Cycling Season Cometh

As the days get a bit longer and a bit warmer, you may have noticed those double-wheeled contraptions on the road known as bicycles. Not ebikes, Not motorcycles. I am referring to the machines that move only through leg power. I hope those of you operating cars and trucks can be as forgiving as you have been through the years. While it's hard to feel pity for a bottom-feeding blogger, motorists have almost always been exceptionally courteous to me. 

At this time of the year, I usually stay off roads because of the school buses. They tend to make people impatient and a little angry, so I try to stick to the trails as much as possible except for midmorning or weekend rides. But I actually prefer the roads and the hills. 

Of course, the real cycling season started months ago in Europe, where there are cycling and cyclo-cross races starting on January 20 and ending only in October. Slovenian Tadej Pogacar, three-time winner of the Tour-de-France, is indisputably the best cyclist in the world right now. 

Come July, Pogacar will square off against my favorite cyclist, two-time Tour-de-France winner Jonas Vingegaard in this year's Tour. Before becoming a professional cyclist, Jonas earned his living by cutting up cod in a fish factory. Over the course of 21 racing days, Tadej and Jonas will race for 3,333 km (2,071 miles) with a total elevation gain of 54,450 meters (178,642 feet). They get two rest days. 

In contrast, my first big cycling event this year is the annual 22-mile ride from Temple's main campus in downtown Philly to its Ambler venue, with a total elevation of about 1,000 feet. But hey, we have to ride thru downtown Philly. 

Tadej Pogacar is a thoroughly likable guy and seems to really have fun during his races. But the reason Vingegaard is my favorite is because of what happened three years ago, when he and Tadej were battling for the lead (maillot jeune) in the TDF. On a descent, they were both roaring down a mountain at top speed when suddenly, Pogacar went into a slide and wiped out, giving Jonas an easy win. But Jonas actually stood up on his bike and waited for Tadej to catch up to him. That's pure class.

It happened again last week in Spain's seven-stage Volta Catalunya race. Jonas was going head to head with the Belgian Bullet, Remco Evenepoel. Those two were way ahead of the peleton (the main group of riders) and poised for a stage win. Remco was pissed because Jonas was right behind and drafting off him instead of going in front to give the Belgian a break. He was waving his arm at Jonas, who just stayed glued to Remco. With 400 meters to go, in a sharp turn before the finish line, Remco hit a pothole and did a header over his handlebars. Instead of taking advantage of this mishap to a rider that was already upset with him, Jonas held up again and actually let the peleton catch up and pass him. "I didn't want to win that way," said the Dane, and added that he hoped Remco was alright. That's pure class again.  

By the way, all these guys speak English. The annual salaries for top riders is below the NFL minimum. But they can teach a lot about good sporstmanship.  

A September Bike Ride Along the D&L Trail

It's been a great summer, but it's slowly coming to an end, as all things do. I have no idea how many summers I have left before I come to my own expiration date, so I've been a cycling fool this summer. In August alone, I pedaled over 700 miles. Sometimes I am joined by a friend or my grandson. But most of the time, I like to ride alone. I could give you all sorts of reasons for cycling, but the truth is that I do it because I love it. I thought I'd take you along on this weekend's ride along the D&L Trail from Cementon to the Glen Onoko and back. That trail extends from Bristol, near Philly, to Black Diamond, near Wilkes Barre. 

My starting point this weekend was the Cementon Trailhead (mile 83), located along Route 329. After riding about 7 miles, I always stop at the Kindness Garden. 

I usually bring a painted rock with me and drop it off and pick one up. Some of them are truly works of art. There's also a little library at this garden for people who would like to borrow a book. I'm told this garden is located in front of what once was a birthing hut used by the Leni Lenape. 

About 9 miles into the ride, you hit the Slatington Trailhead. It has a very nice pavilion to take a break, with a great little luncheonette trailer. I usually stop there on my way back to guzzle what remaining water I have left. 

Going north from Slatington, you can see that summer is ending. While the foliage is still green, the leaves are beginning to change color and the smell of Fall is in the air. 

Further north, you can see the Blue Mountain in the east. It has yet to recover from all the strip mining done by greedy coal barons. They paid a pittance to the men (and children) who worked for King Coal and hung Molly Maguires who wanted better lives for their families. 

One I hit Lehighton, I crossed a bridge over the Lehigh River into Weissport, where the trail continues along the part of the trail I like least. Some people enjoy cobblestones. My arthritic bones hate them.  

I was unaware that my ride coincided with both a half-marathon and full marathon being run that day. I stopped at the water tables, mostly unmanned, and helped myself. I hit this race after most of the runners had gone through, but there were still a few stragglers. I made a point of telling them they were going the wrong way.

