and the the rains came...

Today's ride was originally part of a planned two-day out and back.. the Torrey C. Brown Rail Trail is a 19 mile trail that connects with the Heritage Rail Trail in New Freedom PA...

I started in New Freedom and made my way south ... the hill is mostly downhill going south so I was able to cover a lot of distance without much effort... I knew that it would be harder on the way back as I'd be traveling uphill on my return trip...

The trail passes over several roads, but most of them are either access roads or country backroads and as such don't have a lot of traffic to worry about ... signage reminds bicyclists to walk their bikes through the intersections... but few do...

The last major stop on the trail is the depot in Monkton MD... there are restrooms and a series of benches at the depot ... the depot is open weekends in the summer and there appears to be several businesses moving in as the season ramps up ...

The trail continues another six miles south from Monkton... I chose to turn around at Phoenix MD ... which is now just really a parking lot and trail access point...

The ride back north was slower because of the uphill grade ... its not bad in this section but ramps up the last 8 miles of the northern end of the trail ...

Just as the ride was getting harder the sky grew dark ... and without much warning it began to rain ... then hail ... by the time I got my rain gear on I was soaked... I pressed on even though it was riding up hill in the rain and on trails that were essentially now river beds ... the last 7 miles took me about an hour ... eventally the rain quit and the sun struggled to come back out ...

I had a good ride despite the sudden turn of weather ... my bike has never been so muddy ...

39.5 miles 3:58 minutes total riding time ... elevation change of about 650 feet (mostly at the northern end)

2017 TD Bank 5 Boro Bike Tour

Every May bicyclist from all over the world participate in the 5 Boro Bike Tour... 40 miles of New York City streets are closed off to cars for the exclusive use of 32000 cyclists ... here are just a few of the photos I took along this years route...

We start down in the financial district of Manhattan ... and move our way uptown along 6th Ave...

We pass the world famous Radio City Music Hall...

And ride through Central Park...

Over several bridges ...

Through all 5 boros of New York City...

With thousands of fellow bicyclists...

Until finally arriving in Staten Island via the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge ...

For a total of 40 unforgettable miles ...

Early spring bike ride...Lehigh Gorge State Park

I took advantage of a rare day off and warm weather to get a pre 5 Boro Bike Tour ride in...

The Lehigh Gorge State Park Trail is one of my favorite rail trails .. its well maintained and the views are always scenic...

Today the weather was nearly perfect... a bit of a wind cooled the trail in shady areas... but it was still a comfortable ride...

I started in Jim Thorpe PA and followed the trail 15 miles to the next access point ... after a bit of a rest I turned around and headed back to the car...

There were few fellow travelers on the trail at the begining ... but as things got a little warmer a few riders and families could be spotted...

I put on 31 miles today and I feel it was a good warm up / training run for Bike New York's Five Boro Bike Tour in early May...

First ride of the season

I took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather and got a jump start on this years riding seasons... there is a portion of the D & L trail that is not too far from home ... so off I went...

I picked up the trail about 7 miles south of Slatington and follow the path north to the trailhead and parking lot... in the summer months there is a hot dog stand up and running... but given that this was still February I knew not to expect my usual reward...

The trail is in great shape no doubt thanks to the very mild winter we are having .. mostly small twigs and the occasional wetter than the rest sections are about the only obstacles I encountered on this ride...

it it was only a short 14 mile ride .. enough to check out the bike and remind me I've got some training to do before my big rides later in the year...

14.2 miles ... 1 hour 18 minutes .. 62 degrees... February...

5 Boro Bike Tour 2017

75 days until I get to ride 40 miles of New York City streets with 35000 of my closest strangers...