I had one goal today: to break 300 miles for the week! I woke up at 6:00 without an alarm and got on my bike as quickly as I could. I had to be back at the house by 7:30 to take my daughter to an activity at the church.
I rode out onto the highway to see which way the wind was blowing. It wasn't blowing much so I decided I'd ride west and see what there was to see. What I saw was another cyclist. At first I thought it was Dan M. I yelled his name! No reaction. I pressed my legs into action and chased the rider ahead. It took quite a bit of effort, but I finally reeled him in as I passed the Kwik Shop on the edge of town. It was not Dan. I would never have caught Dan. Instead, it was Mike, a cyclist I met and rode with once last summer.
I slowed down and rode with him. It took me awhile I catch my breath, but eventually I was able to carry on a conversation with my new old friend. We rode out toward Coats talking about Dan and the Tour and whatever else came to mind.
When I'd ridden 12 miles, we turned around and headed for home. The pace picked up considerably with the wind at our backs. It was nice to ride nice and easy at 18-20mph.
When we got back into town, we took the highway all the way to Champa where I veered off to go home and Mike continued on his way back home as well. I rode up to the house at 7:33. Everyone was already awake.
After a brief rest, I went out south of town to get the last of the miles I needed to break 300 for the month. I met a couple of dogs along the way, one behind an invisible fence. I love those things!
I rode out to 30th turned and rode west over to Highway 281 and took it south for awhile. When I was seven plus miles from home, I turned around and rode back. Instead of turning at 30th, I followed the highway into town and enjoyed the plunge down into the city limits. From there, I zigged and zagged my way back to the house. (garmin data)
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Friday, June 29, 2012
Riding them out of town...
I really enjoyed my ride time this morning. It started with a nice little four mile warm up before meeting up with Dan M. From his house, the two of us rode side by side to the old high school gym where we met up with the 29 riders who are riding across the U.S. to raise money for the Ulman Cancer Fund. You can find them online at www.4Kforcancer.org.
Around 6:20 or so, we left the school. I rode with the lead group to show them the way out of town. Dan rode with another group. It was fun to talk with the guys in my group as we cruised along. We took the old highway to avoid traffic, so we were able to ride two or three abreast until we got to Cullison and rejoined Highway 54.
I rode to the flagperson about three or four miles from the county line, then said my goodbyes and left them to ride to Dodge City. Dan went on with them since he had business in Greensburg this morning.
The ride back was much faster, but kind of lonely. I sped along at 17-20mph most of the time. I rode back into town and made my way home by 8:00. (garmin data)
Around 6:20 or so, we left the school. I rode with the lead group to show them the way out of town. Dan rode with another group. It was fun to talk with the guys in my group as we cruised along. We took the old highway to avoid traffic, so we were able to ride two or three abreast until we got to Cullison and rejoined Highway 54.
I rode to the flagperson about three or four miles from the county line, then said my goodbyes and left them to ride to Dodge City. Dan went on with them since he had business in Greensburg this morning.
The ride back was much faster, but kind of lonely. I sped along at 17-20mph most of the time. I rode back into town and made my way home by 8:00. (garmin data)
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Riding them into town...
It was way too hot to be out riding this afternoon! It was 101 when I left to ride out and find the "4K for Cancer" riders and bring them into town. I'd talked with one of them and I thought they were closer to town than they were, so I kitted up and headed out!
I rode along at a fairly easy pace, not wanting to overexert in the heat. I climbed up and out of town and then settled in to a rhythm and let the miles roll under my tires. When I got to Cairo and hadn't seen the group yet, I was a little concerned. I didn't really want to deal with the four-lane stuff, but I crossed over to the wide left shoulder and rode against traffic. I was just a little concerned when I saw a highway patrol car, but he didn't even give me a flash of his lights as he sped on his way. Finally, when I'd ridden about 13.5 miles out of town, I spotted a cluster of cyclists headed toward me. I swung around and rolled to a stop so they could catch me.
When we were all together, we rolled on down the road. I talked with the riders as we made progress against the blast furnace wind. Today was, for them, better than yesterday. Less than 24 hours ago, they rode 102 miles into a furious headwind in the Kansas heat. Ugh! I'm glad I didn't do that with them.
