Ah, but riding at all, headwind or no, is a good thing after the enforced sloth of winter.
Today I opted to explore an alternative route out of the city, one that would, I hope, keep me off the main roads (Pleasant St, May St, Chandler St) and ultimately deliver me to Mower St, the gateway to the Reservoir Run. I printed off a page of google maps and headed out.
First, a run through the neighborhood that included an assault on George St and a climb up to Bancroft Tower. The Tower is becoming something of a friend, a talismanic pass-by, a hulking stone edifice of enduring dignity. I realized that I must photograph it every time I climb up to it.
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| March 12, 2015 |
Then it was off into neighborhood and cul de sac, into the Thickly Settled. The thing about Woo City, the city of the fabled seven hills, is that even in the neighborhoods you can encounter some serious climbing. It's funny, there's a guy I follow on Strava that rides in the Woo and though he rides a lot (more than I), I note that he never does any hill work. He'll ride 10 miles and attain 300 ft elevation at best. What's up with that? I think. If I ever meet him, I'm going to razz him for being a flats weanie. I ride 10 miles in the 'hoods and I'm over 1000 ft of climbing.
Today was a case in point. When all was said and done, I'd exceeded 1500 ft of climbing in 17.5 miles. And the hills I encountered weren't gradual grinds either, they were steep nut crackers and heart pounders. I loved it.
The bummer about exploratory rides like today's, though, is that there's a lot of stopping and map-looking. It's all about finding one street that will get you to the next street that connects to a street that crosses up and over a massive hill and puts you in position to pick up another street that will take you through a residential backwater but spit you out on a road that connects to another road that ........ you get the idea.
So while I expected it to be slightly tedious and time-consuming to get me to Mower St it ended up taking longer than I'd hoped. I finally did get there and kicked it into high gear and hammered toward the Reservoir. Unfortunately, I used up too much time in the exploration phase of the ride so that by the time I got to the tip of the reservoir it was getting late. Plus, the wind off the frozen expanse of water was vicious and I was getting cold so I paused to assay my situation.
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| The pause at the tip of the reservoir |
I could have pressed on and had my way with South Rd but I opted to turn back, to retrace the very route I'd just ridden. I told myself that today's ride was about finding new means of egress, and I accomplished that. Returning the way I'd come would familiarize myself with the route. Plus, I'd have to climb those beastly hills again. It was the right decision. Now I know how to get myself out to Mower St without having to traverse the desultory May St or the wickedly busy Pleasant St, and I know that I'll log a lot of climbing to boot.
Finally, one of the great things about the west side neighborhoods of the Woo (traditionally the wealthier neighborhoods) is the number of huge old trees that remain. Whether it was a conscious decision to preserve the trees during the building years or not, we are graced with an abundance of graceful giants. Beech trees seem to be particularly prevalent, those wonderful old knotty souls with trunks like elephant hide, and I love them with a visceral passion.
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| Beech tree off Salisbury St |
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| A venerable giant |
Summary: Ride #8 of 2015, 17.5 miles, 1556 ft of elevation gain. Felt strong on the hills. The roads weren't that wet today, though there's still a lot of melting to come.
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