Hmmm

Felt better, temps lower, winds calmer, I'm slower???? Go figure. Cement's not all out yet. 33/17.1

One of these days I might get tired of seeing a sunset....not likely.

Better

Plenty of heat, wind and tired on the ride today; temps into the 90's, winds up to 30mph. Definitely feel better than last Monday, might be breaking up some of the cement in the old hairy legs. 33/17.7

Some Of What I've Seen Over The Last Couple Of Days

Extra

Still windy and hot, but it didn't seem as bad as yesterday despite the Hopkins bank sign flashing the same temp as yesterday. Maybe the thermometer is stuck.
Amy and I did the standard route up into Baker. Lots of talking and very little attention paid to speed.
Somehow I got talked into more miles and a stop at the Birchwood Cafe (our sponsor). Very good food, and some of our teammates were also just pulling in from their Sunday rides. Great to see everyone, talk and eat. 63/18.1

As Advertised

Cement legs have plagued me all week, so I posted a slower pace for today's ride.
Amy, Paula and me took on the heat and wind in our quest to reach Jordan. The sun beat down without any clouds to soften its wrath, the south wind only intensified as the the day wore on and the heat built. At Victoria we turned directly into the teeth of the wind and had about 15 miles of some pretty hard work until we reached Jordan. After head-down, quad-aching work and with about 4 miles to go we ran into fresh chip-seal. Nothing had been swept up yet. Not good at all for skinny tires, or carbon frames. Democracy is a beautiful thing; Jordan was no longer a destination. We took a slightly different route back to Victoria and ooohhhhhh the sweetness of that tailwind.
Cheesy Crackers In Victoria! (I was at the Fair yesterday no HoHos for me)
We followed the same route back to Excelsior, but I'm not one who's a big fan of out-and-backs, so to change things up a bit we came home on a top secret training route from the past. It has some very special, short, steep rollers that just crucify the quads. We're talkin' small chain ring steep. Yeah Baby! As hard as it is to believe, I may be hated even more now. A couple of comments heard as we approached these mini mounts; are we doing that one too? I don't like this road, and, my favorite, there was a flat road just a block or two away from here. These were all stated most seriously, so I tried very hard not to laugh, or even smile.
We made it home. I'm not sure I'm forgiven yet. I may never be. 83/18.7

Friday At The Fair

Rode over to the Minnesota State Fair to get my deep fried cheese curd fix satisfied. Looks like the need for cheese curds is more wide spread than I figured. Unbelievable how many people were there. With the exception of 2 or 3 city blocks, the 11 mile ride to the fair was all on paved bike trail, or streets with dedicated bike lanes. Then I parked my bike in a secure bike lot within 10 feet of a Fair entrance. This is one bike friendly city. 21/16.1
My two must see favorite fair exhibits

Later in the day Calhoun had white caps from 20-30 mph winds, which these wind surfers couldn't resist.

Gotta Go Slow To Go Fast

Great weather lately, no clouds, a deep blue sky, and a nice cool northwest breeze.
Feel like I've been leaving my legs at home, they're still unwilling to respond. I get out of the saddle, and then, in just a second, sit right back down. Looks like it's just going to be miles, for awhile, until I get some giddy-up back. Don't get me wrong, everything is fine. I'm pleased with the season. I just need some slow time to rest the old hairy legs. 33/17.3

Slow Motion

A bit nippy out there. Temp only got into the mid 70's. Legs won't give me anything. 33/17.2

Cool And Dry

Sleep is a good thing. Still feeling like nothing wants to move, so I just went with what I was given. Better than I expected. 33/17.3

The simple things bring the greatest joy. Got a 3 word text from my daughter this evening. Life is very, very good.

Feeling Old

It's been awhile since I've been this tired. The old hairy body ain't as young as it used to be. Stayin' up late, eatin', drinkin' and ridin' hard might be OK for the 20 somethings, but not me. Although, I had a great weekend, I just didn't expect to pay so much for it.
About 3 miles into my ride I called for a truce, with my body. The negotiated terms were, if I gave up the need for speed, I could have the miles. 33/16.5 (I gotta admit I was expecting the 15's).

Before my ride this afternoon, took a walk at the Eloise Butler Wildflower and Bird Refuge.

