I am not from Philly and I guess not even really from Malvern.
My parents live in Malvern and went to high school there.
Philly is simply the easiest way to describe where Malvern is located.
Since moving out to central Pennsylvania 5+ years ago I've felt it be a treat to ride home, just to be able to to do it. We closed the shop the four days before thanksgiving this year as a means to give us a little time off after an incredibly long but fruitful summer. The bearded fella named, Greg, who worked at the shop for the last two summers decided to ride back to New York from Huntingdon just several weeks prior. His short trek had given me the itch to go a ways.I had been riding way to much mountain and hadn't been doing the same amount of road/ gravel tours I had become used to in years past.
Sunday before thanks giving the Fargo was loaded.
Couple pieces of absolutely wonderful gear for this trip
Jandd Frame Wedge- Keeps everything right where you need it and I have had this one for years without any complaints. Keep the zipper lubed and it works great.
Revelate Designs Visacha Seat Bag- Despite the large size and inability to get behind the saddle on gravel descents, this bag is well constructed and super stable if installed correctly. Only keep lightweight gear inside otherwise handling gets funky when out of the saddle.
Jandd Micro Mtn Wedge- Again durable reliable and old as shit. Mounted in the crotch of the seatstays and seatube.
Profile Designs micro TT w/ Bridge- being able to relax your core and simply spin on long flats was great. Running the micro defiantly compromises your ability to totally relax as you elbows are not supported, however it doesn't interrupt the path of your knees while climbing as with other bars I've run.
Continental TourRide with Protection 700x32c Tires- Riding the shoulder for 235+ miles with no flats. Over auto glass, shards of metal, tacks, and all the other stuff out there with no flats.
Louis Garneau Ergo 0d Cycling Boot- Ok this is not a zero degree boot especially if riding road/ gravel. But it does keep your feet plenty toasty on the road down to about 30 and maybe 20 off road. This is way warmer than the traditional booties that folks might wear.
Defeet Woolie Boolie Socks- merino wool, super warm, uber dry, and last forever. What else do you want in a pair of socks. Oh and I wear the Large and than if I get way cold run the XL over them for added insulation.
Custom Micro rear fender- Strutted rear fender light and rattle free. Even over schedule 40 gravel there was no rattle.
Infini Micro Blinkers- Hub mounted, seatpost mounted and helmet mounted. This silicon bodied lights, improved upon the Knog light design by making a very durable, more reliable, and brighter micro blinker. Not to mention the better customer service.
With the bike loaded and cue sheet strapped to the aero bars, mapless I left the shop around 4:30am. About thirty minutes into the ride it starting snowing and sleeting. The sleet started sticking to the bike like a clear epoxy. The entire frame became covered in a small layer of ice. As did much of my now slightly chilled arms.
I had packed a 50 degree sleeping bag in case of emergency.
The route I had planned with google.maps suggested it would be right at 228 miles and just over three and a half hours of driving. With only clues and a basic concept of direction to follow I left the rest up to the PennDot with regards to road signs and distances. A functional yet confusing method that left me scratching my head on more than just one occasion.
Passing places such as Three Springs, Mcconellsburg, and Clear Spring. Finally around 6:45am the sun popped up and I was now able to see both the road, the farms and the one light towns. Many of the farmers were up already, casting large swaths of light from the barn lights out across the freshly frosted fields. I had passed under the turnpike and was headed. Unfortunately for my legs I had crossed the Mason Dixon Line. I made a wrong turn in the Dark. Not sure really where but somehow I was supposed to go to Chambersburg which looks like it would have saved about 30-40 miles.
Making my way up route eleven towards Chambersburg, the ride was back on track.
If you ever get the chance stop by Mr. Eds Elephant Museum on old rt 30. Yeah the place with over 10,000 elephants and lots of candy.
Did I mention I hate wind. I think I'd rather ride in the snow or cold or dark before riding in head winds. So for something like 40 miles I rode into a headwind. Even crossing the Susquehanna in a headwind. Finally by the time I hit Harrisburg it was time to refuel on an Italian energy bar (fresh pizza w/ green pepper) and some coffee.
Having just opened my frame bag to put cash back in the side panel, a younger fella dressed in some authentic urban apparel approached me about some hard times he was having. Immediately turning to him, dressed in nothing but the finest spandex tights and top, I suggested he ask for money elsewhere as a man on a bike is not a man to ask for money or fancy things. After offering me some flack for my lack of response to his request, we went our separate ways. That however did not happen without me flailing and loudly cursing several times at him.He called me crazy several times and than took off speedily. Shouting after him I made him aware of my intentions to finish my ride uninterrupted. The poor fella never looked back.
My parents live in Malvern and went to high school there.
