It was a great, if short, getaway. Leisa and I drove down to Asheville for a little Biltmore visit, along with some RNR together. I love my kids, but it's nice to get Leisa and travel alone. Sorry, kids!
The weather was much more pleasant there than at home. We saw lower 90's, which the locals abhorred, but they should appreciate what they have. I trained every day there, and though I was careful, there was never any great difficulty in getting it done.
In total I managed two rides and a run. The first ride was Wednesday, our first full day there, and it was a typical difficult mish-mash of roads in and around town. Asheville is not a town you want to train in... the roads are too busy, there are too many lights, and you are hemmed in on all sides by Interstates. This ride was not very much fun at all. I couldn't even collect data on it as my Garmin was dead. Turns out the charger doesn't work, only the USB connection to a computer. So, I rode with only the bike computer. It was 20 miles at a little above 15 mph, and with all the stop-n-go, that was pretty good.
I ran immediately afterward, and this time I took a little side road uphill into a small suburb. This was much better. Traffic was lighter, it was shaded, and it was actually a decent run. I had to finish it by running a little in town, and it was hilly, but it was worth it. The pace was actually a lot faster than I would have anticipated given how much I had to climb - over 200 feet in a little over a mile, for starters. That may not sound like a lot, but it is. The hills weren't any steeper than ours, only longer. Imagine the 37 road cut for over a mile, and you get the idea.
The next day I found the Blue Ridge Parkway. This was pretty dang cool. I was only on it for a total of 13 miles of the 21 I rode, but it was great. Shaded, winding, great views, and perhaps best of all, a flourishing outdoor community around it. This meant drivers were used to seeing cyclists on the road, and they behaved themselves. The result is a state highway that welcomes cyclists, and it was as smooth a surface as you could ever hope for.
Of course the downside was the climbing. There was plenty of that! Uphills were in the 8-9 mph range, downhills could have easily exceeded 50 mph if I'd allowed it. The roads were winding, and though I wasn't really afraid of the curves being too sharp, you can never be certain what's around the corner in the road. 40 mph was fast enough, and that's when I'd hit the brakes.
We'd originally planned to stay another day and drive home Friday, but since Leisa had hit everything she'd wanted to see, and since Louisville was a major obstacle (Interstate 65 bridge), I suggested we leave Thursday afternoon, timing it so we hit Louisville way after rush. This turned out to be genius for many unknown reasons.
The weather was much more pleasant there than at home. We saw lower 90's, which the locals abhorred, but they should appreciate what they have. I trained every day there, and though I was careful, there was never any great difficulty in getting it done.
In total I managed two rides and a run. The first ride was Wednesday, our first full day there, and it was a typical difficult mish-mash of roads in and around town. Asheville is not a town you want to train in... the roads are too busy, there are too many lights, and you are hemmed in on all sides by Interstates. This ride was not very much fun at all. I couldn't even collect data on it as my Garmin was dead. Turns out the charger doesn't work, only the USB connection to a computer. So, I rode with only the bike computer. It was 20 miles at a little above 15 mph, and with all the stop-n-go, that was pretty good.
I ran immediately afterward, and this time I took a little side road uphill into a small suburb. This was much better. Traffic was lighter, it was shaded, and it was actually a decent run. I had to finish it by running a little in town, and it was hilly, but it was worth it. The pace was actually a lot faster than I would have anticipated given how much I had to climb - over 200 feet in a little over a mile, for starters. That may not sound like a lot, but it is. The hills weren't any steeper than ours, only longer. Imagine the 37 road cut for over a mile, and you get the idea.
The next day I found the Blue Ridge Parkway. This was pretty dang cool. I was only on it for a total of 13 miles of the 21 I rode, but it was great. Shaded, winding, great views, and perhaps best of all, a flourishing outdoor community around it. This meant drivers were used to seeing cyclists on the road, and they behaved themselves. The result is a state highway that welcomes cyclists, and it was as smooth a surface as you could ever hope for.
Of course the downside was the climbing. There was plenty of that! Uphills were in the 8-9 mph range, downhills could have easily exceeded 50 mph if I'd allowed it. The roads were winding, and though I wasn't really afraid of the curves being too sharp, you can never be certain what's around the corner in the road. 40 mph was fast enough, and that's when I'd hit the brakes.
We'd originally planned to stay another day and drive home Friday, but since Leisa had hit everything she'd wanted to see, and since Louisville was a major obstacle (Interstate 65 bridge), I suggested we leave Thursday afternoon, timing it so we hit Louisville way after rush. This turned out to be genius for many unknown reasons.
- The I65 ramp was closed, necessitating going into Louisville and crossing at the 2nd Street bridge. That would have been a disaster earlier in the day.
- Tennessee had halted all road work from Tuesday to Thursday to facilitate holiday traffic. We'd have been delayed incessantly today if we'd waited.
- Lightning started a forest fire in the Smokies. We could see it from the road, and it was still burning out of control. The strong winds were threatening to carry it across the Interstate, which would have certainly closed it.
- The weather was turning awful, with severe storms pounding the area. It was a tough drive, but we got through.
We were home a bit before midnight, tired and glad to be here. I unpacked my luggage and went straight to bed, and even slept in this morning.
Round Barn ride tomorrow. We're meeting at the Red Brick at 5:45 AM.
Today's Run Data.
Blue Ridge Parkway Data.
Biltmore Forest Data.
Today's Run Data.
Blue Ridge Parkway Data.
Biltmore Forest Data.
No comments:
Post a Comment