Sunshine Foundation Tour

SUNSHINE FOUNDATION TOUR

Sunday, September 13, 2009

A very interesting 30+ mile tour from Library IV in Williamstown down to the Berkshire Grill in Egg Harbor. Riders then elected to be transported back by a volunteer or on their own. Weather was overcast at the start and cleared for the finish. Online advance registration cost $35 with a $3 surcharge. Start time was at 10:00 and I biked to the start arriving around 9:15. Registration was smooth, efficient and quick. Food was provided featuring bagels and an assortment of other goodies.

Ride started shortly after 10:00 and consisted of about 100 riders. We were treated with a police escort through Williamstown. The streets were closed to vehicles crossing the Black Horse Pike. This allowed the cyclist to ride out of town without stopping for traffic signals or traffic!

Riding on the Black Horse Pike was surprising nice. The shoulder is an extra wide 5-6 feet and mostly flat. There were several gentle rolling climbs that made this part of the route enjoyable. The storms from the last couple of days did leave much debris including glass that required careful navigating and attention to avoid.

The route took the riders onto Rt. 40, a busy two lane road. After making a right to enter this road, a left turn was necessary a short distance later without the benefit of any traffic control. I rode on a narrow shoulder and decided to ‘take the lane’ after noticing a break in the traffic. I was almost instantly rewarded by the motorist’s horn. However…yet another difficult maneuver was necessary. This was to make the left in front of oncoming traffic. Luckily there was another small break in the traffic allowing the turn to be completed. Fortunately all the cyclists made it through without incident. This part of the route was the most difficult.

We were then treated to riding on a bike path that took us to English Creek Avenue. This was punctuated with having to cross a number of lightly trafficked streets. English Creek is a main artery that required a left off of the bike path. Fortunately, this is controlled by a traffic light. The shoulder on English Creek is from narrow to non-existent. After riding on this for about a mile, Berkshire Grill and the finish was a short ride on Black Horse Pike/US 40…yet another busy roadway. I spoke with a rider who was informed to cross over English Creek and continue on the bike path. This approach would then require the cyclist to travel for a short distance in the opposite direction of the traffic on the Black Horse Pike. This is not only illegal but highly dangerous.

Berkshire is a nicely appointed restaurant. Food provided was plentiful and included a tasteful selection of shrimp, Buffalo wings, mozzarella sticks, Swedish meatballs, salad and more. This is perhaps the best selection offered in any ride I attended.

As a seasoned cyclist, I did miss having a cue sheet. Instead a direction sheet was provided that lacked the distance between major points clearly marked. Then road markings consisted of one smallish neon green sign placed curbside before a turn. This could be missed if not expected.

Overall, this is a good ride that has the potential of becoming a great ride and would especially recommend to those who can handle roads containing traffic. The stretch after leaving Black Horse Pike, except for the bike path is especially troublesome. Also would suggest improvements with providing minor route changes, true cue sheet and more road markings.

Safe Cycling...Wear Your Helment!

RePete Cool