This past year I found myself doing more miles on the road than I ever have. Well, specifically on a bike, but you get the idea.
This is notable because, historically, I’ve had almost no interest in tires narrower than two inches. The only material worth riding on is dirt, as far as I could tell. After all, that’s where the most fun kinds of things tend to happen – jumps, flowing singletrack, rock gardens, etc.… If I was going to do some kind of road-like activity, it was likely going to be gravel.
I’ve resisted doing this kind of riding because it just seemed so boring. That list of fun things from the previous paragraph? That’s what makes riding fun for me. Those are the elements that I look forward to most when I’ve decided to do some riding. I wasn’t sure what it was that roadies did, but I was pretty sure that any ride that included air time wasn’t going according to plan.
Times Have Changed
There were two important catalysts that helped to get me out on some skinnier tires.
The first was that I was just really, really sick of being chased by dogs that are allowed to roam loose where the gravel riding would take place. Earlier in the season I was asking other riders in my area about that and I was shocked to discover that most everyone had an “Encounter With A Dog” story. I really needed a break from that – I wasn’t in a hurry to add my own story to that mix. I just don’t encounter nearly as many dogs while I’m on the pavement, and that’s been really refreshing.
The second was that roads are just available by default. Right out my front door, even! This is remarkable because I have quite a drive in any direction to find singletrack. I reasoned that if I could find a way to enjoy myself on the road, I’d be in luck, because it’s so abundant. It would be something I could do after work and still have plenty of time left in my day for other things.
So, I pulled out my delightful, impractical fixed gear road bike and got to work.
Learning Occurred
As it turns out, I enjoyed all that time spent on the pavement. I’m actively looking forward to doing it again. For that matter, I’m looking forward to significantly increasing my mileage and continuing to understand what’s up with road work. I may even buy a proper road bike, and wouldn’t that be a treat?
How To Enjoy Road
This was the first thing I learned, and that was fortunate because it kept me coming back for more. I had to shift my expectations a bit and find other fun things about the ride. Chiefly, it’s just really fun to go fast on a road bike. I mean, the normal speed was significantly faster than I would be able to navigate some sections on singletrack. There is a definite thrill associated with going fast under your own power.
Once I got in that headspace, it was fun to see my times improving over common segments, culminating in shaving a few minutes off one of my common routes and clocking in under an hour. I know I can push that even lower, but getting it done in 57 minutes for the first time felt exhilarating.
It’s also fun to hit those fresh sections of road; the kind that doesn’t have a lot of surface imperfection yet. That makes for such an incredibly smooth ride that is so wildly different from being continually jostled by lumps off road. Even regular pavement tends so much more towards the smooth side that it feels refreshing. There’s something to be said for not getting beat up by the surface you’re on.
Fitness
I indirectly covered this a bit in the previous section where I mentioned that it was fun to see my times decrease and my speed increase. The only way this happens is through getting more fit, especially given that my road bike has just the one gear and, as such, I sure didn’t learn anything about optimal cadences or whatever (sidenote: would that help overall speed? I’m unsure, so if you have the answer, I’m all ears.)
It was noticeable when I was able to compare times on singletrack from the start of the season, when I hadn’t been on the road as much, to later in the season when I had been. I was just faster in general, across all sections. This really shouldn’t come as a shock because, in essence, I’ve just stated that getting in better shape means that you’re in better shape. But because the riding was so available and so easy (in terms of not getting beat up by the ride), I was able to knock out so, so many more miles in a short timeframe.
The fitness aspect is almost enough to keep me coming back by itself, really. Even if I wasn’t planning on trying to expand my racing efforts, being able to do something enjoyable and derive a significant health benefit from it is very much having your cake and eating it, too.
Enjoyment
Prior to this year, I had never thought much about this because there wasn’t a reason to think about it. I just really enjoy being on a bike, and the type of bike doesn’t matter so much. I had gotten caught up thinking that I had to push myself to get to singletrack constantly. Often, this had the effect of curtailing the amount of mileage that I would actually do because if I wasn’t able to get to the dirt, then what was the point? It was easier to stay home and do something else, while looking forward to the next time I might get on singletrack.
But giving this a chance was helpful because, to me, a road bike is enough like a mountain bike that I’m going to find some way to enjoy myself. The only requirements I appear to have are the things that make a bike, a bike.
Finally
As soon as it’s reasonably spring-like enough for me to get back on the bike without dropping a bunch of money on warm kit pieces that I won’t get much use from, I’m definitely going to be back on the pavement. Armed with knowledge about how to enjoy myself in a setting I had previously shunned is exciting because it opens up so much more opportunity to get on the bike.
And, obviously, getting on the bike is the end goal, right?
Gradually Faster 