Explore the Shore Bike-athon 

Are you a frequent visitor to the shore?  Considering relocating to Middletown?   Are you a fan of Springsteen, Count Basie, or MTV Reality TV?   The Jersey Shore has incredible diversity, twenty-eight towns from Seaside Park in Ocean County to the south to Sea Bright in Monmouth County to the north.  Experience Coney Island-look alike Seaside, family fun at Point Pleasant, volley ball and college students on the beach in Belmar, genteel Spring Lake, the mansions of Deal, the musical heritage of Asbury Park, the revitalized Pier Village in Long Branch.  These very different towns are bookmarked by the long unspoiled beaches of Island Beach State Park and Sandy Hook. 

To experience all this, a choice of two day trips are offered for up to four bicycle riders.  The winning bidder can choose which of the two trips to take.  The chosen trip will be led by the donor, Colin Goodall, and scheduled according to the winner’s preferences, business needs, and donor availability. 

Bike-athon Monmouth starts in Brielle and follows the ocean to Sandy Hook.   Distance is about 25 miles.   We'll meet in Rumson at 10 am.   If rental bikes are needed then we'll pick some up nearby.   We'll load the bikes into a pickup truck, and ourselves into passenger vehicles, for the trip to Brielle.   Once in Brielle, the vehicles will depart and we'll ride north, stopping for lunch in Belmar - with vegetarian and carnivore options - before heading back to Rumson for refreshments on the deck. 

Bike-athon Ocean/Monmouth starts in Seaside Park and also follows the ocean north towards Sandy Hook.   Distance is 40 miles.   Other arrangements are similar to those for Bike-athon Monmouth. 

The pace will be moderate for both excursions.  However, given the distances involved, some reasonable level of physical fitness is desired.   The leader, Colin Goodall, will be riding a hybrid road / off-road bicycle.   A pure road bicycle will be adequate but not required.  Participants can bring their own bicycle or receive a rental bicycle for the day as a part of this package. 

A briefing on the towns visited will be prepared by the statisticians of the Analysis and Optimization organization and provided to participants. 

Neither AT&T nor donor are responsible for traffic tickets incurred, by running stop signs or biking on boardwalks, for the actions of MTV Jersey Shore cast and crew, for distracted teenagers drivers, for the behavior on the road of any driver who doesn’t know that "Texting Can Wait", for over-entitled luxury vehicle drivers who think they own the road, and for any of the other hazards of riding a bike.   That said, there will be bike lanes on the roadway, with the ocean directly to our right, for much, but not all, the route. 

The donor is a recreational cyclist with no specialist knowledge of cycling, of road safety, and of personal health and medicine.  It is the responsibility of each participant to ensure that each is in reasonable health to undertake the journey, and also to ride with due attention to road conditions and traffic safety.

Should any participant wish to end the trip prematurely, for any reason, before its end point, then the pickup truck will return the person to Rumson.   That might occur if the rider is overly-tired, the weather is highly unfavorable, if there is a mechanical problem with the bicycle, or for other reasons except medical emergencies.  This service is a valuable part of the bike-athon donation.