Cambridge to Providence (Memorial Day 1/4)

Carlin Purcell

2022-05-27 2022-05-27 476 words 3 minutes

Contents

The ride

Last Friday afternoon, I kicked off a four-day Memorial Day weekend trip by riding down to Providence, RI. I left in the mid-afternoon. It was hot, windy, and the air was full of pollen. I dragged a new trailer filled with camping gear that slowed me to a crawl. Fifteen miles into the ride, I alternated between pulling the trailer uphill and stopping in Wellesley’s heavy traffic. I began to wonder what I had signed myself up for.

This was representative of the rest of the ride. I think I might have touched some poison ivy on a break. Pollen scratched my eyes, they streamed, and I was scared to wipe them in case there were still poison ivy oils on my fingers.

By the time I exited Franklin, I had begun to acclimate. The trailer didn’t feel so burdensome anymore. My balance had improved to the point that I could occasionally stand. The weekend stand-still traffic found in Wellesley had dissipated. The final fifteen miles passed quickly, my spirits lifted by the familiar approach into the city.

One final note: I saw a cool bird, pictured above! It looks like a cross between a Canadian Goose and a Swan. I didn’t know that such a thing was even possible.

Trailer thoughts

The defining feature of this ride: this was my first time venturing out with a new trailer, loaded down with camping gear.

Pros

I can carry up to 70 liters and 70 pounds of stuff! My early 1980’s, sporty Lotus handles reasonably well with a trailer in the back. It wobbled horribly when I jerry-rigged it with a rack and panniers.
Cars passed me by completely pulling over into the left lane. I had multiple cars on large 45mph roads come to a stop in the middle of the road, unprompted, just to let me pass.

Cons

I’m sure that after a long tour with a trailer in tow, I’ll look back at these cons and minimize them. They still stand as first impressions.

The trailer slowed me down considerably. It knocked a full 25% off of my average moving pace, taking me from 16mph to 12mph.
The thing is huge! It’s around the length of another bike!
Balance. While the trailer is a strict improvement over putting panniers on the Lotus, it still makes itself felt. I was initially convinced that I’d never be able to use my aerobars with the trailer, and it wasn’t until 20 miles or so that I began to feel comfortable doing so.
Stopping. Any stop takes planning. This holds especially true at the bottom of hills.
Large turning-radius. Switch-backs are difficult. Any turn less than 90 degrees takes, at a minimum, intense concentration.
Hills. The trailer also makes itself felt on hills. Even small hills are difficult to climb, let alone sprint up.