Shew. I’m beat. Another day of riding with gore. This time we started out a little farther noth along the Black Creek Greenway at the North Cary Park. For my second time out, this time was much better.
Right out of the back of the park, the entrance to the greenway is a winding downhill path. The greenway path heading north was pretty nice and slightly downhill. A quick dip by Crabtree Lake still had me winded. We crossed the earthen dam and headed up the Umstead access road across highway 40. From here on up to the airport lookout was pretty tough on me. A steady, slow, uphill that sapped my strength. By the time we made it to the lookout, my legs were numb. Taking some Gatorade really helped a lot at this point. I could use more water on these rides. The ride back was awesomely fast and enjoyable. That long uphill turned into a good downhill with a very few uphills. We zoomed back to the greenway. It wasn’t a bad ride back from that point, but I had to take a few small breathers and walk up the final hill to the park.
So many people tell new riders what to buy or use. One of those things is a pair of riding shorts. This ride I had some and they really helped dampen the impact of a hardtail bike. BUT! I am really glad I did not buy them right off and never know why they are important, what they fix, etc.
I’m also not sure how much of my effort when riding is being directed at fighting my bike. It’s not a high dollar bike and has some hardware on it that is a pain. Nothing is quick lock, not even the seat. The brakes are calliper and don’t work so well. The frame is pretty heavy even compared to gore’s low-end Trek bike. So, I feel like the bike is making things a little harder. I’m not sure if that means a new bike, or a tune-up. We’ll see.