Urban Cycling

Every Memorial Day since the mid-eighties we get together with our friends Susan and "Elvin" Hayes. We used to go camping in Manistee National Forest, then we started hanging out at their cottage on Lake PawPaw. This year, because of crazy schedules, we visited them at their home near Lincoln Park in Chicago. On Sunday Elvin, Mary and I rode the Lake Shore Trail north up to Evanston. The very well used paved trail follows the shore of Lake Michigan through most of Chicago. Traveling north the trail jogs inland for a few miles along surface streets. However it is well marked with signage and bike lanes (or at least sharrows). When we got to Evanston we rode around Northwestern University's campus and past some gorgeous homes. On the way back we stopped at a little beach bar for a snack and a beer. It would have been great had the sun been out and the temperature wasn't dropping. Sunday was one of those rides that started in the mid 60's and just a bit overcast and ended with temps in the 50's with rain starting. Luckily we got back in before it rained hard or we got frozen. In all we put in 30 miles of dodging pedestrians, other cyclists, and sand blown over the trail. It was a very different experience than our usually Memorial Day rides on the other side of Lake Michigan.

Tom and Mary in front of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

Let's Race

Mary competing in her first time trial

This past week started with the Rapids Wheelmen Time Trials out in Ada. Ian and I have raced there once before and this time Mary joined us. This is a 15 mile out and back, fairly flat course along Grand River Avenue. The riders start individually every 30 seconds. The idea is to ride against the clock and not the other people on the course. Which is a good thing since I was getting passed regularly by 20 somethings on time trial bikes. But the good news is I improved my time over the first week by three and a half minutes. Ian's time was about the same and Mary finished is less than an hour. She was very happy about that since she was thinking she was a "slow" rider. Her average speed was 15.6 mph. While not blazing, that's far from slow. The complete results are at this link.

On Saturday Ian and I traveled over to the other side of the state for the Tour de Frankenmuth. This was Ian's first ride with the Rapid Wheelmen Junior Team. The race was on a 16 mile loop that started in the downtown of the delightfully German themed town. The Juniors did one loop and the Category 1 and 2 riders did 5 loops. The top riders were competing for prize money, the juniors were competing for medals. Ian finished 8th in his age group, getting beat out at the line for 7th place. It was a great learning experience for him and he said he really enjoyed it.

Ian approaching during his first Junior Team race.

This week's training

This was a good week for training. I rode three times for a total of 51 miles. That's a good place to be for the middle of May. I'd like to have more total miles under my belt, but my fitness level seems pretty good considering the lack of saddle time this spring.

On Tuesday Ian and I did a 14 mile ride out to the east of our house. We started by climbing Seven Mile hill. We rode past Luton Park which was full of people on mountain bikes and then finished by riding past Rockford High School. Ian's last day at RHS is this Wednesday and then he graduates on June 4.

Thursday was a solo ride for me down near Allegan. I was working in the area and had a couple of hours between events, so I took my bike along and got a 17 mile ride in. I had hoped to do a loop ride but I was unfamiliar with the area so I ended up doing an out and back.

Mary and I rode the White Pine Trail on Saturday evening. We went north as far as Russell Road and then turned around. On the way home we stopped at the Rockford Brewing Company for a sandwich and a beer. It was excellent and we arrived home slightly before 9:00 p.m. with exactly 20 miles. We have finally hit that point of the year where it stays light in Michigan until late in the evening. It makes after work rides much easier to complete.

First time trial

We tried something new tonight. Ian and I rode in our first time trial. The Rapid Wheelmen Cycling Club holds a 15 mile time trial every Monday night. It starts at Ada Park and runs along Grand River Drive toward Lowell. It's a pretty flat route with a few mild rollers. We rode out seven and a half miles, turn around and head back. It took me about 55 minutes (we'll have the official times on Wednesday), Ian did it in about 48 minutes. He started 30 seconds behind me and caught me at mile 3. There were about 70 riders in all but only 3 (including Ian) passed me. Of course I was one of the last six to start. Oh well, my plan was just to get a base line time so I can see how much I improve over the course of the season.

Ian after his first time trial.

Second ride of the season

Today I rode outside for the second time this season. Mary, Ian and I took the White Pine Trail north thru Rockford to Russell Road then turned around and rode home. That's 20 miles, or one mile more than last Sunday's ride. By this time last year I had ridden over 200 miles. This very wet cold spring has really put my training behind schedule. Plus the Nashville ride is in early September. Looks like I'm going to have to start hammering it.

On a related note my bike has developed a shifting problem. As in, it doesn't. I rode all day today in the big ring, which means my 27 speed bike is essentially a 9 speed. I used to ride a 10 speed in college so this isn't too bad, but it's amazing how much I miss those other 18 gears. I'm taking it in to Grand Rapids Bicycle Company tomorrow so they can take a look.

The season starts

JDRF West Michigan - first team ride

Spring has been a long time coming. By this time last year we had been riding outside for over a month. Sunday was our first JDRF team ride of the season. We had a good sized group that showed up to the Clark's house in Grandville. Because of all the rain and subsequent flooding getting to their house took a little rerouting, but luckily the bike route itself was nice and dry.

