a reluctant ride

I have the week off -- meaning more time to ride my bike each day. Yet for some reason this morning I didn't feel like riding. It was a beautiful morning -- sunny and warm and not windy -- but I had trouble getting motivated. I put on my riding clothes, got my bike out, put on my shoes, set the GPS on my phone -- and then went back into the house. I was just about to change into regular clothing when I thought the better of it. After all, I have never regretted going for a ride. Not even the time I fell and hurt my tailbone. 

So I went back downstairs, got the bike out again and took off before I could change my mind. And of course, I'm glad I did.

I rode a total of 48.87 km, according to Map My Ride, but it was more like 51 km according to the computer on my bike. I'll settle for 50-ish.

Roller Coaster Road -- looking south

Again trying to avoid the construction on my usual road north, I started my ride by going west on the service road to Roller Coaster Road, where I turned right (north.) This road goes straight uphill to meet Lilac Lane. The irregular pavement on this road reminded me of the Fat Jiggler machine (ice) I rode on during the winter. Funny -- I had just read about how cycling on rough roads is better for osteoporosis prevention than riding on smooth pavement. I pictured a nice big addition to my bone mass as I felt my body shake.

No doubt thanks in part to the bad paving job, there is little traffic on this road and the rolling hills make it a fun ride.

Roller Coaster Road -- looking north

After this I rode on the E-W secondary highway, down the big hill and up to the top of the next hill, where the beautiful pond lies on both sides of the road. Here I turned around and rode down and then up to the top of the big hill. I try to do this hill sequence on every ride; it's a good workout and fun, too.

I rode back down towards town on Roller Coaster Road for some more fat-jiggling, bone-building action.

Maybe tomorrow I'll go back to my usual road; I'm hoping the construction is finished. And today a crew was setting up for construction on the E-W secondary highway. As one of my students loves to say, "In Edmonton there are only two seasons: winter and construction." However, I can't complain about anything in my life when I think about the people in High River and Calgary as they cope with the aftermath of the flooding.