EXCITING NEWS FRIENDS!!!
One of my favorite podcasts is The Joyride Podcast which focuses on women cyclists – and it is awesome. I have been an avid fan of the show since close to the start of the podcast when I binge listed to all the episodes.
I was delighted to be a guest on the show on the first episode of season 3! If you want to listen to me talk about bikes with Cat, the host, check out Episode 31 of The Joyrode Podcast here – or wherever you listen to your podcasts!
ENJOY!
The day after the Merry Little Bike Ride, it snowed all day long and well into the night in PA. I have seen that people cycle when it snows and have been curious how my bike would handle it. Also, I have all those lights strung on my bike and thought it would look pretty awesome in the snow, but do I need studded tires for my bike like I have read about? Would I be slipping all over the road? Do I need a fat tire bike? I decided to see what would happen if I took my hybrid out for a spin.
When I saw the event on facebook for the first annual Merry Little Bike Ride – I knew I HAD to go. The free slow ride was organized by Lititz Bikeworks and the Northern Lancaster County Regional Police Department – they just asked that if you rode, you donated a gift to a child in need. A good cause where I can ride my bike and string lights all over it?!? DONE!
I can’t quite remember when I first heard about Mackinac Island in Michigan, but from the moment I did I knew it would be a cool place to visit. On a recent road trip with my dad we decided to visit since we were in the area snagging a few highpoints anyway! What makes the island so special? You have to take a ferry to get to it and NO CARS are allowed – only bikes and horses. Sounds pretty perfect, right?
On Oct 23, 2016 I had the privilege of riding in the Bike MS: NYC which was a 30 mile route around Manhattan. NYC is another area I haven’t been to in YEARS and I was disappointed I didn’t get to do as much sight seeing as I wanted, but that just means another trip back – preferably when it’s a bit warmer!
Here’s the 5th episode of my bikepacking trip – I got to explore Great Falls along the C&O trail which was AWESOME!!
The MS City to Shore 2016 ride is now complete – for me anyway – as I write this there are quite a few cyclists crazy enough to bike all the way BACK to the start. Who knows maybe I will be one of them someday, but for now the 80 miles from the PATCO station in Cherry Hill, NJ to Ocean City, NJ is a perfect ride for me.
Kevin was kind enough to wake up early and drive me to the beginning – it was of course organized chaos with so many cyclists eager to get on the road. There was plenty of parking when we arrived and I loaded up my bike with everything I needed for the day and headed over to the start. I was there at about 6:15, skipped walking around the tent area and was lucky enough to get into the last chute before they closed it off and then the rest of the cyclists had to wait in line until they started releasing the (maybe) 7 or 8 chutes they had set up. Then those waiting would fill the chute just released and wait until all the other chutes went, then it was their turn. So I was lucky to get in the last chute of the first batch. The first wave started off at about 6:30 or so and then we would wait until the all clear for the next chute to be released – this was approximately every 5-10 minutes. They have been doing this ride for a VERY long time and it is a major event so they have this down to a science. 7,000 people sign up every year and it is so well organized it’s remarkable!
So the MS City to Shore bike ride is right around the corner – just 3 days away! I just wanted to thank everyone who donated to the cause – I actually raised enough money to ride in the MS City to Shore AND the MS NYC in October! SO THANK YOU!!!
I have been wanting to bike the 22 mile Cape Cod Rail Trail in Massachusetts since I saw it earlier this year in an article about the best rail trails by the beach (or something like that). I was hooked – I wanted to bikepack to Nickerson State Park or some other campground along the trail, but was unable to get a campsite. My parents decided they wanted to come along too so my bikepacking trip turned into just a long bike ride – which was fun!
The GPS said it would be a 6 hour drive, but with traffic it turned into about an 8 1/2 hour drive. We checked into the hotel near the start of the trail in Dennis and were lucky to get a room on the 1st floor so we could keep our bikes in the room (no elevator). I honestly have no idea what we did after we checked in – I think I just went to bed and my parents went and got ice cream and walked around a bit. Why does a long car ride make you so tired??
I have had a lot of people ask what I brought with me on my bikepacking trip so I figured I’d put together a quick list. The following items are what my nephew and I brought for our overnight trip.
blisters and bug bites 