Trial Run = Success!

Friday, August 1 was the trial of riding to work by bike. For the trial, I rode from Hallam, PA to Lancaster. It’s a bit shorter than the total route, but I had a buddy to ride with, Brian. The ride went well, but my tires are messed up. The tubes in them are the wrong size (I realized this after I got done with the 20 mile ride!). Also, my rear derailieur needs to be adjusted. More on that later.
The ride started out in an apartment complex. At the bottom of a hill. We rode up to the main road, PA 462, and headed East. The road generally is downhill to the SUsquhanna River bride In Columbia. Some long downhills early with short steep uphills, made for a relatively easy ride.
When we entered Wrightsville, we hit traffic. Interestingly, I was able to scoot around most of it and proceeded to take the full lane as we headed down to the bridge. A tractor trailer was turning, so I was able to get around all the traffic. Cars didn’t start passing me again until I was about half way across the bridge. I was amazed to see I was holding a steady 22mph as well. Upon entering Columbia, traffic stopped again. However, like before, I was able to move along with traffic through the borough. Once out in the country again, traffic flowed past at a steady rate.
The road gradually climbs to Mountville. Still, I didn’t have much trouble maintaining 15-16 mph. At Mountville, we turned on to Spooky Nook Road. This is a steeper climb with a narrow shoulder. Cresting the top of the hill, we rolled down to PA 23, and turned right. One block later, turned Left on to Centerville Road.
Centerville is a 25 MPH road through here, and I had no problem maintaining 25. It was flat, maybe slightly downhill. Then, out of the blue, the bottom dropped out. Next thing I knew, I was doing 44 mph! As soon as I saw this, I also saw the traffic light and the line of traffic. Grabbing the brakes, I realized that I needed to get this bike’s tires really trued up!
Continuing along, we crossed over PA 283, and swung in to Turkey Hill for a Gatorade break. It was very hot, and Brian was having some difficulty with the ride. The break was good for both of us, and we took off again for East Petersburg.
We cruised through town, crossing Manheim Pike, and sailed right on through to NEffsville. By the time we reached the house, it was close to 5 pm. We had made the trek in a little less than 90 minutes, including several stops. Total bike time was 72 minutes. Not bad for 20 miles the first time riding it!
Following this successful ride, I decided that a professional tune up of the bike was required. I consider myself an apt mechanic on bikes, but it has been so long since I have done that kind of work, that I decided to go to a professional. My Uncle Phil, an avid daily rider, recommended Cycle Circle in Lancaster, PA. I checked rates, and they were cheapest around . When I dropped the bike off on Saturday, I knew I made the right call. They stock Red Line bikes, and it was more of a shop than a showroom. Meaning they are serious about getting bikes repaired and running than selling new bikes. Plus, it was cool to see a place where Red Line is so well represented. I also need to get a tire pump, headlight and taillight.
The next planned ride will be for this Friday. This time, I will ride from home all the way to work. Brian may be back from his trip and will join me in Hallam. Given the pace of last Friday’s ride, I should plan to give myself about 2 hours to make the trip. Even though we averaged 16.5 mph for the ride to Lancaster, the overall speed was really 13.3 mph. Perhaps I won’t need to stop as often since I will be on my own. However, traffic conditions and the time of day might necessitate going a little slower. Also, the hills in York county will probably slow me down.
I am looking forward to Friday’s ride, but have a lot of running to do in the meanwhile. The ride was not as physically demanding as I expected. I attribute this to the running I have been doing. Especially the long runs. I will need to run at least two 8 mile runs this week, probably tomorrow morning and Thursday morning.