Tour de Trails
Today was the first really sunny day since August. Sure, we’ve had a peek or two here and there, sometimes even a whole hour at a time. But clouds, cold and rain have predominated all month. I was disappointed the other day at how quickly my tan has faded.
My new schedule has also not been as conducive to riding as I’d hoped. I figured I’d have all sorts of extra time to hit the road. But the best I’ve been able to do lately is take the long way home from Presbytery. It hasn’t had a huge effect yet on my speed or fitness, but it’s been disappointing nonetheless.
My average speeds on my commutes are steadily rising, and a ride to a housewarming party last Sunday turned into a hill-climbing event. I had no problems with hills that had intimidated me so much, I haven’t even ridden in that general direction.
But I’ve missed riding the trails. Until this last week or so, I hadn’t realized how much I’d gotten to like them, and how much I’ve enjoyed watching them change through the season.
I let the Rochester Marathon get mostly out of the way this morning, then headed out in the early afternoon. I set a goal of 20–25 miles and decided just to ride along and enjoy the day. No training goals or excersizes, no specific routes in mind either. But I thought it would be nice to see most of the trail system.
I took the Riverway (west bank) south to Genesee Valley Park, turning right at the Canalway headed west. As I expected, there was a lot of traffic on the trails. Many families, lots of walkers and even more roadies than I’m used to seeing on the trails.
Both the river and the canal were high. Buoys in the river, which usually just bob around in lazy circles, were tugging at their moorings from the current. The canal seemed ready to overflow its banks in some of the lower sections. Water was right up to the grass and trees, with no stone along the banks to be seen.
When I got to my first turnaround point at Long Pond Rd, (about 10½ miles) I stopped at the little kiosk, drank a couple of waters, had a smoke and thought about how nice it would be to just sit there for the entire afternoon.
It easily took 20 minutes to push that thought from my mind, and I headed back east to the park. There, I turned south onto the Greenway to the second turnaround point south of the airport. Several roadies had passed me by this time, including a super clean Bianchi that barely whispered as it went by.
On the way back to the park, a very old-school Schwinn passed. It was nice to see that old Schwinn in such good shape and being ridden. I turned off and took the “lower trail” back, which meanders through the trees along the riverbank. Where the fallen leaves were crunchy on the earlier parts of the ride, here, where the sun doesn’t quite penetrate, they were still soggy from all the rain. The different sound and different feel under the wheels was nice.
Traffic picked-up again in the park. I had to pass several groups, and nearly had to stop on one of the bridges where a couple had stopped to watch the river, forgetting that the backs of their bikes were blocking the way.
I still had no particular destination, route or ride duration in mind. Just riding. On this section of the Canalway, from the park all the way out to Pittsford, I’m never far from a bail-out point to go home. It varies from five miles at the park to seven miles in Pittsford. I didn’t have to make a decision, so I kept pointed east and rode along.
It was mid-afternoon by this time and a few stragglers were still on the marathon, which had used this part of the Canalway in the route. Even as signs and water stations were being taken down and carried away, a few numbered runners and walkers soldiered on.
I was taking it easy, concerned only with my tan and putting in a few “base miles”. The couple of times I checked the cyclometer, my average speed for the ride was within a tenth either side of 14.5 MPH. It’s amazing how even a few weeks ago that was a fast ride for me. Today, it was slow. Hell, riding to work the other day, taking it easy because I was in jeans and a button-down oxford shirt, my average was 18.1 with a max of 30.1.
In fact, until my usual sprint for the light on the way home out of downtown, my high speed peak today was only 20.4. I don’t even remember where that could have been. Maybe coasting down beneath a underpass?
The only part of the ride I attacked were two of my little training hills and another hill later on. Attacking the railway bridge, I spun up to 107 RPM at 20.1 before upshifting to 38-15 and slowing to 19.5 MPH towards the top. I just can’t help myself there. That bridge gave me such trouble for so long early on, that I can’t keep from trying to pound it into sand. And riding up it in fifth gear on the middle ring has been a goal. Met it. Next goal is sixth, 38-14.
Anyway, crusing along the canal, I was glad I’d chosen to just amble along. Traffic was the thickest I’d seen it since May. I saw more rollerbladers today than I think I’ve seen all year. What’s up with that? I thought it was so 90s.
I stopped at Lock 33 with 25 miles on the clock, where I finished my water. I’d brought only three bottles with me, not having planned on riding quite that far. I ate a couple of granola bars, wacthed a boat lock-through, and tried to decide what to do.
Then it hit me. At Lock 32, there’s a water fountain. I could fill my bottles there. So it was on to Lock 32, where I rode right by, continuing to Pittsford, where again, the pavement ends and I turned around. I refilled on the way back.
Again, never more than six miles home from that point, I pedaled along, back to the park. Along here, the canal is quite a bit higher than the surrounding landscape. The trail detours down around a canal maintenance depot between Pitttsford and Lock 32, then up through the trees. I attacked that little hill too, and was the only time I passed more than one rider at a time. I love attacking hills.
I sort of zoned-out a bit riding west into the wind. Tucked down, it’s kinda hard to look around as I ride, and I just sort of went inside for a bit. The park was on me before I knew it. I turned right, taking the east bank of the Riverway home.
In the end, I rode 40.13 miles. It’s about two miles to and from the Riverway, so I guess there’s 18 miles of paved trail (36/2) in the city. And I toured it all today, in both directions.
The I-490 bridge
They’re working on the westbound lanes on the north side of the new, “signature” bridge over the river downtown. What’s amazed me is how the Riverway’s east bank trail has been treated where it passes under the bridge in the construction zone.
They put in a paved detour, and then a detour off the detour, to keep the trail open there. The only safe, street alternative would take you over a mile out of the way, and it’s good that they recognized this.
As demolition has proceeded over the last couple of weeks, when they had to close the trail entirely, they even posted a flagman on the trail on either side of the bridge and blocked-off a lane of South Ave for trail users. Since then, the trail is swept a couple of times a day and debris is piled off to the side.
I’m wondering if I should write a letter to DOT thanking them for this.
Boiling water
We’re on a boil water advisory in this part of the city after elevated levels of bacteria were found in the reservoir I ride by when commuting to Presbytery. I swear, it wasn’[t me that crapped in the reservoir. Fortunately, I had a case of bottled water I purchased only for the bottles. I hadn’t broken in to the case yet, and was glad to have them today. It’s another reason why I refilled my bottles at Lock 32.
Work
The new job at the library is going well. A week ago, I got a fairly easy start to the job. Last week it picked up a bit, yet I was able to keep up with things easily. I ran into only a couple of difficulties, and afterwards my boss apologized to me for inadequate training. Hell, I figured weird things would crop up for a few months, and never thought a thing of it.
The rules are easy, it’s managing the exceptions and oddball stuff where there’s a trick to it. I’m learning them and they’re coming at a pace reasonable enough to live with. I’d been concerned it might be overwhelming, but it isn’t.
Friday night, at our busiest point in the week, I was checking-out an older couple. The guy said to me, “I don’t know how you can still be so cheerful at the end of the day, espeicially when it’s this busy.” That can be said sarcastically, but what he meant was that it was nice to see.
I replied, “Well, I tried it the other way, but that just didn’t work for me, you know?” We laughed, and I told them to have a good weekend.
I sub again on Monday night for a coworker on bereavement leave. That should be the last of extra hours for a while, which means I should be able to settle in to my new schedule. We’ll see.
