The Longest Training Ride 2018 Edition

The Longest Training Ride* 2018 Edition

View of Provincetown from the Pilgrim Monument

Most every summer my family takes a weeklong vacation in Provincetown, the small town at the very tip of Cape Cod.,  Generally, I ride my bike from my home to the cottage we rent, a distance of 122 miles.  The day before this ride is something of a logistical challenge. Packing stuff for a beach vacation plus getting my bike and panniers ready for a long unsupported solo ride is a lot to take care of.  

I didn’t get to wash my bike as I had hoped, but I did put some oil on the chain.  After the previous week’s rainy century it really needed at least some lube on the chain.  I also mounted a brand new Specialized Armadillo Elite tire on the rear wheel.  In places the old tire's rubber was almost completely worn away.  It was no surprise that the old tire had punctured on that wet century (the North Shore Cyclists' Blazing Saddles ride).

After a really bad night’s sleep (nerves, maybe) I awoke to my alarm at 5:10 AM.  I made a pot of coffee, toasted a bagel, and got dressed.  I pulled my bike bottles and lunch out of the fridge and loaded them onto the bike.  Somehow all this took FOREVER and I wasn’t out the door until 6 AM.  It’s a little nerve wracking bicycling at that hour on a Saturday. How many of the drivers on the road are coming back from a party?  Also route 203 through Dorchester isn't bike friendly in the slightest. In the event it all worked out fine and soon enough I joined the official Harbor to the Bay (H2B) route. 

Who's excited to roll out at 6 AM?

RIVETING and SHOCKING video from the start of my ride.  DO NOT WATCH if you are faint of heart.  You've been warned.

The green arrows on the road had just been repainted.  Any turns I wasn't sure about were simple to find with these bright fresh arrows. The dense roads of Dorchester gave way to Quincy and then Weymouth.  I was riding along when suddenly I was surprised by two cyclists passing me on the right.  If they had snuck up and yelled “BOO” I couldn’t have been more surprised.  Well, just like in cars, it is not best practice to pass on the right -- and road etiquette is to call out before overtaking.  I let them know this in no uncertain terms.  They apologized and explained they were new to cycling.  After that we chatted for a bit.  They were in the middle of a 25 mile loop that would take them out to Abington.  I ended up dropping them on a small climb.

Fresh arrows!

Shortly thereafter I was passed by another cyclist.  Yes, he passed on the left AND he called it out beforehand.  I looked over and he was wearing a H2B jersey from just a few years ago!  I recognized him.  He was someone I’ve seen every year -- his name was Richard and this year is going to be his tenth H2B.  We rode together for a while and chatted.  He was setting a pretty brisk pace.  I skipped my first planned stop -- the lake where the second H2B pit stop is in Halifax -- to ride with him for a while.  Richard was also riding the whole way to Provincetown as a practice ride.  Unlike me, his ride was gong to be longer than the actual event -- he was going to do 141 miles for the day to my 122.  There’s always someone out there going further and faster than you.  It’s kind of fun to meet them out on the road!  It's also why I've got the asterix on "The Longest Training Ride" because it turned that it isn't!

Richard split off from me around Hanson to take a breakfast stop.  I continued on my own, eating a Clif bar (probably my second for the day) washing it down with the last of the heavily sugared iced coffee I packed from my house.  I figured he would pass me later in the day. 

Excellent advice

The weather was just outstanding all day.  At the start it was 64F, probably the coolest temperature I’ve biked in for months.  For most of the morning it held in the low 70’s and then went up to the mid 80’s.  It was sunny and the wind was fairly light.  Excellent riding conditions.

Much of the route follows the intermittently marked "Claire Saltonstall Bikeway"

In addition to that now finished bike bottle of iced coffee I also had three bottles of water -- two on the frame and another in a pannier.  The weight of all this stuff did slow me down, but it had the upside of reducing the number of stops I'd have to make to get more water.  

