ME AND MY BIKE

Tobies Caramel Roll

2012-02-06T19:25:00.002-06:00

My random thought for today was "how many calories are in a Tobies caramel roll?" I still don't know the answer. Tried to google it but came up empty handed. I'm guessing a lot! What? you ask does this have to do with riding my bike? Well...I had a Tobies caramel roll this afternoon and while I was out riding I started to wonder how many calories were in it and how many miles I'd have to ride to burn it off? I rode a little over 15 miles, not sure if that was enough but I also took the Puggle for a walk when I got home. In my book a Tobies caramel roll = a 15 mile bike ride and a Puggle walk. But the glass of wine I'm drinking while writing this is probably going straight to my belly fat :p

SNOW!!!

2012-01-23T22:21:00.001-06:00

I enjoyed a fun ride in the snow today. The roads were pretty bad so I broke down and rode on the sidewalk until I got to a main street. The Bruce Vento trail is only about a mile from my house so I didn't have far to go before I got on the trail. Thank You Ramsey county for plowing the trail. There was still enough snow on the trail to make it fun but not so much that it became a chore. I pedaled just about 8 miles; which doesn't seem like a lot of miles but when you throw in the snow, ice and headwind it felt like 20 miles. Worked up a pretty good sweat too!

I think I'll check out the Gateway trail tomorrow. It doesn't get plowed so depending on how much traffic it had today it could be a fun ride!

Happy trails...

Tough Ride

2012-01-22T18:36:00.000-06:00

I'll take the extreme hot, the extreme cold, wind, snow, ice, rain, thunder, lightening whatever but I do not like this cold drizzly crap. When the weather is extreme cold or hot you prepare yourself for it and it's a challenge. Wind, rain, snow, ice they are all an adventure and challenge your skills. This drizzly cold stuff just makes my bones hurt :p

I had to give myself a pep-talk before riding today. The temperature was hovering around 20 degrees, the roads were slushy, icy in places and wet. There was a mist in the air when I started out and it slowly because drizzly then I don't know what. Not quite snow but not rain either; something in between.

The Vento trail was actually nice, nothing but the sound of my tires rolling across the trail. The trail hasn't been plowed so it's a little slick at the intersections. I worked up a nice sweat while riding which gave me an excuse to have a second helping of Channa Masala at dinner tonight :) mmmm I love me some Indian food.

Calendar

2012-01-20T07:28:00.000-06:00

On the first of the year started using a calendar dedicated to my riding. This gives me an overview of where I ride and how many miles. It also let's me pencil in all the rides I want to do this year :)

My mileage is a bit of guess work because the MTN bike I'm riding doesn't have a computer thingy on it. I use MapMyRide.com to figure out my miles. I could put a computer thingy on it but it's not my bike and they don't always work well when the weather gets cold. The one on my road bike has indicated that on one of my rides my maximum MPH was 99; I"m thinking that might not be accurate :)

Minnesota has finally decided to turn down the heat and bring on some snow. Yesterdays ride was my first below zero ride. Both the temperature and windchill were below zero; how far below I don't know. I'm not big on checking the weather. When it gets cold everyone talks about it so I have an idea.

I stayed plenty warm on my ride but would like to change a couple things. I need to find a face mask that doesn't get wet and cold from breathing and doesn't fog my glasses. Yesterday I used my goggles which worked much better. I'd also like to get better riding shoes. I'm thinking maybe hiking boots; something I can put thicker socks into and is wind/rain proof.

It looks like I'll be riding in the snow today. Not the big fluffy stuff that is fun but the icy pellet snow; ick! This will also make the roads slippery so I'll head to the bike trails. I'm really fortunate that I have both the Gateway trail and the Bruce Vento trails within 1 mile from my house.

Where's my notes?

2012-01-08T18:16:00.001-06:00

I was trying to jot down a couple things to post but now I've misplaced my notes! Oh well...

I've been riding the Gateway Trail and the Bruce Vento trail a lot this winter. The Bruce Vento gets plowed the Gateway does not. This gives me a fun ride through the snow on the Gateway and an easy cruise on the Bruce Vento. Last week while riding the Vento trail in Maplewood I spotted a beautiful hawk perched in a tree, numerous deer tracks frozen in the ice and watched one of the best sunsets so far this winter.

The Vento trail is a great ride in the winter not only because it gets plowed but also because it's fairly flat and allows me to get to the book store, coffee shop and hair supply store with ease.

The Gateway trail is fun because they don't plow it and I get a great workout. I can also get to the Credit Union, bike shop and movie theater using the trail.

If you want to ride in the winter and not deal with cars I highly recommend both of these trails. Just remember to use the fat tires on the Gateway!

Happy Trails! :)

Hit by a Mini Van!

2012-01-02T19:17:00.001-06:00

I'm going to attempt to get back to posting on this blog and with the New Year just beginning there's no better time than the present.

The New Year started with a bang!

Yesterday, January 1, 2012 I was hit by a mini-van while riding my bike. Both the bike and myself are fine. I was crossing at an intersection, a woman in a mini-van was stopped at the stop sign. I had the right-of-way. As I was passing in front of her she stepped on the gas and hit my back wheel with the drivers side bumper. It knocked the back of the bike one direction and the front another. I managed to stay on the bike and get out of the intersection. I put the bike down, turned around and shouted to the woman. It looked as though she was about to take off! A man in a car pulled up behind her; he had seen her hit me. The woman got out of the van and asked if I was alright. I shouted at her about talking on a cell phone, not paying attention and hitting me. She never once apologized! Can you believe that? I called the police to make a report. They arrived quickly and gave the woman a citation for inattentive driving and now she will have to go to court for it. I'm thanking my mountain bike skills for pulling me through this. If I hadn't ever ridden a mountain bike I believe I would have hit the asphalt.

The woman acted as though it was such an inconvenience to her. If she had acted as though she gave a damn I don't think I would have even called the police. I was so pissed off all I really wanted to do was hit the woman. I hope the judge makes her pay a big fat fine.

After work today I checked out the bike and made a couple adjustments; the handle bars were skewed and the seat was a little off. Other than that it seemed fine. I went for about a 5 mile ride tonight and everything worked great! Even though the temperature was below 20 degrees I worked up a sweat riding on the ice and snow. Riding in the snow is fun, riding on the ice is not.

With Minnesota finally starting to feel like winter I'm ramping up my search for a face mask. I have a couple but they don't seem to work. I can't find one that fits my face, I think most of them are made for man faces. In any case I think that's about all I need for my winter riding gear.

HAPPY NEW YEAR pedal, pedal, pedal

The Road Less Traveled

2011-07-26T18:15:00.000-05:00

And now I know why.

I pedaled a new route on my way home tonight; got misplaced 3 times and had to back track! The trail was bumpy, overgrown and twisty with lots of walkers; not sure I'll take that way again. But it was nice riding through the woods rather than next to traffic :) Distance wise it didn't make much of a difference, maybe one mile.

I'm really enjoying my commute to work but the ride home is not as nice. The ride to work is quiet, not much traffic and it's nice and cool. The ride home can be like playing frogger getting across the busy hiways. I have to cross 55 and 110 both of which have long lights and lots of traffic in the afternoon. I find myself debating on a longer ride with less traffic and hills or the shorter ride with traffic and hills. Generally the longer ride wins.

Who knows if I keep test riding new routes one of these days I'm bound to find a good one!

pedal, pedal, pedal :)

Heat index 110

2011-07-17T21:13:00.000-05:00

Started my ride in the rain and ended my ride in the rain. I'll take this heat and rain over a headwind any day :) I discovered another bike path today; this one has bunnies, birds and wild flowers! Plus two big red barns!
as a side note McKnight is no longer flooded Day 108

People I Follow

2011-07-15T09:19:00.001-05:00

I've been following Sarah Outen since she left London several months back; she has now arrived in China. Traveling around the world on human power!

Day 104

2011-07-13T17:43:00.001-05:00

Whew, I really need to post more often. They've changed the look and I don't even know when it happened.

Day 104 of 30daysofbiking.

Todays adventure was brought to me by the St. Paul police!

Me: Do you know if the bike trail is still open?

Police Officer: Road's closed; ride at your own risk.

To me this means I can ignore the road closed and do not enter signs! YAY! I had a fun ride through the construction area and the bike trail was still open :)

I know everyone hates that the state government has closed down and it really sucks for all the state employees but it sure is nice not to have to deal with road construction. Everything has come to a halt.

After the Storm

2011-06-22T17:27:00.000-05:00

By far one of the best times to go for a ride is right after a storm. All the creatures of the forest are upset and they're out-n-about on the trails.

Example: yesterday we had some nasty storms come through the Twin Cities, high wind, rain, thunder and lightening and even some funnel clouds were sighted. After everything had passed I went for a quick ride along the Gateway Trail. There were lots of geese along with their goslings which are pretty normal on the Gateway. The goslings are actually pretty big by this time of the year.

I spied a mama turkey and her poults about 6 of them from what I could see. They were right on the path and scurried into the bushes when I got near them.

My favorite sighting was a Doe, she was beautiful. I had just turned off the trail and she was standing at the top of a small hill; I was within 15 feet of her. We both stopped, stared for a second and then she bolted into the woods. It was great :)

This is not KV approved...

2011-04-22T20:15:00.000-05:00

but it sure looks fun!

Past the Halfway Point

2011-04-16T17:26:00.000-05:00

Today is Day 16 of 30 Days of Biking and I'm finally starting to feel like I'm getting some strength back in my legs. This past week has been tough; fierce headwinds every day. I've learned if I wait until after 5 pm the wind dies down a bit but I don't always have that luxury. I decided yesterday that I would start tracking my miles to see how many I ride during this 30 days and guess what? The battery went out in my bike computer! So now I'm trying to remember where I rode each day. So far I've been good about writing it on the calendar but there is one Monday that I don't remember yet. My approximate miles so far is 180!

I'm hoping the weather will get better and I can add more miles to my daily rides. It would be great if I could hit 500 miles by the end of the month but I don't think that is realistic so I'm shooting for 350 as a minimum and aspiring towards 500 miles.

The Mighty Mississippi River 2011

2011-04-08T20:38:00.000-05:00

Sights and Sounds

2011-04-08T20:34:00.000-05:00

It's day 8 of my 30 Days of Riding Challenge and it's been great! I'm really happy that I took the challenge. I feel soooo much better since I started riding again. I hadn't realized how much this winter was getting to me.

I observed some interesting things on todays ride. First, there is a lot of clothing on the side of the road, in parks and dumped around town. I don't know where this stuff comes from but I sure have seen a lot today. Under one bridge it looked like someone had just taken his/her pants off and left them there; weird.

As I was crossing the railroad tracks in downtown St. Paul I saw a hawk with a pigeon, he made sure I wasn't going to take it from him. He picked up the pigeon and carried it further down the tracks. I tried to explain that I'm a vegetarian but I guess he just didn't understand.

On my way home I decided take the long way and to ride along the mighty Mississippi. With Shepard/Warner road closed to traffic because of the flooding I had the entire road to myself. It was great but a little disconcerting to be riding along a normally very busy stretch of road and have it entirely to myself. No traffic, no fellow bikers, walkers or anyone else; a little spooky. There's a small part of me that would like it if the road remained closed to traffic all the time.

I took the Challenge!

2011-04-01T20:39:00.000-05:00

Whew; it's been a while. I'm not even going to try to catch up. Let's just say this winter sucked for riding, my job moved to Eagan and my commute went from 6 miles to 16 miles one way. And with all the snow, ice, and shitty weather we had I did not ride to work even one time after September 1, 2010.

But as they say it's a new year! I've signed up for the 30 Days of Biking Challenge and I'm looking forward to riding every day for the next 30 days. Yesterday I stopped at the bike shop on my way home from work and picked up some fenders for my road bike. I am not a fan of the brown stain up the backside. The fenders I bought are light weight race fenders that are attached using rubber bands. I went with these fenders for two reasons 1 they were on sale and 2 I can put them on and take them off easily (really just 'cause they were on sale). I put the fenders on yesterday in preparation for my 30 days of biking challenge.

This evening I went for a nice casual ride through the neighborhood. The fenders worked great, no nasty brown streaks!

Tomorrow my game plan is to ride to Artcrank but we shall see what Mother Nature brings. In any case I will get on my bike and ride.

pedal, pedal, pedal...

Decisions, decisions, decisions

2010-10-24T19:13:00.000-05:00

I've been checking out the Adventure Cycling 2011 tours and can't make up my mind as to which tour I want to go on. I'm pretty certain I will take their Intro to Road Touring ride June 11-16 starting in West Bend, Wi. We'll learn how to live on the road in comfort and style.

The decision I need to make is should I go on the Black HIlls Inn to Inn tour or the Great Lakes Inn to Inn tour. They are both in September which is a fantastic time to be in either place. I'm leaning towards the Great Lakes tour because it appears to be the better deal and I have less experience in Michigan than South Dakota. Drive time to both places is about equal. The Great Lakes tour is about $400 more but you have 5 more days of riding.

I know both of these tours will fill up quick so I better make my decision soon...

Endo on the Road Bike!

2010-07-16T11:56:00.000-05:00

well that was a new one...

My morning ride started off nicely, I decided to do the hills first while I was "fresh" ha ha, I don't think I will ever be fresh enough to enjoy hills. Anyway, I left home around 0830 and started my journey downtown. I encountered a little construction on Phalen Blvd so I had to get off the bike trail for about a block, not a big deal. I dropped down into Swede Hollow and was happy to see they removed the downed trees. There had been a couple trees blocking the bike trail. I followed the bike trail up to Mounds Park (hills!) and caught the crosswalk over Shepard/Warner Rd and was rewarded with a nice downhill. From there I caught the trail that leads to Battle Creek, this is a steady climb, not real steep just a continuous climb. The trail goes through a tunnel under hiway 61 and pops you out at Battle Creek park. Here comes the fun part...

The trail zig-zags along following the creek, there are a series of small wooden bridges and some nice little rollers. As I was approaching one of the bridges I noticed a group of children. I immediately slowed down, not that I was going very fast anyway, it's all up hill and zig-zaggy. There were probably about maybe 8 kids and one man on the bridge. The teacher? tells all the kids to move to the side so that I can pass. At this point I was moving only fast enough to keep my bike in a forward motion. The kids all moved to the sides of the bridge and I was riding through the middle. Just as I got to the end of the bridge a boy on my left side darted in front of me! I hit both brakes but there was no way of avoiding hitting him. I did a slow endo over the handlbars and he was knocked to the ground. My right leg/knee was jammed between the handlebars and the frame of the bike, the left pedal found it's way into my left ankle. And I landed on the palms of my hands. I detangled myself from my bike and checked the kid. He appeared to be fine just a little scared. The teacher came over and checked to see if he was alright, now the boy started to cry. The boy said his right leg hurt so the teacher took a look, I couldn't see anything but I'm thinking he may get a bruise out of it. I stayed around long enough to ensure that the kid was OK, he stopped crying right away and seemed to be fine, I think he was scared more than anything. I know it scared the hell out of me!

I continued my ride into Battle Creek and explored the Upper/Lower Afton areas. Then I turned around to enjoy the downhill ride back into town. As I was riding back I noticed my back tire was losing air and my right knee was starting to swell. By the time I got back downtown my knee was giving me quite a lot of grief so I decided to cut my ride short and headed back home.

I rode a wee bit over 28 miles and now I'm enjoying a spot of lunch while I ice my knee. I'm glad I started with the hills I feel like I got a better ride. I'm also taking bonus points for the endo and riding in the heat. I have three 12 hour days at the office coming up so my next ride probably wont happen until Tuesday.

Now I need to go check out the back tire and make sure there isn't anything in it. I'd hate to get a flat tire riding into work tomorrow :p

Gotta Get Movin'

2010-07-16T07:24:00.000-05:00

Here it is the middle of July, I have a 100 mile ride coming up in a couple of weeks and I haven't ridden more than 40 miles in one day! I'd like to blame it on the rain but I can only use that excuse for MT biking, can't ride the trails when they're wet. I can always ride on the road. I have been commuting to and from work so that has to count for something. And I've been using my bike for transportation whenever possible. OK, now I feel a little better :)

Today I'm off to get in a conditioning ride, I was hoping to leave the house by 0700 but I started the laundry and now I want to get it hanging on the line before I take off.

