Working on the Tour Ohio course...

 Saturday, March 2, 2013

My training partner, fellow camper, and best friend, John Heer, agreed to drive me as we attempted to map out the next leg of Tour Ohio.  I’d left off 228 miles into the tour in Martin’s Ferry, but knew the next leg would be difficult because I could from google map that there was no clear choice of cycling friendly roads to follow.  I needed someone to drive so I could check maps and make notes as we went.  I also wanted John along because not only was he an avid cyclist who could offer constructive insight into course selection, he was also planning on joining me for at least some of the ride.

We arrived in Martin’s Ferry around 10 a.m. and drove to the local police station so I could get some help trying to figure out how to pick up the next leg of the journey without riding onto what appeared to be the only connector…a four lane expressway.  The police officer that came to my assistance listened to my objective for Tour Ohio and was very helpful in finding the route I needed, which turned out to be a sidewalk running alongside the expressway.  Perfect.

From Martin’s Ferry, we climbed away from the Ohio River and once again into the hills bordering West Virginia.  They all seem to be winding, steep, narrow and with pitted surfaces.  John continually expressed concerns that, if he were driving the roads and coming around one of the many hairpin turns, he’d likely hit any cyclist on the road.

“I’m thinking you’d use your lightning reflexes and swerve away from the cyclist…and through the guardrail on the other side of the road, plunging to your death in a fiery inferno that was once your car,” I said.

I could see he really was concerned and frankly, so was I.  The upside was we hardly saw any cars on the roads we were traveling and honestly, I don’t know where the greater risk is…these types of roads or much more heavily traveled ones that do have larger shoulders and better visibility.  Personally, I would take my chances on the winding back roads…and pray.

We drove all day and then backtracked on an optional route to determine if it was better.  Once back at his home and studying maps and other alternatives, we concluded that we had concluded nothing.  I suspect that what may happen is that I’ll do Tour Ohio this summer on a route that may vary in the years to come.  It is certainly my objective to create a route that circumnavigates the state, but I’m open to it morphing into something safer, more scenic and more biker friendly as I learn other options or from feedback I hope to receive from cyclists and readers of our magazine. 

I didn’t get home until 9 p.m. and by the time I’d had some dinner, was in no mood to ride the trainer.  I bagged the workout and headed to bed.  Sitting on your butt in a car all day has the strange effect of wearing me out.