Weather forecast was fantastic although a bit chilly. Low wind and no precip. Decided to wait until the temps had a chance to get out of the 30's so I launched at 10:15. The start/end is in "downtown" Taylorsville which is basically a 4-way stop and a few old buildings. The first few miles I recognized as part of another route Taylorsville route. About this time I realized I had run off without my que sheets. Not too smart for riding a route I hadn't done before and no road markings. If my Garmin quit, I would be in deep bandini relying on my phone and route memory to make it back. Hey, it was a beautiful day although a bit chilly so roll on, baby! The colder months can present a challenge on what to wear. On the longer rides, I try to target my clothes for the middle of the ride. That can make for being downright cold at the start. I started out with shorts, longsleeve baselayer undershirt, and jersey. I don't ride with gloves during the hot months, so I promptly forgot mine today. Oh well.
Not much traffic at all as I headed west. There were some good climbs and sharp, steep rollers. More so than I had thought looking at the profile of the route beforehand. A few of the roads were freshly paved. Some of the long climbs were followed with some nice decents. The only problem was several of these seemed to require a turn at the bottom or there was a stop sign. No blasting downhill. Other accounts I have read of this route highlighted how shady it is in general. I agree, but that didn't help the chill factor. I knew this was coming, but you have to ride about a mile on Hwy 27, a busy 4 lane. When I got there, I noticed it was all uphill, too. Took and extended break before setting out. There was a wide shoulder, but it had the "reminder" strips on it. I just rode over these. At my climbing speed, it wasn't too much of a problem.
Continued on through some beautiful country roads outside of Cave Spring.
Rolled into Cave Spring and went to the spring. I haven't visited Cave Spring in 10 years since Matt and I camped nearby while playing a travel ball tourney in Rome. Filled my water bottle with the spring water and took a break watching other folks fill up all sorts of jugs.
Now, I'm headed back to Taylorsville. There were some climbs, but not as many as the first half of the ride. I was glad of that as my legs did not have much left in them. I haven't been road riding lately, so I expected somewhat of a struggle. More great roads.
Made it back to Taylorsville without incident. There was some additional excitement during the ride. Polk and Floyd counties are known for free-ranging dogs. Today was no exception. A new twist was getting run by PACKS. Most were not agressive, but they were certainly big ones. One 4-pack had 2 big dogs run on both sides of me pretty close. That got my heart rate going! On my last break, I was off my bike getting ready to take a picture when I heard some leaves rustling behind me. I turned around to see 2 dogs headed for me. Please be friendly, PLEASE be friendly. Fortunately, they were. Mr Stumpy, the bassett hound, wasn't very interested in me. His friend, was all over me.
Got back to the truck, loaded up, and headed for Hometown Pizza in Rockmart where I proceeded to tear up some hot wings. A great day!
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