A few years ago Laura and I had done some exploring around Califon and found a lot of nice roads. It is a hilly but very scenic area to ride. I didn't get up this area last year because of the rides I had to do for the Philly book so I really wanted to get back here this year. The route we took was a modified version of my Middle Valley Ride which I had only done by myself. This route starts out easy from Raritan Valley College and takes us slowly up hill and down into the Raritan Valley. The climbs at the start of the ride aren't too bad and you could not have asked for better weather.
Every time I do a ride up in this area with a group it never goes completely smooth. This area was where Lynne fell and broke her elbow, Mike M broke his rear derailleur cable turning his bike into a single speed, and there were other more minor problems. Today was no different. At about 10 miles into the ride Bob had a flat on his front tire. He fixed it then had another flat about 2 miles later. Both of us really took a good look at the rim and tire and could not see any flaw that would have caused the flat.
Bob decided to go back to the start and not to continue on with us. Having two flats so close together makes you lose confidence in your equipment. It may have just been a total fluke but when these types of things happen the best thing to do is to get back home as soon as you can so you can thoroughly check out the bike and try and find the cause of the problem. Bob also didn't want to slow down the rest of the group which I appreciated. I felt bad about him having to go back on his own but he came well prepared and still had two spare tubes left. When I got back to my car there was a note on the windshield that said he made it back with out any other problems.
After leaving Bob the rest of us when on to Schooley's mountain. The toughest climb is on Slicker road. It starts out slow with a few rollers but the last half mile gets steep and then when you turn off on to Pleasantville the climb continues just a little longer just as steep.
From there we rolled along the ridge to our rest stop which is a nice old general store/post office. Then after a quick stop at a park for a bathroom break we headed down hill. The last part of the downhill is really steep with a hairpin turn that is scary and fun at the same time. Most of us had the death grip on our breaks for the last park of the hill so when we all got to the bottom our rims were smokin hot.
For every good downhill there are at least 3 climb to make up for it and we did as we headed up Beacon, Beavers and Farmersville. These hills weren't as bad as the ones on my Jockey Hollow ride so although there was some grumbling there wasn't much foul language or epic songs being sung. The pay off was going down Fox Farm. This is becoming one of my favorite downhills because it is a long mostly gentle downhill with an occasional killer view off the left. This hill is also towards the end of the ride so when you get to the bottom there is mostly flat roads ahead.
This ride confirmed again how nice this area is to ride and definitely worth the trip. As long as you are ready for the hills there is a lot to like here. Hopefully I can back here again later in the year.
Tom,
ReplyDeleteI found the problem with my front tire. There was a slit in the side wall, which you couldn't see unless it was inflated. I made it back to my car that day, but had another flat the next day, same tire. It seems the brake pad had worn down over the top of the rim, thereby making it sharp, and it caused it to slit the tire and expose the tube and penetrate that also. It was a mystery on the road, but gladly it was solved. Thanks for the ride and I hope to make your future ones.