Today is one of those days that feels as though it was made for cyclists. The sun is shining but it is not overwhelmingly hot. There is just a whisper of wind. The roads are dry. All this adds up to being a pretty darn good day to be a cyclist. No arm warmers, leg warmers, vests, rain capes or gloves are needed. It is one of those shorts, jersey, shoes, helmet, sunglasses rides. A day when it is tempting to do more – to go harder than planned.

Honestly this is what I had decided when I stepped outside. A bike perfect day like today needs more than the planned recovery ride. I wanted to ride. And I wanted to ride long. So I quietly told myself I would do just this. I wouldn’t ride hard but I’d longer than the prescribed 90 minutes.

This is where my legs took over. My heart and brain wanted to go long and far. But my legs let out a resounding “no”. Seems like I’m a bit tired today. So even though I was faced with a perfect riding day, I didn’t do it. I stuck to the plan. 90 minutes on the nose. A great 90 minutes but a long three hours or even two would have been just dandy.

Seems like the legs always know what is best. Today mine told me to take it easy. To remember the work-out schedule for Saturday and the riding planned for Sunday. Not to mention that I want to get out on my mountain bike next week for some double days and the Preston St. criterium is fast approaching. I tell you this recovery component of training really is the most challenging. It is one thing to go out and bust out intervals and ride in the rain but it is a completely another thing to not do this. To rest. To recover.

I sit here in my living room with the sunshine peeping through the windows. Maybe I could go for a mountain bike ride? And then I remember how my legs felt simply walking up the stairs. All signs of a good week of riding. Building and recovering – they really do fit together.

All this to say, it is a great day for a ride. Hopefully you can get out for a spin. It doesn’t have to be long and far. It just has to be. The more people out there on bikes enjoying the good life, the better. Not often you see people frowning and shouting while riding their bikes but seems like this is common for motorists trapped in traffic.