WTF I just went to fill my coffee cup and glanced out the window, it's raining! I guess that means my laundry gets an extra rinse cycle. ARRHHH! I'm still going for a ride.

I'm thinking of a combination hills and flats today, going to head West and catch the Bruce Vento trail and ride that into town then up to Mounds Park and over to Battle Creek, that should give me a little climbing. Then cruise on back and catch the Gateway Trail by Phalen Lake. I can take the Gateway out to Pine Point and back, all total I should get in about 50 miles. There's so much road construction this summer that even the bike trails are adveresly affected by it. I think I can avoid any construction by taking this route.

I have one more load of laundry to get on the line then I'm outta here!

Happy Trails!

Flag Day Ride

2010-06-01T18:01:00.000-05:00

I'm thinking I'd like to start a tradition celebrating Flag Day.

Ride 50 miles for every star on the flag.

Ride 13 miles for each stripe on the flag.

A total of 63 miles. I've computed a route from my house and back taking in various sights around the Twin Cities.

Flag Day Ride

Now I just need to figure out how I can ride 63 miles on a work day. Flag Day falls on a Monday this year. hmm...I could take the day off...or I could ride 63 miles after work and make sure I bring my lights. I'm thinking it will take me about 5 hours with minimal stops. Better give myself 6 hours. Let's see I get off work at 1430, home by 1500 and back out the door by 1530, 6 hours and I'd be home by 2130, that's doable. I like the idea of taking the day off or maybe leaking out two hours early. Yeah, that's more like it, I could get out of work at noon and be on the road by 1300. Whew, 63 miles that's a lot of pedaling. Wonder if I can get anyone to join me???

Stuff

2010-05-29T21:28:00.002-05:00

Yesterday evening I did some mountain bike riding with a friend at Harmon Park; it was a fun time. I'm going to try to ride there at least once a week, to improve my MT biking skills. It's easy to get to and I know the trails well enough that I'm confident that I wont get lost. Plus it's big enough if I ride both the short trail and long trail twice I'll get in about 10 miles of riding.

Ticks! Yikes! I do NOT like bugs and I seriously do NOT like ticks! I pulled 5 ticks off last night after riding at Harmon Park. So I spent some time today reading about how to repel ticks. Check out this site for more information: How to repel ticks on humans
I'm going with the DEET to spray on my shoes, sox, helmet, gloves, clothes etc. and I'm going to try the mixture of eucalyptus oil and sunscreen on my skin.

I went on a 24 mile casual ride with friends this morning, it was a fantastic day for a ride. I had only planned on a 20 mile ride but when the group split up and I was heading home a fellow cyclist caught up with me and we rode together for a spell. He noticed my MS Veterans jersey and wanted to know if I was riding the MS tram this year. We chatted for a bit and I missed my turn off so I had to go to plan B to get home. It was fun chatting with him and it gave me a few extra miles.

I spent some wonderful time in the lawn chair this evening reading an Adventure cycling magazine, now I'm dreaming about my first tour. I'm planning a short tour to a local State Park. Last Wednesday I went to William O'Brien State Park to visit with some friends who were staying there. As we drove up from Stillwater to the park I kept thinking about what a great ride it would be. I have a few more items I need to get before I can tour but I'm hoping by the end of June I'll have it all together and can try my first overnight camping tour!

That's all for now, happy trails...

Holiday riding.

2010-05-27T19:53:00.007-05:00

My pal Kathy was in town from San Diego for the week and we were able to get in some fun riding.

First ride was an in town cruise around Lake Phalen, Round Lake and along the Gateway trail...

Wednesday evening we spent some time around the campfire

stacking stones

Thursday morning we got together with the rest of the Hill clan and did some mountain biking at Battle Creek

I had a fantastic week of friends and riding :)

Oops! our first ride was not around Phalen Lake, Round Lake and along the Gateway trail. Our first ride was on Sunday in Hugo. We had a nice ride from Hugo to Forest Lake on the Hardwood Creek Trail. That's the day we ran into swarms of Dragonflies.

Tomorrow I'm off to explore Salem Hills or Harmon Park whatever you want to call it.

I'm really looking forward to more mountain biking this year. That pulled hamstring really messed up my riding last summer. This morning I felt like I had never ridden in the dirt before.

pedal pedal pedal...

Rush Hour in the Netherlands...

2010-05-27T16:58:00.002-05:00

2010-05-15T20:50:00.002-05:00

What a great day for a bike ride. I'm thinking because it was the fishing opener this weekend it really helped with low traffic. I left the house about 0825 and cruise to downtown St. Paul. It's been a long time since I've pedaled through downtown, I ride there every morning to go to work but I don't see much at 0530 so it was fun to pedal through the heart of downtown. I caught West 7th street and rode it to Smith St. where I caught the High Bridge over the mighty Mississippi. I followed Smith until It turned onto Dodd Road then it was smooth sailing into Eagan. The ride took me 1:06 hours and was 14.73 miles. My average speed was 13.3 MPH. Not bad considering the climbing on Smith St. The High Bridge wasn't bad and you think once you get to the top it's all over but NO, you still have a couple more miles of climbing.

My route home was the best! I went north on Lexington to Lone Oak then turned West, I stopped at a coffee shop for a panini and some vitamin water. Then I headed North on Pilot Knob until I was able to catch the bike trail just before Interstate 494. Once on the bike trail it was a piece of cake. There were quite a few people on the trail and as I got into Mendota I found myself crossing a finish line and a whole lot of people were walking with numbers on their backs so there was something going on. After Mendota the pedestrian traffic went down but there were still quite a lot of people out on bikes. I followed the trail until I reached Harriet Island in St. Paul then I jumped onto Water street and took that to Robert St. I encountered a lot of road construction on 4th St. I was surprised by this I didn't expect them to be working on a Saturday. Add the Farmers Market to the road construction and my ride through downtown was really slow. Once I got out of that area I caught the Bruce Vento trail and followed that back home. My ride home took 1:19 hours and was 16.49 miles, I averaged 12.3 mph. I think the ride home was slower because of the traffic on the trail and the congestion downtown. Plus I tend to ride slower on a bike trail. It sure was a lot easier and much more scenic than the ride to Eagan.

Eagan to home
Find more Bike Rides in Eagan, Minnesota

We're Moving!

2010-05-15T07:10:00.000-05:00

My job is moving to Eagan this Fall and I've been trying to find a route to the new building. This is going to suck, as it is now I pedal about 5 miles to get to work and my ride home can be up to 10 miles when I feel like taking the scenic route. Anyway, the new building is going to be anywhere from 14.5 to 16 miles one way!

The weather is supposed to be gorgeous today so I've decided this is the day to do a test ride to the new building. Here's the route I'm taking to get there and I'm going to try a different route home in order to compare the two. I haven't decided on the home route, I'll do that when I ride.

Home to Eagan:

<a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/mn/st-paul/172127147282589779">to work</a><br/><a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/find-ride/united-states/mn/st-paul">Find more Bike Rides in St Paul, Minnesota</a>

Things To Do Before Each Ride

2010-05-13T22:42:00.003-05:00

Can you tell it's been raining in Minnesota, when it rains I write about riding instead of riding. Not that I can't ride in the rain I'll do it when I have to but....OK, I'll admit it; I don't like to ride in the rain. There I said it! So with no further ado... things to do before each ride:

Pump air into your tires before each ride, well that's if your tires need air. I always let a little air out of my tires after each ride so I always need to add air before each ride. I don't know why I started letting air out of my tires after riding but I do it every time so I guess it's just my thing. Anyway, find the manufacturer's recommended pressure by reading the PSI on the side of your tires. Don't inflate a tire beyond it's recommended tire pressure. And do NOT use the air thing at the gas station! Seriously, you take a chance of blowing your tire if you do. A hand pump works great. Invest in one.

Inspect your tires for any deep cuts or cracks and wear. When tires are worn and thin they are more susceptible to flats. Always carry a new spare tube, patch kit, tire changing tools and pump. I carry the CO2 cartridges, remember if you have Presta valves you need to also carry an adapter.

Check that your riding position is comfortable and that your leg is almost fully extended when pedaling. Check that your saddle is level and aligned with frame and that your saddle adjustment clamp and seat post clamp are tight. A small tilt up or down on your saddle can make a big difference on how comfortable you are. On long rides I will sometimes change my saddle position a little about halfway through the ride.

Lubricate your chain and derailleurs after every 40 miles of riding. Make sure all components are clean and free of lube buildup before lubricating. Lubricate your cables at cable stops. Don't forget to lubricate the pulleys on your back derailleur, they are the little sprockety things. I can tell you from experience if they dry out you will be listening to a nasty squeaking throughout your ride.

Check wheel alignment by picking up one end of the bike and spinning the wheel. Make sure the wheel spins true without any wobble or brake drag. This is especially important if you have just put your wheel back on after transporting it using your car. Also check spoke tension making sure they are tight. Check the quick release levers to make sure they are tight.

Always test your brakes by squeezing the brake levers to see if they engage properly. This is easily overlooked if you have just put your front tire on after transporting your bike via your car. Inspect the pads for wear and check the brake release levers to make sure they are engaged.

Always wear a properly fitted bike helmet. Bring enough water to keep yourself hydrated during a ride. Dehydration can cause leg cramps and fatigue.

That's all I got for you tonight. The weather forecast looks good so hopefully my next post will actually be about me riding my bike :)

Namaste

Passing a Bicycle

2010-05-12T16:28:00.000-05:00

I was reading an article on the laws governing a vehicle passing a bicyclist and this lead me to think about the laws in Minnesota. I haven't read a Minnesota Driver's Manual for quite some time; I can tell you it makes for some interesting reading... Anyway here's the section on bicycles:

Sharing the Road with Bicyclists
Bicycles are legal vehicles on Minnesota roads and they share the same rights and responsibilities as other vehicles. Bicycle lanes are designed to separate bicycle traffic from normal vehicle traffic. It is illegal to drive in these lanes except to enter or leave the road or to prepare for a turn. Before crossing a bicycle lane, make sure it is safe to do so. Yield the right-of-way to approaching bicyclists. When the bicycle lane is clear, signal your intention to turn and then move into the bicycle lane before making the turn. Use caution when passing a bicyclist. When passing, the law requires at least three feet between the side of your car and the bicyclist. Watch for bicycle traffic at night. It is legal for bicyclists to ride at night but they are required by law to be equipped with legal lights
and reflectors.

Bicycle Laws
Bicycle riders are required to obey all traffic laws.

• Bicyclists must ride in the same direction as the flow of traffic not against it.

• Bicyclists must signal all turns and obey all traffic control signs signals and devices.

• Bicyclists use the same hand and arm signals as other drivers use but they may also hold their right arm straight out to indicate a right turn.

• Bicyclists should travel just to the right of faster moving traffic. However, certain hazards such as rough surfaces, debris, drainage grates or a narrow traffic lane may require bicyclists to move toward the center of the lane. Bicyclists may also move out in the lane when passing another vehicle or when making a left turn.

• Bicyclists are allowed to ride two abreast. On a laned road, they must ride within a single lane.

• Bicyclists are not allowed to impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic.

• Bicyclists are encouraged to wear helmets.

When riding a bicycle on a sidewalk, or across a roadway on a crosswalk, yield the right of way to pedestrians and give an audible signal before passing them. You may not ride a bicycle on a sidewalk within a business district, unless permitted by local authorities. Local authorities may also prohibit bicyclists from riding on any sidewalk or crosswalk. Bicyclists operating a bicycle on a sidewalk or crosswalk have all the rights and duties of pedestrians. Bicyclists can be difficult to spot in traffic. Watch for them in intersections, on sidewalks, and when you enter or leave alleys and driveways.

Motorized Bicycles
A “motorized bicycle” is defined by its speed capacity; it is capable of traveling at speeds of 30 mph or less. Rules that apply to bicycle riding generally apply to motorized bicycles. Motorized bicycles are not allowed on sidewalks, freeways, or lanes and trails designated for pedestrians and bicycles.

Know the Lingo

2010-05-09T19:59:00.003-05:00

Group cycling has its own form of communication. The presence of road hazards, directions, and need-to-know information is relayed through the pack of riders by gestures and words. Remember to pass all communication on to the next cyclist behind you in a group. Speak loudly and clearly. The following are some common terms you may hear in group-sponsored rides:

On your left: This means a rider is approaching your left side. Allow room to pass.
Car back: This means a car is approaching from the rear. All riders make an effort to move to the right of the road in a single file until the car passes. In most states, the law requires cyclists to ride no more than two abreast. This ensures that traffic will not be impeded, and will make passing easier and safer for the cyclists.
Gravel - Pothole - Sand - Rail Road Tracks: Each of these messages is to alert the riders behind you of hazardous road conditions. The words are combined with the gesture of pointing to the hazard well in advance.
Flat: This indicates that a rider has suffered a flat tire. Allow enough room for the rider to slow down and move to the right side of the road or trail for repair. Offer assistance if needed.
Slowing: The cyclist in front of you is slowing down. Use caution and prepare to stop. Many cyclists use the palm of their hand toward riders behind them to indicate slowing or stopping.
Stopping: This indicates that a rider ahead is stopping. Do not forget to unclip from your pedals.

Allianz Twin Cities ride 2010

2010-05-08T16:04:00.000-05:00

Last night I received a text message from two people who were supposed to ride with me this morning, they were wimping out because it was going to be cold! Seriously! We are riding to raise money for people who at times cannot even walk and you want to quit because it's going to be cold? I couldn't believe it. Anyway, OK. Fine. Wimp out. I'm still riding.

At about 0630 this morning I received a text message from another person who was supposed to ride with me, she didn't get a good night sleep! Come on people! Whatever. I'm still riding.

People can be so disappointing at times, I think I'll stick with my dogs, they always want to play. They don't care if it's cold, rainy, windy, hot, dry, they still want to go to the park and play.

I was up around 0600, got a load of laundry in the washer, fed the dogs, grabbed a bite to eat and made decisions on what to wear.

I checked the temperature at 0730; a balmy 33 degrees with 85% chance of precipitation. I went back and forth trying to decide on which bike to ride, I finally decided at the last minute to take my road bike instead of the mountain bike. The saddle on my road bike is much more comfortable than the mountain bike and with 30 miles of riding ahead of me I opted for comfort.

I tossed on a pair of biking shorts, tights and my Endura cargo pants just in case it started to rain. A couple shirts, water resistant jacket and my Sugoi vest. I was out the door around 0745, it was a little chilly to start out but by the time I got to Aldrich Arena to check in I was warm. I received my riders packet, grabbed a chocolate donut and a cup of coffee. Once I was finish with my snack I hit the road, by the time I got to the snowman in North St. Paul I was toasty warm.

I was going to blow through the first rest stop but my bike developed a squeak and it was driving me crazy, I was also having some shifting issues. I could only use a couple gears and if I went out of the middle ring the chain kept jumping. I pulled into the first rest area and went to see the bike mechanic. He added some lube to the pulleys on the back derailleur and that stopped the squeak. He then made some adjustments to my front derailleur to fix the shifting issue.

I left the first rest area and discovered that the adjustment made my shifting worse. Now I'm limited to the big ring and only one gear. Bummer! Oh well, the next thing I knew I was at the halfway mark. The sun was out and I had a tailwind when I hit the hills on Norell Ave. That was a great help, the hills would have been a lot worse without the tailwind.

A right turn on Dellwood and I was heading back to the Gateway trail. In no time I was at the last rest stop and on my way to the finish line. The sun was shinning and I was actually breaking a sweat. Riding in the big ring with only one gear makes for a great workout. When you can work up a sweat at 35 degrees you know you're burning fat!!! YAY, I have plenty of fat to burn.

I crossed the finish line, stopped to pick up my t-shirt, a slice of pizza and another cup of coffee. It was a great morning for a ride. Yes, it was cold outside and yes, the wind was blowing a little bit but I was dressed for it and had a great ride. I did not get cold at all, the tailwind saved me on the hills so when it became a crosswind for a couple miles I did not mind. The Gateway trail is pretty well protected so while riding on the trail I didn't have any wind issues. The only thing I would have changed is that I would have taken my mountain bike instead of the road bike, I would have had more than one gear :)

I have another ride planned for tomorrow evening; a couple friends are meeting me at my place and we'll ride from here. I need to plan a route; so for now, Happy Trails!

