Return to Mountain Biking

It took some convincing, but I managed to get myself out on the trail for a great ride. I did almost all of the Churning Rapids trails (practically all) and rode home in less than two and a half hours.

I felt strong. Even though I am sore from yesterday's weight training, I pushed through my climbs and felt good. Some of the climbs even felt easier. As I was climbing High Point, I thought to myself, "This isn't nearly as bad as it was a few weeks ago!"

Planning

My parents have been visiting this week. That's part of the reason why I haven't been riding. They're leaving bright and early, tomorrow morning. What does this mean? It means I'm riding my bike tomorrow.

My plan is to ride to Michigan Tech, do some loops, and ride back. I'm packing a lunch and plenty of water and Heed. Hopefully, it won't rain.

Weight Loss 10

I saw one of the Bridget Jones movies, today [again]. They're fun movies, and it always blows my mind how Renee Zellweger managed to gain thirty pounds, and then lose it, more than once . . . successfully.

Yes, I know she has professional everythings helping her along, but there has to be a way that I can lose my fifteen pounds. Oh, wait! There is!

It's called my ten hour rule. I must ride ten hours a week. I haven't been doing that, but I've had good weight weeks when I hit at least eight hours. I haven't ridden this week - my week starts on Monday - so I have some catching up to do. I've been splitting wood for the last couple days, and tomorrow is another wood day. Yes, winter will be here and I want dry, perfect little cuts of wood for my stove.

I plan to start riding on Friday, again. I'm going to put in a long mountain bike ride. I might even ride to Michigan Tech and do a ride there. With the return trip, I could be out four hours. I better pack a lunch for the ride home.

My Honeymoon

I feel like I just returned from my honeymoon, which is funny because I've never had a honeymoon. Just bear with me, here. Like all great honeymoons, I had one great ride . . . actually, several.

I've been riding, but more effort has been a requirement to get me out on the trail, lately. I just haven't felt like riding. I went up to Copper Harbor for the Thursday night group ride and stayed with some friends for the weekend. Three of us gals did a "B" ride while the rest of the group did the "A" ride. It wasn't so much a separation of skill levels as it was just three girls wanting to do a fun ride without feeling like we were imposing on a bunch of guys. It turns out that both groups hit some of the craziest trails. It was our little "B" group that did Paul's Plunge.


Di riding the Ma Maki trail.

Friday, I did a ride by myself. I really did not feel like riding, but felt compelled to do so when I saw all the guys leaving in different groups. I took off and set out for a challenging, technical, and fast ride. I found myself climbing quickly and confidently, and my riding was spot on. For the first time this year, I had a perfect ride. Things just felt great. I didn't feel awkward on my bike.

Saturday was a true testament to what my weekend at Copper Harbor was doing to me. I started off with a huge Harbor Haus breakfast and met some teammates for a ride. We rode for two hours and did a pretty grueling ride. It was grueling for me because I didn't get very much sleep (people screaming outside all night) and that breakfast weighed me down quite a bit.

We finished our ride after about two hours. I kept my cycling clothes on because I was going to do a road ride after lunch. My friend, Trash – yes, Trash – was chatting with me while deciding where he wanted to do a mountain bike ride. I mentioned my ride on the Kamikaze trail and he said, "That's what I'll do! I'll ride Kamikaze!"

"Seriously?" I totally took note.

"Yeah. I'm going to do it right now."

"Wait for me! I'm coming with you!" My legs felt like Jello, but who cares? This was going to be fun!

Our friend, Chuck, showed up and the three of us headed up to the top of Kamikaze for a funky, crazy ride down. We headed back home and decided to shuttle the bikes up to the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge for a ride down Garden Brook. After twenty-two miles of riding the ever-so-awesome trails of Copper Harbor, I had a couple of beers with Chuck and we called it a day.

I left the Harbor, today, with a renewed sense of enthusiasm for mountain biking. I got my groove back. I found that honeymooning with your mountain bike can do a lot to help you regain the joy, freedom, and awe that got you into this mess in the first place.

