2018 mileage: 2393.1
What really struck me during today's ride was how firmly we have (FINALLY) turned the corner into fall weather. As recently as two weeks ago, I was still riding in temperatures north of 90°, so that was more than just 'technically' still summer. But today, though enjoyable (sunny and 61° when I began at 10:30, and 64° when I finished) felt definitely like fall— cool, and steadily breezy.
After taking Sunday off, and being unable to ride Monday because of schedule and yesterday because of weather (though I did go to LA Fitness for a session on the stationary bike), it felt great to get back outside today, and I rode a round trip to Dexter (Baker Rd.), finishing the 20.3 miles in 2:30. I made the turn at a speed of 7.7 miles per hour, and did considerably better on the way home, to finish at 8.2. But then, there's quite a bit of hill climbing on the way out, with corresponding downhill stretches on the way back home. 😎
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
Saturday, September 22, 2018
87th ride of 2018 - Saturday, 9/22/2018
2018 mileage: 2364.1
Our daylight is constantly constricting sunrise this morning was at 7:22. But I dug out and began my ride at 7:25, At 51° when I left, my hoodie felt just right, though riding in shorts was fine. since the rest of the day will be busy, and did a round trip to Baker Rd. (Dexter), finishing the 18.4 miles in 2:30—and by the time I finished, it was a toasty 54*!
On the way out, I rode past the Big House (Michigan Stadium), and even though it was still before 8:00, there were already walkers headed for the stadium to meet friends to tailgate before the noon game with Nebraska. With several of them, I exchanged a vigorous fist pump, and a hearty, friendly "GO BLUE!"
Our daylight is constantly constricting sunrise this morning was at 7:22. But I dug out and began my ride at 7:25, At 51° when I left, my hoodie felt just right, though riding in shorts was fine. since the rest of the day will be busy, and did a round trip to Baker Rd. (Dexter), finishing the 18.4 miles in 2:30—and by the time I finished, it was a toasty 54*!
On the way out, I rode past the Big House (Michigan Stadium), and even though it was still before 8:00, there were already walkers headed for the stadium to meet friends to tailgate before the noon game with Nebraska. With several of them, I exchanged a vigorous fist pump, and a hearty, friendly "GO BLUE!"
Friday, September 21, 2018
86th ride of 2018 - Friday, 9/21/2018
2018 mileage: 2345,7
This morning I rode a round trip to the west edge of Saline, where the sidewalk running alongside Michigan Ave. stops (at Marion Rd.). The 16.6-mile ride took me 2:18. I was plagued, however, by a mechanical problem_not with the trike, which was fine after its repair yesterday. My MapMyRide app on the phone, however, stopped working for a half hour or so in the middle of the ride. But then, it isn't reasonable of me to expect perfection from a piece of technology, and it almost always serves me flawlessly—so I'll give it a pass today.
When I left, just before 9:00 a.m., it was 74°, and when I finished, it was 82*. My timing was exquisite, too ... just in the last couple of miles, a light, cooling rain began to fall.
This morning I rode a round trip to the west edge of Saline, where the sidewalk running alongside Michigan Ave. stops (at Marion Rd.). The 16.6-mile ride took me 2:18. I was plagued, however, by a mechanical problem_not with the trike, which was fine after its repair yesterday. My MapMyRide app on the phone, however, stopped working for a half hour or so in the middle of the ride. But then, it isn't reasonable of me to expect perfection from a piece of technology, and it almost always serves me flawlessly—so I'll give it a pass today.
When I left, just before 9:00 a.m., it was 74°, and when I finished, it was 82*. My timing was exquisite, too ... just in the last couple of miles, a light, cooling rain began to fall.
Thursday, September 20, 2018
85th ride of 2018 - Thursday, 9/20/2018
2018 mileage: 2329.1
This morning's ride was an odd one in several respects. First, the weather forecast had called for rain much of the day, but a window where it looked like I could squeeze in a ride between 9 a.m. and noon. I set out at 9:15 ... but in a moderately steady and unrelenting rain.
