It couldn't have been better. We were at the start (pictured above) by 7:15 AM and registered, received our bib and prepared to ride. We settled on the 40 mile route to Valley Forge. Exactly how they calculated the mileage is a bit of a mystery, since I do that ride frequently and know it to be at least 46 miles and in this case, since we went into the park and rode some on the park trail before reaching the rest stop, it was definitely not a 40 mile ride. In fact, our round trip mileage from home was 52.8 miles.
Be that as it may, we had a great ride. For me it was the old familiar path to Valley forge using the tow-path rather than going up Umbria. It seemed the wisest choice for Annie's first ride out there. She did great and had a great time. We met lots of folks we know, as we are getting to know more and more of the regulars on the bike scene. Henry the breakfast guy was there; Mike from Trophey, Al Gilens, the photographer; David Finger, the Braffs, Seymour Cohen, a few people we see in the morning on the path like Lee, and Steve Masters. It is nice to begin to feel a connection to folks in the hobby.
The service of the Bicycle coalition was terrific. We hit our first rest stop at Spring Mill, only about 10 miles out.
In the past I had never actually ridden around the park. It was really nice to see some of the actual history exhibits as we rode. We stopped to view these soldiers barracks before we reached Wayne's woods for lunch
This is a shot of the lunch crowd.
The return was uneventful. The weather stayed good, a bit muggy but the clouds kept the sun from baking us. Home in plenty of time to enjoy the rest of Father's Day.
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