A glimpse of the future?

This summer has been a blur. 6 months ago I was riding the trainer, playing on skis and randomly getting outside for a ride. At that point summer seemed so far away. The thought of riding outside lead to 20 plus minutes to get dressed with the hopes of surviving more than an hour in the brisk cold. Now it's 5 minutes to be ready for 4-5 hour rides. As we roll towards the middle of August already I'm already starting to think about the winter. Blah.

There is still lots of riding and racing to be done, more so just riding. I admit that I love riding in the fall. Trails become colourful and yes even though there are usually random branches that are hiding under fresh fallen leaves looking for a derailleur, the same trails introduce new challenges. The roads change also, less traffic as cottagers stay home. The sun changes from melting your skin off to just hot enough to keep you an enjoyable warm.

The biggest change? Intensity, there is none. There is no scheduled time, no hill repeats, no must do's. It becomes a time to remind yourself of the simple pleasures of riding. Some random fun group rides, a ride that ends up turning into a longer or shorter ride than planned with no recourse. It's just fun. Now I'm not complaining about where I'm at at the moment. I'm currently sucking back coffee and counting the moments before I head out for a 4.5 plus hour road ride which I'm really looking forward to.

Why I'm feeling this way even though it's still August. Last night the weather just felt like fall. Cool, crisp wind. The sun was warm but not killer. No humidity. My arthritis kicked in a little. Some random fallen leaves. That smell that fall has. It felt like the end of September/October for a few moments. Of course I'm glad it's not that time already. I'm not ready for the thoughts of snow for a little while longer.

The race season always seems to be a blur, the summer always seems to be a blur. I'll admit that I'm not disappointed about skipping Kelso. I'm going to enjoy chilling around the house with tired legs this afternoon. Just enjoying the warmth of the sun. Time to get rolling.

Later