The Basics of Riding in a Group

2010-05-07T17:42:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow I will be riding in the Allianz Twin Cities Ride 2010 to raise money for the MS Society of Minnesota. I received a packet in the mail yesterday with ride information; one of the brochures has information on riding in a group and I thought I'd pass it along.

Group riding takes practice. Riding with other cyclist all around you may cause you to feel trapped. Relax. It is most important to create your own safety zone. This may vary depending on the speed and ability level of the people you are with, so be flexible. Let others know of your anxiety - they may also be new at this.

Your responsibility in a pack includes:

Be aware of others around you.
Communicate well in advace. Use gestures in combination with verbal commands.
Ride with your head up. Look down the road; not at the person in front of you.
Maintain control and speed of your bike, even going downhill.
Know your limits. Crashes can occur when inexperienced riders do not have bike-handling skills to make quick decisions in a pack.
Safety starts with you. Group mentality is not always safe. Stop at all red lights and stop signs - it is the law! * Each cyclist is responsible for verifying that the intersection is clear.
Adjust your safety zone to fit the conditions of the road, weather and traffic. Always plan an escape route.
Never overlap your wheels with another cyclist
do not use aerobars in a pack.
Be aware of how weather will affect your bike. Riding in wet conditions requires slower speeds and greater braking distances.
Be respectful of other riders. Help others when needed.

* Effective April 16, 2010 Minnesota amended the law so that cyclist along with motorcyclists can now go through a red light. ONLY AFTER they have stopped, made sure the coast is clear and waited a reasonable amount of time. This amendment was put into place because cyclists cannot trip the lights. Be careful when doing this. It does not give us the right to blow through intersections.

ABC Quick Check

2010-05-06T17:19:00.000-05:00

All cyclists are responsible for keeping their riding equipment in good working order, so get into the habit of checking your equipment before every ride. Small adjustments can make a significant difference in your experience. The "ABC Quick Check" is an overall, yet brief bicycle safety check.

A is for air

Check your wheels for worn tires, loose spokes, warped rims and tires for proper inflation
Check your handlebars for looseness at the headset and stem

B is for brakes

Check brakes for function, cable tightness, worn pads, frayed cables, and alignment of the pads with the rims.

C is for cranks, chain and cassette

Check your pedals and cranks for tightness
Check for chain looseness and bad links; clean regularly. Lubricate with bicycle chain lube.
Check the derailleur for worn cogs and adjustment. Check that your gears change smoothly.

Quick is for quick releases

Check to ensure that the wheels are clamped securely in the drop-ours before each ride.

Check

Check your helmet for cracks and make sure it fits properly.
Check your shoes for tight cleats and straps and buckles in good repair.
Make sure your bicycle saddle is the right height and the bolt is tight.
Mirror (helmet or bar-end type)

Urban MTB

2010-05-02T21:10:00.000-05:00

Took the mountain bike for a spin through the city on Saturday. A friend of mine wanted to go for a ride and so I met her at her house in Brooklyn Park and she led the way. We cruised to Minneapolis and biked around St. Anthony Falls and did some sightseeing.We had to go to battle with the wind for most of the ride. Part of the reason we decided to ride to Minneapolis was so we would have a tailwind for the ride home. Well, that tailwind never showed up! We had headwind, side wind, gusts of wind but NO tailwind.

But even with the wind it was a super fun day! The sun was out and it felt great to be pedaling again!

Commuting

2010-04-25T19:51:00.003-05:00

I decided today that I'm going to start riding my mountain bike to work. I've been commuting on my road bike and it's getting boring. So tonight I'm taking the lights off the road bike and putting them on the mountain bike.

Another reason I've decided to switch to the mountain bike is that downtown St. Paul is under construction. I have to pedal several blocks out of my way in order to avoid it. If I ride my mountain bike I can ride through the construction zone. They are not actually working when I ride to work so I don't have to avoid the area it's just that dropping 6 inches onto gravel on my road bike is not fun and trying to pop back out on the other side is just not going to happen. With my mountain bike it's not a problem.

I won't be dressed like this when I ride to work but I sure am ready for some hot summer days!

Ya Gotta Watch This! :)

2010-04-22T21:01:00.000-05:00

New bike

2010-04-02T23:31:00.001-05:00

OK, so I was in Seattle last month and stumbled upon a bike shop! Well, wait let me back up. I was in Seattle last month and fell in love with the city. There were bikes everywhere! All I could think about was where can I rent a bike??? I googled it and came up with nothing. I went to Happy Hour every night in the hotel we stayed in and chatted up the bartender in hopes of a bike recommendation. He told us that there was a place to rent bikes at Union lake. Kristin and I went for a 12 mile walk to Union Lake and back with no success; we could not find a place to rent a bike.

On our last night in Seattle we are strolling along and stumble upon Davidson bikes. They had the best bikes, road bikes, touring bikes, everything. I talked with the woman working and found out that they custom make their bikes. They are beautiful bikes.

I had already decided that I was going back to Seattle to take a glass blowing class with the Seattle Glass Blowing Studio so now I'm also going to have a custom touring bike built. I've been dreaming about a touring bike, I've been researching touring bikes online and I've been checking out all the local bike shops. The bikes in the Davidson shop were beautiful, I absolutely fell in love with them. Steel frames, custom built to my body and my color design! I get to pick the components and everything! My goal now is to spend the next 6 to 12 months saving money and writing down everything I can think of that I want in a bike. Then I'm heading back to Seattle taking my glass blowing class AND having a bike built! I'm so excited I could pee. 

UP Michigan

2010-02-15T17:49:00.002-06:00

Decided I would try to upload a picture using the new Netbook:

This is one of my favorites taken around Marquette Michigan a few years back when Ann and I had been there for the Ore 2 Shore race, it was the first mountain bike race I had done, damn was that fun!!

Bike on a Trainer

2010-01-29T22:12:00.002-06:00

This is not one of my favorite things but I've succumbed to the weather and put my road bike on the trainer. It's not a really bad thing, it keeps me home on Monday and Thursday nights and I've discovered a couple TV shows. I pay for cable TV so I guess it's a good thing that I've started watching some of it. In the past I've had my bike set up in the basement in front of the TV with the DVD surround sound system and watched movies while I rode. This year my basement is full of other peoples stuff so I can't use it. I have my bike set up in my bedroom, not the best place but I have cable up there and I hooked up my big ass 19 inch TV. No DVD and no surround sound but I'm getting my pedaling in and I guess that's what counts.

Once Minnesota thaws a bit I'll go back to commuting to and from work but for the time being I'm being a wimp and riding on the trainer.

Call Me a Wimp

2010-01-21T18:13:00.002-06:00

Around about Christmas time Minnesota went all winter on me. We had snow and rain combine to give us a lovely sheet of ice on the roadways. At that point I wimped out on my commuting to work. I don't have the tires to ride on ice, at least that's my excuse. So shortly after the New Year I put the road bike on the trainer and started riding indoors. It's not my favorite thing to do but I need to pedal every day or my knees get too sore. I still plan to commute to work but I'm waiting for the road conditions to get a little better. We received a little more rain this afternoon but the temperature is still above 30 so I'm hoping it doesn't freeze.

I've made some decisions about my riding this summer, I'm only doing the Breast Cancer ride. As much as I love the MS150, money and time dictate that I only do one ride. I've started a team and hope to get friends and family to join me.

I have my sights set on doing the Underground Railroad tour when I turn 50, that leaves me 3 years to figure out how to do a self contained tour on a bike. My focus this summer will be on equipment and taking weekend rides. Travel from my house, camp someplace overnight and ride back home. After a few trips I hope to figure out what I need then I'll take on some two and three day adventures with hopes of an end of summer tour.

I've started a new diet which I'll call my Pain Management diet, who knows maybe I can write a book and make a million dollars! I spent several days researching anti-inflammatory foods. It's going to be a slow process of removing certain foods/drinks from my diet and replacing them with better choices. I eat pretty healthy to begin with and being a vegetarian already limits my diet. My focus for this past week has been to cut out beer :( I haven't had one in nearly a week and reduce my intake of caffeine. I've also cut out potatoes, another difficult one as they are one of my favorite vegetables and not just the fried ones. Dairy is going to be hard, I'm willing to cut out milk, I don't drink it anyway and reduce cheese but I'm not giving up my yogurt, it's a staple in my diet. I'll start on the dairy products next week. I think beer, caffeine and potatoes are enough for one week. I have a long way to go on this diet but if I can get some relief and a good nights sleep it will be well worth it. And as a bonus I might lose some weight!

2010-01-04T20:52:00.001-06:00

There is something uncanny
in the noiseless rush of
the cyclist, as he comes
in to view, passes by and
disappears.
- Popular Science, 1891

Bike Lane

2009-12-16T16:49:00.003-06:00

Wow, as a commuter this looks great...

LightLane is a company designing a rear bike light that creates a laser-lit virtual bike lane that goes where you go.

There’s no timeline as to when the LightLane bike light will be available, but the company has a targeted retail price of between $80 and $100. www.lightlanebike.com

I plan to be one of the first people in line buy one!

Mechanicals

2009-12-07T19:04:00.002-06:00

I had some issues riding to work this morning. I'm thinking the temperature had something to do with it. I left the house about 0530 and it was a balmy 14 degrees! After about the second stop I noticed my back tire was not riding smoothly, it felt like the brake was on.

When I arrived at work I found out that yes the brake was rubbing, the wheel would not spin very good. I made a few adjustments to the back brake and it seemed OK. While checking out the back brake I noticed I had a bad spoke. I did what I could to fix it.

I also noticed that my lights were pretty dim by the time I got to work. I'm thinking maybe the cold is having an affect on the batteries as well. I usually leave my bike in the breezeway where there is no heat. Tonight I'm bringing it in the house to work on it so I think I will just leave it inside for the night to see if that makes a difference on the lights. If so then I know I need to bring the lights in the house and not leave them on the bike.

After getting home I took a closer look at the back tire and was able to fix the spoke, I think it must have just worked it's way loose. I cleaned and lubed the brake cables and I'm hoping that will fix the sticking problem. I really need to clean and lube the chain too but I ran out of energy. I swear riding in the cold just sucks your energy.

So far the low temperatures have not been bad, I've had a couple mornings where I did not dress quite warm enough, I needed more protection on my face. Today I added long underwear, and a scarf to my ensemble, I also wore my mountain bike glasses, they keep the wind out of my eyes, and I had a nice hot cup of tea before I left the house. I didn't get cold at all. I think the key is the hot tea made of honey and cinnamon. It's my new favorite!

There's a big ass winter storm on it's way due to arrive tomorrow afternoon so I may get my first chance to ride in the snow. I sure hope I'm ready for it! The Weatherbug just went off again I think I'll go check the weather...

Cold Weather Riding

2009-11-16T17:54:00.003-06:00

So far I've been pretty lucky the coldest day this Fall was this morning; a chilly 27 degrees when I left the house.

I have my routine down fairly good, this morning I even had time to make and eat a bowl of oatmeal before heading to work. As the weather gets colder I plan to shower before I go to bed so I can keep some of the oils on my skin as protection. Taking a shower in the morning helps with waking up but it takes all of the oil from your skin and leaves you exposed to the elements.

My routine goes a little something like this:
cell phone alarm starts playing the Mexican hat dance at 0415
I crawl out of bed and let the dogs outside.
Brush teeth, use toilet and find clothes for the day, not necessarily in that order.
Let dogs back into the house and feed them.
Jump into shower, get dressed.
Pack lunch and work bag.
Grab a bite to eat and something to drink, fill water bottle.
Put on riding gear; Techpant Overtrouser by Endura, super bright yellow windbreaker jacket from REI, and Sugoi vest, Spider gloves, Pearl Izumi liner, and Bell Ghisallo helmet. I wear my regular work clothes underneath.
Set alarm system, lock up the house and pedal off to work.

If the weather is over 40 I'll wear a headband instead of the liner and regular biking gloves instead of the Spider gloves. Once the weather gets really cold I'll add another layer under the jacket and possibly long underwear. As I said earlier now that it's getting cold I'll start showering before bed and also get my lunch ready and work bag packed the night before. This will save me some time in the morning. At this time of the year I have to dress for a 20 degree difference between the time I ride to work and the time I ride home. Example at 0530 this morning the temp was 27 degrees, at 1430 the temp was 50 degrees. The tech pants were packed in my work bag and the liner and Spider gloves were replaced with a headband and biking gloves.

I'm also looking at getting a new helmet, I really like the Nutcase helmets and hope to purchase one of those real soon. They have less ventilation which I hope will make it warmer and they come in some really fun designs. And while I'm looking at a new helmet I'll be checking out new gloves too. The pair I have work great for skiing but my hands don't move enough on the bike and my fingers were pretty cold this morning. I plan to check out those claw gloves. I had a great hand warming idea on my ride home today that if it works could be a great new invention for us bike commuters. I'm not saying anything at the moment but the idea has been formed in my mind now I just need to figure out how to bring it to life.

I've checked into studded tires and I'm not sure if I'll be able to get them to fit my rims. My tires are 700cX 28 and the smallest studded tires I've been able to find were 32's I don't know if they will work or not. The young gentleman at the bike shop thought they might. I guess I'll find out after the snow starts to fly. In the mean time the Armadillo Nimbus tires will have to do. If all else fails I can ride my mountain bike when it snows, I know I can get studded tires for that one.

Well, that's all for today...

Bicyling for Ladies

2009-10-26T19:18:00.002-05:00

The Common Sense of Bicycling: Bicycling for Ladies by Marie E. Ward.

You can click here to read it online or download it from google books. Written in 1896. Things have changed a bit since then but not a lot. It's well worth the read.

A Case for Separated Bike Lanes

2009-10-16T20:57:00.001-05:00

I sure wish we could get some of this here in Minnesota...

Winter Riding

2009-10-04T20:25:00.003-05:00

This year was not one of my best years for riding. I've struggled with some injuries and been a little depressed about it. I did so much riding last year and I felt really good coming into winter. Here it is October and I'm feel sadly out of condition. I realize that I commute to work most days which I fail to count as riding. I always think it's only 6 miles and most of that is flat but seriously most people can't even ride 6 miles so I really need to start giving myself credit for it. But that's not what I'm here about tonight. I'm writing tonight because I've decided I'm going to work hard at commuting to work through the winter.

One of my long time dreams is to do a super long distance ride, something like the Underground Railroad or the Ride across America. In order for me to do that I need to spend time in the saddle and outfit myself with the proper gear. I also need to learn what to bring, how to survive out on the road and how to fix a broken bike. Well, I'm pretty handy, when I took the entrance exam to join the military they said I was "mechanically inclined" and tried hard to recruit me. If they had let me fly airplanes and blow things up I probably would have joined, but that's another story. Anyway, I've been reading a lot lately about commuting, touring and bikes.

I believe the bikes I have now will work fine for my immediate needs however I think I need a few more accessories for my bike. The first thing being a new headlight. My favorite headlight was on my mountain bike that was stolen this summer. I've been looking at a lot of lights and I think I would really like one of those lights with the generator, I mean it's gotta be more environmentally friendly than batteries, right?!? I remember when I was a kid, my big brother had one of those lights on his bike and I thought it was soooo cool. I need to get to the bike store and actually take a look at one before I decide. Checking products out on the Internet only goes so far, I'm a hands on kinda person. I need to open the box and look at what I'm buying.

The second thing I need is different pedals which is no big deal, I've taken the pedals off my Terry and will put them on my Specialized. However when I removed the pedals from the Terry I noticed that the rubber washer thingy needs to be replaced so I need to get to the bike store and buy one before I put those pedals on my Specialized. With these pedals I can either clip in or use regular street shoes and I'm thinking on a cold blustery Minnesota morning I'm not going to want to be wearing bike shoes. A big 'ole pair of mukluks will be nice.

As for clothing I think I'm going to have to learn as I go along. I know dressing in layers is going to be my best bet. I have a locker at work and I'm thinking it would be a good idea to keep a change of clothes in there, at least dry pants, a shirt and socks. Maybe I'll toss in a raincoat as well, you never know in Minnesota.

