2020-04-11
Chunky gravel and punctured tube
4/5 13.8
4/6 13.8
4/7 26.3
4/8 13.8
4/9 27.6
4/10 27.6
4/11 27.5
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My sister and niece are visiting so I’ve been keeping my rides shorter, mostly riding in the morning when it’s cold. We’re keeping our visits to outside porch visits because our cabins our small. Normally we’d just pile in but social distancing and all that.
Our roads are being dug up by the county for spring maintenance. Normally they grade the gravel roads a few times a year and in theory that’s what they are doing. But it seems more like ploughing than grading. After a few weeks of traffic and a few rains it will all settle back down but for now my previously relaxed gravel rides have turned into a much bumpier, rockier experience. Pretty interesting but not the smooth, carefree rides they were. The upside is that even though it’s the same road it almost seems like a different road so it’s variety even though it’s the same. LOL. Another upside is that because they’ve so destroyed the road I’m going much slower, pedaling with no electric assist for most of the gravel road which is great exercise. I was already reducing my use of electric on the gravel sections but now it’s almost no assist at all because I need to go slower. Even though I’m only riding 26 miles compared to the 38 miles of my normal loop I’m still getting in 2.5 hours of ride time because it’s so much slower.
All that said, I don’t understand the goal of the “maintenance” work. Why churn up a road that was largely smooth and level? A last note: I finally had my first puncture. Thanks to the Slime in my inner tubes I didn’t have a flat! The Slime filled in the leak and I had no problem getting home. I rode the bike for three or four days before taking off the front tire and patching the tube. The tube was holding pressure pretty well so I’m not sure I needed to patch it but it certainly doesn’t hurt. Super glad I slimed the tires!
A last note: 2000 miles for the year thus far. I’m not sure I’ll maintain my current pace through the summer and really, I’m trying to not have any goals. Just ride and enjoy would be the extent of my plans.
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