I took yesterday's ride in the late afternoon/early evening so I was not fully recovered for my ride in the morning. I was planning on getting out early but my coffee time kind of slowed me down. It is important for me to have a good caffeine build up before I take on the day.
I got out on the road about 10 PM. I checked the air in my tires. My floor pump is giving me fits. While it is better than my old one I still not certain that the reading on the guage is correct. The back tire filled fine but the front tire looked like it was over inflated. I am thinking I might replace the tube in the front tire.
Not much to really talk about on today's ride. I just went out for about 2.5 hours. Kind of just a rambling route. I did not bring my camera so I rode without any breaks.
I almost got taken out by a car early in the ride. I was make a left hand turn and a pickup truck in the other lane was making a left hand turn. As far as I could tell it was safe to turn. As soon as I got around the truck I heard a car hit the gas and try to speed around the truck. For a moment I was picturing the bumper of the car taking me out and wondering how much it was going to hurt. Luckily the driver let off the gas and I was able to get out of the way. I will have to be extra careful next time. As much as I want to be angry with the driver of the car I have to say that it was my fault. I should have gone with out being able to see directly behind the truck. I thought the truck was blocking traffic enough for me to get by.
They are working on the sidewalk of the Oceanic Bridge. When I got to the bottom of Navesink River Road I noticed that there was a line of traffic. Originally I thought it was because the draw bridge was up but it was for construction. The traffic was backed and when I got to the front of the line I told the flagman that he was not going to be a popular guy today. He told me that needed to repair the sideway for the July 3 fireworks display.
As I was heading back to Red Bank from Rumson I notice two riders in the distance. I decided to try and catch them. Might have been easier had I not just opened a Muscle Milk Bar. I had to be careful I did not choke as I was trying to swallow it. The two riders made a left hand turn and I noticed that the road looked like a nice hill to sprint up so I finished the rest of my bar and got out of the saddle for the climb. I caught the two riders just over the top of the hill. Usually I just pass riders and keep on my way but one of the riders seemed interested in talking to me. They wanted to know the way back to Sea Bright since they were heading to Deal, NJ. They seemed like nice guys even though they really did not make it tough for me to catch them. They asked my why I like riding a single gear and how I climbed hills (which was the same question I once asked). Once we got to RT 520 they went left and I went right and got back on my route home.
I do not think I could have rode much further. It was obvious that I had not recovered from Friday's ride and I was starting to bonk on the last set of hills. I was getting up out of the saddle for the climbs but I was having trouble generating the usual energy. Even though I know I was tired and it was time to come off the bike it is always hard to stop and put everything away.
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