I'm also going to invest in new racks for my Specialized, I wasn't going to do it but I'm tired of carrying a bag on my back and I think having a rack in the back I can just strap my lunch bag to it and not have to worry about anything. I have fenders from my old Bianci hybrid and I'm going to see if they will fit on the Specialized as well; that should help limit the splash back and save me some discomfort.

Tires are another issue, I've started reading about what everyone else is doing but it seems it all depends on your personal preference and where you are riding. For now I'm going to see how well my Armadillo Nimbus 700c x 28's work. I'm sure I'm going to needs something a little knobbier but they should be OK for now. I will for sure get to the bike store and have something in the basement ready to go so that when the snow starts flying I'll be ready.

I'm also going to spend lots of time reading about touring bikes! And taking them for test rides. I already have several on my list to check out. Hmmm, sounds like a need a trip to the bike shop; what a perfect thing to do on a Monday night. Now I know what I'm doing tomorrow and with that I shall sign off.

Awesome Video

2009-09-16T05:45:00.001-05:00

St. Paul Classic

2009-09-13T19:00:00.002-05:00

I cannot tell you how good it felt to be back on my bike again. This summer has been hell for me. I've sustained more injuries than I care to talk about. The sad thing is they did not happen while riding so they were not even worth it. It's one thing if you have a crash while bombing a downhill or having a great ride through a rock garden; but pulling your hamstring while pulling out tree roots is stupid. In any case I participated in the St. Paul Classic today and had just a fantastic time.

Rode with some old friends and some new friends. Everyone met at the starting line and we rolled out about 9 AM a nice easy cheesy ride to the first rest stop. Saw lots of kids on the ride, don't know if it's because we started out so late or if there were more this year. From what I hear there were about 7000 riders this year!

The second rest stop was at Indian Mounds Park, lots of cookies and coffee, yummy. Great view overlooking downtown St. Paul. There were a few climbs to get to Mounds Park but they were not too bad. Next stop Como Park! The ride was fairly flat until we hit the big hill on Wheelock Parkway. I was thinking about this hill the entire time, and wondering if I was going to make it. My knees are in pretty bad shape this year so I was concerned. But I had nothing to worry about it was a piece of cake, well maybe not that sweet but I didn't have any trouble with it. I've been in physical therapy most of the summer for my pulled hamstring and the arthritis in my knees, I guess it's working.

We arrived at Como Park pavilion and enjoyed some great music, coffee and brownies. Well I enjoyed the coffee most everyone else was into the lemonade. I love me some coffee and it's not often I pass up a free cup. Como Park is the last stop before the end of the ride.

I have no idea what time we finished the ride as I was not paying any attention to the time or mileage. We had several "new" riders with us so it was a nice easy casual Sunday ride.

After arriving back at the starting point we decided we needed food and a beer so we rode over to the Groveland Tap for lunch. My game plan was to ride my bike back home from the event; but after food and a beer I took Dave up on his offer of a ride home.

The weather was perfect, the company was great! Now I'm inspired to get some more miles in before the snow starts flying.

My riding this summer has been limited mostly to commuting back and forth to work. Now that I'm feeling better I plan to do more riding. I've had my hours at work changed the past few weeks in order to have some daylight to ride into work. I don't know how much longer that will last. I think I will need to invest in a stronger headlight. I lost my good light when my Kona mountain bike was stolen a while back.

Now it's time to relax and enjoy my evening. 0530 will be coming along real quickly.

2009-09-03T21:54:00.000-05:00

This will be great to see on the big screen!

How to Clean and Lube Your Bike

2009-08-07T18:47:00.003-05:00

I have to say I enjoy "working" on my bike as much as I enjoy riding it. I like to take it apart to see how things work and putting it back together again with hopes that it will still work. One thing I've found to be really important is keeping my bike clean. Over time I've learned a few things about the proper way of cleaning my bike. If you’ve let the muck build up on your bike, here's a step-by-step guide that will get it looking like new – and running much better – in less than an hour.

Check out Biker Radar, make your bike happy!

How to Ride a Bike Downhill

2009-07-20T17:41:00.000-05:00

This Will Put a Smile on Your Face...Swinging

2009-07-13T20:25:00.000-05:00

Marian Bear Memorial Park

2009-06-16T17:43:00.013-05:00

Kathy and I started out early again on Wednesday (June 3rd) morning to meet with Cindy for some mountain bike riding in the Marian Bear Memorial Park which is located in the San Clemente Canyon.

Over forty million years ago an ocean covered the canyon. Fossilized mollusks, such as snails and clams from that period are still found in the canyon walls. Horizontal lunes of round rocks at many levels, separated by clay and sand, represent the various levels of the ocean washing sand away and leaving rocks at surf level. Wind and water erosion have also contributed to the depth of San Clemente Canyon.

Native Americans have inhabited the area of San Diego County for 10,000 years. Evidence of their presence still remains in San Clemente Canyon. In the late 19th century, this area was named Clemente Canyon for a Native American rancher. During the 1970's, nature's balance was threatened by plans to place State Route 52 along the canyon floor.

However, Marian Bear, an active community leader and environmentalist, worked tirelessly to preserve the canyons in their natural state. She was the driving force behind realigning the highway from the canyon floor to the north hillsides. In the 1980's another community campaign resulted in an additional 72 acres in the southeast section for the present total of 467 acres. On July 31, 1979 the park was rededicated by the City Council of the City of San Diego on behalf of the People of the City who are indebted to Marian Bear for her energetic and unselfish efforts as a Planner, Naturalist and Conservationist and her lasting contributions toward the preservation of open space for future generations.

The main canyon and its tributaries continue to support a population of resident wildlife including raccoons, skunks, rabbits, amphibians, reptiles, and birds and serve as pathways for coyote, fox and other mammals. Along the length of the canyon are oak, sycamore, and willow trees.

The canyon has an intermingling of native plant communities some of whose range is restricted to Southern California and Northern Baja California. There is a riparian woodland along the creek beds and side canyons where water flows. The hillsides contain coastal sage scrub and chaparral.

Our first big climb...

after making it, well maybe I should say after getting to the top we had a super fun downhill ride.

It does not look like much but from where I'm standing there is a nice downhill run then a dip and a climb to where Cindy is perched waiting for us...

After catching up with Cindy we had another great downhill run.

Scenic view along the trail...

After descending we entered into a more wooded area which followed the creek...

I am not going to lie, I did not make it through this while still on my bike :(

This was such a gorgeous spot we decided to stop and hang out for a while...

Not real sure if it was Cindy or Kathy's idea but we decided to follow this set of Railroad tracks "to see where they went" It was not much fun riding on the loose, sharp rocks.

At one point we entered some brush where I would have sworn there was no trail. The plants were so dense you had to hold on hard to your handlebars or the plants would take them.

We spent several hours exploring the trails, taking pictures and making videos by the time we finished we were hot, sweaty and full of dirt. And we had big smiles on our faces :)

I can hardly wait to get back to San Diego and explore more mountain biking in Southern California. I'm tentatively planning another trip out there at the end of September. The game plan is to drive out so I can stop in Nevada and Colorado along the way. I better start saving my pennies or try to find someone to come with me and share the expenses.

Mission Trails Regional Park

2009-06-03T00:04:00.015-05:00

Kathy and I set out early this morning with hopes of finishing our ride before it got too hot. We headed to Mission Trails Regional Park> the morning was a bit overcast which in my opinion is excellent for riding. The marine layer did not last long and within 20 minutes of riding we were full on sun.

Kathy driving us to Mission Trails...

We're ready to ride!

Road leading to the trails...

The idea was to ride to the top of this ridge in hopes of finding the springs we had heard about. Well, enroute to the top we met up with a couple super nice guys who patrol the trails for the park system; they let us know that the military which owns most of the surrounding area would be shooting this morning and advised us to stay off the ridges. Thank you so much we will stay the hell off the ridges as neither one of us can ride fast enough to dodge a bullet. The guys gave us some ideas for alternative routes.

We rode on for a while then took our first left and stopped at the crossroads with three barrels marking the path.

We hung a right at the barrels and started a steady climb upwards over what appeared to me to be a riverbed absent the water. We climbed for quite some time then decided to turn around and check out a different trail. We had ourselves a nice quick descent back to the barrels. We then caught the trail we had started out on and found ourselves once again on a steady upwards climb over a bed of loose rocks and sand. For me this was new, I don't have a lot of experience in riding over river rocks and sand. We did have some hard packed dirt and a lot of fun up and downs.

Kathy climbing to the top... first trail

Hmmm, which way to go...

Kathy almost to the top... Second trail

scenic view along the way

Kathy and I spent several hours exploring the trails, stopping along the way for pictures and video. At one point during our ride we heard the coyotes take down their prey. I don't have any idea what they caught but it scared the hell out of me. I had just passed an area and the next thing I know I heard this blood curdling scream. I immediately stopped as I thought for a second that maybe Kathy had fallen or something. It was pretty spooky.

This was a really fun ride for me and a great chance to experience riding over a bed of loose river rocks and sand, we don't get a lot of that around Minnesota.

I have always loved the desert and know that when I grow old that is where I will retire to.

Exhaustion...

2009-06-01T23:23:00.007-05:00

What a wonderful feeling. I'm sitting in San Diego California just taking a few minutes to myself. I was up at 0600 this morning, Kathy made a delicious breakfast, scrambled eggs, yogurt and fresh fruit along with a bagel. Yummy! We then put our bikes in the van and headed to Lake Hodges. I was not sure what to expect as I've never been off-road riding in California.

Whew, it was beautiful! We rode about 14 miles of moderate trails around Lake Hodges which is part of the San Dieguito River Park Trail system. About halfway through the ride we stopped along the lake for a snack. What an excellent day for a ride, it was overcast with a temperature of around 65. Just as we finished the ride the sun came out, perfect!

The Lake Hodges area had been damaged by wildfires a couple years ago but it's coming back. This is a picture of one of the irrigation projects.

Absolutely breath taking, I truly love the desert.

This is the spot where Kathy and I stopped for a snack.

View from the trail

Me starting the ride...

Twin Cities Ride 2009

2009-05-09T11:21:00.004-05:00

I participated in the Twin Cities Ride 2009 this morning. The ride is put on by the MS Society to raise money to help fight Multiple Sclerosis. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to ride as I pulled the hamstring in my right leg a couple weeks ago but I decided the ride is close enough to home that if my leg started bothering me I could just ride home.

I arrived at the Maplewood Communities Center, registered, put my number on my bike and was on the trail around 7:45 AM. The morning started off a pretty chilly 44 degrees and I was thankful I had decided at the last minute to pull on my windbreaker. The ride took place along the Gateway trail which is one of my favorites. I took it pretty slow to start with in order to let my legs warm up. At the first rest stop I did a few stretches, grabbed a bite to eat and hit the trail again.

I skipped the second rest stop and continued onto the third stop where I took a short break, had another snack and some Gatorade. There was a bit of a breeze in a few areas and the only time I felt my hamstring was on one of the hills. I just dropped down into a lower gear and took it slow. I was back at the Community Center and eating pizza around 10:15 AM. All in all it was a good ride, I'm glad I decided to do it.

I've been seeing a physical therapist for about a week now to help with my knee issues. I have arthritis under my knee caps. My knee caps also don't "track" correctly so when my knees bend it's pretty much bone on bone which doesn't help the artritis. Now I know why my knees hurt so much. The PT is helping to get my knee caps into the correct position so when they bend it's doing so correctly. There's really nothing to be done about the arthritis, just another pain management issue but if we can get the knee caps aligned correctly that should help.

On Thursday the PT taped my knee caps into the correct position to see if there was any change in how they feel. Well I can tell ya they felt better riding today than they have in a long time. I'm also working on strengthening my quad muscles to help relieve pressure on the knee caps. Another thing I found out is that I walk with my feet pointing outward; now I need to re-train myself to walk straight. Whew, it's like learning to walk all over again. But if it helps to make my knees feel better then it's worth it.

Now that I've gotten this 30 mile ride in I'm ready for the next one! I'm thinking, weather permitting I'll take a ride around the lakes next Tuesday. I'm also going back to commuting to work, if I can ride 30 miles with a pulled hamstring I can certainly ride the 5 miles to work and back.

Gateway Trail

2009-04-17T20:32:00.010-05:00

The Gateway trail is about 1 mile North from my house; as I enter the trail I always ride past the Ramsey County Cemetery. I've lived here nearly all my life and did not know this was a cemetery until they posted signs a few years back. The cemetery was established in 1893 on the grounds of the county almshouse and poor farm, the Ramsey County Cemetery was a "Potter's Field" for indigent persons, the homeless, and patients at Ancker Hospital who died without relatives or friends able to pay funeral costs. No provision was made to provide headstones and with few exceptions graves were unmarked. When the cemetery was closed in 1923 there had been 2991 recorded burials. Afterwards, the burial grounds reverted to agricultural use as part of the poor farm. In 2001, the 2.45 acre site was designated a heritage park by the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners.

I begin the Gateway Trail at the 5 mile marker at White Bear Ave and travel East to the end at Pine Point. From my house to Pine Point and back is a nice 26 mile ride.

Not sure if you can see them but there are a couple Egrets in the water.

Horses are a frequent sight on the trail and if you are riding your mountain bike off road you need to announce yourself and yield to the horses. I've never had any problems with the horses and the riders have all been friendly.

I have a dream... the plan is to extend the Gateway State Trail from Pine Point Park through the Wilder Forest, to William O'Brien State Park, up to Taylor's Falls and Interstate State Park. Continue the dream of a Twin Cities to Duluth trail system, connect other trails and recreational areas, connect surrounding communities and continue the same non-motorized multi-use recreational trail opportunities.

The Gateway State Trail is one of my favorite rides and the fact that it is only 1 mile from my house makes it all the better. I can cruise to Stillwater in about an hour or I can head West and connect with the Bruce Vento trail and from there it's an endless network of bike trails.

I may not have any coffee houses in my neighborhood but I have something better; the Gateway State Trail!

First Ride of the Year

2009-03-17T19:48:00.004-05:00

Took the mountain bike out yesterday for a spin on the Gateway. Once again I encountered snow just past the 694 bridge. I guess I thought with the sixty something degree weather we had that the snow would have melted but alas I was mistaken. I hit several patches of snow and slushy/icy crap. I handled it much better this year than last. I only put my foot down once and of course it was in the freezin' cold slushy puddle. It was about that time that I decided to turn around and head back home. Once my feet are cold my entire body gets cold and my shoes were pretty wet by then. There was a lot of water on the trail along with some muddy spots.

All in all it was a fun ride. I took it nice and easy and just enjoyed the lovely weather. There is nothing like 60 degrees in March to get me antsy for summer.

The lottery drawing for the Chequamegon Fat Tire festival happened last Saturday so I'm waiting to find out if I got in. That will be fun. Tara's not going this year so I think I'll be on my own. I plan to stay in the same place as last year, it was super nice and the owner was great. I hope to go up again on Thursday afternoon, ride the course on Friday then race on Saturday. If I find someone else who is going and wants to share the room I may even stay until Sunday. It would be fun to do some Sunday/Funday stuff. Tara and I were supposed to do the Rough Stuff orienteering last year but it didn't work out. This year they've added a poker ride to the Rough Stuff and that looks like fun.

Ok, time to get ready to curl...

Riding in Boulder

2009-02-25T03:06:00.003-06:00

Boulder Colorado may have become my favorite place to ride. If I could figure out a way, I think would move here. OK, so I'm out riding a cheap ass heavy borrowed bike and guess what, it was a fantastic ride. Why you ask? Well because people in Boulder love to ride bikes! I have never been any place where people are so respectful to riders. Every intersection I came to the cars yielded, it did not matter if they had the right- of-way or not. They stopped and waived me through; it was great!

The weather here today was near to perfect, 65 and sunny. The challenges I had came from the altitude, my poor Minnesota lungs were not quite acquainted with the lower level of oxygen. I have trouble enough breathing when I ride so this was quite the challenge. I loved it anyway and for the most part the areas I rode today were pretty flat, only a couple hills.

Tomorrow I hope to get into the mountains. There's a path about 1 mile from the apartment I'm staying in and it goes right to the mountains. Today I rode to the mountains and back with a few side trips, well actually a few "oops, wrong ways". I'm thinking of renting a high end road bike as the bike I used today really did not fit me and it weighed about 50 pounds! I can't complain, it was free. I just would really like to put on some miles and a bike that fit me and was lighter would make it so much nicer.

