Ready for August

August is just around the corner and I am looking forward to it. The shop should be slowing down, and it begins the swing towards fall, which is my favorite time of year.

I am off tomorrow to help mark the way for the Tour De Loren. I am amazed at how much work the organizing committee puts into this ride. I figure the least I can do is help with a few markers and make some cookies. It should help me get my century ride in for July (nothing like waiting till the last minute to keep up with goals). A nice thing is that I have Sunday off so I can complete the entire Tour and I will have my century in for August. That means I should plan another ride in August to make up for other months.

We had a great TRAM last week. It renews my faith in people a little bit. The riders are so appreciative of our work, and the MS Society does a fantastic job with the ride. If ever there was an organized ride for me to actually ride on, I would have to say this would be it.

We also held our Champs-Elysees party on Sunday night. There was a pretty good crowd and as coverage didn't start when people came over, we went for a bike ride. The best was on the way back I spotted some furniture on the curb for free. One of the guys was saying he wanted a table and sure enough, there was one on the curb. He only lives a few blocks from me but instead of going to get his pickup, we decided we could carry it while riding our bikes.
We did o.k. It did get dropped a couple times and even though we tried to be careful, we ended up splintering one of the legs. I think it will work fine for the time being.

fortunate 4th

I have been trying to follow the sensible voice in my head for a few weeks now. There are many days when competing ideas win out, and I wouldn't say they are entirely senseless, but afterwords do seem like a silly thing to have done.

Turns out the annual 4th of July ride did not go as well as in previous years. I decided last week that I would not go so others could ride. After the last overnight ride I did, I felt it would be a good year to stay home and experience some other type of fun. This is one of the best decisions I have ever made.

My sister came to stay with us for a couple days. We don't see each other very much, and almost always at family gatherings, so it was great to spend some time with just her. With my stepfather diagnosed with cancer, she (and most of the family) is thinking of the shortness of time, and what is really important to her (and us). Why does it have to be bad things that spur these types of feelings to jump start what should be in peoples heads every day?

The 4th was great. My wife and I spent a nice relaxing day taking care of the backyard, cleaning up to be ready for the inevitable next house guest, and then going to see a movie. We rarely go to the theatre for movies and it is a nice change. Get to the matinee for discounts and it is almost affordable. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, not my favorite (I swear it wasn't Harrison Ford's voice for the first few minutes of his appearance). We decided to have dinner at home. Just a nice relaxing day.

I had a small gathering for the opening stage of the Tour. Late notice kept a number of people away, but sometimes small get-togethers are the best. I don't particularly enjoy hopping on the Tour bandwagon, but it is amazing to watch those athletes. As I don't race, it's fun to watch the tactics and to see what they can do with their machines.

We decided to ride every bike we own to the shop at least once this month. It's been great getting bikes out I don't normally ride. The trouble with that are the 4 bikes with 20" wheels. 12 miles on each of those are going to be long. And with TRAM coming up, it's going to be close to see if I can get them all ridden. Maybe I'll create a list.

Uneasy feeling

So it was supposed to be an epic ride. Turned out around 130 miles. Leaving from Ken's house, I felt really good (besides carrying way more weight than Ken which is never a good idea) but unfortunately it did not take long before I started feeling very uneasy about our ride. We were supposed to ride to Winona and back. Down the WI side and up the MN side. Before we made it out of the metro, Ken had to fix 2 flats. We found new tubes but I don't think that had anything to do with my "sense" of how the ride was going.

We were having a good time. That was the weirdest thing. I had plenty of food, clothing, and more than I need for a ride like this. But that nagging feeling stayed with me. The rain was so slight it was barely noticeable. The skies cleared as we left Prescott and it was a beautiful evening. I could not shake the thought of something being wrong. So after a debate at the first bridge crossing, we decided to head in the direction of home. We could still wander.

We stopped and had some food and a pitcher of beer. Everything that had happened so far is the description of the perfect ride. Now that we were on the way home, I was starting to feel a little better. Which gave way to my physically feeling worse. I have a difficult time riding overnight. I have done this several times and each time, I dress a little differently and think one of these days, I'll get this right. It's just me. I freeze at night. No matter what I wear, or how warm it is, I get super cold. Not fun to ride like that.

I also tend to generate an upset stomach after 75 miles or so. This usually lasts until somewhere around mile 100. I am getting better at controlling this, but it still stinks. All this started to make me think about whether I am cut out for this long distance riding thing. I ride because I enjoy being on the bike. But I can't decide if it's fun to ride with the patches of discomfort I encounter during these rides. The weird thing is that after I am home, I will start contemplating another one.

