Bike Heaven

If there is a place that bikers go when they die it would be a place filled with quiet rural roads and endless ride possibilities. Everybody there would be a avid bike rider so you could always have people to join you on rides and swap stories with. Every day there would be 10 to 15 different rides to choose from that would take you pass beautiful lakes and rolling farmland with a stop for some chocolate scones or some other sinful treat. When you got back from a ride there would be a room full of treats as well as a massage therapist to help heal you tired muscles. Basically bike heaven would be a lot like a BCP trip to Gettysburg.

This past weekend was the annual BCP trip to Gettysburg. It is the one of the best bike trips you can take. This year 186 of us converged in the town of Hanover PA and took over two hotels. It is really cool to walk into a hotel and see bikes leaning against the wall the every one there walking around in spandex. You immediately feel like you entered a different reality where biking is the only things that matters.

This year Ron joined Al, Cheryl and I on the trip for three good days of riding. We drove out early Friday morning and were at the hotel just after noon and out for a 30 mile ride through the country with a stop for some coffee and scones. Saturday we headed out for a 40 mile ride to Maryland. We found some good roads down there last year so we wanted to explore some more. Right after we crossed in to Maryland we ran into a farmer who had just started herding his cows across the road from the barn into the field. When the cows saw us they stopped to check us out.

They were big and smelly but after staring us down for a few minutes they moved on to their field and let us pass. Once we got going again. rolled along to the town of Union Bridge and back. It was cold (around 50) at the start of the ride but warmed up  after about a hour. We had a few peaks of sun but it was mostly overcast. The weather didn't really matter as we rolled along through the farm lands for a nice 40 mile ride.

After the ride we took a quick shower and headed out to Gettysburg for some sight seeing. Ron had never visited the battlefield and I wanted to go back to see it again. The battlefield was crowded since the park had been closed for the past two weeks because of the shutdown.

Saturday night was dinner at a local restaurant and more socializing. Even though I don't know many people in BCP it is always fun exchanging stories with other bikers.

Sunday was colder (45) so it was time for the tights and toe warmers but it was a bright sunny day so it wasn't bad once we got going. The plan for Sunday was a hilly ride to an orchard. We breezed through a lake and headed to the orchard with a wind at our back. Although there were a few real climbs there was nothing I couldn't handle with the Feather.

We got to the orchard around 10 am but it turned out that it opened at 11 am on Sunday. We ended stopping at a "Rudders" which is a Wawa clone. The ride back was hillier than the ride out. There were no real tough hills just a lot of ups and downs so we were a little beat at by the end. A quick shower and snack at the hotel and the trip was over. It was another great bike weekend and like last year I wanted to stay longer. If you want a piece of bike heaven you should check out one of the BCP bike trips. 

Why We Ride

If you ask a biker why they ride they may say things like, I ride to exercise and stay healthy or I ride to challenge myself or some may even say they ride for find inner peace. I recently caught up with Michael and got a copy of his book. In it he describes some of the reasons why we ride including exploring new places, finding scenic views, and the joy of riding with a group of friends. These are all good reasons to ride and they are all true but they are also mostly zen bullshit.

Ask any biker to talk about their last few rides, like my ride to Delicious Orchards or Milford. Almost all of them will not only tell you about the roads they were on but will spend a lot of time talking about the places they stopped for food. Whether it was that cup of coffee or that great muffin they will describe it like it was their best friend.

Today as I was fighting a nasty headwind by myself on the way home. The thing that kept me going wasn't thinking about the scenic views of the turning leaves or the struggle of man versus nature or how pushing into the headwind was going to help me be stronger. I was thinking about that perfect cream fill doughnut that awaited me at home. I was thinking how good it would taste and how good it would feel to be off the bike eating it.

 So why to do we ride. We ride so we don't feel guilty about eating. End of story.