Boulder has over 300 miles of designated bike trails. Since the 1970's the city has taxed the citizens a .5% tax to purchase open space (park land) and build bike trails. It's great, no matter whether you ride on a bike only, a multi-use trail or a bike path along a road the riding is great. It was unbelievable to me how great the drivers were.

And the apartment we're staying in is perfect, only $90 a night! I would love to come back and dedicate an entire week or more to riding. I'm sure if I did some training in this altitude I would be a much better rider in Minnesota.

I can't wait to get out and ride again tomorrow!

Underground Railroad Bicycle Route

2009-02-07T10:48:00.008-06:00

I think I may have found my dream ride. This would be an adventure of a lifetime and I think I may need to find someone to ride along with me. I was surfing around the Internet this morning and checking out cycling websites and blogs. I stumbled upon a video of a bike ride someone had taken; the Underground Railroad Bicycle Route. So I googled it, the funny thing is that it brought me back to the Adventure Cycling website which I had already looked at early today.

The Underground Railroad Bicycle Route honors the bravery of those who fled bondage and those who provided shelter. This route passes points of interest and historic sites along a 2,008 mile corridor. Beginning in Mobile Alabama and ending in Owen Sound, Canada.

One of my dreams has been to travel on my bike, pack my bags and hit the road. I'm going to spend a some more time on this and see what it would actually take to do a ride like this. I don't think it's something I could realistically fit in this summer or anything but I can certainly gather the information needed and plan for it. I get 5 weeks vacation a year from work, I can start socking away some money and see if I can't find someone to ride along with. I know I could do this alone but I think a riding buddy would be safer. Hell, I must be getting old if I'm thinking about safety.

Breast Cancer Ride

2009-01-31T13:37:00.001-06:00

Breast Cancer Ride 2009

2009-01-29T17:07:00.011-06:00

Last week I received a call from Kari Mitchell, one of the organizer's for the Breast Cancer Ride. She called to inform me that the BCR, in addition to benefiting the Open Arms of America association was also benefiting the Susan G. Komen organization. This was great news! Kari and I talked for some time about last year's ride and what was in store for this year. She said they were tweaking the return ride as some riders had trouble with the hills on the second day. Kari said they are working on a route that would hopefully include part of the Cannon Valley Trail.

I have already committed to this ride and hope to get others to ride with me. This was one of my favorite rides last summer. Another thing Kari mentioned is that this year the ride will take place August 1 - 2, so that it doesn't conflict with the MS150 ride. Last year they were only about a week apart, if I remember correctly. I've already committed to the MS150 ride again this year too.

If you're interested a blog has been started for the Breast Cancer Ride, it was developed to allow riders, crew members, volunteers and supporters of the ride a chance to share their stories, training regimen, fund-raising techniques (I sure could use some of those ideas) or anything else they want to write about.

As most everyone knows I love to ride my bike and I usually do rides "just for the fun of it." The St. Paul Classic, Mesabi Trail ride, even the Tour of Saints rides were examples of that but the Breast Cancer ride and the MS150 ride hold a different meaning for me.

Cancer has hit my family hard on both sides, nearly all of my aunts and uncles have died of cancer and my grandmother on my mom's side died of cancer. My father was diagnosed with cancer nearly three years ago. I have three cousins battling cancer right now, all of which are under 50 years old, one is under 40. Both my Grandmother and my Aunt on my dad's side had breast cancer and I've had three biopsies for Breast Cancer myself, fortunately they were all benign. To say this cause holds a special place in my heart would be putting it mildly. I also have several friends who have battled Breast Cancer, this is something that is just not going to go away. We need research, we need medicine, we need people to contribute to organizations like Open Arms of America and Susan G. Komen.

If riding a bike isn't your thing, then volunteer, sponsor someone (pick me), collect money from your family, friends, co-workers, get involved. An Orientation Meeting will be held Monday, February 9 from 6:30pm to 7:30pm at the Bloomington REI store, what better reason to stop by the REI store. There will be more orientation meetings so check the Breast Cancer Ride website. The orientation meeting is a great place to learn more about the Breast Cancer Ride. I'll be there, come on by.

Sessioning...

2009-01-11T18:28:00.002-06:00

picking out a small section of trail and doing it over and over again until you get it right.

I recently read this article on the Mountain biking by 198 website "How To Become A Better Mountain Biker and in part 2 he discusses sessioning; in other words practice. This is a great piece of information and something I never do. This year I'm adding it to my riding. Rock gardens are my fear zone, so they are first on my list. Practice, practice, practice.

Winter in Minnesota

2008-12-27T13:42:00.003-06:00

I've finally admitted it; it's winter! Eid al-Adha has come and gone. Winter Solstice has come and gone, whew, we made it through the longest night without any ghost issues. Hanukkah has begun and is soon to pass. Christmas is over. Boxing Day is over. All of this means, I ain't ridin' my bike. I have moved everything into the basement and put the road bike on the trainer. It's not much fun but I can at least catch up on all the movies I've been wanting to see.

I've plugged the TV in and hooked up the DVD player and the cable box, all by myself! The bike is strategically placed in front of the TV for better viewing. I have a stack of wood near the fireplace just in case I don't workout hard enough to stay warm. So far that has not been a problem but you never know, we still have January coming up. I also found my weights and workout balls so I have no excuse for not staying in condition over the winter. The gym I belong to has closed the location closest to my house so I don't know if I will be makin' it to the gym. I'm not much a gym person anyway; somehow I just can't get myself to go and having everything I need right here at home works much better.

I certainly miss my long Friday morning rides and my afterwork rides on the Gateway. I'm sure we will get a couple warmer days and I will be able to try winter riding again. I can also spend this time figuring out next years rides; that's half the fun anyway.

40 degrees in December

2008-12-14T16:17:00.005-06:00

Dint wanna waste the bright, bright sun shiny day so I pulled the old Kona out of the garage yesterday. I haven't ridden this bike for quite some time so I wasn't sure what condition it was in. Mike's boyfriend Curt had been riding it over the summer so I figured it should be OK. I brought it into the house to warm up a bit, even at 40 the bike was super cold; call me a wimp but I dint wanna put my butt on a cold bike. I added air to the tires and lowered the seat and it was ready to go. I headed to the park down the street, getting used to riding on the snow. I have zero experience with riding in the snow. I went out one time early this year to check out the Gateway trail and ended up riding in some snow but that was all. Anyway, the snow on the street was pretty well packed and not too bad to ride on; the snow in the park was something else entirely. Super fun! I rode around the neighborhood for a while just testing things out. The slushy snow was probably the worst, the hard packed stuff was a little slippery but not too bad to ride on. I only hit one spot of nastiness where I thought I might lose it and as expected I had a car behind me but I just pedaled harder and stayed upright.

I think having the hardtail and a heavier bike made things a little easier, like putting sand bags in the back of the pickup. I really enjoyed my ride through the neighborhood, the neighbors probably think I'm nuts but that's OK. It felt good to be out riding again, I haven't been on my bike since October. My back is starting to feel normal again, now I just have to keep it that way. I have some space in the basement set up for my bike trainer and workout equipment, so I should be good to go for the winter.

The weather today has been yucky, it was raining when I drove to work at 0530 and now the temperature has dropped and we are getting snow. I guess I wont be doing any outside riding for a while again. Good thing I bought those cross country skis to keep me entertained through the winter add that to my curling and yoga and my evenings are pretty well filled.

SYLVIE AWARD - MS150 Ride

2008-11-25T17:47:00.005-06:00

This weekend was the Minnesota Chapter Multiple Sclerosis state convention. We, the Edina Realty "Real Estate Riders" received the Sylvie Award for raising the most team funds in 2008. We as a team raised over $112,000.00.

Thank you to Edina Realty, Mortgage, Title and Real Estate our team sponsor. Thank you to all of the MS staff and their many volunteers that made the MS150 ride so enjoyable. Thank you my family and friends who supported me in so many ways, without you we could not have made this happen.

GOALS FOR THE 2009 REAL ESTATE RIDERS: To have 175 riders and to raise $125,000.00. We believe that both of these goals are very realistic. If you have not signed up you can go to www.realestateriders.org and click on the button that says "Join The Team". This will take you right to registration. The price to register is $30 until December 31, 2008, then the price will go up to $40. Save $10 and sign up before the price goes up!

Come on, join the team, let's ride together to fight this disease!

bikes

2008-11-09T18:12:00.003-06:00

I took a count the other day, I now have in my possession two mountain bikes, two road bikes and one hybrid. I am in the "clean out the house" mode and need to make decisions about what I'm going to do with these. I know I'm keeping the two mountain bikes and one road bike. I may have a buyer for the hybrid so that just leaves the other road bike. I was using the hybrid to ride to work but have decided to add a rack to one of my mountain bikes and use that instead.

I need to purchase some warmer riding clothes, right now I'm good until about 35/40 degrees but anything colder than that and I freeze. I also need to find my other head light as it has disappeared over the summer.

I haven't been on my bike for nearly a month as my lower back has been bothering me but I've decided to just bite the bullet and deal with it. I eat way too much to not be exercising on a regular basis. Curling season has begun so my Tuesday and Friday nights are dedicated to that, Thursday is yoga night so I'm thinking Mondays and Wednesdays will be good riding days, and maybe a Friday morning.

One lesson I learned this year is that if I'm going to spend my summer riding then I better spend my winter getting my projects around the house done. I've been in a mad scramble to get the yard ready for winter and I don't think I'm going to make it. I need at least two more warm days to get it completed. I'm happy I was able to get a load of wood before the weather turned crappy.

Brrr, I miss the sun. The way the squirrels and birds have been acting this year I think we are in for a long winter.

Rules of the Trail

2008-10-17T08:36:00.004-05:00

I received my International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) magazine this week and thought I would share some information with y'all, just in case you have not become a member yet, hint, hint, wink, wink. This also allows me to practice my typing as I have a test coming up, yuck!

NEW RULES

An update for the venerable Rules of the Trail.

IMBA developed the "Rules of the Trail" to promote responsible and courteous conduct on shared-use trails. Keep in mind that conventions for yielding and passing may vary, depending on regional traditions, traffic conditions and the intended use of the trail.

1. Ride On Open Trails Only

Respect trail and road closures - ask a land manager for clarification if you are uncertain about the status of a trail. Do not trespass on private land. Obtain permits or other authorization as may be required. Be aware that bicycles are not permitted in areas protected as state or federal Wilderness.

2. Leave NO Trace

Be sensitive to the dirt beneath you. Wet and muddy trails are more vulnerable to damage than dry ones. When the trail is soft, consider other riding options. This also means staying on existing trails and not creating new ones. Don't cut switchbacks. Be sure to pack out at least as much as you pack in.

3. Control Your Bicycle

Inattention for even a moment could put yourself and others at risk. Obey all bicycle speed regulations and recommendations, and ride within your limits.

4. Yield to Others

Do your utmost to let your fellow trail users know you're coming - a friendly greeting or bell ring are good methods. Try to anticipate other trail users as you ride around corners. Bicyclists should yield to all other trail users, unless the trail is clearly signed for bike-only travel. Bicyclists traveling downhill should yield to ones headed uphill, unless the trail is clearly signed for one-way or downhill-only traffic. Strive to make each pass a safe and courteous one.

5. Never Scare Animals

Animals are easily startled by an unannounced approach, a sudden movement or a loud noise. Give animals enough room and time to adjust to you. When passing horses, use special care and follow directions from the horseback riders (ask if uncertain). Running cattle and disturbing wildlife are serious offenses.

6. Plan Ahead

Know your equipment, your ability and the area in which you are riding - and prepare accordingly. Strive to be self-sufficient: keep your equipment in good repair and carry necessary supplies for changes in weather or other conditions. Always wear a helmet and appropriate safety gear.

The Rules of the Trail are good guidelines, but pay close attention to trail signs - they have precedence over general rules.

Reglamento del Sendero

1. Siga el recorrido establecido

2. No dege huellas

3. Controle su bicicleta

4. Siempre ceda el paso a los otros

5. Nunca asuste a los animales

6. Planee con anterioridad

What would we do without trails?

October

2008-10-09T21:23:00.003-05:00

There is definitely a chill in the air these days. I've only been on my bike once in the past week and that was for the Fall Colors tour a sure sign that winter is fast approaching and Karen's getting lazy. I'm blaming it on the short days, I get up in the dark, go to work in the dark and by the time I get home, grab something to eat I only have about 2 hours to do something before it gets dark again. Couple that with the rain we've had this week and I can come up with some good excuses for being lazy :)

Tomorrow however looks to be a sunny 70 degrees so I'm going to get the mountain bike out and take it for a spin in the morning, then I will be puppy sitting in the afternoon and I Curl at 5 pm.

Saturday also looks to be a nice day so I plan to take the road bike out for a ride along the river, last weekend we did not have a lot of color for the Fall Colors tour so I'm going to try again this weekend. This time I'm going to stick to riding along the river and skip the lakes part of the ride. I'm also thinking of by-passing the drop into Hidden Falls and take Summit Ave back home instead. Summit is always a beautiful ride and then I can check out the ghost bike on Summit and Snelling Ave. a memorial to the woman who was hit by a car while riding her bike.

Pedal, pedal pedal

Looking for Color

2008-10-05T18:11:00.003-05:00

Crosby Park

Crosby Park
Mississippi River

October 04, 2008

2008-10-05T18:04:00.000-05:00

Margeaux
Karen

Margeaux

Fall Colors

2008-10-05T17:58:00.004-05:00

St. Paul
Julie, Margeaux, Karen
Harriet Island
St. Paul riverfront
Karen, Margeaux Lake Harriet

Fall Colors Tour 2008

2008-10-05T16:06:00.003-05:00

Saturday, October 04, 2008

WOW, what a fantastic day for a ride! I had hoped for a better turnout but by the time I got the route mapped out and an email sent a lot of people already had plans for this weekend and some were turned off by the miles. But hell if you can't do a casual 60 miles by the end of the riding season you simply did not ride enough this year and you need to get your ass on the trainer this winter. :) I'm old with bad knees and did the ride.

In any case those of us who did ride had one of the best riding days of the year. The morning started off cold! I was undecided as to what to wear as it was only about 45 degrees outside when I woke up; big brrr. I decided to wait until just before the ride to decide and throw on my riding gear. The game plan was to roll out of my house at 10 am but everyone was running a little late. Margeaux arrived just after 10 followed by Julie. After all the pre-ride fuss was over we started pedaling down the street at 10:38 according to Julie's watch. I, as always, dint have a watch or computer on my bike. As we were cruising through the park at the end of my block I made the comment that I felt like I was forgetting something, felt like I was riding naked but chalked it up to not having my camelback on.

We caught the Bruce Vento trail about a mile from my house and headed South, once on the trail I realized why I felt naked, I had forgotten my wallet containing my id and money, oops. The decision was not to turn back and we would pool our cash for lunch. We followed the Vento trail along Johnson Pkwy turning right onto Phalen Blvd. The trail dips down into Swede Hollow just past Arcade street and ends in downtown St. Paul. We took the frontage road up to Mounds Park for our first scenic stop and photos. Following the park trail we continued climbing to the top of Mounds Park, climb, climb, climb...

Crossed over Warner/Shepard Rd and caught the bike trail along the river. Julie turned off and followed the other trail up to Battle Creek. Margeaux and I continued along the Mississippi River until Sibley street, we turned north a block to Kellogg and over two blocks to Robert St. where we crossed over the river and dropped down to Harriet Island. Margeaux had never been to Harriet Island so we spent some time exploring. We then followed the Big Rivers Trail through Mendota and took the Mendota Bridge across the Minnesota River over to Fort Snelling. We met up with Gordy and Kenny at Fort Snelling and the four of us rode together to Minnehaha Falls Park. Kenny left us at M'haha Park as the poor boy had to go home a study, sucked to be him.

