Category Archives: Biking

Bike Trip in Provence

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June 15, 2025

I have been hearing about this People Cycling trip from numerous friends in Morris Area Freewheelers for many years. Everyone has raved about the beautiful hotel, the charming town of Vaison la Romaine, the beautiful bike routes and the amazing opportunity to climb the iconic Mont Ventoux. Because the trip is popular and fills up quickly, I booked it almost a year ago after I got home from Crete. As I described the proposed climb up Ventoux to various non-cycling friends – 15 miles gaining more than 5000ft – they all looked at me dumbfounded and said, “why on earth would you want to do that???” I guess the answer is peer pressure, of the best kind.

Getting ready to go on this trip and training for the challenge was a bit rocky. I got a cold or flu in April that kept me from riding for a week or so and sapped my energy. Many windy, rainy days also got in the way, and just when I was starting to build back some strength and momentum in May, I twisted my knee running in agility class. It didn’t seem like a bad injury, no swelling or discoloration, but I still took more days off and started the rehab exercises right away. Running wasn’t comfortable but thankfully It felt OK to ride. I was certainly not at my strongest as I boarded the plane for Paris, but I figured I would be fine enough. After all, I have enjoyed climbing on all the other bike trips I have done.

Kerry Hazelton and her husband were also on the trip, as well as another friend of theirs. With forty participants and three friends, I expected that I would certainly be able to find people with whom I could ride and socialize. The hotel was indeed charming, perched up on the hill in the ancient section of the town. We ate breakfast in a beautiful garden overlooking the newer part of the city and had long relaxed dinners in a gorgeous inner courtyard. A lovely pool up the hill beckoned for afternoon swims and naps after our rides. My rented road bike was comfortable and dependable and the other folks on the trip were interesting and fun to get to know. It was great to stay in one place for eight days of riding and one day off for the not to be missed local market, running every Tuesday since 1483! The routes were varied and beautiful, stopping at charming small towns for coffee and pastry, peeking in ancient churches and refilling water bottles at roman fountains. It was also fun to haver conversations in French with the country folk who didn’t always speak English. The weather was mostly perfect with sunny skies and mild temps and only a few days with smokey smoggy air.

Kerry and I rode together on the day up Mont Ventoux. Neither of us had slept well the night before, worrying about all the various difficulties we might encounter. Long story short – everything I was worried about did indeed happen, but I managed to keep going and make it to the top anyway. (Something valuable to be learned here about middle of the night fretting.) There was an MS fund raising event happening that day and the roadway was full of walkers and cyclists and support vehicles and rest stops as well as cars and motorcycles. At one point a pickup truck in front of me had to stop because of an oncoming car waiting for a group of walkers. I hoped they would move by the time I got to them, but no, I had to stop and put my foot down and wait for the traffic jam to sort itself out. The road at that point was way too steep to get started again, but another group of walkers behind me offered to give me a push. With a combination of English, German, French and, “Un, deux, troi, allez!!!” they got me going again and we all felt part of a great group effort up the mountain. 

At many points along the 15 mile climb, the voices in my head screamed “you have to stop!” “if you stop now you will have to turn around and go down!” “you’re not going to make it!” I was surprised at what a mental battle it was. I answered the voices with – no, my legs feel ok, my heart feels ok, my breathing feels ok, I can keep going just a little bit more. I did stop many times in the three and a half hours it took me to do the climb, and often at the rest areas set up for the MS event. I also ate all the food and gummies I brought with me. The William Tell Overture playing in my head helped me up the last few kilometers, but it was definitely the hardest thing I have ever done both mentally and physically. Kerry arrived at the summit about 30 minutes before me, and when we ran into each other in the circus atmosphere and crowds of cyclists we hugged and celebrated and bought salty chips and sweet fruit juice to help restore and fortify us for the speedy descent.

Of course there were difficulties on the tour as well. Someone crashed and was injured in the early days of the trip which was very upsetting. Some of the socializing got to be too much after 10 days. As I observed many of the couples in our group, I missed Michael and wished he could have shared this with me. But I knew with the steep climb up to the hotel, the challenging driving with narrow streets and tiny parking places, and the overwhelming socializing, it was the right decision for him not to come. Maybe we can find another bike trip that he can come along on next time.

Bon Ton Roulet in the Finger Lakes

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July 20-27, 2024

To complement the very relaxed Michael-pace trip to Scotland, this was a Marty-pace “kill-yourself-everyday” bike trip. I have been hearing about this longstanding seven-day event from many bike friends for a while and this was finally the year to do it. Ten members of Morris Area Freewheelers were participating so I would have some known friends to ride and socialize with. But as these kinds of things usually go, you could always talk to any of the 250 participants and find many common and interesting things to share. This trip was mostly camping, though a few of our friends arranged to stay in area hotels, Instead of borrowing camping gear from Emily, I opted for the “comfy campers” service which included tent set up, air mattress, chair and clean towel every day. It was a good value and mostly well done except for the hot and crowded “tent city” arrangement. Folks with their own equipment could choose a shady and secluded spot. I’m never a good sleeper in these kinds of situations, so I did the best I could with ear plugs and sleep mask, and my tent and mattress were very comfortable. The tour stayed in some lovely state parks, and on small college campuses. Some places had access to indoor bathrooms with flush toilets and running water. We always had the shower truck, and a charging station where we could recharge our phones, lights, computers and other electronics. Most days we had to have our bags on the truck by 7:30am, but there were two locations where we stayed over two nights, making for a more relaxed morning routine.

