Maybe it’s my old age, but I swear there just aren’t as many days in each month any more. Or perhaps the hours are getting shorter. Either way, yet another month of 2021 has flown by in a flash and we’re one third of the way through the year already.

Back at the end of March, I said I probably wouldn’t ride as much in April as the weather would deteriorate. Little did I know that April would turn into a real bonus! The whole month was unusually dry and sunny. Chilly early starts often gave way to short-sleeve warmth by the café stop. Even though I didn’t plan it, I rode further this month than last, including five metric century rides. I climbed an average of 1000 feet per day (30,000+ ft of elevation gain for April).

The Canyon Aeroad got a good showing this month (before it hides for most of winter). I’d almost forgotten just how fast that bike is compared to the Trek. While the Trek 5200 is a fantastic bike in it’s own right, when the hammer drops and you’re after all-out speed, there’s simply no comparing it to the Aeroad. It’s faster. Fact.

I even ventured out onto some local gravel roads! I’ve never been a huge fan of gravel riding, but I will admit it was a nice change, although a little sketchy at times on 23mm road tyres. There’s certainly no shortage of gravel roads in Tasmania so maybe I’ll do a little more exploring over the coming months. Don’t expect me to buy into the whole gravel bike “scene” just yet though. I even took a sneaky Strava KOM along the way.

So after a fantastic April, things will definitely slow down into May. Yes, I know I said that last month! I need a little break from the 300km weeks. May is also the final month of Autumn. Daylight saving has ended, the evenings are darker and the mornings much colder. Time to dig into the closet to find those winter gloves and shoe covers…

April Total Distance: 1221 km / 762 miles
Elevation gain: 9148 m / 30,015 feet