whitesox

I am resting... did the full century yesterday at Apple Cider Century. Um, excuse me?... where in their literature did it say HILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, the second half of that course was all ******* hills, LOL!!

I had some bike problems in the beginning... a squeak, a nut thingy came loose on my front week, which was causing all kinds of rattle, argggggggggggggggh!! I felt like Linus on a bike, LOL!! Then my tape started unraveling, wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! If the lake had been nearby, I would have tossed the bike in and walked back to my car

but instead the nice gents at the 2nd rest stop fixed her up for me, and I was able to do the full century.

Nevertheless, I'm exhausted today, took the day off of work, overslept a bit and woke up with a bunch of screaming emails from a user who paged me and I didn't hear the page because I was sleeping!! It has not been a restful day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, that's my update... I need to take a shower, head for the salon to get my nails done and then to class.

btw... this was my 3rd century this year (and my 3rd century thus far)

aham23

^^^^ you seem to be having a great year of cycling!! congrats.

later.

wireless

10/1 - yes , managed to get 17 miles ( and no flats) before dark. Trail was almost empty.

De Fietser

10/2: 10 miles in the morning. No buck today. Just a hawk and a few woolly bear caterpillars. After work: 10 more miles home.

Dang, I love bike commuting....

John Wilke

A non-spirited 10 miles.

Oh, and why did the chicken cross the road?



To catch up with the turkeys !!

jbernaeyge

10-4 rode the bike trail did a 19 mile round trip. felt really good

ceiph

i was on a easy ride with my dad and we were side by side..... i couldn't avoid a chipmunk... poor guy....

Psimet2001 

Sweet....

wireless

10/6 - yes , 52 miles on Fox River and McHenry trails. Is it just me or Fox River trail is geting bumpier and bumpier every year?

jbernaeyge

10-6 rode the village pedaler ride. was an amazing day to be out riding

SweetLou

I was finally able to ride again. I've been under the weather the last 2 weeks. I took a nice easy 22 mile ride around the west side of Cleveland/Rocky River/Bay Village. I wasn't at my best, but it was good to be out riding again. To make it even better, It was my fist "real" ride on a new '85 Trek.

Psimet2001 

yes it is. kind of sucks because it means that they will be resurfacing sections over the next few years. That will be convienient.

whitesox

10-7-07... I stayed home today!! I did 48.1 with the group yesterday, and we were planning on doing a century today... but when I woke up, I was just spent. My cat hasn't seen me in over a week, I have fabric collecting dust on my sewing table (a thanksgiving project that needs to be completed!!), and I've got homework.... so I opted to stay home

Oh well, at least I'll get my homework done, will be able to study well for my midterm tomorrow, get the sewing machine going to rid away the dust... and my cat will once again remember the hand that feeds him

I'm also watching the marathon, ugggh... it's a hot one to be out there for 26.2

BikingGrad80

Rode from my house up through the Skokie valley bikeway to Old Elm/Everette to St Mary's Rd [bike meca of Lake County] Went North on St Mary's and Oplaine to Gurnee and back. 65 miles round trip. Started early at 8am lots of roadies out.

Psimet2001 

Did a 30 mile option on the Pumpkin Pedal. I was hauling a trailer with my son. Lots of fun with a tailwind, not so much with a headwind.

Met up with SmokinMiles. My son had a blast. Good signs for the future.

nvr

10/07 Yes. Headed out to check out some new roads in a 40 mile loop this morning. Also to try out my new Ultegra 6620's from PBK (they rock). 10 miles in I get a flat...nail into my tire, through the tube, through the rim tape, and through my wheel! I put in a new tube, and a little patch where the new hole is....two miles later I'm flat again. Starting walking towards home, 1/4 mile later I took the shoes off and starting walking in my socks (didn't want to ruin my new cleats on the first day). You would think that with a million pick up trucks driving by, one of them would have stopped...I mean how threatening did I look wearing tight black shorts and a yellow jersey with a chicken on it? My wife was kind enough to drive out to pick me up. At least I've got my backup wheels for my ride in the morning.

Any way to fix this, or am I screwed out of a wheel?

The culprit and the damage

Psimet2001 

Ouch! I hate to say it , but it looks like you're screwed. A hole punched through the rim that large - even with those deep dish rims - is going to damage the rim's integrity.

It's toast. Especially because it has already opened up to the valve hole.

Not to mention you will most likely never be able to fill in that hols and will always be prone to flats.

If you had to ride it I would put some heavy thick cloth rimtape over it. Even then it would only last a ride or two at high pressure.

- sorry man.

garysol1 

I was finally able to ride the metro parks system as well. I rode with the Lorain Wheelman yesterday through the Emerald Necklace to Brecksville and back to North Olmstead. 54 miles in all. I was surprised by the climbs that surround the park area. We hit a few climbs that were just west of Brecksville that I know were somewhere in the 20% grade range and lasted for a 1/2 mile or so. Weather is awesome for this time of the year. Mid 80's with very light clouds. Our parks are an absolute treasure. If you did not know that you were surrounded by a urban city you would have no way of knowing. The road system was built in the bottom of a river valley. As you climb in and out of the valley you are treated to lots of shade from a full canopy of trees for most of its 70 miles. Thank goodness someone had the foresight many years ago to put this system in place.

John Wilke

I spent an hour and a half rolling around Zion and Winthrop Harbor, Illinois, mostly the Illinois Beach State Park and the marina just north of there. Very neat area and nice cool breeze off the lake.

Quiet roads !





GO PACKERS !!!! (Packers vs Bears today)

DougG

Rode the Blue Water Ramble on Sunday, with record heat and a record turnout. Below is the route, showing the St. Clair river with Michigan on the left and Ontario on the right. I rode the 60-mile loop counter-clockwise (there are 40-60-80-100 options).


It was foggy and getting warm as the ferry from Walpole Island approached.


Canadian immigration consisted of “American Citizen? OK.” and our cluster was through in about two minutes. Walpole Island is an Indian (“First Nations”) res, connected to the mainland by a swing bridge.


Lunch on the Canadian shore of the river is a big draw in this event, and the food tent did not disappoint.


You see all sorts of weird contraptions, especially in the way of recumbents. But this is the biking equivalent of a double-trailer semi: a tandem, trail-a-bike, and a child trailer bringing up the rear.


No offense to our Canadian friends, but these interior roads in southwest Ontario are BOH-ring!! Almost looks like Illinois or something.


A freighter cruising upriver as seen from one of the rest stops along the way.


The other ferry on the way back to the U.S. It then took 30 minutes or more to get through the U.S. immigration booth. They’re used to handling a few cars every 15 minutes – not dozens of bikes coming off all at once.


My moving average for the ride was 15.6mph, which is not bad for an old guy riding solo. Today I feel about equivalent to having run a 10-miler or an HM as far as my legs go. Next year I’ll definitely go for the 80-mile route, and someday maybe the century!

CyLowe97

As a resident of the great and politically corrupt State of Illinois, I would take great offense at this comment, but how could I be offended by a simple fact?

Good report!

Psimet2001 

No it doesn't. In Illinois the corn would be taller. Duh!




Nice ride.

CyLowe97

QFT.

Yesterday it was this tall:

Psimet2001 

Nothing like a good corn maze to make for good October entertainment in Indiana and Illinois. Send me info so I can take the family next weekend.

CyLowe97

Kuiper's Farm off of 38 between Elburn and Maple Park. More fun maize labyrinth stuff in this thread.