#@!% Simplicty

I want some damn gears!!!!!!!!

Monday/Tuesday held out many possibilities, what with a Lexington/Maysville trip during the break. I was indecisive but decided, with valuable wife input, not to ride Lou/Lex on Monday. Fact is I don't have a ton of miles in the legs and I prioritized friendship (card playing) over bike-induced death. The second option was to do some kind of Lexington/Maysville, whether that be the full 85-miler or some variation of a pick-up or drop-off en route. Not feeling it, I decided on a drop-off ride, from which I could explore some mixed-terrain I had studied for a previous Maysville based ride.

The route began on the multiplicitous Stoney Creek Rd./Goose Creek Rd./Ishmael Chapel Church Rd. My first mile or so of riding set the scene for the carnage that was to ensue for the day. I back up to explain that I took the QB, a wonderful, beautiful, solid and worthy steed, but a steed that has two @$*%#! gears. I don't really know what I was thinking. Actually, I was thinking that I was mostly riding Lexington to Millersberg or so, which is rolling bluegrass. This route did nothing but creek and river dive for the first 12 miles. It was downright stupid- for me and my fitness- to have a 2-gear bike, however pretty it may be.

Licking River Valley at the top of my opening 1.5m climb

QB with scenery behind

The multiplicitous road provided me 2 substantial walks, as I had no answer for climbs with numbers like 14% and 10% respectively. Ouch! By the end of that 6m stretch I knew I was in for a long day in the saddle. Right after the Licking River and the aptly-named Pleasant Valley I saw my (unmarked, all unmarked) turn onto Mexico Rd., which I hoped would be a mixed-terrain highlight of the day.

Ishmael Chapel Church

Several houses along this stretch had large, brick mailboxes with Ishmael and googlemaps lists this stretch as Ishmael Chapel Church Rd., although the Co. map doesn't.

This region of southern Fleming Co. has several long gravel roads marked and I was excited to see what they brought me. The first stretch brought 2 things of note, an attractive river-side view, and big rock, not monster gravel, but big enough for me to worry about the QB.

Mexico Road along Licking River

further on up the road, and with more foliage. road surface was adequate here.

After a reasonable 2 miles of river bottom gravel, I was met with the biggest challenge of the day, a half-mile climb out of the river bottom, but a climb topping 15%, in the height of the afternoon sun, on a 2-speed, with a very very heavy road surface. I would say it was the low moment of the ride, because it had turned from a ride into a slow, bike-pushing trudge. I reached the top and was able to ride a bit more except when the road had been covered with fresh, large gravel.

Mexico Rd. climb. Gotta love that heavy gravel road surface!

I met a turn and stopped to check my status. I use KY county pdf maps, which I find more correct than either Delorme or googlemaps. Assuming that what pointed left was my turn onto Tea Run Rd., I encountered a mostly dirt road, which in this case was heaven compared to the heavy gravel on the 3m stretch of Mexico Rd. I passed a quaint cemetery in the middle of freakin' nowhere and continued on the mostly dirt road. The county maps indicated that Tea Run dives down into a creek valley and eventually becomes the paved Hammond Rd., but I saw no semblance of that. To my surprise, on the top of a broad meadow (i.e. cow fields) I encountered a Jeep Cherokee coming my way. I waved, they waved, and I waved more furtively until they lowered their window. I inquired to the elderly gentleman in the passenger seat about Hammond and he gave me directions which very much put to bed whether I was *on* Hammond. No, I was not, but if I continued on this road I would find 32, where I could get myself back on track.

Old cemetery with colorful (plastic) flowers on graves, and chain on fence.

View of road along cemetery. I rather like this one.

Fact was, I was on Fleming Creek Rd., which the county map shows as not going through although googlemaps shows as doing so. This is the first time I can think of where googlemaps is more right than the Co. ones. Furthermore, the KY state searchable map also does not have this listed as a road. You can see the path on the satellite image, but no name listed. Fleming Creek Rd. also brought an added bit of fun, in the guise of a walk downhill. Yes, downhill. It was just too steep and rocky for my tastes, so I walked the damn thing. Later, ridewithgps shows inclines (declines in my direction) in excess of 20%, which is the steepest road I've come across, and gravel to boot. I don't regret my decision.

Wow! That's steep!

Once back on 32 I faced a 1m climb out of the river valley and was back on track northward. I stopped in Ewing for a snack and some ice and continued. Aside the walk on Metcalfe Pike with its 17%, the event of note on the entire northward stretch was the tailwind, and I mean TAILWIND. Without it I might have not gotten home. I was wishing for more gears, this time to pick up the pace. It was so windy and I so tired that I did a first, using the main road 68 to link up to the area closer to the in-laws; I otherwise always take the back roads. I was on 68 for 4.5 miles and the entire time I hammered, whether up hill or down. At one point I found myself on a flattish portion and I was spinning out the bigger QB gear. And then I just coasted while traveling at speeds I have to believe where in excess of 20mph. Ridiculous! I walked once more on Clift Pike, but surprised myself close to home, clearing 2 small climbs that I didn't expect to take on the QB.

I finished the day seeing 2 different cyclists on Key Pike, which is the road my in-laws live on. I can count the number of cyclists I've seen in Mason Co. on one hand, but I'm glad the "city folk" are learning to take advantage of such great cycling roads. I finished the day beat, but ready for a return to the Mexico Rd. area to do the roads I missed today with the wrong turn. Given my lack of gears, it was the best decision of the day. I certainly did get practice switching between cogs on the QB. The two issues were/are to keep the front wheel from flopping and that on the small cog the rear brake rubs just a smidge. I think the chain needs to lose a link to. Next time on Mexico Rd., though, the LHT.