 |
| Riding Underneath Interstate Highway 75 |
The first six-miles and the last two miles of this morning’s bike ride was under a 10 mph pace, so it’s no wonder my overall pace was only 12.7 mph. There simply isn't any way that I can combine sidewalk riding with road cycling and expect to end up with a respectable overall pace. It just isn't going to happen. It is what it is!
Anyhow, after the meet with Sandy S, Tom H and Greg, we had a route in mind to get us to the coffee shop but we were understandably sidetracked at the busy intersection of Flamingo Road and Orange Drive.
One of our riders wanted to go west on Orange Drive instead of north on Flamingo so he could catch a fleeting glimpse of the scenery along the South New River Canal bike path. The rest of us agreed and away we went, with me on the bike path and the others across the street in traffic. I liked my choice because I got to see and speak with the two female bike riders that were scantily attired for a typical hot, sub-tropical bike ride. That’s all I’ll say on that topic!
After our one coffee break at Einstein’s (Adding up all of our stops at Einstein’s, you’d think we would be gaining some smarts – but that’s not the case), we headed towards Markham Park and the concrete bike lane that runs east and west. We headed east towards Flamingo Road after entering the huge county park. Ironically, several of our sheriff department’s explorers were undergoing bike training in one of the park’s asphalt parking lots. Some of them may become future roadies.
After leaving the east side of the park, we passed underneath sections of the elevated I-75 highway. It’s an awesome sight and feeling to be underneath such a massive highway.
Four miles into our ride on the concrete bike lane, we came upon busy Flamingo Road. Maneuvering through the intersection of Interstate Highway 595 and Flamingo Road is a real trick. Staying uninjured and alive is even trickier. A massive construction project has the entire area in shambles, which puts bicyclists and pedestrians at risk.
We safely ended our casual ride with a three-mile, 17 mph push into the ESE wind.
It was at the meet-up spot where I bid my wheel mates a “good day” and where I returned to the sidewalks for a slow 2-mile journey towards my gated community.
My wife and two kitty cats were pleased to see me walking up the stairs holding my road bike in one hand and my helmet in the other, and I was equally pleased to see them. I was also overjoyed to get my butt into our air-conditioned home. It was another hot, steamy bike ride in the sub-tropics of South Florida.
http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/304763871
No comments:
Post a Comment