Nothing to Do But Ride a Bike

Today was just like the camping days of my childhood. There really wasn't much to do but ride my bike! I would ride, come back for food, get bored, and then ride again. I went out three times and rode twenty-two miles in Copper Harbor. It was a blast!

Copper Harbor fireworks as seen from my kayak.

It was such a long day, it seemed like two. I started the day off walking the dogs to Ft Wilkins State Park and back. I heard sirens toward the end of the walk indicating the fine Copper Harbor parade had begun. I rushed back, put the dogs away, and watched a parade truly in Harbor fashion.


Indian Paintbrush grows all over the Keweenaw. This was seen during my walk back from Ft Wilkins.


View of Lake Fanny Hoe from Ft Wilkins State Park.

It was a day that was difficult to settle into. I felt lazy and didn't want to do much. Many people were heading out to the trails to mountain bike, and I finally headed out myself. For the first time this year, I felt great! I didn't feel clumsy and my bike went right where I wanted it. After 90 minutes and 12 miles, I returned to town with a big smile and a great feeling. The ride was good.

We concluded the evening with a sunset kayak tour through the Keweenaw Adventure Company. The Independence Day sunset tour is special because the kayakers get to hang out at Hunter's Point and watch the fireworks. We were directly under them. It was freaky, cool, and amazing.

As usual, a few of us capped the night off with Tequila Sunrises at Zik's Bar. Life is good.


Looking out into Lake Superior from Copper Harbor.


Sun setting over Copper Harbor.


Hunter's Point.

Nice To See You Again, Paul!

Thursday night group ride in Copper Harbor . . . the three of us, the girls, broke off from the rest of the group to do a "B" group ride. We did the first part of the Fat Tire course backward . . . well, sort of. We went the wrong way, thanks to me, and ended up at the beginning of Paul's Plunge. "It's a sign!" I said. They agreed, and we progressed down that ever-so-gnarly trail.

I led, and I finally reached the top of the plunge and laid my bike down to walk the plunge in an effort to psyche myself to do it. Amanda went flying by and I just said, "Feck it, I'll follow you!" I got on the bike and did the first part of the plunge like I was an old pro, which I kind of am.

I was afraid because it was my first time doing Paul's Plunge on *this* bike. I did the first part with no problem. The second part was a different story. I knew the line I had to take, but I stopped before going into it. I picked up the bike and went back to try it again. I froze within three feet of beginning it. The third time, with my friends cheering, I did it. I conquered it on my new, squirrelly bike.

Paul, it's nice to see you again.

Copper Harbor Kamikaze Style

It's funny how you can spend three days somewhere without doing much riding. I'm in the greatest place in Michigan for mountain biking and I didn't hop on until this morning.

A grrls' ride occurred a little after 10 a.m. this morning. It wasn't just a ride in the woods with smooth trails and plenty of warm fuzzies for all involved, no. They had me with them and I wanted to try something new . . . or something old.

No one likes the Kamikaze trail. It is one of the oldest in Copper Harbor and built before much was known about sustainability. I was told that there wouldn't be much riding during the second half, but I had to attempt this trail that is no longer maintained by the Copper Harbor Trails Club.

I set out with two friends, Amanda and Rachel, and we rode to the top of the Kamikaze trail and began a wild and fun descent. It was almost as if we were riding through undiscovered country, or rather forgotten country. The beginning of the trail is surfaced with large slabs of bedrock, reminiscent of the slick rock I encountered out west. It had that appearance. We rode down the overgrown one-and-a-half track that which was bordered by various wild flowers and large trees and ferns. The trail surface was predominantly rock and root systems. At one point, while I was leading, we came upon a steep descent that was nothing but loose rocks. It was long and I was quite verbal heading down. "Holy waaaah!" and other weird sounds came bursting from my mouth as I tried to keep my weight back behind the seat and take it easy on the brakes. No matter what I did, my bike was moving forward and the only thing I could do was keep it upright. I successfully completed the descent as Amanda wiped out. I told her that Paul's Plunge didn't seem like it would be much after doing that.