To go off topic for just a bit, we've had over 9 inches of rain this April. We set a record for the month on April 18th. All the rivers in the area are over flood stage. In fact the Grand River crested yesterday at record high levels. I posted some photos over on Facebook.

Back to the bike stuff. This was the first team ride of the year and, for some of us, the first ride period. I did a few indoor trainer rides over the winter, but this was my first time riding outdoors. It was a sunny, if a bit cool, day.  There were three routes that ran south of Grandville with loops of 12, 19 or 27 miles. I chose the 19 mile option and Mary did the 12. Ian was on his way back from a percussion competition in Ohio so he didn't ride with us. It felt good to be out on the road again. I'm looking forward to putting many more miles under my tires as we prepare for the JDRF ride in Nashville this September.

Jake's Music Festival takes place tonight

In order to raise money to support our ride we participate in lots of fund raising opportunities. Tonight is one of the biggest. Jake's Music Festival takes place at Wealthy Theatre in Grand Rapids, featuring some of the best bands the local music scene has to offer. This is our ninth year and promises to be one of the best show yet. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. with music starting at 7:00 p.m. See the full schedule below.

Nick Stevenson playing at JMF 2012

7:00PM     Grand ‘Piper’ Entrance
7:05PM     Last Call Band                       
7:45PM     Lynn Thompson
8:00PM     The Nick Stevenson Band                 
8:45PM     Otis Blueswell Jr.
9:00PM     Simien The Whale                   
9:45PM     Jared Wekenman 
10:00PM   Igby Iris                        

Check out the event web site or Facebook page for more info.

Starting the 2013 Season

Yesterday was the first day to register for the 2013 JDRF rides. Team Scheidel and a large portion of the West Michigan team have registered for the brand new ride in Nashville, Tennessee. Now before anyone says anything about us taking it easy this year, let me tell you a little bit about the route. First off it looks like a very pretty route. The starting line will be near Vanderbilt University and a good portion of the route will follow the Natchez Trace, a scenic parkway closed to commercial traffic. So that's the good part. The route also has over 4,400 feet of elevation gain. That's a lot of climbing. To put it in perspective, Death Valley and Lake Tahoe each have about 2,700 feet of climbing. Looks like we are in for lots of hill training this spring and summer. The ride takes place on September 21, 2013. So we have nine months of training and fund raising ahead.

Speaking of fund raising we would love to have your support in our endeavor. On the left are links that allow you to donate to Tom, Mary or Ian. Please take a moment to make a contribution. No amount is too small (or too large) and every donation puts us that much closer to finding a cure for type 1 diabetes.

Thank you for your support.

Winding up 2012

As the year comes to a close it's time to reflect on our 2012 cycling world. In some ways it was an average year and in other it was a great year. From a mileage standpoint it was pretty average. I ended up with 1,386 miles in total. I didn't get a full century (100 miles in a single day) but I did ride at least four metric centuries (100 kilometers or 62 miles). The season started early, we were riding outdoors by mid-March, and continued through November. I even got out once in December. Pretty unusual for a fair weather rider from the northern midwest.

From a fund raising standpoint 2012 was a great year. We raised more money with Jake's Music Festival than ever before. As Team Scheidel, Mary, Ian and I raised over $12,000 to help find a cure for Type 1 diabetes. The entire JDRF Ride Program raised $5,000,000 for the cause. Record numbers all the way around. Thanks to everyone who contributed.

Ian, Mary and Tom during the first big climb of the JDRF Tour de Tahoe.

Riding with the JDRF team at Lake Tahoe was one of the best cycling experiences of my life. The scenery was incredible, the weather was perfect, and the people were friendly. We had an absolutely fantastic time and would do that ride again in a minute. In fact, the team is in discussion about where to ride in 2013. The new Nashville ride and Death Valley are the leading contenders, but Tahoe is getting several votes.

In conclusion, I'd like to thank the many people who have ridden with us over the past eight years. 148 people have been part of the JDRF West Michigan team since 2005. Some rode once and others have ridden every year. We appreciate all of them and the contributions they have made both financially and spiritually to this worthy cause. A special thanks to our coach Mike Clark. He has been with us since the beginning and is, in many ways, the heart and soul of the West Michigan team.

There's nothing like the feeling of standing with a dedicated group of cyclists at the starting line at dawn. You've all trained for months. You've all raised thousands of dollars. You're all even wearing the same jersey. All the time and effort are about to be rewarded. You are going for the greatest bike ride of your life with hundreds of other people that feel exactly like you do. It is awe inspiring. Let's do it again in 2013.

Let's ride outside...in December

For those who live in warmer climates, or ride year-round regardless of the weather, going for an outdoor bike ride in December may not seem like a big deal. But usually this time of year Michigan has a fair amount of snow on the ground and temperatures in the 20's and 30's. So when the temp's approach 60 it's a great day to get out on the road. Yesterday's ride was short, only about 13 miles to Rockford and back, but nice. It was great to get out. With yesterday's ride I've ridden outdoors in every month in 2012 except January. While overall climate change is probably a bad thing, it sure has made winters in the upper mid-west more bearable.