A couple of you remembered I bought a bike late last summer, and have asked if I've climbed aboard this spring. The answer is "yes."
I pumped up the tires and took my first 2013 ride a little more than one week ago. By the time I put the bike away for the winter, I had increased my pace and distance a little bit. It was far, far from what the hard core riders do, but I was happy. I was concerned I lost considerable momentum over the winter and long spring, in spite of my regular gym visits.
I was pleasantly surprised at my first ride. I pulled off the same distance as I did when I peaked in November. There was one concession. I maneuvered around a hill I used to climb with ease. I probably could have pulled it, but I didn't want to take the chance.
On my second ride, I got a little closer to taking the hill. Once again, I worked my around it, in a slightly more difficult route than my first ride.
Trip three was the big one. I pulled the hill, and it wasn't all that hard. I probably could have done it on day one.
As noted here before, I joined a gym when the bike was stored for the winter. My gym routine is longer than the bike ride, but a little less intense. As it turned out, it kept me in "bike shape." I'll now alternate bike rides and gym for the rest of the summer.
After all these years, I finally broke down and bought a tube of sun screen. Heck, that stuff is expensive! I received a bad burn at a RailRiders game last month, and more redness on election day. It had to be done. Unfortunately, as soon as I bought the sun screen, the weather turned cloudy, rainy, and cold. There's plenty of sun season left.