We rode fairly slowly into town, stopping once for the "water wagon" which pulled off at Cairo. We stopped again in the shade of some trees at a house. I didn't figure the owner would mind. They came out after we'd been there for a few minutes and were pretty friendly. They even let one of the girls use their bathroom.
From that house, we rode all the way into town and I took my charges down to Sixth Street and across to the old gym where they're staying tonight. I rested for a bit, then left for home where I showered and returned to work.
This evening, I may go out for a short ride with a couple of the guys who were in the support vehicles today. We'll see! (garmin data)
I rode along at a fairly easy pace, not wanting to overexert in the heat. I climbed up and out of town and then settled in to a rhythm and let the miles roll under my tires. When I got to Cairo and hadn't seen the group yet, I was a little concerned. I didn't really want to deal with the four-lane stuff, but I crossed over to the wide left shoulder and rode against traffic. I was just a little concerned when I saw a highway patrol car, but he didn't even give me a flash of his lights as he sped on his way. Finally, when I'd ridden about 13.5 miles out of town, I spotted a cluster of cyclists headed toward me. I swung around and rolled to a stop so they could catch me.
When we were all together, we rolled on down the road. I talked with the riders as we made progress against the blast furnace wind. Today was, for them, better than yesterday. Less than 24 hours ago, they rode 102 miles into a furious headwind in the Kansas heat. Ugh! I'm glad I didn't do that with them.
We rode fairly slowly into town, stopping once for the "water wagon" which pulled off at Cairo. We stopped again in the shade of some trees at a house. I didn't figure the owner would mind. They came out after we'd been there for a few minutes and were pretty friendly. They even let one of the girls use their bathroom.
From that house, we rode all the way into town and I took my charges down to Sixth Street and across to the old gym where they're staying tonight. I rested for a bit, then left for home where I showered and returned to work.
This evening, I may go out for a short ride with a couple of the guys who were in the support vehicles today. We'll see! (garmin data)
One tenth for each day...
Today I stuck with the plan! I did not add 20 miles to my route! I will be on time to work!
I woke to my alarm at 5:00, got up and ready and rolled away from my driveway around 5:15. It helped that I didn't stop to see what was going on here on dailymile and that I'd readied everything last night.
I rode west on School Street and, skipping right by Stout, took Curtis south to the highway instead. That provided a little excitement with the brick surface and all. On the highway I rode west to Main Street, took it south to Fifth and rode out of town headed west on Fifth.
When I got to the end of Fifth, I took Highway 54 out to Skyline and jumped over to the old highway. I took it to the Coats road and headed south. It was much nicer riding this stretch of road today with my good lights. I could actually see what was coming.
I didn't push too much going south since the slight wind was in my face and I didn't really care about speed today. I just rode for the fun of riding. I hit the hour mark right at Coats and turned east to ride over to Sawyer. I really like these mostly traffic-free roads. Not once did I have a car overtake me from behind and the cars coming toward me were few and far between.
I arrived in Sawyer about an hour and a half after I left. I took a left and rode back toward Pratt on Highway 281. By that time, I had decided I was going to aim for 36.5 miles to commemorate the first anniversary of our arrival in Pratt. That's one tenth of a mile for each day of the year. You knew that, right? From mapping this route last night, I knew it was going to be close to that many miles, so I just had to figure out how to add a little distance to make it happen.
The ride on the highway was pretty nice. There still wasn't a lot of traffic and the wind was at my back. Again, I wasn't in any big hurry, so you can't see that advantage much in the mile splits. I only had one mile over 20mph.
Once I rolled into town, I rode my usual route back toward the house until I got to Howard. Instead of turning there, I rode on to Country Club and took it up to Highway 54. I then only had to add a block detour to get to 36.5 miles right at the house.
That's my morning workout. This afternoon, I'm riding east on Highway 54 to ride a group of 25 to 30 cross country riders in. Several months ago I set up staying at the high school gym for them, so I'm looking forward to the people I've talked with on the phone and emailed back and forth with. (garmin data)
I woke to my alarm at 5:00, got up and ready and rolled away from my driveway around 5:15. It helped that I didn't stop to see what was going on here on dailymile and that I'd readied everything last night.
