Dan on Bike

Depending on the route, my ride to the Wabash Landing shopping center is about five miles. Since I’ve been spending my weekend mornings of late using the free WiFi at Panera to work on a programming project, I thought I could work a bike ride into the routine.

The weather couldn’t have been better. Temps in the high 60s and a strong SW wind pushing me into town made for a comfortable ride. There was one less than pleasant occurrence when four unladen, speeding dump trucks passed me on the country road portion of River Road. The driver of the second truck (which I didn’t realize was behind me at the time) thought it would be fun to honk and swerve towards me as he passed. I gave him a quick hand signal signifying he was number one and continued on.

Wabash Landing has many convenient bike racks located all over the grounds, it wasn’t tough to find a spot to lock up while I was in the coffee shop.

Pedestrian Bridge

After a couple of hours, I packed up for the next leg of the trip. My truck was parked at my wife’s clinic over in Lafayette, so I pedaled over the river to pick it up. The bike rode in the truck bed on the way home.

Miles Ridden: 7.7

The plan was to ride to work today, maybe cycle somewhere for lunch, and then back home after 5:00.

Instead, I ended up leaving very late after chasing the dog around the neighborhood, and arrived about a half an hour past the start of the work day. Just 15 minutes later, my daughter called from her school to ask me to bring the important homework papers that she had left at home. So, I pedalled back home.

In the interest of time, I used the truck to deliver the homework and get back to work. Didn’t sit at my desk until 10:00!

Miles Ridden: 7.0

Not much time after work today, but I was able to ride north on 400W up to US52 and back.

However, my heavy panting after climbing the small hill on 375W caused me to get hiccups. How do you get your mid-ride hiccups to stop? I tried holding my breath, but it’s tough to pedal without oxygen. Next, I tried drinking water – no luck. Finally, I attempted what usually works at home, slow controlled breaths. Didn’t work either. So, I gave up and pedaled through it.

Leave your suggestions in the comments.

Miles Ridden: 9.0

With these early Spring days that are either cold and wet, windy and cold, or -um- windy and wet, I feel that I need to take advantage of every warm, dry, slightly breezy day that comes along. Today was such a day, and even though my schedule was rather tight, I was able to grab an hour for a quick ride to the bridge and a little beyond.

Not sure if this barn was renovated in 1984, or if the roofer was an Orwell fan

On this nice, sunny day, I wasn’t the only one out for a ride. I saw many cyclists, including kitted up roadies and casually dressed 50 somethings. Others included several motorcycle riders, people in convertables, and a small group of teens on step-through scooters. Also, when I stopped at the top of a hill, these two horsemen came out of the trees and followed the side of the road to the north.

I hope to get a few days like this when my vacations starts later in the week.

Miles Ridden: 11.5

The sound of Spring Peepers was all around as I rode past the Celery Bog and the golf course water hazard. There must be hundreds of those nasty little creatures all around me.

Because my daughter had to get to school early, I tossed the bike in the back of the truck and parked at the school. Apparently, they don’t mind if I leave the truck for the day.

Miles Ridden: 11.2

It was raining this morning, but I was able to ride back to work after lunch. Another great day.

Miles Ridden: 7.2

Good day for a ride, as the temps are in the high 40s, and the winds weren’t too strong from the east.

High water on the Wabash around the bridge

The neighbor and I followed the Lilly Road Route in a counter clockwise direction. Along the route, we saw two Rocky’s and a Lester (road kill Raccoons and Opossum).

Riding into the headwind and climbing the hill by the Lilly complex reminded me that I’m out of shape. Lucky for me spring is starting to show up more often, so I’m hoping to get out more.

Miles Ridden: 18.0

Strong headwinds make for great kite weather

Miles Ridden: 9.2

I’m in Naples, FL this weekend, and my hotel offers free bike usage, so I took advantage of this chance to ride in great weather.

Right off the bat, I owe Naples an apology. Last year, I ranted about the apparent lack of cycling resources and the general bike unfriendliness based on my view of two blocks of US41, the main drag.  While it is true the area around some of the fancy resorts I was visiting is very car centric, I saw a different side of the city this morning.  But, I’m getting ahead of myself.

In exchange for my room key, I was given the lock combination for bike #5 – one of several identical cruiser bikes found on the bike rack in the parking garage.  These yellow beasts had extra wide street tires covered with monster fenders, and are steered using long, curving handlebars.  The rider is perched on a wide, springy seat that is adjustable to suit most.

My route took me south on US41 only for a short distance, and a right turn landed me on a quiet residential street with a bike land on each side.  In fact, almost all the streets I used have bike lanes, and they were not neglected.  First, I saw some seniors on hybrids, followed by a few lone road riders.  Then, a bigger group, and another.  One easily had 30 riders in a dual pace line.

I asked one group if I had stumbled into an organized ride, and a lady answered “Every Sunday is ride day”.

One thing about the great Florida weather.  With temps in the low 60s, humidity at 100%, and no wind, I was riding through some thick fog.  Even though it wasn’t raining, I was soaked.

I only had about an hour for the ride, so I just shot to the “old town” area of Naples.  I was expecting a quaint area with antique shops and a mom and pop coffee place.  Instead, I saw mostly newer buildings housing upscale shops.  After a quick look around, I headed back north.

The desk clerk had told me that the only place for a decent, reasonably priced breakfast was Perkins.  So, I headed that way.  Along one street, I found a coconut in the road, so I picked it up and threw it in the basket.  Perkins served a great meal – just like the Perkins back home.

During the ride back, I started to notice that I was fighting the extremely upright position that this bike required.  I was wishing that I could move the handlebars forward about 3 inches.

I had a great time on the ride, and I hope that my next trip includes some great streets like those I found in Naples.

Miles Ridden: TBD

The message on my phone yesterday read “[the neighbor] called, he wants you to come out and play.”

Is wasn’t until this afternoon that we made it out, but we did. I’m glad he called and set the ride up; otherwise I would have never left my recliner.

We’re in a small warm up this week, with temps in the mid-40s instead of below 0. Today was also sunny with calm winds, so the roads were calling.

The ride followed the Llama Route, although the namesake animals were nowhere to be seen. (I didn’t see the goats either.)

There was a little trouble with our clothing today. While the neighbor had shorts and three shirts, I had long pants and two jerseys. I was warm, while he was freezing. He said the cold air was like an ice pack on his sore knee.

I’ll try to get out after work once this week while the warm weather is around. Cold and rain are coming back soon.

Miles Ridden: 12.7