A rolling celebration of life

I saw a lot of joy on a lot of faces today. Rides like today's are why we put up with the bad days. Biking up and down 148 rollers may not seem like fun to everyone, but to those of us that love to cycle it's a little slice of heaven.


What's it like to ride a roller? It goes something like this. As you crest a ridge you see a big U-shaped stretch of road in front of you. Shift into the big chain ring and start to mash the pedals. 20...25...30...35 MPH. Grind as hard as you can and pick up as much speed as possible... The descent levels out. You feel the G-forces in the pit of your stomach. Spin the pedals as fast as possible as the ground begins to rise...Feel the gears re-engage...Feel the speed being pulled off the bike...Down shift and keep pressing. Hold the momentum as long as possible...Down shift again. Keep Pushing...Down shift again. K E E P P U S H I N G ... Hold on, hold on, hold on... click-click-click-click-click into your spinning gear and ease your way to the top.

Repeat 148 times.

What a wonderful way to spend a day.

We were a group at play today. Big kids with fast, fun toys. Beautiful bucolic scenery. Very little traffic. Roads that felt fast and safe. We were able to spend an entire day doing what we love in the way that most of us enjoy most. We got the adrenaline rush that comes from motoring downhill at top speed, and the satisfaction that comes from feeling your lungs burn and quads scream as you crest a 12% grade. And we got to do it all day long.

Here's the elevation profile downloaded from my Garmin bike computer. Every little up and down line represents another roller. I enjoyed every one of them.















Yesterday's Google Earth File: http://tomerceg.googlepages.com/ChillicotheMO.kmz
Today's Google Earth File: http://tomerceg.googlepages.com/KirksvilleMO.kmz