The record-breaking heatwaves we enjoyed/endured in the Netherlands in July & August seem such a long time ago now.

It’s getting dark earlier in the evenings and light later in the mornings. Today it really was quite chilly as I left home for my 41.2 km cycle ride around the Dutch countryside to the north of Weert.

Cloudless skies & bright sunshine soon appeared and there is a definite feeling that Autumn isn’t so far away.

Every day that I go out cycling I like to try new routes, mainly to continue the exploration of my surroundings but also because I seem to get bored easily and dislike using the same roads all the time.

Of course, this cannot be avoided living in the middle of a large town but with a little foresight it’s possible to escape via a fair selection of routes.

Today I discovered new roads. Leaving Nederweert and following the rough canal-side track north, it wasn’t long before I was cycling in unfamiliar territory.

I’ve also given myself another objective, to cycle 15 km each hour, to pick up the pace a little & reduce the stopping times for photographs.

Arriving home in less than three hours gave me an average speed of 14.98 km/h, not bad at all but bear in mind that the roads here are perfectly flat apart from the short, sharp ramps over motorways, railways & canals.

Another great morning out on the cycle.

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