Up the Creek Without a Pedal.....

Look, I don't name them, I just ride them.

I have heard of this bike ride for years, but just between you and me, I was afraid of it.

That's right, Bragger was afraid. Of hills.

This ride takes place in the northwest corner of Georgia (can it have a northwest corner if it isn't a square state?), and while it might not be classified as being "in the mountains," it's most certainly in the foothills. And the mountains are visible. That's enough to scare me off.

I decided to do it this year with my pal Rozmo, and it may be the best ride I've done all year. It may be one of the best rides ever.

I don't say this lightly, and I don't know that I've said it about any other ride, but I would happily do this ride again tomorrow. Tomorrow.

That's still true even though getting there required getting up at 4:00 AM, driving two hours, and being on I-85, I-285, and I-75. (But not on my bicycle, thank goodness.)

The route was very well laid out, and it wound around BETWEEN the hills instead of up and down them. This ride had fewer feet of total climb than the ride I did locally last weekend. Go figure. The roads were very rural, there was little traffic, and everything was well organized. Not to mention the scenery was beautiful.

Skies were overcast most of the day, and I was afraid this morning that it would rain. I didn't even think to take a jacket with me. When I was standing in the parking lot, I felt one drop of rain fall. Two drops would have been enough to make me go home, but it was just the one, so I soldiered on.

Even though we were near the mountains, there were no tough climbs today. Gentle rollers, but nothing that came even remotely close to making me cuss. Lately I've been happy if my average is over 14 mph over the course of a long ride. Last weekend it was 14.9 on the hilly ride, and I was cooked. I had no gas left in the tank.

Today my average was 15.3, and I sang all the way home. Sang. I rode 60 miles in under 4 hours. That wouldn't be surprising on a flat ride, but in the mountains? Pardon me while I pat myself on the back.

I'm very happy I did this ride. Oh, and let me clarify. I set the alarm for 4:00 AM, but I was wide awake at 3:30. Suddenly I'm sleepy. Good night.