We rolled out to a perfect morning. A mild breeze, abundant sunshine, cool but glorious temperature (54 and rising [12 C])… and we had a bit of an adventure in the works; a route I can’t remember ever having done. We had a decent group of eight for the start that ballooned to eleven before we were six miles in.

Jess and I were in a zone. We were about perfectly matched on the tandem. We’ve done well for quite some time, but this was some kind of next-level cycling. We were laughing and ribbing friends, along with taking some ribbing ourselves, and simply having an awesome time of it.

And that’s when I got to thinking about how fortunate we are to have the group of friends we do. We crunched out the miles and had our laughs, from start to finish it was as close to a perfect cycling experience as I can remember. The pace wasn’t too hot or cool. The quips were fast and witty. And the weather, well into perfect room temperature just a few miles into the ride, was perfect.

I’ve done a lot of fun things, from golf to running, but cycling with friends is simply good times and noodle salad. Literally, as good as it gets. I don’t think I stopped smiling all day long.