I love/hate River Road along the Susquehanna in Lancaster County. It is impossible for me to get into any kind of rhythm while riding it. The climbs do not have any consistent grade as they pitch up and flatten out, the road must have been cow path in a previous life. When descending, your bike skitters across the frost heaved pavement creating a white knuckle descent. The flip side to this is that every ride is an adventure and sharing the experience to the newbie is priceless.
Tonight Matt and I introduced Ryan McBride to River Road. Our training ride started from Matt's house in Gordanville and we rode west to Safe Harbor park and then South on River Road. Ryan had quite the ride. An early spill off the bike knocked Ryan's rear derailleur out of whack and that took away his two easiest gears. He really missed those gears when we hit the 15% grades later in the ride. Ryan commented that this ride was full of lessons. High on this list was the importance of not using the rear brake during a high speed stop. He found out the hard way what happens when you lock up the rear wheel.... Lots of scary noises and an immediate sense of your own mortality.
Matt and I where impressed with Ryan's lack of complaining. I know those hills hurt. We rode 48 miles at an average speed just a bit under 15 mph.
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