The weather for Saturday’s ride was basically perfect. Temperatures topped out in the low 70s, with light winds. The winds out of the east picked up later in the day, which didn’t help as the final few miles had a long climb, into the wind.
This ride kicked my butt. The time I’ve spent behind my desk working didn’t actually contribute to my riding fitness. Hmmm. A 55 mile ride in (relatively) flat Illinois is much easier than a 55 mile ride in the Kentucky hills. Clearly I have some work to do.
It was great to meet some BikeForums members in the flesh and on the bike, and the cookout afterwards was fun as well.
Some things to take away from the ride:
1. My 1989 Cannondale ST600 performed very well, no issues at all – not bad for a 29 year old bike.
2. The Compass tires were everything they were advertised to be, a nice smooth ride and good traction. I ran 60F/65R tire pressures.
3. The Selle Anatomica saddle is very comfortable (for me).
4. I need to be in better shape. I have a shape, the problem is that it’s rounder than it should be.
5. Drafting behind Adam and Jamie would have been a smart choice.
6. Ex-Pres and PilotFishBob are very patient riding companions.
7. Apparently everyone that owns a boat was pulling it on a trailer today, but with a single exception, we were given plenty of room while we were being passed. We were riding single-file for the most part, and moved to single-file when we saw a vehicle approaching from the rear.
Will definitely do this again next year, and since the new bridge across Lake Barkley should be finished by then, the route will be different than this year’s route. Might even go south into Tennessee and back.
Thanks again to the kind and generous sponsors that provided prizes for our ride – Road ID and Chain-L chain lube.