The Kamikaze hill that caught me by surprise. This picture only shows about two-thirds of the hill. Yeah, that's me owning it.

I personally liked Kamikaze, and so did Amanda. Our full suspension bikes made us adequately equipped to handle the nearly insane trail with much joy and wonder. We marveled at the beauty surrounding us as we rode along Lake Fanny Hoe. We're definitely hitting up this forgotten trail, again.

. . . or do I?

I know when to quit, or do I?

I spent the last two evenings experiencing the giant Houghton social scene at the Keweenaw Brewing Company. Last night, I was invited to party with my friends up in Copper Harbor, and I've decided to make a weekend of it.

If I receive a particular email prompting me to do so, I will head up tonight complete with mountain bike. I'll stay with some friends and we'll start Sunday the best way: Harbor Haus breakfast. Yum. Tomorrow also marks the first regular trail day. We'll spend about four or five hours out there and probably head to Zik's afterward. My plan is to stick around through Monday and get in some wild 'n crazy mountain biking. Oh yeah, baby! It's time to take the plunge with Paul and do some squirrelly Red Trail riding.

Oh, yes. Di will be happy.

Kryptonite

Sunday marked a rather unmemorable event for me. It was the last day of Superior Bike Fest and the mountain event, my best event, was the order of the day. After Saturday's road event, it was no surprise that I was less than eager to begin this race.

My legs were stiff, although soreness wasn't really taking effect. They were heavy and energy failed to renew with the changing of the day.

One mile in, I decided that my only goal was to finish the race. This is pretty sad considering it was only sixteen miles and I've excelled at distances longer than this. The pack lost me right away. By mile three, I was seriously considering a big DNF (did not finish). By mile seven, I pretty much confirmed that I was going to DNF. Sure, I kept telling myself that I was almost finished with my first lap and that I could survive another one, but the truth was that I couldn't climb hills without getting off and walking. My legs were dead. It was almost like I was Superman, force-fed kryptonite.

The final decision came at the end of the lap and I headed straight for the finish with a final "F-YOU" to the Marquette Mountain course that I loved so much on any normal day. It was a sad, sad day – my first DNF.

While Visions of Mountain Bikes Rolled in Her Head . . .

Yesterday's weather was less than desirable for toasty mountain biking. Of course, we haven't really had any toasty mountain biking in the Upper Peninsula, yet. We're beginning to wonder if the Fourth of July is going to be comfortably warm for back woods camping, or is it going to be uncomfortably numb?

My fellow Red Jacket, James, and I set set out for a full-Tech ride. We did all the old trails and quite a bit of the new trails. We did about 18.5 miles in three hours. I'm tired. My body is tired. I will sleep well. Ow.

We ended the ride at the dirt jumps where some people were doing a little freeriding on their "little" bikes. It's pretty sweet. I love watching those guys. They're nuts. I didn't watch long, however, because I was becoming the ever-so-tender meal to some skeeters (that's "mosquitoes" to those of you who prefer "proper" English). Yum.

I threw my bike in the Pathfinder and made way for Dairy Queen. Oh, yeah. I've got the bug. I'm really glad they don't have a DQ in Marquette since that's where I'll be this coming weekend. More tough riding ahead. Tomorrow, I'll have a rest day, at least where cycling is concerned. I have a 12-hour shift at the hospital and will most likely be quite busy for most of it. I will dream about my mountain bike, I'm sure.

Keweenaw Chain Drive Recap

Di (left) enjoying her second place age group finish. Photo by Sean Evans and edited by Di.