Gordy, Margeaux and I followed the bike trail along Minnehaha Creek to Lake Hiawatha and Lake Nokomis. We continued on the trail following the creek, one of my favorite areas, to Lake Harriet and on over to Lake Calhoun. We traveled along the West and North sides of Lake Calhoun catching the Midtown Greenway trail. There were a lot of people and pets out around the lakes. We turned off the Greenway around 30th Ave and grabbed lunch at Clicquot, thank you William for the nice service and accommodating our seating request. After lunch we headed towards W River Pkway, turning right and following the river to Lake/Marshal Ave where we crossed back over to the St. Paul side. Margeaux and I decided to ride back over the bridge to get some pictures and Gordy continued on his way home. After taking time for photos we traveled back to the St. Paul side of the river and followed along the trail to the Hidden Falls Park turn off. It was a beautiful ride through Crosby Farm Regional Park. We spent some time taking pictures and enjoying the ride. We climbed out of the park at Elway and took the Shepard Rd bike trail back into downtown St. Paul. We stopped several times along the way for photo opts.

After crossing back over to Mounds Park we decided to jump off on Johnson Pkwy and take that back home, it cut off a few miles from the ride but it was getting late and people were coming over to my house for food and beverages. I'm not sure what time we got back to my house but Margeaux clocked us at 56 miles, so we only cut a couple miles from the original route. We were a little disappointed in that the leaves were not "peaking" but the ride was really nice and it gave us a greater appreciation the colors we did see.

Weather permitting I'm going to head out again next Saturday repeating this route only skipping the lakes in Minneapolis and sticking to the River ride portion. The leaves should for sure be turning by then. The miles wont be as long but I don't have all day to ride.

3 Day Breast Cancer Walk

2008-09-20T23:13:00.009-05:00

Received a text message at 0603 this morning, what the hell? I thought I was the only crazy person up at this hour. Nope, it was Margeaux; she could not sleep and wanted to know when I could be ready to ride. We texted back and forth, the marvels of modern technology, for about 20 minutes then I crawled out of bed and got the coffee pot started. I thought it was much too early to call Julie our other riding companion for the day but Margeaux said Julie was "a morning freak like you" but in any case I waited until 0700 to call.

Lash and I went outside; Lash to pee and me to stand on the deck with my coffee and assess the day. It was a nice chilly morning, just the way I like it. I huddled with my cup of steaming hot coffee made from the finest Ethiopian, the birthplace of coffee, beans; freshly ground this morning. I then got online with Margeaux and we instant messaged each other until 7 when I called Julie.

So I have Julie on the phone and Margeaux on IM, this just ain't right; it's way too early in the morning to be multitasking. By the time we figure everything out it's 0730 and we're burning daylight. I want to go to Black Bear Crossing in Como Park for breakfast so the plan is that Julie will leave her house at 0815 and ride to my house we will then ride to Lake Como and eat breakfast. Margeaux will meet us there. Whew, we have a plan.

0817 and Julie is in the front yard. I toss on some riding gear, grab my helmet, shoes, gloves and camelback and head out the door.

The idea for the day was to ride along the route of the 3 Day Breast Cancer walkers and cheer them on. Margeaux, Julie and I each know people who were participating and we wanted to lend our support.

Julie and I head west on Hoyt Ave then turn South to Arlington and west again to Lake Phalen, we followed the Lake south to Wheelock Pkwy and turned west. We followed Wheelock Pkwy to Lake Como. A wonderful ride and a nice hill climb just after 35 E, which justified the cherry turnover I added to my egg and cheese croissant I ate for breakfast.

Margeaux arrived at Como and the three of us took off heading North on Lexington Ave. Just after crossing interstate 694 we started seeing the first 3 Day walkers. We hooted, hollered and cheered them on. We continued on Lexington to County Rd E then rode East to Victoria where we made a pit stop to visit with the 3 Day walkers. Just as we decided to leave the area and continue North on Victoria my friend Loafy arrived. It was great to be able to see her and wish her luck on the rest of her walk.

We headed North on Victoria, Julie took over the lead as we were off my map and I don't know that area too well. We continued North to Snail Lake Blvd and followed that East, what a great road. We saw lots of dogs, must have been a retriever convention or something, they were everywhere. We followed Snail Lake Blvd for a while then made a stop to decide on the rest of our journey. We grabbed the first street heading South and stayed on it until we got back on County Rd E where we turned West again. We caught up with the walkers on County Rd E and cheered them on.

Margeaux and I stopped at a sub shop for lunch and Julie continued on home, poor girl had chores to do on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. After lunch Margeaux and I headed South on Victoria and followed the walkers turning West onto County Rd D, then South on Lexington Ave. We stopped at the Lake Josephine cheering station for a minute then continued South on Lexington. At Roselawn Margeaux and I parted ways, she heading back to Mpls and me heading home. I followed Roselawn East to Reservoir Woods Park where I followed the path through the woods. This is one of my favorite paths, its short but sweet. The route spits you out near McCarrons Lake, I followed the Blvd to Rice St.

I again caught up the the 3 Day walkers, the last Cheering station was on Rice Street. I cheered on the walkers for a bit then followed Trout Brook Co. Trail to Arlington where I rode East to the Gateway Trail. I passed a lot of walkers along the way as this was the same route they were walking. I followed the Gateway Trail to White Bear Ave. where I zig zagged my way around Goodrich golf course, nearly getting hit by a golf ball. I think it scared the guy who hit it more than me. I told him better luck next time :) I arrived back home a little past 1330. Ahhh what a nice day for a ride. The weather was picture perfect. I have no idea how far I rode but it sure was a nice day.

Perfect days for riding

2008-09-19T23:55:00.005-05:00

This has been the best week for riding; the weather has been perfect. Tuesday I went for a road ride, Wednesday a mountain bike ride, Thursday is yoga day and today I rode my mountain bike to cheer on the 3day walkers. Tomorrow I have a road ride planned and it looks like another fantabulous day! I cannot wait to get out and enjoy it. I am also planning a Fall colors tour. The leaves are starting to change, the temperature is dropping and I can smell the backyard bonfires burning. Fall in Minnesota, I doesn't get any better.

Short and Fat

2008-09-14T17:38:00.007-05:00

or as Tara says, the Short and Smart. We were up and out of the Lodge early, packed up the van and headed to Cable. We put our bikes in the line up then headed off for some breakfast, we landed great starting spots. About 0900 I got dressed to ride and started warming up. The weather was mild a little chilly but not bad, the sky was overcast a perfect day for a ride. At least in my opinion, overcast days are better than sunny days in the woods.

At about 0945 we located our bikes and prepared to ride! I met a super nice guy standing next to me, he has been racing a number of years and was going to race this year on a cycle cross bike. I wish I had gotten his number so I could see how he did.

1000 the gun goes off, I clip in and off I go. I knew from last year that I needed to pace myself in the beginning so I will have enough energy to finish. Goal #1 finish the race. Within the first couple miles I had to go around 4 crashes, one looked pretty bad, lots of people down. The first 3 miles are on the Randysek Rd, paved for a short distance then packed earth, rocks and gravel, and a continuous climb. I experienced a nasty cramp in my right leg that lasted a couple miles, I think until my muscles were sufficiently warmed up. It may have helped me in keeping my pace a little slower. We then turned left into the forest and started our journey to the finish line. The ride was excellent, it had rained most of the day on Thursday so the ground was packed, most of the sandy patches were in good shape and posed no problems for me. The only issues I encountered were downed riders and wet grass. It seemed like there were a lot of crashes on this ride.

Big Bertha defeated me again :( I will ride that hill someday and where I got the idea that it was a giant pile of wood chips I do not know for Big Bertha was no pile of wood chips she was a full on big ass grassy hill. And the biggest problem for me was that there was no down hill to get momentum. You do go down a short hill but have to make a hard right turn in wet grass before you start to climb Bertha. I only saw one guy make it up her. I took a break at the top to catch my breath and wash down an Accel Gel, which works much better for me than Gu. I jumped back on my bike and had a great down hill cruise. I have to say my bike kicks serious ass on the down hills. There was one woman whom I played tag with through out most of the race, she would catch me on the up hills and I would pass her on the down hills. Fortunately she was not in my age group so she really was not the competition and I beat her to the finish line.

Big Bertha is at about the halfway point in the race and I was feeling pretty good, I had made it up all the other hills and was still feeling pretty strong. Around about mile 12 my right knee started to throb, not a good sign. I thought hell, there's only 4 more miles I can do this, just slow down a bit and keep pedaling. The pain went away and I had a great ride to the finish. There were some sections of this ride I really loved and some sections I hated but all in all I really enjoyed it. I had a couple near crashes, a guy in the beginning of the race shoved me over into another rider and we almost crashed and I hit a big rock coming around a corner that almost toppled me, but I held on the kept on riding. I met 4 out of 5 of my goals, I finished the race and knocked a tiny bit of time off last years time, almost 1 minute. I had hoped to knock off more time but I am happy with my ride.

I don't know if I can convince Tara to ride with me again next year. She had a couple crashes one that threw her off her bike. I'll have to try to convince others to do it. And if I don't get into this ride next year then I am most definitely going to do the Ore 2 Shore race in Michigan. It would be great to do both races.

I do have to give props to the Cable Nature Lodge, an excellent place to stay. I will for sure go back there. I would love to go back next Spring and/or Summer, stay there and do some riding. I have to figure out how to get up Big Bertha. It will happen. She is going down!

Oh let's not forget

2008-09-13T21:05:00.001-05:00

The bikes!

Karen's proud steed
Tara's proud steed

Too tired to write, here's some pictures

2008-09-13T20:49:00.003-05:00

Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival 2008

The starting gate
Tara's game face
Karen's game face
Finish line
The best part, ice cold 1554 the enlightened black ale...

Friday's Pre-Ride

2008-09-13T20:33:00.004-05:00

Tara

Karen because Tara told me to
Things to come

Getting ready for Chequamegon

2008-09-08T20:42:00.008-05:00

I love it my registration card says "short and fat women" what are they trying to tell me??? The Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival is this weekend. I have really been looking forward to this, I only hope I am ready for it. My game plan for this summer was to concentrate on mountain biking but as they say "make plans but don't plan on your plans." I've done more road riding this summer than I think I have done my entire life. It's just so much easier to find people to road ride than mountain bike but in any case I've been on my mountain bike and if I remember, the race is mostly fire roads so my road riding should be helpful.

My goals this year:

1. finish the race

2. finish the race

3. climb big bertha

4. finish the race

5. get a better time than last year

Tara and I plan to take off on Thursday and head to Cable, we are staying at the Cable Nature Lodge and from the website it looks super nice. The Festival starts on Friday with a number of events; Chequamegon Area Mountain Biking Association (CAMBA) trail tours, a pasta feed, Trek factory demo tour and Tech service and a Sponsor and Vendor expo. I know I plan to take full advantage of it all. Last year we did not have time to pre-ride the course so this year I plan to ride the entire course on Friday. Take it nice and slow, get some pictures and hopefully figure out how to get up Big Bertha (a gigantic mound of wood chips).

Last year we were able to make some great jersey purchases, everything $10; I am hoping to be able to find some long sleeve jerseys and if I'm lucky some cold weather gear.

Tara and I will be competing in the Short & Fat cross country mountain bike race on Saturday, September 13, 2008. The race starts on Randysek Road in Cable WI at 10 am and finishes at Telemark Resort 15 miles away.

Thanks to hitting the big 45 this year I will be racing in a different age category, I don't know if this is a good thing or not but maybe there wont be as many old ladies riding and I can get a higher ranking in my age group:)

St. Paul Classic Bike Tour

2008-09-07T16:37:00.004-05:00

The alarm went off at 0600 and there was no way I was feeling like getting out of bed. I was up too late last night and inhaled way too much smoke yesterday. I had visited a kitchen fire at the neighbors, then went to a bonfire in the evening and ended with a party in the trailer where there were a lot of smokers so needless to say my lungs were not feeling very good this morning. All I wanted to do was turn over and go back to sleep but I had made a commitment and people were expecting me so I gave myself a pep-talk and crawled out of bed and into a hot shower.

I was feeling much better after the hot shower, I threw on some biking clothes loaded my bike and gear into the car and off I went to Val and Tara's house. I arrived at their house around 0730, got my bike and gear together and the three of us rode to the University of St. Thomas to meet Gordy and begin our ride. After registering we met Gordy and filled ourselves with delicious treats. I had the most fantastic cranberry sweet bread, I had to go back for seconds.

We started the ride a wee bit past 0830. The four of us opted for the 30 mile route which took us along the Mississippi River to downtown St. Paul and the long climb up to a magnificent panorama at Indian Mounds Park where we made our first stop. This time it was cookies and bars! From here we followed Johnson Pkwy to Lake Phalen and along Wheelock Pkwy to Como Lake where we enjoyed a lakeside rest stop. If you choose to do this ride, this is the stop you don't want to miss as they have the best coffee! It's provided by Black Bear Crossings, which is one of my favorite places for breakfast when I'm out on a morning ride. We relaxed a bit at Como, enjoyed the coffee, snacks (more cookies) and music then continued on and finished the ride back at St. Thomas.

We encountered a little rain when leaving Como Park but it quit pretty quick. Once we arrived at St. Thomas were hit with a big downpour. Val, Tara and I tried to wait it out under a tree, Gordy was already in route to his house but we grew tired of waiting and decided just to ride in the rain. It was really chilly willy but their house is only a couple miles from the University and by the time we arrived the rain had quit.

We trudged into the house, changed out of our wet clothes then headed to my all time favorite pizza place... you guessed it, Pizza Luce! mmmmmmm I had been thinking of the garlic the entire ride. The food was delicious as always and afterwards I dropped Val and Tara off at their place and drove on home. This was a very nice ride always one of my favorites. A nice easy casual Sunday morning ride and it was made all the more better by being able to share it with good friends.

St. Paul Classic

2008-09-07T16:26:00.011-05:00

New Saddle, New Helmet

2008-09-01T20:33:00.009-05:00

Happy day for me. Yesterday I was finally able to get out on my mountain bike to check out the new saddle; it is very nice, my butt is happy. Today I picked up my new helmet which matches my bike and then my friend Tara and I went down to Harmon Park for a ride. It was a lot of fun, I had only been there once before so I was not sure what to expect. Tara had never been there so I had to lead the way. We actually made it through the entire course without getting misplaced. We had the Park to ourselves, it was great. Oh, wait I take that back we did meet a woman and her dog, and towards the end a guy with his kid crossed paths with us, but we were pretty much done by then. It was a very fun ride, we plan to head back again later this week. The best part is the Park is only about 15/20 minutes from our houses so it's easy to get a ride in after work.

Tara and I will be doing the Chequamegon Fat Tire race together in a couple weeks. In the mean time we plan to ride as much as possible. I've been feeling a little burnt out lately so I really need to kick it into high gear and start eating better. No more beer until after the race.

Now I know why I don't have a girlfriend

2008-08-29T22:50:00.007-05:00

Ok this is not exactly a bike post but it kinda is. You see I received a call from a friend earlier in the day and we decided she would come over for beers after work, great, I haven't seen her since before I left for Las Vegas. My bike finally arrived today, after waiting like forever! The UPS driver pulled up as I was working in my front yard at around 1705, YAY, I was so happy and anxious to see how my bike survived. About 2 minutes after my bike arrived I received a call from my friend saying she was on her way and would be here shortly.

My bike is in it's case, in the living room and I need to run to the liquor store to buy beer. As I come in the back door my friend is coming to the front door. Hello, how are ya? Come in, we chat, we laugh, we have a nice evening; the entire time I'm thinking about my bike in the case, in the living room, how did it survive? Is it OK? Is there any damage? I am not a bike fanatic but riding is one thing I can do. My neurologist says it's OK, my physical therapist says it's Ok and most importantly my body says it's Ok. Needless to say riding a bike is very important to me. There was a time when I was told I would not walk, so riding a bike really means a lot to me. I don't have to win any races, I don't have to be the best I just need to be able to do it. So anyway, here I am entertaining a friend of mine and all I can think about is whether my bike survived the trip from Las Vegas or not. At around 2100 she says she needs to go, I'm thinking Yes! I can check on my bike. No hugs, no kisses, bye see ya later, drive safe.

I don't think she was at the end of the driveway before I was opening the case and checking on my bike. Twenty minutes later I had it put back together and on the trainer to see if everything worked. That is when I realized; this is why I don't have a girlfriend. My last one would have understood, she was a competitive cyclist, don't know if I will find another. Think I will have to add this to the list; must understand the need to ride my bike.