As I approached the town of Plympton I was struck by the beauty of the farms and paddocks with horses.  There were also a few farm stands.  Conversely, I was shocked by the amount of garbage by the side of the road.  Bottles, fast food wrappers, you name it, it was out there by the side of the road.  It was like something out of the 1970’s.  You just don’t see that much litter on the road any more.  

I saw bike inner tube and reached my litter limit.  I wasn’t going to have the cycling community’s name sullied like that.  I stopped and shoved the tube into my pannier for later disposal.

Nice marketing, Plymouth, but Ptowm was first.

Soon I was riding through Plymouth, “America’s home town”.  Come on, everyone knows the Pilgrims landed in Provincetown first, signed the Mayflower Compact there, and spent their first disastrous winter in Ptown.  It’s also where they stole a cache of beans & corn from the local Wampanoag.  

After Plymouth you have to tackle one of the tough bits of the ride; the rolling hills that lead to the Cape Cod Canal.  This section is about 60 miles in -- your legs have started to feel like it’s a real ride and you aren’t even halfway done.  The road is a bit narrow in places and can be a bit busy.  But it’s twisty and fun to ride.  I was particularly impressed by the courtesy shown to me by US Postal Service delivery truck drivers.  Many of them passed me on this section and as rule every single one of them gave me an ample berth on the road.  I really appreciated it.  There was also a short section where the road had been widened a tad and a painted bike lane had been created.  Luxury!

MORE RIVETING FOOTAGE. THIS TIME OF ROLLING TERRAIN

What a good feeling to pop out of this section and finally see the bridge and the big wind turbines by the Cape Cod Canal.  I planned on stopping at a Dunkin Donuts and getting a LARGE iced coffee and some kind of egg and cheese sandwich.  I was really fixated on that sandwich.  I was also looking forward to stopping for a bit and putting my feet up.

Idle chit chat with a Hell’s Angel, why not?

Dunks seating area was nearly empty.  I guess it's the kind of place people stop to get coffee and not linger.  So, I brought my bike in and plugged in my phone to charge.  Entering the shop I had noticed a cluster of older men dressed in motorcycle gear.  When I got in line one of them came in and stood behind me.  So far during my ride a number of pickup trucks had passed too closely to me and I was wondering if they treated motorcyclists with same disregard.  The conversation went something like this:

Me: Hey, nice day for a ride, huh?
Dude: Uh, yeah.
<wait a few beats>
Me: I’ve got a question for you: do pickup truck drivers pass too closely to you, almost as a rule?
Dude: Everyone on the road tests us. They all do. Especially when they see the patch.

Patch?  What the heck was he talking about?  Nicotine?  Some kind of tattoo?  His vest had the name of some kind of group on it, but for all I knew he bought it at the local mall.  When I sat down and saw the back of one of his heavily tattooed friends’ vests it said “Hell’s Angels”.  Okaaay.  Making small talk with Hell’s Angels.  Smooth move.  They were standing outside the store when I arrived and would occasionally come in.  One or two would stand at the edge of the parking lot by the road.  They were maintaining this watch when I left.  No idea what was up with that.

Second Breakfast

I did have a nice conversation with a couple women there about how far I was riding.  The egg and cheese on an English muffin was great.  I also got my water bottles refilled. I felt a lot better for sitting down with my feet up on another chair. 

Getting over the bridge and onto the Cape proper is always a great feeling.

I caught up with a couple cyclists on touring bikes.  They had eastern European accents, so I assumed incorrectly they weren’t local.  Anyway, they were doing a tour of the Cape.  They had spent the night at Shawme state park and were planning on slowly working their way up the Cape maybe spending the night at Nickerson state park.  I’ve often thought about getting back into bike touring -- and trying to incorporate camping in a tent. It seems like doing this on the Cape is great way to try it out.  In any case, they were going a lot slower than me -- and that’s saying something!  ;-)  So, I wished them safe travels and continued on.

Sent this live traffic update to my wife

Finishing the rollers along the service road I hit what is likely the least pleasant stretch of road on the trip: a seven mile stretch on route 6A, mostly in Barnstable.  Fortunately, traffic was on the light side and the drivers were mostly courteous.  There’s a plan afoot to extend the Cape Cod Rail Trail all the way to the canal.  I look forward to the day when I no longer have to bike on this stretch of road.  

