I left home before 07:00 this morning for a planned 90 km cycle ride to the west of Heerlen.
After less than 20 km, as I rode through Belgium, the threatening black clouds began leaking water and I did not have a rain jacket with me.
The jacket I have was damaged during fierce thunderstorms and torrential rain last Friday.
I’m awaiting delivery of the warranty replacement from the nice folks at Mac in a Sac.
Therefore I decided to shorten the planned route and head for home, cycling just 37 km today.
By absolute coincidence my revised route was almost identical to one I cycled exactly one year ago, 17th July 2023.
To compound the coincidence, many of today’s photographs were taken in exactly the same place as a year ago….what are the chances of that?
One of the biggest challenges I face when planning my one day cycle routes that start and finish at home is to discover new roads and cycle tracks within, say, 50 km from home.
Today’s experience confirms that I’m just about reaching saturation point locally.
This is probably why I prefer longer rides/tours away from home with one or more overnight stops.
Today’s featured image is from the vineyards near the Dutch village of Vijlen.
The ripening grapes are still only the size of peas, so have some growing to do before harvest time in September.
