Dave's Good Stuff

Got a lot of riding in this weekend. ~44 miles on Saturday, and ~88 miles on Sunday.

Saturday, Chris and I took inspiration from the Spring Classic ’08 route, and sent our tires along this route here. We actually took a couple of small detours, so the mileage was *slightly* longer than what’s reported, but it’s close enough.

Before setting out, Chris aired up is rear tire, only to have it go flat immediately. A puncture wound in the tube rendered it useless. Rather than simply replace the tube, we opted to see if we could set up him on the GF’s bike. It took us about 10 minutes to swap out the pedals and seat, only to realize the the bike was just too small. Another 10 minutes moving the pedals and seat back, plus the 5 minutes it took to replace the tube… and we were not only running a little bit late, but feeling a bit the foolish for the wasted time. Still, clouds and silver linings being what they are, a later start meant a warmer start.

Chris had his problems with his bike, and the GF had problems getting the mower running, so I was just waiting for my turn to be mechanically crippled. It came within a mile of leaving the house. The Torelli felt fine for the most part, but when I slowed for whatever reason, and especially when I got going from a stop, the rear wheel felt wobbly and definitively unstable. “Something is very wrong!” I yelled at Chris over the breeze. I stopped, took hold of the rear wheel and felt a sinking feeling as it wobbled freely in my hand.

Then I realized it was a simple as the quick release not being set. How it came unset, I have no idea, but it did give me quite the scare.

The wind was treacherous heading north and west. That worked out, b/c we were heading into it at the beginning of the ride, and it was pushing us along at the end. A good tip whenever you set up a longer ride… try to make the bulk of the return journey with the wind. The temperature at departure was in the high 50′s, and in the high 60′s when we arrived back in my driveway. We were, perhaps, a little chilly at the outset, but we warmed up nicely in no time.

Both Chris and I really enjoyed this route. An easy route without much in the way of hills. Saturday morning traffic wasn’t too bad heading out from my house, but it got a bit heavier and less forgiving on the last leg home. K7 is, remarkably, a very nice ride. Though the cars and trucks pass at an unnerving 65-70mph, the shoulders are wide enough that it’s hardly noticeable. I love riding this stretch, in fact. The only downer this time out was the head wind. We could never really enjoy the slight decline due to fighting for every pedal stroke forward.

Riding through Bonner Springs isn’t my favorite part of the ride, but it’s short, and the reward is open roads and light traffic waiting just beyond the town. That lasts through De Soto, and then again along 83rd up until Clare Rd. After that, it’s back into the suburbs. Instead of tackling the 83rd-87th St. transition hills, we opted to head north on Monticello, and head home via Shawnee Mission Pkwy and Midland Dr/75th St.

All told, a really nice ride. We’ll adjust and expand it for about 60 miles this coming weekend, perhaps hitting the Twisted Sisters on Sante Fe if Chris thinks he’s up to it.