I saw this guy the Hairy Woodpecker (no joke) also known as the Downy Woodpecker.

After my ride, caught the sun setting behind the leading edge of the cold front clouds, that are bringing, with them, the end of humidity.

Lots Going On

A pretty fantastic weekend. Some biking buddies, Eric and Heather, were married on Saturday, and there have been non-stop parties and celebrations. Saw all the cycling friends, ate lots of food, and drank plenty of beer and wine. Thanks so much for a delightful weekend, you guys.

I Was Honored To Be Asked To Officiate.

Rode my SSR solo today, and took some time to smell the roses. Another hot one, but a beautiful day. 50/18.3

Seems A Bit Early For This

My grandson and I got together for our usual Sunday of building Lego, flying gliders, and throwing the Frisbee. We haven't been able to for about 4 weeks. He's grown in that time.

Then my sister and her husband came over for a visit. It's been a little over a year since I've seen them. They are visiting from Utah.

It's been a busy, tiring weekend, but so wonderful.

Wet Without Rain

Woke up to fog this morning, which was a blessing. Dew points in the 70's. If the sun had been out we would've evaporated. We were very grateful for its shyness. Virtually no wind. Unbelievable how humid it was today. The sweat faucet was wide open. Thank God the sun only showed up a few times. Just to give you an idea of the sweating that was going on; I've been home for an hour and a half now. I just went over to my bike and squeezed my handle bars below the brake levers in the drops. The bar tape is still wet with sweat, so wet that sweat dripped from where I squeezed onto the floor.
A nice flat route, with a couple of rollers just before Hanover that got us breathing a little heavy. Otherwise a pretty typical Harry Legge ride, get up to speed and peg it there.
Cheesy Crackers in Delano! I had an extra cup cake at a party last night, so I passed on experiencing HoHos in Delano today.
Cam, Charles, Amy and me enjoyed talkin' and doing some catchin' up. Cam's visiting from out of town, and Charles has been off racing all over the country. He did Leadville last weekend. Lots to talk about.
Pretty uneventful ride, although we got to change Amy's one flat twice. Charles couldn't help himself...something about those city limit signs.
I'm lucky to have good friends. Thanks you guys! Oh and Amy got a little sentimental today. She told me, "I don't hate you so much". Could life get any better? 83/20.1

It's Back

It's not the heat it's the humidity. I don't pretend for a moment that this is mrbill hot, but for a place that can get to 20 and even 30 below we can also get pretty damn warm. Looks like we have these temps at least through the weekend.
Tonight, just got in a three lake Friday on the DeRosa fixie. 13/??

Back To...????

Can't really say normal, 'cause that would imply there was a time when I was normal. Swelling is almost all gone, and I'm returning to my old beautiful self.

Leaves are starting to fade and getting a yellowish tint. Still plenty of time before the real colors appear, but change is coming. I think the sun sets before 8pm now. Wow, it doesn't seem like summer should be closing up shop yet. 33/17.9

Lookin' Good!

As the years have progressed, I've learned not to be too startled by the view my morning mirror brings me. I have to admit, though, I was taken aback by what I saw this morning. It was a paper wasp that got me yesterday, and it got me good.
I did ride tonight. The swelling seems to have diminished some since this morning. I took it easy. 33/17.0

It's Rough Out There

Beautiful night for a ride. Wasn't feelin' it though, then I got stung by another $%@&ing bee. Little bastard pissed me off. God those things hurt. What do you do? I just kept on pedaling. Stopped hurting in about a half hour. By the time I got home, it was just itching, but had swelled up pretty good. Head was never a perfect sphere anyway. 33/17.6

Double Tired

I was tired when I woke up. Don't know what I was thinkin', but I rode twice today, on a Monday yet. Took the fixie for only 12 this morning, then did the usual 33 tonight. Bottom line? Tired. 45/16.9

No Funny Stuff

Not too interested in pushin' against that wind, and the tailwind didn't produce any interest in nothin' but doggin' it. Yeah, I guess I'm a little shot from yesterday.
Amy dropped off a little produce from her garden, before the ride. Blueberry jam is gone. It didn't stand a chance.
Did the Sunday Baker route minus about 4 miles, again just not feelin' it today. Very pleasant company though.
Saw another deer prance across the road, this time in the suburbs. He was a young buck, kind of cocky, showin' off his short little antlers, thinkin' he was pretty hot stuff.

