Flying Solo

Well it happened. It took longer than I would have preferred but the weather finally cooperated (for my personal preferences) and I was able to get in my first real road ride of the season. I realize I did a ride back in February but it was so cold I couldn’t feel my feet and therefore (in my opinion) it didn’t count. Today was a different story.

Unfortunately all of my usual riding companions were either out of town or already had ride plans so it was going to be me, my bike, and the road. I was okay with that because I’d be able to ride at my own pace and I could change the route if needed. After all, it was my first ride so I wasn’t sure how my legs would hold up.

I decided to ride to Spring Mills and back. It’s a relatively flat and rural route that stays in the valley and therefore is mostly guarded from the wind. There’re also no real hills or traffic to speak of so that was a plus. The afternoon temperatures were in the mid sixties and the wind was mild. Conditions were pretty ideal. I had a slight tailwind heading out so I was feeling like a rock-star. The ride back wasn’t quite as easy but it was still fun.

I ended up spending about three hours on the bike. Soon the weather will stay warm, the days will be longer, and I’ll be able to spend more days (and more hours) touring around the sweet back roads and state forest trails. It may not be the most cosmopolitan place in the land, but Central Pennsylvania is a great location to ride.