On Aug 29, 2021, I joined over 1,000 participants in the Ben to the Shore Bike Tour.  This charity bike ride raises money to provide necessary financial relief for the families of fallen or critically injured first responders. It also cultivates positive relationships and interactions between police officers and the children in the communities they serve.

The classic route is a 65-mile ride from Franklin Square, Philadelphia to the Showboat Casino in Atlantic City.  Upon arrival at the finish line at the Showboat Hotel, riders are greeted by friends and family, volunteers and supporters where they celebrate their amazing physical accomplishment and raise additional funds at the legendary after-party.

I have been wanting to participate in this ride for over 5 years, but the timing has never worked out in relation to the projects at work.  This year that portion of the planning was in sync.  Other things kept shifting in and out of sync but I didn’t let it stop me from the goal of riding over the Benjamin Franklin Bridge on my bicycle on the way to the Atlantic City shore.

The logistics were harder to navigate since this ride is a one-way trip.  The event provided transportation back to the starting point for the rider and their bicycle, but they don’t take responsibility for anything that happens to a bicycle during the transportation.  My bike is an extension of me, as any cyclist knows, so of course, I needed to find my own transportation –  another story in itself.  With all the transportation issues taken care of, the ride was a go for me!!!

The Training

I started preparing for the ride in July but poor weather conditions pushed my training plans. Florida training in summer can leave the option of 4-5 am training sessions. Though I sacrifice sleep on many occasions to train, the rest of my schedule didn’t work with that, so July was out of the question.  August 1st was the actual day I started my training.  I hit the training very hard and heavy because time was not on my side.  Daily rides (Sun-Fri) of 30 miles with 70-80 miles on Saturdays would get me to my goal!  The rain is a deterrent, but the August rainfall was mainly in the afternoons leaving a clear morning for me to hit the road. High temperatures (85℉ – 103℉), humidity (89 – 99%), and winds (3 – 19 mph) were something else.  I dealt with these conditions, never thinking twice about it, and pushed on with the training.  As the month of August was winding down, I was confident that I could complete the ride at a comfortable 17 – 18 mph pace on my own regardless of the hills or winds.

Event Prep

With every event, there is an early packet pick-up and this ride is no different.  The early packet pick-ups were not within 5-10 miles of the event.  This meant I couldn’t just get a hotel near the starting point and wander over to get my ride packet. I had to rent a vehicle to go to the packet pick-up spot. It was definitely a drive out of the way and not easy to find.  I managed to get there, with the help of GPS of course.

Event Day

The day of the ride I woke up at 4 am to an overcast sky, 70℉ temperature, 63% humidity, and winds from the NE at 10 mph.  A great day to ride!  Getting up this early allows me to get everything ready in a calm, relaxed manner.  I usually don’t sleep more than 6 hours before an event ride.  The night before the ride, though, I was able to sleep 8 hours. I was ready with everything loaded in the vehicle in record time, did 2 laps around the residence making sure to go through the mental checklist.  Once the mental checklist was completed, I sat down to listen to some music for 15 minutes until it was time to go.

Finding parking for the event was a breeze.  I gained time there also.  After sitting in the car listening to music and relaxing for about 15 minutes or so … I slowly moved to get everything out of the vehicle, donned my gear, and removed the bicycle from the vehicle.  As I leaned the bicycle against the parking garage wall … I looked at my bottle cages and instantly knew I had forgotten to get the bottles out of the refrigerator.

I didn’t panic, I started problem-solving. Figuring on the fact that events always have complimentary water at the starting line, I was bound to be able to get a supply.  Not ideal in comparison to a bicycle water bottle but hydration just the same.  So I just rode to the starting line.

At the starting line, I was looking everywhere for a water station. I asked a volunteer.  They told me that because of COVID and the number of people, they didn’t supply the starting line with water.  The volunteer did let me know that the rest stops were fully stocked with refreshments and food.  There were not any stores open yet close to the starting line for me to even purchase some water.

Still not panicking, I started calculating how far I could go before needing to hydrate.  The temperature was very cool and the humidity was relatively non-existent in comparison to my training days.  I thought I could make it to at least the first rest stop without issue, but I was thinking of seeing how things go and maybe even making it to the second rest stop at the 30-mile mark.

They gathered all the participants at the starting line.  The starting line was not set up for groups by the speed of the riders. It was set up by teams who received the most donations grouped at the front with everyone else filed in behind them based on donations collected, regardless of the rider’s cycling experience.  This put me on alert because there were over 1,000 people riding on what now seems like a narrow bridge based on that starting lineup structure. Some, if not most, novice riders tend to stray left and right as they ride, not staying in their lane, unaware of the surrounding cyclists. They often don’t know the rules of riding in large groups.

The ride started on time at 7:00 am.  Once the riders started moving, I cautiously and slowly inched my way to the front of the pack along with a couple of riders I befriended while waiting to start.  They had ridden this ride several times and asked me to stay with them so I wouldn’t ride alone.  They were very nice and friendly.

Riding on the bridge was as great as I imagined it. When I was younger I used to cross Camden to Philadelphia and back in the pedestrian walkway on the outside of the bridge and above the cars with my bicycle but I never rode on the actual bridge.   It was a slow ascent at first because of all the people in the front. Once we were at the center of the bridge, the descent was fast and busy.  I found myself navigating around novice riders who were not staying in their respective lanes, maintaining my speed at 23-mph.

As I passed the toll booths at the end of the Ben Franklin Bridge on the Camden, New Jersey, side, 1.8 miles into the ride, a rider started moving into my lane from the right at the same time another rider was closing in on my left-side.  I yelled to the rider in front of me but he didn’t hear me.   The next thing I knew my front tire collided with his back tire and I was flying over the handlebars onto the asphalt.  I stood up quickly, dusted myself off, checked out the bicycle, and noticed that my rear derailleur hanger bracket had sheared off the bicycle.  The person who accidentally collided with me was one of the guys I had befriended at the starting line.  He stopped, was very apologetic, accommodating, and helpful but there was nothing anyone could do … my ride had ended. If you would like to view the accident on video, select the link Ben to the Shore video.

I was being very careful during the ride because of the vast swing in rider experience levels, or so I thought.  Of course, since he was in front of me it wasn’t his fault.  It was my responsibility to keep mindful of what was going on in front of me and make adjustments accordingly so that things like this don’t happen.  I can’t explain how it happened. As an experienced rider, I did not expect something like this to happen. Maybe the awe of riding over the Benjamin Franklin Bridge and all the memories from one of the places I grew up in factored in; I don’t know.  I just know I will have to return to this one next year.

There were so many indicators, stumbling blocks, and personal obstacles that using logical reasoning would have stopped me from participating in this ride but the emotional side of my brain wasn’t listening.  Some would think the fact that I had forgotten my water bottles was a foreshadowing moment, meaning that my subconscious and the universe knew I wouldn’t be needing them so I overlooked them.  Whatever the case, all in all, it was an adventure like no other cycling trip I have ever been a part of!

The Silver Lining

  • The new TeamOne Honor The Fallen Jersey was on display
  • I was able to walk away from a pretty bad fall with hopefully very little damage to my bicycle, TBD.
  • I was able to ride the entirety of the Ben Franklin Bridge with my bicycle!
  • I donated to a great charity in support of the families left behind by first responders who give all to the job.
  • The Ben to The Shore Bike Ride Raises More Than $1 Million, reported by CBS3!!!

Photos

Keep it safe, stay healthy, and may you have tailwinds in all your rides!

Ciao,
Z | TeamOne