2/28 31.3 miles 2/29 40.5 miles 3/1 38.7 miles 3/2 35.3 miles 3/3 34.1 miles 3/4 34.2 miles 3/5 34.2 miles 3/6 7.4 miles Rest day! 3/7 35.6 miles 3/8 33.2 miles 3/9 Rain and rest!

So much fun on the bike these past few weeks! I forced myself to take a rest day on the 6th because I’d had 8 days straight riding 30 miles and it was a really windy day so I figured if I was due to give my legs a break best to do it on a day when riding wasn’t going to be as enjoyable. I did get in a short 7 mile ride though! Then today we had rain forecast for the whole day so I helped my dad with some shopping and took another rest. Back in the saddle tomorrow though!

I’ve been cycling almost daily since the 21st of December and starting in February my rides started to lengthen to 30+ miles with the arrival of the Rover and it’s improved battery. The longer rides have been fantastic with the exception of by butt so, I finally took the plunge and bought 2 pair of padded cycling shorts. I’m really looking forward to some increased comfort starting with a longer ride tomorrow! Planning an extension of what has become my normal 32 mile ride to 38 miles and if that goes well will do another extension to 43 miles around Lake Perry soon after. We’ve got some rain in the forecast so I may have a few shorter days but I’ve got some new rain gear arriving soon, so rainy-day riding is something I’ll be doing a lot more of.
In the past few weeks of riding I’m really taking my time with average speed per ride of 12 to 13 mph. I tend to do the 8 miles from home at PAS 2 and 3 at about 16mph as it’s the wider and well paved county road. Then the gravel and rough pavement of the next 8 miles at the slower PAS 1 and 2. This gravel road I’m riding is so fantastic I’m finding that I’m in no hurry to get through that part of the ride and just really enjoy the casual pace and quiet woods. I suspect that with that kind of riding the battery range increases dramatically as PAS 1 uses only 33 to 66 watts which equates to several extra hours of power. If I’m going slower and peddling that means a good bit of extra range. It will be interesting to see where the battery stands after 43 miles. I’m expecting that I can get 50 miles or a bit more with careful use.
In my previous post I complained a bit about the gravel being too deep on the road is it got closer to HWY BB but I’ve since found it’s really not too bad to ride. It’s not as nice as the dirt but I’ll deal with it because it’s still a decent gravel road! Plus I’ll need to get used to it if I want to extend my ride further in this direction which I do as it leads me to the additional loop around Lake Perry and some other possible routes.

One other thing to note since my last post which is that I’ve now got an occasional riding parter, Bryce who will also be helping with our Spokes and Folks group rides. Super nice guy and fun to ride with. Looking forward to more rides with him. He’s been riding around the county for several years and it’s going to be a blast riding some of his routes. There’s a lot more of Madison County to see after I spend a bit more time dipping my toes into this corner of Perry County!