Cycling in Spokane: Images from Today's Ride

It's Spring in Spokane, and in celebration of my first ride where I didn't have to deliberate whether or not to wear a ski mask, I took off riding on country roads north of the city. 70 degrees with little wind marked perfect conditions for a ride. 

This sign, and it's challenge of 15mph, marks the beginning of a fairly long, gentle climb out of the pine trees up towards open country. Smooth chip-seal roads in excellent condition were washed clear of winter gravel by recent Spring rains and only a handful of cars went by during the ride. 

A pack of turkey's ran up the hill to the right as I took this (not shown). Hawks, vultures, and all other sorts of birds were also out enjoying the weather. 

Climbing up out of the heavily-forested areas, you get a glimpse of Mt. Spokane. An ex-Pro tour rider has said that the 15 mile climb up the 4,000 foot mountain is Grand Tour level in difficulty. It's a must-do if you're in town, just make sure that your brakes are adjusted for the descent. 

Open road. 

The scenery inspired me to take a shot of my new '10 Felt B12. I've become a big advocate of using a rear 'blinky,' small flashing lights affixed to the back of the bike (attached behind the saddle). Other than that, a flat-kit carried in my jersey kept the machine looking clean. 

After the long descent down from the more open country roads, I detoured on the return trip to head up this beautiful monster. It's fairly short at just a couple hundred yards but quite steep. I've recently taken to riding up it in the aerobars as a solid time trial interval. 

A picturesque promontory marks the end of the ride.

Tips from today: 

    -Before leaving, I noticed that two of the screws on one cleat were quite loose. If they hadn't rattled when I grabbed my shoes, my foot could have easily skated off the pedals on a hard out-of-the-saddle effort and I might have ended up like this (click orange text for link). Be very paranoid cautious about ensuring all components of your bike are in working order before each ride, even obscure ones like pedal-cleat screws. It could save you from a very bad day. 

     -Before leaving, I also went through my drive train with a fine-toothed comb (actually, a toothbrush) and thoroughly cleaned my drive train. I like to clean my drive train at least once a week when riding heavily.