I realize I rushed through my Keweenaw Chain Drive commentary. I didn't really say anything except, "Here ya go!" . . . basically. One of my team mates started a thread for Chain Drive recaps and I decided to do my race play-by-play. Here you go! ;-)

After realizing how well I did in O2S last year, and doing a few wave starts this year, I realized I needed to start up toward the front. My starting position was going to make a huge difference in the results. I was right. I was able to keep up with the guys until we got to the further side of Hancock and started the little climbs. I'm a better climber this year, but I still have lots of work to do, and I most certainly will not be able to keep up with the front runners, so it's not like that was a huge loss for me. I knew I was still in front of most of the pack.

I used my roadie skills to get an edge. Everyone would pass me on the climbs and I would blow by them on the flats and downhills. Crazy how that works. We reached cemetery hill and some guys went by me, but I actually had a very good climb at a personal best speed. I popped in front of Bruce P at the entrance of Iron Ring and we moved forward rather slowly. I used special superhero techniques (near trackstands) to allow people to get ahead of me so I could maximize momentum on the uphills while my competitors worked harder than I. Some people behind me weren't too happy with me, but Bruce knew what I was doing. Hey! I know the course! It hurts! Don't waste energy on the first couple miles.

We reached the doubletrack and I seriously opened it up while navigating the rocks - you know, the trail with a couple of dirt spots in it. ;-) We reached that first nasty, nasty hill and I walked up the middle of it to avoid blocking the rider line. For the rest of the race, I pretty much just got down to business.

The end was like every other race: some lady got behind me and made me super nervous, but I really couldn't push that much harder. Being an uphill, the end is a great place to get the best of me. I had mixed feelings when I saw who was passing me.
1. Relief - it was Tammi, fellow Red Jacket, and she is not in my age group.
2. Hurt pride - it was Tammi and she was finally going to beat me in a mountain bike race this year.
3. Camaraderie - it was Tammi and I was happy that I was crossing the finish with a fellow Red Jacket - who also happens to be the same Red Jacket who usually finishes within seconds of me even though we never really ride together.

I got to the finish and several people came up to me and chatted and congratulated me and asked me how the race went and we compared stories. It was awesome. I absolutely love the social atmosphere of riding in the Keweenaw, and this year's Chain Drive was peak happiness.

Lesson learned: avoid aid stations, even when you're trying to be efficient. If I didn't dally trying to get some fluid in my mouth at the aid station, I most likely would've beaten Tammi. ;-)

2008 Keweenaw Chain Drive

Di racing her heart out.

It couldn't have been any better! I had the pleasure of meeting new people, chatting with familiar friends and acquaintances, and putting forth a great effort on a course that was in great condition! Last year, the course was so dry; my face was black from the sand and dirt. This year, it has been raining off and on, and the trails were dampened enough to keep anything from flying up. My snot wasn't even that black afterwards!

I raced hard beating my time last year and reaching my goal of less than an hour and thirty minutes. I placed second in my age group, twelfth for the women, and in the top fifty percent overall.


The Red Jacket - Bluesky Health Team after the Keweenaw Chain Drive.

One Hundred Thirty Minutes

. . . that's how long it took to ride all of the old Tech loops - fifteen miles. I had a blast!

I don't ride Tech as much as I did last year. I moved a little further away and, with the cost of gas, I choose to drive only when necessary. Fortunately for me, I can hop on the Churning Rapids trail system just about two miles away.

Today, I went shopping. I've been meaning to buy a gallon of milk for the last few days, but it never really happened. The night of the Stanley Cup win, I stayed out until 7:30 a.m. I was way too tired to buy milk. Thursday, I didn't go anywhere. Same with Friday. Saturday, I was going to buy milk after the Copper Harbor trail day. Nuh uh. That didn't happen either. I just couldn't get out of town soon enough to make it to a grocery store in Calumet for a gallon. Today, I decided it was time.

I threw my mountain biking gear, and bike, in the Pathfinder and drove to the Tech Trails. I started out with the technical loops full of skinny bridges and fabulous rock gardens. I hustled over to the Pilgrim trails and busted around those loops and finished the ride with the Outer and Inner loops. It took me just over two hours - about an hour shorter than last year's early summer rides. I was a little shocked to see the difference.

