I am putting this post up today since I know you all enjoy my ride recaps. I will do the birthday shenanigans post on Monday.
We decided on a later start for the ride since it was just going to be a cupcake ride. I figured we could eat lunch at home and then I would have an excuse to get 2 cupcakes 😀
Breakfast was banana custard oats topped with coconut butter and peach jam.
What a yummy breakfast!
I had a chance to putter around the garden for a while and practice my guitar. Normally we are on the road by this time, so it was nice to have quiet morning.
We ate lunch. I added more carbs to fuel the ride. This sandwich is on homemade sourdough.
Then we suited up to head out. I got my bike out only to find ANOTHER FLAT TIRE!! 😡 (@#*!$@#). At this point, I really was ready to go lay down in traffic.
I took a cue from what the guys in the shop did and pulled the whole tire off. We marked the tube location, found the hole, and checked the tire. Sure enough, I found a hole in the tire with a shard of rock embedded in it. The path we were on last night had some fresh cinder put down, so I imagine that is where it came from. I put a scab on the inside of the tire and we put in a new tube. All was well. Here I am trying to be enthusiastic before starting.
Other than that, it was a fantastic day to ride! Perfect temperature. It was sunny and I used my new sunscreen. No burn today 
We took a quick stop at mile 11, where I slugged water and decided to have a date. It’s all green and pretty now.
Here is mile 15 at a traffic light.
Note the light is green. I was taking pictures and we almost missed the light!
We had a bit of tail wind and arrived in Saratoga with a pace of 13.8 miles per hour. Nice! It was time for the Lab! I ordered a guatemalen coffee and eyed the case.
Then I saw these – french macarons! I new I had to get one of those with my cupcake.
The cupcake was uber fresh and Almond Joy. Delicious! I love the buttercream here.
My macaron was pistachio.
This was seriously one of the best cookies I have ever eaten! I don’t know if it was the 21 miles I had just ridden or the fact that it was pistachio (which I love) or what. Maybe all of the above? I think it probably was a bit chewier than a macaron normally is, but I really liked it.
I am making these for Christmas!
We headed on out to home. There was a bit of a head wind, but it wasn’t enough to make me whine, so it probably wasn’t all that much. I got my second wind at mile 30 and I was raring to go! We usually stop at mile 30, but kept on going. Took a new route coming home. It goes through farm country and very beautiful. We stopped at mile 33 for these pictures and some coconut water.
The rest of the ride was nice and relaxing. At mile 42, I peeled off from John and went for a longer ride. He headed home. I wanted to round up to 50. I rode on the path. We don’t always ride on this part of the path, but it sure is pretty right now. It is on the canal and the logging companies used to float trees down the river.
Very green right now.
I hit home right about 50 miles. Good timing!
Ride stats:
Miles: 50
Ride time: 3 hours 42 minutes (not including breaks)
Average speed: 13.5 mph
Top speed 25.1 mph
Calories burned: 1456
This 50 miles was soooooo much better than last week’s 51 miles. My legs feel good. I am not quite ready for 100 miles, but I have a good base going on now.
I will see you all on the other side of 42 to 43!
Question: Have you ever had a french macaron?
Ooh glad I checked in before I leave. I guess 360 miles in a car doesn’t burn off as much as 50 miles on a bike? Darn!!! Thanks for sharing the ride and the goodies. I have had a really good macaroon before and it was chewy. I don’t think they make most of they that way any more, but I always prefer chewy.
What a great ride!!!! And the treats are delicious looking!
i’ve never had a macaroon (never really had a sweet tooth) but i used to be a baker and i always steered clear of those! for some reason french desserts intimidate me! it’s like the actualy cookies will look at me dissapprovingly! 🙂
Nice ride! I love a proper macaron, hazelnut is my favorite.
Man, those flat tires – WTF! That better not happen again to you! At least before you left!!!
OK, can I say I so want that cookie! I have not tried a fresh one like that before & I want one! Course I think I might prefer your fresh sourdough bread over that! 😉
What a beautiful ride & I hope you are having a wonderful bday today!
Looks like a wonderful ride! Riding a bike is like flying for me…becoming a child again with the freedom of the wind!
Looks like a beautiful ride! I am glad you had great weather…we woke up to an awesome thunderstorm.
I have never had a macaron…but that cupcake looks mighty good!
LOL@you wanting to get a full 50 in…I am like that with numbers too.
Hope you are having a wonderful birthday!!!
Wonderful bike ride Lori, love the pics as usual and the cupcake: delicious!
I’ve had French macarons and I love them too.
Again happy birthday my friend, I was a day early yesterday LOL
What a great ride! How are you calculating your calories burned? Are you using a HRM?
I just use my bike computer to calculate. I have my height, age, and weight in there and it tells me. However, I just use that as a guideline and not as absolute burn.
The cupcakes look like they taste like heaven and that Pistachio Macaron…WOW! My sweet tooth is having a hard attack right now 🙂
I’ve never had a macaroon before. Crazy, I know.
Happy birthday! Sorry you had yet another flat tire, but glad it was a straightforward fix and that you got your ride. Sure looked like a beauty – we actually had rain this weekend! And you cupcake and cookie – man, those look good!!! I’ve never had a macaron before…I think the closest I’ve had was something we have at a local bakery – 2 meringue halves with chocolate ganache in the middle.
ANOTHER flat tire?!?! What the heck!
I know – what is up with that?
Happy Birthday!!
I’m assuming somebody got a new blender? 🙂
I did!! Yay!
Happy Birthday! What a great ride, aside from the flat tire. I’ve not had a gourmet macaroon like that, but my oh my, it looks delicious!
I won’t tell you to try one so that you can remain blissfully unaware!
hope it was an amamamamaazing weekend.
and Im usually not a macaroon’er but as always your photos leave this misfit drooling 🙂
Good job on that ride. You deserved the cupcake and mac reward.
I’ve never had a French Macaroon although I’ve tried to make them based on a Francois Payard recipe. They were pretty good.
Lori i can’t believe all the trouble your having with your bike tires!!! Crazy! Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Peculiar…….thats the perfect word for it.
Happy, Happy Birthday (week). No, I have never had a French macaroon, but you sold it! I want one. Now. Isn’t it funny that the public garden didn’t have the names of the flowers–I like to know those things. And yes, that looked like mountain laurel==did it smell wonderful?