Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Ferry to Ferry

When I got off the ferry I was approached by a fellow passenger who also had his bike with him. He was about my age, with dreads, sunglasses, and a small backpack. He road a pretty entry level mountain bike that looked pretty new. He asked me where I was going and I told him I was on my way to Florida but was trying to get to New London so I could catch the ferry to Long Island. He lit up as he told me that was where he was from. He explained that he had just his bike a few weeks ago and had caught a ride out to the vineyard and wanted to ride back home.

Riding by yourself day after day can get old quick. I was a little concerned that I was riding a fully loaded touring rig and he was riding a much lighter rig with no gear. I decided I would give riding with him a shot and it's a good thing because it didn't take long to realize he had no clue what he was doing. He had know maps and had no idea how exactly he was going to make it home.

It started off ok, we were moving at a fast pace and we spent the first hour talking back and forth which made the miles go be really fast. After a while we settled into a grove and the conversation started to die down. We were flying down the road, I knew that my bike probably weighed 5x what his did but I refused to be left in the dust by some newbie. We kept this up all the way till Providence, RI where we decided to stop for lunch.

Providence is a really cool town and very well set up for cycling. On the advice of a local college student we met on the street we went to Trinity Micro Brew for a beer and a sandwich

After lunch it was back on the bike, we planned on making it to New London that evening which was around 110miles so we couldn't mess around too long. We were going way to hard for my liking so I knew I had to swallow my pride and slow my pace. I began to drop back and I began riding my own program. It didn't take long until I caught back up with Ryan. I could tell he was cooked, he went way too hard way too fast on a ride this long and now he was paying for it. Luckily I was with him when he got his first flat (yes I said first). Of course he had no idea how to fix a flat so I took over for him. Once we got rolling again it was clear he didn't have much juice. I began to ride away from him and had contemplated continuing the rest of my ride solo. I decided out sympathy I couldn't leave Ryan all by himself, so I continued at my own pace but I would wait periodically for Ryan to catch up and make sure he was still alive. I will give it to him, after a long day we did make it to New London which is a long ride for anyone cyclist or not.

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