I hated it at first. I still contend that Cleveland is one of the worst cities in the country to be single between the ages of 24-40. It being one of the poorest cities in the country dictates that people graduate from college and get the hell out to find a job. That being said, there is little for a young person to do around here.
But I did say that I hated it at first. What changed? I bought a bike and my life changed forever. Cleveland is an absolutely amazing place for cycling. Hundreds and hundreds of miles of roads that are just beautiful, have light traffic, and varied terrain. I always promised myself that when I was done with my Ironman I would go out for a few days on my old training routes with a camera. Today I went out on some of my favorite roads to share a piece of what my Ironman journey was like
Descending down into the valley on Berkshire road- the long, gradual descent:
After arriving in the valley you choose which way to start your ride. Every once in a great while, we start by crossing the bridge and going straight up out of the valley. That takes a lot of motivation because it's a killer hill. Today crossed the bridge and headed left....
I went left because I wanted to have some energy for the biggest hill of the day. My very favorite training hill, Sherman Rd. If you want a picture of the profile, it is the one I did here twice between hours 3-4
From the bottom:
Part 3 of the climb:
Part 4 of the climb:
View from the top:
Heading towards North Chagrin Reservation:
Washed Out Road. One of the only true bike paths we ride on:
This is a nice climb out of the valley
What goes up must come down!
Heading towards South Chagrin Reservation:
Time to climb out of the valley to go home:
Out of the valley heading towards the car
All of these pics were taken between North and South Chagrin Reservations, just a small fraction of the park system here. I feel so fortunate to have these roads every time I click into my pedals
:-)
7 comments:
Very nice! Can't picture the Cleveland area that way having never been there.
how could I have known you would pick Sherman Road. I cannot fathom riding up or down that on my bike. Running down it is crazy enough!
yeah, i totally miss the cleveland bike routes! new jersey isn't exactly prime biking material. enjoy...
Cleveland really does offer some of the best scenery!!!
And when you connect North Chagrin to South Chagrin to Bedford Reservation to Brecksville Res. to Mill Stream Res. to Big Creek Res to Rocky River Res. you get the Emerald Necklace of the Cleveland Metro Parks system which can be biked for a nice 100 mile ride.
Oh and don't forget the beautiful Cuyahoga Valley.
I think Cleveland is great!!! Soon you'll be able to take a trolly from University Circle into downtown and public square. Cool, no??
I've been meaning to do a photo journal of my typical Cuyahoga Valley rides for a while also. I've yet to figure out what road to take to connect S. Chagrin to N. Chagrin(I'm coming from the south). I've sent an inquiry to your e-mail :-)
I miss the riding around NE Ohio.
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