This past Saturday I took a drive down to Farmville with my bike. I wanted to test my cycling endurance a bit with my longest ride yet: out and back to Burkeville, the eastern end of the High Bridge Trail. This was just over 30 miles and it left me a little bow-legged, even with some nice cushy chamois liners.
The trail itself leaves a lot to be desired. Don't get me wrong - the weather was gorgeous, and being outside on my bike (especially without having to dodge traffic) is better than not, but the trail isn't all that exciting. Excepting the eponymous high bridge and its views, there wasn't too much to see.
A persistent tree canopy rose over my head, just a week or so past peak fall foliage, and the path only turned occasionally. Most bewildering was the end of the trail in Burkeville - nothing but a lonely picnic table and no clear way to reach the trail directly at that end other than the trail itself!
Still, I feel a sense of accomplishment for having ridden that far. My previous longest ride was a little more than 22 miles (On a single speed! Around the city!), and I really get the effort on this one. The grade was pretty easy over the entire ride, but pedaling that long and sitting my obese frame on a bike saddle for over 3 hours was as much a mental exercise as physical.
I only wish I’d had more to photograph!