Mother's Day 40 Miler
After church, then after lunch, Hubby and I suited up for a ride. With the sun shining, which at this point is a real treat after all the gray, clouds, and rain, I said there was no way I was going to let the day pass without getting a long ride in.
Hubby rode with me to the edge of town, about 6 miles. He even kept going another quarter mile, until the wind hit us full force at a good 20 mph. At that point, he smiled and turned around, telling me to have fun. I was determined to get 40 miles in, so I continued on into the wind for another 14 miles. For this part of the ride, my average speed hovered between 14 and 16 mph, depending on windbreaks. And there weren't many of those with the fields still bare after a long winter's sleep.
At the top of one small rise, I stopped to take in a field blanketed in purple. I tried to take a picture with my phone, but the camera just couldn't do the field justice, so I just stood there, admiring the scene. On the way back, I cringed when I saw the farmer had started plowing, turning the purple flowers under.
My turnaround point was most welcomed. Though my new bike is truly awesome in so many ways, riding 20 miles into 20 mph winds is very tiring. I stopped long enough to just about drain my water bottle, then started back. My 14 mph pace very quickly became a 22.5-25 mph pace. After expending so much effort to reach the 20 miles mark, I felt huge relief at being able to just cruise along.
With the edge of town in sight, a group of motorcyclists heading out the way I had just gone passed by. The front biker waved, a huge grin on his face. I knew exactly how he felt.
Hubby rode with me to the edge of town, about 6 miles. He even kept going another quarter mile, until the wind hit us full force at a good 20 mph. At that point, he smiled and turned around, telling me to have fun. I was determined to get 40 miles in, so I continued on into the wind for another 14 miles. For this part of the ride, my average speed hovered between 14 and 16 mph, depending on windbreaks. And there weren't many of those with the fields still bare after a long winter's sleep.
At the top of one small rise, I stopped to take in a field blanketed in purple. I tried to take a picture with my phone, but the camera just couldn't do the field justice, so I just stood there, admiring the scene. On the way back, I cringed when I saw the farmer had started plowing, turning the purple flowers under.
My turnaround point was most welcomed. Though my new bike is truly awesome in so many ways, riding 20 miles into 20 mph winds is very tiring. I stopped long enough to just about drain my water bottle, then started back. My 14 mph pace very quickly became a 22.5-25 mph pace. After expending so much effort to reach the 20 miles mark, I felt huge relief at being able to just cruise along.
With the edge of town in sight, a group of motorcyclists heading out the way I had just gone passed by. The front biker waved, a huge grin on his face. I knew exactly how he felt.
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