“H” is for….

H is for hilly. H is for hot. H is for humid. H is for headwind. H is not for Humor on this day. Steve rode 55.6 miles from Cowan Lake State Park to Chillicothe, Ohio today. While the traffic was not as a heavy, the hills and headwind especially gave him grief. Part way through his day, Steve stopped in Greenfield to do his laundry and apparently to give the atmosphere more time to heat up, he said. Because when he returned to riding, it was much hotter.

Today he shared some observations he’s made about hill-riding on a bicycle. He pines for the hills of Nebraska and Iowa because at least they cut the road through the hill. In Ohio they make the road go all the way up and over the hill without making a cut through it. It also seems to him that the hill actually gets steeper the closer he gets to the top. The downhill is too brief because he quickly has to prepare for the next uphill. While riding the hills in NE or IA, he would gradually see passing cars go out of sight, whereas in Ohio they immediately disappear from sight due to the steepness of the grade.

We’ve read accounts from other cyclists that the roads in Ohio, West Virginia, and other eastern states are actually graded more steeply than say the Rockies. Many of the roads in the Rockies were made and graded during the time of mass transit via semi-trucks hence the need for a more manageable grade. The eastern hill and mountain roads were created during earlier times typically prior to motorized travel and the need for a more friendly grade. Welcome to Ohio Steve!!

He said that he whimped out this evening and opted for an air-conditioned hotel. I told him that it is unlikely that any of us would judge him a whimp for selecting that wise option. He’s off for a much needed shower and another calorie-filled meal. ~~ Love, Diane