Sometimes you get lucky and I got lucky today.  My scheduled workout was a long bike ride and I didn’t know where to go.  I chose to try some new roads, and my route became the nicest long ride that I have had in a very long time.

I am not sure what made me pick the particular route I chose. Riding north of my house, I just used roads that I have not ridden before.  I went somewhere new, because I have not enjoyed my usual routes recently.  This has mostly been because the roads have been in terrible shape. Lots of potholes and mostly consisting of a road surfaces, that were rough and covered in gravel.

The exact opposite was true today.  The quality of the roads was as good as it gets in Western Pennsylvania.  Most of them were really smooth and I barely saw a pothole.  In addition, there were long stretches of road that ran between trees. This provided some nice cooling shade on what was a hot day. In addition, the roads were mostly very quiet.  Very few cars passed me.

It really was the nicest long ride I have done in a very long time.  I was relaxed. I felt strong on the bike and even really enjoyed, the several punchy hills that I encountered.  The weather was hot but not oppressive.  There were lots of flowers blooming alongside the road, and I saw some great old farm buildings.

I guess I know where I will heading on my long ride next weekend.