Spring has been slower than normal this season in warming above 50°. At that temperature I might decide to go out. I had a dozen outside rides. The days start in the 20s and hours later it is in the mid 40s. Luckily we had many sunny days.

Adventures start with excitement , but there is apprehension.

I did not stop at the Prancing Pony Inn. Maybe next time.

This year has been a nice winter.  Snow and consistent cold temperatures to maintain the pond and lake ice.  This means that I did not do outside rides until February 24 and did another ride the next day.  In March the temperatures have allowed me to ride outside four days.  The forecasts indicated more outside time than inside trainer time for the remainder of the month.

Snow was still along the side of the road, but the pavement was clear of potential slippery spots. The sunshine probably saved me from adding a layer.  The wind resistant jacket is necessary. The fleece buff warms the air into my lungs.

I have a one kilometer and one mile loop that I can ride close to home.  If it is too rough to ride or I want to quit early, I have an easy ride home.  I will continue to do laps and by the end of the session I will complete hundreds of feet of climbing. The wind is part of the adjustment of riding outside.  We do not have calm spring days.

The Freway is a good way for me to travel further from home and handle more climbing.  The assist helps me heading into the headwinds.  The outside rides give me a different challenge from what I have been doing on the trainers.

The inches of snow has been melting and all those storm sewers are heading here. 

It still gets chilly when you ride in the shade or when the Sun goes behind the clouds.  I am still looking for the first buds on the trees.  Who can complain about anything?  What glorious rides!

For years I soak my oatmeal overnight and it the morning it is ready to eat. If you want to warm it up, that would be quick to do.

On a tour I like to get on the trail or road quickly. This breakfast is enough

Watching a YouTube segment the person mentioned soaking their dehydrated meal during the morning ride. At lunch is was ready to eat.

I got thinking, I bet it would also work for other items. Sure enough a search provided me with guidance for soaking ramen noodles, potato flakes, rice, barley, and quinoa . Let your imagination and appetite run wild.

Do you see some advantages?
1. Reduced fire risk
2. Food ready quickly and premixed meals
3. Meals when you run out of fuel
I am sure you could think of more.

Do your own search and you will see nice recipes out there.

I am a gear geek and I like to explore what might be good to pick up.  I put handlebar jacks on the wish list. 

Anymore, there are so many things attached to a handlebar and it is hard to stabilize your bike to make repairs out on a ride.  I do not want to take everything off before I start the repair and I do not want to damage electronic screens. I remember taking off my shoes once doing a repair and using them to raise the handlebars off the ground.  That solution was shaky at best. This product looked like something that would be helpful and could manage the heavy e-bike. 

Velcro straps  were tightened and adjust for various handlebar diameters. I was able to change the tire without any problem.  I consider these to be a good addition to my ride "take along items." I take a pump in case of a flat and now I will have the jack. 

Maybe you might have a need for these.

I remember saying this phrase during  car rides as a kid.  I remember my kids asking me the same question  decades later.  As a bike rider, I have expressed the same sentiment.  There are just some times where we want the ride to be done now. 

I have devised a training practice that helps me mentally prepare for those rides that seem to be on a hamster wheel.  This winter during your inside sessions you may want to try my cycling perseverance developer.

I enjoy watching movies, shows or YouTube while I am on the trainer. With all of these I can quickly check to see how much time is left and stop when it is done. On other rides I will set the timer for a specific ending point.

During some rides outside you do not know when the destination will come into view and you just need to keep moving those pedals to reach the end.

Watching the NFL playoffs sure makes the time pass quickly, but I have been on the trainer for an hour and now I want to quit now! Then during the fourth quarter I decided to continue until the final whistle. I said to myself , "This will be like the end of a long ride where I am not familiar with the stopping point."

Keep pedaling. Keep pedaling and you will arrive.

Since I started riding seriously in late 2010 I started to record my ride data in accordance to the calendar year.

This past year successful because I did not lose a large amount of time due to accident or injury. The key objective is to keep pedaling.

 This is last January's entries.  I like to keep track of the temperature, miles ridden, bike used, average heart rate and I will note if there is any soreness or injury.  My Strava record will show additional metrics and these are available for me to pull up when I want to see them.  The app from Road Id will keep track of my route and duration of the session.  These are also archived.

           What data do like to put in your workout log?