So, I live in the Hudson valley of new york state. There is a bike path called the north & south county trail way that Extends 40 miles and is a great way to avoid traffic and avoid interruption as long as you keep watch for pedestrians. Many of you probably have similar bicycle trails nearby.

http://www.nycbikemaps.com/maps/nort...ways-bike-map/

My problem is, whenever I go riding on the trail, I notice that the rolling resistance on it is TERRIBLE. On flats it feels like I'm riding into a headwind in terms of how much extra effort is needed. I would ride along on it and realize I'm only doing 15-16 mph when I normally do around 18-21 on flats, I would pedal harder, or shift down for a higher cadence and end up feeling like I'm going uphill, even though I'm not.

This makes me often decide to take the roads instead (we have pretty safe drivers around my county & wide roads/shoulders). It's just that whenever I think about using the trail for more than 5 miles or so, I think of how unsatisfying it is to do around 4 mph less with the exact same effort.

Does anyone else have a problem like this in their area? or maybe there are cyclists from putnam & westchester counties that can comment on the trail.