MRC Trail Ride

Chris and I went out on his Trail TT course before the MRC Trail Ride on Friday night. Chris' course heads out the Maple Highlands Bike Path in Chardon all the way to 608, turns north to Chardon-Windsor, then runs back into Chardon. Normally he heads up to the square to complete the course, but we planned to swing back into the parking area for the MRC ride instead.

We rode at an easy tempo to the start of the trail, then Chris drilled it right from the start. There were only a handful of other people on the trail at the time, so we were able to go full speed without any trouble.

The wind was out of the north west, so we had a nearly direct tail wind on the way out. Since the grade of the trail is only 1-2% at max, we were able to keep the speed pretty high, and when drafting, it was almost like coasting. So with 1-2 minute pulls I was able to recover completely.

We did about 25 mph for the first few miles before the first road crossing. The second leg of the trail to 608 actually climbs a noticable grade, so the speed dropped a bit, but that's just before the speedy section that starts heading south. I tried to accelerate all the way through for the full kilometer before swinging off. I think we only just tapped 30 mph. I need more speed work I guess.

We kept the speed up throughout the ride. The gradual climb up 608 feels pretty difficult after an all out flat effort along the trail. The reward for the ride was the downhill section on Chardon Windsor where we went down the road in the mid to high 30s.

We completed the route at a pretty respectable 21.7 mph including all the road crossings.

The second half of the ride was an easy trip down the trail with Jacob, Russ, and Nick from Mountain Road Cycles and several other riders. A narrow line of storm cells was closing in on us across an otherwise clear sky and made for some spectacular cloud formations.

The ride was great. We rode to the end of the trail, and the rain started. We were in the rain for most of the ride back. Chris and I were getting cold, so we lifted the tempo on the last few miles. I felt pretty energetic at the end of the ride in spite of the rain; maybe because of the rain. When I got home, I discovered my bike and I were covered in a fine nasty grit from the trail spray. It was just as dirty as riding on the road.

This was an interesting ride. I've been focused on trying to ride with a higher cadence since the start of the season, but did several efforts at 85 rpm and was producing good power, and felt quite comfortable. I'll try some gear mashing at Leroy this week and see how I do.