Bridging the Gap: Road Religion

"Holy shit."

That's what I said about sixteen times on my ride today. The reason for my excessive profanity (at least in this case) was because I decided today was the day I would finally ride my road bike again. After several months of sloth, binge eating, binge drinking, and playing on my 'cross bike, I had the craving for speed. A fresh coat of lube on the chain and some air in the tires and I jetted out the door.

Holy. Shit.

Something about riding tires that are roughly 11mm narrower and pumped to approximately 3 times the pressure makes you feel like you're flying. It was a borderline religious experience, especially since I said a little prayer every time I hung it in the corner, hoping that the road was clear of sand, salt, and the occasional hobo. Fortunately, another advantage my road bike has over my 'cross bike is the ability to actually stop or modulate my speed. I don't normally like to slow down (lactic acid is usually my own internal "brake"), but I do like the sense of security of my road calipers over the "ohshitimnotevenslowingdown"-factor of my cantis. In conclusion, I felt like I was going really fast* and I liked it.




*Feeling fast and actually being fast are two different things. The latter doesn't apply to any kind of riding that I do.