40 miles – What a day to ride! The temps had dropped and we experienced a healthy North wind to start. We began riding at 1:15pm, but the temps weren’t too humid or blast-furnace hot like would normally be the case. I noticed immedately the cloudless sky and cooler feeling air as we started on A1-A, I could tell this was going to be really fun!
We were careful around the pier and beach parking area. Paddleboards, car doors, parking maneuvers and people wandering around are constant threats to riders. Once on US-1 we felt the full force of the winds we’d be facing all the way north. We rode mostly single file up the Jupiter Island road, Jessica as strong as ever into the wind riding sometimes next to me to talk. We felt some breeze relief among the homes and trees on the Island, but it was still 17-18mph all the way to Hobe Sound Beach Park. I forgot to bring a snack, but we did put an extra water bottle in one of my cages for Jessica to use. The soaking of our hair and letting the water from the shower run down the back of our neck is a good halfway point ritual. And it sets us up for a good ride back home. We are learning!
Jess said she’d be good riding the 40 miles like last weekend, so from the park we went down the tree-lined Bridge Road to the newly-completed Intracoastal Bridge. We caught the bridge up, waited and continued north on Gomez Road. This was the last real exposure to the wind. The small 1.2 mile stretch of Gomez Road was good, with us both knowing it would be time to easily enjoy a 20 mile ride home in great weather and with the wind.
The ride home was wonderful. I felt energetic and appreciative of the perfect weather and low traffic conditions. The shady areas on Jupiter Island were fun, Jessica often jumped into the front spot to pull faster than I was going. What fun riding without a cause, just for the love of cycling! On the “wind tunnel” section among the Tequesta condos, Jessica really pulled strong, having us at a high pace and average mph. She is really good on the road bike! We had a brief stop at the Tequesta Bridge, then straight up US-1 to Indiantown Road and then to the Beach Road. We ride at a great pace all the way home with Jessica delivering a good blast of speed from Donald Ross Rd back to home. We know the ride was good today since it’s the main thing we speak about on the beach afterwards. I am very content and mellowed out by the ride, it sets me into a relaxed mood for the rest of my Saturday. We agreed that today’s ride and weather were the kind you’d “order out of a catalog!”
drun4fun 