howsteepisit
02-21-07, 12:04 PM
I went road cycling in Moab this last weekend, and had a ball. This is also the first time I have been able to get out on the road with my Garmin Edge 305 so I thought I would pass along my experience. I rode for parts of 3 days, 25 the first day (did not arrive until 1:30), 50 the next and 40 the third (very windy the 3rd day).
Moab is a great place to do some early season road riding! Even with the holiday, the traffic was not awful, and the drivers were 95% courteous, waiting until it was safe to pass before doing so. The roads are in OK condition, but this early in the season I was restricted to flattish roads, by my condition (lack thereof), my training cogset (12-22 9 speed I use on my trainer) and snow at higher elevations. The red rock is pretty, as is the Colorado River. Wind is nasty in the Canyons though, one minute a 30 mph tailwind, then a headwind.
The garmin 305 is awesome, but its software is not the greatest. Seems the best software is the Motionbased Lite, but I hate having to upload my data. Its easy to get obsessed about heart rate, average speed, elevation, % gradient and so on. I had to remind myself I am not "training" for anything, and to relax and enjoy the rides at whatever speed, pace and heart rate that felt comfortable.
All in All, I had a spectacular Holiday. BTW, Microsofts Steets and Trips software underestimated the distance by 65 miles, so it was a 800 miles drive instead of a 735 miles drive, each way! I feel guilty driving so far to cycle, and generally refuse to drive to any ride unless its a really special event.
Moab is a great place to do some early season road riding! Even with the holiday, the traffic was not awful, and the drivers were 95% courteous, waiting until it was safe to pass before doing so. The roads are in OK condition, but this early in the season I was restricted to flattish roads, by my condition (lack thereof), my training cogset (12-22 9 speed I use on my trainer) and snow at higher elevations. The red rock is pretty, as is the Colorado River. Wind is nasty in the Canyons though, one minute a 30 mph tailwind, then a headwind.
The garmin 305 is awesome, but its software is not the greatest. Seems the best software is the Motionbased Lite, but I hate having to upload my data. Its easy to get obsessed about heart rate, average speed, elevation, % gradient and so on. I had to remind myself I am not "training" for anything, and to relax and enjoy the rides at whatever speed, pace and heart rate that felt comfortable.
All in All, I had a spectacular Holiday. BTW, Microsofts Steets and Trips software underestimated the distance by 65 miles, so it was a 800 miles drive instead of a 735 miles drive, each way! I feel guilty driving so far to cycle, and generally refuse to drive to any ride unless its a really special event.