I rode west on School Street and, skipping right by Stout, took Curtis south to the highway instead. That provided a little excitement with the brick surface and all. On the highway I rode west to Main Street, took it south to Fifth and rode out of town headed west on Fifth.
When I got to the end of Fifth, I took Highway 54 out to Skyline and jumped over to the old highway. I took it to the Coats road and headed south. It was much nicer riding this stretch of road today with my good lights. I could actually see what was coming.
I didn't push too much going south since the slight wind was in my face and I didn't really care about speed today. I just rode for the fun of riding. I hit the hour mark right at Coats and turned east to ride over to Sawyer. I really like these mostly traffic-free roads. Not once did I have a car overtake me from behind and the cars coming toward me were few and far between.
I arrived in Sawyer about an hour and a half after I left. I took a left and rode back toward Pratt on Highway 281. By that time, I had decided I was going to aim for 36.5 miles to commemorate the first anniversary of our arrival in Pratt. That's one tenth of a mile for each day of the year. You knew that, right? From mapping this route last night, I knew it was going to be close to that many miles, so I just had to figure out how to add a little distance to make it happen.
The ride on the highway was pretty nice. There still wasn't a lot of traffic and the wind was at my back. Again, I wasn't in any big hurry, so you can't see that advantage much in the mile splits. I only had one mile over 20mph.
Once I rolled into town, I rode my usual route back toward the house until I got to Howard. Instead of turning there, I rode on to Country Club and took it up to Highway 54. I then only had to add a block detour to get to 36.5 miles right at the house.
That's my morning workout. This afternoon, I'm riding east on Highway 54 to ride a group of 25 to 30 cross country riders in. Several months ago I set up staying at the high school gym for them, so I'm looking forward to the people I've talked with on the phone and emailed back and forth with. (garmin data)
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Oops! Too far...
My eyes popped open at 4:40 this morning. I was wide awake! I got out of bed, shut off my alarm clock and headed for the garage. I wanted to go for a ride.
The first problem I encountered was a major lighting issue. Some idiot forgot to plug the battery in last night, so it wasn't recharged. I had to go to "Plan B" or go back to bed. I wasn't about to do that, so out came the Knuckle Lights.
I got ready and left the house a little before 5:00. Rolling through the city, the Knuckle Lights did alright. There were moments when I couldn't see as well as I'd like to, but I didn't hit anything and no one hit me.
When I got out of town, the much dimmer light that comes from the Knuckle Lights became a bit of a nuisance. Keeping my hands in the same place forever wasn't very comfortable either. Grrrrr! I hate it when I forget to recharge my good lights! Less than an hour into the ride, I was able to turn off the Knuckle Lights and see by the light of the rising sun. Yippee!
My plans were to ride to Coats, over to Sawyer and then back home. I followed the plan all the way to Sawyer. Then I looked at my time and thought I had time to ride over to the Isabel road and take it north to the highway. I was wrong! It's a lot further over there than I thought! I added about 20 miles to my ride instead of the 8 or 9 I thought I was adding. Of course, I didn't figure this out until I came out on the highway 10 miles from home.
What do you do when you've ridden 40 miles and you're 10 miles from home? You ride home. I made it back just before 8:00. That was much later than I expected. I cleaned up quickly and dove into the day's work as soon as I could. (garmin data)
The first problem I encountered was a major lighting issue. Some idiot forgot to plug the battery in last night, so it wasn't recharged. I had to go to "Plan B" or go back to bed. I wasn't about to do that, so out came the Knuckle Lights.
I got ready and left the house a little before 5:00. Rolling through the city, the Knuckle Lights did alright. There were moments when I couldn't see as well as I'd like to, but I didn't hit anything and no one hit me.
When I got out of town, the much dimmer light that comes from the Knuckle Lights became a bit of a nuisance. Keeping my hands in the same place forever wasn't very comfortable either. Grrrrr! I hate it when I forget to recharge my good lights! Less than an hour into the ride, I was able to turn off the Knuckle Lights and see by the light of the rising sun. Yippee!
