A long ride's got to have a good climb, or it doesn't count. I love stopping on the summit and looking at the road winding down beneath me - climbing I just watch the road in front of the wheel, but once its done seeing it all laid out down below is cool..

Then powering back down - gearing up to take the rolling downhills, coasting on the downs and out of the saddle powering on the ups. Finding a hill that took and hour to climb takes 15 minutes to get back down.

Having enough water on hand to douse my head during a climb.

Eating once I get home, then taking an undisturbed nap for about two hours.

Spinning around the neighborhood in the evening, pedaling off the burn and getting some freshness back in my legs.

...its been awhile though, a long snowy winter. I got stuck driving around all day today, but managed to scout out a new route up into the mountains. One 1.5 mile bad stretch (windy, gravelly, 55 mph zone, no shoulder), but its manageable and will be worth the effort soon.