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Mountain Biker Turned Roadie

The First Ride

Technically, this was the second ride out on the road bike. The first ride was a very low mileage, break in ride to make sure that everything worked correctly and fit. 

For this ride, I hooked up with a friend of mine, Milliron, for a mid 30 miler around North Georgia. This was my first time riding in this area (or on a longer road ride at all), so I let him lead the way as we road through the Georgia countryside. I racked up the Blue Competition Cycles Nx7 and headed out. I made a quick stop by Reality Bikes to pick up some clean waterbottles and an extra cage. When I went to pack everything up for the ride, I realized that all of my bottles were brown from dirt/mud and I only had one water bottle cage. After I took care of that, I headed over to Millhouse’s and we prepared for the days ride.

We started off the ride in 38 degree overcast and ended it in 45 degree sunshine and I am extremely glad that we didn’t bail on account of the outside temperature. We were warm the entire ride and it was perfect. As you can see by the ride stats, this was not a ball buster of a road ride, but it was a perfect day out spinning. Since this was my first trip with extended saddle time, the route and elevation worked out perfectly.  This ride was a huge eye opener into what I have to look forward to in the ride to come…

198’s First Road Ride Observations

1. I spend a lot of time driving on many of the roads that we hit yesterday. My largest insight/epiphany/realization/whatever you want to call it…was how much I do not pay attention to the world around me. Many of these roads have amazing scenery, landscape, animals, houses, etc. that I never even noticed as I go through the motions in my truck. This ride really opened my eyes to what else was out there that I was missing out on. There were several roads that I hardly even recognized until there was a huge sign telling us where we were. This ride reminded me that I need to slow down sometimes and really enjoy the moment. Too often, we get caught up in our fast paced lives, and we forget to enjoy the journey as much as the destination.
2. Wow…this thing is efficient. I spent almost all of my day in the big ring just spinning it out. I get so used to standing up and having 6 inches of squish suck the power out of my pedal strokes. When you stand up and hammer on a road bike, the bike just flies. That was fun aspect to play with over and over again.
3. I didn’t have one missed shift. There is no dirt, mud, trees or anything else to throw your derailleur out of line. Every time you shift, it works flawlessly. Halfway through this ride, we stopped by a friends place (thanks Tweety) to adjust out some of the cable stretch, but that was the only thing even close to a mechanical all day long. 
4. Little cracks in the road look much bigger with skinny tires. I had to completely change my attack on the road. I am used to urban assaults and other fat tire road adventures where cracks in the road aren’t given even a thought. When your tires will fit in that crack in the road…it is now something to watch out for.
5. During the ride, cars were not as big of a deal as I thought they would be. Granted…we were riding in an area that is much more bike friendly than where I just moved from, so this helped a lot. There was not one point in the ride where I was nervous about the drivers around us. 
6. Drafting is the key to success. I had Millhouse pull me around the North Georgia roads all day because he knew the route. I could also tell that he was having to work a little bit harder than I was because he was out front the entire time. Once I get the routes down, I can see us switching back and forth to get the average speed up and be more efficient. 
7. Chapstick is a must for cold weather rides. I am not a fan of chapstick at all, but before we left on our cold weather ride…I put some on just in case. Today, my lips are hurting or chapped…that was a good move.
8. I figured out yesterday that if I keep my extremities warm (feet, hands and ears), I can ride in just about any temperatures. There was not one point in the ride where I even felt chilly. My belief is that my metabolism keeps my core temperature very warm, so as long as I keep the areas with poor circulation taken care of…I am good to go. During the warmer months, I will actually run a fever during the ride. 
9. I am not sore. I thought that the morning after would be a little rough with that much spin time, but I feel great. Mountain biking must cross over a little bit more than I had originally thought. Even my lower section is fine after all of the saddle time. 

Looking Forward to the Rides To Come…

I really enjoyed my first longer ride on the road bike. Every time I try a new discipline of cycling, it reminds me how much I love the sport. I can enjoy just about anything that includes forward motion via pedal forces. I now have another avenue to release my need to explore the world through the eyes of a simple invention known as the bicycle. 

A very special thank you goes out to Blue Competition Cycles and Reality Bikes for helping make this happen.

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