CEBU - All of my non-cycling friends had warned me about bringing my Merckx to the US. They said it’s too much of a hassle lugging my bike box in the airport. Besides, bicycles are cheap in the land of plenty, they said. But what did they know?
My wife, Tata, got me a sturdy carton box from Carbon market. With a “how-to” video from velonews.com, I disassembled my bike, had it bubble-wrapped and placed in the box. I took out my scale and the box read 22lbs, 18lbs under the PAL regulations.
We arrived around noon at the Newark Airport. After JC picked us up, we had Portuguese ribs for lunch at his home at West Orange. Without breaking a stride, I unpacked the box and set up my bike. I could feel that my body begging me to rest but adrenaline kept me up to the task. Around 4pm, JC asked me if I’d like to ride. Huh?
West Orange, New Jersey, cramps my riding style since it’s either up or down and I love flats. Lacking sleep and having too much food, I dragged my body up for the ride. We got out at around 6pm but it looked more like 4pm back home. The sun was out but the air had a frosty feeling that reminded me of an early Christmas chill a few years ago. So this is riding here!
There was this 13km circuit inside the West Orange Park. It was eerie, with very nice roads with very few vehicles. Then I saw a buck grazing and a few squirrels scurrying around. I only got to see those animals on TV! Wow!
Cycling in NJ was different from home. Cars whizzed me buy twice as fast but they give you a wide berth; they pass you on the opposite lane in a 2-lane road. I did the same route alone twice but never did I hear a driver blew his horn. And all of them stopped and give way on corners. Generally, all drivers were polite! There were days when I got up at 6am to ride but when I opened the garage, it was like opening a giant freezer! I got back in and waited for the sun to come out.
The following week, Brian Salazar, a native of Banilad, organized a ride around Harriman State Park in NY. The rendezvous was a 45-minute drive from JC’s place. With his cars’ GPS giving him grief, we were the last to arrive (he was driving at 80mph!). To my surprise, Alvin Abarquez, triathlete/teacher/swimming instructor was there!!! Alvin told me that he had been working as a teacher in NY for the past 3 years. The last time I saw Alvin, he was involved in a hit and run accident and his face was swollen and he had lost a few teeth after. He had taken in a few pounds now but he looked happy.
Former SEAG triathlete Arland Macasieb was also present and he looked ready to do the IRONMAN. I also got to meet a pretty gal from Lapu-Lapu, Christine Washington, a trauma nurse in NY. (Christine had told me earlier that if I was interested, she had tickets for the US OPEN Finals! Unfortunately, we went to Boston for the weekend). I also got to meet Ed Leyno, a soft-spoken guy from Luzon and a real Campy-phile!
Harriman State Park reminded me of the road going up to the Boys Scout Camp in the late 80’s—narrow, twisty roads, lots shade from the trees and serene. The difference was that there were miles and miles of these. During the 2-hour ride, we saw no more than 5 vehicles and one stopped to ask us if we were ok! I’m usually a poor descender but the wide roads, gentle curves and the absence of motor vehicles released my inhibitions that I clocked 70kph going down!
After the ride, we went to one-man show pizzeria. The guy was a middle-aged Italian who was flipping the dough, frying drumsticks and working at the cash register at the same time!
(to be continued)
RACE RESULTS CRIT RIDER OF THE MONTH: 1- Jon Simbajon, 2- Rudy Mendoza, 3- Nonoy Abasola Jr. - THE FREEMAN