Biking - Relaxed 30-mile River Cruise

After several days of rain, and over a week of cold, today was the first day of a nice stretch of unseasonably warm and perfect weather. I didn't feel like tackling any monster hills just yet, so decided to bump up the mileage a little and ride from Schenectady to Amsterdam and back along the Mohawk River. The Mohawk was running high after all the rain, which added some interest to this otherwise nondescript route.

It was a little cool (50-ish) and cloudy when I left Schenectady, but the skies began to clear and eventually the sun came out full-force. I took it easy today, choosing a long-distance touring sort of pace, and used lots of gears, even on this relatively flat ride. I got in 33 miles in about 2:30, and even felt pretty fresh at that point, having expended very little real effort. I'll need to focus on getting that up to 50 miles and 4 hours in the saddle, and alternate those rides with some hills. Then I'll add the extra weight and continue both. I'm hoping to have 1,000 miles in by the end of June, and they'll need to be quality miles to prep me for the trip to follow.