Yesterday was a good day on the bike. Ryan and a handful of OCC/Soupcan Racing guys were doing an OMBC (Ohio Mountain Bike Championship) race at Mohican State Park, and I rode down to see the guys at the finish. KT and Daniel also came down to see us at the finish and then go for a hike with Helena and her mom. It was the third or fourth time I've ridden to Loudonville. On previous rides I'd taken a west then south route but yesterday I decided to try a south then west route.
Just into Holmes Co., looks like the perfect candidate for a haunted house.
I road out of Wayne County on South Elyria road and continued into Holmes County until the road dead ended. Turning right, I ventured westward on some new roads. You never know which roads are paved or gravel or dirt in Holmes County. I brought a small pencil with me to make notes on my map about which roads were good.
A crowd assembled when I stopped for a "nature break" along the road.
The weather was perfect and I found some really scenic township roads. With recon data of the route and crossroads wirtten on my map, I have a good idea for a winter cross bike route on some unpaved roads. As I closed in on Wally Road, south of Loudonville, I made a wrong turn on some twisty township roads and ended up flying down a dirt/gravel road before realizing I would have to back track. When I turned around and looked at where I had come from, I had to take a picture. It looked like a farm access road.
Twice traveled.
A sunny, fall day.
After pedaling solo on lonely backroads for two hours I rolled into the campground where the mountain bike race finished. I tried to hold a track stand at the entrance to the campground while two racers passed in front of me. There was still a racer coming from my left but my track stand was at its limit. I pedaled onto the campground road and looked back to see... Ryan! He was riding on a flat rear tire as he crossed the finish line.
The Soupcan guys had fnished and the OCC guys were continuing to come in as I wandered about the finish area. Katie and Daniel had arrived and we were all taking in the spectacle. Daniel liked all the bikes but seemed a bit overwhelmed by all the activity.
As the racers continued to finish I made it around the finish area to hear the race stories from the OCC and Soupcan guys. Flat tires, exploded pedals, podium finishes, and more. I guess a good time was had by all, or at least most.
No comments:
Post a Comment