I'm melting...

Temperatures in West Michigan have been pushing 100 degrees all week. As I write this it's 103 outside. I've ridden in Death Valley when it's been that hot and hotter. But there is a huge difference between 10 % humidity (DV) and 60% humidity (WM). However, since I am training to ride in the Lake Tahoe JDRF ride in a little under two months, I need to get out and train. So I went out early in the morning on the White Pine Trail twice this week when the temperature was only about 80.

Do you know who is out on the trail on a holiday morning? The serious athletes. I went out on July 4th and the trail was very busy, but it was all cyclists and runners. No strollers, no roller blades, no soccer moms stopping in the middle of the trail to talk. There were a few people walking their dogs, but they seemed to sense what was happening and they kept Fido to the outside of the trail and on a short leash. Even though there was a lot of trail activity the traffic flow was very smooth. People called out when they were passing. Slower folks moved to the outside of the trail to let the speedier ones by. And this was going from Belmont to Rockford which can be like running a gauntlet on some days.

Today I got up early and headed south on the trail, past the baseball stadium and into Riverside Park. There were very few people out this morning, plus that part of the trail doesn't get the same amount of traffic. Even though I went early I was happy for the shade. When I popped out into the sun things got very warm very quickly. I rode 17 miles today, which gives me 9,800 on my Cannondale. The march to 10,000 continues...

Ramp it up

Three consecutive days of riding my bike, each ride longer than the last. On Friday I took a short ride, only 6 miles round trip, to my chiropractors office for a massage. After an hour long massage I was glad my ride home was so short because I was pretty sure every muscle in my body had been turned into a wet noodle. Saturday morning was a little bit longer ride. I did the northeastern loop, starting with the climb up 7 Mile hill. I ended up riding through Rockford and stopping briefly at the Farmer's Market. I overheard one farmer say that she had lost her entire cherry and peach crop because of the weird weather this spring. I ended up with 17 moderately hilly miles. Today was the big day. 43 miles on a JDRF team ride. We started at Townsend Park and headed north through Harvard and Podunk. We turned south and skirted Wabasis Lake and Gavin Lake. It was an absolutely gorgeous ride. Not a lot of traffic. Pleasant temperatures. Okay, it got hot toward the end of the ride, but I'm used to training for Death Valley. Plus there was almost no wind until the last five miles. There were 10 of us from the team who made the ride and we kept up a pretty good pace. As usual Ian was leading the pack. Mary was busy making cupcakes today for a wedding so she couldn't join us. 10,000 miles by mid-July is in my sights.

The continuing countdown to 10,000

I took a nice little ride tonight. I headed up Post Drive to Pine Island and then headed west on 9 Mile. I kept picking my way north until I ended up on 12 Mile and started east. I then  turned south on Summit to head home. I avoided the White Pine Trail because it's Tuesday night and the Blues Series takes over the area by the dam in Rockford, including the WPT. I listened for a moment then went home basically by way of Childsdale and it's big hill. In fact there were lots of hills on this little route. But I felt good and moved closer to my mid-summer goal. Let's do the numbers.
23 - miles I rode tonight
507 - miles I've ridden this year
9,7000 - miles I've ridden on my Cannondale
The mid-July roll over to 10,000 is looking good. My baby is gonna get all spiffed up for that occasion.

Two days on the White Pine Trail

White Pine Trail near Belmont

What that headline means is that I rode for two consecutive days on the WPT, not two days continuously. Yesterday I didn't fell like riding. It was 90 something degrees and windy. But I hadn't ridden yet this week and I knew I had to get some miles in. So at 8:00 p.m. I headed north on the WPT for about 17 miles. The temperature, while not pleasant, was tolerable. At that hour of the evening the entire trail was in the shade. One of the advantages of living on the western edge of the Eastern Time Zone is that in the middle of June it is still light enough to ride without lights on your bike at 9:30 p.m.

Tonight I rode with a couple of my JDRF team mates. Cindy and Lindsey started up the trail from Riverside Park in Grand Rapids at 3:30 this afternoon. I didn't get out until 5:00. They rode all the way to Sand Lake and stopped for a beverage. I caught up with them in Sand Lake just as they started heading back. So we all rode together back to Belmont, where I split off the head home. A 36 mile ride for me, about 50 for them. It was much  more pleasant riding tonight. Temperatures were in the 70's and the humidity was considerably lower. Plus having two other riders meant a mini-paceline and some pretty fast speeds on the way south. I would say however, that my next ride will not be on the WPT.

Beautiful morning to ride

I got out early this morning, before the thermometer pushed into the 90's, to do a "fun" loop. It's either the punishment loop or the roller coaster loop depending on your fitness level. I headed east on Cannonsburg, then went south on Pettis and came back north on Egypt Valley. There is a lot of climbing on that route. Normally it's an 18 mile loop, but it was feeling more roller coastery today so I extended the ride. I continued north on Egypt Valley to Belding Road then turned west and headed south on Blakely. Which means I got to ride down 7 Mile hill. Much more fun than riding up it like I did on Tuesday. I hit 40 MPH on the way down. 22 miles in all which gives me just shy of 80 for the week.

