The path is extremely shady and flat, which is a nice change of pace compared to the hills that are all around my neighborhood. However, it flooded in the past (according to a co-worker) which caused big cracks in the pavement. I'm talking bumpy enough to stand up on the bike so your southern parts don't get banged around. The cracks would have been manageable had I not been riding Lucas' road bike for the first time. I was just trying to get use to the extra thin tires when we came upon almost a mile of these cracks. I do see myself riding this trail again and taking it further up along the lake to see what I can see.
The whole point of riding Lucas' road bike was to see if it allowed me to go much faster than my hybrid. With the triathlon five weeks away, I need to step my training up. The perk of a road bike, in addition to the thinner tire creating less friction on the road, using clip in pedals (not the cage-style ones) allows your legs to not only just push down on the pedals but pull up on them as well - that means you can go faster. I don't own cycling shoes that clip in, so I just wore regular tennis shoes. The ride went well. I was able to push my speed up to 17 mph, which is extremely difficult for me on my hybrid. I do plan to use his bike for the race and make the investment in clip in shoes also.