Hitting the Road

Credit: http://blog.condorcycles.com/2010/04/paris-roubaix-queen-of-classics.html

Well, after years of resistance, I have finally relented.

I rode my old Diamondback around Boston and Williamsport. I commuted up Broad Street for three years on it. I rode to Warren from PHL. I rode to Williamsport and to Lewisburg from Warren. Kenny and I rode around on M&D's tandem. I rode to Strasburg with A on Andrew's tandem.

So when I tell you that I hate to ride on the road, it was less about the riding itself than about the situation. The roads around here are very narrow, with virtually no shoulders, cars traveling too fast, driven by impatient drivers, many of whom are on their cell phones.

Compare that with the chance to ride in the woods and I'll take the woods every time.

But over the years I have come to realize that the mountain bikers who are in the best shape, also ride on the roads. The steady rhythm of grinding away builds a different kind of strength than the burst-y type of effort that you put in in the woods. It's great for endurance. I've got an eye on Breck in 2011.

And since the guys I ride with in the woods live out towards farm country where the roads and traffic are a little saner, and since they do a good long road ride every couple of months, I finally relented and bought a road bike so that I could join them.

Trust me, I still have no desire to ride in this area, other than to get into town to work, but that almost doesn't count.

It's all a little odd, too...two chainrings, a "compressed" cluster in the back. But in the end I think I was able to choose a good ride, a practical bike that will work well on both the long rides, as well as the commute. And I hope to ride this bike, despite the skinny tires, on the dirt path along the canal which is my favorite part of the commute to work, especially in the morning when it's dark.

Flat Rock Dam at first light...

I also have to say, that I love the name. My second choice was a road bike emblazoned with the name of one of the "fathers of mountain biking," Gary Fisher, which would have been fun. But this bike is a Specialized Roubaix. Named after the race which began in 1896 and has been nicknamed the "hell of the north." Over 260km with more than 50km of cobblestones, the race is notoriously hard on rider and bike. But this bike has a couple of features which help it absorb much of the shake of the road, with the result being that bridge seams, stones, and other road hazards slide by under the wheels without the jarring one gets on many skinny-tired bicycles.

So without any discount of my love of riding in the dirt, in the woods and over rocks etc, I am looking forward to a new chapter. One that will perhaps carry me to new heights off-road. Stay tuned...

Photo: http://reference.findtarget.com/search/Paris%E2%80%93Roubaix/