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!

Week #43 Another great "big" ride

Another solid ride in the books. Headed down to Marysville on a chilly early morning, but it turned out to be an awesome day. Josh rode to Cortland with me in the dark. From there it got colder and my hands began to freeze up. I was going to bring my bar mitts but I decided against it, I should know better. Once I got to Beatrice, stopped into the donut shop to warm up with coffee and donuts. The rest of the ride to Marysville was pleasant even though there was a little bit of a breeze. Stopped into Marysville for a quick bite to eat and then headed back home. I took the gravel roads back which was awesome with the tailwind. I had to stop a couple times to shed some layers of clothes. I made it back to Lincoln with 170 miles in for the day and my legs felt great. This next week it looks like winter is coming, so more time in Wilderness. I am really enjoying riding out there on the fat tire bike and single speed. I have knobbies coming for the SS so I will have a little more traction.

Week #42 Fall Foliage

Another nice week of easy riding. Saturday was probably the nicest fall day that we will have - nice temps and hardly any wind. Got in 106 miles with Josh and Steve, even found a few new roads. I am going to try to get in one more big ride this month. Hopefully the weather will hold and I can get in 150+ miles next Saturday. In November, I plan on doing another long ride in preparing for a 330+ mile ride the end of the year with Joe. A lot will have to go right - the weather - for it to happen, but it should be fun.

Week #41 FULL ON RECOVERY!!

It is nice sometimes to take a break. This week was my lowest mileage week since May. I still got in 300 miles, but it seemed like I didn't actually spend much time on the bike - less than 20 hours. Unfortunately, I did have to set up the trainer and did an easy hour on Zwift for one day. I really hope this winter isn't as bad as last, but I am ready no matter what. I am also going to actually start lifting weights a couple times a week. Along with the yoga, I hope to be even stronger for 2020.
For the next couple weeks, I will just be riding easy and hoping to spend more time out in Wilderness Park on the fat tire bike. I am still planning on getting in a bigger ride the end of the month if the weather permits. The plan is to head north and explore a few new roads along with getting in around 150 miles.

Week #40 Tour de Flint Hills

Done! My version of Tour de Flint Hills, 325 miles of hills, rain, cold weather, mud, Garmin malfunctions, even a little sunshine and fun for two days. This was also the first time that I have rode with all the packs on the bike. It is definitely harder/slower going with the added weight. I know that when I am racing I will lighten the bike up!

Day 1 was from Lawrence to Emporia covering a good portion of the Dirty Kanza course. The first 70 miles were dry but then things turned wet and muddy very quickly. Many of the minimum maintenance roads were rideable, just lots of standing or running water. A few were bike 'n' hike for a bit. and lots of stopping to clean the mud off the bike. There was one MMR that I didn't even try to go down. At Council Grove, I got some dry clothes on and warmed up at Dairy Queen. My Garmin decided to go on the fritz after leaving Council Grove and started rerouting me back to town, so I ended up taking a more direct route to Emporia instead of finishing up the DK course. A big thanks to Jeff Young and Michelle for letting me crash at their place. A warm shower and some food was great.

Day 2 started out raining and muddy roads. The first 40 miles were heavy downpours, but having a cross / tailwind helped out. I didn't get started as early as I hoped because I thought I might miss a little of the rain. Actually I should have started real early to beat it. The last 25 miles of the ride was probably the best when the sun came out.

I am hoping to do a version of this ride at least one more time in preparing for DKXL next year. It sounds like the course next year will be mainly north, which will be tough, if 350 miles in the Flint Hills isn't tough already.