Notice the W (8 miles) connects to the O (10 miles!! because of displaced retracing) at the top, rather than the bottom. This spared me 2 miles of gravel retracing on County Road 100 E, although I wouldn’t have minded them since I was on Connie, my big thick-tired steel Tour Easy, rather than Silver, my small skinny-tired aluminum Gold Rush.

As I wrote on Strava yesterday:

This is actually a really nice route, so I did it again (with a slight variation from before: see https://blog.ninapaley.com/2019/09/17/strava-vs-women/ ). This time I brought a gravel-appropriate bike. Note that Prospect, on the last leg of the “N”, is under major construction; I carefully rode along the dirt next to the partially-paved road-in-progress, but it is hazardous.

With the ride to the start and home from the finish, it’s a little more than 100 km.

Scenery and gravel on County Road 100 E, the right leg of the W.

Typical Champaign County view.

My magnificent, gravel-appropriate steed.

Road construction on Prospect, the right leg of the N. Up ahead was a lot of active heavy machinery, and a justifiably concerned worker warning me to “be careful” as I slowly pedaled along the dirt.

Related: Strava vs. Women