Midnight
Active Member
First adventure on the S40 proved to be very nice. The ride is a rails to trails route from Smyrna, Georgia to Anniston, Alabama (USA). A group of four completed the self-supported ride this year, 3 conventional bikes, 1 S40.
We rode 102 miles each way with mostly casual conversation, several stops at coffee shops etc.
Day 1 was not as pleasant as day 2 from a temperature perspective 90+* Fahrenheit with 80+% humidity.
Day 2, after an unpleasant night in the motel with tornado warnings and epic thunderstorms, was nice low 80* range and low humidity 40%.
S40 proved to be a good choice for me with minor loss in speed compared to last year on the V20c. The other three riders appreciated the increased draft as I maintained some fairly nice pulls they were happy to take advantage of.
I did have my first mishap on a recumbent. On day 2 around the 55 mile mark I encountered a flooded portion of the trail which bordered a cow pasture. From the prior nights storms, the trail had approximately 1” of water with a slime coating on the asphalt. I slowed down to travel through the 20-30 foot section - lost my front wheel about 5 feet in. Skinned up, bruised ego, but overall no issues.
Two lessons learned:
1. Unclip from pedals and extend legs as outriggers when in doubt of traction. In retrospect I suspect I moved a foot/leg causing the front wheel to turn, slide, and throw this old man to the ground.
2. Tether your cycling computer. After a self check to see if my fingers, hands, arms, feet, and legs were still attached, I noticed my Garmin computer was gone. You guessed it - tossed into the water on the high side of the trail. After a 5ish minute search I found it submerged in a couple inches of water.
Had a great time overall even with the spill and completed two 100 days feeling great.
We rode 102 miles each way with mostly casual conversation, several stops at coffee shops etc.
Day 1 was not as pleasant as day 2 from a temperature perspective 90+* Fahrenheit with 80+% humidity.
Day 2, after an unpleasant night in the motel with tornado warnings and epic thunderstorms, was nice low 80* range and low humidity 40%.
S40 proved to be a good choice for me with minor loss in speed compared to last year on the V20c. The other three riders appreciated the increased draft as I maintained some fairly nice pulls they were happy to take advantage of.
I did have my first mishap on a recumbent. On day 2 around the 55 mile mark I encountered a flooded portion of the trail which bordered a cow pasture. From the prior nights storms, the trail had approximately 1” of water with a slime coating on the asphalt. I slowed down to travel through the 20-30 foot section - lost my front wheel about 5 feet in. Skinned up, bruised ego, but overall no issues.
Two lessons learned:
1. Unclip from pedals and extend legs as outriggers when in doubt of traction. In retrospect I suspect I moved a foot/leg causing the front wheel to turn, slide, and throw this old man to the ground.
2. Tether your cycling computer. After a self check to see if my fingers, hands, arms, feet, and legs were still attached, I noticed my Garmin computer was gone. You guessed it - tossed into the water on the high side of the trail. After a 5ish minute search I found it submerged in a couple inches of water.
Had a great time overall even with the spill and completed two 100 days feeling great.
