Ride # 8: In the Sunshine

January 30, 2014

A terrific afternoon. January in Massachusetts can be so beautiful! The crisp clear blue sky, the bright sun, the dryness. Perfect for cycling!

So I managed ride # 8. This has to be a personal January record. It's because of the Crux Elite. Winter road conditions pose no anxiety or danger with the Crux. Such a stalwart & responsive instrument. I'm free to ride in conditions that I would never ride in with my road bike. And now I know that I can handle seriously cold temperatures too.

Today's ride, as sweet as it was, was crimped by the need to get back by a certain time. Work deadlines. And I was delayed getting started when I discovered my rear wheel was flat. I think I know when that happened on the last ride, I nailed a pot hole pretty good, though I made it home without a problem. But today the rear wheel was flat so I had to waste time searching for the correct size spare tube (I thought I had several but I only scared up one), then spent time changing the thing. So I knew getting underway that there'd be no spontaneous decisions to, for example, storm up to the New Hampshire border and try to eke out 30 miles before it got dark. Not today.

But the good thing about that was that I rode with purpose. Lemonstar to Shirley to Lunenburg and back. Pedaling hard most of the way. No time to stop for photos. Flat out.

Bird sightings? A hawk and a crow jousting (the hawk seemed to be harassing the crow, odd that). Then a hairy woodpecker come to light on a teenage hardwood on Benjamin Rd. No road kill.

Ride Stats: 18.82 miles (29k), 13.8 mph; approximately 1H 28M in the saddle. Wasn't nearly as cold today: upper 30s at departure and 30 degrees when I got back.