I did a 19 mile flattish ride yesterday. Today we rode 53 miles from Acton to Kimball Fruit Farm in Hollis, NH/Pepperell, MA and back. We changed up the route, especially the last 20 miles. It was really hilly; some very steep and one long one, about 2 miles of at least a 5-7% grade. All this because last we did this ride, I showed our friends a slightly different way to get back, we got lost, and this was our friend's way of fixing that! Most of the climbing was in Tyngsboro and Westford, MA, near where I lived when I first moved back here. So, unfortunately, I knew what was coming, even though my friend who planned the route didn't.
It was pretty cool out today (65). I started with arm warmers and took them off, but when we ate lunch at the farm, which is on top of a hill, we were cold. So, I put on my vest. Of course, there's a long downhill after the stop, and I was freezing again, so I had to stop and put the arm warmers on again. Then, they got pushed down when all the climbing started.
We recovered with beer, watermelon, and cheese at our friend's house, where we did the final planning for our trip to Spain next May.
It's going to be a very early start to the season next year...