The biking was fantastic! I rode 40 something or 50 something miles each day except for the day I completed my first century!!! I mostly rode with Manny from MAFW and Mike, a friend he had made at the Bon Ton the year before. Our pace was comfortably matched and they were incredibly supportive, especially on the century day. Sometimes we rode with John and Dawn from our club, and occasionally we would cross paths with the B riders from the club who were staying at hotels. Maureen, a friend from the Sourland Cycles women’s riding group was also there with her husband Tom, and we rode together one day and swam together at various waterfront locations. There was a lot of talk about algae bloom in the lakes which was a new phenomenon for me. I was thinking of renting a house up here next summer, but if you can’t swim in the lake what is the point of having a house on the waterfront???  

We were very lucky with the weather. After days of dangerous temperatures in the high 90’s at home, it was much cooler and beautiful most days, high in the low 80’s. We would usually be on the road well before 8am and done before noon. The scenery was beautiful with lots of farmland, including robust corn, gorgeous fruit orchards and voluptuous vineyards. It was always thrilling to crest a hill and get a view of the next finger lake, sparkling, long and narrow into the distance. It did get hot in the mid-afternoons, especially in the tent city, but it usually cooled off when the sun went down. I was even cold some nights. I was constantly amazed at how much I was eating: eggs and bacon and home fries and yogurt and granola at breakfast, fantastic treats at the rest stops including fruit and pickles and cookies and bars and chips. We enjoyed good cafeteria style dinners and I inhaled protein and carbs and stayed away from sweet deserts, because I usually had ice cream and beer during the lazy afternoons. I felt stronger as the week went on, and even though sleeping was not great, I guess I was getting enough. I was usually unconscious before 9 and felt fine during the day.

I think this is one of the more demanding bike trips I have done: with the camping, packing and un-packing, lugging your gear, no quiet and air-conditioned hotel room to retreat to, and seven days of riding, almost 400 miles total with one day of 103 miles up to Lake Ontario and back. Everyone cheered and made a big deal out of my first century, which felt really gratifying. The week was a lot of riding and socializing, but wonderful. I’m so happy I got through it with no bike or body problems. I hope I’ll be able do it again some day.

Bike Trip to Crete

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May 6 – 15, 2024

In early May, Michael and I joined a bunch of my friends from Morris Area Freewheelers on Crete for a week of riding and archeology. The three other couples and one single woman were spending several days on Santorini first, but Michael and I still had commitments at school, so we flew to Chania and joined them at a beautiful AirBnB villa in Kissamos. We had two separate houses on one piece of property with three bedrooms each, modern kitchens, lovely bathrooms and a gorgeous private beach right on the Aegean. Michael had a car, so we could go off on our bike rides in the morning while he could relax with a second cup of thick, sweet Greek coffee and then drive to meet us wherever we stopped for lunch. Like last summer on Naxos, the driving was mostly easy and Michael enjoyed his independence. 

The weather was cool and sunny most days, perfect for riding though not quite swimming temperature. I went in anyway because it was too beautiful to pass up. The riding was challenging since wherever we headed, we had to go up into the mountains from sea level. The routes were gorgeous, passing groves of olive trees, goats everywhere, flowering shrubs, and views of sea and mountains. When we stopped at a restaurant for lunch, the food was fantastic, plentiful and inexpensive. Just when we felt too stuffed to eat another bite and asked for the check, the waiters would bring the house brew of dessert wine and some delicious sweets. One afternoon and evening we took a boat trip from Kolymvari to Balos Beach and Gramvousa Island. Another day we stopped at the Moni Gonia Monastery after a thrilling downhill ride along the coast. We all enjoyed socializing and getting to know each other better and everyone mostly got along well navigating the roads and the kitchens.

         After Crete, our friends were heading to Athens. Michael and I drove three hours to Heraklion instead for a few days of archeology. The driving in the tiny, busy streets of the city was more challenging but we made it to our elegant and comfortable hotel. A student of mine from PU who lives in Athens had put me in touch with a local guide and we arranged to meet her for a late afternoon tour of the famous Knossos Palace archeological site. The air was warm and soft as the sun went down, and the grounds were amazingly deserted for our three-hour private tour. Karen was a fantast guide and paced the time so we could sit in the shade while she told us wonderful tales of 5000 years ago. The next day we spent the morning at the fantastic but busy archeology museum in town seeing the actual artifacts from the site and reading about a lot of the things Karen had explained the previous day. We spent the warm afternoon at the beach, only a 15 minute drive away. We enjoyed a delicious meal at a beachside café and Michael napped on a chaise under an umbrella while I swam in the turquoise water and walked on the white sand. It was easy to get to the airport the next morning for our early flight to Athens and then home. This was a fantastic trip which makes us want to return to Greece!

