In Which Companionship Makes Warm Miles Pleasant

My road bike parked on Cedar River Trail next to some decorations someone made for July 4th. Above and below.

Happy 4th of July!

I celebrated Independence Day with a traditional feast my wife prepared—bratwurst and potato salad, followed by apple pie and ice cream. It was a big meal, but I hope it was OK because it was after a long bicycle ride.

I didn’t quite achieve my original goal. I was planning to hit the road by 7 a.m., ride to Solon and get to 60 miles today.

Goal 1—uncheck. I woke up about 7:30 and was ready to hit the road by about 9 a.m. The morning was already warm, heading to a hot afternoon in the 90s, which made 60 miles a bit dicey. So, I decided that 60 miles might be a bit much for a slow, old biker.

Head to be careful in the morning passing Cedar Lake--lots of goose traffic!

View of Cedar Lake from trial on warm July 4th morning.

Accidental image made while shooting lake images.

But Solon was still there. The ride there and back would be about 50 miles.

On the way south, I heard a familiar voice. It was a neighbor of mine, a fellow biker. He was headed south too and we decided to ride together. Since I’m the slower rider, he let me set the pace.

The day was pretty, but warm and growing warmer. We got water in Ely and headed south. The trail was fairly full, but quieter south of Ely. The ride to Solon went well. At Solon, the neighbor suggested getting water at the ballpark concession stand building, which turned out to be a good move.

After eating snacks we had brought with us, we headed back towards Cedar Rapids, stopping at the ice cream shop in Ely, which was a pleasant respite on a hot day.

At the ice cream shop in Ely, a nice break on a hot summer day.

Heading home after rest at Cedar Lake, riding solo, now. Clouds  adding interest to hot summer sky.

It was pushing 2 in the afternoon. As I rode north, I started to feel a bit faded, and suggested that the neighbor could go ahead as my slow pace would only get slower.

But he said he wanted to ride with me until I was well into town, so we continued together until we got to Cedar Lake. At the park by the lake, I rested, and after making sure I was OK, he continued on.

I was OK. Despite feeling faded before, I wasn’t that many miles from home. I rested, ate my last snack, and continued home.

It was about 4 by the time I got there. If I had started my ride by 7 a.m., perhaps I would have completed 60 miles by 3 or so in the afternoon. All in all, despite not reaching my mileage goal, it was good to do a substantial ride one day after I had done a 30-mile ride Friday. The bank thermometer near my home said 93 degrees, and it sure felt like it was in that range.

I feel a little behind in training this summer, but then again, in 2020, I feel a little behind in life in general. All in all, give this messy, messed-up year, this hot day was still one of the good ones.