Welcome to the forum. I think the road versus path all depends on how busy it is. I ride the road 95% of the time and a lot of the time it is less busy than the paths routes. Riding the road takes getting used to. My wife refuses to ride down any road outside out neighborhood out of fear of being hit, so I prefer her to ride the paths and in the confines of the hood.
Initial ride of 13 miles is very good. I did 4.5 and was about dead.
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Brian | 2023 Trek Domane SLR 7 AXS | 2023 Trek CheckPoint SL 7 AXS | 2016 Trek Emonda ALR | 2022 Trek FX Sport 5
you should learn to embrace change, and mock it's failings every step of the way.