A group of five rode from Columbia on Saturday morning. The usual band of suspects showed up but we were graced with the presence of Giuseppe Walsh. The plan was to ride from Columbia to O' Fallon. This would be something a little different with the added bonus of checking out the new O'Fallon race course.
Since this is a route we had never done before, the majority of the roads were completely new to us. There was the occasional checking of the map and few missed turns but, for the most part, everything went smoothly. One risky decision I had planned was not going climbing Imbs Station Rd. I had been looking at online maps and saw what looked like an interesting diversion. Imbs Station is a good, longish climb. The road I found was not going to be that way. The topo maps made it look steep and it did not disappoint. Even I was a little surprised when we made the left turn onto the Suikerbroodberg and looked at the road shooting up.
The trees hung close in a foreboding manner. Upward we went. Round the bend and the road only went up further. If you stayed within yourself the hill was not all that bad. It would not be fun to try and race up, though. Finally the road leveled off to reveal a big metal gate holding a large Road Closed sign.
Now that we were up on top, I did not see much point in going back down the hill and then climb back up Imbs Station. We scurried through and around the metal gate and hopped back on the bikes. The others seemed hesitant about going forward but I had looked at satellite images and was confident the road went through.
At first glance the road looked like a slightly overgrown grass path. There was a fair amount of grass but the base of the road was a combination of gravel and small cobblestones for about a half mile of fun before we reached a second gate. After the second gate we back onto paved roads. The rest of way up to O' Fallon proved to be a decent route. For the most part, roads were good and traffic was pretty light.
This new course has an interesting layout in that it loops back on itself several times. The other interesting thing is the varying surroundings and social strata. The start is nestled amongst typical subdivisions. After a few turns, you pass a new subdivision with some nouveau mansions that the owners likely can't afford. From there you pass through farmland, lower income country housing and even a slightly industrial looking area. Roads varied from wide main roads to tiny country lanes. All the while, there are lots twists and turns and little hills that are just long enough and just steep enough to make the legs burn.
The number of dogs that we encountered was a little disconcerting but hopefully they will be under control on race day. This race course is slightly reminiscent of Hillsboro-Roubaix. The hills may be a little smaller but they sting and not quite as rural but it has that same feel in that it has lots of twists and turns. Even more than Hillsboro really. There are no dramatically hard features to this course but everyone one on the ride seemed to think that there will be quite a few people that suffer and splintered pelotons.
Since this is a route we had never done before, the majority of the roads were completely new to us. There was the occasional checking of the map and few missed turns but, for the most part, everything went smoothly. One risky decision I had planned was not going climbing Imbs Station Rd. I had been looking at online maps and saw what looked like an interesting diversion. Imbs Station is a good, longish climb. The road I found was not going to be that way. The topo maps made it look steep and it did not disappoint. Even I was a little surprised when we made the left turn onto the Suikerbroodberg and looked at the road shooting up.
The trees hung close in a foreboding manner. Upward we went. Round the bend and the road only went up further. If you stayed within yourself the hill was not all that bad. It would not be fun to try and race up, though. Finally the road leveled off to reveal a big metal gate holding a large Road Closed sign.
Now that we were up on top, I did not see much point in going back down the hill and then climb back up Imbs Station. We scurried through and around the metal gate and hopped back on the bikes. The others seemed hesitant about going forward but I had looked at satellite images and was confident the road went through.
At first glance the road looked like a slightly overgrown grass path. There was a fair amount of grass but the base of the road was a combination of gravel and small cobblestones for about a half mile of fun before we reached a second gate. After the second gate we back onto paved roads. The rest of way up to O' Fallon proved to be a decent route. For the most part, roads were good and traffic was pretty light.
This new course has an interesting layout in that it loops back on itself several times. The other interesting thing is the varying surroundings and social strata. The start is nestled amongst typical subdivisions. After a few turns, you pass a new subdivision with some nouveau mansions that the owners likely can't afford. From there you pass through farmland, lower income country housing and even a slightly industrial looking area. Roads varied from wide main roads to tiny country lanes. All the while, there are lots twists and turns and little hills that are just long enough and just steep enough to make the legs burn.
The number of dogs that we encountered was a little disconcerting but hopefully they will be under control on race day. This race course is slightly reminiscent of Hillsboro-Roubaix. The hills may be a little smaller but they sting and not quite as rural but it has that same feel in that it has lots of twists and turns. Even more than Hillsboro really. There are no dramatically hard features to this course but everyone one on the ride seemed to think that there will be quite a few people that suffer and splintered pelotons.
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