Second, I just got started when a mechanical problem from yesterday came back to bit me. As I was finishing up yesterday, about a half mile from home, I hit a rough patch on the sidewalk that threw my seat off kilter, so that I was tilted uncomfortably to the right. Rather than try and do anything about it at that point, I just finished the ride up, and then allowed myself time to address it this morning. Though I am admittedly pretty much a mechanical idiot, on this occasion I was able to diagnose the problem, haul out my (aptly-named) Allen wrenches, and loosen the clamp so that I could rotate the seat back into position before retightening it. However, I evidently didn't tighten it ENOUGH, and it slipped again just as I was getting started this morning (about 2 minutes into the ride). Having just worked on it a few minutes before, though, it was an easy matter to haul the wrenches out of my pannier (or bag, attached to the rear of the trike) and take care of it.
The rain had already caused me, by three miles in, to decide to shorten my ride to a single round trip to Marsh Park. But, as it turned out, even that was not to be. Heading east along Textile Rd., as I crossed the first boardwalk, my rear wheel began to emit a horrific squeal (not steady, but pulsing). A couple of minutes later, the trike began to shudder, and I decided I'd best head home. And then, shortly thereafter, the trike slowed WAY down, so that I thought at first it was a flat tire. But, upon examination, since that didn't seem to be the case, and I didn't know what was going on, I decided a trip to the dealer, Jack's Bicycle in Dearborn, was in order—even though I was left today with only a nauseatingly short ride of 4.3 miles in 32 minutes.
So I chained up the trike to a mailbox, contacted Uber on my phone (I have long considered Uber to be my emergency backup, but have never had to resort to them before), got a ride home, backed the rear end of the car into the garage so I wouldn't have to get down on the wet driveway, put the rack on the car, went back down to pick up the trike, and returned home to type up a note of explanation before setting off for Jack's.
Once there, it didn't take too long. I was helped by my friend Richard Spitler, an older man who first helped me when I was looking into getting a trike in early 2015, then sold me my first one that May, and has done most of the work on that one and its successor, which is the one I have now. It didn't take him too long to correct the problem (less than a half hour) -- he said that one of the bolts on my rear rack had broken, and gone into the tire, causing the noise, the shuddering, and the slowness.
This morning's ride was an odd one in several respects. First, the weather forecast had called for rain much of the day, but a window where it looked like I could squeeze in a ride between 9 a.m. and noon. I set out at 9:15 ... but in a moderately steady and unrelenting rain.
Second, I just got started when a mechanical problem from yesterday came back to bit me. As I was finishing up yesterday, about a half mile from home, I hit a rough patch on the sidewalk that threw my seat off kilter, so that I was tilted uncomfortably to the right. Rather than try and do anything about it at that point, I just finished the ride up, and then allowed myself time to address it this morning. Though I am admittedly pretty much a mechanical idiot, on this occasion I was able to diagnose the problem, haul out my (aptly-named) Allen wrenches, and loosen the clamp so that I could rotate the seat back into position before retightening it. However, I evidently didn't tighten it ENOUGH, and it slipped again just as I was getting started this morning (about 2 minutes into the ride). Having just worked on it a few minutes before, though, it was an easy matter to haul the wrenches out of my pannier (or bag, attached to the rear of the trike) and take care of it.
The rain had already caused me, by three miles in, to decide to shorten my ride to a single round trip to Marsh Park. But, as it turned out, even that was not to be. Heading east along Textile Rd., as I crossed the first boardwalk, my rear wheel began to emit a horrific squeal (not steady, but pulsing). A couple of minutes later, the trike began to shudder, and I decided I'd best head home. And then, shortly thereafter, the trike slowed WAY down, so that I thought at first it was a flat tire. But, upon examination, since that didn't seem to be the case, and I didn't know what was going on, I decided a trip to the dealer, Jack's Bicycle in Dearborn, was in order—even though I was left today with only a nauseatingly short ride of 4.3 miles in 32 minutes.
So I chained up the trike to a mailbox, contacted Uber on my phone (I have long considered Uber to be my emergency backup, but have never had to resort to them before), got a ride home, backed the rear end of the car into the garage so I wouldn't have to get down on the wet driveway, put the rack on the car, went back down to pick up the trike, and returned home to type up a note of explanation before setting off for Jack's.
