~o~
Wednesday 16th 55F/13C [8.15] The forecast said light showers and cloudy but brighter later. With a light southwesterly breeze. The sun is already trying to push through the clouds.
Up at 7am after another quiet night. No physio today due to the Easter holidays. I have to collect my tablets for my renewed prescription. Other than that I have no real obligations. Do I want a longer ride today? Where would I go?
I have decided to ride to Odense. The major city on Fyn. There are shops I want to wander about in. I have had morning coffee and made a proper lunch. While the spare battery is being topped up to 100%. I shall wear my second best bibs under my thin, cargo trousers. The temperature won't peak at 19C/66F until late afternoon.
Which leaves me wondering which jacket to wear. The Endura rain jacket is windproof enough but can get sweaty as temperatures rise. My long term [recycled] cycling jackets are beyond all help. The zips have given up after years of constant wear. Only a fool would call them "cycling smart" when viewed in a mirror.
10.40 Off we jolly well go.
15.45 67F/19C. Back from an 80km ride to Odense and back. I suffered from saddle soreness again but took breaks. Including wandering around several shops and stopping for snacks. This helped to ease the pain.
It was ironic to wait for three full changes of lights at a red traffic light. Before I was finally allowed to proceed on a green. Even the vehicular cross traffic was given a green light. While I waited [and waited] for the cycling symbol to change to green. A sign on the light supporting posts said "Thank you for cycling." Yeah right!! 😠
One could easily say that the whole of Odense is a red light district. One red light after another. Twenty minutes to travel a couple of kilometers along main roads. No traffic flow programing of the lights.
They can't install roundabouts at crossings. Most drivers don't bother to indicate at their exits. Particularly when going "straight across." They don't indicate, by law, that they are going all the way around. To take a later exit. Which is quite simply lunacy. In many cases the majority of traffic is taking that later exit. So drivers approaching the roundabout. Haven't a clue that the non-indicating car is about to swerve right across their bow! Perhaps this idiocy is really just a subtle form of traffic calming?
There were lots of flies in the air and a few butterflies too. Lots of cyclists out training. Old farts on e-bikes are largely invisible to "racing" cyclists. I don't get so much as glance my way. As they flail along on their latest, fragile, multi-thousand, carbon copy, of a real bike. Only to have the old fart pass them and quickly vanish into the distance. Or vice versa in the case of really fit cyclists!
I soon removed the Endura jacket as it quickly turned into a mobile sauna. The medium weight jumper was also removed a little later. So I was wearing only a racing jersey on my athletic top half for most of my ride. The cargo trousers remained in place. I need the pockets for my wallet and emergency bottle of nitro. My reading glasses and keys go into the back pocket of whatever I am wearing.
Ideally I'd have a small, designer handbag. Though it would be as hopeless as a musette while riding the bike. Constantly sliding off my bent back. As I arch over the non-racing, granny [handle]bars to reduce my frontal area. Anything to lower my wind resistance and drag. There's an apparel parallel in there somewhere.
Dinner was a plate full of broccoli and five fish fingers. As a perfectionist in my own kitchen I have to say that it was slightly overdone. Though still very enjoyable. I will adjust the kitchen robot's program to suit.
~o~
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