![hierarchyofflat-7840473](\"http:\/\/one-giant-step.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/HierarchyOfFlat.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nAlthough I\u2019m not one to usually look a gift horse in the mouth, flat is not all that it\u2019s cracked up to be.<\/p>\n
Yes, it\u2019s easier on the legs than an uphill but it doesn\u2019t offer the resting opportunities of the downhill that usually accompanies the up. Every inch of road gained must be worked for \u2013 there is not coasting, no lifting your tired, achy butt up off the seat, and no \u2018woooo-hoooing\u2019 down the other side. Every revolution counts, there is no free ride.<\/p>\n
After many hours of traversing many kilometers of flat (and not-so-flat) terrain I have developed the following Flat Dictionary:<\/p>\n
Downhill Trending Flat:\u00a0<\/strong>This is the Queen Bee of flat. Click into the highest gear and speed along the landscape feeling like Superwoman with legs of steel and a grin that can\u2019t be beat. It\u2019s almost better than downhill\u2026(1) because I didn\u2019t have to climb a hill to get it and (2) because I often don\u2019t realize it\u2019s downhill trending and I feel so strong whereas I know when we\u2019re really going downhill and just let gravity do it\u2019s thing.<\/p>\n Flat Flat:\u00a0<\/strong>True flat. Riding is easy but getting into the highest gears takes effort. We\u2019re grateful for it after an uphill section but, after a while, grow weary and miss the variety of up and down. You really can\u2019t please some people, can you?<\/p>\n Uphill Trending Flat:\u00a0<\/strong>Definitely one of the worst. I often cannot see that it is uphill trending; my legs feel like they are filled with concrete, the bike feels like it has a dead body on the back, and I\u2019m constantly downshifting in order to keep moving at a slug pace. Unlike true uphill where there is a summit to focus on and sense of success to be gained no matter how steep the hill, this flat is soul sucking, misery-inducing, and confidence-shattering. We even did one section of Uphill Trending Flat that actually appeared to be Downhill Trending \u2013 farmer fields on either side belied the truth and had me preparing for a Superwoman section\u2026only to be doubly confused as my pace slowed and my legs screamed. I had to look behind me to be sure that Jason hadn\u2019t grabbed on trying to pull me backwards. Tricky Uphill Trending Flat\u2026tricky!<\/p>\n Smooth Flat:\u00a0<\/strong>Smooth flat is where it\u2019s at. The smoother the better.<\/p>\n Tailwind Flat:\u00a0<\/strong>Nothing better than a helping hand from Mother Nature. A tailwind can make a riding day pass easily as we sail along whistling Dixie (well, not really) and enjoying the ride.<\/p>\n Headwind Flat:\u00a0<\/strong>A headwind, however, can suck the fun out of a day faster than well I-don\u2019t-know-what, but fast! It actually doesn\u2019t take much of a headwind to make a difference but if there\u2019s a storm brewing it can make riding downright nasty. Like pedalling in sand, or uphill in sand, or uphill in sand with a flat tire. Not only is the riding harder but it pretty much also heralds the oncoming rain \u2013 yay, now I\u2019m tired\u00a0and<\/em>\u00a0wet. Not my favourite.<\/p>\n Gravel Flat:\u00a0<\/strong>A tiny bit worse than Rough Pavement Flat, Gravel Flat now has small rocks to negotiate. This isn\u2019t so difficult but is wearing as the bike is a little bit less stable so it takes a little more energy to manage that dead body on the back of my bike.<\/p>\n Grassy Flat:\u00a0<\/strong>There is, of course, a whole hierarchy of Grassy Flat alone. Short grass vs long grass. Tufted grass vs carpet type grass. Fortunately we don\u2019t do much Grassy Flat riding and it\u2019s usually accompanied by beautiful country-side views so we\u2019re happy.<\/p>\n Broken Pavement Flat:\u00a0<\/strong>Another one of the worst. Broken pavement has no pattern, no defined way to tackle it, nothing to redeem it at all. It slows us down immediately. Time riding on Broken Pavement Flat is spent zigzagging across the road trying the find the smoothest route through the minefield of pot-holes and uneven surfaces.<\/p>\n Farmer Field Flat:\u00a0<\/strong>Farmer Field Flat is an amalgam of many flats. Never really flat, it\u2019s often uphill trending (are we always\u00a0<\/em>going the wrong way?) and sometimes will downhill trend. Often grassy (of the tufted variety) but sometimes there is a track of mud, hard-packed earth, or cobblestone. Usually accompanied with amazing country-side views but also with the earthy smell of cows. It is peaceful and relaxing.<\/p>\n Cobblestone Flat:\u00a0<\/strong>Sounds quaint, but it ain\u2019t. Cobblestones are tough to ride on and will slow us down faster than just about anything else as we try to find a path through that is smoothest and offers the least resistance. I love the way they look and appreciate the hardiness of the style but it is tough on the butt!!<\/p>\n Rocky Flat:\u00a0<\/strong>Rocky Flat\u2019s rocks are larger than gravel rocks. There are usually more of them but not as many as on a rocky beach. The effect is the same though \u2013 the tires must \u2018swim\u2019 through the rocks as they don\u2019t actually ride over them but sink just a little. It\u2019s tough to navigate and stay upright and, thankfully, we have so far only seen very short sections.<\/p>\n So, as you can see, the absolute best flat you could find would be downhill trending, smoooooth, and with a tailwind. That would be heaven!!<\/p>\n \u2014\u2013<\/p>\n Stay in touch by checking out the\u00a0OneGiantStep Facebook Page<\/a>! I may not post here as often as I\u2019d like but I\u2019m managing to post pictures and updates there more often.<\/p>\n<\/a>Rough Pavement Flat:\u00a0<\/strong>You know, pavement that maybe didn\u2019t have the right mix of wet to dry ingredients. The pebbles stick out and the surface is anything but smooth. Friction counts and riding on Rough Pavement Flat is more difficult than trying to determine the coefficient of friction in physics class.<\/p>\n