the Way of the Turtle

BACK ON THE BIKE - REALLY!
Sunday, September 10, 2006

So after 24 days, I got to ride one of my bikes again. Outside. In the fresh air and sunshine. Actually going someplace. What a concept...

The new bike (the one I crashed) is still on the trainer until I get a few parts for it and do some tune-up work. Besides, if all goes well, I'll be riding the Dawes in the Rochester Autumn Classic Duathlon in 3 weeks, so I need to get some time in on it. So I packed it up and headed down to the Corning Preserve for a short ride.

Weather was a bit chilly, especially in the shade (and in the late afternoon there's lots of shade along that path.) I was glad I wore a long-sleeved jersey. Kept the pace pretty relaxed - between 10 and 11 mph much of the time - and felt only minor aches from the ribs, if I hit a particularly hefty bump in the pavement. Rode from the boat launch to the end of the path in Watervliet, and when I stopped there to stretch found out that there is another park just across I-787 from the Watervliet parking lot. So I took the tunnel under the highway and rode a short path down to the Schuyler Flatts Cultural Park.

Apparently the area in the park was the site of an Indian summer encampment, and later the homestead of the Schuyler family from 1692 until 1910, the Schuyler Flatts served as a staging area during the Revolutionary War. It became an archaelogical site in 1971 and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1993 (more info can be found here, which is also where I got much of the precedding!) A portion of the original Erie Canal also passes through the park, which currently features a series of paved paths, multi-purpose fields, and a number of informative signs about the features and history of the area. (For pictures of the park, check this section of the Village of Menands website... there are three pages of photos.)

So I rode around the park, then headed back down to the river and along the path through the Corning Preserve back to the boat launch. Back and ribs took it all OK, but my bruised/strained/pulled groin was aching a bit by the time I was done. This ride left no doubt in my mind that it was my body that destroyed the bike seat during the crash (and the bike seat which did some damage to me!) - the spot that's injured is exactly where I come into contact with the edge of the seat.

All in all, while it was a very slow ride (an hour to go 10 miles) it was still great to get out on a bike again and be doing one of my favorite activities outdoors. Assuming I don't wake up in agony tomorrow, I definitely want to get out for some easy riding later this week.

JMH