Today is, officially, the first day of Summer in the Northern Hemisphere.
That means every place north of the Equator will have more hours (and minutes) of daylight than on any other day of the year.
Not surprisingly, many rides are scheduled for this day in order to take advantage of that fact. I have participated in such rides. In fact, the first remains, to this day, the longest one-day ride, in terms of distance, I have ever taken.
I rode with the Central Jersey Cycling Club while I was a student at Rutgers and for several years after. I even rode with them when I "visited" (It's kind of weird to say you're visiting your native country.) the US (i.e., family and friends) while living in France. I did my Longest Day ride during one of those visits.
That's what the ride was called: The Longest Day. And, trust me, it lived up to its billing. Through fifteen hours or so of riding, we encountered blistering heat and sun, gravel, a thunderstorm that reverberated and flashed across the West Jersey farmland, dirt paths that turned to mud, more heat, a sudden downpour and various combinations of these things.
We began at High Point at dawn. As the name indicates, it's the highest point in the state. It stands near the point where where three states--New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania---meet. All are visible from the top, where an obelisk to commemorate the war dead was dedicated in 1930.
If your idea of the Garden State comes from The Sopranos,
Jersey Shore or the stories you've heard about Newark, Camden and suburban sprawl--or seeing the state's current governor (not to mention a few in the past), the ride would have dispelled such notions, even when you thought you were too tired to notice anything.
The ride took us to Cape May, in the opposite end of the state from High Point. Someone claimed that it's the lowest point in New Jersey. It may well be the lowest land point, at 10 feet, but every guide I've seen lists the Atlantic Ocean--which roils against one side of the Cape--as the lowest.
So how far did we pedal? According to the Huret Multito odometers some of us used--the state of the art in measuring distance in a day when the first cycle computers were being developed--we covered 234 miles.
I haven't ridden with the CJBC in years. I must say they haven't lost their penchant for ugly cycling jerseys! You can only wear such a thing on the Longest Day, when you're too dirty and sweaty to care, or for anyone to notice how hideous it is. The jersey I wore on my ride was just as bad as the one on the club's website!
That means every place north of the Equator will have more hours (and minutes) of daylight than on any other day of the year.
Not surprisingly, many rides are scheduled for this day in order to take advantage of that fact. I have participated in such rides. In fact, the first remains, to this day, the longest one-day ride, in terms of distance, I have ever taken.
I rode with the Central Jersey Cycling Club while I was a student at Rutgers and for several years after. I even rode with them when I "visited" (It's kind of weird to say you're visiting your native country.) the US (i.e., family and friends) while living in France. I did my Longest Day ride during one of those visits.
That's what the ride was called: The Longest Day. And, trust me, it lived up to its billing. Through fifteen hours or so of riding, we encountered blistering heat and sun, gravel, a thunderstorm that reverberated and flashed across the West Jersey farmland, dirt paths that turned to mud, more heat, a sudden downpour and various combinations of these things.
We began at High Point at dawn. As the name indicates, it's the highest point in the state. It stands near the point where where three states--New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania---meet. All are visible from the top, where an obelisk to commemorate the war dead was dedicated in 1930.
If your idea of the Garden State comes from The Sopranos,
Jersey Shore or the stories you've heard about Newark, Camden and suburban sprawl--or seeing the state's current governor (not to mention a few in the past), the ride would have dispelled such notions, even when you thought you were too tired to notice anything.
The ride took us to Cape May, in the opposite end of the state from High Point. Someone claimed that it's the lowest point in New Jersey. It may well be the lowest land point, at 10 feet, but every guide I've seen lists the Atlantic Ocean--which roils against one side of the Cape--as the lowest.
So how far did we pedal? According to the Huret Multito odometers some of us used--the state of the art in measuring distance in a day when the first cycle computers were being developed--we covered 234 miles.
I haven't ridden with the CJBC in years. I must say they haven't lost their penchant for ugly cycling jerseys! You can only wear such a thing on the Longest Day, when you're too dirty and sweaty to care, or for anyone to notice how hideous it is. The jersey I wore on my ride was just as bad as the one on the club's website!
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