The midwest is FLAT

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Ok, i just got back from a road trip through Ohio, Indianapolis Indiana, to Springfield Illinois and back.

It is FLAAAAAAAT there. :eek:
No wonder everyone there can cycle average at 20-25mph !!
(I realize there are some areas of these states that have a few hills...just not where i was!)

Speaking as a beekeeper...Talk about gazillion miles and miles of only corn and soybeans, as far as the eye could see no matter where I went. No wonder bees have a hard time finding nutritious varied forage there to survive on, and beekeepers have to feed them tankertrucks full of corn syrup to keep them from starving. CORN CORN CORN CORN CORN CORN CORN....

[Pax]

Welcome to my little corner of heaven, you were about 90 miles from me when you were in Springfield. What speed we have on the flat roads gets hammered away by never ending wind... heaven. :D

[Tri Girl]

Agreed- it may be flat, but dadnabbit- the blasted wind that blows at 15-20 mph every single day (many days much stronger than that) more than makes up for the flatness. ;)


When I ride someplace hilly and tree-lined I always think: is this better or not? I mean, with hills you always get a downhill break, with flats and wind- not so much.:cool:

[OakLeaf]

You forgot the ragweed! Corn, soybeans and ragweed!

(happy to live in the OTHER part of Ohio :D)

[indysteel]

Agreed- it may be flat, but dadnabbit- the blasted wind that blows at 15-20 mph every single day (many days much stronger than that) more than makes up for the flatness. ;)


When I ride someplace hilly and tree-lined I always think: is this better or not? I mean, with hills you always get a downhill break, with flats and wind- not so much.:cool:

I can either ride the flats just outside my door and be blasted by wind or go southwest about 20-30 miles to some horrible 15-22% plus gradient hills. Ugh. We can't win in Indiana. That said, I'd much rather ride hills than deal with the wind. If you train, you can master the hills. The wind, however, plays minds games with you no matter how used to it you are.

[Owlie]

Ok, i just got back from a road trip through Ohio, Indianapolis Indiana, to Springfield Illinois and back.

It is FLAAAAAAAT there. :eek:
No wonder everyone there can cycle average at 20-25mph !!
(I realize there are some areas of these states that have a few hills...just not where i was!)

Speaking as a beekeeper...Talk about gazillion miles and miles of only corn and soybeans, as far as the eye could see no matter where I went. No wonder bees have a hard time finding nutritious varied forage there to survive on, and beekeepers have to feed them tankertrucks full of corn syrup to keep them from starving. CORN CORN CORN CORN CORN CORN CORN....

We have hills down here. Granted, they're not what you're used to, but still, they leave me in a little pile at the top. But I hear you on the corn. And soy beans. Driving up I-71...corn...more corn...cows!...corn...soybeans...corn...corn...

[Kathi]

Yes, Glaciers have made those areas very flat. There is nothing flat about Southwestern Ohio around Cincinnati, except the Little Miami Bike Trail. Southeastern Ohio has the Appalachian Mt's. Do TRIRI (The Ride in Rural Indiana) especially, the southwestern part, or the Hilly Hundred and you will find plenty of good steep hills. Joe, the organizer of these rides, is out to prove Indiana is "not" flat.

I don't know a lot about Illinois but can tell you that around Galena it is not flat. I did a bicycle tour in that area last summer and was quite surprised how hilly it was.

I will agree I think the the hills around Cincinnati are small compared to the Rockies but there are many and I miss riding the rolling terrain in the river valleys of Ohio, Indiana and Ky.

And how can I forget? The humidity and air pollution in the Greater Cincinnati Area!

[Owlie]

There's something about being run over by a mile-high sheet of ice that tends to flatten places. :D (Of course, then it dumped some of it here...) And even the bike trail's not totally flat! It hurts more going north than south! (Though it's pretty close to flat...) The connecting trail in Lebanon has some hills. I haven't checked it out yet. On my to-do list.

Kathi, that humidity and air pollution was certainly in evidence today! At least, the humidity was. I went on a ride this morning and if I stopped for too long, my glasses fogged up!

[Pax]

Agreed- it may be flat, but dadnabbit- the blasted wind that blows at 15-20 mph every single day (many days much stronger than that) more than makes up for the flatness. ;)


When I ride someplace hilly and tree-lined I always think: is this better or not? I mean, with hills you always get a downhill break, with flats and wind- not so much.:cool:

I have a friend here who goes out to CO and does Ride the Rockies and some other ride where they ride up to Ouray, she says riding against wind non-stop makes hill a breeze for her.

