Last October, Joon and I took a route over the ridge between the GyeongBu Expressway and the city of Anyang. We really liked it at the time — the fall colors were on display and the weather was right. We both wanted to see what it looked like in the spring, and it didn’t disappoint at all. Interestingly, this time it was heavily populated by other cyclists. It wasn’t in October. Maybe we set the trend last year…but I doubt it. Still, its popularity did confirm that it is indeed a beautiful climb.
Today was a little adventurous from the start. The only days I set my alarm anymore are the Saturdays on which I have to meet others early. Beyond that, I’m always up early anyway. I just want to be sure not to miss a 5:30AM start. So I set my alarm for 4:15, woke up at my usual 3 and some, decided I had a bit more time, then looked at the clock and it was 5. Whatever happened to 4:15? Turns out, I hit the plug for my Echo Dot (which I use for an alarm) and she didn’t wake me up as expected. I sent a message to Roy and Joon and begged another 15 minutes, and everything went fine from there.
Except Roy’s front tire kept feeling a bit soft, even after we stopped to add a bit of air. Turns out he was out of sealant (we all run tubeless tires), so we had to make a stop to put in a tube. It was a good learning experience for all of us…but mostly for Roy.
Other than that, the day was uneventful. The consistent joke of the day was the ubiquity of the cherry trees along the route. Seriously — 66 miles and we were only out of sight of cherry-blossom-lined paths and roads for about 5 of them. Probably less, and I’m not over-exaggerating in the slightest. I generally don’t like cherry trees. They only bloom for a week or two, then the blooms are washed off in the first rains of the year. After that, the tiny “fruit” they produce make a mess and gets stuck on your shoes and dog’s paws when you walk through them…which you have to because they line just about every street around.
But there is one nice thing about Korean spring and the cherry blossoms — other Korean blossoms come out. Lovely young Korean women dress up a bit and have their boyfriends, families, or friends take pictures among the cherry trees. Makes me smile. It really is a beautiful country, in so many ways.
Today was also my first case of “too much sun” for the season. Temps started at 39 and ended around 70 during the ride, so I was stripping layers along the way. It felt great to get down to short sleeves with about 10 miles left. A good day to be sure. I do have a bit of a burn line on each leg, and I’m worn out, but I’m satisfied and already thinking of what to do next weekend…
