Another big team ride

Because of our work and travel schedule this summer Mary and I haven't made it to a lot of the JDRF team rides. Yesterday we were able to join the team for a very hilly ride in the Ada/Rockford area. We started with 16 of us doing a 25 mile loop that went east on Knapp Street near Forest Hills Eastern High School. It's a significant climb in the first mile of the ride. That was how the whole day would shake out. Climbing, then descending, a little bit of flat (emphasis on the little), and then we'd climb again. The loop took us north on Parnell Road and past St. Patrick's Church (where we attend) just as Mass was letting out. A bit of pedestrian and traffic dodging and, after a short easterly jog, we were headed north on Gavin Lake Road. We turned west on Belding Road, a busy street but with a w-i-d-e shoulder. Then it was south on Ramsdell Road going through the village of Cannonsburg and continuing south on Honey Creek Road. Lots and lots of hills on that 25 mile loop.

About eight more people joined us for the second half of the ride. We again started up Knapp Street, but this time we reversed the direction of the loop, going north on Honey Creek Road. The funny thing is there were just as many hills going in the other direction. A small group of us decided to do a 30 mile loop for the second time out which gave me 55 miles for the day. Mary opted for a second 25 mile loop and finished with 50 miles, her longest ride of the year so far.

Some people did two loops, some only did one. The photo above is after the first loop people got back and before we went out for the second loop. The people who are standing are the ones who only rode the second loop. The people sitting or laying down had already done the first very hilly loop and were preparing themselves for the second. How hilly was it? Approximately 2,900 feet of elevation gain in 55 miles.

Holland Hundred Update

Today was the 42nd annual Holland Hundred ride. I think it would be fair to say that today was one of the best days they've ever had, weather-wise. Temperatures were cool at the start and only hit the mid-70's by the end of the ride. There was a little bit of wind, but nothing too terrible. All in all, a great day to ride.

The JDRF team at the start of the 2016 Holland Hundred.

There were about 20 of us from the JDRF team that took part in the ride today. (Side note: Proceeds from the Holland Hundred support JDRF.) Although we started together we quickly broke up into four groups. We'd usually meet back up at the break points. I ended up riding with a group of 11 that were doing the metric century. A little clarification is in order here. A metric century is 100 kilometers or about 62 miles. The metric at the Holland Hundred was listed as being 67 miles (a bit long). The actual distance was just a smidgen under 71 miles. No complaints here, I need to get the miles in, but a little truth in advertising would be appreciated.

Between the ride Mary and I did on Sunday and the Holland Hundred, I logged 108 miles this week. That's a good place to be at this point of the season. 71 miles is my longest ride of the year. I'm feeling it a little bit, but that's a good thing as we train for the 100 mile JDRF ride on Amelia Island this October.

Ice cream and beer

On Sunday Mary and I decided to ride north on the White Pine Trail to where the pavement end. That's also known as Sand Lake. From our house to downtown Sand Lake via the trail is 18.5 miles. It was a beautiful afternoon for a ride and we were in no hurry to get the miles in, so we had a nice easy ride. We also had ice cream. There is a nice little ice cream place in Sand Lake. Like every other small town in Michigan the employees are all high school girls. We had flurries and then started for home.

On the way south however we rode right by the relatively new Cedar Springs Brewing Company. Since we haven't been there yet we decided to stop in and try their wares. I had a a pale ale and Mary had a sangria. They were tasty and then it was time to get back on the bikes and resume our journey. We finished with 37 miles, 2 ice creams and 2 adult beverages. A very nice afternoon indeed.

Will Ride for Food

Recently our cycling has seemed to revolve around eating. It all started last Monday. I asked Mary if she wanted to go for a ride after work. She said she was tired and didn't want to go. I told her we could ride to Rockford and stop at the Corner Bar for hot dogs. She agreed, so we got in 20 miles and two bacon cheddar dogs each.

Two days later was our Wine Wednesday ride. We do a few of these every year. It's a very social event. 15-ish miles of riding, then wine and snacks on our patio. This week there were five of us that rode 17 miles and six of us that drank wine. 

Sunday morning there was supposed to be a team ride. 20 people showed up, but so did the rain. And not one of those light summer rains. This was one that showed yellow and red on everyone's phone weather app. We bagged the team ride and of course the weather turned beautiful later that day. Mary and I decided to ride into Grand Rapids to Mitten Brewing and have pizza and beer for dinner. A very easy 20 miles and great pizza.

We've gotten one ride in so far this week. No food was involved.

3rd Coast Cycles Shop Ride

Mary and I need to get a tune-up and some other work done on our bikes. So I brought them in to our favorite bike shop - 3rd Coast Cycles in Hudsonville. The shop does a ride every Saturday morning at 8:00 a.m. While that's a little earlier than I like to ride, by getting an early start I was able to get a ride in and get the bikes in and get a bunch of yard work done. All that led to a wonderful nap later in the afternoon.

The ride itself was pretty nice. 25 miles heading south of Hudsonville towards Jamestown. A fair amount of climbing with a small (only 9) but very peppy group. That gives me 215 miles for the season. A little on the light side, but with work and travel I haven't had a lot of opportunity to get on the bike. That should change in the next couple of months.

Riding that old abandoned highway

US-31 heads north from the Michigan/Indiana border. Shortly before it merges with with I-196 near Benton Harbor, all traffic is forced to exit onto a two lane surface road, then get onto I-94, travel about two miles and finally merge back onto I-196. The reason I'm giving a little southwest Michigan traffic lesson today is because there is a one mile potion of US-31 that is finished, but has never been used. Where traffic is forced onto the surface road the highway continues but is blocked off. The entrance and exit ramps are in place. There is a speed limit sign. There's even an "Adopt a Highway" litter prevention sign on the south bound lanes. All the trappings of a highway, with none of the automobiles. It looks like a scene from the Discovery Channel show "Life After People".