[Roadtrip]

Hummm.. I think I'm in the hill over wind club here. The wind just DOSENT stop. You get to the top of the hill. You get to go down the hill. The only reward to riding in the wind is a nice tailwind the pushes you along, but you could slog along and finally get out of the headwind only to have the wind change or swirl and try and take you off your bike by gusting from the side.

My only least favorite is going uphill INTO the wind. OY.

Shannon

[OakLeaf]

There's a park near me where you can stand on top of a hill and see where the glacier stopped. It's more a diagonal across the state, from northeast to southwest.

PS to BSG - Come down here and ride Columbus Fall Challenge one time, then tell us about "a few hills." ;)

[WindingRoad]

As someone who lives in hills but goes back to IN a lot I always feel so beat up riding out in the flats! The wind is relentless! I was thinking of driving to southern IN just to get a break from it.

[Biciclista]

I think BleekerSt's hills are more like jumping jacks or pushups. you get one done and there's another and another. the downhills are so short they don't give you any respite.
now the hills we have out my way are carefully graded so they are not so horrible.
I couldn't bear your wind nor Bleek's hills. Our trade off is we didn't really get spring and we might not get summer! we have to be prepared to ride in the rain.

[Owlie]

I must say, I don't care for riding in rain. And I'll take hills over winds...except when it's like this! I think we skipped May and June and headed straight for July...

[Kathi]

Owlie, I taught in Cincinnati Public Schools for 25 years, only 2 of the 5 schools I worked in had air conditioning. I acclimated to the humidity throughout the spring so it didn't bother me so much when the summer heat and humidity hit. I found the Loveland (Little Miami Bike trail) the most comfortable on hot, humid days. However, humidity and air pollution triggers my asthma.

I too will take hills over wind. On Ride the Rockies I got blown off the road on Rabbit Ears Pass outside of Steamboat Springs. The wind caught my front wheel and I went off the road down into the woods. On the third day I had to pedal DOWNHILL into Rifle. Some of the hottest winds I've ever experienced was blowing uphill.

Cross winds literally kill me, I'm pushed around so much I feel like a drunken sailor, whereas, I'm not bothered so much by head winds.

Biciclista, for reference, Seattle reminds me a lot of Cincinnati. The terrain in the rural areas of Southwestern Ohio is dictated by the rivers and not graded so you can get some short, steep climbs out of the river valleys then rollers after rollers. Often rides start in the river valley which means you climb first to get to the nicer rolling terrain. Once you get farther north, near Dayton, the terrain begins to flatten.

[limewave]

Maybe no hills . . . but the land of the 4 head winds!

The other night I went for a ride and I felt like I was in a tornado. I kept hearing the music from the Wizard of Oz. All I needed was a basket with a little dog in it. lol.

[Catrin]

Maybe no hills . . . but the land of the 4 head winds!

The other night I went for a ride and I felt like I was in a tornado. I kept hearing the music from the Wizard of Oz. All I needed was a basket with a little dog in it. lol.

This! Where I often ride - even when they say it isn't windy IT IS. Had an awesome ride there weekend before last and found myself pedaling at 20mph - I've NEVER been able to ride that fast :D I knew it wasn't "natural" though, and on the way back I was struggling through such a strong headwind that my speed dropped <10mph - DOWNHILL. I made it though, and without falling over, so I will take it :D

[shootingstar]

Yea, the winds are more frequent here...in flat lands before the Rockies.

and we are further north than everyone who has responded here...therefore it's been cooler. Though I understand it reaches 30-35 degrees C at times in summer. It's a dry hot heat.

I'm sure Bleeker's area is like southern Ontario, hills...and humidity in the summer.

[limewave]

I had an awesome ride the other night and then I turned around to head home.

Yeah.

I had to DOWNSHIFT on a DOWN HILL the head wind was so strong. That was a new one for me.

[zoom-zoom]

Maybe no hills . . . but the land of the 4 head winds!

The other night I went for a ride and I felt like I was in a tornado. I kept hearing the music from the Wizard of Oz. All I needed was a basket with a little dog in it. lol.

Ain't this the truth! So many times we will start out with a plan to go into the wind for the first half, then turn around and have a tailwind all the way home. At least half of the time it doesn't work this way. That always stinks. :p

[Biciclista]

be careful my dear ladies, sometimes the wind IS too fierce!!

[Catrin]

I had an awesome ride the other night and then I turned around to head home.

