I rode my fixed gear for its first extended ride (I’d ridden it a couple times commuting last week). I don’t have clipless pedals for it yet so I was braking more than should be necessary on the down hills and had a hard time staying with the group on the descents. As the bike will only go as fast as my legs will go around and I didn’t really want my feet coming off the pedals and getting hit by the pedal continuing its rotation I kept it at around 25mph max.
It was a pleasant enough ride and the bike handled well on the climbs. It was an out and back route and there was a really strong headwind coming back which was a bit of a slog. You know it’s a strong wind when you’re going downhill, standing, and only doing about 8 mph.
5 miles from the finish back at the hotel there was a loud clattering from my back wheel and I stopped to investigate. I’d run over a large nail which had gotten jammed between my tire and brake and torn my tire side wall.
I got the wheel off and booted the tire with a dollar bill (with the help of Steve holding my bike while I worked and providing morale support). It all held together to get me back to the Inn and the end of a successful first day.
Faster than the girls, just …
Mileage: 61 miles
Average Speed:14 mph
Elevation Gain: 4162 ft
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