Publius & Co.

My bike!

After all that talkin' about my bike, I realized I should show you what it looks like. Here it is, hanging up in our living room.

My ride was sublime, even if it was only 13 miles (13. 9 according to my cyclocomputer. I'm not counting some putt-putting before to get the saddle height adjusted, nor the cool-down in the parking lot afterward). Rock Creek Park (RCP) is beautiful. It's easy to forget you're right in the midst of suburbia (in Maryland) and the Capitol of the US once you cross over into DC, at a park called Candy Cane City.

The northernmost point of RCP is in Rockville, at an MNCPPC park, Lake Needwood, thirteen miles from the DC border. Except for crossing over several roads, and under route 28, you'd think you're in a forest...and you are. The hiker-biker path pretty much follows the course of RCP, occasionally crossing over the creek itself. It's mostly flat, except for some short but steep hills you climb up, and over. The path itself is net downhill from Rockville into DC-there are a few hills on Beach Drive in Washington, as well as the leadup into Lake Needwood itself. If you start in Needwood, you end with a climb just as you're finishing up--not a pleasant surprise.

As I got a couple of miles into the ride, an artist was in the woods, sketching out a drawing. From her angle, she was sketching the creek itself.

I passed several walkers along the way, always giving warning ("On your left!" and I wish more people did so). More often than not, I got a wave or a, "Thank you!" in return. It's amazing how far a little good-will goes.

A woman, coming my way, wearing a Volksmarch t-shirt and carrying a walking staff, waved at me, and called out, "Look at the deer on your right!" Turns out they were on my left, but as large as life and twice as natural, were seven deer, looking at me while I looked at them, no doubt upset I had disturbed their lunch. On the return trip, I saw a rider on a mountain bike, looking back at the three deer remaining. He looked up at my warning (after all, he wasn't looking where he was going), then nodded his greeting.

I finished up, cursing that last hill, and I passed a gentleman on a Bianchi Volpe. "On your left...slowly," I called out, and I saw him nod. The fact I passed him told me he was hating that hill as much as I was.

The park is not as green as it can be; it's still early in the season. But it should be magnificent in a few weeks.

EDIT to add: I also wanted to mention my pedals, which you probably can't see in the picture, but they're there.. Changing out pedals isn't exactly an upgrade; it's making the bike work the way you want to. The Jamis was spec'd out with Ritchey Shimano R-SPD clones, but I use little teeny-tiny Bebops. They're about the size of a half-dollar, and offer plenty of float (that is, your foot can rotate about on the pedal) because I've got bad knees. Other racing pedals offer little or no float, which is fine if you've got good knees, but I don't.

Posted by Victor at Marzo 27, 2004 03:27 PM