Commencement day for my cross-country ride was a bit of a doozy - heat and humidity combined with 100 miles and plenty of hills conspired for a rough ride. My ride started in Manhattan and crossed into New Jersey at the George Washington Bridge. Typically the GWB offers great views of the Manhattan skyline, but the humidity shrouded the city in haze.
After crossing into the Garden State, the next couple hours were spent negotiating urban streets with plenty of stoplights as I passed through Hackensack, Teaneck and Patterson. Around noon, I left Patterson and arrived in Boonton, NJ where I refueled with a bagel and Gatorade.
The afternoon provided a hilly ride through Morris County, NJ as the Piedmont region gave way to the ridges and valleys of Appalachia - a topography that will continue to figure prominently in my rides through Pennsylvania. In terms of vertical elevation, today's ride is among the most challenging of my entire trip - most of the stages through the Rockies will not best the elevation faced today.
I crossed the Delaware River into Pennsylvania in the late afternoon at Easton, PA. From there, it was another 12 miles into Bethlehem, PA, whose dominant feature is rusting edifice of the massive Bethlehem Steel mill on the Lehigh River.
Distance - 101.6 miles
Cumulative Distance - 120.4
Vertical Elevation - 6418 feet
After crossing into the Garden State, the next couple hours were spent negotiating urban streets with plenty of stoplights as I passed through Hackensack, Teaneck and Patterson. Around noon, I left Patterson and arrived in Boonton, NJ where I refueled with a bagel and Gatorade.
The afternoon provided a hilly ride through Morris County, NJ as the Piedmont region gave way to the ridges and valleys of Appalachia - a topography that will continue to figure prominently in my rides through Pennsylvania. In terms of vertical elevation, today's ride is among the most challenging of my entire trip - most of the stages through the Rockies will not best the elevation faced today.
I crossed the Delaware River into Pennsylvania in the late afternoon at Easton, PA. From there, it was another 12 miles into Bethlehem, PA, whose dominant feature is rusting edifice of the massive Bethlehem Steel mill on the Lehigh River.
My day ended with a quick (and free!) gear adjustment from the kind folks at Cutters Bike Shop in Bethleham, along with a couple pints and a burger at the local Irish pub.
STAGE SUMMARY: (click for map)
Starting Point - Morningside Heights, NY
Ending Point - Bethlehem, PADistance - 101.6 miles
Cumulative Distance - 120.4
Vertical Elevation - 6418 feet
Counties -New York, NY; Bergen, Passaic, Morris, Warren, NJ; Northampton, PA
Wind - intermittent headwind
