All the group rides and events this year were canceled due to the pandemic. I only went on two rides with EJ and those were accidental. He lives near by so we see each other on the road constantly. He is the new speed demon in town. He's been taking most of my KOMs (King Of the Mountain, the fastest
Strava times for local segments) and everyone else's, too.
On this day I managed one KOM on my own (see the crown
above). He beat me by a second on the Youngs Road
segment but he did all the work. I barely lead from the front but, um, I was tired. We took the 1-2 spots. There are still a few of mine he has not yet beat. He's in his early 30s so what am I going to do? Oh ya, train harder.
Summer is over but there is still plenty of riding to be done. Unfortunately, I don't take enough decent photos so I just grabbed what I could.
My dentist gave me these crazy fat Oreos (or "thick" Oreos, as Luke would call them) after we shared our personal vices. I ate them on a ride later that day, of course.
A golf course not far away.
Not even sure where this is but it looks like Hudson.
There are an astounding number of small farms with wagons by the roadside. Unfortunately, this one had no water. Carrying enough water on longer rides has been a challenge since I won't use water fountains or go into the usual places mid-ride.
Bellow, my friend Rachelle lives about 40 miles north in
Berea where she is a professor of computer sciences at Baldwin Wallace. Her and her hubby let me stop by to fuel up. They keep the outdoor fridge stocked! This was my longest ride of the summer at 121 miles.
There is so much good riding here.
Below is the Valley Parkway on the way to Berea. Smooth roads and good climbs.
At the KSU
School of Theatre and Dance after smashing a few segments.
The
Porthouse Theatre in Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP), a regular route.
That was a 101 mile ride last week but it included almost 7000 feet of climbing which is more than I had done. I'm still recovering!
Below are the two stashes I hid along the way to avoid bonking; this is in addition to what I carry with me. You can see the second stash in the photo
above. It was hidden behind the sign. Barely had enough water but too much food.
CVNP roads! Some are better than others but its always a good ride.
A nearby pond and swamp. Beautiful!
Camp Manatoc in the CVNP. No idea why I included this but I pass it every week and finally stopped for a nature break.
Sometimes you have to take advantage of a McDonald's drive through. I only drink water and coffee but hard rides create cravings for sugar. In this case, I guzzled a liter of Fanta.
Route 76 overhead.
Lets see how much more we can squeeze out of the summer!
If you're still reading, bravo! I'm sure this post was dull but thinking about all fun those summer miles is motivating.