Philly is simply the easiest way to describe where Malvern is located.
Since moving out to central Pennsylvania 5+ years ago I've felt it be a treat to ride home, just to be able to to do it. We closed the shop the four days before thanksgiving this year as a means to give us a little time off after an incredibly long but fruitful summer. The bearded fella named, Greg, who worked at the shop for the last two summers decided to ride back to New York from Huntingdon just several weeks prior. His short trek had given me the itch to go a ways.I had been riding way to much mountain and hadn't been doing the same amount of road/ gravel tours I had become used to in years past.
Sunday before thanks giving the Fargo was loaded.
Couple pieces of absolutely wonderful gear for this trip
Jandd Frame Wedge- Keeps everything right where you need it and I have had this one for years without any complaints. Keep the zipper lubed and it works great.
Revelate Designs Visacha Seat Bag- Despite the large size and inability to get behind the saddle on gravel descents, this bag is well constructed and super stable if installed correctly. Only keep lightweight gear inside otherwise handling gets funky when out of the saddle.
Jandd Micro Mtn Wedge- Again durable reliable and old as shit. Mounted in the crotch of the seatstays and seatube.
Profile Designs micro TT w/ Bridge- being able to relax your core and simply spin on long flats was great. Running the micro defiantly compromises your ability to totally relax as you elbows are not supported, however it doesn't interrupt the path of your knees while climbing as with other bars I've run.
Continental TourRide with Protection 700x32c Tires- Riding the shoulder for 235+ miles with no flats. Over auto glass, shards of metal, tacks, and all the other stuff out there with no flats.
Louis Garneau Ergo 0d Cycling Boot- Ok this is not a zero degree boot especially if riding road/ gravel. But it does keep your feet plenty toasty on the road down to about 30 and maybe 20 off road. This is way warmer than the traditional booties that folks might wear.
Defeet Woolie Boolie Socks- merino wool, super warm, uber dry, and last forever. What else do you want in a pair of socks. Oh and I wear the Large and than if I get way cold run the XL over them for added insulation.
Custom Micro rear fender- Strutted rear fender light and rattle free. Even over schedule 40 gravel there was no rattle.
Infini Micro Blinkers- Hub mounted, seatpost mounted and helmet mounted. This silicon bodied lights, improved upon the Knog light design by making a very durable, more reliable, and brighter micro blinker. Not to mention the better customer service.
I had packed a 50 degree sleeping bag in case of emergency.
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| Fortunately using google.maps I was able to get a sufficent amount of gravel and b roads in on this light tour. A real treat! |
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| Comfy and Crisp |
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| Safety Check! |
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| Is this still Pa? |
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| Crossing the 641 bridge over the Susquhanna will taking a picture.....bad idea. |
More Cowbell
Making my way up route eleven towards Chambersburg, the ride was back on track.
If you ever get the chance stop by Mr. Eds Elephant Museum on old rt 30. Yeah the place with over 10,000 elephants and lots of candy.
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| wind knocked the roof off this place and the silo off the barn. |
Still in central Pa. in this one.
Approaching Blue Ball. What an aweful name for a town. Apparently it was named
for a 200 year old inn, that has since been torn down.. Now it is just synonymous with
prostate fluid congestion. Anyway it got dark things got crazy. It was cold. Somewhere around 180 miles things got really weird. That was before Blue Ball.
After Blue Ball things really straightened out. I started to recognize the names of places and the terrain seemed more familiar. Seeing the time on a digital Pharmacy clock in Morgantown around 9:20pm made me realize just how long I had been on a bike. It was sorta inspirational. I became really excited, like get out of the saddle and start wailing on the pedals again. It was tremendously emotional, one of those am I crying or just excited inside, sort of times. Crazy stuff. Good stuff.
The green reflective road sign in front of me read Eleverson. I knew Eleverson I had ridden there before, from Malvern anyway it seemed far away then. Now it seemed close. But at the same time so far. I thought I was closure, I thought I knew I was closure but I wasn't.
Stopping wasn't an option my speedometer read 186 miles, and I had ridden from 4:30am until nearly 8am without tracking it. Even at 15 miles an hour, a relatively conservative pace, that meant at least 50 additional miles. So now just outside of Eleverson I still had another eighteen miles.
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| mmmm sugar peach rings! |
I knew where the next gas station was. If I could get there I was going to get peach rings. yes a bag of peach rings would do the trick. From that gas station to my parents house is only a few long uphills. Again something inside said I should sprint, that it would hurt less because it was quicker. Wrong.
Around 10:30pm I rolled onto the back patio tired and slightly confused as to how I had arrived there. So was my father who had no idea I was coming.
18 hrs to philly.
18 hrs to philly.