Nort everything is beautiful. As I got closer to Jim Thorpe, I first smelled and then saw the sewage treatment plant located right by the trail. I stopped for a swim. 

My friend, Attorney Nathan Thurm, plans to build a hotel right next to it and wants a tax break like the government gives everyone else.  When I reminded him that it's next to a sewer treatment plant, he said, "I know that! Don't you think I know that? I find it so funny that you would think I don't know that."

Not far past the sewer treatment plant, you hit Jim Thorpe. As you can see, it is definitely a cycling town. 

You can rent a bike from the shop in front of the courthouse. The shop will take you and the bike you pick 25 miles north to White Haven, and you can ride the 25 miles back down (slightly downhill) into Jum Thorpe. You can rent an e-bike, too. They have become quite popular, and I like to see them. The area north of Jim Thorpe has spotty cell service, and a person on an e-bike can get help if someone experiences a medical emergency on the trail. 

You can also take a train ride from Jim Thorpe up through the Glen Onoko Gorge. Here a locomotive billows its black smoke and clangs its bells as it is prepared for a trip. 

I turned around a little bit past Glen Onoko. I love to watch the river as it snakes its way through the gorge. There is a waterfall there, too, but I did not visit. 

On the return trip, I always stop at Hug in a Mug Cafe in Weissport for the best coffee I've ever had, along with a blueberry bagel. The proprietors always fill my water bottles and even put ice in them. They also sell odd things like rocks and minerals, which I collect. 

There you have it. A trip like that washes the soul. 

Hyman to Cut Off Tatamy Trail Access After Palmer Tp Executes Search Warrant on His Apartment Building

I just don't get it. In Wilson Boro, elected officials are tripping over each other to help a nonlocal developer turn the long vacant Dixie Cup factory into apartments with rents so high that only people from Jersey and NYC could afford them. They're even willing to give a $29 million tax break, with the sole holdout being NorCo Council. But barely a mile away, Palmer Tp officials have thrown up roadblock after roadblock in a bizarre attempt to prevent local developer Nat Hyman from developing an old and vacant Crayola factory into apartments for workforce housing and without a dime in public handouts. The most recent example of Palmer's obstruction is a search warrant for his property, obtained on Friday, July 27, not for drugs or dead bodies, but for something far more sinister - "tools or evidence of construction activity." It was "served" by a code enforcement officer, accompanied by Palmer police officers who said they'd love to rent there. When the code enforcement officer was told that Hyman's contractor has 30 families who need to eat, the response was "then learn how to schedule your work better." 

Palmer Tp's zoners approved Hyman's property, located at 2025 Edgewood Avenue, for residential use on July 14. 

As soon as that decision was handed down, he asked Palmer officials to advise him of the process for obtaining permits. He was told he had to wait until they received the written decision, which is complete nonsense. After officials got the written decision, Hyman was told he had to wait until the 30-day appeal period had passed. This is also incorrect, although whatever work Hyman did would be at his own risk. Hyman was also told that he could get no permits until all conditions of approval had been met even though he met all but two conditions that were dependent on information being provided by township engineers. 

Obviously, despite support from zoners and even supervisors, someone in Palmer Tp's administration is pulling out all the stops to prevent Hyman from building workforce housing in a region facing a housing crisis. 

Hyman tells me in all his years of real estate development and even during numerous battles with Allentown, he has never been hit with a search warrant. Not in Allentown ... or Nazareth ... or Northampton ... or Stroudsburg ... or Williamsport .... or anywhere. 

The search warrant is predicated on an affidavit of probable cause from a code enforcement officer who was apparently visiting the site every day, looking for a reason to stop it, even to the point of peeping into windows. What his workers have done is pull out carpet, remove old lay-in ceiling tiles, cut wood and metal to use as studs and install some non-structural studs. That’s it. None of this requires a permit.

In the affidavit, the code enforcement officer includes photos that show the following: 

1. A dumpster showing residue from cutting wood for studs.

2. NON -STRUCTURAL studs seen by peeping through a window.

3. Two trucks in the parking lot.

4. A garbage cart with residue from cutting non-structural studs.

5. An EXISTING electrical panel observed by window-peeping and that was there when Hyman bought the place. He actually intends to replace it.

None of these items requires a permit, a point that Hyman's attorney made with Palmer officials on Friday afternoon. 

Palmer even hammered Hyman for replacing windows, even though he is expressly allowed to do so long as they are the same dimensions as the original. This is a matter of public safety and discourages mischief and prevents the property from becoming an attractive nuisance.

