Come bike with me!

Happy Monday! This is the last day of my 4-day weekend, sigh.   There were a lot of great comments on yesterday’s post, so click here if you haven’t read it.  Guess we just never know until time passes whether the weight will stay off.  I think the important thing is to not become complacent.

Anyway, no gym for me today because I wanted to ride!  Not going to strength train on a heavy riding day.  I fueled up with some protein pancakes and cafe au lait.

I added 1 tsp of coconut oil to the batter to help slow down the digestion on this meal a little bit.  Then I showered and got ready to ride.  On days of a long ride, here is what I do.  First thing when I get up, I drink 2 big glasses of water.  First thing before I do anything else.  That way my body will rehydrate what it needs and get rid of the rest before I hit the trails.  Then I eat a good breakfast and let that settle for a while.  Sometimes I will have a snack if the ride is a little later in the morning, like I did today  – which was a homemade granola bar.

I rode solo today, so there are some very important things that get packed into my bike bags:

Tire repair items.  This includes the wrench if I need to remove the back tire, the tire lifters on the left (forget the real name of these, but they wedge the tire out), a spare tube, and a CO2 cartridge and nozzle.  These things are always in my front bag.

My back bag contains these items:

Okay, the helmet goes on my head, but these include sunscreen, a bottle of hand sanitizer, pain reliever, phone (very important when going alone), 2 water bottles, one of which is in my bottle cage, and a map (because I was taking a new route).

Also extremely important:

Not necessary things I bring include snacks, my camera, a brush, and a cap.

Today’s ride was to Lake George, but I went a different route, which was mostly off the path:

I was a little nervous, as the shoulder was kind of narrow for a chunk of the ride, but there was not much traffic.  I went this way to add miles onto the trip while going to the lake and because we thought it would be more flat (not).   Had a snack after mile 15:

I moved away from that trailer there as it had horse poo in it and was fragrant 😡  It was the only pull off spot, though, because of a guard rail.  This trail went up the lake on the non tourist side, so I got to see some beautiful houses and the accompanying views that they have:

Sigh… gotta start buying lottery tickets!

Reached the village after 21 miles.

Beautiful day, although there was a pretty stiff head wind, which you can see with the waves.  Americade is just getting started, which is a motorcycle haven.  I had forgotten about it.

I was the only thing on 2 wheels not powered by an engine.  Lake George gets really loud during Americade.

I had lunch of a half sandwich and a vegan tomato soup which tasted like a rich marinara sauce.  So good!

Plus a packed granola bar:

The view from my table:

(see the wind?).  After lunch, I looked at some of the landscaping:

Aliums in bloom:

Then I decided to head home, as there was some thought of rain in the forecast for later in the afternoon.  I decided to take the path back instead of the way I came.   It was like the Emerald City.

Isn’t that crazy green?  Took a breather after 30 miles:

34 miles done.  Okay, who didn’t see this coming?

This was Angel food cake yogurt topped with raspberries.  Swooooonnnn!  I almost fell out of my chair it was so good.  Surprisingly, I did not finish this.  That has never happened before, but it seemed like a bigger portion than normal and my lunch actually stuck pretty well.

After that rest, I headed home.  Is it possible to have a love affair with a pair of shoes?

If so, I am having one with my clip shoes.  I adore them.

Ride stats:

Total miles:  40.1

Top speed:  25.7 mph

Avg speed:  11.4 mph

Ride time: 3:40  hours  (not including breaks)

Calories burned:  1180

I felt great after this ride.  Not really that tired, even though the hills themselves were tiring.  No walking up any hill today!  Woo Hoo!

I munched some cashews while dinner cooked:

John grilled some chicken and caramelized some onions for dinner, so I decided to spread some laughing cow on top of the chicken and top with the onions.

So freaking good.  These were vidalia onions, too.  I wonder if I would like plain old onions caramelized or not.

What a great way to cap off my extended weekend.  Back to the grind tomorrow, though.  At least until I win that lottery 😀

Cupcake snack calling my name right now……

22 thoughts on “Come bike with me!”

  2. Kimberley

    I love all the scenery pics. Especially the Emerald City path. Just gorgeous.

    What a fun day! Great job on 40 miles. You are a machine!

    Lunch and dinner looked really great too. I don’t think I have met a caramelized onion that I didn’t love.
    .-= Kimberley´s last blog ..My Week Update # 12 and Week #23 Goals =-.

  3. julie

    I have had a long weekend too I have been off work since Thursday. Looks like you had a wonderful ride, and that picture does look like Emerald City. I spent my last day off doing a boot camp workout.. but didn’t even compare to your 40 miles on the bike. You are awesome!
    .-= julie´s last blog ..A BOOT CAM-BUTT KICKIN’ =-.

  4. Shelley B

    You are such an adventurer! I love that you pack tire-changing tools and such…I would only pack my cell phone, to call someone to come get me if my bike had a flat. No idea how to change a tire at all! That ride looked pretty spectacular, especially Emerald City!

    And way to go on not finishing the yogurt – nice intuitive eating! With frozen yogurt, I might hear my body saying “enough” but would I stop? Hmmm. Probably not, lol!

    Glad you had such a nice end to your birthday weekend. 🙂
    .-= Shelley B´s last blog ..Things That Keep Me on My Toes…Plus Mini Weekend Wrap up =-.

  5. Fran

    Lori I’m so jealous that you are able to ride in such beautiful environment. I really, reallly love it!

    Great bike ride!

  12. Susan

    You are making me miss my bike! I haven’t been able to ride it while home because of a broken chain… and now I have to wait until the end of July to get it in Toronto!! I will just live vicariously through your biking adventures, mmkay? 😉

    I’ve been eating vidalia onions lately too. They’re SO good.
    .-= Susan´s last blog ..Homemade Scones and an Awkward Flashback =-.

  13. Jody - Fit at 52

    Lori, you plan & prepare…. great & lots of good info for bike riders OR even us runners too! You had it all going! 🙂

    Those pics were absolutey amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you so much for sharing! You sure live in a beautiful area!

    Of course, the food looked good too! 🙂
    .-= Jody – Fit at 52´s last blog ..Can You Define Yourself? =-.

  14. Tish

    Love the ride re-cap. I ride, but have never learned any repair skills. If I ride alone, though, I always take my phone! You’re my riding hero, I aspire to clip on shoes, 40 mile rides, and repair kits.

  16. Joanne

    What a great ride, Lori! Terrific day! I don’t pack those repair tools in my bike bag because I wouldn’t know how to use any of them. The phone comes w/ me so I can call my “maintenance” guy 🙂 if anything should happen. But I prefer to ride with someone – I’m such a nervous rider.
    Such yummy eats. Beautiful weather. Good exercise. What a day!
    .-= Joanne´s last blog ..Layered Sunday Salad Bowl =-.

  19. cammy@TippyToeDiet

    I really *really* need to get a road ID. I keep an expired driver’s license, but it’s entirely possible the serial killer would take my bag before he disposed of my body down the ravine. 🙂

    Great ride! I’m hoping for one this afternoon (rain, rain, go away!), although mine won’t be as long or as gorgeous.
    .-= cammy@TippyToeDiet´s last blog ..What Are You Proud Of? =-.

  21. John

    You have some great scenery on your rides! I just started wearing my helmet all the time this year. Other than that I don’t take anything else with me on my rides. Looking to get a tire change bag though as I have been unlucky that way this year!

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