The Covered Bridges Tour - 2011

This year, I finally made the Covered Bridges Tour run by the Central Bucks Bicycle Club in Pennsylvania, just across the Delaware from Frenchtown, NJ.

The weather was very fine, promising temperatures rising into the 80Fs/high 20Cs. However, the day started in mist and fog around 50F/10C ... chilly.

A group of us, mostly friends and acquaintances, met up and set out on the 50mile/80km route. At 8.30am it was still quite cold, and it took me a half-hour or so for my hands to warm up ... I am such a cold morsel.

Me at the first feed station

Eventually the mist did burn off and the day became the most gorgeous fall Sunday. This was well forecast, so there were a lot of riders on routes from 20miles/32km up to a metric Century - 100km/62.5miles.


This is a very pretty area, with lots of quiet byways and lanes. I thought the route was pretty well marked and the feed/rest stations were pretty good too.

Unfortunately, I had a number of leg cramps after the last feed station. I'm usually quite careful about avoiding cramps, but something went wrong this ride. I thought I drank and ate plenty, but in the end, possibly not enough. It meant I trailed in last of our original group, but received sympathy from other riders who passed me and I commiserated with other riders who had the same trouble. Maybe there was something in the air.



We toured covered bridges; Erwinna (1832), Loux (1874), Cabin Run (1871) and Frankenfield (1872). Sheard's Mill (1873) was crossed on the metric Century ride.

50 and Metric Century Cue Sheet: