This mornings commute was a nice way to end the week. I did not ride the usual route I have been riding which leaves off a hill at the the very end. I did not mind missing that up part of the hill at all.

Chain came off on my ride to the station! Surprisingly hard to get it back on, in the dark, with the three speed hub and a chain guard (not a full chain case). Dirty fingers FTW! I did not miss my train.

Here in the city, a pedestrian stepped out into the bike path right in front of me, on my citibike, and I discovered the bell didn't work. I whizzed past him without warning, probably better that way, but I prefer to give a cheerful "ding ding" if I can. A couple blocks later the bell fell off the bike completely, and I heard it go ding ding ding ding dink as it rolled under a parked car somewhere behind me. I repressed the momentary compulsion to go back and look for it.

Same temp as yesterday, but much less humidity 60% vs 95% and lower dew point too. Quite nice actually.

And - it's Friday!!

It was a sauna out this morning. 79 when I took the dogs for a walk at 6:30, so I imagine it was in the 80s about an hour later when I left. I replaced the bottom bracket the other night, but I'm still hearing a squeak! Next will be to service the freehub. Other than that, was kind of slow, just didn't feel very strong today. Planning on leaving work early, before the dead heat of the day. Supposed to get up to 97, which really means it'll be in triple digits on the tarmac and then add in the humidity. Put my 2nd bottle in the freezer at work already. I imagine withing 15 minutes it will be completely liquid but maybe cold for another 15 minutes.

Rough ride this morning. I stayed up way too late last night and woke up groggy. A few cups of coffee and a walk with the dogs woke me up, but I certainly paid the price during my ride for not sleeping long enough. But, my time was still pretty good, nailing my average to the minute.

Winds were strong, but they were more of a cross-wind than right in my face. So, all is well. Now, if I can steal a few minutes of shut eye here at work, it'll be even better.

Yesterday's goal was to ride 100km so I rode 50km in the morning on the way to work and then reverse the route for the commute home. Each took about 2.5hrs elapsed time so I was in the saddle for nearly 5hrs yesterday, I have the butt rash, like a baby, to prove it. Furthermore, the ride home was in 30C/86F sunny weather but there was a breeze from the east so most of the first 20km was into the breeze, the next 20km was with a nice tailwind (first 20km took 58 min, second 20km took 43 min). I put Penaten (zinc-based barrier creme for babies and babies like me) on the rash and was fine through the night and feel fine now. I didn't ride in today because we were packing for the weekend and I needed to deliver the Jeep to my wife before I walked the 20 min to my workplace.

The forecast is for 32C/90F weather on the weekend, perfect for trying out some new beers I have purchased from a local craft brewery.

Have a great weekend!!!

Sorry for your loss, Tom.

I was in a rush yesterday afternoon, and got a flat. A long piece of metal a bit larger than an industrial staple, bent into a loop shape, right through the rear gatorskin.I changed the tube, using the frame pump to get it to shape, and an inflater to get it to riding pressure.I was on my way in no time, so that felt good.Sometimes it takes a while to get it right but this time it went smoothly.

I drove the other day in order to get to a kayak lesson on time. It turns out I should have ridden because it took about the same amount of time.Traffic is a b!tch when you are driving!

Pics or it didn't happen.

Wait... nevermind.

Hooeee! It's a warm one today. Over lunch I rode 9 miles from our company location to a client's office. 93 degrees and blazing sun. When I arrived I was drenched in sweat. Good thing it's a pretty casual client office and I brought a change of clothes.

A few observations I made during my ride:

I've decided I really hate the new seat I put on my hybrid about a month ago. It feels like I'm sitting on a rock. I'm usually not too picky about saddles, but I think I'm going to have to break down and ditch this one. It's a WTB Speed Comp. I've got a WTB Speed V on another bike that I like and thought this one would be similar, but it's not. My old seat was the cheapest Bontrager they made and I really liked it, but the cover ripped on it. I can't find the same Bontrager seat anywhere, and this WTB saddle looked pretty close so that's why I bought it. Sure doesn't feel the same, though.

The last few weeks I've noticed a much higher police presence on the MUP. Almost every ride to/from work I'll see at least one cop patrolling. Usually they're on motorcycles, but today there were two of them riding quads. A woman was assaulted on the MUP in early May. She wasn't injured, but some guy came up and grabbed her then ran off when she resisted. I'm wondering if that's what prompted the police to keep a closer eye on the trail? Not sure. On my way home last night I saw one of the cops talking to a kid who he caught throwing rocks at birds.

Also, I'm seeing a non-officer "safety patrol" guy out riding on a bicycle quite a bit. He's not in uniform, but is wearing a fluorescent safety vest and carries a walkie-talkie. I'm speculating that maybe he's a city employee of some sort just giving some added surveillance to the MUP? Or perhaps doing some community service time? He doesn't look like a seasoned rider. I generally see him on the southwest side of town. Today when I saw him I was really tempted to catch up with him and offer to adjust his bike seat to make his ride more comfortable. The seat is slammed all the way down on his mountain bike and it's obvious the fit is way off. He rides about 8 mph and keeps the bike in a high gear so his legs are barely spinning. If he's riding around all day like that his knees have to be screaming. Had he been heading the same direction as I was I would have pulled up next to him and attempted to offer some assistance to help him enjoy his riding a bit more.

