LSM Ride – Rodale Fitness Park

It was with great anticipation, yet some hesitation, that I scheduled a March LSM ride for the Trikke Riders of Pennsylvania.  I say “great anticipation” because the winter has been long and hard, and I have been aching to go Trikking with friends again.  But I also say “some hesitation”, because the aforementioned winter has indeed been long and hard, and has shown little sign of abating.  Luckily Mother Nature smiled upon us today, and graced us with her beautiful sunshine and temperatures in the low to mid 50’s for our ride.

Cleanup from Hurricane Sandy continues, even this far inland

I was joined by Norman, Gonda, and Trent for today’s ride, and for all three of them it was their first visit to the Rodale Fitness Park in Trexlertown, PA.  As I pulled up to the parking lot though, I nearly had a heart-stopping moment.  The parking lot was barricaded and there were signs posted about the park being closed for tree removals due to damage from Hurricane Sandy.  Had I really just made my friends drive all the way to the Lehigh Valley for nothing?

I spoke to a cyclist who was preparing for a road ride who told me that the paved circuit was dirty, but passable, and that since they weren’t working on the weekends it seemed okay to ride.  While I waited for my friends, I saw numerous people heading to the trail to walk and roller blade.  When my Trikke pals arrived, we took our chances and headed for the trail anyway.

We've reached the summit of Mount Rodale!

Fortunately, the trail was passable, despite the heart-wrenching scenes of hundreds of trees being cut down.  Although construction equipment and several stacks of logs blocked the biking lane, the roller blade and walking lanes were rideable, albeit slightly dirty.  It didn’t deter us, and we eagerly lapped the circuit.  Most of our laps were on the outer loops, and I was thrilled to find that I could still climb “Mount Rodale” despite the setback in my fitness over the winter.  Don’t get me wrong, it had me gasping for air and cursing my recent inactivity, but it encouraged me that I’m starting from a much better place than I was last year.

Left to Right: Norman, Gonda, Trent

Norman, Gonda, and Trent really enjoyed the trail, despite the adverse conditions.  It’s a great fit for riders at varying skill and endurance levels.  Everyone can enjoy it as much or as little as they want, and can use the flatter inner loop as well.  We’ve decided that from now we will kick off each Trikke riding season with a March LSM ride at Rodale, as well plan our final ride of the year there in October.

Thank you for joining me today, Norman, Gonda, and Trent!!

Norman is going to host the next LSM ride in Philadelphia, where they close a 4-mile stretch of road on weekend mornings for recreational use.  Stay tuned here and at the Trikke Riders of Pennsylvania’s Meetup site for more details.

Related Articles:

Meetup Event

LSM Ride – March 30, 2013

Rodale Fitness Park Review

Climbing Mount Rodale