Dan on Bike

Celery Blog Bog – Early Morning

To welcome a new staff member to the office, several of us brought in breakfast treats. I headed to the grocery store before work to pick up bagels, cream cheese, and OJ. I was the first customer at 6:15.

Miles Ridden: 11.4

I’ll admit that I have a little bit of Tour fever, and I cut my ride short this morning so I wouldn’t miss any of the coverage.

Still, I was able to put in an hour and a half, and I covered some ‘new to me’ roads, inspired in part by this route on MapMyRide.com. I plan to try out a couple of the routes listed for West Lafayette.

I took a bunch of short movies today during the ride, and I hope to stitch them all together and edit down to a reasonable viewing time.

UPDATED: See the video here.

Windmill at Sunrise

Miles Ridden: 22.3

My first ride in a few days was a little rough, as I was feeling weak and shaky – sort of like a low blood sugar issue. I had a PB&J sandwich when I returned home, and that seemed to do the trick.

Miles Ridden: 9.4

BTW, I passed 1,000 miles for the year today.

More errands – more funkiness.

Miles Ridden: 11.7

500N at US231

The neighbor and I had a great trip to Otterbein. The route was pretty good, and I may post it as a official route someday.

We started off taking Division Road to 350W/400W. Crossing SR26 and US52, we headed north to 500N. Turning west, we pedaled until the road became Main Street in Otterbein.

A south at the blinking read light took us through the ‘business district’ where parking is allowed in the middle of the street.

We continued down the quiet residential street that became County Line Road – with Tippecanoe County on the left, and with Benton County, then Warren County, on the right. When we reached Division Road, we fought the headwind east back to home base.

Miles Ridden: 25.3

UPDATED: Click here to view the route in MapMyRide.

It’s been another good month, with a total of 335.5 miles. That compares to 102.7 last year, and 194.2 in 2005.

Since I’m halfway through the year (as are most of you), I’d like to review my goals for the year. Back in January, I stated my targets for different kinds of rides, and today I should be halfway through each total. Let’s see:

For commutes, my goal calls for 25, and the actual number is 32. I’ve been trying hard to ride as much as possible, and it seems to be paying off. And this is the one I was worried about! Unfortunately, my schedule in July doesn’t allow for much riding to work, so I’ll have to be extra aggressive in the fall.

Utility rides have been a little tougher. The goal calls for 10 by now, and my total so far is just 5 – and all but one are in June. The good part is that I haven’t been driving the car as much either, so maybe I’ve just cut down on errands. Anyway, this could be a difficult goal to meet.

Finally, the morning rides are doing better than I thought. The neighbor and I have our lights and reflective vests, so we’ll likely get one or two in each week through the end of September – before it gets too dark in the AM. The goal calls for 7.5 morning rides for the first half of the year, and my total so far is 14. That puts me just one away from the goal! (I think I low balled it!) I should try for 30 by the end of the year.

This navel gazer post has probably been a huge bore for the rest of you, but I love the numbers!

UPDATE: One more batch of useless facts: My total miles so far this year is 980.3, with 384.9 on the Trek 820 and 570.1 on the Trek Pilot 1.0. Interestingly, each bike was used 36 times – half of the total rides.

I spent the morning with my wife shopping at the Farmers’ Market in Lafayette and doing other errands. This was after an early morning dog walk in the downtown area.

I Still Don’t Know What These Things Are Called
Luckily, I was able to make up an errand to run after lunch, and I rode to Wally World. I was either on a quiet country road, or had a bike lane, pedestrian path, or wide shoulder on which to ride, which made it a relaxing time.

Rough Rail Crossing Ahead
I headed north on 350W/325W to SR26, east to Klondike Road, north to Lindberg Road, east to the Cattail Trail, and north to the Evil Empire.

Ducks at the Bog
Coming home, I took the Trail down to Cherry Lane, McCormick Road, SR26, and Newman Road.

The Cattail Trail is Finally Open – Two Months After the Scheduled Date

Miles Ridden: 11.6

I got a late start for my morning ride, so I just rode north on 400W, east on US52, and south on Klondike and Sharon Chapel roads. Once again, my legs were not cooperating for some reason. I hope to get out this weekend and work the kinks out.

TP on the trees is harmless
But, spray paint on the driveway lasts FOREVER!
IDIOTS!

Miles Ridden: 10.0

On the River Road/Campus Route this morning, I took a moment to ride into Ross-Ade Stadium to look at the turf. Without the lines in place, it is a very different look.

Miles Ridden: 10.0

As I was driving into work today, I passed a couple of bike commuters. I was more than a little envious of their opportunity to ride in on such a nice morning.

I probably give more room to cyclists than most drivers, but the nice ‘thank you wave’ I received today made me feel good – like I was part of the cycling community even though I was in a car.

Miles Ridden: 0

P.S. The more I listen to Blues Traveler, the more I think that John Popper is really Jack Black. They sound the same!