Here in eastern VA we're still recovering from the crushing snowstorm earlier this week that dumped
a whopping two inches of snow on this fair land. It closed schools and governments for 2 days and
delayed openings for a third. The snow is quickly receding, but it's turned the world into a mucky
mess. Trails are going to need at least another week to firm up.
I've been off work caring for children while my wife is out of town. Orginally I thought I'd be able
to get in hours of mid-week riding while the aliens were in school, but the weather has conspired
against me. This morning I was contemplated packing up the gym bag and heading out for spin class
and a good hard swim at the gym. However, the thought of leaving the sunshine for the confines of a
converted raquetball court just crushed my spirit. Then it hit me --- there's always the road.
I've been a sworn off road rider since the moment I first got on a mountain bike. Years ago, I had a
tremendous road bike accident and suffered mild head trauma. (My wife says this explains a lot.) I
don't remember much about the wreck, though I suspect I got clipped by a car. (Wear a helmet kids! I
wasn't.) Needless to say, I've not had a burning desire to return to the world of road cycling. That
said, my cycling options today were the hamster wheel in spin class or the open road.
The weather was hovering right about 40 F. The perfect weather for my new lined tights from
Christmas. I donned some heavy socks, full fingered gloves, a couple of layers, and a light
windbreaker shell. Hell, I almost looked the part! I broke out the hardtail, jacked up the seatpost
about 2 inches and I was on my way. I took a few warm-up laps through the neighborhood and then set
out for a few laps around the residential 4-lane parkway that runs around the development. This is
eastern VA, so the term flat doesn't really do justice to the nature of the terrain. I figured the
challenge would be to keep the speed up as long as I could.
I quickly settled into a good comfortable rhythm. Even riding the smoothest of fireroads, it seems I
rarely get the opportunity to set a pace and just smoothly drive on. I could really focus on smooth
pedal strokes and adjusting the gearing for just the right amount of effort. There was one section
of my loop that ran along a major road with heavy traffic going 45-50 mph, so I stuck to the dirt
path along side. Parts of it were still covered in patches of snow and it was pretty mucky and soft,
but it was nice to feel a some real terrain under my wheels for a bit. Except for the dirt along the
road, I was in the big ring the whole time - I can't remember when I've spent that much time in the
big. I dropped to the middle on the dirt so I could better adjust the gearing, but still tried to
maintain the same cadence....just like a *real* roadie! I don't have a the computer mounted on the
HT, so I have no idea of my speed or distance. Road hard for about an hour and 20 minutes and then
called it quits.
Some observations:
- Pavement sure ain't as much fun as singletrack. I'll even take a good burn along the fireroads if
given the choice.
- Wind sucks! In the trees it obviously doesn't have much impact. Pedaling into the wind sucks the
life out of you, and is damn cold. I mostly dressed warm enough, but my toes were a bit chilly and
my face stung a bit.
- I never considered it before, but keeping a sustained effort in the saddle at the same cadence for
extended periods is not a skill I often use on a mountain bike.
- It was a great workout and sure beat the hell out of spin class!
I still don't have much yearning for a road bike, but maybe a pair of slicks........
Tom (playing Mr. Mom for the weekend)