Today I set out with a goal of more miles and no freewheeling. Granted I could have possibly taken out a fixed gear bike but regretfully I got rid of my old 70s fixie Bianchi a few years ago. So again not on the best bike for the ride, but pushing through the resistance with a further destination and the ability to explore a little bit more than usual. I found some unique scenery and loved seeing the town I grew up in, in a different fashion. Town is still run down, sans steel mill, but with some other sense of pride.
Rolling through downtown I was greeted with the pleasantries of Central Park and its' inhabitants, or lack there of. The soulless dark, dank, and dreary day today still allowed me to get out and pedal, accomplishing my goals of not ever freewheeling, and increasing the mileage significantly. I found some fun little things to play on in the back alleys of the west end (represent?). There was a significant pleasantry with the day, albeit thirty-six degrees fahrenheit. I cannot wait to build the Surly up, it would have been perfect today especially with fenders that maybe would have allowed my toes to remain a temperature that promoted circulation. I am absolutely in love with what Portland Design Works is doing, did I mention that yesterday? Riding allows me for absolute peace while I am out there, road riding has proven to be a different rush than I am used to, riding DH or XC in the woods. The rush that I am getting is more from constantly pedaling and making it up a "climb" burying my head and pushing through it has allowed for a definite respect for the people who constantly ride road.
Having lost weight in the last week has been awesome too, through a combination of eating a fair amount better than I have in most recent memory (combination of fresh greens, steamed veggies and
tuna) is a whole other perk that I am more than happy with. I am trying to better myself physically and in doing so I have already been able to fall asleep at night and get some actual rest, something I wasn't getting much of recently.
Some shots from today:
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