This last week has been quite exhilirating! My first couple of rides last week were short rides, in the ballpark of four miles. I didn't want to overdue it, so I was keeping my mileage low. I haven't ridden any of my bikes in a long time, so I wasn't sure how my body was going to do and I wasn't sure about the bike. Both of my bikes have been sitting for a year, just collecting dust. So rather than chance an unexpected break down a ways away from home, I decided to keep the rides short and ease in the miles as I go.
Thursday's ride was the first one that I explored increasing my distance. I've been using MapMyRide to track and log my rides, and I've been using it to plan some rides to explore the area I live in. THere is a small airport to the east of us, probably about a mile or two directly east of us. Using MapMyRide, I discovered that the only path to get there was to do a 'U' shaped path from our home.
This meant that if I was going to make to the airport, I was going to have to ride along a pretty busy street, something that I had avoided so far. As I mentioned, I wasn't too confident about my skill and comfort on a busy street. I analyzed the section of road and it wasn't too long a section of the ride, so I figured I'd give it a shot. This was going to be an out and back ride. Meaning I was going to ride to the airport, then turn around and follow the same path home.
Now you are asking, "How did it go?", right? It went well! The section on the busy street was a bit uneasy initially, but as I rode it, I got more comfortable. I made it to the airport and discovered it was a small airport with no fences or gates. I could have ridden directly on to the runway, if I wanted to!
Check out the photos from this ride:
|
| A hot & sweaty smile for the selfie at the airport! |
|
|
This is the view from the entrance to the airport, looking down at the hangars. |
|
| It was a hot but a clear day for a ride. |
For my ride yesterday, I headed to the west this time. I used my new found comfort of the busy street to do a big loop. What made the busy street section of the ride easier was the fact that I discovered there is a separate bike path along the road over there. I was able to ride that section of the rode in the safety of a dedicated path. It was quite reassuring to have that option.
One stop this day was at a cemetery across the street from our local supermarket. I stopped there to drink some water, eat a granola bar, and snap a few photos.
 |
| Cottage Grove Cemetery |
 |
| Open dawn til dusk |
 |
| My current steed, my '93 Cannondale M700. |
The rest of the ride went quite well. I rode on some long straight sections of rural roads. There were corn and soy bean fields on either side of me. What I discovered during this trip was that this whole section, about half of that daily mileage, was a steady up hill ride. Even when I was in my tip-top shape, I was never much of hill climber. I did discover a small park along the home stretch of the ride and I stopped in to drink and eat something.
 |
| A stop at Cedar Knolls Park to recover a little and get ready for the final section, which included a pretty steep downhill section right by our place! |
I kept going and ended completing 6.2 miles for the day. I was very pleased with how I did. The large uphill section that I was dreading was defeated. Now I am looking to challenge myself with longer rides and conquer the rolling terrain we have out here! --TS
No comments:
Post a Comment