bike

MS 150 – City to Shore (part 2)

danaelizabethx Bike MS, Cycling , , , , , ,

In 2009 I attempted to ride 75 miles of the MS 150, but just wasn’t prepared enough to finish.  In 2010 I was back with a vengeance!  Kevin decided to do the ride with me – we both signed up for the 75 mile route.  We got padded bike shorts (what a difference!!), trained, and Kevin even got a new bike!

We pulled into the parking area EARLY and were within the first few waves to leave.  Since there are so many people doing this ride, they let groups of riders go, spaced out by a few minutes.  It was amazing how FAST some people can ride – Kevin and I both commented on that – I mean it seemed like there were people who were in worse shape than us just FLYING by us – we didn’t get it!  Did they have better bikes?  We were both on hybrids.  It just felt like the WHOLE time, we were pedaling like crazy and people would pass us who were definitely not pedaling as much as us but going so much farther faster.  I understand the people with road bikes with the clip in shoes, but other than that it was strange!

IMG_1811
early AM start!

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The Mystery of the Presta Bike Valve

danaelizabethx Cycling , ,

Last year when Kevin got me my beautiful new Cannondale bike it took a little getting used to – the whole feel of the bike was completely different.  I never would have thought – I mean a bike is just a frame with 2 wheels and pedals right?  I know that there are different bikes for different things – road bike, mountain bike, hybrid…   I went from a Diamondback hybrid to a Cannondale hybrid – It’s hard to explain, maybe I was just trying to be super careful and not wanting anything to happen to it as my new bike was more expensive than what my current car is worth (my car is super old and according to the Kelly Blue Book value my car truly is a little less, but it’s like a tank and I love it dearly and can not bring myself to part with it yet – LOL) but also it just FELT totally different.  It has hydraulic disc brakes, slightly thinner tires (even though they are both considered hybrids) and thumb shifters – which I LOVE – they are sooo smooth compared to my old bike which had the twist grip shifters.  It is also incredibly lighter than my old bike.  I think I was just so used to the my clunky old bike that it took a lot to get used to how smooth the new one was.

soo pretty!  🙂

thumb shifter


But the BIGGEST difference I didn’t even notice until I was riding home from work earlier this year – I decided to swing by a gas station to fill up the tires with air (I got the bike for Christmas so I hadn’t been riding it much til spring.)  I rode up to the air pump, jumped off my bike and started to unscrew the cap and noticed it was a WAYY thinner valve than my old bike – what was going on? Once the black dust cap was off I had no idea what I was looking at – was this some kind of defect?  I didn’t even see anything that looked like a hole where the air would go into – just a weird little nubbin!  I stood there just staring at it – there was NO WAY I would be able to fill up my tires – that dinky little bike valve would never attach to the air pump.  I rode home totally confused. Continue reading →

MS 150 – City to Shore (part 1)

danaelizabethx Bike MS, Cycling , , , , , ,

Well I did it!  I signed up again for the MS 150 City to Shore.  I have done this ride twice before – well let me rephrase that, I have attempted this ride twice before and completed it once.  The MS 150 is an epic charity bike ride which benefits Multiple Sclerosis – it starts in Cherry Hill, NJ and goes all the way to Ocean City, NJ.  There are literally THOUSANDS of people that come to ride this event of all different abilities – it is quite overwhelming to see!  Of course, you don’t have to ride the whole 150 (if you do, that’s split up into a 2 day event.).  There is also the 100 mile century ride, the 75 mile ride which is the ride I sign up for (which is listed as 80 miles this year), a 45 mile and a 25 mile – so there is something for everyone!  There are also MS cycling events a lot of different states across the US.

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Biking to Work – it’s WORTH IT!

danaelizabethx Cycling , , , , ,

I LOVE riding my bike so I’ll take any excuse I can to sneak in a ride!  If you have been reading my blog for a while you know I started biking to the grocery store.  I have been biking to work for a few years now – not every day, sometimes I wake up too late or the weather is bad, or I’m feeling lazy 🙂 but the days where it works out just seems to start my day off right!

you don't get to enjoy views like this when you drive!
you don’t get to enjoy views like this when you drive!

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Lehigh Gorge Rail Trail

danaelizabethx Cycling , , , , ,

Every year I organize a bike trip to Jim Thorpe, PA.  This year we had 15 people join the fun!  We catch a shuttle from Jim Thorpe and ride it to White Haven where we jump on our bikes and have a pleasant 25 mile ride on the Lehigh Gorge Rail Trail back to our cars in Jim Thorpe.  This year the leaves were just starting to turn and there was a slight chill in the air – it was beautiful and PERFECT weather for a bike ride.

The train station in Jim Thorpe

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Another use for JoJo’s DoggyRide!

danaelizabethx Cycling , , ,

So last year I bought a DoggyRide for JoJo – for those of you unfamiliar with what that is, it is one of those carts that attaches to your bike that you put a kid in, only this is for dogs.  There are multiple openings that she can stick her head out, or I can zip the whole thing up and she just lays down and enjoys the ride.  There is a strap with a clasp inside that I attach to her harness which is supposed to prevent her from jumping out, although she did jump out the 1st time I took her on a ride.  Sure, she looks cute in it, but what ELSE can I use it for?

JoJo is ready to go!

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Perkiomen Trail

danaelizabethx Cycling , , , ,

Today my parents and I headed out to check out a little bit of the Perkiomen Trail which is a 20 mile, multi use trail in Montgomery County, PA.  We wanted to go for a bike ride and I wanted to check out someplace different – I read about some people who hiked a bit of this trail,  ate at the Appalachian Brewing Co, and then hiked back to their cars – what an awesome idea!  I had never eaten at an Appalachian Brewing Co so I was excited about that too!

We grabbed our bikes and headed out – we parked right in the parking lot for ABC in Collegeville, PA.  The parking lot was huge and there was an opening in the fence to get right on the trail.  We decided to head south – it was only 5 1/2 miles to where the trail meets up with the Schuylkill River Trail.

The trail started off as gravel and rocks and there were a few road crossings.  About 1/2 way to our destination the trail was paved so it was very easy to ride on!  This section of trail had a few more ups and downs than other bike trails I have been on, but they weren’t bad at all – just a little tricky on the rocky sections because you slide around a little.  The trail went through the town and then went into the woods by the Perkiomen Creek- I love trails that follow water.  There is something so relaxing about moving water – I really think I could watch it all day!

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