Just shy of Yarmouth I pulled over to have some water and eat something.  Suddenly I heard a voice say “Excuse me, do you know which way Provincetown is?”.  I turned around and it was Richard!  He had finally caught up with me.  We talked a bit and I told him about my second breakfast by the bridge.  He was planning on stopping for lunch in the Yarmouth House of Pizza.  We got a couple photos and he took off.

Do you know which way to Provincetown?

Smiles all around.

He took off while I was still enjoying my brief respite.  When I got to the Yarmouth House of Pizza I pulled over, put my bike next to his, and ran inside.  He was standing in line and I just said "Hey, let’s meet up at PB Boulangerie in Wellfleet.  The espresso is on me!".  He invited me to join him, but I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in my bag which I was planning on eating later.  We confirmed he knew the location of the boulangerie and I took off.

It was with great relief that I turn off 6A shortly thereafter.  I spun along this wide but quiet residential road waving hello to kids bicycling on the sidewalk.  I often think of the people I saw doing long distance bike tours on the Cape in the 70’s.  Immediate post hippie Bikecenntennial types on Schwin ten speeds with safety flags on the bikes.  Do I make a similar impression on those kids?

Soon enough I was turning onto the rail trail in Brewster.  Ironically, I regard this as something of a dangerous bit of the ride.  It can be twisty in places and the path is filled with inexperienced cyclists and well, unpredictable kids.  I tried my utmost to be careful and courteous as I passed while still trying to make good time.  Best practice is to call out well before you pass, keep communicating as you pass, and ask in the friendliest possible way if they’re having a good day while pulling away.  

I stopped in Nickerson for a break and to eat that sandwich.  I had a nice chat with a woman who had biked about 20 miles that day.  All day I had been texting my family giving them “live traffic reports” whenever I went by the route they would be taking.  Just before I got back on my bike I saw that they were stopping at The Hot Chocolate Sparrow in Orleans, not very far from where I was.  Since there’s a water fountain on the bike path there, I was planning on stopping to refill my bottles.  When I got there who did I see?  My family!  They had just arrived as well.  

It was great to see them -- even if they would not accept sweaty hugs from me.  I was also able to ditch some extra clothing, food, and sundries that I wasn’t going to need this late in the day.  It was less than 20 miles to Provincetown at this point.  We parted and I got back to the business of finishing up the rail trail.  The trail is a bit wider and straighter from Orleans to its end in Wellfleet, so it’s a bit easier to handle the traffic on it.  You do get to see the tidal flats and ponds of the lower Cape, though. 

Soon enough I was at the end of the rail trail.  I banged the left turn at stopped at PB Boulangerie.  After parking my bike like a total jackass (oops, sorry!), I got into the mercifully short line.  Looking outside, who did I see slowing down to a stop?  Richard!  He had indeed caught up to me again, as ordained in The Prophecy,  I mean, as we agreed at the Yarmouth House of Pizza.  He joined me in line, but did not take me up on my offer of an espresso.  We sat outside chatting after getting our food (double espresso, chocolate almond croissant, and a Gatorade for me).  After a while it was time to put the ride to bed.  Richard took off before me.  I squared away my stuff and headed out.

Eloquence escapes me:

Before I knew it I was off Route 6 and doing that hairpin around Highland Light in Truro.  Up a couple climbs and there it was.  Across Beach Point I could see Provincetown and Pilgrim Monument.  Whooping and yelling I rolled down the hill.  122 miles from my house to the cottage we rented for vacation.  What a great feeling of accomplishment to roll to a stop and be greeted by my family after such a long day in the saddle.

If you've made it this far, please consider sponsoring me in the 2018 Harbor to the Bay Ride.  100% of the money raised goes to the local HIV/AIDS charities benefiting from the ride.  https://www.harbortothebay.org/profile/atsolo/