January Training

You would expect that in Pittsburgh in January the only bike training you would be doing would be inside on a trainer. Winter weather has been unseasonably warm, so I was able to ride outside both days over the weekend. I guess it's one benefit of global warming.



This gave me a good opportunity to try out the new cyclocross bike that I plan on using on the trip. I rode mostly on trails along the rivers in Pittsburgh. The trails are a mix of crushed limestone, pavement, dirt, rocks and rail bed. Some of the trails had partially buried railroad ties across them. Having rained over night on Friday and Saturday, there were uneven areas, mud and puddles. These conditions should be similar to what I will see on the trip to DC. The bike handled everything great. It would very difficult, if not impossible to tackle some of these areas on my road bike. As advertised, the new bike is as fast as a road bike, but able to handle hazards like a mountain bike.

Sunday, I rode out along trails bordering the Allegheny River. As I went out for several miles I was close to my friend and partner, Jeff Strittmatter's house. Jeff had also been looking for a new cyclocross or touring bike, so I stopped by to show him my new ride. Jeff lives up a long steep hill. The bike climbed well. The gearing was fine, perhaps not as quick as the road bike that has 9 more gears, but fine none the less. I got a chance to visit with Jeff and his wife Heather. Heather said that Jeff had her blessing to join me on the DC ride. It will be great to have company. Jeff has done a lot of biking over the years and is a bit of a shade tree bike mechanic.

I'm sure as soon as Jeff gets his new bike he will join me on weekend training rides. I'm bad at fixing flats. That's going to be his job.