We started the day at Machinery Row Bike Shop, certainly the largest, most impressively expansive shop I’ve ever visited. The attendant, a long-haired, bearded hipster kinda guy named Mike took care of us, fetching a pair of rim-brake Trek Domane SL-5 road bikes for Gina and me. Right out of the gate, after some minor seat-height adjustments for me, these bikes felt noticeably faster than my Cannondale either because of or in spite of the 28mm tires, which I ran at 80 and 70 rear and front. The bike was quick, compliant, and stable, providing a wonderfully satisfying ride. Gina was also able to easily manipulate the front derailleur paddle, effortlessly switching between small and large chainring. We’re gonna hafta get hers fixed at some point. Madison proved to be every bit the bike paradise hyped so often by the Internet. Roads were generally traffic-free, with abundant opportunity to switch to dedicated, protected bike lanes or paths The only caveat is the limited shore access around the many local lakes. Many of the so-called Lake Shore Roads actually stray far from the actual shore, taking riders through meticulously manicured suburban areas, much as one might encounter out east on Long Island. Another anomaly is the almost total lack of street culture. In spite of the abundance of inviting street cafes, few customers are in attendance, with even fewer people wandering the clean, picturesque streets! Odd, very odd! On an equipment note - not having gloves was a mistake, my hands now nice and chafed from grabbing handlebars unprotected. The absence of cleats also caused feet to slip off pedals, sometimes at the most inopportune moment with cars approaching! I have also gotten into the habit of positioning my left foot at the three o’clock position when stopped; absent the cleats, it now required my left foot to hook the underside of the left pedal to reverse rotate the axle to achieve the desired position.