There is something about Tech that makes me so happy when riding through the trails on a sunny day. Each loop is different and offers different views and different types of trees. Some loops are slow and rocky, others are fast and technical. All are great fun. Tech is right up there with Copper Harbor on the happiness scale for me. It's not as gnarly, but it sure is fun!

Oh! I finally brought that gallon of milk home.

National Trails Day in Copper Harbor

Tammi and Dee raking on the Dancing Bear trail in Copper Harbor.

No blog entry yesterday . . . no, I was out making the story happen. It all started at 6 a.m. when I dragged my butt out of bed for National Trails Day. I gathered my gear, had a healthy breakfast, made a healthy lunch, filled the Camelbak, and hopped in the Pathfinder to head for the Ace Hardware in Calumet. I had to pick up a wheelbarrow that is completely unrelated to the rest of this story.

I arrived in Copper Harbor to see the usual faces and the faces I haven't seen since last summer. I exchanged hellos, bear stories, and hugs with my trail friends. I even met up with Dee, a friend of my friend, Erin. Dee and I hit it off right away and formed a new friendship on the greatest of all trail days.

Everyone donned bug nets and were assigned tasks. The temperature reached at least 70 degrees F and, combined with the bug suits and hard labor, caused some serious sweating. One person on another crew suffered heat exhaustion. I immediately started sweating buckets. It felt like I was in a shower.


Dee working on Dancing Bear.

My team consisted of Dee, fellow Red Jacket, Tammi, and myself. Sam drove us to the bottom of Dancing bear with rakes and loppers in hand. The three of us spent several hours raking a thick leaf layer off of the trail and we trimmed back the bushes and trees that were intruding on the trail space. By the time we reached the top of Dancing Bear, I was exhausted, super thirsty, and ready to just get the job done. We had only two rakes, so we traded jobs. I took a raking rest during the top stretch of Dancing Bear and grabbed a rake as we headed onto the Red Trail. I made the decision that we were going to spot rake the Red Trail. Most of the leaf litter was from pine trees and really didn't affect the visibility of the trail. We removed the deciduous leaf litter from the trail and Dee and I raked all of the loose gravel off of the elbow turn. It was my goal to give the more potentially dangerous sections of trail a good cleaning off, and we met that goal. The rest of the two-mile trail was a long, slow hike.


Tammi and Dee atop a giant boulder alongside the Red Trail. A little trail leaves the Red Trail to encircle the boulder. It's amazing what you see when you're not riding a bike.

I ate a sandwich before Dancing Bear, one on the top stretch of Dancing Bear, and a Luna bar towards the end of the Red Trail. I was quite disappointed to find that my Camelbak was sucked dry at that point. It was at this point that Dee and Tammi were getting their feet wet in Lake Manganese.


Dee and Tammi crossing the bridge at the end of the Red Trail. The winter weather had pushed the bridge to the right of the picture. It is normally a straight bridge. It's on the trail crew's todo list.

We hustled like turtles down the road to the Harbor and stopped by the Manganese Falls on the way down. Even though I was dead tired and craving Gatorade like a dog craves a big, fat, juicy steak, I insisted Dee see this great sight since she is only a visitor to the Keweenaw.

Manganese Falls.

Manganese Falls.

We met the rest of the trail crew back at the Keweenaw Adventure Company around 4:30 p.m. We were out there for six and a half hours. That sure explains how we felt. Dinner at the Mariner was to begin at 7 p.m. Some of the guys decided to go ride the trails and Dee and I decided to grab some beverages at the local store. I bought chocolate milk, which disappeared within five seconds of my opening the bottle, Gatorade, and some iced tea. Dee and I shared a bag of bugles on the front porch at the Adventure Company. The black flies were still coming after us, so we headed all the way across the street to Zik's bar for some cold brew.