Rolled over 9,600 miles today. Less than 400 miles to 10,000 on my Cannondale. At this rate I should hit that in July.

A great week to ride

It has been a great week to ride. I went out three times this week for a total of 55 miles. That's about right for my training for this time of year. Sunday's ride was the long one, 38 miles to Sand lake and back. Tuesday and Thursday were each between 13 and 14 miles but very different routes. Tuesday I rode solo tackling 7 Mile hill at the start and then heading north up Blakely to 9 Mile, then Meyers Lake to Kies, then back to the east and Courtland, past Rockford High School and home. Thursday Ian and I did a sprint ride. We took the White Pine Trail to Comstock Park and back. Pretty much never stopped pedaling except for a couple of short downhills on the West River Drive trail overpass. We ended up with 14 miles in 49 minutes. Not blazing speed, but not bad.

The JDRF Ride to Cure Diabetes is a fundraiser. Please help us raise funds by clicking on the Donate to... links on the left.

Summer cycling means ice cream

It was pretty hot today but that didn't stop Mary, Ian and me from going out for a ride. However, with temperatures approaching 90 degrees we decided to ride smart. We picked a route that had no hills and the opportunity for a refreshment stop at the midway point. We traveled north along the White Pine Trail to Sand Lake. It's just short of 19 miles from our house. Our average speed was under 14 miles an hour, probably due to the heat and the almost indiscernible rise in the trail when riding north. When we got to Sand Lake we stopped at Rosie's for ice cream flurries. That's a great treat for a hot day, even if we weren't riding. When we finished the ice cream we headed south. We now had the slight decline of the trail and a fired up Ian. He pulled almost the entire way home at speeds of 18 to 22 mph. It was great fun as we kept our three person pace line together the entire way. Ian is becoming a very strong rider. He also just celebrated his 17th birthday on Friday. I can see him hanging with the elite riders on our team in very short time.

A Perfect Day

The weather was absolutely perfect for a bike ride yesterday. Luckily there was a JDRF team ride scheduled. So Mary and I joined about 25 of our team mates for the afternoon. We left from Eldean Shipyard on the south shore of Lake Macatawa and headed south to what's known as the Hutchens Lake loop. At the New Richmond bridge the team split into two groups. The short route group turned around at that point for what was a 30 mile distance. Our group continued on riding past Fenn Valley Winery and the villages of Saugatuck and Douglas. We ended up with just a shade over 43 miles in two hours and 45 minutes. That's a pretty good pace for a big group of varying abilities.

Mary, Steve and Brenda in New Richmond, about 16 miles into the ride.

After the ride we had a cookout at the shipyard, sat in the hot tub and relaxed in the sun. It was the perfect way to wrap up a great afternoon.

The Summer of the 10,000

My road bike is a Cannondale SR500. I purchased it from VeloCity Cycles in Holland as we were training for our first JDRF ride late in the summer of 2005. Currently I have put 9,432 miles on that bike. My plan is to hit 10,000 miles later this summer. Every one of those miles was ridden with the purpose of finding a cure for Type 1 diabetes.

Casual bike riders in 2005 (upper left) to a dedicated cycling family today.

I've ridden in seven JDRF Rides for the Cure. I've done several other century and metric century rides. I've ridden to the post office to mail a letter. I've ridden with family and friends. I've ridden in 110 degree heat and cold soaking rain. Every time I get on that bike one thought always comes to mind. I'm doing this for Jake and all the other people suffering with Type 1 diabetes. Thousands and thousands of miles with one goal, one purpose, in mind. Find a cure for this disease. Along the way I have met some amazing people. There is nothing like the feeling of being around people who are committed to a worthy cause. They make the journey easier and more enjoyable.

568 miles to go. I'll post when the Cannondale rolls over 10,000. Most likely there will be a party.

A good week

I'm starting to get into my riding groove. I did three rides this week. 16 miles on my own on Monday night. 16 miles with Mary on Friday night. And a 23 mile team ride today. That gives me 55 miles for the week. Not fantastic but pretty good a week before Memorial Day.

On Friday Mary and I rode on the White Pine Trail from our house down to Comstock Park and back. Our plan was to stop at Vitalie's and have a beverage in their open deck area, but that was full. So we came home and had a steak dinner and red wine on our own patio instead. Today we had a team ride that left from Johnson Park. The park is located right along the Grand River situated between southwest Grand Rapids and Grandville. We rode a very nice, rolling loop of 23 miles. A few folks, including Ian, took a little longer route and ended up with 28 miles. The temperature was over 90 degrees when we started, but we had some cloud cover and lots of trees to provide shade along the route. We also had three new team mates along who will be participating in their first JDRF ride this fall.

"10,000" Learn the significance later this week.