I just rode my bike the 80 miles from Topeka to Kansas City. I needed to get my iPhone looked at by the genius guys at the Apple Store. Anyway, it was a perfect day. Mid 70’s, little wind, nice. It is around 30 miles to Lawrence KS, then another 30-35 miles to the KC outskirts, and the rest of the way through city. I was riding listening to music on my phone. I usually have a rule against riding with earphones, but this is a pretty isolated ride after Lawrence . Anyway, I hadn’t ridden my bike by myself for a period that long for quite a while. I usually train with other guys. Almost exclusively. I love riding in groups. That is one of the coolest things about the sport. A bunch of people with vastly different abilities can go out and train together and everyone gets a workout. Anyway, I was surprised how much I missed riding by myself. I was having a good day on the bike. The hills seemed small. Nearly effortless. But, that wasn’t completely it. It was the I hadn’t taken the time to look around and appreciate the surroundings recently. And I was now. This is one of the best times of the year for that. Everything is lush. Looks fresh. The creeks and ponds are all full. This route crosses both the Santa Fe Trail crossing and California Road, which preceded the Santa Fe Trail. The Oregon Trail also crosses here. It is amazing thinking that 1000’s of pioneers walked nearly 2000 miles to the West Coast 150 years ago. And I’m digging riding my bike 80 miles. The Apple Store is at the Country Club Plaza. It is a outdoor mall that was built over 100 years ago. It was designed architecturally after Seville, Spain. Super high end shops and nice restaurants. It is rumored to have more fountains than Seville. There are a ton fountain here, every corner. I rode through Mission Hills on the way. It neighbors the Plaza. One of the most affluent residential areas in the country. Winding roads. Mansions. Tasteful opulence. Anyway, the Tour of Missouri finishes at the Plaza. A women’s criterium is held right before the finish of the men’s race. So, you should go out of your way and try to make it to the end of the Tour of Missouri in September. Make sure you get a nice room right on The Plaza. I can’t think of a much better way to spend the weekend if you’re a bike race fan. And ’til then, make some time to go out and do a nice long ride. Alone.