Humbled by the Single Speed

I am the recent owner of a single speed hardtail mountain bike.  While those non-cyclists may not understand the allure of riding with only ONE gear, I really like the simplicity, weight (light) and fact that I cannot dog it, as there's no granny gear to run to.

However, if one (read: me) is not feeling all that fresh due to a crappy night's sleep, an excess of pollen in the lungs and a 6 am riding start time, the single speed is not as fun as it usually is.  I did my regular route (the only marginally hilly trail I feel comfortable on at this point) and it took a lot more effort to keep the pedals moving.   Put simply, it was an ugly thing to watch, and I returned home exhausted and with lots more greenish yellow pollen in my mouth, nose and lungs.

I'm hoping that more sleep and some rain helps me do my new bike justice later this week.