Ol’ 10 Speed decided a trip into Valley Park via Marshall Road from Big Bend was in order Thursday, to check out the area in the wake of the Meramec flooding over the weekend.

Though the downhill on Marshall Road was exhilarating as usual (descents are the only place where 10 Speed’s 2&# pounds pay off) and the road at the bottom of the hill was clean as a whistle, my side trip onto the River Walk asphalt trail showed much clean-up work needs to be done.

The area around the R.C.-car race track has been transformed by sand, some of which was plowed aside to make the asphalt trail (barely) passable … for a bit. But once the trail headed into the woods along the Meramec, a giant sand dune blocked the way. 

Rather than go all cyclocross and amble over the the dune, I turned around and went back to the hill, which is 1 mile, at about 7-8 degree gradient. Ol’ 10 Speed chugged and chugged and chugged, cursing my 2&# pounds, but on the plus side, my new 12-27 cassette enabled me to make it up the hill without downshifting into the granny gear and without stopping to pass out. (Hey, if Big Magnus Backstedt of Slipstream-Chipotle can pull his behind over the mountains at the Tour de France, not-so-little ol’ me can make it up Marshall Road.)

Also on the plus side, there were no bike cats to pass me as though I was standing still (as has happened repeatedly in the past). On the downside, there seemed to be a lot of heavy equipment trucks passing me on the way up. I’m not sure whether that was because there actually was a lot of traffic, or whether it only seemed that way because it took me so long.

If it’s the former, take a peak over your shoulder now and then, and stay safe.

Other than that, kudos to Mrs. 10 Speed for sag support after knucklehead 10 Speed was caught short on spare tubes after flatting a while later in Sunset Hills atop Weber Hill Road. (Really, a flat. Not that I was gassed or anything.)

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