So I think I figured out the uneasy feeling. My pastor retired on Sunday. I had been unable to go to his retirement reception, or even last Sunday's service. This was the last chance to hear him preach and say thank you and goodbye. It bothered me more than I thought it would to miss that. By changing our route and coming mostly directly home, I had time to shower and catch a small nap before going to church.

Thank you and goodbye.

A road to ourselves

Carrie and I worked a shift for our church at the car show this evening. After cleaning up, we left around 9 pm. I was thinking we should avoid the parking lot that was Snelling Ave (for any who aren't in the know, Snelling Ave is a 4 lane divided 45mph road), but the idea of passing all those cars was too much. We cruised up the on ramp and started passing the lineup. I was wishing I had ridden something narrower than my Albatross bar, when I noticed all the cars were being directed off of Snelling. I asked the officer if the sidewalk was closed and he said, "go right ahead". So we rode from Energy Park Drive to Thomas, without a single car on Snelling Ave!!

It was one of the most amazing bike rides I have ever been on.

Guests Abound

Another weekend, another house guest. It has been commented that some hotels don't have as many guests as we do. I don't know how accurate that is, but we do have quite a few people stay over. One of Carrie's college friends came to stay with us for a couple days this weekend. It is one of the great things about having a house with space. It does, however, mean a little more work and inevitably time away from things that should get done. We now have a couple weeks respite from guests before my sister comes at the first of July.

I am starting preparations for my Winona trip. I have to create a route and do a little coordination with people. I also would like to have a different bike ready. Currently, there are half the parts in a box, and some that I don't even have. I feel like I am at just the right place as far as being ready is concerned. I would hate to be set too far in advance.

We had a nice slow ride yesterday. The weather was about as nice as can be. Unfortunately, there were only two of us that rode from the shop. We headed to the Grand Ole Creamery for some pre-dinner dessert. Then over to Sweeney's to give them their yearly shot at being an acceptable bar (their patio is sooo nice!). I was pleasantly surprised with them. Then a lovely ride home. Fabulous Sunday!!

Workin Weekend

I worked mechanical support for the MS 150 this past weekend. I have a little different take on it as my wife has been going with me for a few years to help out on both the 150 and TRAM. It always reminds me of how fortunate I am that we can, and like, to work together. She is not into bikes like I am, but she gets in there and does what she can, which is quite a lot.

We had the usual flat tyres, broken spokes, squeaks and noises that are always present. I did have one repair that was interesting. A rider had snapped his derailleur hanger off right across the dropout. The chain was twisted, I'm pretty sure the derailleur cage was bent, but surprisingly, his wheel was in good shape. I ended up using a Look cleat washer under his quick release nut, and using it to clamp the two pieces of hanger together. Put everything back together and gently test rode it. It was fine when cranking on the pedals, and it even shifted a couple gears. The only thing I did wrong was not getting his contact info, so I don't know if it held for the remaining 24 miles he had to ride. I ordered up an emergency hanger this week.

I also had my parents in town for a few days. It was really nice for them to come out, as they don't get out this way much. We had some nice dinners, did some shopping they don't have access to, and just hung out. A nice way to finish off the long weekend.

A big downer was the news of my stepfather's detection of Lymphoma. It seems to be early stage, but it still is scary. There is definitely a difference in the air, and people's moods are a little different now. A hard thing to have to deal with. Always reminds you to make sure you live your life on your terms while you can.

Catch up to June

Been busy trying to cram a bunch of stuff into a short time. I always have a number of bike projects going on with my own fleet, one of them being to be able to ride all the bikes I own at least once to work during the month of July. That's coming up fast. I also have taken on a couple of projects for some family and friends. I love doing this, but I always have the deadline looming in my head. People say they are not in a hurry and I hope they mean it for these bikes because they are taking way longer than I think they should. One of them is for my mom. She lives in a very small town, and she doesn't have a bike (I don't know how she has gone this long). I am painting it John Deere green and with a brush for the first time. If it turns out good, I might throw up a pic.

I haven't been doing a lot of extra riding and it sure showed on Sat. My good friend Ken and I headed out EARLY Sat. morning. It was absolutely gorgeous. Saw the sun come up. Picked up some cheese. Had a great time. I just seem to hit a slump around 75 miles and it usually lasts until mile 100. That's a long time to be miserable. I try to be as pleasant as possible when I am with someone and try not to slow them down too much. It's good to ride with stronger riders than yourself. Hopefully it gives you something to aim for.

So now with a back-to-back century ride looming at the end of the month, I am needing to keep my weekly mileage up to make it as easy as possible. I am looking forward to it as it is part of a change of my normal riding season. I am trying to do more social riding (that is, ride with people) than I have in years past. I got away from this and I think has kept me from riding as much as I used to. I still like riding on my own. This year I have been reminded that finding people to ride with, can be extremely rewarding.