Recumbent Ride -- Quarry Loop 2011

With cold weather coming on quick I decided to seize the day and ride the Quarry Loop.  I like to get out and ride this 50 mile route at least once a year.  The loop travels completely through rural farmland with no services available anywhere so a little planning is always in order.  In my recumbent's seat back bag I filled my 70 ounce bladder and added a 20 ounce bottle of Gatoraid for good measure.

The temperature was hovering around 50 degrees F which is perfect for keeping my cheese and liquids cool. The first 12 miles I had a good tailwind but took it easy to save my energy knowing I had alot of miles to cover. 

  

About three quarters of an hour into my ride I reached a milestone on the recumbent.  I stopped to take a picture of the odometer after it ticked over to 2000 miles. I keep a paper log book where I record each ride so every one of those 2000 miles I pedaled on this bike are accounted for.

The quarry lies about mid-point in the ride and is a good place to stop and take a break.  There is a bridge that spans the gap between the old and new sections of the quarry.  During last year's ride I found the road closed and was forced to detour around the bridge because it was being rebuilt.  I was anxious to get back to the area and check out the new construction.

Snack break at the new quarry bridge

View from bridge looking South

View from bridge looking North

  It's very probable the four tons of gravel my son and I carried to the back yard this summer for the shed base came from this quarry. 

After a short break I continued on to the third leg of the loop and turned into a direct headwind from the south.  This knocked a couple miles per hour off my speed but thats life on two wheels when your the engine.

The recumbent draws a crowd wherever I go.

On the backside of the quarry the ground undulates gently providing some easy rollers that makes the ride interesting for a bit.  After a few miles the terrain looks likes this:

 Pancake flat glacial plains with a headwind my favorite -Not!

Soon the golden fall foliage will be just a memory.

At 2:07:25 I hit 30 miles and was pleased with my pace.  I expected today's ride to be over four hours because my riding lately has been pretty sporadic.  Encouaged by my 30 mile time I kept the hammer down knowing I would soon turn East and the Southerly wind would be coming at my side and not a detriment on the last leg of my journey.  After 40 miles I still felt good with just an overall dull fatigue. No knee discomfort or shin pains which I remember experiencing on this ride in the past.  As usual the molded seat of my recumbent was very comfortable.  I love this bike for long rides!

Rolling ever closer to home and watching the clock I saw I was going to make it well under four hours and that gave me the incentive to keep the crank spinning.

Quarry Loop

Bike:  HP Velotechnik Street Machine

Ride Time:  3:41:44

Distance:  51.76 miles

Average Speed:  14 mph

Max Speed:  27.1 mph

HP Velo Odometer:  2039.5 miles