One last post –
Several people have asked about our routes in the Finger Lakes.
Here are the links to the rides that the majority of the group did:
· Day 1 (Wednesday, June 12) http://connect.garmin.com/activity/327061344
· Day 3 (Friday, June 14) http://connect.garmin.com/activity/329062631
· Day 4 (Saturday, June 15) http://connect.garmin.com/activity/330433092
Finger Lakes – Summary
Thanks to all the trip-planners, beer-buyers, snack-buyers, flat-changers, paceline-pullers, meal-captains, etc for pitching in to make this a truly memorable event!
Now, for the numbers:
Total team miles: 5399
Most miles for any one rider over the 3 riding days: 329 (120, 118, 91)
Average miles/rider over the 3 riding days: 245
(9 riders accumulated over 300 miles over 3 riding days)
Total team climbing (ft): 276776
Most climbing for any one rider over the 3 riding days (ft): 17629 (5978, 5682, 5969)
Average climbing/rider over the 3 riding days (ft): 12580
(14 riders accumulated over 12000 ft over the 3 riding days)
We climbed, on the average, 51 feet for every mile pedaled. (Rides ranged from 32.9 ft/mi to 65.4 ft/mi)
Total team hours in the saddle: 576
Most hours in the saddle for any one rider over the 3 riding days: 34.5 (12, 12, 10.5)
Average hours in the saddle over the 3 riding days: 25
(14 riders accumulated over 25 hours in the saddle)
Total team mechanicals: 5
Most mechanicals for any one rider over the 3 riding days: 2
Total team ice cream/bake shop visits over the 3 riding days: 61
Most number of ice cream/bake shop visits over the 3 riding days: 4
Average number of ice cream shop visits/rider over the 3 riding days: 2.8
Finger Lakes – Day 4 (Saturday, June 15)
Today we awoke to a glorious blue sky, and forecast for temps in the mid to high 70s – finally a day without arm warmers and vests!
At breakfast there was some discussion about the Sunday forecast. It was looking like we were in for the chance of rain. Some of the team had already planned for Saturday to be their last riding day, others were now re-thinking their options.
While they were contemplating, Steve S, Don and Barb headed out (at 7:07) for the 12.5 ride up to the Taughannock Falls overlook. They arrived well before the first of the JSTS cars, OR the FLCC club cyclists.
Seven JSTS vehicles with 17 team members arrived in quick succession. That made for a Team JSTS contingent of 20. Phil wasn’t feeling well, and decided to sleep in; Roger decided to get an early start for home and family commitments.
FLCC Saturday rides have a leader and a sweep. We signed in and took their phone numbers, in the event of an emergency. After an appropriate amount of ‘meeting and greeting’ between the 10 to 12 FLCC riders and 20 JSTS riders, as well as some photo opportunities, we headed up the access road.
We were expecting a challenging ride (3 steep climbs) and we got it! As it turns out many of us had ample opportunity to chat with the sweep!
At mile 9, we had our first mechanical. Ray changed his flat in no time, only to have the replacement tube also blow. After further inspection, it was determined that the tire would require a boot (supplied by Don). While we were dealing with the extended stop, Peter determined that his crank wouldn’t survive the anticipated stress of the steep hill climbs – the pedal was hanging on by a thread. And Andy determined that his quad muscle wouldn’t survive the anticipated stress of the steep hill climbs. Both informed the FLCC ride leader that they were leaving the ride. Also, while we were dealing with the extended stop, some of the FLCC riders determined that they might not survive a hill climb ride with riders from the flatlands!.... But, we did get back on the road, descended, and climbed, and climbed, and descended. At mile 25, the group stopped in Ovid for breakfast/lunch.
Back on the bikes after lunch, we descended, and descended to Lodi Point on Seneca Lake. We stopped to take some photos….
And then the climbing began. It started with a steep grade that topped out at 20%, at which point Steve S's bike fell over for no apparent reason. We concluded that his bike was only made for climbs up to 19%. Fortunately, the climb then moderated to (mostly) single digits for the next 3 miles. The (remaining) FLCC riders were waiting at the top for team JSTS to arrive. When asked if we had earned our ice cream just yet, the answer was ‘only one scoop’ – there were more significant hills ahead. The next 2 mile stretch was primarily downhill. Riders were making their way at speeds exceeding 25 mph, when a local couple needed to make a right turn down their street .
Cyclists Beware:
It was a very near miss, but after dusting ourselves off, everyone got back on their bikes and plowed on – to the next climb – 2 miles at grades topping out at 15%. Many of these climbs were reminiscent of the Vermont Gap climbs.
At mile 47 we were finally at the top of the ridge. The ice cream shop was at mile 59…. We each had earned 3 scoops!
After ice cream we only had 2 – 3 miles back to the cars. After extending our thanks to the FLCC rider(s), the 7 cars loaded up their bikes…. Some were headed directly home, others were making one more pit stop back at the hotel for a late check-out, and others were staying overnight.
Don and Barb, having pedaled their way up to the overlook in the morning, were now left to their own devices (primarily gps) to meander back to the hotel…. And it wasn’t all downhill – but it was a meander.
When they finally hit the peak, they welcomed the “Trucks use low gear” sign. On the 3 mile descent into Ithaca, they were treated to amazing views of the valley to the east and south, including Cornell University and Ithaca College. They made it back to the hotel at 5:35pm, an early day by all accounts, having racked up 91.3 miles. The consensus from the team was that they should go back out for the other 8.7 miles – but we all know that riding is not all about the numbers!
