The Road!

This is what it is all about! The road. Without he road, or trail cycling rides are reduced to an hour on the trainer, spinning bike or whatever form of exercise you prefer! The road makes all of the difference for us cyclists. The route adds a dimension to the cycling experience which transforms the workout into an experience. I came to the realization in July of 2010, that I don't care about my average speed, cadence, or feet of vertical climbing any longer. Not that I ever was much into the stats of my rides, other than the fact that it is fun to know how fast and how far. The one thing that takes precedence over all others is the road.

Where does your road start? Personally, for me the road starts at my back door, and likewise the end is the same as the start and greets me with a cold beer and a waiting hot tub! Planning my route on Google Maps has become somewhat of a mid-week release for me. It is a chink in the armor of monotony that persists in the daily grind at work. While many riders relay on others to plan their routes, I always prefer to plan my own. The beginning and the end are the only thing that remain constant for me. Sometimes it is nice to throw the bike on a car rack and drive to the planned bike route, but there is a certain pride in being able to say, "I rode here on my bike." Sometimes the mere words cause jaws to drop.

Two of my favorite routes form home follow sections of bike trails in the Southwest Ohio region. The maps can be seen at http://www.bikenrgy.com. The Little Miami Trail and Miami Whitewater's, Shaker Trace. I like to use the bike trails as "resting routes", for easy peddling on longer rides. The bike trails offer some relief from traffic, and are good connectors to other more interesting remote roads. It is fun to see the folks on the bike trails, who might as well have flags that read, "OCCASIONAL CYCLIST". For most of the cycling population, an easy ride is the best ride! I used to be a member of that group myself. At some pint that was no longer enough. I realized when I bought my road bike that new doors were opened, that every road had become a potential trail, that every hill was now a personal challenge.

As cyclists, there are many things that we don't need. We don't need a wad of bills and wallet, to make the ride better. If you ride from your home you don't need your car, or gasoline. If you are like myself, you don't need a group, or an instructor. You don't need formal training or advice, or even a club! Once you have road skills, which are acquired over time, the road becomes a conduit for a better understanding of your place in life and a means of personal freedom.