Houdeshell Hell

Rick Miller put my bike through the wringer and out popped a rejuvenated cycling machine, ready for a pro, unfortunately for this bike, it's being ridden by something less than a pro.  Too bad, the luck of the draw I guess.  Rick installed new bright YELLOW brake pads and said they had better braking grab and boy do they!  Practically got thrown over the handlebars a couple of times.  He replaced the cable housings with BRIGHT WHITE and wow do they stand out now.  Replaced the tires with black Continentals, maybe they would have looked better with yellow or white sidewalls but overall, a new looking bike.  

I felt like riding the damn thing so at around 2:00pm, headed out and wound my way to Utica......what the?  Then headed further east via Bell Church and hung a right at Purity and experienced that up and down grinder and then arrived at Houdeshell, where last year, 1-2 of our more inept riders fell while riding through a gravel patch on that 20%+ grade section.  Hah, I need to check this out as the road is still on the Granville Climbing Challenge route coming up in late May.  Kind of choppy pavement but after riding a few of John Gorrilla's routes last year, not bad.  Then I approached the wall, then I saw the gravel section, then I thought about falling, then I unclipped and then I pushed my bike up the wall...... OK, need to create an alternative.  

Got onto Route 79 but did not take the Pinewood loop, instead heading straight to the market at 79/Purity.  Lots of people entering the market and coming out with cases of beer.  It being late on a Friday, I began to wonder about the wisdom of riding at this time and sure enough, after heading north on Purity, someone in a rush tried to go around me approaching the crest of a hill and there was a squeal of brakes and burning rubber but the two cars managed to avoid each other.  Turned left on Loches, eventually got onto St Joseph and finally back into Granville with 57 miles and 3900' of climbing.  Now, you may wonder, dude, you're planning to do a century tomorrow.  Yes but did you see the start time of the Buckeye game?  Anyway, still plan to do the 100, slowly.  
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