Off to the Races

This past Sunday I went into Philly to see the bike race. I did this last year for as part of my research for the book and really enjoyed it so I decided to head back again this year. I had hope to be joined this year by a few other people from the club and even listed it in the ride book but didn't get any takers. It was an early ride and would take all day so I wasn't surprised when nobody showed up.

Although I could have drove into Philly it is much easier to take the Riverline from Bordentown since it's only $1.50 and you don't have to worry about parking. They also have bike racks on the train so they make it easy. I took the 7:25 am train even though the race didn't start until 10:45 am. I wanted to do a tour around the city before the race.  Since a lot of the roads in center city are closed to cars the morning of the race it is a lot of fun to ride around the city.

I took the Riverline to the Camden Aquarium then rode over the Ben Franklin bridge and to the Art Museum. The weather was perfect and I had some great views of the city as I made my way in and got some good pictures. I only wish the weather had been this good last year when I was taking picture for the book.

It was a little after 8:30 by the time I got to the Art Museum and still had a couple of hours before the race so I took a tour of the city which included a ride up Kelly Drive to the Wissahickon river. Philly has a really nice scenic trail along the Wissahickon called Forbidden Drive. Its a wide gravel path along the river about 5 miles long that is a favorite spot for biker, runners and people just out for a walk. Once you ride the trail you can see why it is so popular.

After riding the trail I slowly made my way back through the city for the start of the race. Even though thousands of people crowd the streets to watch the race the city doesn't feel that crowed and it is easy to find a spot by the Art Museum to watch the race. The men's race started on time and they did 3 quick laps around the Art Museum before heading out to the main course which is a 14 mile loop around the city including the famous Manayunk Wall.

After the first 3 laps of the race I headed through a couple other parts of the city as I made my way back to Camden and the train home. It was nice to ride through Philly again as I haven't been back here since late last year. With all the rides I did last year here I now know most of the roads and how to get around the city on bike. It feels very familiar and like any other ride I normally do. Even though it is a bit out of the way to ride here I do enjoy the change of pace and riding around the city.