I did a fully loaded training ride on May 21st. My friend Peter, his son Pruitt, and I rode the 60 mile "A.D. Ruff Loop." This is a moderately strenuous loop that starts at the Country Boy store in North Middletown, takes you past the grave site of 19th century Kentucky cyclist A.D. Ruff in Owingsville, then continues on to Mt. Sterling before heading back to North Middletown.
I got off to an inauspicious start, before I even left the house, when I somehow punctured the tube on my rear tire while trying to pump it up - the first flat I've had since last summer.
The ride itself went fairly well. The bike seemed to handle alright with the 40+ pounds of stuff on it. The first half of the ride contained a couple of fairly steep hills, especially the one on route 36 into Owingsville, but I was able to climb them with no problem. I did have to walk the bike twice later on - once when I couldn't get in the small ring - probably need to adjust the cable - and once when I decided to walk past some dogs instead of trying to outrun them.
60.29 Miles, 5:10:28 Ride Time, 12.95 Average Speed, 33.9 Maximum Speed
In North Middletown, just before starting the loop
