I'm not sure of the roads. I met another guy around center grove area (Smokey Row or something like that) and we went from there. I went to DePauw University and lived in Greencastle for 4 years. Yeah there were hills there... in some places, but this route had a ton of hills. I'll get the route and IM it to you. The roads are actually nice. A couple dogs in some areas, but they can't catch you if you go fast enough ;) Coming from Indy, they seemed like hills to me.


8/19 - Group ride at BGI on the southside of Indy. Averaged around 19mph. 27 + the 9 in route to the store. A little over 36 total.

Thanks! maybe next year I'll be ready to get my ass beat.

Thanks, I look forward to getting the route. Yeah, the Greencastle / Leiber State Park area is about as hilly as it gets around west central Indiana. My brother and law came over this morning and we headed southeast from my house in and out of the Big Walnut River Valley up and down the first real (relative term :D ) hills he's been on since he started riding. He was impressed.

8/19 15 miles at 17.5 mph great morning ride with company.

8/19..........48.29 miles at 19.9avg

8/19-28 miles

8-19 19 miles, just did the commuting thing today

I love Big Walnut. I ran cross and track for DePauw... so I know that run alot. How about the hill on Dunbar by the covered bridge? That has to be tougher than Big Walnut...

The hills on the Morgantown route aren't as long, but some are very steep and are leg burners... atleast they were for me. :(

8/19 Tuesday night crits
28.2 miles at 22.1mph Kinda slow, but still a good workout.

3 members of a pro team from South Carolina stopped by for some fun after their work was done in Downers Grove. That was a fun sight to see. The last lap of the A group race they pretty much sat up and freewheeled around the course since they'd dropped all the others and just relaxed into the finish.
At the start of the 2nd race one of the guys made a trackstand, just standing perfectly still at the line and his team member tried to push him off the bike and he just balanced the push by jumping sideways with his whole bike. I have to admit, I was impressed as I would have toppled over without having a chance of clipping out.
So, last race they also showed us how pro's crash as well. At 40mph into the last turn for the sprint one dude's wheel slipped as he described it and he hit the deck, slid across the track and into the grass. Damn! Surprisingly not much damage, besides some busted knuckles and a little road rash here and there, but he was in pretty good shape overall.

So it was a fun night and we had a good time.

I've got three days of riding in out here around Breckenridge, CO Did 33 on Monday, 93 yesterday, and did 14 today dinking around town climbing hills that overlook it. The riding is a lot of fun but still doesn't beat Michigan riding IMO. The bikers out here are all pretty nice but the drivers are not as nice as back in Michigan. Only one more day of riding left before heading back to Michigan.

here's some pictures I took.

5 road bikes and 4 mountain bikes in the trailer with room for gear in the front, it was packed
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...e/IMG_1675.jpg

the climbs just keep going and going...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...e/IMG_1821.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...e/IMG_1757.jpg

brutal 9 mile climb from vail to copper, this is looking down the hill, it was tough even with 39/27
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...e/IMG_1852.jpg

some fantastic views out here
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...e/IMG_1777.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...e/IMG_1786.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...e/IMG_1721.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...e/IMG_1829.jpg

picture from this morning overlooking Breckenridge
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...e/IMG_1871.jpg

Simply amazing, i want to do one of these trips one day when i get more training and learn to ride the bike better.

Very nice!

21 miles with a 20mph average.

you must be doing something wrong if this is the case. ;)

the last picture is just awesome.

later.

+1 I think scenic rides would be more enjoyable if I didnt have to stop to safely drink :o

I did my usual 12 mile route on sunday and tuesday, will try adding some distance on friday.

the scenery is much better, but there's only a few roads to ride and most people ride the bike trails, versus in Michigan, you can ride pretty much everywhere with tons of options for different routes.

I don't think you'd need to worry too much about fitness to ride out here, just make sure you have the right gearing and take your time on the hills, they're too long to attack and ride up like the smaller hills at home

40 miles this morning, out to Romeo and back with a stop for breakfast, then a loop around Stony Creek Metropark on the way back. It was fall-like at 7AM -- barely 50F -- and I started out with leg & arm warmers, an undershirt, and full-fingered gloves, all of which I stripped off by about 9AM on the return leg. It was a great ride!

This is my first week of retirement, and I enjoyed seeing the tense faces of the drivers stopped in rush-hour traffic when I rode across Main Street. Heh heh.

I've never been out on Dunbar, I'm from the Brazil area but I will certainly put it on my short list of where to ride next. I'm not sure which hill you are calling the Big Walnut hill, I'm talking about the ones that run in and out of the Big Walnut valley between US 40 and I-70. I assume you mean the one on Walnut street on the west side of Greencastle?

Today's ride.. 3 miles with the 2 kids on their bikes and the little one on the back of mine. Great time.

Another 19 miles worth of commuting today. Riding my bike back and forth to work is a way better method of recuperating from a big effort than the technique I used last year...which was sitting around and whining

8/20-35 miles my legs are dead.

Commute home 28.2 miles at 17.6mph. Not too shabby. Drafted an SUV through a construction zone at 30mph. SUV's and Semi's rock for drafting.

18 miles with the Elmhurst Bike Club and Elmhurst Triathlon Club.20.8 av. speed/30.5 max.Very fast for me,I'm a member of the Elmhurst Bike Club.

8/16: 31.7 miles - went to Channahon and Minooka area
8/17: 4.9 miles
8/18: 24.4 miles
8/19: 16.2 miles - around Joliet, Crest Hill, Rockdale
8/20: 20.3 miles - around Joliet, Rockdale, Crest Hill
Went by the new trailhead on west end of Old Plank Rd. Trail. Only have parking lot lined in (long way from being done yet) and the restroom facility up. Trail extension westward 1 mile from Ingalls Park
not started yet. This site i'm talking about is on Washington St. about a block and a half east of the railroad tracks on the north side of road between Henderson Ave. and Briggs St. in east side of Joliet.
It'll be nice not having to go uphill on the road towards Briggs when it's all done hopefully before winter sets in.

superlatives fail me....awesome pics, TFS....also you did a good job packing the bikes and gear.

8/20---31 miles superbly led by Leinad. (I just wish you'd give out maps and cue sheets so we didn't take wrong turns...oh wait you did that and we STILL managed wrong turns :p ) Thanks Dan, you do a fantastic job. :thumb:

8/21.....28 solo miles. I bit chilly this morning. It felt great

just curious, what's your mileage total for 2008 so far?

4319 miles.

http://www.bikewire.net/profile.php?id=219

what?? im at work and bored. :D

later.

thanks.

stalker ;)