Balancing the Commutes with the Weekends

Take this week: Last weekend two solid rides within a 24 hour period with the most big ring work of the entire year. Then two days of nothing, then three consecutive days of somewhat unusual commutes: Wednesday on the way home I drafted for a few miles behind a guy out on a training ride. That was work, with my 28-wide tires, backpack, seat post rack, and fenders. Speaking of fenders, on Thursday the front one (with mudflap attached) got cracked in a fierce cross-wind gust. I had to take the thing off, tried to bring it home in one piece, but other than holding it in my hand the whole way (which I didn't do), there was no way to do that. I learned that in Weesp when the bottom part fell off the rack, where I had strapped it on top of my gear. Now I have to see what a combination of Gorilla glue and duct tape can do for me. The next day, riding through the same gusty cross-winds, I discovered that not having the mudflap catching all that air down there makes a significant difference. So I guess I'll have to put the front fender back on, because a mudflap makes you stronger. It doesn't necessarily make you smarter, as I demonstrated Friday afternoon. Seeing some rain approaching from the West on the radar, I scrambled out of my office around 3 pm, hoping to make it home before the rain started. I should have know I was too late (a critical look at the skies would have confirmed this) and I should also have been able to predict that this storm was going to be over with in an hour or two. So I got blown around and rained on, and about half an hour after getting home the skies were blue again. Yesterday I felt like having a rest day, so no Eendracht ride. Today, on the Whisper Power ride, the legs were so-so. We rode through clouds of bugs alongside the Gooimeer (farmers these days take out the nests of the birds that used to eat most of them), then Eemnes, to Lage Vuursche, and back the regular coffee ride route. Just like during the special Port Washington edition of the Dutch coffee ride two weeks ago, the old guy and his wife on their tandem made an appearance also. Although he did look over, I can't really say that he stared. Of course, I wasn't wearing my balaclava any more. So the legs aren't bad, but I still am only beginning to learn how to balance the commutes with the rest of my riding. It's clear that even with just three days out of five, you can get tired riding to work.