Whew…today was tough. Not because of the terrain — the road surfaces were good and there were no hills of any magnitude. Not because of the weather — it was a pleasant 70-ish so that even sitting in the sun was not uncomfortable. Sure, we had a bit of a headwind at times, but nothing consequential.
No today was tough because of the traffic. Yuck. I am a commuter bike and even though the human and I go out on training rides and I got to do the Katy Trail, the vast majority of my miles have been commuting with the human to and from downtown Milwaukee.
But…let me tell you, there ain’t nothin’ in downtown Milwaukee that even remotely holds a candle to what we road today. Nope. Not at all.
We started out the day with some easy riding to the ferry. It was busy, but, heck, it was New York City on a Tuesday morning…it should be busy, right? After the ferry we were now in New Jersey. Again, we expected traffic to be busy, but….40 miles of stop and go traffic…40 miles…we finally reached a “greenway” that lasted more than a quarter mile. And in that 40 miles…eeks…close passes, big trucks…it was a test of all my commuting skills..but, you know, that is what I was built for. So, the human and toodled on at a blistering (not) commuting pace.
But, the day capped off with a pleasant ride along a tow path — canal to the left and the river to the right. Smooth crushed limestone and enough trees to block the wind. Here’s hoping tomorrow uses my skills as a gravel-ish bike, not as a commuter bike.
Travels With Edwina 