Join the Ride

I had to soft-pedal to catch my breath. It had little to do with the effort it took to muscle my bike up that kicker on Grim Road. No, it was the perfection of the moment—the green-on-green panorama, the scent of cut grass, the rhythm of the road, the fresh-faced Mennonite woman who blushed and looked at her feet when I'd called out hello. The pavement undulated past cornfields and tidy ranchers, and as I crested that steep bump, I could see the road unfurl through the countryside: The next seven minutes of my riding life awaiting under an unblemished blue sky.

 

It was just another flawless bike ride in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley.

 

There are times when I catch myself feeling frustrated that the valley—the place that BICYCLING and I call home—does not have a Whole Foods or a truly great burrito joint, but then I throw a leg over a top tube and remember that I'm living in a sort of heaven on earth. You can ride in every direction and piece together a stunning route along the idyllic roads on which our editors test gear and train and noodle around at lunch and occasionally find creative inspiration. If you've flipped through this magazine, you've undoubtedly seen these beautiful roads in pictures.

 

And you can see them with your own eyes in two months—to be precise, on Sunday, October 2. That's when we'll be hosting the BICYCLING Fall Classic, an event celebrating the 50th anniversary of this magazine. I can't think of a tidier way to honor 50 years of BICYCLING than with 50 miles of bicycling. This seemed rather obvious to me as I rollercoastered along Grim Road, ostensibly previewing the loop but mostly playing hooky on a sunny Friday afternoon.

 

There's the pitch. Plan a day trip or even a weekend to bring your bike and maybe some friends; we're only two hours from New York City and an hour from Philadelphia. It's the perfect time and place to ride with the editors on our favorite local roads, then stick around to share some hearty food, live music, and frosty beverages. You'll get a chance to fuel up and soak in the atmosphere at the magnificent Rodale Institute, an organic farm and research facility founded by the family that owns this magazine. (You might even ride alongside one or two bike-crazy Rodales, too). And you can end the ride with your best Paris-Roubaix imitation as you pedal a lap on the world-famous T-Town velodrome in Trexlertown. Sound good? You can learn all the details--and check out the cool logo on the premium T-shirt all entrants will get—at BICYCLING.com/fallclassic.

 

Though the rolling course—we'll have both a 50-mile loop and a 25-miler—will challenge fit riders, this isn't a race or a fondo with timing chips. You can hammer the course if that's your thing, but I know I'm going to go easy and enjoy the ride. There's a good chance the leaves will be turning and the cornfields still standing will be golden, and I won't be in any hurry for this little celebratory lap to end.

 

After I turned off Grim Road, I passed weatherworn 19th-century barns and watched a teenaged boy shimmy up a flagpole in his front yard to untangle the Stars and Stripes and I saw my own shadow bobbing on the grass as I climbed Silver Creek Road. You know, the little stuff that elevates a good ride to a great one.

 

Consider yourself invited.

Source: Bicycling Magazine