Yesterday I had an appointment for physical therapy (more about that later) in Wooster, Ohio. So I popped my bike onto the carrier, locked it up with a cable, and took off for my 7:30 am appointment.
My plan was to find a trail near Wooster to cure my geographic boredom. I've been doing some training rides on the Richland B&O trail near me. It is a wonderful, 18.5 mile trail that is really well-maintained that runs from Mansfield to Butler, running through Ontario, Lexington, Bellville . You can park your car at any of the trail lots and ride to the end, double back, and ride to the other end, return to your car for a 37-mile ride. It connects to the Mansfield city loop, and there are plans in the works for the park system to be connected. But repeating it over and over does get stale after a while.
So, I took my bike to Wooster. After my PT appointment, I stopped in at Panera Bread to collect my coffee-club brew, while I considered my options.
There was a group of old men (retirees?) at the next table, having coffee and discussing world events from their view in Wooster, Ohio. I almost jumped up to provide an alternate point of view a couple of times, but I managed to restrain myself and dedicated myself to looking up a rail-trail near Wooster. I didn't find any. So I turned on the bicycling layer in Google maps and saw a defined bike path a block away from where I was sitting. It led to a park and a big circular route.
I parked between the Children's services building and the soccer complex.
I asked a soccer mom if there was a restroom nearby, and she pointed out the field house at the other end of the complex. She offered that if the water is turned on, maybe I could fill my empty water bottles at the drinking fountain. I rode off to check it out. Turned out the restrooms were open, but drinking fountain was shut off. Probably due to Covid-19.
I noticed a bike repair station next to the trail. It looked new.
I kept riding along the paved trail. Someone had painted directional arrows on the path. So, since I wasn't really sure where I was going, I followed them. They led to a path that ran along the street. Then to a area that was under construction, and I could see that the path went on across the street.
So I hopped off my bike, crossed the boardwalk, and kept going. A rider in Spandex whizzed past me, so I guessed I was on the right path.
The path led to another park. This was the
Oak Hill park. The pavilion near the entrance had a map. My photo is poor, you can see my reflection in the glass.
A plaque on the building gave the names of several donors. I recognized the name of a local grocery store chain. The water fountains were turned off.
As soon as I entered the park, I noticed a "King of the hill" feature with a couple of benches on top. I tried to ride up, but had to dismount. The view was incredible. I felt like I could see all the way to Mansfield.
I had to dismount to go down, as I was afraid I could not make those right-angle turns at the end.
The Park was situated on a slope, so as I entered the loop, I was mostly going downhill. I knew I would pay the price on the return leg, and I was correct. I am working on my hill-climbing ability, but I am not there yet.
I saw a couple ahead of me. I called out "on your left", preparing to pass them. The girl moved to the right and the guy moved to the left. I had slowed a little, so I was able to pass between them safely. You can never depend on people knowing trail etiquette. When someone indicates they are passing, don't jump into their lane! Just keep doing whatever you are doing, move to the right a little if it is safe. I called out "ooooh-kay?" as I went past to let him know that his action had been unexpected. He yelled "Just take the whole road!" I wasn't sure if it was friendly or not!
A few minutes later I was climbing a hill and ran out of air in my lungs. So I stopped at a convenient bench to rest. The couple passed me and made a friendly remark, so I guess all was forgiven.
I returned to the park entrance and back to my car by a slightly different route. I accidently bumped my phone and ended the tracking prematurely, so there are two maps for this ride.
The total mileage was not very much, but it satisfied my need to get out of town.
So, why am I getting physical therapy? It seems that I have not been stretching properly before or after my rides and am suffering from a common cyclists' overuse injury. My quads and hamstrings have shortened in the leg with the knee replacement, which irritates the tendons and is causing tendonitis. So the physical therapist is teaching me techniques to stretch the muscles. I regret to say that if I had kept up with my yoga during the pandemic, I might have avoided this.
One other way I am branching out is that I have accepted the invitation to lead a local chapter of Women's Cycling group. There are a couple of local women I have ridden with during the last week and we have agreed to ride on Tuesdays during the day. We'll meet at the Richland B&O parking lot north of Lexington at 10:00 on Tuesdays.
Last thing. This morning I got a chance to get a few more les in before the rain. Spring is coming, trees are starting to leaf out.
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