Watched Paris-Roubaix on tv this Sunday. I was supposed to go out for 2 or 3 laps of Mohican (50 to 75 miles) but then got inspired to ride roughshod over crummy roads. So I went out on the cross bike instead to complete numerous "sectors" of gravel goodness.
Special thanks to my wife who allowed me to disappear for 8 hours on Easter Sunday. Its a big ask. I did have a very nasty week with no workouts for several days and I spent all day Saturday doing important husband and daddy things.
I aimed my bike due NNE and went for the nastiest gravelly messes I could find. The highlight of the trip was a down-then-up of Stone Quarry and also an ascent of Bats Nest. Both of these non-roads have been abandoned back to the ATVs, rain washouts and wilderness. Certainly SQ is doable on a mountain bike, but it is a chore to clean on a skinny cross bike -- too many washout opportunities on off-campus drainage ditches. Bats Nest is entirely rideable.
Sorry no pictures. I ended up with 96 miles, 6:45 on the clock, and 6500' of climbing. I'll note that NONE of my small town service stores were open (Easter Sunday?) and so I was short on water and food. And there was a nasty 20 mph wind out of the west that made the going rather rough ... probably cost me an hour of ride time. But I did the ride three weeks out from Cohutta and feel like I'm ready to go.
No comments:
Post a Comment