The First Bike Ride of the Year

I like to go around lakes.  Maybe its because they provide a natural loop and make it easy to plan a route.  Maybe its because they don't let me wuss out part way through a workout.  Once I'm half way around one, its not like I can take a shortcut home.  Maybe it's just because they're nice to look at.  So, I suppose I'm fortunate to live in Minnesota where you can't help but trip over one whenever you leave your front step. 

On Wednesday, I did a nice long run around Medicine Lake.  So, naturally, when I did my first outdoor ride of the year, I headed towards Lake Minnetonka.  This was just going to be enough of a ride to knock the rust off my legs and enjoy the day. 

Lake Minnetonka is popular for local cyclists.  The roads are in good shape, the shoulders are wide and drivers are fairly tolerant of cyclists sharing their asphalt.  Plus, there's no shortage of little towns where you can stretch your legs and grab a bite to eat.  I stopped in Wayzata for a couple of minutes and snagged a photo of this adventurous fellow out kite-skiing.  He was waaaaay out there, but he was hauling tail. 

Then, immediately after I snapped a photo of my kite-skiing friend, a freight train came by and blocked my view of the lake.  So, I grabbed a shot of Rusty by a melting snow bank instead.

In any event, I hopped back on the road and continued around the eastern half of the lake.  It was a nice day and there were several other cyclists out there enjoying the warm weather.  Hey, for us in Minnesota, 50 degrees IS warm weather.

After rounding the lake, I continued east towards town and then back up north to get home.  Sure, it wasn't a 6-hour ride - I'll have plenty of chances for those in a month or two - but it was great to feel the wind and see something other than the inside of my own house. 

When I got home, my bike was filthy from all of the sand and crud still out on the roads, but I didn't care.  It was totally worth it.

Eew.  Gross.