After a pint, we headed back to the house and chatted with our Adventure Company friends until dinner time. Sam and I opened a couple of KBC Ambers and Rachel caught me up on her summer plans. When 7:00 rolled around, we meandered over to the Mariner for a filling spaghetti dinner. Afterwards, it was fun and partying at Zik's with a live band: the Blackflies. Yes, they got their name in Copper Harbor.

At closing time, we all headed back to the house to chat a bit. After some very strong encouragement to stay the night and hang out and ride the next day, Dee and I both parted ways and went home. We told everyone we'd come back for a weekend camping trip in two weeks. The only problem is that I have races for the next three weekends and Dee leaves in three weeks. We might have to make it a partial weekend camping trip. We'll see. It'll happen. There is nothing like hangin' in the Harbor.

Hanson Hills Challenge - June 1

A couple of my team mates and I began the month in racing fashion down in Grayling, Michigan for the Hanson Hills mountain bike race. We left very early Saturday morning and arrived in Grayling in the afternoon. We unloaded the bikes and did a leisurely pre-pride. I, being the slow rider, set the pace around the flowing 10-mile singletrack.


James, Di, and Pat. The picture has my name on it, but it was actually taken by Pat's friend, Dennis. Whoops!

Hanson Hills has some gradual climbs and fast descents. Overall, I found the course enjoyable and noted that it definitely has the weeee factor and the wah! effect. It lacks any kind of technical terrain making it a less than ideal race course for the gravitationally challenged, yet skillful mountain biker - like me. This MMBA Championship Point Series event proved to be the most competitive race I've done considering my category. I raced Sport Women 30-39. My friend, Ali, showed up, and she's fast, and I know it, and I told her so, so I knew I wasn't going to beat her. Fortunately, I was able to share in the post-race joy of her victory over our age group. Six women finished within twenty minutes of each other proving that we were all well-matched and exceptional riders. ;-)

Glen and Ali looking all lean and mean with their first place plaques. Glen really needs to get that lip thing checked out.

Glen and Ali on a more normal note.

I finished fifth place. The only setback I experienced was when a Clydesdale's rear tire slid off a bridge and he stood there straddling the bike and bridge while contemplating how to get back on his bike. This cost me the lead I gained on the approaching downhill section and I knew it when I finally yelled, "Pull it off! Pull it off!" He pulled the bike out of my way and I proceeded only to be immediately overtaken by my competition. Blech! Before this occurred, I believe I was running in third, but it didn't cost me this position because I was doomed to climb slowly over the next couple miles. Fun stuff. I may have taken fourth without this mishap, but I take full responsibility for my placing.

I had the great pleasure of hanging out with Glen and Ali and chatting with Nick and Marty a bit. I only get to see them at certain races, and these meetings definitely make the race experience more enjoyable.


Ali, Nick, Marty, and Glen. This was the only picture of these guys where Ali was standing somewhat close to Nick. I'm not sure if he smelled, or what, but she just didn't want to get too close to him. ;-)

Craig Morris meandered by and joined in on our mountain bike thievery. Pictured: Di, Glen, and Craig. Picture from Craig Morris' blog.

Keweenaw Chain Drive Pre-Ride

Pat and James after conquering a Maasto Hiihto hill I can't climb.

My team mates James, Pat, and I embarked on a "32-mile" ride today. Our course wasn't really 32 miles because we were doing the Keweenaw Chain Drive long course sans parade rollout.

The "long course" consists partly of all the trails in the Churning Rapids trail system. These are the trails near my home that I will be riding the most this year. The course was creatively plotted and amazingly includes all the singletrack, however not in the order I prefer. Great Oaks is a wildly fun, technical trail on the descent, but a beast on the ascent. It is a climb in the race and I found it quite challenging when we rode it today. We did the usual favorites such as Drunken Sailor and Pow Pow and headed back to Maasto Hiihto to finish up the race course. Towards the end, both of my knees were getting achy, we were all talking about pesto pasta at the Michigan House, and decided to cut out the last singletrack and simply head back to our vehicles.


Di riding under the Twisted Tree, also the name of the trail.

