A Needed Day Off

Did as little as possible.

Warm Rain

Got to ride through a couple of cloudbursts. Didn't need the rain jacket yesterday, but had it. Needed it today, but .... Oh well, I usually get it right. 20/15.9

Moist

Warm wet one today. Raining when I left, sun out when I got home. Temp and dew point the same. Evil didn't know what to do, without the cold. 20/15.8

Mist In The Trees

Easy Miles

Hazy and grey for another day. Feelin' the miles of the long weekend...nice and easy today. 20/16.1

Along The Mississippi

 Hazy Skyline From Calhoun

Long and Hard But Good Weekend

Amy and I got out for an easy ride this morning. Wound up seeing all sorts of other Birchies out there along the Cedar Lake Trail. Kind of crappy weather, but...still gotta ride. I've worn a jacket on all my rides over this long weekend, and this is suppose to be the start of summer. Despite that I still managed to get 100 miles in on Saturday, 50 on Sunday and another 50 today. It's getting harder for me to do this, but I still love it and won't quit without a fight. 50/16.2

Needed

Grey, cool, nice, easy, solo Sunday. 50/15.8

Beautiful Pain

I really have good friends. Hard, hard ride for me today, and they helped me. Got me a century with Amy, Steven, and Rachel.
I love this route. Even on a cloudy, cold, windy day it is beautiful. 100/18.2

A Lot For A Day Off

A little rain, a bike overhaul, saw my brother, spent some time with Penny and her parents. Busy day off the bike. Planning on a century tomorrow. Might do 200 miles over the long weekend.

Relaxing

Enjoyed a Minnesota spring evening ride. Met up with some teammates and rode with them for a little bit over into St. Paul. They went on and did some hills in and out of the Mississippi River Valley. I opted for a less hilly version. Very nice to ride with some Birchies. 28/16.5

Minnehaha Creek Looking Peaceful

Backwards

The rain finally caught me. It was a wet ride tonight on Evil. Also, it just doesn't seem right that I had to wear tights, gloves, a hat, and a jacket. 20/15.7

Two for One

Sorry I missed Monday's post. I did ride, but just forgot to post a note about it. The ride was uneventful, typical for a Monday. 20/16.2

I missed the rain yesterday and today. It sure is pretty out. 20/16.6

Nice Time of Year

More storms, but they were done earlier today than yesterday. Gabrielle, Amy and me hit the road at 9:30. Spring time sure is a great time to be riding. It's so easy to appreciate the beautiful landscapes all dressed out in green when just a few weeks ago it was all brown and grey. 48/17.2
Got to spend some time with Elijah this afternoon, and went and saw the new Star Trek movie with my son, Ethan, tonight. Very Nice Day!

Even found some time to get over to the Rose Garden and get some shots of the spring blossoms.

Waiting Impatiently

Thunder and lightning to start the day....wait....wait...bored. What do other people do on Saturday mornings? God, TV sucks. Eat more.
Finally the lull we've been waiting for. Roads are wet and it's 55 degrees. It's suppose to get to 85 with a ton of humidity. How do you dress for that?
Just Amy and me. A quick stop to take off some clothing. Working a head wind of about 15 mph for 30 miles. Made the westerly turn for Jordan and life got real good real fast. Tailwind made the lush spring green even more beautiful. Saw turtles, new born calfs, pony all sorts of spring signs. Had to be back home by 4, so Belle Plaine wasn't achieved today.
Amy's watts were so high she broke a spoke. 73/18.7

Good Rest

Rain is nice on a day off. I enjoyed sitting by my open balcony window and hearing and smelling the rain falling outside. The earth got a good drink, and I got a nice rest.
Ready for Belle Plaine tomorrow.

Week's End

Good week of riding. Rain tomorrow and tired will keep me being a good boy and staying off my bike. Days off are important, even if they're hard to accept. 20/17.4

Back To Normal

Nice perfect weather ride tonight. 70's and light wind felt good. 21/16.5

Were Are We?

Got my usual weekday 21 in then stopped by Penny's and we rode together for another 15 miles. All this was done in record hot temperatures. Got up to 98 degrees today. Snowiest May on record and now we are breaking heat records.  Yeah, it's Minnesota.  35/16.5

Onward

Minor allergies, wind and recovery from the weekend doesn't make for the most pleasant of rides, but the alternative is unacceptable. 20/16.9

Relaxing Sunday

Rode with Gabrielle again today. Rachel joined us too. Yesterday's wind still lingered in our quads. The sky was one big block of blue and the weeping willow trees were budding florescent green stringed leaves. Our backs were warmed by a high May sun and we really only cared about the beauty around us. A perfect Sunday ride. 45/16.1

Spent the late afternoon with Elijah at the Minnesota River bottoms.

It's a great place to practice Super Hero powers like flying.

Leaning Left

Pretty amazing conditions out there today. There's been a handful of days over my years of cycling where the wind has been this strong. It isn't just the effort of fighting the 30 to 40 mile an hour force coming at you from the front or side, which today was like climbing a 40 mile hill. It's the concentration that it takes too. You need to have one eye on the person next you, one eye on the road in front of you, and, of course, you can't see the wind, you can't see the sudden gust that is trying to blow you into the ditch. It's nice to be able to trust the people you ride with.
Instead of riding at a 90 degree angle to the road, I don't exaggerate when I say, we were riding at about a 70 degree angle as we rode north. Pretty amazing.
Rode with really good cyclists today. Gabrielle was with us. She was great and learned a ton from what we did. My friends, these cyclists helped her and encouraged her. Gabrielle loved it and so did I. 80/17.6

Another One?

A gorgeous day lured
my day off became day on
A beautiful ride

Two Months Difference

Emerging

Spring is being appreciated a little more than usual this year. It was so nice to see more emerging green along the Mississippi that I just had to stop and take a picture. Nice and easy tonight. Feeling the week. 20/15.1

Changing

For the better. I like green. Trees seem to be in a hurry to get their solar panels unfolded and working to catch all the sun they can. They are a little behind. 20/16.2

Near Lake Harriet

Lake Harriet

Literary

Liking the warm temps
Rode today without a care
Summer is better

21/16.9

Now We're Talking

Lots of nice out there today. Took the All City single-speed on the weekday route, for a little change of pace.
Signs of Spring Along Minnehaha Creek

Even Got Over To Isles With The Big-Boy Camera A Little Later On

Team Ride

All Team Ride today. Great to see friends that I haven't seen for way too long. Really good people, really good friends, really good ride. 50/15.9