Youth

[RUSSELL5000]

My son, who is now 17, asked me to ride our bicycles from Pittsburgh, PA to Washington, D.C.; we will go via the Great Allegheny Passage and the C/O Canal Towpath. I am 58.

We did a 50 mile practice ride today. Now, it really is not that hard to ride 50 miles on a bicycle. But, I notice how my son surges on absent-mindedly and then slows so that I catch up. I can tell I am a tortoise to his hare. I notice that he barely broke a sweat today and his breathing was never labored. I am tired; a nice tired, not worn out, but tired. I think he is going for a run while we wait for my wife to return home. My left Achilles tendon is tight and sore (I tore it when I was 19). My left knee is getting stiff, and my butt is a little sore.

I guess there is no turning the hands of the clock back four decades. Sometimes I just see in him what will never be for me again.

I should be thankful I could spend this beautiful day God gave us riding with my son, and I am; I truly appreciate my great fortune and His blessings. It just occurs to me how true it is that our life vanishes like a mist in the air.

Drove to and from the trail today in the truck. How much better can a day get?

I hope your day was as good, regardless your age.

 

[jgillott]

Congrats on your ride today. I have several friends that have made the run from Pittsburgh to DC and back and say it is a trip of a lifetime. I'd like to do it someday when time permits.

I spent the weekend at a softball tournament with one of my daughters and stopped by the Pittsburgh Zoo on the way home. Great weekend all around.

 

[JR]

Russell, I'd wager your doin pretty good. Too many people these days ride 50 miles in a car and are so fatigued they have to take a nap to recharge :-laf

Over the 4th we camped along side a local trail system, it starts off just off the lake and goes south through Ashtabula County. My oldest and I took off for what was supposed to be a quick ride, we ended up riding a tick over 30 miles. He's still a youngster at 12 but did very well up until the last few miles coming back to camp. He slept like a baby that night...

I've not heard of the trail you are talking of. I'll have to check it out.

What kind of bikes are you guys riding? I'm on an old Cannondale F500 with a cad2 frame. I bought it very gently used back in the 90's in a pawn shop in Wyoming. Been a great bike for me.

 

[jgillott]

Here are some links for you

https://gaptrail.org/

http://bikewashington.org/canal/

 

[RUSSELL5000]

JR,

The links above are where we will be riding. Today we were in your neck of the woods; we did a down and back on the Greenway Reserve Trail in Ashtabula county. We started in the south part of Ashtabula down to the county line with Trumbull county. Had lunch in Orwell, OH. Great trail - an abandoned railroad grade.

My son and I will be using our mountain bikes - Specialized Rockhopper. I had a Cannondale for twenty-some years - great big diameter aluminum tubes as the frame. Nice road bike; rode it a lot. Did triathlons with it. Like all technical things, cannot compare to the current offerings, but great bike. Gave it away when got replacement three years ago.

jgillot, the upcoming ride was an idea my son had two years ago. We were at the KOA by you in Connellsville - down for the rafting at Ohiopyle. We rode some on the GAP trail and took a side trail to Dunbar, PA. Two older gentlemen were mowing the grass in a little park - they were retired and was a volunteer thing for them. They told us all about the coke industry of the past and showed us how a coke oven worked (the little park had preserved an old oven). My son thought it was interesting and asked whether there was more to know about other towns along the trail, and they both assured my son there was. My son said - let's ride the trail and find out. I said sure - some day. One of the retired guys said, "Not my business, do what you want, but my wife and I waited for some day to go and do things. She passed away two years ago." I mentioned that to my wife that night; firm plans were soon established. So, I'll be the slow guy on the right the last week of July.

 

[JR]

Wow, you were in our neck of the woods! That's the trail we rode on the weekend of the 4th. You rode right past the campground we stayed at (Hideaway Lakes), which btw had the best fireworks show I've ever seen! Put Ashtabula and Conneaut's shows to shame for sure. if your not familiar with where Hideaway Lakes is its off of Rt 84 on the northern end of the trail. Probably 2-3 miles from the termination.

There are plans in progress to finish the trail so that you can ride to the lake. I imagine one of the hurdles is where and how to cross Rt 20, but I have no doubts they will figure it out.

Just re read your post, maybe you weren't in the Ashtabula area. I would have thought coming from Erie you would have started out on the north end instead of driving down to the southern end.

 

[Killer223]

Don't blink, They go by fast.

 

[Deleted member 995608]

Awesome. Please post some ride pics along the ride if ya get time.Bike safe!

 

[RUSSELL5000]

I will certainly post some pics of the GAP/Towpath ride - I have seen quite a few cool bridges and tunnels on you-tube videos. I think the towpath will be really interesting.

JR, I suppose I was not clear. For the Western Reserve Greenway trail ride on Sunday, we drove east from Erie on I-90 and got off at Exit 223. Then you double back east a little bit and there is a parking lot next to the trail on Old Austinburg Road. We rode south on the trail from there to the Trumbull county line and then turned around and came back north following lunch in Orwell.

 

[crispyboy]

I am impressed that a person can ride a bicycle for so many miles. I can only stay on my bicycle for maybe 10 minutes and my hind-den hurts so bad that I need to stop. Is it all in the seat adjustment or just the seat itself?

 

[JR]

My opinion it is more the muscles in your butt than anything. Look at any competition mountain bike or road bike, the seats on them are skinny. Without measuring the seat on my Cannondale is roughly the width of a 2x4. I grew up in Wyoming and In my prime when I rode everyday that seat never bothered me one bit, except maybe on the days I pushed it extra hard. Fast forward 20 years, the last ride we went on was a very leisurely 30 miles and I felt it in my rear for 2 days.

 

[RUSSELL5000]

JR has it right, and it is like most any physical activity: if you do the activity regularly and with vigor the muscles get accustomed to the activity and pain/soreness subsides or is eliminated. If you have note done the activity regularly then you feel it. I do note that this process of becoming acclimated to activity seems to take longer as you get older.

There are things that make life easier. My son and I bought shorts that have a gel pad sewn in them. We also replaced our saddles with new ones that have gel pads. We felt this was worthwhile given that we would be on the bikes day after day. We did a forty mile ride on Saturday and a forty mile ride on Sunday. No soreness.

On Saturday we rode on a trail near Athens, Ohio. We ate lunch in front of a building on the Ohio University campus that was built in 1815 - inspired by Thomas Jefferson (who was still alive at that time).

We start our Pittsburgh to DC ride this coming Saturday.

 

[RUSSELL5000]

Just a quick follow-up. My son and I completed our Pittsburgh to D.C. trip this past Saturday. We rode from Saturday to Saturday. It was a great trip. I am writing up some details and will pass on if you let me know you are interested.

It is amazing to me how much world there is when you are not going by it at 70 mph.

 

[JR]

I was hoping you would update this thread! Please post up as many pictures and details as you can!