Came to the conclusion that 90 and humid is better than 75 and windy. 49/17.9

Chased turtles around for another 18 miles this evening. Average 12.8

Rained A Little Fire Last Night

Orangecycle

As Amy and I waited for no one to show up, Amy spots Randy on his orange Co-motion. We chased him down only to come up behind and then wonder, you sure that's Randy he's lookin' pretty svelte. Neither of us were sure, but as we came around him, it wound up being none other than the Rand-Man.
We rode with him for about 15 miles, catching up on all the news, gossip, his amazing neighbors and his trip to Paris. My news was, like always, the rut is deeper.
All caught up it was time to stomp on the pedals. I mean this is Saturday, after all. We'd created a pretty good sized deficit with all the gabbing. I think we were averaging between 15 and 16 mph.
The wind was not interested in letting us make up any of this deficit, and our effort seemed at best futile. By the time we got to Waconia we had barely broken into the 18's and were seriously considering our reasons for exacting this punishment on our bodies. There was little solace in the fact that Mayer was a mere 5 miles away, and would mark the end of the wind's frontal assault. Nevertheless, we continued on.
Moods lightened some between Mayer and Watertown. A white spotted fawn shot across the road about 100 feet in front of us, its white tail pointing straight up. This slowed us down some, just to make sure mom wasn't about to dart out as well. Amy then saw a coiled snake on the road. That didn't slow her down any, just the opposite.
Our road closed in Watertown (they need to notify me about these closures ahead of my rides, you know), we decided to add a few more miles and ride to Delano. We still hadn't climbed out of the 18's, but we refueled with HoHos! in Delano (I forgot my money, thanks Amy) and Amy with Cheesy Crackers. HoHos inhaled, Gatorade gulped, Cheesy Crackers consumed, wind at our backs and a straight shot along County Rd 6...we might inch out of the 18's.
County Rd 6 might be a straight shot, I think we put a foot down once in 15 miles, but it ain't flat. Pushin' the quads and challenging the lungs, I'd see 24,25,26 on the flats, 19 and 20 on the ascents and even touched 30,31 on some of the descents. By the time we pulled into Wayzata, and just let me say, not all of us were happy campers when we got there, we'd gained 1 mph on our average. Acceptable!
Hard ride today. I put down a lot of water...I think 4 bottles and a 32 oz Gatorade, so it was a hot one. Wind got to us early. Amy was over 100 miles. Me? 89/19.4

A Four Lake Friday

Off and on downpours all day. Finally around 7pm the spigot got turned all the way off. Called on the Evil One and its full fenders to get me around the lakes and through the puddles. 16/??

Earlier today I went to see what all the rain had done to Minnehaha Falls. Beautiful, green and serene, but a closer look shows what this beauty is really made up of; churning, power, violence and danger.

Still Hot

Heat index was 107 to 110. I think we are all getting used to this, because there was no shortage of people out riding, blading, walking and running. Lots of red to the west on the radar. Storms are coming. Rumor has it they will bring cooler and drier temps. One can only hope. May barely make it to 80 by Monday. Break out the long-sleeved jerseys!.
Good ride tonight. I've been feeling good all week, and have been able to put in some nice respectable efforts. 33/18.1

Nice And Hot

Met up with Amy after work and got the usual city route in. Felt good so I added a lap around Lake of the Isles at the end. 36/17.8

Last night some real rain makers came through the cities. We got over 2.5 inches of rain along with tons of thunder and lightning. I got these images just before the rain hit.

Isles Reflecting
Storm Clouds Gather

Fun Day

Storms in the morning and more storms this afternoon. I put the rear fender on the Cannondale (second time in three days), and it worked better than ever. Not only did it keep the road spray off, but it kept it from raining at all. 33/17.3

Primary Day Here In Minnesota.


Today at the Hennepin County courthouse, where I do some of my research, there was being held an Asian culture appreciation day.

These little girls were incredibly cute and excellent dancers.

Summer Heat

Plenty warm out there today. The twin cities were under an excessive heat warning. Did my thing on the bike still. Didn't seem quite as hot as yesterday. 33/17.3

More Fun With Sunsets
Tonight At Isles

Clouds