Ride # 20: Sunday Morning

March 9, 2014, Sunday Morning, 9:30

Sunday morning can be a great time to ride, mostly because of the diminished traffic. But my druthers would be to wait until the afternoon, especially on these winter days when the mornings are cold. Today, however, prior afternoon commitments mandated that if I was going to ride it would have to be in the morning and I'd have to be back no later than 11:15.

So I layered up fairly early and got out there by 9:30. It was approaching freezing and the sun was bright in a cloudless sky and rising higher. There were plenty of patches of roadside ice splashes so I had to maintain constant alertness. No daydreaming today, it was all focus.

Opted for the suburban ramble through Lunenburg and Shirley on trusted and known toads, very deliberate. Nothing spontaneous or exploratory about today's ride, it was all matter-of-fact. I needed to put in some road work and salvage the weekend - I couldn't ride yesterday due to prior scheduled engagements. Plus, I ate and drank with abandon yesterday and woke this morning tubbed up, 3 lbs above where I'd prefer to be. NOT riding today was not an option.

Blue sky and railroad tracks

I opted for a time trial style run through Lunenburg and Shirley and it all worked out just fine. Dressed perfectly, visibility was good, traffic was light. The one small downside occurred as I reached the apex of the ride and turned to ride back. I encountered a not inconsequential headwind. That sort of sucked but there was nothing to be done but thrash forward into it.

The promise of Forward

Ride Stats: 22.6 miles (35k), 14.5 mph, about 90 minutes of saddle time. The whole ride pretty much above freezing.

Fat this morning (148.1 lbs) following yesterday's un-checked consumption (cupcakes, cake, beer, martinis, cassoulet).

No fresh road kill. Birds sighted include a murder of crows on the move; blue jays; robins; a mourning dove; juncos.