White Rock Lake is arguably one of the best/most popular locations to ride "inside the loop" of Dallas. In the last 20+ years that I've been on a road bike, its been my destination of choice for long, uninterrupted rides.
Back in the mid 90s, large numbers of faster cyclists would show up after work to ride a 3 mile stretch along the west side of the lake back and forth many times. This is the side that had the smooth asphalt street. There is a trail as well, but any cyclist going over 5 mph stays off of it to keep away from Grandma, skaters, joggers, dog walkers, etc.
Even the cars that drive around the lake are really nice about when and where they pass us for the most part. Half the lake is 20mph speed limit, the other half 25.
In those 20 years, I've probably done 1000-1500 laps.
And its still a nice ride, despite me knowing every turn, crack, rock and bird out there. By name.
Yesterday during my split shift I spent the afternoon getting some more laps added to my tally. Before I even left the office, I knew which direction I was going to go not out of habit, but based on wind direction. With a cold front that came through and NW winds on an overcast day, you want to be riding into the wind going north on the West side, so the trees can shield you.
After 4 laps consistently in the 30 minutes range for the 9.3 mile loop, I reversed the last of 5 and went counter-clockwise so I could finish on the smooth stretch with a (mostly) tailwind.
Not a bad ride. 47 miles, 18mph avg and met a really nice guy on my cooldown. Had a great 20 minute chat in the parking lot with him while I packed up to head homeward.
Sometimes, you just default to a ride you know by heart, sometimes you explore new ground. I'm lucky to have been able to do both this week.
Cyclist to pray for: Sherwood. Continued good things in his life.
DB
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment