Mid-summer Towpath Ride!

Today was a milestone.  It was the day I had the pleasure of going with my girlfriend on our first bike ride together.  Yes, after much poking and prodding...and the purchase of a new bike (a Giant Cypress DX)...we finally set out on a date with our bikes to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park's towpath trail in Peninsula, Ohio.  Having ridden the trail many times myself, both during the day and on our Century Cycles' night rides, I was anxious to take Maria on this scenic cycling adventure.

Well, if the smiles below are any indication, a wonderful time was had by all!

On my classic Raleigh Peak

Maria and her sporty new Giant Cypress DX

Of course, like the Metroparks that surround Cleveland, the towpath has it's own remarkable scenery to show off.

Towpath through beaver wetlands

Dragonfly cruisin' the marsh

Towpath crossing one of Peninsula's historic canal locks

Geese enjoying a little sunbathing

Today's ride covered about 14 miles and saw temperatures in the mid 80's.  Afterwards, a cold beer, refreshing iced tea, and tasty food at Peninsula's Winking Lizard rounded out a perfect afternoon of cycling.  Great job, Maria.  I see a Tour de France in your future.  ;)

Another Towpath Ride!

Having enjoyed my first ride on the towpath last weekend (thanks to the CC night ride), I decided to cycle it again, only this time in sunny, dry, daytime conditions. I also chose to start at the Century Cycles store in Peninsula again as I was now familiar with this location. The great thing about Peninsula is that not only can you set out on some beautiful scenic trails, but it is also one of the many stops along the Cuyahoga Valley Railroad line. This historic choo-choo offers some amazing, fun filled, event-style train rides all up and down the Valley throughout the year.



I set out in the early afternoon heading south on the towpath. After riding only 15 miles, I suddenly found myself crossing a covered highway overpass that lead directly into the heart of downtown Akron! This was the end of the southern portion of the towpath, just outside the Akron Aero's minor league baseball stadium.



After a brief tour of the area, I headed back to Peninsula. All said and done, the ride totalled just over 30 miles and, the path being essentially flat (accept for the "climb" into Akron), was relatively effortless. On my next trip to the towpath, I intend to head north and see where that leads!

Century Cycles Night Ride

Well, did my first Century Cycles night ride last weekend...in a torrential downpour. The starting point for the ride was at the Peninsula Century Cycles store, of which the towpath trail runs right through their backyard. Now, I had never ridden on the towpath before, but had heard all kinds of wonderful stuff about it, so I was very excited. The fact that it was at night only served to heighten that excitement. The fact that it was RAINING added a level of intrigue.

With a total of about 20 cyclists in attendance (down from the usual 100), the ride started out rather mundanely, the first 3 miles passing without incident. Soon, however, the heavens opened up and the pace quickened. I found myself leaping to the front of the line and joining the two pace setters. We quickly arrived at the halfway point (only 8 miles out due to the weather) and waited for the rest of the troops, but only two more cyclists arrived. After another 5-10 minutes, it was obvious no one else was coming, and the rains began to fall in earnest. We remounted and started cycling back, setting a pace of around 18 mph. Interestingly, we passed a bunch of riders that obviously chose to turn around short of the halfway point. With the rain coming down now at a blinding rate, and a growing fog forming out of thin air, several of us broke from the pack in an all out sprint to the finish, myself taking the lead for the last 5 miles.

Now, it should be pointed out that the towpath is not a paved trail. Rather, it is a highly compacted dirt path with small bits of gravel throughout. It is a course meant for hybrid and mountain style bikes. Fortunately, my Raleigh Peak was just the right bike for the job (as there was no way I would be using the new Giant Defy Alliance road bike on this path)! Unfortunately, when that compacted dirt and gravel road comes in contact with monsoon rains, it quickly turns into...yep, mud. I can honestly say I didn't see that coming. Consequently, when I did make it back to the starting line, I was covered in that very same mud. Nasty stuff. In fact, had to head to the girlfriend's house to spray down the bike and wash all my clothes before I could go back home. (See, I live in an apartment and keep both my bikes in the bedroom, so they can't exactly be dripping in mud!)

All in all, it was a fun and challenging ride. I look forward to the next, sans the rain.