March 31, 2013
14.47 miles, average speed 13.75 mph
On the first mid-50s day of 2013, I drove to downtown Aurora, parked just west of the casino and suited up. Equipment: Trek Madone 3.1 and a new Camelbak “Mule” backpack.
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| A representative sample of the Fox River Trail. Mostly straight (there are a few surprisingly curvy fun bits!) and paved. Good to excellent condition. |
Good gravy it felt wonderful to get back on the bike outside. Grinding away on a trainer in the basement is, at best, adequate preparation for real cycling. It works most of the right muscles, but it doesn’t provide the sensory input -- the sights, the sounds, the smells, the decision-making -- of actual bicycling.
I dodged a few twitterpating geese and ducks as I settled in on the northbound paved trail on the west side of the Fox River. Familiar sights greeted me along the way: the looping arches of the I-88 bridge, the North Aurora Dam.
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| On the northbound east side of the river, look for a small sign that says "Cave -->." Walk down a few steps, say hello to the old gent fishing for cats, and check out the actual cave. It ain't Mammoth Cave, but what do you want for nothin', rubber biscuit? |
I had a soda at the McDonald’s in Batavia. The Camelbak was fine, but the first tank of water tasted like plastic. I emptied the bladder and refilled it at the fast-food joint: much better. I headed back along the east side of the river. A steady supply of cool water, ever-ready via a tube on my shoulder, was very welcome. I investigated North Aurora Island Park, then headed back along the west side. All too soon, I arrived back at my car.
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| Decoration on the State Street Bridge over the (you guessed it) Fox River. |
The Camelbak is excellent -- or will be, once the water stops tasting like plastic. The backpack portion holds just the right amount of stuff: a long-shank U-lock, wallet, keys, sandwich.
Winter has not been kind to me: I was really tired after this short ride. Better start working on my stamina if I’m going to meet my goal of completing three 100-mile rides this summer!
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| 15 miles down, about a thousand to go. |
