After watching the Tour earlier this year, and I guess after watching me come and go on the road bike every couple of days since this last spring, she's started to get really interested in the road.
She's an accomplished greenway rider and shes ridden a bunch of trails, but she'd never done a proper road ride yet. Yesterday, I offered to take her out on the route and she was very excited. Today, we rode.
I usually start from my house, but the roads are a little sketchy around my house, so we drove over to Reality and started from there. Technically, that's where the route starts anyway.
She did really well on the ride out. It helped that the first mile or two was mostly downhill. The passing cars didn't bother her except for the one close pass, but she didn't overreact, or react at all for that matter.
People treat you all kind of weird when you're an adult, out on the road by yourself, but I wondered how they'd react to an obviously younger rider.
Turns out they're about the same. Same percentage of close passes, se percentage of gunning the engine right next to you. Same percentage of WTF gestures. One guy, for example, was headed toward us and needed to turn in front of us. We didn't have a stop sign, he had to cross two lanes, we had the right of way, but he still got pissed when we didn't stop for him and made that abundantly clear.
At least people are consistent.
She made it through downtown easily, and tempo climbed up to Sawnee Mountain Road.
The big rollers out toward the mountain itself though, those really crushed her. The hills are tough, but even worse, her hands kept slipping on the shifters and had an impossible time getting into the right gear. We made it to Dr. Dunn road, at the foot of the climb up to Bettis Gap and she'd had enough.
Unfortunately, when you get out that far, it's not any easier on the way back.
She struggled until we got back to Sawnee Mountain Road, but from there on, she had a pretty easy time of it.
The only real difficulty she had was telling her right from left when she'd been red-lining for a few minutes.
We made it back to the shop alive and she allegedly even had a good time.
Next time we'll bring gloves and maybe shave a few pounds off of her bike. Maybe she'll make it to Bettis Gap. Or maybe we'll start from the interpretive center on the back side of the mountain. Either way, I'm looking forward.
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