Perfect timing today. England vs. USA at 4AM meant that a 6AM start for a ride would do just about right. And I suppose, not having the highest of expectations out of the US team, we couldn’t hope for much. But there it was — a 0 – 0 draw. And he US looked good, threatening throughout the match, and doing at least as well as, if not better than England.
So it’s win and they’re in next week against Iran. Anything less and they go home. And Iran are not pushovers.
But that was only the start of the day. Ten minutes after the match concluded, I was ready to go and out the door for a pleasant ride of a little over 50 miles. It was no more chilly than most other days — warmer, actually, than the start of my Thanksgiving ride just two days ago. But it stayed cooler throughout the ride. I had the toe-warmers in, and I tell you, they make the difference in actually enjoying myself.
As for where we went, I don’t think I covered anything I hadn’t already seen before. Higher than normal winds would be coming out of the NW, so we went that way. Took the climb on the backside of Ch’ilbosan — one of my favorites — and looped around a lake I’d passed earlier this year — and that Joon and I had passed just a couple of months ago.
Overall, certainly nice. And we ended it with a visit to the Giant Store in Osan, where they fixed a creak I’d had somewhere in my drive train over the past few rides.
Of note in the picture above. Right after I took it, a woman walked up next to me and started looking out at the lake with a pair of binoculars. She then pointed out a bird to me on the other side (I’ve circled it in the picture). I asked her what kind of bird, and she told me 고니 (sounds like Coney) — which turns out to be a Tundra Swan…which was interesting.
