The weather was nice enough that I headed out for my first ride of the season. There are two or three routes that I typically follow. This evening, I followed the bike paths along the Ottawa River from where I joined them at Parkdale to the Ottawa Locks and then along the Rideau Canal to Dow’s Lake before returning home via Preston->Bronson->Sherwood->Holland. It’s a nice loop that’s about 15km in length and doesn’t have a whole lot of uphill slopes other than at the Ottawa Locks. I usually finish it in 50 to 60 minutes, depending on how much I’m pushing myself and how many pedestrians are wandering along the path 15 abrest. (Note to pedestrians: It is a shared-use path and when I’m dinging my bell at you it’s to let you know I’m there so you don’t wander in front of me and get hit. Please don’t give me dirty looks when I’m trying to avoid running into you.)