Life has been a little crazy. That’s part of the reason for not posting much recently. I needed a change. Saturdays are normally spent doing things with my wife. My wife was going to Danville to spend some time with family and wanted me along. I decided to ride there and meet her.
I had intended to leave by 4:00am. I wanted to leave myself plenty of time to get there. I’m notoriously bad at getting up in the morning, so I didn’t roll out until 6:30.
I was wearing unpadded baggy cycling shorts and a short sleeve jersey. It was a bit chilly heading out the door.
When planning a group ride, I avoid busy roads as much as possible. I enjoy riding along side other riders, and I can’t do that on the shoulder of a busy highway. This was a solo ride, so although I prefer quiet roads, I chose the busier roads when they saved distance.
Leaving Louisville was pretty tame due to the early hour on a Saturday. Once out on Rehl Rd, I saw a peacock on top of a house. I had no idea we had peacocks around this area.
It was a bit hazy in the morning, but it made for enchanting scenery.
I joined back up with Taylorsville Rd near Fisherville, and noticed this amusing sign.
I turned south on State Road 2278, which was a beautiful green tunnel.
It inspired me to attempt some nature shots.
I had to fit the bike into a shot as well.
I continued to Wilsonville where this derelict building caught my eye.
I kept reminding myself not to dawdle. I wasn’t feeling strong, and wasn’t making good time. I didn’t want to hurry, I wanted to just enjoy the ride, but I also didn’t want tension with my wife for not being on time.
I was now over three hours into the ride. I stopped to move a turtle out of the road. I saw two more turtles later.
Again, I was running behind, but the Kentucky countryside wanted to be photographed. This was Elk Creek Rd, which just was stunning overall. I didn’t take as many pictures there as I should have.
I stopped in Taylorsville to refill water and get more snacks. I quickly left town and was enjoying the countryside again.
When I first spotted this road, I thought I’d need to remember it for a future mixed-terrain ride. I love the gravelly, hilly, twisty road. Unfortunately, it’s a dead-end.
This cow was unconcerned with my presence.
There was a store stop in the tiny town of Willisburg. I guess it’s relatively well known by some cyclists. I’d never heard of it. I spotted five bikes parked along the side.
I had never heard of Kirk bicycles, but they appear to be a custom framebuilder. Check out the curvy seat stays.
This bike was an odd one. It’s a Rivendell Rambouillet. The bladed spokes and threaded to threadless stem adapter look very out of place on this bike.
The owners of these bikes were inside eating. I was in a hurry, and I’m an introvert, so I didn’t try to talk to them. I’m sure they saw me through the window taking pictures.
I grabbed more liquids and a snack and headed back out. I was definitely going to be late at this point.
Just outside of Willisburg, I ran into Perry. He’s touring the Trans-America from Virginia to Oregon. I didn’t get a picture, and I was quickly on my way again.
One of the better roads on the route was White Hall Rd. It was a wonderfully rural stretch.
I planned my route ahead of time and put it in the GPS as a series of tracks. Then it was simple to follow the line on the screen. I used RideWithGPS to plan the route. The mapping data comes from Google maps, which like all maps isn’t always correct.
I was approaching a left turn, but there was no road to turn unto. I was almost to Danville, but not having this turn meant I would be turning away from Danville, and I’d have to backtrack. It would add several miles to the ride.
At this point I called my wife to let her know I was going to be late. I was surprised to learn she hadn’t left Louisville yet, so I could still beat here there.
I continued southwest on US68 toward Perryville. This detour worked well. There was a corner store/gas station. I was feeling weak and needed food. I intended to buy more junk food, but they had real food there, made to order. It was almost like a restaurant.
I took some time to eat and drink before heading east on US150. The last stretch of road to Danville was not the most pleasant, but at that point I just wanted to arrive. I was exhausted.
I rode 94 miles for the day. It was a good day, but I was glad I could drive the truck home later.
That’s a long ride — and it looks like it was very scenic, as well. I don’t know that I’d enjoy those highways, though. Those bikes are beautiful, and they’ve got some nice baggage, too!
The Kirk is owned by one of the LBC Mad Dogs, David King.
Nice going. That looks like a great leg-stretcher. I’m inspired to plan a long one, but it seems so hard to devote an entire day (at my pace) to the bike.
I’ve heard good things about Kirk. I saw his work at the NAHBS in Austin this year, and the craftsmanship was stand-out fantastic.