We should have started earlier than we did. My bad on that. An evening of much beer and much great conversation (and much bizarreness) made an early start an impossibility on my part. J. and I set out on a hot morning that would only get hotter for the revolutionary battlefield. The ride out along the Schuylkill River path and Kelly Drive was fraught with foot traffic; once we got to Manayunk, it was even moreso. Main Street Manayunk was blocked off by some sort of street-long festival, necessitating a gruelling detour. Taking a right off of Main Street means an unforgiving climb straight uphill, the hill that's brought us the much ballyhooed Manayunk Wall.
Once through the 'Yunk, we set off for Conshohocken and beyond. "It's been an ugly ride," remarked J. of the traffic and extra climbing. "Still, I'm feeling fast." No sooner were those words out of his mouth, we were passed by a guy clipping upwards of 25 mph. We chased him for a bit, keeping pace for a few miles before we fell back. "Well, he's only that far ahead of us, and he's doing it on a bike that costs more than our bikes put together," figured J.
The all-flat ride from the Conch to VF and was mostly pleasant, if hot, save for the especially noxious fumes coming from a sewage treatment facility. J. and I took turns drafting and sprinting, hitting speeds upwards of 30 mph on a flat.
After a brief stop at Green Lane, we were forced to once again climb Manayunk, which pretty much did us in. We mostly dogged it back from Manayunk, struggling to keep above 16 mph for the final 8 miles of the ride. As has been the case on these longer rides, I've been overcome on the homestretch by the desire to go swimming, get completely submerged, and just cool down. Maybe there's a pool membership in my future. A cool shower and quick nap did little to counteract the spaciness i would feel for the rest of the day as a result of the heat (~90 degrees) and climbing, a spaciness i hope didn't put off the person with whom I'd had that great conversation with the night earlier when i stopped by the Punk Rock Flea Market to say hi.
The deets: 49.23 miles, 3:02:03, avg speed 16.225 mph, top speed 40 mph, non-commute miles, year-to-date, 889.67.
Song of the day: Tullycraft's "Our Days in Kansas"
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