Gravel Therapy

It's been a stressful week of Presidential chaos. I hesitate to say that "my" candidate didn't win because I really didn't like either option. And social media has been blowing up with wailing about how crushed people are at the outcome.

Yesterday I was working from home and making good progress when a 55 degree, sunny November day spoke to me. It was time to finally go ride the gravel near my new house!

This was my first outing, but I'd already been thinking of places I wanted to explore. Since time was limited, I set off toward a known road, rather than meandering. I'll save that for this weekend.

I haven't been able to ride much with the shorter days and a busy schedule. It's been at least a couple of months since I've been on the Crux. But as soon as I was in the saddle, I knew I'd made the right call.

After only a mile or so, I could feel the stress of this week's events melting away. The sun. The sounds. The beautiful countryside in my area. They all combined in this perfect mix of gravel-induced euphoria. 

I'm so happy I discovered the joys of dirt roads. They really are gravel therapy. So much so that I'm considering selling my Giant Defy Advanced road bike and putting the money toward a custom built-for-me Seven Evergreen gravel bike. I'm already plotting the build I'd want, the options I'd add, and all that. Perhaps it's a nice fantasy. Perhaps it will become reality.

At the end of my ride, I'd logged a few miles, and shed a pile of stress. As simple reminder to get out there!

-Sean-

Simple Pleasures

The new-to-me Specialized Crux has helped me re-discover the simple pleasures of an earlier time. Of riding dirt roads just for the sheer thrill of riding. Of not seeing a car for an hour. Of the feeling that there's no place I have to be now. I'm not riding to hit a pace, or complete a road loop and beat a particular time. In short, it's like being a kid on Summer Break all over again.

I picked up a copy of Dirt Road Washtenaw over the Winter. This excellent book has lots of good advice about bikes, gear, techniques, etc. But most importantly it has an AWESOME collection of routes that really take advantage of the prettiest parts of the area. I've ridden the Liberty Loop a couple of times now and just enjoyed myself silly. Now I've got a bunch of others to explore - including the forboding Dirt Hammer route...

Thus far, I'm loving the Crux - it was a great first gravel bike. Sure, I love the idea of a Seven Cycles Evergreen built just for me, but until I hit the lottery, it ain't happening. The Crux is stable, handles great, and is very efficient. It took me a little bit to make the mental transition for the world of Shimano shifters to the SRAM Double Tap system, but I've got it now.

Yesterday I rode most of this route, though cut short by a mechanical failure that forced me to limp back to the truck (more on that in an upcoming post). I just couldn't keep the stupid grin off my face. Dirt roads are pure, simple pleasures. The scenery of Western Washtenaw is really quite stunning. And for some reason, I look up and around more when I'm on gravel -- maybe because I'm not constantly on the lookout for distracted drivers and potential road rage.

As we transition into Fall, I'm really looking forward to moving from more time on the road to more gravel. Who knows, might become a year 'round obsession!

-Sean-