Week #47 75,000 Strava Miles

This week was a small milestone in Strava where I rolled over 75,000 miles. It has been just 5 years since I got back on the bike and it's been a good journey. I have been very lucky to get to do some really cool things on the bike in the last few years. I can say that I have enjoyed every minute of it.
On Saturday I got in 127 miles and also did the East / West Groveler. I knew the guys up front were going to push the pace since it was only 40 miles. Around 12 miles into the race I let the group go, which was fine, but then I got caught by a train. The second group rolled up on me, so I let them break the wind for a few miles until we got to a few hills. I pulled away going up the hills. Ean Kiddo tried to come along but I was able to pull away from him with the tailwind. The next 50 some miles I felt good even though I had a small headwind back home.
My legs have been feeling sluggish the past few weeks and probably since I have been just riding easy. The goal is just to get miles in through December and then I can go back to some more harder efforts. We will see how the weather holds up. Sounds like we have some winter coming in this next week. Hopefully I can stay off the trainer way more than last winter, but we will see.

Week #46 Winter came, then fall returned

After a cold spell the first part of the week, temperatures rebounded for the weekend. I got in 104 miles on Saturday and got to stop in Sunrise Bakery down in Beatrice for some coffee and donuts. The wind did decide to blow out of the south, so I had a head wind all the way down. The nice part was the nice tailwind on the way home. Saturday also got me over 16,000 miles for the year and I also rolled over 14,000 miles on the Trek Boone. It was also my 33rd ride over 100 miles for the year. Next Saturday is the East / West Groveler Race. I plan on riding out to it and hope to get in around 120 miles for the day. Hopefully the weather will cooperate.

Week #45 Winter is Coming!

We may have had our last really nice day of 2019 on Saturday. Early November and the temperature hit almost 70 in the afternoon. I got in 116 miles while reconing the East/West gravel race that is happening in a couple weeks. The morning started off cool, but warmed up quickly. Hardly any wind made for an enjoyable day out on the gravel. My legs felt ok, just not super fresh. This time of year I don't need to feel real sharp though. Until the end of the year my training will mainly consist of easy riding and keeping some descent miles in. I try to keep around 300 miles for the week and get in at least a 5 hour ride on the weekend. Riding the fat tire bike out in Wilderness Park has been a blast so far. I really enjoy hitting the trails and working on my bike handling skills. Plus I hope it makes me a little stronger for next year.

Week #44 Easy spinning all week

Nice to have another easy week to refresh the body and sole. Spent some time out in Wilderness hitting up the trails. I am really enjoying riding the fat tire bike out there. I feel more confident on the trails with it even though I am not going very fast. Now that the time has changed, there will be lots more of riding in the dark. I now have a much better light setup than before, so it should be even more fun.
The last 12 months have been good as far as getting in saddle time. I rolled over 17K in 12 months. I don't really set out at the start of a year to get in a certain amount of miles. My training is not real structured by any means. I know that I can get in more miles but that isn't really the point of why I really enjoy cycling. Next year I hope to push myself in some different ways on the bike. Longer races and longer solo trips are being planned. Stay tuned!