Met the guys at the cafe this morning and sucked down a coffee before heading off on the bikes. It was a bright sunny start to the day, although brisk enough at first to warrant arm warmers and two layers on top. After an hour the temp had jumped from a single digit to a very welcome 18c. Sky was blue and trees were stunning shades of yellow, orange, red, purple and green in the sunlight. It was a hard ride on a very undulating route of 40+ miles over 2 hours and the guys were on form with attacks and sprints at every opportunity. I just tucked in on the back and gave it everything I had just to keep up! I think they felt bad about shooting off on attacks with eachother but there’s nothing wrong with being the girl at the back when you’ve got a group of fit guys clad in lycra up ahead..
Posts Tagged Aiken
Knackered – With a capital N
Horse Creek Valley
Originally uploaded by Racefox
I took a wander around Horse Creek Valley in Aiken County, South Carolina today. The valley was built around the Graniteville Company which were a collection of textile plants and later became one of the largest denim producers. Following a train crash in Graniteville in 2005, the company closed down it’s manufacturing, people lost jobs and the surrounding area suffered……
Click here to view the rest of the photos I took..
Week Day Ride
Yesterday Bob and I went for a ride around Aiken. We ended up doing a 40 mile route of country roads with loooooong fast descents and looooong slow ascents. Even having lived here for several years in the past I’d never realised just how hilly Aiken is. You just don’t appreciate gradients like there are around here from the comfort of an automatic car!
The sun was shining and the breeze was a 21c warm across legs and arms – a refreshing change from the crisp and chilly early morning rides I’ve been doing lately.
We also took our cameras along – photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/foxsden/sets/72157625236177059/
Aiken, South Carolina – USA
10 years ago I lived here in this town… I spent my entire 20’s living and working here and for me it’s a place I call my second home. I did a lot of growing and learning here, Cameron was born in this area, I had great jobs but also very difficult times but I wouldn’t change a thing. The summers are blisteringly hot and humid beyond belief but this time of year is beautiful in every sense. Cool crisp mornings and evenings, bright sunny days warm enough you don’t need a coat and the air tinted with the smell of trees or horses depending which direction the wind is blowing! Down town is a grid of historic facades and massive southern style wooden houses with circular driveways and sweeping wrap around porches complete with bushy fern plants bursting from hanging baskets twitching gently in the breeze. Red dirt roads outline large green horse racing tracks and polo fields and large ancient oak trees form tunnels over the roads. Every day I’ve been out on my bike or taken off for a run around these roads and each time just stopped in various places to soak it all in.
This weekend the temperature dipped to freezing and Housemate lit a fire.. the following day I cranked out 40 miles on my bike with a couple from Nevada before stopping at the cafe in town for ice tea and a large fat blueberry muffin.
Fox's Den 