Summer is officially in full swing. That means the sun is shining and thoughts of long days in the saddle are here. Usually, 25-30 miles through the state forests, around the tri-state area and along the Delaware River, makes for a good enough ride, but Sunday presented an opportunity to stretch things out a bit.
Steve and I are getting ready for a long ride in upstate New York next month and Mike is preparing for a full Ironman Triathlon in October. So, we ventured out at 6:30am.
For Mike, this was no ordinary training ride. This was his first ride in over a month after suffering a concussion, separated shoulder and various other injuries in a serious crash. With not being able to train for most of the month, Mike is determined to get back to his pre-crash form. With that in mind, we pedaled out of Action Bikes and Outdoor early enough to be almost completely void of traffic. We headed down to Matamoras via Rt. 209/Rt. 6 and made a left on Mountain Avenue.
Apparently enamored by the river today, we rode along Delaware Drive and over the Port Jervis Bridge, hanging an immediate left into West End, and rode along the New York side of the river. We came out on Rt. 97 (took a photo opportunity at the Conservatory) and rode through Port Jervis to River Road. We pace lined down River Road to work on our fitness and connected it to Old Mine Road at the Milford Bridge. Old Mine is full of potholes for the first 3 miles, so we took it easy until we reached the new pavement.
We then picked up the pace a bit until we rolled over the Dingmans Bridge. Turning right on Rt. 209, we roller coastered over the last 8 miles back into Milford. Mike finished safely and reported no pain at the end of the ride. We were just honored to be a part of his recovery.
What’s Playing: (What am I’m listening to while writing or what’s dancing around in my head while riding) Today –Dire Straits – Walk of Life
ridingmilford.com 