"Up North" For Some R&R

There was definitely a theme to this week’s rides: See the Northern Kettle Moraine! I didn’t do it consciously; it just happened. On Monday I went up the Eisenbahn State Trail to the Fond du Lac County line. On Wednesday I took the road bike up to New Fane, stopping at the mountain bike trails to see friends. On Friday I did my first full-distance Eisenbahn ride of 2016; I hadn’t gone past Campbellsport since last July. And today I played again on the roads due north of West Bend, timing things just right to ensure I got a good soaking from the rain on the way home.

It all worked out to 8 hours in the saddle, and I enjoyed taking things a little easier after consecutive weeks of 12+ hours that culminated in The Gravel Metric last Sunday. This week’s road rides were by no means slow, but they were short. I plan to stretch my legs with a longer effort tomorrow. I’m 6 weeks out from the WEMS race at Suamico, where last year I “hit the wall” 2 hours into the race. Of course, that was in May. This year the race is on July 16 and I will have a deeper well of fitness from which to draw … as long as I keep working.