Yeah.

I had to DOWNSHIFT on a DOWN HILL the head wind was so strong. That was a new one for me.

Yep, I've had this happen a few times this season...it is always a shock to me when it happens. I mean, I shouldn't HAVE to pedal hard to keep going downhill...but it happens :o

[Pax]

This! Where I often ride - even when they say it isn't windy IT IS. Had an awesome ride there weekend before last and found myself pedaling at 20mph - I've NEVER been able to ride that fast :D I knew it wasn't "natural" though, and on the way back I was struggling through such a strong headwind that my speed dropped <10mph - DOWNHILL. I made it though, and without falling over, so I will take it :D

My very first organized bike ride was 25 miles of non-stop headwind, I finally got off and walked to make better time. :p

[deeannef]

This happens all the time at the beach. What few hills we have in Huntington Beach, you often have to peddle downhill to keep your speed up. Another nasty thing about living by the beach is that the wind can do 180's in the afternoon. If you time and organize your ride right, you can actually go with the wind the entire ride or worse, be against the wind your entire ride.

[andtckrtoo]

Hey you could live in the Bay Area of California. We have hills. We have Mountains and we have flats. We also get wind. I did the LiveStrong 100 mile ride a few years ago and the first 50 miles were a wonderfully rolling hills through forests and the "pretty" side of Santa Clara County. The second 100 miles was flat, into a killer head wind for 20 miles. Then at mile 70 we have a 22% grade for 2 miles, a few rollers, a couple short steep climbs, then a nice down hill. Then it was rollers into the wind for the rest. I was never so happy to get off my bike!

Oh, and after all of that... I'll take mountains over wind ANY day. No questions asked. I'd rather climb 2000 feet then ride into the wind. My allergies and everything else go crazy.

[Bethany1]

Rural Nebraska..wind, hills, cows (DH almost hit one since they have free roam), deer, wild turkeys, and the scariest part are the tractors since they can drive on the highways as well.

I grew up in Columbus, OH so I know the area. Southern Ohio is very beautiful.

[Pax]

Rural Nebraska..wind, hills, cows (DH almost hit one since they have free roam), deer, wild turkeys, and the scariest part are the tractors since they can drive on the highways as well.

I grew up in Columbus, OH so I know the area. Southern Ohio is very beautiful.

Ahh yes, tractors. I just love getting stuck behind them on my motorcycle for several miles, while dirt clods bounce off my helmet. :p

[OakLeaf]

Tractors, meh. ATVs. Nothing like coming around a turn on the side of your tire and having an ATV fly out onto the road from deep woods. I'm glad someone was paying attention, because it sure wasn't her.

[Scrappy]

And the darn tornado's and crazy storms that always seem to be threatening this time of year..(especially near Ogallala, NE) But if you want hills in the midwest, find a river, you may end up with more hill than you feel like riding!

[Deborajen]

Ahh yes, tractors. I just love getting stuck behind them on my motorcycle for several miles, while dirt clods bounce off my helmet. :p

Be sure to keep your mouth closed. It might not all be dirt! :eek::D:eek:

[emily_in_nc]

Ok, i just got back from a road trip through Ohio, Indianapolis Indiana, to Springfield Illinois and back.

It is FLAAAAAAAT there. :eek:
No wonder everyone there can cycle average at 20-25mph !!
(I realize there are some areas of these states that have a few hills...just not where i was!)

Yes...they do. We rode some of the toughest, hilliest rural roads of our lives just north of Dover, Ohio last week visiting my DH's parents. I was in my 19" granny gear and could barely keep the front wheel on the pavement. Going about 3.5 mph in places up hill. Downhill, if we'd felt comfortable with the roads (turns, gravel, and the like), we could have hit 40mph, but we had to do some braking since we were not used to the roads, and there was some loose gravel here and there.

I've ridden in Vermont, upstate NY, and other places where we were actually in the mountains, and these rural Ohio hills were tougher! :eek:

[Miranda]

Funny The Wizard Of Oz was mentioned... that is my favorite movie of all times! And oh my, Toto... we have wind indeed lol.

I hate the freakin wind with a passion. When I started riding I quickly developed the habit of selecting "wind speed by hour" as my default choice on weather dot com.

I do love riding rolling hills. We have some of those crossing the line going N into MI from IN. But, I must say I do love riding and/or driving in the country with desolation with nothing but farm fields. Just miles and miles of wide open crops.