Flooding!


They weren't kidding:


That cute little creek running under the bridge? That IS the bikeway. Normally I can just touch the bottom of the abutment as I ride through, so the water is at least 4-5 feet deep.

I've not seen a policeman on the MUP in the last year since I started riding again. We do have a safety patrol, but they're volunteers. I believe they take a short orientation class, sign some waivers, and are issued a vest and walkie-talkie. I've heard secondhand that the orientation is basically, "You're there to observe. Don't do anything, report anything". For liability reasons, they're not supposed to render first aid, and any bike repair they offer is at their (not the city's) risk. Still, it's nice to see them.

Not good..........San Diego Creek Trail in Irvine, Ca. 5:15 am, hit a small rock on the underpass, in the dark, going 23mph.......blew BOTH Michelin's.
Oh well..........time for the new Gatorskins i wanted.

Here's what happened to my Gator Hardshell just a few hours ago:


Made a hell of a racket because I think it was hitting my fender. Replaced the tube and shortened my ride because I'm not sure about the sidewall damage. Solana Beach, CA. Good times.

A very nice commute today but I have to say not as nice as yesterday's ride when I ended up at Hampton beach with my dh. Oh well, today's weather is just as nice as yesterday's.

All these posts about flat tires. Last night I dreamed that I got a double flat, but none on this morning's ride.

Saturday I participated in a 12 hour relay run on a team of four. We would take turns running one of three loop options and receive points based on the route we chose. It was a beautiful day for hanging out with friends and getting some miles in. I got progressively slower as the day went and my legs are definitely feeling a bit sore today.

Nice 60F morning for a ride today.

Edit: I found a quarter about a mile from my house. Stopped to pick it up because money.

Beautiful morning even with a pretty wicked headwind. I'm hoping it's still blowing for the ride home. Our office is under construction and I've temporarily lost my parking spot. I kinda like having my bike with me in my office!

Whew, this weekend was hot and I'm glad that I was able to spend it at the lake, rather than on the road on my bike. Both days reached 32C/90F but breezy and dry.

This morning, however, was 20C/68F with a humidex of 25C/77F, I was a dripping mess when I arrived at work. It is supposed to thunderstorm around noon which will hopefully drop enough rain that the flowers in the garden will revive.

Have a great day people!

Lethargic this morning from overdoing it on Sunday, which was just a metric but too much sun and hills, and not eating before or during caught up with me in the end. So I took the single speed for a relaxed ride in the cool shade of my Greenway forest route. A little late start so there was traffic, and after the second road bike passed me I let my guard down about the wildlife, thinking the bikes ahead of me would scare them back into the woods. So of course I was startled by a young doe standing in the shadow right at the edge of the path, just looking at me calmly as I passed within a couple of feet. Fortunately she saw me and wasn't concerned enough to jump.

My plan is a couple of days of easy-going commutes - my version of recovery rides - and then I'll be back up to par.

My Conti Touring front tire did something similar last year while I was on a charity ride but I had to finish the 90km because I had no other tire or the other option was to quit.

We had fantabulous weather over the weekend and it has extended into the workweek. Low humidity and relatively cool temps (60 F) made for a great morning commute. I've also finally got new commuter bike dialed in and set up the way I want it, which made for a relatively fast ride. I'm leaving on a weeklong bike trip this Friday, so I put some lighter and faster road tires on the bike (Vredestein Grand Fondo 25s) and my bike was rolling very nicely. I've got another wheelset with 32 mm cross tires that I'll use on days when we are riding rails-to-trails. Also installed a new taillight, a Cygolite Hotshot Micro, which is very impressive so far -- small, but very bright and rechargeable.

Dripping with sweat on the ride in this morning. I miss those temps in the mid-50's already. Going to be 90-plus this afternoon, with high humidity. I plan to soak my head a few times during my ride home. Look forward to it though.

First commute with panniers! Think my avg speed was a bit higher, but that could just a Monday thing. Took the milk crates off of both bikes. Also got a new tire pump and put the tire patch kit in.

I was off on Friday for some staycation time with my wife. I was able to go for a 50 mile ride on Friday and 41 mile ride on Saturday. (She was attending a conference VIRTUALLY)
I was able to ride my new road bike. Man that bike is awesome. So fast & light.


My commuter felt slow this morning mid 50's and supposed to being the 90F on the way home.

today was my first ride to work in over a week due to some minor surgery!

it was great to be back in the saddle, but damn it was hot. 87 degrees at 8:00 am is very unusual in chicago.

I had a really nice time. It's going to get hot and humid, but there were cool breezes coming off the river, and I think I had slight tail winds most of the way. It's sunny, and I wore cycling clothing and changed after getting to work.