around my area praying that I don't get killed, and really, to get anywhere decent is a good 10 miles. But it is a stressful 10 miles, so by the time I get to the area where I can enjoy actually riding my bike (my favorite thing after swimming), I'm so tense that I can barely relax. Honestly, I've ridden in New York City on several occasions, and frankly, I'd take navigating lower Manhattan and all the taxis than trying to maneuver the suburbs... that is if you can even get where you want to go without having to go on a highway or ride 5 miles out of the way.
Anyway, last year for my birthday (and because I needed it to do a triathlon), my dad got me a bike rack. It was a long complicated process that involved getting a trailer hitch put on my tiny VW Beetle. But after today, I'm convinced that it was totally worth it. I had an appointment a bit further West than I am, looked up some bike routes remotely in that vicinity and put my bike rack back on the car (I took it off for the winter) and got out on my bike for the first time this season.
I had a choice between a moderate 26 mile path, and a "challenging" 17 mile trail. I opted for the shorter one (even though I'm used to longer), because I really wanted to focus on my sucky hill work. And that I did. this gorgeous route that went around Greenwood lake in Northwest jersey/New York State was a hill lovers dream. It started out with some rolling hills on a road, but one where people were polite and moved pretty slowly, as it was a rather residential area. As I hit the top of the lake, I began to think this was a piece of cake. Well, the back half kicked ass. I actually got to practice a lot of gear work thanks to all of the steep hills. And I totally didn't have to go down to the lowest gear all of the time, so I guess those spin classes have done some good.
I did the 17 miles in 1:20, which I know is slow for those true athletic types, but for me (especially with the hills) was pretty solid. Better still, I even considered doing a second loop, but there were a few things I wanted to tweak on my bike (more air, and a brake pad that was rubbing my front tire) that I decided to head home. Stopped at a little shop, and the guy saw my bike and told me about a group that rides at an old jungle park (totally hoping that Matt Damon owns this) on Sundays, and I should try and find out about it. Small town riding totally has its advantages, and being able to get to the small towns, is even better.
