I think Gareth was relieved when we rode for a mere hour on Saturday morning. Turns out that we actually took the less hilly route by choosing the 20 mile over the 10. I tried the 10 mile route solo this past Sunday and was amazed at how uphill it really was.

We’re running into a bit of a problem right now, though. His hip restraints are now a bit too small for him, and they’re digging into his thighs. I think this was one source of discomfort for him on the 20 mile ride. Time to start looking for a new solution, something that will keep him in the seat and will restrict his ability to slide his hips under and out. I have an idea in mind, but it requires an experimental gear purchase.

This past weekend saw the commencement of the RBR Recumbent Bike and Trike Rally.  Gareth and I attended on Saturday for what we originally planned as a 10 mile ride in Spring Mills.  The route was five miles out and five miles back.

But when we got to the fork in the route that was the decision point between the 10 mile ride and the 20 mile ride, I decided to go for 20 miles.

Gareth enjoyed it right up until, oh, mile 11.  After that, he got angry and very vocal about his displeasure.

When we finally got back to our car after the two hour trip, Gareth’s face busted out into a huge grin as I started to unbuckle him from the recumbent seat.  He was thrilled to finally be off the bike and back in the car.

He then told me that the ride was just way too long and that, as a result, it wasn’t any fun.  Days later, he now says it was fun, but I can’t be sure that he isn’t just saying that to make me feel better.

Next time, we’ll take the shorter route.

Gareth is recovering from a bout of pneumonia, so there were no rides this past weekend. With any luck, he’ll be feeling better by the time the RBR Recumbent Bike and Trike Rally kicks off on June 16th.

We got in two rides on 6/2.  The first was an hour long ride around the State College Weis Market parking lot as part of the Ferguson Township bike rodeo.  We got plenty of comments on Gareth’s bike, but all from a distance and mostly consisting of “cool bike” and “weird bike”.  Gareth and I barely noticed as we rode through the obstacle courses set up by the organizers.  We also took the opportunity to register Gareth’s bike with local authorities … not that it will be hard to track down the Pino.  It’s sort of uncommon.

Our second ride was on the Bellefonte Central Rail Trail. Recent storms downed a tree across the trail, but we managed to move enough of it to get by and continue our ride.  The worst part had to be climbing the hill from the head of the trail back up to Sunset Park.  Gareth and I barely managed it in first gear.  Brandy did the same on the trike.  Considering it was her second ride, I was thoroughly impressed.