Yeah, it's been a while...

But I have been riding...some. I've been mostly doing the commute to work and back, interrupted by frequent days on end of rain and storms. Then a cruise to the Bahamas took me off the bike for 10 days, and added some of the weight I'd been working so hard to lose (admittedly, so that I could enjoy the cruise without so much worry).

But back in Birmingham and back on the bike now for a few rides. I did 4 days of the work commute last week (Tue, Wed, Thur, and Fri). I had some vague plan to work a ride in around B's baseball practice on Saturday, but nothing concrete until Jake called me and set up a ride for early Saturday morning.

I arrived at the appointed start as the sun was coming up, and was completely unprepared for the cold morning. After JB showed up and I repaired a flat on his rear tire, we took off, and the cold became freezing. At least until the sun started shining over the ridge we were riding next to.

I was a bit curious how this ride would go. Usually Jake and JB, who are runners, very fit, and 10 years younger than me are off the front on these rides, especially the climbs. But when the road turned uphill on 25 toward Sterrett, I found myself riding away from them on the front. When we got to the final climb, up Hugh Daniels Drive, once again, riding away on the front (and the hill didn't seem quite as steep (it's 16% at the top) as it did the last time I rode it with them).

All in all, it was a good week, and I'm encouraged with where I am fitness-wise with 6 weeks to go before 3 State 3 Mountain.