I know you're all waiting... Yes, my bike survived, it works!

Bike update

2008-08-28T14:58:00.005-05:00

Received a call from UPS this morning; my bike it due to arrive on my doorstep Friday, August 29, 2008 between 8 AM and 7 PM. Let's hope for an 0800 arrival. That's a huge time frame. Oh well, tomorrow's yard work day anyway.

I'm anxious to see how they deliver, if all goes good, I may use them on my next trip as well. I have a cousin who owns a house in Laughlin, NV and she says I can use the place anytime so I'm thinking a winter bike trip is in order. I've never been to Laughlin but I know from past experience that the desert in the winter is beautiful. Especially when the flowers are blooming.

Where's my bike?

2008-08-27T22:10:00.004-05:00

Ok, I dropped my bike off at the UPS store located in the Flamingo hotel, Las Vegas, NV Sunday afternoon. I know, I know I went to the dark side, used the men in brown instead of the USPS but the USPS does not take a package that big. Besides we have deals with UPS and FedEx, they use us we use them. Anyway, I dropped the bike off Sunday and it's due to arrive at my house this Friday. For $20 more I shipped it instead of flying it back home with me and it's insured so if they lose it or break it they pay me and I buy a new road bike. The flight out to Vegas was not bad, I checked in easy enough the only trouble was maneuvering the big case along with my regular suitcase but I managed. And it was much easier to drop it off Sunday at the Flamingo location than to cart it to the Tropicana Hotel then to the airport on Tuesday. I knew once I met up with Rhory and Diane there would be no more bike riding in Las Vegas.

I just checked the UPS website tonight and my bike is in Commerce City, Co, it's getting the scenic ride home.

I have the Chequamegon Fat Tire race coming up next month so I need to spend lots of time on my mountain bike. I only have about 3 weeks to get ready and I am no where near ready for this race. I bet I gained 10 lbs in Las Vegas, I had high hopes of dropping 5 pounds but it is nearly impossible to eat healthy when you are living in hotels and they give you free beer. The rest of this week will be dedicated to purging my body of all the junk food I ate this past 11 days. I have a fairly healthy diet and when I deviate from it I pay the price. I am off work until Sunday so that gives me three free days to ride. Damn I could use a trainer, any volunteers????

Better Morning Route

2008-08-22T10:57:00.005-05:00

Ahhh, the beauty of an early morning start. There is nothing, well almost nothing I like better than watching the sun rise in the morning. Today I was on my bike before 0600 and cruised East on Flamingo Rd. The traffic was light and I stayed on Flamingo until just before Interstate 515 (93/95) where I caught Annie Oakley Dr. South to Harmon Ave. I went East on Harmon and had a sweet ride until it ended at Jimmy Durante Blvd. I followed Jimmy until Tropicana Ave where I turned around and went back to Harmon Ave. Both Harmon and Jimmy have designated bike lanes. I followed Harmon West to Mountain Vista St, I turned left (South) on Mountain Vista St. thinking I would catch Hacienda Ave and ride that back. When I got to Tropicana for some reason I thought I had missed Hacienda so I turned West on Tropicana, big mistake! The traffic was nasty and I don't just mean busy, I had a guy in a white pickup truck try to run me off the road and one woman in a white car intentionally make a right-hand turn in front of me, nearly hitting me. I know she saw me, because I saw her, we made eye contact and she still cut me off, BITCH! As soon as I was able to I turned North to get off Tropicana. I believe it was Sandhill Rd and it also had a designated bike lane. I rode back to Harmon, turned left and stayed on it until Las Vegas Blvd (the Strip). I was a little nervous about riding on The Strip, but what's a trip to Vegas if you don't ride your bike down Las Vegas Blvd? It was actually a great ride down to my hotel.

When I returned to my room I mapped out a route, which I plan to try tomorrow morning, then it will be time to pack the bike and ship it back home.:(

Las Vegas traffic

2008-08-20T00:17:00.005-05:00

Well alright I finally got out on my bike today. I'm not sure how far I rode but it was fun. I can say people in Vegas are not used to sharing the road with us. I don't think I have been honked at so many times in all the years I have been riding. I jumped on my bike at 0600 trying to avoid the serious heat of the day, after making a few adjustments to my brakes along the way I was off. The route was flat as a pancake the only thing I had to contend with was traffic, the heat and a tiny headwind from the southwest (desert). I have heard the phrase "it's a dry heat" and have used the phrase myself but when you are riding in triple digits it really does not matter whether it is a dry heat or not; it's HOT! I really enjoyed the ride and found two bike routes and plan to explore them more tomorrow. I'm going to try to hit the road a little earlier and watch the sun rise.

Travel Case

2008-08-17T00:15:00.005-05:00

Wednesday instead of mountain biking a few of us went for a road ride, which worked out nicely as I needed help to get my pedals loosened. We met at Penn cycle, went for a ride and afterwards the shop guys loosened my pedals for me. I felt much better after they informed me that it took two of them to loosen the pedals, I'm not as wimpy as I thought.

Thursday I took my bike apart and packed it in the travel case, a pretty simple process. I was also able to pack my shoes, tools and a couple accessories into the case. Friday I was off to the airport, this was the first time I had taken my bike on a plane so I was a little nervous about it. I went to the airport early in case it would take longer to get checked in but to my surprise it was simple. When I arrived in Las Vegas I expected to have to pick up the bike up in the area where golf clubs and skis are picked up but no, it came down the carousel shortly after my suit case. The only difficulty I encountered at all was maneuvering both the bike case and my suit case around people and through doorways.

After arriving at my hotel room it took less than 45 minutes to put the bike back together. I have not had a chance to ride yet as I have had to attend to work business but it looks like Tuesday morning I should be able to get out for a ride. I spoke with a security guy today and found out the safe places to bike. Now if we can get the temperature to drop below 100 degrees that would be nice.

OK, I'm off to Map My Ride

Pedals are not fun

2008-08-12T21:51:00.010-05:00

I'm leaving Friday to head to Las Vegas for 11 days, yes I know that's a long time to be in Vegas but I have a convention I have to attend and some friends meeting me out there so it's going to be business and pleasure. Anyway, my game plan is to take my road bike with me so I can ride in the early mornings before my meetings start. I have spent the better part of an hour working on my bike, I can take it apart and put it back together again no problem, that is except the damn pedals. I have the proper tools I just don't have the strength to break them loose. I believe if I put the bike up on my trainer and stabilized it I could probably get them off but I wont have my trainer with me in Vegas so I need to get them off and back on again without using it. I guess I'll need to talk with the guys at the bike shop tomorrow and see if they have some tricks of the trade. I'm thinking if I squirt some liquid wrench on them and let 'em sit for the day they should come loose. Otherwise I'm going to take the bike in and have the guys at the shop break them loose, then I can pack it up and put them back on. If I tighten them, I should be able to get them loose again when I need to pack up and come back.

Great River Energy-Mesabi Trail Tour '08

2008-08-11T22:04:00.009-05:00

On Friday Margeaux and I convoyed up to Virginia, MN to participate in the Mesabi Trail Tour. We made our first stop at Gordy's Hi Hat in Cloquet, MN, Gordy's is by far one of my favorite places for french fries and strawberry milk shakes. After eating lunch we headed to Carlton, MN and the Jay Cooke State Park for some hiking. While at the park we picked up a GPS and did some geocacheing, that was a new adventure for the both of us. We found the test cache fairly quickly but the second one took us a while. After locating the cache we did some hiking along the St. Louis river. What a fantastic way to spend the afternoon.

After leaving the park we traveled back to hiway 33 and on up to Olcott Park in Virginia. Once we arrived at the park we picked up our ride packets and dropped off the bikes. This is the only thing I did not like about this ride, I hate not having my bike with me. You need to drop your bike off the night beforehand and they transport it to Marble, MN where the ride begins. After taking care of business we headed to our friend Julie's cabin in Biwabik, MN. We chilled at the beach and went for a boat ride then drove to Julie's mom's house where we would stay for the night.

Saturday morning we were all up early and off to Olcott Park to catch a shuttle to Marble to begin our ride. The ride started at 0900 and Margeaux and I crossed the start line about 0915. After about 10 minutes into the ride we hit our first hill, lots of people having issues. Things flattened out after that until the first rest stop. We made a quick stop, grabbed some snacks and on our way again. The next stop was Hibbing, MN where we spent a little more time, lots of snacks and music. The halfway point was Buhl where we took a nice long break. Kayaks were available so we each took one out and paddled around for about 45 minutes, very nice, relaxing and quiet. This stop also had ice cream, mmmmmmm. We skipped the third stop and cruised on into Virginia around 1430. We relaxed, ate lunch, listened to music and picked up our t-shirts. Afterwards we packed up our bikes headed back to the house for a quick shower then back over to the cabin to spend the evening.

Margeaux says this was her favorite ride so far this year, I rank it in my top 3. It certainly has a lot of beautiful scenery, lots of hills and curves to the trail. I did not encounter any riff raff on this ride but did see one man peeing in the woods, I could have done without that, YUCK! The open pit lakes were spectacular, the bluest water you can imagine. I plan to do this ride again next year and would love to take a road trip up there this fall to see the leaves change.

So anyone up for some riding this fall let me know, I'm in.

Whew! Lotsa Water

2008-08-01T21:44:00.014-05:00

I went for a super nice long ride today, started about 0930, my plan was to get started much earlier but just could not get motivated. Anyway, I grabbed the Gateway Trail off White Bear Ave and headed East to Pine Point/Hiway 55/Norell Ave, whatever you want to call it. I took that North to Square Lake Trail then headed East to May Ave. I turned Right (Northish) on May Ave. About 1/2 mile into it I discover May Ave is no longer paved, OOPS! I had to make a decision to turn back and find a different route or just keep going. I decided to "go for it", the road was hard packed dirt and rocks and fortunately it was not too dry so the riding was not as bad as it could have been. This would have been no problem with a hybrid or mountain bike but I was riding my road bike with skinny tires. Not much for traffic only three SUVs and one orange bobcat (the heavy equipment type not the animal variety)beautiful area, lots of trees, ponds and wildlife, well worth the dirt. After about 4 miles I hit 170th and turned Left, saw a wee little snapping turtle, that I wanted to take home with me.

At Manning Ave I turned Right and headed North, experienced a little headwind but nothing bad. While traveling on Manning I observed one of the funniest things I have seen in a long time. I saw a horse plop down on it's side, wiggle in the dirt, turn onto it's back, wiggle in the dirt, turn on the other side, wiggle in the dirt then get back up again. I had to laugh out loud, it was just like my dog.

A few miles on Manning and I came to Scandia Trail, took a Left, then a Right onto N. Shore Trail and headed North around Forest Lake. I traveled along the Eastern and Northern part of the Lake, very nice, lots-o-money in Forest Lake. Not much of a shoulder so I had to be careful of the cars. When I came to Hiway 61 I crossed over and headed South.

I stopped at Big Apple Bagels for lunch, nice people and the manager gave me directions to the bike trail that runs along Hiway 61. After lunch I caught the bike trail and shortly after getting on the trail I spotted two fawns. At first I didn't think they were real, they were standing so still but as I approached them they moved, they were no more than 10 feet from me, I wanted to take them home too.

I followed the bike trail to Hugo, turned Right on Hiway 8/Frenchman Rd and continued East till the end. I encountered lots of road construction around 35E. Hiway 8 brought me to the Lino Lakes area; I had a little trouble finding the bike trail and rode a few cul-de-sacs before locating it, that sucked! I traveled along the Rice Creek-Chain County Park bike trails not really knowing where I was and hoping it would take me to where I needed to go. I missed my sharp left turn and had to turn around and finally found Black Duck Drive. I zigged-zagged my way around to Centerville Rd and took that South to Hiway 96. Next time I think I will take Otter Lake Rd, it looks much more scenic.

I headed East on 96 into White Bear Lake, took a wrong turn again and ended up going around the North side of the Lake instead of the South side. What really sucks is I can't blame anyone but me, I should have been paying attention but I saw a bike path and just took it. Thank you so much to the man at the bait shop for giving me directions. I had to turn around again and catch the trail around to S. Shore Dr. A Right turn on McKnight and I was on my way home.

I had planned about a 65 mile ride but I'm sure I went beyond that with my mishaps. You can check out this ride at map my ride. I think I'll tweak it a bit the next time I go out.

This was a really nice ride, I have to remember to bring sun screen next time, I was bakin' out there. I discovered several more routes I want to explore.

There's nothin' like a day on my bike.

Mesabi Wins!

2008-07-29T18:53:00.003-05:00

The decision has been made, I'll be doing the Mesabi Trail ride with Margeaux and Julie. Margeaux and I plan to convoy up on Friday afternoon, chill out Friday evening and do the ride Saturday morning. If all goes as planned we'll attempt our first century ride (100 miles in one day). The ride itself is 51 miles with an additional 9 miles for those who want to do a metric century but we are thinking of going for the 100 mile mark!

I have not been riding much lately, actually I've not gotten on my bike since last Wednesday when I met Rhory in StillH20. That crash I had last Tuesday really did a number on me. I'm just now starting to feel better, I can turn my head without pain in my neck and my left knee is almost healed. No more playing with a camera on my handlebars and now I need to go purchase another camera. I was able to download the video but I cannot use the camera anymore. I think it will be cheaper to buy a new one than try to get it fixed. I may decide to take it apart myself to look at it. Who knows maybe I can fix it, the Navy told me I have a mechanical mind :) but I think they were just trying to get me to sign up.

I plan to go mountain biking with the Penn Cycle women's group tomorrow then get a nice long ride in this weekend either Friday or Saturday. I prefer riding on Friday mornings as there's less traffic. I think I'll map something out tonight and see if I can't get someone to ride along with me. I'm also going to try to upload some video of my ride from last Tuesday.

peace, ride on...

On the Boardwalk

2008-07-27T22:18:00.001-05:00

San Diego 2008
Kathy and I cruisin' the boardwalk on Mission Beach

Trek vs Harley Davidson

2008-07-24T21:43:00.005-05:00

I raced my mountain bike yesterday. OK, well it wasn't exactly a race. Ya see I rode from my house to StillH2o to meet Rhory for "coffee." I arrived in StillH2o around 5PM and discovered it was Lumberjack Days, we had no idea it was going on otherwise we would have chosen a different location to meet. Upon my arrival I dialed up Rhorstar and we arranged to meet at PD Paddy's on the river. I know, I know a funny place for coffee but one person's coffee is another person's beer. Rhory arrived shortly after I did and we enjoyed an evening of chatting and had a couple beers.

When the time came to leave Rhory straddled her Harley Hugger and I leaped upon my Trek EX8 and off we flew, well to say flew might be a little strong ;) Rhory to Blaine and me to St. Paul. The climb out of StillH2o as always was a challenge but once atop the hill it was smooth sailing.

When I arrived back home I called Miss Rhory and she had just turned off the engine of her HD. I traveled about 14 miles to my house and Rhory traveled about 40 to her house, I arrived just moments before her. So in my book Trek 1 Harley 0. I don't think Rhory will feel the same but that's OK, it's my blog.

bike cam

2008-07-23T21:08:00.003-05:00

So my friend Kim sends me a link to a site where this guy shows you how to mount your camera to your bike. Great I've been checking out small cameras and helmet cams so I'm excited to check this out. I've taken my camera with me and video taped while riding but I thought with the camera mounted to my bike it would be hands free!!! Well let me tell you what happened...

First I followed the directions of the guy on the website, 2 inch bolt, rubber washers, metal washer, wingnut and one nut. I assembled everything and attached my camera. Off I went for a spin through the neighborhood. I cruised to Lake Phalen, around the lake to Round Lake, then onto the Gateway Trail. Everything seemed to be working fine except the camera was bouncing around quite a lot. I return home downloaded my video it was pretty good but kind of boring. I then decided a shorter bolt is in order.

