It’s 7:53pm in the evening, thank you Lady Redundant Woman, and I’m sitting on the couch, having eaten my pizza dinner (with butter/Parmesan cheese/garlic crust – oh, sweet Baby Jesus) and having had my evening cup of coffee, and I am thoroughly content.

I went for a long (for a weeknight) ride with my friend, Chucker and it was just what the doctor and the shrink ordered.

It was a warm one today. Upper-70’s by the time I suited up and headed out the door. The wind was whipping out of the south, but I didn’t care. Sunny and upper 70’s, there’s only one bike I’m taking.

Typically speaking, I’m a speed freak, or at least my approximation of a speed freak.  I’m only so fast but I can only take so much ‘slow’.  It is what it is, I’ve simply accepted that… and my limitations. I like to go fast.

Every once in a while, though, I hit that perfect day to cruise and enjoy it, and I do. That was last night.

Tuesday night was a fast, wet, cold mess. Just gnarly. Wednesday night was the polar opposite. Warm, sunny, windy, easy and fun.

I left for Chuck’s a bit early and ended up doing a couple of laps around his subdivision till he was ready.  I very well could have just sat in his driveway and waited, or gone in and waited but we’re only going to have so many nice days before it’s time to embrace the horror and start riding the trainer.  As with any other year, I want to go into the off-season knowing I’ve ridden every last mile I could before packing it up.  I figured we’d ride at a comfortable pace, but I didn’t expect Chuck to walk out the door and announce that it’d be a sllllooooowwww day.

And slow it was.  The wind was healthy from the south in the 10-15mph range but rather than draft, with the exception of two or three miles dead into the wind, we spent 21 miles riding side-by-side talking about current events and work.  It was a perfect active recovery ride in the warm sunshine.

Chuck and I parted ways around 6:30 and I pulled into the driveway with 24.6 miles at a 17.3-mph pace.

I thoroughly enjoy this part of the season, at least when we get to ride with Michigan’s crazy weather.  All of the real hard riding is over for the year.  Now it’s just time to get a hold of the diet and enjoy the miles as they go by.  Another month and some change and we’ll be hoping for a day above freezing with no rain or snow so we can take a break from the monotony of the hamster wheel.