My plans were to ride to Coats, over to Sawyer and then back home. I followed the plan all the way to Sawyer. Then I looked at my time and thought I had time to ride over to the Isabel road and take it north to the highway. I was wrong! It's a lot further over there than I thought! I added about 20 miles to my ride instead of the 8 or 9 I thought I was adding. Of course, I didn't figure this out until I came out on the highway 10 miles from home.
What do you do when you've ridden 40 miles and you're 10 miles from home? You ride home. I made it back just before 8:00. That was much later than I expected. I cleaned up quickly and dove into the day's work as soon as I could. (garmin data)
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Passing Dan...
I woke up to find Dan M. at the top of my leaderboard. I shook my head when I saw it. The crazy man rode 76 miles yesterday during the heat of the day! It was 109 degrees at its worst! He was out riding!
If I wanted to be back on top this morning, I had to ride at least 28 miles. I thought for a bit before heading out and settled on a plan. I'd ride the Coats loop which I thought would give me about that many miles.
I left the house around 5:30, rode out to the highway and started west. I got to the edge of town and a strange thought hit me. I realized I'd never ridden from Pratt to Haviland in all the months I'd been here. Haviland is the home of Barlcay College, my alma mater, and the home of the Run for Missions races. On a whim, I made my mind up and rode on past the turn off for the Coats loop.
The wind wasn't super strong this morning, but it was strong enough to make my trip to Haviland a little slower. I enjoyed the ride, looking at the scenery and trying to figure out what the numbers painted on the side of the road by the highway crews meant. It was 1.9 miles for every 100. I never figured it out. Anyone know what they're measuring?
I rode into Haviland around 7:00, turned onto Main Street and did a loop through the college campus. No one's there right now, so I just came back south by the Friends Church and back to the highway to go home.
The trip home was a bit faster. Yippee! I didn't get any great speed on the gradual grade up to Cullison, but after leaving the "big" metropolis I was able to knock out seven miles at over 20mph. The fastest mile of the bunch was the last one. Amazingly enough, it was in Pratt riding with traffic. I even had to slow down a bit to make the corner onto Stout.
I rode directly back to the house and there decided to take a little cool down and get my miles up over 45. I was less than a mile and a half from it, so I figured why not. I dropped down to less than 15mph for that mile plus. I didn't care. I'd had a great ride and I was ahead of Dan M. again. (Now, we'll see what he does today to make me suffer!) (garmin data)
If I wanted to be back on top this morning, I had to ride at least 28 miles. I thought for a bit before heading out and settled on a plan. I'd ride the Coats loop which I thought would give me about that many miles.
I left the house around 5:30, rode out to the highway and started west. I got to the edge of town and a strange thought hit me. I realized I'd never ridden from Pratt to Haviland in all the months I'd been here. Haviland is the home of Barlcay College, my alma mater, and the home of the Run for Missions races. On a whim, I made my mind up and rode on past the turn off for the Coats loop.
The wind wasn't super strong this morning, but it was strong enough to make my trip to Haviland a little slower. I enjoyed the ride, looking at the scenery and trying to figure out what the numbers painted on the side of the road by the highway crews meant. It was 1.9 miles for every 100. I never figured it out. Anyone know what they're measuring?
I rode into Haviland around 7:00, turned onto Main Street and did a loop through the college campus. No one's there right now, so I just came back south by the Friends Church and back to the highway to go home.
The trip home was a bit faster. Yippee! I didn't get any great speed on the gradual grade up to Cullison, but after leaving the "big" metropolis I was able to knock out seven miles at over 20mph. The fastest mile of the bunch was the last one. Amazingly enough, it was in Pratt riding with traffic. I even had to slow down a bit to make the corner onto Stout.
I rode directly back to the house and there decided to take a little cool down and get my miles up over 45. I was less than a mile and a half from it, so I figured why not. I dropped down to less than 15mph for that mile plus. I didn't care. I'd had a great ride and I was ahead of Dan M. again. (Now, we'll see what he does today to make me suffer!) (garmin data)
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