C
Cycle America
Guest
Attorney and former Mayor, Steve Shaw, riding a fast Canondale road
bike, rolled his half century from Rushville to Indianapolis NBG Day
with the greatest of ease as he reports below. As added testimony to how
little effort he expended on the entire 111 mile, Cincinnati to
Indianapolis connection, he even documented it with these fun pictures:
http://www.nationalbicyclegreenway.com/gallery/Indy2004?page=1
========================================
Thursday, I had arrived in Rushville, tired, but feeling like, maybe I
could ride a little farther. Alas, my reservations required that I
cancel with 24 hours notice, so with some relief, I headed for the
hotel.
Today started with cloudy skies, but no apparent rain in sight. Another
inch and a half of rain had fallen the night before. That proved to be
a blessing.
I received advice that I ought to ride on Route 40 to Indy. It is four
lanes with a good shoulder. That sounded inviting. However, I hate the
constant noise of traffic and I figured that if it was four lanes, there
was a reason it was so wide. So instead, I ignored the sobering news
that a cyclist had been killed on Route 52 last week and opted to stick
with my original plan and ride U.S. Route 52 into Indy. It was a good
decision. Traffic was light, the shoulder was smooth and fairly wide.
The bonus, as it turned out, was that the hard rains the last two nights
had thoroughly cleaned the berm. There was hardly a rock or bit of
debris to be found.
The ride was a dream compared to Day One. Whereas I was happy to hit
15-16 MPH the first day, even on the flats, today I cruised along
against a mild headwind at 17-19 MPH. No flats, no near misses, no
worries man. I easily found the rendezvous location with Victor and was
overjoyed to find it included a Starbucks near the corner. I was in
heaven.
Victor and I chatted for about an hour, including a patch of his rear
tire, then off we went to the ceremony. After a small failure of
Victor's cart connection, we arrived at the ceremony. A large group was
assembled. It included the Planning czar for the Indianapolis parks,
the Greenway development team, an assortment of riders, three TV
stations and at least one newspaper reporter. The event was a
combination news conference announcing the release of a new map of the
trail system in the county and the adjoining counties and acknowledgment
of NBG and its efforts to develop trails across the country. Victor
received the proclamation and said a few fine words in support of NBG
and its efforts. I was ignored. Which was just fine!
We then headed off northbound on the Monon trail. Victor and I were
left behind by the speedier bike riders, so we cruised up the trail on
our own and found a local cafe to enjoy some food and conversation.
After a wonderful chat, we said our goodbyes and wished each other well.
I sprinted off to meet my wife out by the interstate and Victor began
his journey to Chicago to spend time with his extended family. We hope
to meet up next week as I will be visiting Chicago for a quick visit and
a ballgame.
I thoroughly enjoyed my two rides. Although Thursday's ride was a
challenge, starting off with traffic and rain and wet pavement, moving
into hills and finishing with a gradual uphill climb against headwinds.
I still found it oddly enjoyable. While I longed for the pace and the
safety of a bike path, the constant change of scenery, the interaction
with cars and trucks and a few animals, makes the ride go by quickly.
If I am lucky enough to participate again next year, I plan to find a
scenic ride that will satisfy my desire to take more photos and give me
reason to take a slower pace along the way.
By the way, bike and equipment weighed in at 50 pounds, plus the fluids
and food I carried. I usually train at less than half that weight.
I am so fortunate to have a supportive family and I thank them for their
assistance in making this possible.
Take care and thank you NBG for your support and all that you do to
make the dream of a cross country, even cross city or cross state trails
a reality.
Steve
bike, rolled his half century from Rushville to Indianapolis NBG Day
with the greatest of ease as he reports below. As added testimony to how
little effort he expended on the entire 111 mile, Cincinnati to
Indianapolis connection, he even documented it with these fun pictures:
http://www.nationalbicyclegreenway.com/gallery/Indy2004?page=1
========================================
Thursday, I had arrived in Rushville, tired, but feeling like, maybe I
could ride a little farther. Alas, my reservations required that I
cancel with 24 hours notice, so with some relief, I headed for the
hotel.
Today started with cloudy skies, but no apparent rain in sight. Another
inch and a half of rain had fallen the night before. That proved to be
a blessing.
I received advice that I ought to ride on Route 40 to Indy. It is four
lanes with a good shoulder. That sounded inviting. However, I hate the
constant noise of traffic and I figured that if it was four lanes, there
was a reason it was so wide. So instead, I ignored the sobering news
that a cyclist had been killed on Route 52 last week and opted to stick
with my original plan and ride U.S. Route 52 into Indy. It was a good
decision. Traffic was light, the shoulder was smooth and fairly wide.
The bonus, as it turned out, was that the hard rains the last two nights
had thoroughly cleaned the berm. There was hardly a rock or bit of
debris to be found.
The ride was a dream compared to Day One. Whereas I was happy to hit
15-16 MPH the first day, even on the flats, today I cruised along
against a mild headwind at 17-19 MPH. No flats, no near misses, no
worries man. I easily found the rendezvous location with Victor and was
overjoyed to find it included a Starbucks near the corner. I was in
heaven.
Victor and I chatted for about an hour, including a patch of his rear
tire, then off we went to the ceremony. After a small failure of
Victor's cart connection, we arrived at the ceremony. A large group was
assembled. It included the Planning czar for the Indianapolis parks,
the Greenway development team, an assortment of riders, three TV
stations and at least one newspaper reporter. The event was a
combination news conference announcing the release of a new map of the
trail system in the county and the adjoining counties and acknowledgment
of NBG and its efforts to develop trails across the country. Victor
received the proclamation and said a few fine words in support of NBG
and its efforts. I was ignored. Which was just fine!
We then headed off northbound on the Monon trail. Victor and I were
left behind by the speedier bike riders, so we cruised up the trail on
our own and found a local cafe to enjoy some food and conversation.
After a wonderful chat, we said our goodbyes and wished each other well.
I sprinted off to meet my wife out by the interstate and Victor began
his journey to Chicago to spend time with his extended family. We hope
to meet up next week as I will be visiting Chicago for a quick visit and
a ballgame.
I thoroughly enjoyed my two rides. Although Thursday's ride was a
challenge, starting off with traffic and rain and wet pavement, moving
into hills and finishing with a gradual uphill climb against headwinds.
I still found it oddly enjoyable. While I longed for the pace and the
safety of a bike path, the constant change of scenery, the interaction
with cars and trucks and a few animals, makes the ride go by quickly.
If I am lucky enough to participate again next year, I plan to find a
scenic ride that will satisfy my desire to take more photos and give me
reason to take a slower pace along the way.
By the way, bike and equipment weighed in at 50 pounds, plus the fluids
and food I carried. I usually train at less than half that weight.
I am so fortunate to have a supportive family and I thank them for their
assistance in making this possible.
Take care and thank you NBG for your support and all that you do to
make the dream of a cross country, even cross city or cross state trails
a reality.
Steve