December Cross

Date: Dec 3
Mileage: 16ish
Ride type: Mixed
Bike: Surly CrossCheck
Temp: 30F
December mileage: 63
Year to date: 2301

a fun day doing a little bit of everything on the bike. the last race of the local 'cross scene took place today, so i hopped on the CC and away i went. i briefly tried mounting the Trek rims on the CC- they had road tires- but the gearing was off, so i just went with the 'cross knobbies. my path took me through Cherokee and on to the Beargrass Trail, where i intermittently followed a blue heron. i worked my way down towards River Rd., traveling along the Butchertown Trail as well. my trip got ever slightly more interesting when i came upon a path leading into the scrub; i had to take it, of course. it crossed railroad tracks and ended on some gravel roads that looked like they're used for services billboards. delightful! there seemed to be other offshoots, and the area may need further exploration in the future.

i then arrived at River Road Country Club, which is the open tract being debated in city gov. concerning its use. as a cyclocross venue it's Ideal. they had set up a course with many traditional characteristics of 'cross: sand, off-camber turns, run ups, mud, more mud, asphalt, everything. i was glad i wasn't racing, but enjoyed getting muddy doing some practice circuits. by the end of my time there, i had covered much of the course in bits and pieces. the most impressive aspect of the day, aside from the course, was the large number of kids racing. they had several age groups, from tricycles up to teenagers, and many, many raced. that's great in my eyes, to have the next generation taking in an active, entertaining and demanding sport. many raced on their normal bikes (no 'crossies necessary).

Following are some highlights of a "mixed adventure" day, perhaps the best kind. to be honest, i wish i had the fitness to have raced today. i have little interest in the roadie set, but 'cross still feels fresh and fun.


A shot of the Beargrass Trail. Too bad there aren't more like it. I like it. It's secluded and nature-ish. And I saw a blue heron (the same one) numerous times today.










This pic is the most sobering of the day. This is the remnants of the old Prospect interurban rail line. This moved commuters back in the day but was really only functional between the years 1905-35. People found buses more appealing. Why i haven't a clue. I've always heard that the car companies bought out the rail companies and closed them down to limit competition. Don't know. But i can envision all the yuppies that fill up River Rd. each day hopping on the interurban rail heading downtown. It would HAVE to be more pleasant. or not. who knows.









this is the "secret" path, as viewed from the railroad tracks. it led from River Rd., and interestingly, its entrance was marked by 2 old bicycle frames. I took that as a good omen.










Nice rail pic. Crossed this from "secret" trail.














the CC leaning against the entrance fence of the service road. i'm going back to that spot, preferably on the LHT with its 2"ers.











i'm going to post some 'cross pics in a separate entry. i like my "mixed ride" pics better.