Cool Bike Ride & First Century for the Seven

A long day in the saddle means not much time for anything else and I'm anxious to get to other things still considering I feel approximately 2 1/2 years behind in a few areas. One day, however, did me more good than had I spent it doing anything else.

Today was the first century for my new, awesome-awesome-awesome Seven bike. It's odd that 100 miles feels almost trivial on this bike. I step on the pedals, it goes; it cruises over everything (lots of rough pavement) without notifying me of what it's dealing with at street-level; it climbs without holding back and descends with confidence. After 100 miles, my body feels good, nothing hurts. Today was a base-building ride, so I was really watching my heart rate and keeping it aerobic, so it was the kind of effort I should have been able to maintain where it comes to fitness.

At no time did I have to rearrange my hands on the handlebars or stretch in the saddle. Titanium is a very special material & having a bike that is properly engineered and made out of it is such a treat. (Not all titanium bikes in the world are awesome like Sevens & I shudder when people think all ti bikes ride similarly.) I didn't have to get used to my new bike, it was just perfect from the first moment I rode it. It didn't even occur to me until later today when asked how the bike did that it's still new and I should be paying a bit more attention to it. I still appreciate it as new, but I have an affinity/particular protectiveness of it as if it and I have done 10,000 miles together already. I believe we're nearing 700 miles and 6 weeks, though I have to check my odometer to be sure.

Here are a few pictures from today's ride. It took me down through Boston, past Harvard, then MIT (where there were students pouring out of its buildings), through Allston, across the bridge to Brookline, down through Hyde Park into JP (Jamaica Plain) through the Emerald Necklace, into the Blue Hills, back into the Blue Hills, then south through Canton into Sharon, up through Norfolk, Medfield, into Dover (ice cream stop), and as direct as possible from there to Lexington.  The day wouldn't have been complete without a post-ride Ride Studio Cafe hot chocolate for recovery & relaxation. I was lucky to make it 1/2 hr before it closed. The ice cream came when the day was hot and hot chocolate was when it was chilly. I think fall has arrived. 

Central Square - every time I'm here, I think I need to move to this bustling mini-NYC.

 MIT & too many students.

Heading over the bridge to Boston. So gorgeous.

From Jamaica Plain, entering the Emerald Necklace. Such natural beauty. The many forests I rode through were so peaceful & significantly more beautiful than this intersection.

 Beautiful park.

It was hard to capture this scene completely - bike in the foreground & Boston in the background with lots of greenery in between. Perfect combo & my favorite scene today.