Fantastic Ride!
Wow.
Every season the stars align and it seems everything goes right for a ride. Today was that day.
First of all, a Sunday with all sunshine and mild temps, with a bit of wind but not enough to make you fight it.
I approached today's ride in a different way. I approached today's ride as a bike rider, not a cyclist. Let me explain.
After seeing the pure joy on so many faces of people riding their bikes past my house this morning I thought I would do the same thing. Take my bike out for a ride as just a guy enjoying his bike ride, not as a cyclist.
As a cyclist it seems I am always paying attention to something or other. Heart rate, rpms, speed, saving matches in my legs, pedal motion, gearing, wind direction.
But as a bike rider I was just riding my bike looking around and taking it all in without a care in the world. The world around me was beautiful today. The Wisconsin countryside never looked more pretty.
I rode for miles today with nothing around me but farm land or horses.
I saw horses in a pasture and I saw horses being ridden by a group of girls at one point.
Within the first 10 miles of the ride I was making my way slowly up a rather long climb. I noticed a rider ahead of me on the climb. I also noticed I was starting to catch up to him and realized I would have to pass him before we got to the top.
As I pulled around the rider he mumbled out to me, "Have a good ride".
It was then that I took a look and saw it was a friend of mine from my neighborhood! If you listen to my PhilCast podcast show you know him as "Rocket Robert", who, once he realized it was me said, "Rocket Robert isn't feeling very much like a rocket right now!"
We rode together chatting for several miles. He was on his way to a small cheese shop in Zitau to pick up some cheese. I love it. A cheese run on a bike....a long ride run too!
I thought about trying it myself, but I had mapped out a new diversion on my North Loop route I wanted to try out for the first time today.
After he went left and I went straight, it was back to solo riding and taking in the sights.
The corn, I can report, is already knee high BEFORE the 4th of July in some spots.
This was bike riding.
This was simple.
This was a pleasure.
Sunday
Sunny
Sunday
No issues, just sunny miles.
This is the kind of day I will remember in the cold of December wishing it was weather like today. Man.
I got to my new diversion that I had mapped out pre-ride and guess what>
ROAD CLOSED!
Ah, the dreaded sign.
So I ended up just coming back as if it were my usual North Loop ride, but then added miles along the way with a few turns on country roads to nowhere in particular. I had setting a personal best for miles on a ride in mind already.
Saw this baby in my neighborhood, just parked. Had to stop for a picture...
And so the day ends up with a record distance for the season.
In the end I rode 42 miles today, as just a guy on his bike, not a 'cyclist'.
RIDE ROUTE
North Loop + some wandering
42.0 miles/12.5 average mph *** SEASON RECORD FOR DISTANCE ***
Sunny, 77 Wind 5-8 mph
2020 SEASON MILES
Indoor: 125.6
Outdoor: 782.8