Hot Weather Riding

 Riding in August can be fun and frustrating. If you leave early you can beat the heat but while you are out riding it is getting hotter. The closest trail head from the house is three miles of riding. My Nissan has a rack on the trailer hitch and I used it earlier this year when my son was visiting.

The house is located off the county ride and the driveway connection is gravel. If I use a road bike it is slip and slide trying to get traction on the uphill after crossing the creek. 

Once I get to the road it is a half mile up hill then a downhill with some rollers until I reach the State Highway #179. Then it is bike lane or sidewalk with several round a bouts to the trail head. Total distance is 3 miles. 

The First trail head has a parking lot and if it is not too hot lots of visitors. Earlier in the year when the pandemic was getting heavy the Park department closed the National Forest here.

 The above map shows the trails off of Highway 179. As you can see there are quite a few and not all are shown. There is one Loop called VOC Loop 

that is right above my house and can be seen if you know where to look. Several trail review state it is the worst trail there is. I can get to it by taking a short cut over a fallen fence gate. It is steep and narrow and basically only used by horse riders.

I have several bikes to ride and it is hard to make a choice. My hybrid is basically a go to market bike that is a road bike frame with 700cc wheels and knobby tires.

Flat bars and a 40 tooth on the 9 speed cassette and a single 36 tooth chain wheel. 

It has a carbon fiber fork and one day I am afraid I going to crack it but I have another spare fork in the house.

The first time I took it up a trail I kept getting pedal strikes as the bottom bracket and long cranks were not made for the trails that are not smooth.

I have used several apps over the years for bike riding and now I am trying a new one. All of these maps show where I start and where I end.

I do not put my bike on the rack on my Nissan. I ride where I want to go. If I wanted to sit in a car I wouldn't need a bicycle. 

Lots of talk about gravel bikes. All my bikes are gravel bikes because that is all we have around the house and the county road can only be reached by riding on the cobbles.