Day 4 Statistics:
Total Miles: 1292 mi
Total Elevation: 81988 ft
While you’re waiting for our Day 4 (Saturday, June 15) posting, here’s a little Finger Lakes trivia quiz….
How many lakes comprise the Finger Lakes?
How many Finger Lakes can you name?
Which is the longest Finger Lake ?
How long is it?
Which Finger Lake is the deepest?
How deep is it?
Which Finger Lake has the greatest volume?
Which Finger Lake has the most wineries along its shores?
How were the Finger Lakes formed?
Along which Lake is Seneca Falls located?
Along which lake is Ithaca located?
Can you name 3 colleges we biked past?
What is the name of the hotel we stayed at?
What is the highest rated hotel in the area?
What is Seneca Lake named after?
Can you name 4 Indian tribes located in the region?
Can you name 2 breweries in the Ithaca region?
Can you name 5 wineries in the region?
How old is the oldest winery in the region?
How many water falls are there in the Finger Lakes?
Can you name 3 water falls in the Finger Lakes region?
What church, founded by Joseph Smith, has its origins in the Finger Lakes region?
Which lake is considered the middle finger?
What Finger Lakes town is believed to be the inspiration for Bedford falls in “it’s a wonderful life”?
What bicycling club did we ride with this weekend?
Who is the most famous person buried in Woodlawn cemetery in Elmira?
In what Finger Lakes city was Mark Twain in when he wrote the Adventures of Huck Finn?
What Finger Lakes town is considered the birthplace of the national women’s rights movement?
What do Betty Ford and Nancy Pelosi have in common?
Where is the National Women’s Hall of Fame located?
What is Corning’s most famous employer?
What US President was born in the Finger Lakes region?
In what city?
What Finger Lakes native was responsible for purchasing Alaska?
From 1961 – 1980 what Finger Lakes town hosted the US Grand Prix?
Finger Lakes – Day 3 (Friday, June 14)
There was some concern that Thursday’s weather wouldn’t blow out of the area in time to set our wheels down at 7am. We decided to call for a 7am start, but we’d remain flexible until we saw what the day held. When we awoke, we were happy to see that it had dried out, even though the sky remained overcast.
Twenty two of us headed out (at 7:25). Three team members opted for the shorter 60 mile, less hilly route. Nineteen opted for the Cayuga Lake ride, listed at 112 miles. On our way to the start (~ 2.5 miles by bike) Rob noticed that Rick’s rear tire was approaching failure. After much discussion (there were 19 of us J) Rick, accompanied by Bryan, headed back to the hotel to change the tire. They’d then drive up to Taughannock Falls State Park to meet us on route. The timing worked out perfectly – Rick and Bryan pulled into the lot shortly after the team arrived by bike!
The full complement of us continued heading north on the west side of Cayuga Lake, touching lakeside in several spots. Each time we descended to lake level we felt the anticipation of climbing back out. Nineteen riders spread out over the climb was a great sight.
The only other tire-changing event came along our ride up Rte 89, when Rob noticed that Don's rear tire looked a little low. It was Don’s second flat of the tour. Good thing he stocked up on tubes at the Performance Bike Shop stop on Day 0! From this point on, no one wanted Rob to ride behind them.
We pulled into Seneca Falls, our lunch stop, at mile 48, shortly before noon. We broke into 3 groups based on dining interests. By this time the clouds had thinned out and it was looking to be a brighter, albeit windier, day.
After lunch we rode by the National Women’s Rights Museum for the educational part of the day. Around mile 53 was a cut-off that could shorten the route by 11 miles. Although there had been much talk earlier in the day about several of the team opting for this shortcut, everyone was having such a great ride that no one actually did. From the time we left Seneca Falls, at mile 48, until be turned east to begin the ride back at mile 59, we were faced with strong headwinds. We entertained ourselves with the idea that these headwinds would be the afternoon’s tailwinds on the way down the east side of the lake. We did stop to view the Erie Canal, Lock 25, and an osprey nest, to catch our breath on the way north.
We were making pretty good time heading south when we decided that the Nice n Easy convenience store was a well-positioned rest stop (food and restrooms). After the rest stop we settled into a nice n easy rhythm, pedaling south along the lake with the wind at our back, with the idea that we were trying to hit our next rest stop – the Man in the Moon bakery – before they closed at 5pm
At mile 86 the route turned east, UP from the lakeshore for the better part of 10 miles – but we made it to the bakery before closing time.
After filling up on baked goods, and refilling our water bottles, we continued uphill just a short bit more before making a right turn onto an 8 mile straight downhill…. It was an incredible adrenaline rush.
On the final leg of the journey we passed Ithaca Falls, and the suspension bridge stopping for (more than) a few photos.
We pulled into the hotel parking lot just after 7pm, sat down on the patio, and partook of afternoon refreshments.
Eventually, we broke into 5 different dining groups, depending on preferences.
We barely had the mental capacity to develop a plan for the morning, let alone write-up our day’s activities.
The best we could do was determine that almost everyone that was planning on riding with the FLCC club in the morning would be driving up to the 9am start at Taughannock Falls State Park. Steve S, Don and Barb would be rolling out of the hotel parking lot for the 12.5 mile bike ride up to Taughannock Falls shortly after 7am.
Today’s statistics:
Total miles: 2441 miles
Total climbing: 124050 feet
Average age of the 22 Team JSTS riders: 56.2
Average mileage/rider: 111 miles
Average climbing/rider: 5552 feet
Total Mechanicals: 2
Mechanicals/mile: 0.0008
Total hours in the saddle: 246
Hours in the saddle/rider: 11.2
