Well, I've done it! I've figured out a way to get home from work that has a grand total of 100 feet of elevation change over 21 miles. For those who don't ride much, this means it's pancake flat. For reference, I think it's more than 100 feet of elevation change to ride from Center City to the top of the Ben Franklin Bridge. Sure, it might add a mile to my ride, but not only does it allow me to run a bigger gear on the fixie, but also the roads are a bit less congested, due to the fact that in two places the road technically ends (but you can ride on the grass to where it starts again). Map My Ride is a great tool. I would have never figured this out without being able to map a few ways and instantly view the elevation change.
Yes, this offically makes me a fatty. And I'm totally ok with that.
Totally changing gears for a moment: The rain we had in the past week (including some while I was in...wait for it...Hawaii) really caused some havoc in the area. In addition to the mudslide on the Expressway, the bike path was in pretty horrendous condition. By Monday afternoon, Montgomery County had taken care of their part of the trail but Philly in typical fashion had yet to acknowledge the trails existence. (Amazing how in MontCo you pay less taxes and get more services, but I digress...)
I mean it was bad, we're talking 8+ inches of mud paired with giant rock slides where the hil basically gave way on the paved section, and whole sections of the tow path literally just gone into the river. Made the Monday commute really suck.
But, where Philly lacks an ability to do anything except subsidize crackheads and the unemployed with my tax dollars, the Bicycle Coalition of Philadelphia picks up the slack. Yesterday afternoon, three hard working folks were out there cleaning and repairing the trail. I recognized one gentleman who often sweeps the area right at the trail head where Port Royal very often washes out, but their effort was above and beyond. They probably moved 20,000 lbs of mud and rocks over a 2 mile stretch of trail.
So there you have it. The Bicycle Coalition of Philadelphia rocks.
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2 comments:
the damage was that bad? wow. and I thought you had addmitted to being a fatty a long time ago. you have nothing on me though >insert evil laugh<
yeah man, real bad...totally unrideable with at least a couple inches of mud and rocks for the better part of mile...
you're what 185? I'm pushing 205 these days
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