I made my adjustments, shorter bolt and thicker rubber washer, skipped the wingnut and attached my camera to the bike. This time I decide to do a little off road riding. On Tuesday head out on my mountain bike, catch the Gateway trail heading East and grabbed the dirt trail at around the 694 underpass. I'm cruising along having a great time. Catching lots of video, at least I thought I was. I rode out to Pine Point and instead of heading South on hiway 55 as I had planned to do I decided it was so much fun riding in the dirt I would turn around and ride back along the same trail. Again turning on the camera at different times throughout the ride. What I discovered is that having a camera mounted on your handlebars leads you to be watching the camera and fiddling with it instead of paying attention to the road ahead. And as expected when riding a mountain bike off road if you don't pay attention something unexpected will happen; like a big ass pile of gravel shows up just as you take your right hand off the handlebar to make a camera adjustment. If you've ever ridden in gravel you know what happens next you lose traction and steering becomes difficult. Now imagine what that means when you only have one hand on the handlebars. You guessed it! YOU CRASH. I took a nice spill in a pile of gravel and asphalt, OUCH! And as the cartoons say #$@W*! Of course I could not crash when there is no one around to witness it, NO, I need to have an audience. I hit super hard, seeing stars and everything and these two older women, I can say older because I'm old and I'm sure they were older than me are all like "are you OK?" I say "yes, absolutely, I'm fine" as I'm seeing stars and have blood running down my left leg. And you know what really sucks??? It's not on video! Of all things, if I have to crash the least that could happen is that somehow the camera catches it, but nope, nothing on tape. I take a moment, collect myself, adjust my seat and the camera, check out my bike, get on and ride home. I get home, immediately jump in the shower and wash the gravel out of my knee, eat, have a recovery drink, and ice both of my knees. My little brother came down and put a bandaid on my boo boo.

I would say a camera mounted to your handlebars will work while riding on a paved surface but it is way too bouncy for off road riding. Plus if your anything like me it's distracting. So I'm back to searching for a helmet cam. I do think I will attach the camera for some road riding, I think it will be fun to travel through traffic on a busy afternoon.

One word of advice: keep both hands inside the ride at all times :)

Real Estate Riders - MS150 ride

2008-07-22T21:58:00.005-05:00

I want to once again thank everyone who has sponsored me. As of July 18th the Real Estate Riders have raised a smokin' $110,231.33!!! Our closest rival was Team Donaldson with $99,518.95. Without your support we never could have reached our goal. Thank you so much, I hope you realize what you have done and the impact it will have on the lives of thousands of people who will look to the Minnesota MS chapter for assistance this year. The chapter's programs and services would simply not be possible without donations from people like you.

MISSION OF THE REAL ESTATE RIDERS

WE ARE COMMITTED TO RAISING FUNDS TO FIND A CAUSE AND CURE FOR MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. WE WILL RIDE INTO THE FUTURE WITHOUT THIS UNPREDICTABLE AND DEVASTATING DISEASE.

IN DOING SO WE RAISE AWARENESS OF MS, IT'S SYMPTOMS, AND HOW MANY PERSONS ARE AFFECTED BY MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS.

THIS IS WHY WE RIDE.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

peace and good night

StillH2o Loop

2008-07-19T09:18:00.006-05:00

Had a super fun ride yesterday. Margeaux and her friend Kimberly arrived at my house around 2ish, Margeaux had some mechanicals on her bike so we did not leave until nearly 3 but once on the road we had a nice ride. Caught the Gateway trail off White Bear Ave and headed East. Kimberly had wanted to do some off road riding and we all wanted to go to StillH2o, at about 694 you can catch a dirt trail that runs alongside the Gateway Trail. I had not been on the trail so I was excited to check it out. Kimberly and I both had mountain bikes and Margeaux had a hybrid, because the paved trail was right next to the dirt trail we figured we could ride either one and get to the same place. The dirt trail was mostly hard packed with some gravel spots and I only encountered one horse and had to give way, a very nice horse I might add. Margeuax joined me for most of the dirt trail. I liked it and plan to ride it again. At Pine Point we headed South on hiway 55 to hiway 12 (Mertle St.) We made one stop so Margeaux could help a turtle cross the hiway, it was nearly made into turtle soup by a mini-van. YAY Margeaux, you go girl! Plenty of hills on hiway 55 but fortunately just as many downs as ups so it was a fun ride. At Mertle we turned left and headed into downtown StillH2o. Kimberly took a right on Greely which we did not expect, personally I thought she was going to the ice cream shop but it turns out she misinterpreted what Margeaux and I had said, anyway we then took a left on Olive St. About two blocks down the street we encountered road construction, more dirt!! Margeaux and Kimberly turned back to Mertle and I opted for the dirt and heavy equipment route, the beauty of a mountain bike! We caught up with each other at the Freight House restaurant for a snack.

After some fries and beer we were back on the road. Margeaux discovered she was losing air in her front tire so we made a pit stop at the gas station for air and got directions for a bike shop in the area.

Now for the big climb out of StillH2o. Each of us took a different route, Kimberly started her climb as Margeaux and I were at the gas station. Margeaux and I headed out on Mertle, where Margeaux turned off on 3rd street for a different route and I opted to try Mertle to the top. Not a bad climb, I had done it last month with my road bike so I had an idea of what to expect, nothing like that Ramsey Hill. I had to get down into the Granny gears but success was mine, no walking that hill and I was still breathing at the top. As a side note, my knee is feeling pretty good still a bit bothersome but not bad. Once I reached the top I gave Margeaux a call, she was at the bike shop waiting for assistance, Kimberly was at a different location. After a bit of discussion I decided to head home and they would catch up with me at my house for beer and pizza.

I rode hiway 12 (Mertle St.) back to the Gateway Trail. There is a paved trail that runs along hiway 12 so you don't have to deal with traffic. It also has a nice wide shoulder if you do choose to ride on it. A few hills before catching the Gateway but again nothing bad, nice rollers. West on the Gateway and I was home within an hour. By the time Margeaux and Kimberly arrived I had showered, drank a recovery drink, iced my knee, had the pizza delivered and was cracking a beer. Val, Tara and Raleigh came over to enjoy the backyard with us. Ahhhh summer in Minnesota, friends, pizza, beer and bikes, it doesn't get any better than this.

Here's a link to this route:

StillH2o Loop

When Spirits are Low

2008-07-18T09:46:00.004-05:00

When Spirits are low...

When the day appears dark...

When work becomes monotonous...

When hope hardly seems worth having...

Just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking.

- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 1896

Mesabi Trail vs Ore to Shore

2008-07-17T20:53:00.004-05:00

Decisions, decisions, decisions...

I really want to ride in the Ore to Shore mountain bike race but cannot find anyone else who wants to do the ride. It takes place in Marquette Michigan, August 9th and I just don't feel like driving that far, paying for a place to stay, riding a 28 mile mountain bike race and driving back by myself, does this mean I'm getting old??? Hate for that to happen.

The alternative is doing the Great River Energy - Mesabi Trail ride on August 9th. This ride I have people to go with, it's closer to home therefore a much cheaper adventure.

I've never ridden the Mesabi Trail and I did the Ore to Shore race back in '06. The Mesabi ride is a road bike ride, Ore to Shore is mountain bike, I just don't know. I have the Fat Tire race in September so I need more time on my mountain bike but the Mesabi ride is closer and would be a lot less expensive. I'm going to Nevada the last two weeks in August and bringing my mountain bike so I can get some riding out there. With the heat of Nevada I should drop some weight too, an added bonus!

Decisions, decisions... I'll have to sleep on this one.

Tour of Saints

2008-07-13T19:05:00.013-05:00

Check in

Views from my bike

Margeauxs new boyfriend "riff raff"

A heavenly little ride...

My ass! It was a ride of hills, wind and whining.

Ok, let me back up a bit; you need to know my frame of mind before starting the ride. I have been looking forward to this ride knowing it had a lot of hills. My plan for riding this year is to master climbing hills so I thought this would be great. I've been working on climbing all summer and last week I made it up Ramsey Hill, for those who don't know Ramsey Hill it is located in St. Paul, starts at around Grand Ave and 35 E climbing out of downtown. I went on a Tuesday evening training ride with Gordy, well actually I started my ride with Ann Marie and Jody. So here's my story...

Tuesday morning I ride to work, I've converted my old hybrid bike into a commuter and ride to work every day. On my way home from work my right knee starts to bother me and I think it's only because I sit differently on this bike, it'll be fine. I get home, chat with my friend Jody and arrange to meet her and Ann Marie at Summit Ave and Mississippi Blvd for a ride at 4:15 PM. I also had plans to meet Gordy, same location at 6:30 for a training ride. I think great I can get in about 40 miles combined. I meet Jody and Ann Marie, Jody has mapped out a ride, we take off and I am still experiencing pain in my right knee but I figure it will be fine, you know how that is. If you don't mind, it don't matter. We have a really nice ride, we discovered a new trail, actually I'm sure it was discovered long before we rode it but it was my first time on this trail, it runs along the Mississippi river on the West side below Fort Snelling then climbs out at M'haha Falls in Minneapolis. Very nice, scenic and flat. We take a break at M'haha Falls Park for water and such then continue on the Minneapolis side of the river. We encounter headwinds heading North and struggle to ride in the double digits. We cross back over the river at Franklin and cruise with the tailwind back to Summit and Mississippi River Blvd. By this time my knee is really bothering me but I push it to the back of my mind, do some stretching and have a recovery drink and some munchies. We wait for Gordy and his training ride people.

The group arrives and we start riding about 7 PM, Gordy takes us on trail, again one I have never ridden before so I am lovin' it, we head south along the river and drop down to Hidden Falls or some such thing. We ride along the East side of the river on into Crosby State Park, fantastic, a nice flat route, my knee is a bit sore but doing OK. Once through Crosby we have to climb out, then we travel along Shepard Rd to downtown St. Paul. We turn left at the Science Museum (Chestnut?) and climb out of downtown. We top out at 7th and Kellogg right across from the Xcell Center. At this point we all take a moment to catch our breath and talk about climbing Ramsey Hill, me and my big mouth says "if we have a green light when we get there I say take the hill, if it's red then turn and climb up Grand Ave." Ramsey Hill is much steeper but the Grand Ave climb is longer. As luck would have it we get a green light and 5 of the 6 of us decide to "take the hill!" I started off strong, but about 3/4 of the way up I start to lag, the last 1/4 of the climb was hell, my heart feels like it is coming out of my chest. I get to the top turn a quick right to the park and get off my bike, my legs are shaking and my knee is seriously screaming. Gordy and I shout out encouragement to the rest of our group, of the 5 of us who attempted the climb, three of us made it! We also shouted out to some strangers as they took to the hill, it always gives you a bit of a rush to have people shouting out encouragement while riding. Gordy is awesome on the hills! At this point we all take a few minutes to chill and get our lungs back to working condition. We then traveled Summit and met up with the other rider who chose not to do the hill. We rode back to the meeting place and by this time I am really hurting, I think my mph was about 10. I get in my car, drive home, ice my knee, take some Ibuprofen, have another recovery drink, do some yoga (legs up the wall pose) and try to get some sleep. My knee kept me up most of the night, the next day I grab the Ibuprofen right away and hope for the best. Choose not to ride to work to give it a rest. I can a least get a Vanilla Latte on my way to work. Through out the day, I have trouble walking and have to take the elevator several times instead of the stairs, this really sucks! I had plans to mountain bike Wednesday night but no way that's happening. I relax most of Wednesday night, more Ibuprofen which I don't like but it helps, more yoga and a beer. Hoping to ride Thursday, nope, don't even ride to work, Friday same thing no riding. Now I'm starting to worry about the Tour of Saints ride. I think if I stay off my knee it I should be able to ride on Sunday.

Saturday I sleep in late, then head to a cabin party near Dassel, MN. The Tour of Saints ride is in St. Joseph so my plan was to go to the cabin party Saturday then drive up to St. Joseph and stay overnight at the college of Saint Benedict. The cabin party was fun, stayed a little later than I had planned, drank more beer than I should have. By the time I get to the College to register and get my room key it is almost 11 PM and there is no one around. I call security, a woman comes with my key and tells me to go to the long building with all the lights on, my room is there. I go to the long building with all the lights on, grab my luggage and attempt to find my room. There is no room 220 in the building, I call security back and say "hey I can't find my room" they return and a different woman looks at my packet and says I was misdirected, surprise! I figured that out on my own. They then have me follow them to the correct place. I find my room, haul all of my stuff up to my little dorm room, the closest I've been to college, and then try to put new brakes on my bike. What a pain, I have done this before but I have a sneaking suspicion that I was given the wrong brake pads. At about 12:30 I give up and try to get some sleep.

Sunday morning I wake up at 0511 AM, decide I might as well get up and try to find some coffee then work on my bike again. I find a coffee shop grab a vanilla latte and a croissant then go back to the room. I work again on my brakes say f*ck it and put the old brake pads back on. The game plan was that Margeaux would meet me at the start line at 0700 and we would ride out. At about 0645 I call Margeaux to check in with her, I tell her there is no hurry, we chat about how crappy we both feel, too many beers/drinks the night before, she says she will call me when she is about 15 minutes out and I'll meet her at the check in area to pick up our wristbands. note: we were to meet at 0700, we talked at 0645, hanging up about 0650 and she says she will call when she is about 15 minutes out, no way she was making it by 0700 ;)

I head over to the check-in, fill my water bottle and Margeuax arrived about the same time. We got on the road about 0800, only an hour later than planned. The first couple miles go fine, then about a half hour into the ride we hit the hills, mile after mile of hills and along with that wind, coming from the North/West. It was relentless! I finally understand what Margeaux has been talking about when she refers to the "riff raff" on these rides. I never gave it much thought, slow riders not a big deal, just go around them. Not these people, NO, they don't get out of your way! They ride all over the road, as you approach from behind, give a warning "passing on your left" and they don't move, I can't tell you how many times I was forced to ride into the oncoming traffic lane to get around these people. It was insane. So by the first rest stop Margeaux and I are both bitching, hills, wind, riff raff, my knee hurts, she has old bike shorts on, we both have mild hangovers you name it we're bitching! At least it got us to the first rest stop. At this point we're even questioning whether to ride the 50 miles or only do the 35 mile route.

We eat some donuts, have some flavored water, fill our water bottles, pee and get back on our bikes. Again with the grumbling, bitching and complaining, when I stopped, Margeuax started and when she stopped I took over. After a few miles WOOO WHOOOO finally a tailwind and I am sailing, I am lovin' it now, cruising along feeling good then I hear a shout KAREN! I turn to see Margeaux indicating to me that I have missed the turn, shit! Now I have to travel back into the wind and turn, DAMN! That tailwind was sweet! It took me at least 5 miles before I could catch back up with Margeaux. We make it to the second rest stop. Another long break, my knee is not happy, we are still deciding whether to go for the 50 miles or not. We take a look at the map and decide we could grab the Lake Wobegon Trail to the next rest stop and cut down on the headwind. As we take off from the rest stop we notice Margeaux has a broken spoke on her back wheel, so we turn around and head to the bike repair. We chatter along with the bike guys while the spoke gets fixed, then off we go. By this time the route has flattened out so even tho we still have a lot of wind the hills are pretty much done. We travel about 5 miles then catch the Trail, and head straight into the wind, I will say it was much nicer to ride, no more "riff raff."

We arrive at the final rest stop and take a nice long break. I made some minor adjustments to the clips on my shoes with hopes that it might help my knee. Margeaux ran into some old friends so while she chatted with them I did some stretches and a couple yoga poses. After about 20 minutes we're back on the Trail with the wind at our backs for the most part. The final miles were fairly easy as it was flat and not many people were on the Trail. After arriving in St. Joseph we packed up our things and headed to St. Cloud for food, I was starving! Lots o' pasta for me! The drive home from St. Cloud was not too bad, hit a little traffic just before Rogers and had to stop for gas but pretty smooth ride. I got home just after 1600, tossed all my stuff in the house, grabbed an ice pack and sat on the couch, by this time my left knee was bothering me too, I think I was compensating for the right one. I iced both knees, had a recovery/protein drink, took more Ibuprofen and relaxed for a bit. Then jumped in the shower to get the road grime off, opened a bottle of wine and here we are.

Looking back on this ride, the route was beautiful, the hills were fine and absent the wind and a bad knee it would have been no problem. Will I do this ride again, probably, will I start that late in the morning, NO WAY! No more riff raff for me, those people are whacked!

Note to self: STOP drinking beer the night before a ride, ya big dummy! See that's the difference between real athlete's and me, they train, I drink beer :)