It is hard to believe that six of us were biking in early March, yet here we were. The roads were clear, the sun was shining...all of this in early March in Canada.
It was thrilling to get back on my bike and pedal and watch the speedometer climb 32km/hr, 38km/hr and to see the sunlight snow covering the fields slowly dissolve. It was beautiful to see the farmyard laneways appear and hitherto buried machinery emerge from the snow. It was so much fun to get back on my bike, albeit not my racing bike as it is March after all.
Our lunch stop was the Ashton pub. There is nothing like cider and soup to revive ones soul. Oddly, despite the early start to my cycling season and the 6 degree temperature, it felt much warmer than many of my fall rides where my toes, fingers and knees would freeze. My last ride, in December had to be called because I honestly believed my feet would fall off in frozen slabs from my pedals. This ride was different, I could hear the cardinals calling for mates, I could hear the melting of the snowbanks and the dripping of water from the roofs. The pub is an English pub imitation, but the soup was terrific. I ordered the French onion soup and it was excellent with a hint of sherry. There is nothing quite as wonderful as warming your toes in front of a fireplace (even though it was a gas fireplace) and talking away to like minded people who took the plunge with Dave Audette.
In all, the 6 of us, Eileen, Dave, Cynthia, Michael, Steph and me rode some 68km. On the way there we battled headwinds and it was clear that my spin classes and weight lifting following my new Bible weight training for cyclists really paid off. I was stronger and faster, or at least I felt I was!
On the way back we were blessed with a glorious tailwind and I watched with delight as my speedometer rarely went below 31km.hr. Tailwinds are God's way of encouraging us to cycle in March.
Vive le Velo!
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