training or riding?

I hadn't really intended to do such a long ride, but sometimes when the weather is right and your legs feel in a reasonable shape you just gotta keep it turning. Bank holiday weekend chores and weather had conspired to keep me busy or indoors but when monday showed a clear sky I had no option, a ride was on the cards. The biggest local ride of the year for me at 127km, ok not a ball buster but a reasonable amount of climbing and super sunny/windy conditions meant there was no rest for the duration.

It got me thinking though when does riding become training and vice versa, here I was essentially having a break from the everyday but working hard into the bargain, I'm not training for anything and have no goals set but still it felt good to just get out and unleash some hard miles onto the legs. Perhaps we get too bogged down in thinking about these targets and forget about the sheer beauty of just riding, be it hard or otherwise. The synergy of the human and the machine, I don't want to get all poncy and romantic here but the bicycle really is an incredible machine that can stimulate both physically and mentally, we must never forget that.

Whatever, I know I need to get some more of these under my belt it really was a blistering ride over some of my favourite roads.