Miles Ridden Today - 118.3 Average Miles Per Hour - 15.6
Last night I couldn't sleep. I was dreading the ride that was to come today and what kept playing over and over in my mind is an image of my bicycle looking like the tangles mess above after my being hit by some crazed New Jersey motorist. On the best of days driving in New Jersey makes me leery, now add in the fact that I was going to be amongst these semi-professional demoltion racers in an unarmored state made me feel a little like this;
 |
| (Is it just me, or is there a breeze in here?) |
That's a naked armadillo for those of you not up on your zoology! I also didn't want to become another statistic of my own Flattened Fauna Report. At the very least, I felt I should wear a big sign on my back that simply said;
But in the end my sleeplessness and worry was for naught. Except for the 15 miles through the Camden area (Philajersia to those of you who don't know your Geography of the Garden State) I didn't feel too threatened from the traffic. It's funny in all the years Angela and Per have lived in Swedesboro I have always said, "I need to bring my bike and ride the roads down here" and now that I finally get to I ride in the area where I'm scared to death.
Of course, added to the sheer terror of riding during morning rush hour in Camden, NJ on a twenty pound piece of metal was the fact that I had a serious mechanical malfunction in Cinnaminson, NJ. The short version is the connecting link for my 9-speed chain popped off and the spare I had in my saddlebag didn't fit as it was for a 10-speed! Oy Vey!!!! Fortunately, Amy hadn't passed me yet so I called her, told her where I was (the Cinnaminson Animal Hospital Parking Lot) and sat down to wait. My shining savior arrived, I put on one of the used ones from one of my chain replacements, dug out another spare (just to be sure) and got on my way. Only to be met by the fact that my gears were now so misaligned that my chain got caught between the cassette and my spokes - a potential dangerous situation in traffic. I pulled over and Amy just happened to pass me for the second time. She pulled over, I put the bike up on the rack and made my adjustments. Finally I was off again and it was the last time I would see the family until Fort Lee!
The rest of the ride until Newark was pretty much a blur - literally! I looked down and realized that my average speed from Swedesboro to Newark was 17.0!!! AFTER 86 MILES!!!!! I'm sorry but that was pretty damn good! And as I looked down I knew why. Today I was riding for Talia, one of our cancers who is once again battling her neuroblastoma. As I rode today I constantly saw her face in my mind's eye and it drove me to pedal faster and harder hoping that every pedal stroke would send out to the universe some positive energy that she so desperately needs! So every time I felt as if I was flagging I would think of Talia and pedal harder!
Eventually I arrived in Newark and once again I was frightened for my life but in a different way. I have heard stories of the crime issues in Newark for years and here I was riding along some of the most neglected streets in the city - while wearing spandex! I'm pretty sure I was the only lycra clad individual many of the residents have seen rolling through their fair domain and maybe the last. I truly had no idea where I was so I stopped at a hot dog vending cart and bought a Diet Coke. While drinking my Coke I asked the vendor for directions. The nice man, his name is Paul, actually set me straight and told me the way I wanted to go would most likely see me smooshed. He gave me directions, made sure I wrote them down and after a nice conversation about sports, the evils of diet soda, his nephew the cross country skier, road bikes, old Peugots, his son and a few other items I thanked him and headed off on my way. Before I knew it I was indeed across the Passaic River and into Jersey City - only 20 miles to go!!!!!
I finally hit John F. Kennedy Boulevard and headed north. My first real taste of urban cycling and IT WAS AWESOME!!!! It makes me truly excited for tomorrow to ride across the GWB into Manhattan. Along the way I saw some girls selling lemonade for Alex's Lemonade Stand and that made me stop. I mean c'mon, you know how I am about fighting Childhood cancer and to support that and get some lemonade to boot? And since my own daughter is such a lemonade mogul, I decided to sample the competition. The three young ladies, Brianna, Brittany and Madison were being supported by Madison's mother Nacy (I hope I spelled that right) and as we chatted I shared with them my family's mission for Sunrise. We exchanged information and talked about how its up to all of us to do what we can to help those who are the hardest hit by this disease - the children. Once again, I thanked these folks for the conversation and the kind words and with Talia's face once more in my mind, I headed my bike north for the last ten miles.
And before you know it, I was here in Fort Lee! I had spent some time in my youth living in Edgewater, NJ so I knew the environs well but I wasn't prepared for how much it had changed or how busy the traffic was when you're on a bicycle! Getting around all of those shiny metal boxes rushing to be the first across the GWB I barely made it to the exit ramp unscathed. God was surely with me!!!!
I pulled into the parking lot of the Best Western (with a pursuing car hot on my tail at 32 mph) and gave it a once over - no mini van!!! I had beaten the family to Fort Lee. Now in all fairness, they had gone to Verona, NJ to visit my sister-in-law, niece and nephews but still - I WON!!!!
And that was my day of suvival on the roads of New Jersey. Not as bad as I had feared but I think I still sprouted a few new grey hairs nonetheless. And since the family down the hall was keeping me up I decided to write this blog instead. I now have to try to get three and a half hours of sleep before we have to get up and cross the GWB before rush hour tomorrow since I have to be in midtown Manhattan by 8:00 in the morning. Why God, why? Because yours truly will be the guest weather person for WPIX Channel 11 News in the morning!!!!!!!! It was all due to a connection made by my sister-in-law Laura and I cannot thank her enough for the opportunity to bring this message of Sunrise and all it does to the greater metropolitan area!
I just hope they have something to cover the huge bags that will be under my eyes!!!!
FFR - 6 raccoons, 1 possums, 1 Beaver (I kid you not!), 10 birds of indeterminate species, 8 UFO's
RRL - 3 pairs of work gloves, a trowel for spreading on plaster, a CD with Aaron Copeland music on it (don't know if it works yet)
Stay well and I'll update more from the road!
For another perspective on our journey check out Amy's blog at http://www.crosscountrymama.blogspot.com//
To help us get the kids to Sunrise go to https://www.wizevents.com/register/register_add.php?sessid=1809&id=1056
Check out our website at http://www.connorsarmy.org/
