Sunday, August 7, 2011

Belmar-Princeton-Belmar 200K


I rode the BPB 200K permanent yesterday, a 129 mile loop in central New Jersey connecting Belmar, New Egypt, Pemberton, Princeton, and back.

Many thanks to Rando Paul for creating this new permanent.  It follows the same route as his Princeton-Belmar-Princeton permanent, but starts at the east end in Belmar.  This is extremely convenient for me, since we usually stay near Belmar when we are in NJ.  I biked to the start and avoided lots of car driving.

And...  I got to swim in the ocean after the ride.  Woot!

Weather was incredible (the local heat wave broke), traffic was cordial (only one buzz), no mechanicals, no dogs (the only two dogs I heard were fenced), and navigation was automatic (I know the route).  The wind did kick up like crazy the last 40 miles, but it brought the barn smell from the finish.

Two good tidbits:  The worst section of pavement on West Farm Rd has been repaved since last I rode, and is now smooth as glass.  I discovered that a Home Depot can serve as a great rest stop: a secure place to lock bikes, clean bathrooms, ice cold water fountains, and the cheapest bottles of Powerade at every cashier.

Enjoy scads of photos with lots more details in captions.

No comments: