Mansfield Metric

For the third week in a row I was on a ride where we were riding the opposite way of a large group ride. This week it was the Urban Promise Ride out of Tabernacle. We had started in Mansfield and were riding to Nixon's Deli and back on a metric ride in the pinelands.

For once it was a sunny date and warm in the low 70s. I expected a good turn out but the only people to show up were Joe and Jim. We did this route which is one of my better routes from the Road Biking NJ book.

For about 70% of the ride we were on the same roads as the Urban Promise Ride so we saw a constant stream of riders. The ride was one of the best marked ride I have ever seen. Not only was there arrows on the roads but signs in the grass announcing busy intersections and rough spots in the road. They also painted the large cracks and pot holes to make them easier to see.

This ride was different than my last ride in the pinelands. There were no bridges out, no riding on dirt and no bike problems of any kind. The only thing of note was the level of pollen. At the second rest stop we all noticed coating of yellow pollen on our body, bike and cloths.

All in all it was a good day on the bike.