Our day began bright and early at 6:00 A.M. over at the local hospital for shot #6. It was a Catholic Hospital so that was a bit comforting. It was great to walk in and see the crucifixes on the wall. I felt like I was back at Marist.
Tom Gouterman arrrived with his wife, Lisa, about 9:00 and after the requisite preparations, we were on our way at 10:00 A.M. I know that's a bit late to start but we were confident that we could make the trip before the setting of the sun. My Iowa friends at RAGBRAI are usually done with the ride by 10:00 A.M. But what a day it was. Tom and I knew from the outset that this would be a challenging day with 4,500 feet of climb. Indeed it was but Tom was willing to put up with my slow grind up the many, many, many... hills from Port Jervis to Hancock. We arrived at Hancock at 7:00 P.M. and settled in at St. Paul the Apostle Church thanks to the generous hospitality of Fr. Chris Welch. Off to dinner we went and I ate about 4,000 calories to refurbish my fragile infrastructure after beating it up today.
About the ride. Yes, it was 4,500 feet of climb. But we rode through beautiful areas of forest and field much of it along the Delaware river separating New York from Pennsylvania. Gorgeous views which we were able to enjoy even though we were having near cardiac arrests on the uphill and near panic on the downhills. Downhills, yes. What goes up must come down. As the day began I was cruising downhill at speeds of 38 mph. But I thought to myself, 38mph? That's not a round number. It's not even divisible by 5. I must get it up to 40 mph. But Tom Gouterman was not the fan of 40+ mph that I am. So, at lunch at a great little restaurant on the banks of the Delaware with your standard fare of edible delights along with Hungarian Goulash, I convinced Tom that he needs to join the 40 mph club. He changed the topic to a detailed explanation of how Hungarian Goulash is made but I knew that I had planted the seed. I didn't want him to get hurt but if he's to continue as a Marist teacher he needs to prove his willingness to overcome fear. And so, after lunch, the young, affable, and ever effervescent Tom Gouterman joined the 40+ mph club with a new record speed of 41.5 mph. I hope that his wife is not mad at me after I promised that I would look after Tom.
Some stats for the day: Total Mileage: 72.137 miles; Average speed: 12 mph (don't look down on us. While there were as many downs as ups, we spent a lot more time going up so the average compensates for the time spent at the slower speed. By the way, I'm speaking of mean average speed, not mode, not median in case you were confused) Fastest speed: 42.3 mph. Total Climb: 4,500 feet. Animals that attacked today: butterfly. I think I'm safe on that one. Couple of angry dogs but they were chained up. A deer tried to race us along the way. I think he won. Carlin was attacked by ants. She survived and has now stopped crying.
Some things learned from the seat of a bike about cycling and by extension life:
1) The hills always look more intimidating from the distance. Once you're on them you can deal with them.
2) The journey is always easier with a friend or two.
3) The downhills are fun but you don't get stronger and you don't earn the downhills unless you struggle through the uphills.
4) It hurts if you sit a lot.
5) This is one beautiful country. It's worth exploring it, seeing the beauty of our Creator's work, cherishing it, and reflecting on our good fortune to be a part of it.
6) It's good to be prepared for the ride and that takes time and commitment.
Tom Gouterman arrrived with his wife, Lisa, about 9:00 and after the requisite preparations, we were on our way at 10:00 A.M. I know that's a bit late to start but we were confident that we could make the trip before the setting of the sun. My Iowa friends at RAGBRAI are usually done with the ride by 10:00 A.M. But what a day it was. Tom and I knew from the outset that this would be a challenging day with 4,500 feet of climb. Indeed it was but Tom was willing to put up with my slow grind up the many, many, many... hills from Port Jervis to Hancock. We arrived at Hancock at 7:00 P.M. and settled in at St. Paul the Apostle Church thanks to the generous hospitality of Fr. Chris Welch. Off to dinner we went and I ate about 4,000 calories to refurbish my fragile infrastructure after beating it up today.
About the ride. Yes, it was 4,500 feet of climb. But we rode through beautiful areas of forest and field much of it along the Delaware river separating New York from Pennsylvania. Gorgeous views which we were able to enjoy even though we were having near cardiac arrests on the uphill and near panic on the downhills. Downhills, yes. What goes up must come down. As the day began I was cruising downhill at speeds of 38 mph. But I thought to myself, 38mph? That's not a round number. It's not even divisible by 5. I must get it up to 40 mph. But Tom Gouterman was not the fan of 40+ mph that I am. So, at lunch at a great little restaurant on the banks of the Delaware with your standard fare of edible delights along with Hungarian Goulash, I convinced Tom that he needs to join the 40 mph club. He changed the topic to a detailed explanation of how Hungarian Goulash is made but I knew that I had planted the seed. I didn't want him to get hurt but if he's to continue as a Marist teacher he needs to prove his willingness to overcome fear. And so, after lunch, the young, affable, and ever effervescent Tom Gouterman joined the 40+ mph club with a new record speed of 41.5 mph. I hope that his wife is not mad at me after I promised that I would look after Tom.
Some stats for the day: Total Mileage: 72.137 miles; Average speed: 12 mph (don't look down on us. While there were as many downs as ups, we spent a lot more time going up so the average compensates for the time spent at the slower speed. By the way, I'm speaking of mean average speed, not mode, not median in case you were confused) Fastest speed: 42.3 mph. Total Climb: 4,500 feet. Animals that attacked today: butterfly. I think I'm safe on that one. Couple of angry dogs but they were chained up. A deer tried to race us along the way. I think he won. Carlin was attacked by ants. She survived and has now stopped crying.
Some things learned from the seat of a bike about cycling and by extension life:
1) The hills always look more intimidating from the distance. Once you're on them you can deal with them.
2) The journey is always easier with a friend or two.
3) The downhills are fun but you don't get stronger and you don't earn the downhills unless you struggle through the uphills.
4) It hurts if you sit a lot.
5) This is one beautiful country. It's worth exploring it, seeing the beauty of our Creator's work, cherishing it, and reflecting on our good fortune to be a part of it.
6) It's good to be prepared for the ride and that takes time and commitment.