In an email to township officials, Hyman states, "These gestapo tactics are so beyond the pale that I can’t even begin to address the offensiveness and absurdity of it! They made all workers stop work and leave the building. ... Frankly, I don’t react well to being bullied and my experience tells me that a bully interprets kindness as weakness and only understands strength. I have had enough."

So how does he intend to show strength?

He could sue. He's already spent $250,000 in legal and witness fees to persuade Palmer Tp's zoners to grant him a variance that permits a residential use. He could sue for damages, especially since time is money. 

But he also has another tool and will use that one today.

Palmer Tp has an easement (in green) over a portion of Hyman's property on the north side of Edgewood Avenue for the Tatamy Rail Trail, which incidentally is among my favorites. People who use that trail can continue through Hyman's parking lot (in red) on the south side of Edgewood Avenue and make their way up the steep hill to Hackett Park or even the Dixie Cup in Wilson. But guess what? The township has no easement for the trail across his parking lot. The trail along the west side of Hyman's lot (in green) is actually a cliff owned by the township. It would probably cost close to $1 million to excavate and pave. 

Up until now, Hyman has had no problem with trail users who go through his parking lot. He likes seeing the activity and that is one reason why he bought the property in the first place. But he needs to send the township a message, and this is it, in his own words. 

Please be advised that a temporary barrier is being erected today to prevent access through our parking lot from one side of the bike and running trail to the other. We plan to erect a chain link fence to really secure the lot over the next few weeks.  In addition, the tow truck company has been contracted to tow all vehicles in our parking lots…. In including those of people who park there to use the trail. 

The only way the barricades come down and the trail reopens is if THIS WEEK:

1. We are permitted to resume work

2. The permit is issued. 

3.  Your officials stay away from me and do not harass me again.

If it goes beyond this week, the barrier remains permanently, and Mr. VanLuvanee [Hyman's lawyer] will be filing complaints to seek damages. 

Great Weekend For Cycling

My grandson and I get together for cycling rides about twice a week. Over the weekend, however, we ventured a bit south. 

On Friday, we hit the Schuylkill River Trail. When finished, it will extend 120 miles from south Philly all the way up to Frackville. At this time, 75 miles of paved and crushed gravel are open. We rode from Conshohocken 10 miles north past Valley Forge National Historical Park. We could have kept going, but had to turn around so we could pick up our packets for the big event on Saturday, the Philly Bike Ride. 

While in Philly, we parked the car and cycled everywhere we had to go. Philly has numerous bike lanes and we took advantage of them.

The Philly Bike Ride is a car-free ride through all of Philly's historic neighborhoods, from South Philly to the historic district to boathouse row at Fairmount Park. It started at 7:30 am and attracted 6,000 people on bicycles. 

We rode this last year, too. There was a bit of rain, but no downpours. This year, there was no rain, but it was very cold and windy at starting time. That made us want to move fast, and we did the 20 miles in under 90 minutes on hybrids.

Philly is very flat, so the ride is quite easy. It was nice to see so many families, little kids, couples and old farts like myself, One fellow rode the course on a unicycle, and another used a bicycle with a saddle that was about 10' off the ground.

It starts and ends at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, so we had to pay a visit to Rocky. 

Goose 1, Cyclists 0

Yesterday started out nicely enough, but it nearly ended in disaster. It was one of those days where anything that can go wrong, does. Let me tell you how it went down. 

As I believe I've mentioned a few thousand times, I'm a highly conditioned, well-trained athlete. My day began as it usually does, with a routine that involves stretching and core work for at least three minutes. Then I did my warm-up routine by walking a 132-pound English black lab for four miles. I walk him between three and five miles a day but he's actually gaining weight. His owners tell me it's all muscle. Once that was done, it was time for a bike ride, and my grandson told me he was available. 

My neighbors laugh when I tell them I have four bikes, but it's a good thing that I do. 

Plan A was to ride Ironton Rail Trail, the perfect one-hour workout. My grandson wanted to ride the USPS road bike (it's the same model Lance Armstrong rode to win the Tour de France, but I modified it to replace the drop bar with a flat bar). I started to get that bike ready but managed to break the Presta valve on the rear tire when filling it with air. We then went to Plan B.

Plan B was to ride the Ironton Trail with a Fuji cross bike. That's like a road bike, but it has wider tires and the geometry is a little more relaxed. As I rolled that out to my car, I noticed that the rear tire on that one was flat. Since it takes me three hours to change a flat on a rear tire, we decided on Plan C.

