3.1 Miles, 1540 feet and a TRUCK!

[melissam]

Dang Veronica!

I knew you & Thom were in for some exciting riding when you peeled off to go up Welch Creek, but it sounds like you got more than you bargained for.

Glad you're OK!

-- Melissa

[aka_kim]

Scary! Glad you (and Thom too) are OK.

Welch Creek is pretty scary on a good day. The uphill is enough to cause a coronary, and the downhill is where I discovered that the brakes on my Kelly really don't work well at all. Add in traffic, and I think it stays off my must-do ride list.

[Bike Goddess]

Veronica - Ditto from me re your remarkable bike skills! You are one skilled and tough lady in my book!

I haven't done that road, but from what everyone says, it's one tough climb! Now it sounds like it's one tough descent as well.

Glad you made it back safely (and dry) to the car!

[Veronica]

It is a tough descent. It is so steep and curvy, you can never let up and just let the bike go because you can't see that far ahead and you really don't have your own lane to take.

Thom says he was about 15 feet behind me when we came upon the truck, so the truck had moved over to his side of the road and Thom had a reasonable amount of room. He did say that distance behind was a little too close for a descent like that because I went from 17 mph to 0 pretty fast!

I really like it (sort of) as a climb. Good news - my knee held up just fine!

V.

[RoadRaven]

What a ride, eh?
Good to hear your knee continues to behave itself

And thats one heckuvalot of climbing, way to go V&T

[jobob]

It is a tough descent. It is so steep and curvy, you can never let up and just let the bike go because you can't see that far ahead and you really don't have your own lane to take.

Hee hee. Not to mention the cows! Part of that area is cow grazing land - hence the lovely cow grates in the road.

The last (and might I say only) time I went partway up & down that road, cows were roaming about on the steep hillsides & along the ravine alongside the road, and occasionally clumsily lumbering across the road.

Lee had to hit the brakes really hard on his descent because a cow chose a particularly inopportune moment to decide to get to the other side.

Perhaps not as terrifing as a big truck, but certainly up there on the scale.

But must say it is good for honing those bike handling skills.

[Veronica]

Ahh... yes cows. There were no cows out yesterday.

One of my favorite memories of my grandmother is her wading in between the cows on their farm and just pushing them out of the way. She was trying to convince me that they weren't scary. She wasn't successful. When you're five, cows look big and scary!

V.

[Starfish]

So glad to hear you are ok. Sad to hear the truck didn't stop to check...