Three different rides

I'm starting to rack up the miles. The past few days I've done three short rides which were each quite different.

On Saturday I was helping out Mary at Connie's Cakes. I decided to ride my bike home from the shop. It's only about 12 miles but you have to make your way through the city so it's not a real fast route. Plus I had eaten something for breakfast that didn't agree with me and that affected my performance. Plus it was really hot. Plus I had a flat tire. I rolled out all those excuses to explain why a 12 mile ride took me almost an hour and a half.

Near my parents house north of Lowell there is an old railroad bed that has been converted to the Fred Meijer Flat River Trail. It runs from Lowell to Greenville, but it's not a cycling trail yet. The ground is covered with sharp stones about the size of a child's fist. So it's a good trail to hike, not so good for mountain bikes. Mary and I gave it a try on Sunday. We only rode about a mile on the trail and then rode some dirt country roads. We got in a little over 6 miles. I'd love to try it with a fat bike.

Today I decided to do some speed training. I rode the White Pine Trail up to Rockford and back, a 15 mile round trip in just under an hour. That's a 15.5 mph average speed. That might not sound like much, but it's  my best speed so far this year. I felt like I was working pretty hard to maintain that speed, but I was able to maintain it, which I haven't been able to do yet this year. Every time I go it it seems like I get a little confidence back and a little skill returns.