Well, I finally made the ride. It's a bit over 16 miles each way. I woke this morning nice and early, packed my bag, had a real quick bite to eat and was off. The morning was cool and my legs were ready for a good ride. Sorry, no pics, maybe next time!
The ride went really well. The route I made was nice, I definitely prefer the neighborhoods. There were hardly any cars on the road when I left. When I was about 1 mile from my job, the ride got harsh. I was on a road with a deep gravel shoulder and no sidewalks. I rode along, had 3 cars fly by me closer than I was comfortable and I ended up in the gravel, pedaling away. Then I look ahead and see the shoulder disappearing, the lanes are even narrower (I didn't think it was possible!) because we were headed over the expressway. The combination of a disappearing safety zone (shoulder), extremely narrow lanes, and angry people driving to a job they possibly hate cause me to walk my bike across the bridge. I did not feel comfortable at all at that area. I've created a new route home, one that will take me under the expressway instead of over. Hopefully, that will be a much nicer route!
I look forward to doing it again. It will definitely whip me into shape. I've had longer rides, but rarely do I ride with a heavy bag on my back!
The ride went really well. The route I made was nice, I definitely prefer the neighborhoods. There were hardly any cars on the road when I left. When I was about 1 mile from my job, the ride got harsh. I was on a road with a deep gravel shoulder and no sidewalks. I rode along, had 3 cars fly by me closer than I was comfortable and I ended up in the gravel, pedaling away. Then I look ahead and see the shoulder disappearing, the lanes are even narrower (I didn't think it was possible!) because we were headed over the expressway. The combination of a disappearing safety zone (shoulder), extremely narrow lanes, and angry people driving to a job they possibly hate cause me to walk my bike across the bridge. I did not feel comfortable at all at that area. I've created a new route home, one that will take me under the expressway instead of over. Hopefully, that will be a much nicer route!
I look forward to doing it again. It will definitely whip me into shape. I've had longer rides, but rarely do I ride with a heavy bag on my back!