Plan C was to ride along the D&L trail between Allentown and Easton. I could use my Bianchi, a very sturdy hybrid that has become much faster than it was when I first rode it three years ago. My grandson would use his Cannondale Trail 5, a beautiful and very fast mountain bike with 29" wheels. But there was a problem, there, too. Last Thursday, we rode in the rain, and my grandson went down twice on wooden bridges at Ironton. As I took that bike to the car, I noticed that the handlebars were off center. Way off center. I pulled out my multitool, and believe it or not, I think I fixed it. 

It was still daylight when we made it to the D&L and started our ride. Three miles in, I realized I had left my phone in an unlocked car. Given that so many things had already gone wrong, I decided to go back and get it. Fortunately, it was still there. 

We continued our journey, and I must say the D&L was in excellent shape. We were cruising along at 13 mph, when suddenly, out of nowhere, we were confronted by Aviary Adversaries of the worst kind. Canada geese. In addition to the shit bombs they drop everywhere, they have goslings this time of year, and are very protective of their young.  

I was confronted by two adult geese who were right in the middle of the bike path, just daring us to pass them. I went as far to the left as I could, but it was not far enough to satisfy this foul fowl. He flew right at me. He nipped at my leg but missed. My grandson, who was behind me, was less fortunate. 

As I went to my left, he went to his right. This gregarious goose and his pissed partner were both quite incensed that I slipped by and took it out on him. They both came at him at once. As a former high school and college basketball player, my grandson has been fouled many times, but never by a fowl. He slid off his Trail 5 and down the bank of a very fetid canal. He managed to catch a root or would have gone in to the deep. 

The Cannondale was not so lucky. It went in partially, but we fished it out. Aside from mossy wheels, it was fine. 

We finished the rest of our ride rather uneventfully and had dinner before heading home. When I arrived back in Nazareth, I realized that I had failed to clamp down the Cannondale in my car. Thankfully, I also had it strapped so there was no issue. 

Today should be better. 

NorCo Cancels Fall Festival Because Heavy Rain Anticipated

Northampton County has canceled this year's Fall Festival, which was scheduled for Saturday, because heavy rain is anticipated. That figures. On Saturday, my grandson and I are scheduled to participate in the Philly Bike Ride. It will be the fourth time this cycling season that we ride in the rain. The first three times we were caught off guard, but it's only water. I'm more worried about driving to Philly on Friday the 13th.  

Community Bike Works Updates NorCo Council

Kim Schaffer, Executive Director of Community Bike Works, made it to last week's community and economic development via bus as opposed to bike. She's a county alumnus and I can remember that she was a frequent bus commuter when she worked here. She updated County Council about Community Bike Works, which has existed since 1995. It is located both in Allentown (235 N Madison St, Allentown) and Easton (will soon be at 921 Spruce Street in the west ward). 

This is primarily a youth mentoring program, connecting kids with adult mentors through both bikes and books. 

The program allows kids to pick a bike, and then they spend a month learning how to ride it safely and more importantly, how to fix every component. Through learning bike mechanics, they learn the importance of teamwork and communication. Bike mechanics still elude me, to say nothing of Easton's hills. 

Over the first two years of operation in Easton, 211 kids have participated. This year, another 100 are expected.

Shaffer noted that kids on bikes are physically more fit and feel better about themselves during a time in which teen mental health is at a crisis level. She said 30% of the students stay involved. Over the past three months, they've ridden 808 miles on the trails and streets of the Easton area,  

Bike Works does insist on helmets. 

The county and state have assisted BikeWorks with several grants. 

It also operates a food pantry for 350 families on Allentown's east side. 

Bike Works has been chosen to host the national youth bike summit in 2024 for 400 kids and adults. 

It will accept any bikes in any condition. 

Pennsylvania Ranks #15 Among Bicycle-Friendly States

That's according to The League of American Bicyclists, but the rating might drop soon because I started cycling again yesterday. I continue to be impressed by the courtesy shown by motorists, except for some Easton High School bastards on a school bus. They nailed me with some sort of flying object on my ride in to Easton. Got me right in the helmet.

They must know me.

A Sunday Drive ... On a Bike

Remember the Sunday drive? This one was on the bike. Using Google's mapping feature for bikes, I was able to get a route from Nazareth to Grange Park in Upper Macungie that kept me off the main drags. My grandson had a football game there against South Parkland. If he was going to risk his life against the Trojans, I'd risk mine against Lehigh Valley motorists.

Google Maps managed to put me on both the Nor-Bath and Ironton Trails for part of the 51-mile round trip.

The most dangerous part of my trip was the frequent appearance of PSU students, who were collecting money for cancer or something. There was even a kid waiting outside my estate.

I unleashed the hounds.

I shot some video of different parts of the trip, ending it with one of Dat's touchdown passes.

We both survived.