Abandoned US-31 near Benton Harbor

While we were visiting Susan and Elvin Hayes this Memorial Day weekend we decided to ride our bikes on that abandoned stretch on US-31. It's about 15 miles south of their cottage. The four of us rode past some very pretty Berrien County farms and small towns. Riding on the unused road was eerie. The highway is in great shape. No potholes or trash. And no vehicle traffic to bother us. We rode four abreast down the middle of the lane.

Tom, Elvin, Mary and Susan on the entrance ramp to the deserted highway.

There are barricades to stop cars from using the ramps. There is also a barricade to divert traffic off the northbound lands onto the surface road. But when you ride on the abandoned south bound lanes there is nothing to stop you from riding right out onto the very-much-in-use US-31. I guess the traffic engineers figure no one is going to make a hard left at the end of the ramp and drive the wrong way up the highway. But they could. It made us very nervous to have nothing between our bikes and 70 mph freeway traffic. So we headed back up the closed exit ramp and made our back to the cottage from our little "Twilight Zone" adventure. 33 miles in all.

A short post

It's been pretty busy the last few weeks, between working on the job, working on the yard, and working on Jake's Music Festival. I haven't had a lot of opportunities to ride, but Mary and I did get out for an easy 16 miles last night. We rode north on the White Pine Trail up to 13 Mile Road and then turned around and came home. Nothing eventful to report. No speed records were set. Just a leisurely Sunday afternoon ride on an absolutely beautiful day.

A Great Spring Weekend

This past weekend was so fantastic that it took me until today to write about it. To start with Jake and my buddy Roy both rolled into town last Thursday night. Jake was here for the music festival and Roy was here to visit with everyone he knows that lives east of the Mississippi River. We all went out to dinner Thursday night and had a good time.

On Friday, Roy headed north to visit his son and Jake and I were on two different radio stations to talk about Jake's Music Festival. We had lunch at Harmony Hall on Grand Rapids' west side. When we got home we did a little music festival work and then rode bikes up to Rockford Brewing and enjoyed a pint in the sun. It was a beautiful day for a 10 mile ride with a beer stop in the middle.

Jesse Ray and the Carolina Catfish at Jake's Music Festival

Saturday was the big day. Jake's Music Festival is our major fundraiser. The show takes place at Wealthy Theatre and we had 12 different acts performing. The crowd was fantastic and the bands did a great job. In this, our 12th year, we raised a little over $5,000. You can see more photos on our Facebook page.

Almost 50 people showed up for the first JDRF West Michigan outdoor team ride

Sunday was the best day we've had in months. Almost 80 degrees, sunny and very little wind. Sounds like a great day for a bike ride. So Mary and I headed headed to Grandville for the first JDRF team ride of the year. We had almost 50 people show up. That makes it the largest first ride ever and one of the largest team rides of all time. I'd say that bodes well for this upcoming season. We rode 29 miles, with the second half of the route being quite hilly. Check out the details from Map My Ride. As a side note, when we got home I power washed the patio.

Monday came. I went to work and Mary took Jake to the bus station so he could head back to Chicago. It was a long, very tiring, very fun weekend. 2016 is going to be a great year.

First outdoor ride of 2016

The weather has been very un-March-like for the past week. Warm and sunny, not what you'd expect in Michigan this time of year. In fact, last year on this date we still had 4 foot high snow banks on the side of our driveway. Today, I finally got a chance to take advantage of the nice weather and hopped on my bike for a short ride.

It's almost become a tradition that my first ride of the year is on the White Pine Trail. I could feel the long layoff in my legs as I headed north toward Rockford on a very slight uphill grade. I've been on the trainer some over the winter, but I probably averaged 20 minutes a week. Not exactly keeping the fitness level up there. Today I rode up to 13 Mile Road before turning around. The way home is always easier because that slight uphill is now a slight downhill. When I'm in mid-season form I can usually do the homeward leg 5 miles per hour faster with about half the effort. Today, not so much. See my earlier comment about the long layoff.

It felt great to be riding outside again. It was partly sunny, no wind, and about 60 degrees. I ended up with 17 miles total. I always feel good when I can get some miles in while it's still technically winter. Yes, I know I could ride in the winter like several of my team mates. But when it's 20 degrees and snowing I'm staying inside.

33 weeks until the JDRF Ride on Amelia Island.

Back in the saddle

And we start year number 12 of riding to find a cure for Type 1 diabetes. When we started this ride our son Jake was a 13 year old middle schooler who had been diagnosed with T1D seven years earlier. We heard about the Ride to Cure Diabetes and along with a dozen or so people from West Michigan we embarked on training for first ride in Death Valley. Along the way we ridden thousands of miles and raised tens of thousands of dollars for diabetes research.

This year we will be taking part in the JDRF ride on Amelia Island in Florida. This will be the largest ride ever for JDRF with 600 particpants. We took part in the largest ride ever up until now, that was in Nashville in 2013. That ride had a little over 500 riders. The Amelia Island ride has the potential to be the first ride to raise $2,000,000. That is something we want to be part of.

The weather still isn't conducive to outdoor cycling, but we have done some indoor training rides. We're hoping the groundhog was right and that we'll have an early Spring. I have a personal goal of 1,500 miles this season.

Speaking of goals, Mary and I have a fundraising goal of $5,000 each. That's $10,000 for the two of us. Ian is not riding this year, something about being in his senior year of college. So dear reader, you only have to pick between two of us this time around. On the left side of this page you'll see two links; Donate to Mary and Donate to Tom. Please make a contribution to the Scheidel you like best.

Eight months until JDRF Ride #12.