Saturday was especially nice, riding into the small town of Lakefield for a cup of tea and an egg sandwich on the patio of one of my favorite cafe's to cycle to -- mostly because of it's shaded patio. I didn't quite take the rides as leisurely and was pushing myself to maintain a decent average speed. The minimum target was 19 mph and if I could get it up over 20, I'd be delighted. There was little to no wind to speak of and so while I missed out on a good tailwind to really boost up the speed, I managed to avoid suffering into a stiff breeze. In all I done 47 miles and kept it at an average of 19.7 mph finishing at a relatives cottage for a few beers and some good stake. The post-ride meal and liquid of amateur cycling champions.
Sunday I didn't get out as early as I would have liked and feeling quite lethargic I cut short a longer ride and went for one without a cafe stop. It was roads I'd been on before but a circuit I hadn't done before, but if truth be told, given the temperature and the rising humidity (it would thunder quite heavily later that night) I'm glad I didn't go a lot further. Riding in these temperatures takes a little getting used to and I'm not quite used to it in mid-late May. But it was 31 miles more than I almost talked myself into doing before giving myself a slap, throwing on the gear and getting going before my body could reject the idea further. I also kept it up over 19 mph -- 19.1 to be exact -- and felt good for it.
Shortly after it was time to pack up and head back to city life once more for another week in the office. Still, it was nice going back knowing that the whole summer and more rides like these lie ahead in the months to come.
