BD Ride

Yesterday was ridiculous - windy, overcast and very cold - we almost expected snow. Today was the exact opposite. A little bit of breeze but out of the south and the temperature hit 74/75 by midafternoon. Was truly a perfect day for a ride and I took full advantage of it. I headed over to the west where we find the hills of the Sourlands and had a truly wonderful ride. All the trees are in bloom, the daffodils and forsythia are still in their glory and everything that is supposed to be green is following the proscribed order of things. I remember many years ago when I was approached about transferring to New York with the prospect of living in New Jersey and all I could imagine was turnpikes and oil refineries and it took quite a bit of persuasion before I decided to take a chance and accept the move. I am still a little surprised but this little state has a natural beauty, especially in the spring, that can be breathtaking. All these many years later I am glad and grateful that I can get out and enjoy it.
I had thoughts of riding my age today but alas it was not to be. I had a heavy date with a lovely women (with whom I live) for dinner and so cut it short but just a bit. I did get in my first metric century of the year with couple of miles to spare. Also climbed 4800 feet and wasted 4000 calories (all of which I'm sure were replaced at dinner tonight). Top this off with a wonderful meal and a nice wine at Princeton's best seafood restaurant with Susan and it has been a wonderful day....

More Signs of Spring in New Jersey

Gorgeous day - sunny, blue skies, but it was deceptive. I dressed for cool but it was COLD! I was thinking maybe high fifties with a little breeze - it was in fact 44 with a very cold light wind (notice how "breeze" becomes "wind" when it is cold. It did actually warm up just a bit as I moved along the roads and, of course, I generate my own heat simply by pedalling. In spite of my complaining however, it was truly a beautiful day. Last week the lawns, fields, and trees were still looking wintrish (is that a word?) but today everything is green. Trees are budding, wildflowers are all over the place and the flowering trees are all in full bloom. Even the dandelions at this early spring day are pretty impressive...and I can say that as someone who does not have to do lawn maintenance anymore. And in this Garden State one of the sure signs of spring is the farmer out on his tractor plowing and discing for the planting season - the photo above is one of several I saw today. Also of note...the tangled trees are a reminder of Hurricane Sandy. The woods on the backroads I ride are full of such scenes, some with even bigger trees.
So I still have almost two months until my ride with the XC folks but I am beginning to get serious about making sure I'm in shape to enjoy it. Today was an easy ride of 42 miles at almost 16 mph - not bad for a cold windy day.

Spring in New Jersey

Not much riding today - it is pouring down rain and promises to continue for most of the day. But yesterday and the day before were classic east coast spring days. I do believe that someone roamed through New Jersey at some point randomly dropping daffodil bulbs and planting forsythia. I went out Wednesday for ride through the Sourlands and Delaware River area and the countryside was filled with images of the beautiful spring flowers. In addition the flowering trees - cherry, pear, tulip - were in bloom as well. I could easily have stopped every few hundred yards to snap a photo. Much as we all complain about the everlasting winter the emerging life of New Jersey springtimes are worth the wait.

A Change of Scenery

At long last a day of blue skies, sunshine and only a bit of wind. And so I can replace the wintry snow photo with something much more spring-like. The roads were thick with cyclists yesterday and I was one of them. The temps were still only in the high forties but the sun was bright and warm and no clouds to dampen the heat. We actually had a couple of sunny days during the past week but with heavy duty winds, i.e. blowing up to 30 mph, not fun for a cyclist. I wasn't out more than ten minutes yesterday when I came upon a group of maybe 15-20 cyclists in a group and that to me is even more a sign of spring than the first robin. I am starting up my training agenda for my cross country completion trip in June. Even though it is a few clicks less than a thousand miles I realize that I still need to train as if I were doing the whole trip. The first day will be 96 miles with lots of climbing (who knew there were hills in Ohio?) and, of course, we get up early the next morning and do another 85 miles or so and then keep that schedule for a couple of weeks through to Boston. My goal is to get enough miles in that I can do a rehearsal century by the end of May - I will then feel ready to join with the gang in Marysville that has just come more than halfway cross country. Yesterday was good for fifty miles in under three hours so it's only fifty to go...Next will be a birthday ride in a couple of weeks: goal is 73 miles at 16 mph. Should be a piece of cake - with or without candles.