One of my routes I must take a pic of sometime and post it. Provided the home owner's don't shoot me as a stalker lol. It's the picture perfect view of the midwest. After miles of nothing but wide farm fields, there is one lone white farm house. Some silos. And a flag pole in the front yard with the American flag always out. When the color changes and it's harvest time... omg, it's SO beautiful.

It's ok... you can call me "corn-y"... ha ha ha... gues I'm a midwest girl always at heart.:p

EDIT ADD: forgot to add my hatred of humidity! just kills me and bad for the asthma. another reason I love Fall... humidity goes away... Midwest Fall colors = beatutiful.

[Pax]

Tractors, meh. ATVs. Nothing like coming around a turn on the side of your tire and having an ATV fly out onto the road from deep woods. I'm glad someone was paying attention, because it sure wasn't her.

What these "woods" you speak of?? ;)

[Miranda]

What these "woods" you speak of?? ;)

Ha ha... can not answer directly since it's not my quote... BUT... first thing that came to mind was a tree patch that you see in farm fields... sorta like an oasis in the dessert. For whatever reason the farmer doesn't use the piece of the land... and if it's near the road... could fly outta there lol. Just an image in my mind.:rolleyes:

[Bethany1]

LOL. Haven't been attacked by a ATV yet, but I'll make sure to look out for them. I had two cars go by today on each side and ate quite a bit of dust. All we have out here are loose gravel roads and dirt is just part of the delicacy of riding.

[beccaB]

A century in the Midland, Michigan area advertises that it is the flattest century ever. kinda boring, I did it once.

[FlyingScot]

The combination of hills and a headwind is what burned me in the Pelotonia last year. There were a few times I actually was being blown backward while riding uphill. It slowed me to 8mph even on the flat sections when I normally ride 14-16. Completely demoralizing. I was drafting off total strangers at one point. Fortunately they didn't seem to know what I was doing or didn't care. I think they just thought I was being nosy and wanted to hear their conversation. It totally sucked!

[Catrin]

I wimp out in the cold, and tend to push the heat a bit too much. I do, however, change where I ride in the heat. If temps =>90F then I will only go on routes where there are substantial shaded portions. Locally that means Eagle Creek Park - certainly not out in my totally unshaded corn fields ;) I find my body seems to perform far better in the heat than the cold, I just have to monitor myself and make certain my body has what it needs.

This preference for hot riding has been a surprise to me as I've never considered myself a heat lover, but on the bike it is different!

[Jo-n-NY]

Last year we did an organized ride in the Hudson Valley and I have to say that after 40 miles those hills were the worst I have done. We ended up with 75 in 90 degree temps. It was a tough ride.

Emily your post was interesting as I thought Ohio was very flat from what I hear. It just goes to show that you never know what different areas are like until you experience them.

~ JoAnn

[emily_in_nc]

Emily your post was interesting as I thought Ohio was very flat from what I hear. It just goes to show that you never know what different areas are like until you experience them.
~ JoAnn

Some parts of it are dead flat (like around Cleveland), but where we were riding was unreal hilly. Mind you, these were very much back roads, not highways, not county roads, just cut-throughs, some of which weren't even paved until recently, and most had some fresh tar and light gravel on them, so they weren't paved up to county standards. The roads had names like "blahblah Hill", so I wasn't imaginining it, and there was just one after another of them. I definitely think that ride helped me on our weekend rides back home here in NC, though. The hills around here pale in comparison. Wish I had an elevation profile of our Ohio ride!

[Owlie]

Some parts of it are dead flat (like around Cleveland), but where we were riding was unreal hilly. Mind you, these were very much back roads, not highways, not county roads, just cut-throughs, some of which weren't even paved until recently, and most had some fresh tar and light gravel on them, so they weren't paved up to county standards. The roads had names like "blahblah Hill", so I wasn't imaginining it, and there was just one after another of them. I definitely think that ride helped me on our weekend rides back home here in NC, though. The hills around here pale in comparison. Wish I had an elevation profile of our Ohio ride!

Cleveland itself (and much of the rest of the area immediately surrounding the lake) is pretty flat. Go a little bit south of Cleveland and you hit hills again, big ones in some places. (I'm thinking of Chardon and Chagrin Falls in particular. Some of them were terrifying.)

[OakLeaf]

Wish I had an elevation profile of our Ohio ride!

The worst thing about doing CFC two years ago was that the rain blanked out the barometric altimeter on my computer. So I have no elevation profile even from a ride I actually did. :mad: