Week #44 Last big ride of the year?

 

Week #44 - 469 miles

Randy & I had a great ride on Saturday while we looped around Lancaster county. With all the rain leading up to the ride, the roads were in pretty good shape. There were a few sections of Ashland road that were a little muddy but almost all rideable. The weather also cooperated with us. It started out chilly but seemed to warm up good once the sun came up. Luckily the wind was low almost all day, especially compared to a few days earlier when it was really blowing. Depending on how the weather is for the rest of the year, this might be my really long ride. It would be nice to get in another 150ish miler before the year end. I only need 2,211 more mile to reach 20,000 for the year. So unless so big happens, this should be obtainable.

Week #43 Rolled over 17K this week

 

Week #43 - 374 miles

This week I got over 17,000 miles for the year. Took another week to rest up a bit. My legs have been feeling all the miles lately. I have also got in 668 days in a row after today's ride. Need to get rested up before next Saturday's big ride.

It is getting darker earlier each day. We finally got some rain today, which we really needed. It should dry up quickly though. Not sure if I am ready for it to get cold, but just have to deal with it.

Week #42 Sort of a recovery week

 

Week #42 - 403 miles

Even though I got in right over 400 miles for the week, it was all easy miles. My legs have been tired with big rides the last two Saturdays. The weather has turned a little cooler and the days are getting shorter. Going to try to get in one more big ride at the end of this month. Hope to have a dry day so we can do the loop of Lancaster county. Not much else planned for this fall so I hope to get some more time on the mountain bike in the next couple months.

Week #41 Flint Hills Nature Trail

 

Week #41 - 401 miles

Had a great time riding the Flint Hills Nature Trail with Jr. We left Osawatomie at 6am and headed west on the trail. It was dark until we got outside of Ottawa where we had a little detour on the trail. As we continued, I was amazed how tree covered the trail was. The wind was supposed to pick up later in the day so I was hoping we could get to Council Grove before it got very breezy. Out towards the west end of the trail there were a couple sections of open areas but for the most part we were sheltered from the wind. After a quick stop in Council Grove to refuel, we headed back. Having a cross-tailwind helped make the second half of the day go by quick. Only a couple time did we have much headwind to deal with. As the afternoon warmed up it was really nice to have the shaded areas to ride along. We actually saw quite a few other cyclists out there, which was really cool. Jr & I made the trip in just under 11 hours ride time and were only off the bike for about 45 minutes. Not bad for just a little Saturday ride.

Week #40 September was a big month and this was a big week

 

Week #40 - 555 miles

September - 2203 miles

Lots of things happened this week! First I got in 2203 miles for the month of September. This was my second biggest month this year behind July (2377 miles). I also rolled over 16K for the year and I was able to get in over 10K miles for the National Bike Challenge. Right now I am 751 miles less than I was last year at this time. Pretty good since I haven't been getting in quite as many 100+ miles rides as last year, but a lot of my long rides have been fairly long.

Today we did Randy's Ride, commemorating his death 4 years ago. Sad to have to do this ride but it was great to hear some stories how he inspired people along the way.