Cycling Weather

April 20th, 2019

I realize Toronto is suffering through another rain storm and it’s chilly but the weather here is really perking up. The morning temperatures are typically in the 10C range with daytime highs around 18. Next week all those numbers will rise by 2 or 3. That’s good cycling weather. Not too cold. Not too hot (said baby bear).

With all of the big work on the boat complete I have lots of time for riding now and I am taking advantage as much as my legs will allow. With over 600km this week, I am feeling pretty strong, but wishing I didn’t miss so much road time during the winter.

Bari is not really my favourite place in Italy, not because there is anything inherently wrong with Bari rather because I have the boat a little out of the way. The yard/marina is super secure which is a big plus, but groceries and restaurants that are open in the off season are not exactly close.   The seaside restaurants will open soon, probably the same week Megan and I shove off.

When I ride I do get to see lots of interesting sights. Over the past two days I have ridden through Polignano which offers a gorgeous old town and a scenic beach cut into the rocks (see below and the featured image, respectively).

While today’s ride had me turning West at Monopoli, yesterday I took some time to ride through the town (Monopoli) and get a sense of the place.   It is an old walled town with some impressive structures.   I didn’t pay much attention to the history, but the old town is a very imposing brick/stone structure.

I have made some new friends on the dock.  Antea was recently sold to a gentleman from Austria (living in Kazakhstan) and he and some friends/family are here to get to know the boat.  We have become quick friends and I have been lucky to share meals with them and go for a sail on their beautiful 65′ sloop.   It’s a little faster than both my Beneteau 40 and Home Free with a top speed of nearly 20 knots.  It was nice to be sailing again, even if it was only for a couple of hours and only at 7-8 knots.

Finally, congratulations to Jinhee and the whole team at Lundin (the kudos are piling up for this team!) for the deal this week to acquire the Brazilian copper/gold project from Yamana.  Finding the right asset and then closing a deal is always a ton of work, but the market has given a big thumbs up to the outcome of your work!

To many people, the work that Jinhee does may seem mysterious, but there is a lot to it, and the outcome is often a simple press release that most will never notice, such as an earnings release or in this week’s instance, a major acquisition.   A billion dollar deal is kind of a big thing.  I like to highlight these successes here so that our friends and family (at least the one’s reading this) know that she is just as awesome at work as she is at family gatherings.