mapmystupidride.com and I fail to communicate

The other day, I tried out another new route to ride. Fortunately, the commuting to campus with Dale and going out to lunch after her teaching is working out terrifically, because the routes I’ve mapped lately are not. Sure, there are always questions about seeking out new cycling routes; they may be harder or have more auto traffic than desired. There are a host of conditions that make routes enjoyable or not; routes one returns to again and again, or never. Early in my cycling, friends and I would sometimes just head out with a vague idea of where we were going just to try new routes. Sure, that often times resulted in long stretches of road with empty water bottles and nothing to eat except George’s baggie of very dry granola. One time, Bob and I begged a box of powered-sugar donuts from a father and son in a VW bus parked on the side of the road. But we knew that we were riding the unknown and accepted the risks along with the rewards. Back then, I had all the time that I wanted to wander around country roads getting lost, bonking without enough food and water.

Times change and the novelty of bonking wanes quickly. I now quite closely schedule the time that I can allot to cycling within a given window. And this is where mapmystupidride.com and I fail to communicate. My latest new route to tryout was 30 miles with 1,500 feet of climbing to fit nicely during Dale’s teaching. The route looked great online, but in reality, when I reached a planned turn to Eagle Run Road, I was quite dismayed to find that it was unpaved. Thirty feet of cycle crossing the other day was one thing; an unsure number of miles on a gravel road with high-pressure performance road tires is quite another. I stopped to text Dale that I was changing my planned route and found that not surprisingly, I had no cell phone signal. That only cemented my decision not to head out into the unknown gravel road.

Rather than a loop, I rode an out-and-back on Tesla Road, climbing to a convenient turn-around at 15 miles at the crest of a climb. I am confident that I also climbed at least the 1,500 feet planned. On the one hand, I was disappointed that a great looking route online was a bust. On the other hand, I had a terrific ride on a sunny afternoon, on quiet roads, enjoying the new scenery. That is what riding in general, and exploring new routes are all about. With an odometer that I did not have 20 years ago enabling me to determine when to turn around, and packing enough food and water for the unexpected, my early experiences and gained knowledge prepared me for the unexpected, allowing for a fun ride on new roads.