We rented mountain bikes while we were in Maine this past week. Weather and family commitments made it so I rode only once and Thom not at all. I rode from sister's to my mom's house - 21 miles, 1680 feet of climb. They have really good pavement in Maine - it's smooth! Okay, so it's kind of chewed up on the edges from the frost, but I averaged 14.5 mph on big, knobby tires! I was amazed! There wasn't much of a breeze the day I rode and what I had was a headwind, so I figure the pavement must have made a tremendous difference. When I ride my mountain bike on the road at home, I average right around 13. The pavement looks different too. It's not as dark, I think maybe they put granite bits in it.


The ride was really pleasant, fairly shaded, gave me a good chance to look at how things have changed at home.


V.