I wanted to return to Central Jersey and ride the Meander to Milford 100k Permanent again ever since riding it 18 months ago with buddy Rick, when we both thought it worthy of a repeat visit. So there I was, driving north on the Interstate highway Sunday, heading back up to Hopewell NJ. This was my opportunity with a good weather forecast and light winds (but no Rick available, alas). However, the forecast did show that the feels-like temperature at the 7am desired start time would only be in the mid-30s F, later getting up to around 60. I knew I could properly layer up and peel down for that kind of temp swing. But about 20 minutes into my drive, I realized I forgot to pack my windbreaker jacket and my RUSA vest. *urk* Not wanting to turn back, I figured I would give it a go without those items and ride myself warm in the early part of the route, which involved plenty of hill-climbing. I had packed a couple pairs of gloves and at the last moment included a balaclava, fortunately. Plus I had a plastic bag which I could put over my chest under my jersey as a wind barrier. And I figured that I could always turn around and ride back to the start if it turned out to be just too uncomfortable. Onward.
In Hopewell I found a spot to park where it seemed unlikely I'd have my rig towed (often a concern). I geared up and rode to the nearby start point, turned on the Garmin, loaded the route and headed out, finding a welcome porta-pot in the first mile (always a plus). The early hill-climbing did get my mind off the cold, as hoped, so I was able to enjoy the great autumn scenery of Mercer (and later Hunterdon) County as I pedaled thru the countryside. Early on, tho, I had a most difficult time trying to shift out of the big chainring. When I finally was able to get into the small chainring, I decided to just leave it there all day. I needed the low-end gearing for this ride, and I didn't want to chance not having it at crucial times.
Nearing the halfway point, I saw Bridge Out Ahead signs. Not knowing if or how that might affect me, I pedaled on, hoping for the best. When I got to the bridge site, I saw my route was blocked and there was no way for me to ride or hike-a-bike thru the area. (There was even a separate sign, No Pedestrians No Bicycles.) That meant turning around and climbing back over the ridge I had just cleared. On Google maps I saw it would be maybe an additional 5-mile re-route, and I started back the way I had just come. Eventually I made my way to the Control at around the mid-point of the ride, but was way late in getting there (I am not a fast rider; I ride like a 75 year-old.). It had taken me about 4 hours, which meant I had just 2 hours 40 minutes to complete the second half of the ride, which would be just as hilly as the first half. Discouraged, I decided to just take a straight, 10-mile easy route on a wide-shouldered state two-lane road following the Delaware River downstream to Lambertville, where I would re-assess my situation. When I got there (with lots of tourist traffic on the narrow busy streets on a glorious fall Sunday), I had the option to pick up the prescribed route for the rest of my return, but again, I was running out of time and would have had many hills to face. Not happening. So I chose the county two-lane road that headed directly back to Hopewell, thinking, Okay, it's not in the cards for me to properly complete this Permanent route today, so I'll just chalk it up to experience and enjoy the rest of it.
Then, during the final 10-mile leg, it occurred to me that I had passed by the 2 intermediate Controls, as necessary, and would likely have the required minimum distance, so if I could finish within the 6:40 time limit, I could claim RUSA credit for the ride after all. I had no idea how far it was to the Hopewell finish, but I just pedaled up and down as best I could to give myself a chance. Lo and behold, I found myself entering the handsome downtown with about 5 minutes remaining to get back to the start. It turned out that when I got there with a couple minutes to spare, I was just short of the 62.7 miles of the official route. So I rode past the start a couple blocks, then hung a U-turn, came back to the start and hit the button on the Garmin to end the ride - with 1 minute to spare. Sweet.
Coda: For this flatlander, the 3600' of climbing was a lot. I was able to keep the Cramp Monster at bay riding in first gear frequently, with liberal use of SaltStick capsules and Clif Bloks with added sodium. Sixteen ounces of Ensure nutrition shake in a water bottle and two two-packs of fig bars rounded out the nutritional intake that got me thru. (I ate none of the many osage oranges that hazardously littered the road shoulders in a number of places.) Two porta-pot visits and two stealth pees took care of that end of things. All in all, it was a nice bicycle mini-adventure.
Ride map, profile, pictures here: Meander · Ride with GPS
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