summer's back 😑

Temps in the mid-80's, unholy humidity and lots of headwind made for a long slow day on the bike. 

Paris Roubaix, final 100km

 

Via Strava

fall riding

 The best time of the year for riding in Minnesota, in my opinion. 

bad blood 😑

 

Blood test results from last week. As you can see, my numbers were never particularly great even before I got sick last summer. Six rounds of R-CHOP chemotherapy and 18 rounds of radiation did not help matters much.

Don't get me wrong. Every ride has been wonderful this year, but it has been a bit annoying seeing my riding buddies continue to gain fitness over the summer while I am stuck in slow mode. It would be great to get at least back into the normal range, but I am being patient as I have absolutely no control of this situation.

We’ll see how thing look in the spring and I will plan on getting dropped on the climbs until then.

Paris Roubaix training

I'll be ready when the time comes.

2004 Time VX Special Pro

This bike had been consigned to the trainer a number of years ago but with the failure of my 2010 Ridley Helium I decided to see if this one could get back on the road. I cleaned it up and had it fully inspected to assure there were no surprises. I had the Ultegra 6800 group moved over from the Ridley and have taken it for some rides outside for the first time in over a decade.

I had forgotten how nice these Time bikes ride. Responsive but in no way a harsh ride. My only real knock on this thing is that it was made in the days before wide rims and tires were a thing so the widest tire I can get on the rear wheel is a 25mm. 

I worked for Time for 8 years and spent a number of years talking about Resin Transfer Molding, Vectran fibers and how Time was unique in their ability to tune a frame for the perfect ride. It's really a shame that this bike spend so many years inside.

I'll try and make up for it now.

Saboo Takaki

 

Saboo is an inspiration. WTB has a profile on their website and it's worth your time to read it.

tonight's ride

ride tonight

Rode past the Soldiers Memorial in St. Paul this evening. At the top of the memorial stands Josias Redgate King, credited with being the first man to volunteer for the Union in the Civil War. King also participated in campaigns against the Dakota people including the Massacre of White Stone Hill where 300-400 Sioux were captured or killed, including women and children. 

All day on the bike

I seem to be past interest in competitive cycling now days and I doubt that interest will be coming back again. However, I am interested in spending all day on the bike when I have the time and the opportunity. I had this chance last Saturday and rode for nearly ten and a half hours ending up with just over 150 miles.

Strava tells me I have almost 50 rides over 100 miles long since I started uploading 13 years ago.

Top ten distances for me since my first upload on March 23 2010:

Sept 19 2020    200.12 miles in 11:42. Solo ride from Minneapolis to Duluth during the pandemic. This was truly one of my most perfect days on the bike. Felt fantastic and had a tailwind for the entire day.

June 7 2014    186.5 miles in 10:44    Ride from Minneapolis to Duluth with friends. This ride started out pretty miserable with pouring rain and headwinds and turned into one of the most beautiful rides I have ever been on once the weather broke just before the century mark. 

June 8 2013    191.9 miles in 9:31    Ride from Minneapolis to Duluth with friends. Took a difference route than I have used on previous rides north going into Wisconsin. Meant more elevation but it was a nice change of pace. I have not used this route again however.

June 6 2015    176.05 miles in 9:29    Ride from Minneapolis to Duluth with friends. Rain again on this day but at the end of the route. It was cold and pretty awful. Not a great way to finish all day on the bike.

June 9 2012    172.9 miles in 8:13    The first of the Fondo Smithers rides up to Duluth. Probably the best turnout on this ride of all 5 editions. Everyone was really stoked to make the distance.

September 2 2023    150.3 miles in 9:48    Last weekends solo ride.

July 2 2023    124.5 miles in 9:31    Solo ride. I intended to get in 150 miles but cut short once I got close to the finish. Last weekend's ride made up for that.

July 23 2023    127 miles in 7:51    Earlier this year I had wanted to spend a couple of days riding from Minneapolis to Elkhart Lake Wisconsin and this ride was training for that goal. It was pretty clear that I was not going to end up with the fitness for two days over 150 miles. Plus it was hot and gross on this ride. Rode with a couple of friends. 

July 4 2021    123.7 miles in 7:43    My favorite Wisconsin route riding north from Elkhart Lake ending up on the west side of Lake Michigan and then riding south along the lakeshore. I think this was one of the first times I used this route. I used to ride around Lake Winnebago which was an awful route due to the large amount of traffic and no way to escape the heat. It's always cooler riding near one of the Great Lakes. This was a solo ride.

Sept 13 2020    123.6 miles in 7:34    One of the last big rides before I rode to Duluth on Sept 19 of that year. Not a particularly great route, pretty forgettable ride actually. 

Long live long rides. 👍

Saturday ride