| Ride Stats |
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Distance:
44.29 miles
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Altitude Gain:
2,669 ft
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Avg Speed:
17.39 mph
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Route:
Swartout Hill
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Avg Grade: 0 %
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Max Grade: 0 %
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Max HR: 0 bpm
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Avg HR: 0 bpm
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Terrain: Road: Hills
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Bike: Look 585 Carbon Road
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Club: Schuyler County Cycling Club |
| Weather Conditions: Sunny 65 F SW wind @ 87 mph |
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We briefly discussed doing a sixty miler but opted for a shorter forty-five mile course due to tired legs after yesterday's cold climbing. We decided on the Swartout Hill course that has two good climbs in the first twenty miles and then twenty-five miles of near continuous downgrade. We took it easy on the first climb up Old Odessa and then worked our way gingerly out to the Junction then approached Spenser before turning up the hill. The state's recent brainchild of cutting large thank-you mums into the shoulder really takes the enjoyment out of SR 224. The shoulder is rough enough with debris and potholes and adding thousands of engineered potholes doesn't help much. Riding alone requires frequent forays into the traffic lane and riding in a group increases the mayhem. I've ridden down south where they have thank-you mums, but they are placed on the white line and only four or five inches wide. New York State makes them a foot wide and places them in middle of the shoulder. Yankee ingenuity certainly ain't what it used to be. Had a sweet climb up Swartout Hill as my spin was working again today. I did have to stop a couple time to adjust my rear derailleur as it kept popping off the cog I wanted to use. Thought that the ride would get easier once the hills were out of the way but it seems there must be some remaining testosterone left in the old men as the pulls kept getting harder and faster on the run to Horseheads. Speeds above thirty miles and hour were frequently encountered despite assurances of taking it easy today. Run back to Montour from Horseheads was a little easier as we had a tailwind and speed remained mainly in the mid twenties. It did feel good to have survived winter once more and to push a big gear under a warm sun.
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