On September 7, 2020, we were off from school due to Labor Day. With decent weather conditions and slim prospects for getting in many more rides before winter (my academic load was increasing as we got deeper into the semester), I decided that this would be the day that I attempted my first century in “freedom” units: that is, my first 100 mile ride. (Well, from the GPS data, Apple Workouts computed a total distance a hair above 100 miles but Strava claims it was just under, so we’ll split the difference and call it 100 miles even.)
After a certain point, miles just become miles, and the distinction between, say, a 100 mile route and an 80 mile one is mostly mental. Still, this would be my longest ride to date, and I was quite excited. I purposely paced myself a little slower (I averaged 11.3 miles per hour) to make sure that I would be able to survive the ride.
I set out at 8:00 am, which was a little later than I would have liked, but still gave me enough time to get back to Pittsburgh before sunset. I chose to ride along the Montour Trail, which was new to me. I set out northwest from Oakland to Neville Island before heading south to the trail head. I then followed the trail southeast all the way through; finally, I rode the Clairton Connector to McKeesport and made my way home along a familiar stretch of the Great Allegheny Passage.
Some highlights/thoughts from throughout the day:
There was actually a bit of an inconvenience at the start of the day: my usual route from my apartment in Oakland to the trail (cutting through Schenley Park) was closed for construction, so I had to take a different route up north through Polish Hill to the Strip District. This was actually shorter on the way out but longer on the way back.
The general feel of the Montour Trail is kind of similar to the Great Allegheny Passage. I did appreciate some of the bridges/viaducts along the trail, and there was a fairly pretty wooded section. Best of all, there were a few longish tunnels, which were amazing to ride through. If you couldn’t tell, I absolutely love riding through tunnels and on viaducts.
I stopped for lunch at the first place I could find with seating after 50 miles had passed. This turned out to be some concrete blocks beside a small stream and near a rather foul-smelling port-a-potty. I enjoyed a peanut butter and jelly bagel sandwich that I had packed, as well as a banana. I was quite happy to dispose of the banana in a nearby trash can, since the rather scratchy stem had been poking me through the back of my jersey all morning.
I think I most enjoyed the last few miles of the Montour Trail, right before the Clairton Connector. It went through some roads next to a creek, but I saw only one or two cars parked along the road; the entire place had a bit of an “abandoned” vibe. I love these sorts of roads: you get the benefit of a road (nice, paved surface) along with the benefit of a trail (no cars), plus some nice scenery. I also remember passing by a farm with a bunch of animals (I don’t remember if they were cows or horses), which is probably to be expected in a semi-rural part of western Pennsylvania.
To give a numerical summary of the trip, I covered 100.08 miles in 8:49 of moving time; this included 2,525 feet of elevation gain. These are probably not very significant numbers to a veteran cyclist, but it was my biggest trip to date. I was also quite hungry afterward, having burned through 3,940 kcal while surviving on a sandwich, a banana, and a few Clif bars.
Bridges and tunnels are two of my favorite things to ride through, and the Montour Trail has plenty of both. Apologies for the poor quality of the last image. (full resolution: left, center, right)
Oh my goodness, it’s a dream come true: a bridge leading into a tunnel! Or a tunnel leading into a bridge, if you ride it the other way, I guess. (full resolution: left, right)
Unfortunately, the long day of riding did take quite a toll on my bike (which, to be fair, is like 15 years old and at least second-hand). First, I snapped a spoke on my rear wheel, although that was fairly easy to fix with some duct tape. I also somehow managed to lose my rear valve stem cap, but that’s a bit of a trivial problem.
More importantly, there is now some interference between my rear wheel and one of the break pads; once per revolution, the wheel rim pushes up against the break pad, offering some resistance. My guess is that either there is a problem with how the break pad is aligned (which I can probably fix with a screwdriver) or that the wheel is no longer true (which I don’t think I can fix). Sometimes, depending on how the break cantilevers are aligned, this problem actually goes away, but then the rear break becomes non-functional; needless to say, this is quite dangerous, particularly when riding in the city and sharing the road with motor traffic. My bike is still rideable, but it’s somewhat difficult because the wheel now has some resistance to spinning.
