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the summer route home from work is a seasonal one. a busy four-way stop sign intersection, best handled in broad daylight, lays between destinations. it can done it at night with lights a blazing but holding back three directions of traffic at once is daunting. those moments of hesitation while guessing, guessing, guessing which one will gun it and try to beat you across are best avoided. leaving work early? yeah one can go that way. post sunset? the great white flight to the suburbs is too much to handle.

so the alternate route is taken. not really an alternate though, just the opposite direction. it's the way to take to work in the wee dark hours of the morn. thru a small town, meandering creek side road hugging the lowlands but still gaining elevation, then up into the hills for some real honest climbing.

now coming home this way yields an decent elevation loss. on the fix, it's an opportunity to work on your spin. slide front onto the nose of the saddle. slowly ramp up the rpms and lift those knees. feeling choppy? ease back a bit and relax. imagine getting your feet out of the way of the pedals at all times. stay ahead of the cranks. allow gravity do the work, you just want fluid motion.

now, as the pitch lessens, keep those rpms up. stay on top of that gear. don't mind the burn in your legs. press on. are those headlights gaining from behind? this isn't a good road for passing; too windy for a good line of sight. so instead, speed is your friend. the grade is still in your favor so use it keeping them at bay. lean into the turns. those stubby 165 mm cranks come in handy here avoiding the dreaded pedal strike while staying off the brake. go.

take the lane. small town with cross traffic approaches. switch the headlamp over to flash and direct it as needed. let'em know you're coming. keep those cranks spinning, almost there, the burn will end, hold your speed. couple more turns. breath and spin. finally take the turnoff to the side street and relax. let the legs wind down. steady breathe returns. calm cruise the rest of the way home. good to test the system every now and them.