Two Great Bike Rides

The fantastic spring weather that started in March has been conducive to lots of cycling, moving me closer to reaching my goal of riding a century (100 miles) this year.  This year (and the end of last summer/fall) has also been great for cycling because, after years of riding by myself, I've finally met some friends who ride and are at a similar level of ability as I am.  

This past Friday, my friend Lucie and I went for a sunny, blustery afternoon/evening ride that started on the Mt. Vernon Trail, took us over Potomac River into Maryland via the Woodrow Wilson bridge, and down through National Harbor.  We also summitted a wicked long hill on the Maryland side of the bridge that really got the heart rate going on the way up and unleashed an exhilarating high on the way down, as we cruised along the path with no brakes, buffeted by the strong wind.  I clocked 25 miles for the ride!   

At National Harbor, with the river and the bridge in the background

Giggling after bonking helmets trying to take this self-portrait

The next day, Saturday, my friend Sharyn and I participated in Paul's Ride for Life, a fundraising bike ride that involved out-and-back rides along the W&OD trail, with the start/finish at the Reston Town Center in Reston, VA.  I had originally registered to ride the half-century route (actually, it was 52 miles) but the weather was very cold and overcast, threatening to rain, and given that I am generally a fair-weather cyclist, I opted for the 20-mile route instead.  Sharyn didn't mind doing the shorter distance.

Cold and clouds notwithstanding, I was grateful that it didn't rain during the ride nor was it windy.  Either of those would have made it a miserable ride.  As it was, we had a pleasant, comfortable ride on the mostly-flat trail, stopping for a snack at the rest stop at the turn-around point.

Fruit, bread, and chocolate treats at the rest stop

Our trusty bikes

I have never gotten so bundled up for a bike ride.  I wore a regular, short-sleeved jersey, topped by a light-weight long-sleeved jersey, topped by my Gortex jacket.  On the bottom, I wore my longest cycling shorts (which are still just shorts) underneath a pair of cropped-leg yoga/lounge pants.  I wish I'd had some full-fingered cycling gloves to keep my fingers warm during the ride, but otherwise, I was sufficiently insulated against the 50-degree temps.

All bundled up!

Sharyn and her awesome, retro, blue sunglasses!

This ride gets two thumbs up!

Doesn't this make you want to get on your bike (or get a bike) and go for a ride?  If it doesn't, it should!  It's the most liberating, empowering feeling in the world to know you can travel such distances on just the power of your own two legs.  

Coming soon:  I'm registering to ride 60 miles in the Bike MS ride on June 9th, which is sponsored by the National MS Society.  I have to raise $300 to participate so stay tuned for posts hitting you up for contributions.  

In the meantime, happy cycling!

You Know You're Addicted to Downton Abbey When...

What is it about British period dramas that captivates us, especially us Yankees on this side of the Atlantic? Is it the elegance of the costumes? the chivalry and manners? the grand mansions nestled in luscious, bucolic English countryside? the romanticism of a bygone age? the horses and carriages? the life of endless upper-class leisure? Do we crass, egalitarian Americans secretly yearn for the formality and hierarchy of the (not-quite-defunct) British class system portrayed in these productions? Doubtless those dreamy accents have something to do with the magnetism of the British period drama, for me anyway.

Whatever the specific appeal of these BBC programs, they've managed to hook me in (without much resistance) ever since my parents first let me watch Pride and Prejudice with them on Masterpiece Theatre when I was eight or nine years old. I had an instant crush on Mr. Darcy that endures to this day.

At the moment, it's not the romantic tension of Elizabeth and Darcy that I crave but the soap opera-esque storylines of Downton Abbey. As I've crossed the line from recreational user to full-on Downton junkie in the past couple of weeks, I've found its characters making their way into my dreams at night and its theme song on permanent repeat on the radio in my head during the day. Whatever crack-cocaine BBC uses to make this show, I want more of it!

You fellow Downton addicts will get a kick out of this parody I recently stumbled upon, "Downton Arby's." (Click this link if you can't see the video below.)

(If you haven't seen the show yet, head over to Netflix, where you can watch the first season on instant play. I promise, you won't regret it.)