Once there, it didn't take too long. I was helped by my friend Richard Spitler, an older man who first helped me when I was looking into getting a trike in early 2015, then sold me my first one that May, and has done most of the work on that one and its successor, which is the one I have now. It didn't take him too long to correct the problem (less than a half hour) -- he said that one of the bolts on my rear rack had broken, and gone into the tire, causing the noise, the shuddering, and the slowness.
Wednesday, September 19, 2018
84th ride of 2018 - Wednesday, 9/19/2018
2018 mileage: 2324.8
Yesterday I did not ride, focusing instead on composing. So today was my first since Monday's disastrous effort when I lost my glasses (after having removed them and set them on my knee when I stopped near Baker Rd. to text). I left this morning at 9:15 in considerably cooler weather (65°, climbing to 73° when I finished) and rode another round trip to Baker Rd. (Dexter), completing the 20.2 miles in 2:35.
When I turned around at Baker Rd. and texted my wife and daughter, per my usual practice, I noted that I was leaving the glasses ON today. 😎
Yesterday I did not ride, focusing instead on composing. So today was my first since Monday's disastrous effort when I lost my glasses (after having removed them and set them on my knee when I stopped near Baker Rd. to text). I left this morning at 9:15 in considerably cooler weather (65°, climbing to 73° when I finished) and rode another round trip to Baker Rd. (Dexter), completing the 20.2 miles in 2:35.
When I turned around at Baker Rd. and texted my wife and daughter, per my usual practice, I noted that I was leaving the glasses ON today. 😎
Monday, September 17, 2018
83rd ride of 2018 - Monday, 9/17/2018 (the essence of stupidity)
2018 mileage: 2304.6
Well, I have to confess to pulling one of the all-time boneheaded moves today.
Well, I have to confess to pulling one of the all-time boneheaded moves today.
I frequently do an out-and-back ride to Dexter, following Jackson Rd. to Baker Rd. (all on sidewalks), and then turning around and coming back home. When I turn around, I usually sop, pause my Map-My-Ride app, and text Michelle and Christy to let them know how I'm doing.
I am so severely nearsighted that I usually remove my glasses for reading or other close work. So today when I texted, I took them off an put them on my knee. Then when I was ready to go, in a hurry I tucked my phone away and rode off, forgetting all about the glasses. When I realized it, a couple hundred feet later, I went back and slowly rode the pertinent stretch multiple times, and even walked it, too, praying and peering with as much care as I could, while also praying for God's help. But it was not to be -- they evidently bounced off into the overgrown grass and weeds in that unkept stretch.
Fortunately I have ridden that route often, and know it well enough that, riding with all the care I could muster, I made it back the 9 miles to our home without incident. But I was never so glad to see my old (previous) pair of glasses, which I had retained as a backup, though I hadn't removed them from the case for a year and a half!
It made for an 18.6-mile ride, in 2:16. And it put me over a new mileage milestone for the year.
Saturday, September 15, 2018
82nd ride of 2018 - Saturday, 9-15-2018
2018 mileage: 2286.0
Another hot (relatively, anyway) humid ride today. When I began at 10:15 it was 72°, and up to 79* when I finished, under cloudless sunny skies. I'm going to the Michigan football game this afternoon, and I'm guessing the players are going to have to drink a LOT of water to stay hydrated.
I rode to Marsh Park, and then on the way back towards home, looped down and around Saline High School and then continued to the center of downtown Saline before returning home. This game me a ride of 16.6 miles, in 1:56.
Another hot (relatively, anyway) humid ride today. When I began at 10:15 it was 72°, and up to 79* when I finished, under cloudless sunny skies. I'm going to the Michigan football game this afternoon, and I'm guessing the players are going to have to drink a LOT of water to stay hydrated.
I rode to Marsh Park, and then on the way back towards home, looped down and around Saline High School and then continued to the center of downtown Saline before returning home. This game me a ride of 16.6 miles, in 1:56.
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