Bicycle Fun

It seems as Spring is finally here. I am so happy and it makes me want to go outside and ride my bike. Last weekend I tried riding and I only did two miles because it was so very windy, and as I was riding into the wind I was hardly moving.

Last fall I purchased a bike odometer on clearance for seven dollars and I had my brother install it last Sunday. It is a fun gadget that tells me how long I have been riding, how many miles I have gone, my average and my highest speed. It gives me a sense of accomplishment to see the odometer increasing after every ride.

Yesterday, I took a bike ride to the Hamilton Town Centre mall to purchase a gift for my nephew who turns five on Monday. It was a rather short ride of two and half miles each way but I felt good when I was done. Five miles seemed a good accomplishment after not riding at all for the last six or so months.

Today, I wanted to be lazy. I was lounging in my bed and all I wanted to do was watch TV and Internet. I just signed up for facebook and I wanted to spend some time there trying to understand the fuss. Then I looked at the widget on my laptop and it told me that it was 57 degrees outside and it was yelling at me to get up, and to go outside and ride my bike. I got off of my but and got dressed, packed up my backpack, strapped on my IPOD and headed outside.

I brought up Jamie Cullin on my IPOD and headed out with a vague idea that I might ride over to the Fishers library to pick up a book that I have on hold. I wasn't sure that I had it in me to go that far but I wanted to try. My brother lives en route to the library so I stopped by there for twenty minutes to visit with the children, rest and decide if I was going to head home or continue on my journey.

I was determined to make it to my destination, so I headed out on my bike and continued on to the library. I went inside and got my book and a couple CD to listen to and decided to reward myself for the exercise with a decadent ice cream from Handles. This is my favorite ice cream ever. It is so very rich and creamy....I am dreaming of the wonderful taste right now. I ordered peanut butter brownie in chocolate ice cream...that is what I call heaven!

The ride home was fairly uneventful and I didn't have any stops, but it was much more difficult. I was riding into the wind for most of the time, and I have to exert much more energy to keep up a steady pace. When I got home I removed some of my layers and I fell down exhausted into my bed. I couldn't even bring myself to answer the phone when it rang. I just watched Monday's episode of Dancing with the Stars until I recouped some of my energy.

These are the final statics:

I rode 16 Miles
I rode for 1:58 hours
My highest speed was 18.2 MPH (This was downhill)
My average speed was 7.8 MPH (I would like this to be higher, but he wind was kicking my but)

So where should I go next time to beat that length? If I ride near my home I like to have a destination rather than just aimlessly riding. The library was a good goal. Will I one day get all the way to Castleton and back? Time will tell!