UPDATE:
A rather fortuitous turn of events found 3 of us riding the Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway from Champoeg Park near Wilsonville to Armitage Park near Eugene. My sister and brother-in-law were moving their daughter out of one place and into another. They would have a small U-Haul truck coming back northward with room for bikes and asked if I'd like to bike to Eugene and then ride back with them. They added that they'd have room for several bikes and riders. I made a few quick emails to friends who I thought might be able and willing to do this. I had two others express interest in this short notice adventure.
We bike commuted about 5 miles to the start from Wilsonville and added about 9 miles on the end to get to my niece's place and our ride back home. It was a great day to bike. Temperatures were warm but manageable, and the wind was more help than hindrance.
We began our trip just prior to 7:30 AM. The temperature was mild and we were all riding in shorts and short sleeved jerseys from the get go.
We made our first stop at a Safeway store in Keizer where we grabbed some fluids and snacks. We had averaged nearly 19 mph for these first 35 miles.
We skirted Salem and pretty much followed the Willamette River southward. We went to the very edge of Independence then made a last minute turn before crossing the bridge to continue our southward journey. A few miles later we had our only flat tire of the day. Doak flatted going up a hill.
We all commented on how rural this ride was. We were riding through one of the most populous portions of the state, most of the time within just a few miles of Interstate 5, but saw mostly rural countryside and experienced very low traffic roads. In fact we didn't have our first "car back" until nearly an hour into our ride.
We continued on our way until taking a second resupply stop in the town of Jefferson.
We had just passed through the hilliest part of today's route and the weather was beginning to heat up a bit. We had a 17.6 mph average to Jefferson, about 70 miles into our ride. The heat and hills were beginning to take a toll on my fellow riders. I know that today's 149 miles was nearly 50% longer than the previous personal best for one of my partners. It had to be pretty close to a personal best for the other.
The longer distances tend to be my element and today was no exception. I felt great and pedaled strongly. Heart rate was in the 120's-130's most of the day.
We continued our ride southward through some pretty scenic country.
We reached our 100 mile mark and Lauren commented that it was her fastest century ever. :-)
Just before the teaming metropolis of Shedd, we stopped in the shade of several large roadside oak trees and ate some energy bars and hydrated. Oh, and we rested a bit too!
We continued on into Shedd and refilled water supplies and even had ice cream!
We had very few miles left to go and we covered them quickly with the aid of an increasing wind at our backs.
Before long we arrived at Armitage Park in Eugene, the official end of the Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway.
Today however our ride was not quite finished yet. We made our way another few miles to my niece's near U of O where we were treated to hot showers. We then went out for a post ride meal and brew before loading our bikes and making the return trip home.
It was a great route and all the more enjoyable to be able to ride it with friends.
............BIKE............LIFECYCLE.....ROLLERS....TOTAL
Today......149................0.............0.........149
Jan........618...............0..............0.........618
Feb........692...............0..............0.........692
March......940...............0..............5.........940
April......934...............0..............0.........934
May........905...............0..............0.........905
June......1096...............0..............0........1096
_________________________________________
TOTAL.....5200...............0..............5.........5205
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