Mountain Biking Adventure in Idaho

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July 15, 2023

It has been a whirlwind year of travel for me! Back in April, a girlfriend of mine from my bike club told me about a trip she was planning to complete her “50 in the 50’s challenge” – a physically active trip in all 50 states while she was in her 50’s. Idaho was the last state she needed, and even though she was now 61, she was allowing for the lost years of fires and COVID. It sounded like a great adventure and I signed on. We would be camping with mountain biking, hiking and white-water rafting, quite a challenging itinerary. My attitude at this point is, “if I am in good physical shape, I might as well do it while I can!”

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Bike Trip to Spain with MAFW

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March 10-20, 2023

I learned about this trip a few days before I was leaving for Maui for a month. It seemed crazy to make plans for another adventure, but the dates were perfect during Spring break, a lot of my bike friends from Morris Area Freewheelers would be going, and you couldn’t beat the very inexpensive price, so I put down a deposit. Emily would be accompanying Michael and the PU Orchestra on tour to Sofia, Belgrade and Budapest, and the pet sitter we had for Maui was available again to stay with Louie. After three years of not traveling at all, I guess it was time to start making up for it.

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Beach/Bike Vacation in MD

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August 6, 2022

I rented a cool and funky house in Berlin MD for a family beach get-a-way this summer. I was very happy to avoid a complicated trip to Europe, or anywhere that involved flying, especially after the travel hassles of Utah. I was even happier that Emily could join us. The house was attractive and comfortable with a fenced in area for Louie, AC, WiFi, and beautiful outside garden areas to cook, eat and even watch TV. The host lived in a trailer at the back of the property, with “Boyfriend” and three dogs. Louie made friends with Laurie’s dogs through the fence, and “Boyfriend,” a chef at a local restaurant, even shared some fresh off the boat tuna with us one night. Laurie was a warm and generous character with unending helpful advice about everything.

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New Bike – Old Birthday Present

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May 22, 2021

Last year was a major birthday for me. We had planned a fabulous trip to Greece, and I thought I would buy myself a new road bike as well to celebrate. Alas, all of that got postponed because of the pandemic. Now a year later I am very hesitant to plan any major traveling, but just for fun I did stop by my local bike shops to see what kinds of bikes might be available. COVID restrictions had made cycling a hugely popular activity and there was a world-wide bike shortage to go with the world-wide virus. At the Trek shop in Princeton the very nice lady gave me a sad smile and shook her head, “all the bikes are spoken for until January of 2023.” At Halter’s in Montgomery Shopping Center, the owner rolled out a beautiful lilac Cannondale supersix – evo in my size, “this is the perfect bike for you, but you have to buy it today or someone else will.” That was way too much pressure after the simple, slow life of lockdown. At Sourland Cycles in Hopewell, they had a floor model of a road bike that I could take for a test ride. It wasn’t my size, it wasn’t really an upgrade from my beloved Bianchi, but they did have a bike on a truck coming in about a week that wasn’t reserved and might be of interest to me. Ok, I took the Giant brand women’s model out for a spin and liked the disc brakes and wider tires. Sure, I’ll put a refundable deposit on the bike that’s coming and take it for a test ride before anyone else nabs it. 

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Summer Staycation at Home During the Pandemic

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September 10, 2020

My 60th birthday trip to Greece was definitely not happening this summer. Thank goodness we hadn’t paid any money for it before the world shut down. Instead, we stayed home, safely enclosed by our fence, and had a lovely summer. Louie was the happiest dog in the world as he ran free in the back yard with his humans constantly home. The wildlife was plentiful as well, including turtles, a groundhog, and a hawk’s nest at the very top of one of the huge pine trees near the house. The three babies were awe inspiring to watch as they grew and explored our back yard all through June and July.

Emily did a two-week quarantine, got a negative COVID test, and came to stay with us for three weeks in June, and then again for seven weeks in August and September. She brought her two kitties, Buster and Moon, and we all laughed a lot watching Louie adjust to his new roommates. Emily and I did zoom yoga classes on the deck, went on long bike rides, and cooked amazing meals together.

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Autumn Escape Bike Trek on Cape Cod

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September 30, 2019

I have been hearing about the American Lung Association Bike Trek fund raising ride on Cape Cod from a number of my biking friends. Now that I don’t have to sing High Holy Days at this time of year, I am finally free to do it. What a fantastic weekend! This was the 35th anniversary of the event. After miserable rain the past two years, the weather couldn’t have been better: bright sun, 70 degrees, not much wind or humidity. Just perfect riding conditions.

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