About Time

So Clarksville's very first Greenway opened in late September. Yeah, seriously, way to join the greenway revolution...decades late. But hey, better late than never. The CGW (not to be confused with Clarksville Gas & Water) is only in phase 1 --which equates to some 2.5- 3.0 miles of asphalt. Right now it's barely long enough to work up a good sweat, but it already has far more potential than Ashland City's out-and-back 6 mile greenway. I'm often disappointed in greenways that lead to...nowhere. To me, these rails-to-trails projects should serve the dual function of both green space and practical green mobility. What's the use in a fancy schmancy paved path if you still have to risk your life by getting on Clarksville's mean streets to get to work/campus/pub/etc. I want a REAL greenway, the cyclist's version of a highway or parkway. I probably shouldn't judge Clarksville Greenway Phase I, but I have my suspicions that once the project is complete I will be resigned to accept it as a recreational space, and nothing more.

Rotary Ride

I expected Steve to have blogged about our first ride on our new bikes (oh yeah, Steve just had to buy a new bike too...he got the Cannondale F7) by now. But I guess I'm going to have to do that (even though he has the pics).

Anyway, we picked up Steve's bike from the local bike shop on Saturday afternoon and headed to Rotary Park to try out our new toys. It was a fun ride, but a lot of technical stuff on the trails that I didn't have to tackle at the DGD race. Rotary Park doesn't have moguls (or at least any that I found) but it did have lots of sharp switchbacks, creek crossings, and obstacles (both natural (boulders) and man-made (like, oooh, this part of the trail is really boring, lets fell a few trees here)).

Steve seemed really stoked about our latest adventure in cycling (and that excitement stayed even after taking a fall). Steve is not so much a nature-loving guy, seriously, he hates trees and flying insects and pretty much anything with more than two legs...but he's enthusiastic about our new purchases. So hopefully, despite nature, we can get out on the trail often this autumn.

Anyway, I think Rotary Park will be a good testing ground for us over the next few months. I think the trails are, for the most part, appropriate to our beginner status, but with enough difficulty that we can really grow into them. I'm looking forward to some cold-weather riding on the trails...game on!

A Champion's Bike

So you may have heard (probably multiple times if you hang around Steve) that I won a mountain bike race a few weeks ago. Okay, okay...competition was hardly of the stiff variety, but still, I finished first in the women's division. But that's not even the amazing part...I finished on a P.O.S. Walmart-special-yard-sale-find that cost all of $45 (I probably paid too much). If you've ever seen this Purple Trail Eater (as it has since been dubbed) you'd understand the enormity of my win. Anyway, ever since Steve has been insisting that a champion mountain biker needs a champion mountain bike. He's been egged on by workmate and semi-pro mtn biker, Scott McConnell (who rides for the Moots mtn bike team). It's actually been a pretty interesting dynamic that's develop between us...Steve wants to see me on a proper mtn bike but with as little financial layout as possible...Scott wants to see me on a mtn bike but wants to see Steve fork out as much money as I want him to spend on it...and me? well I just want a mtn bike that doesn't chap my ass. :)

So, after much window shopping and many test rides, I purchased my first, real, honest-to-goodness mountain bike, a Cannondale F5. It's sweeeeet...