...so to speak. :D

As a city boy, I have a new respect for those who live carfree in the country, or just ride bikes there a lot.

My friend Tony moved to the small town of Bath a couple weeks ago. Today's my day off so I finally made it up there to see his new place. About three miles each way were on a gravel road, actually one with a washboard rutty surface. I was riding my old rigid mountain bike, and for the first time I really wished for a suspension system. Also, there was a big downhill and I just cringed the whole way down it, certain I would wipe out on the loose gravel. I'm going to tighten everything with an Allen wrench as soon as I get home, and I should probably clean the drivetrain since it was such a dusty day.

OTOH, it was real pretty with woods and cornfields. Only a couple cars passed me, so I didn't have any problem hearing the birds sing. When I got to Tony's house, all the people were pretty impressed with my feat and asked me about how long it took me to get there, etc. Now that I know the way, I'll be visiting Tony often.

I've ridden over 15,000 miles in the last 3 years on roads just like that. In fact I prefer them. That is why i crawl on my MTB every morning and head for the hills. These kinds of rides are the direct opposite of road cycling. No noise, no cars, and no death defying stunts.