Biking - A hilly ride on a hot day

Today, some friends and I set off on a ride in the hills between Schenectady and the Schoharie Valley. We didn't get the earliest of starts, but the heat of the day would mostly be hitting us on the latter more downhill part of the ride.



We started by doing the long climb from the Mohawk Valley up to Mariaville, where we stopped for a rest and refreshment break at the local store. From there, we headed west and mostly downhill to rolling on nice country roads with great views of the Schoharie Valley further west. Then we reached the road on our route that had been freshly coated with oil and stones. This was not an option, so we crafted a detour that would take us down to Amsterdam, back in the Mohawk Valley. The route back to the car from there would follow NY-5S, which is also NY Bike Route 5, and is a nice flattish ride with good shoulders.

After a few more hills, we got back to NY-5S, and took another refreshment break at a mini-mart, with temps now around 90. We'd all been drinking a lot, and needed to replenish. The ride back to Rotterdam was flat and fast, with a nice tailwind, but we were all glad to be finished, after 42.5 miles and 2,200+ feet of climbing.