One of the new trails in the race was recently created because a beaver dam caused flooding of our singletrack. Here is the beaver dam and its newly created reservoir:


Pat noticed how the beaver dam, the sticks and brush at the bottom of the picture, is concave resembling the Hoover Dam.


Pat riding across the new bridge adjacent to the beaver dam (on the right).

We rode at a leisurely pace with me leading the way – twenty-seven miles in three hours and forty-seven minutes. We might have gone a little faster had I not been suffering from a hangover resulting from the previous night's Stanley Cup Finals festivities.

Even considering my less-than-preferable physical state, I decided that the thirty-two mile course was not on the agenda for this year's race. I have every intention of completing it this year and will continue to concentrate on climbing and endurance for my training this year. Next year, I plan to move up to the longer races.

Riding Through the Woods

Today's ride took a rather different turn than I expected. I started out doing the two new [to me] trails near my house and followed the connecting trail to Churning Rapids. I had a great time as I flew down Great Oaks Trail and my climbing was showing improvements. I reached the trailhead and saw two guys getting ready for their ride. It turned out to be one of my co-workers, Kirk K., and his friend, Bob. They invited me to ride with them and had me lead the way.

We started out with two loops near the trailhead. They are short and offer a wonderful warm-up allowing the rider to relax as he or she travels quickly down the hillside and around corners. This is followed by a climb. We did both loops and headed up to find the new trail that was built this last week. There must have been one hell of a trail crew out there because Kirk told me that they finished about a mile so far. It was a great mile! We took an existing trail I was not familiar with to the beginning of the new trail. I saw spectacular views and met interesting challenges. I wished I had my camera.

We climbed up to Pow Pow and rode the banked, hilly turns through the trees. Pow Pow is a very fun trail and is a great way to end the ride. When we reached the end, I parted ways with my riding buddies and proceeded the way from which I originally came to head home.

Review of Monthly Goal

As we enter our last week of National Bike Month, I hope you have found the inspiration to stand up for cyclists' rights in a diplomatic manner and, least of all, ride your bike. I hope you have found new ways, partly inspired by this blog, to enhance your cycling experience or think about it in a new light.

Earlier this month, I mentioned setting goals. My goal was to reach 400 miles. I'm a tad bit away from that at 228 miles. That means I need to do a lot of road riding this week. ;-)

We were supposed to have thunderstorms today. However, the sun came out and it was a beautiful 60 degree F day. It's trying really hard. Summer is really trying to appear. We are supposed to have showers tomorrow. If it follows suit, we will have yet another sunny day. If that is the case, I will set out for a 50-mile ride. Three 50-mile rides this week should set me on track for 400 miles. I really have to cram the mileage in. I also have to take a couple days off because I have a race on Sunday. Ah, Sunday. Sunday begins a new mileage goal. I will probably set it at 400 miles, again.

A 400-mile goal is kind of hard to reach when mountain biking season arrives. When the trails are great, you want to do nothing but mountain bike. Three hours of mountain biking can produce much less mileage than road biking. Considering my average speed on a mountain bike is 8 to 10 mph, and my road biking average is anywhere from 15 to 20 mph depending on terrain, the difference can be huge. I just have to remember that the road bike does exist.

I really don't think I'll reach 400 miles. That is quite a lofty goal for someone of my ability, but I will surely try.

Invite a Friend for a Ride

Summer really doesn't seem to be trying all that hard to arrive in the Keweenaw. It hit just under 60 degrees and I threw on my short sleeve jersey and shorts for a ride into work to do an ultrasound. I returned home two hours later to trade in my cross bike for a mountain bike and I hit some nearby trails. It peaked at 60 degrees, so the short sleeve jersey was a good idea. Well, that's what I'm telling myself. It's a good thing I had the trees to break the wind for me, because I could feel some pretty cool gusts on the road. The weather people lied, as usual – the wind far exceeded the forecasted 6 mph.

Even though the weather is less than desirable for this time of year, it is still National Bike Month, and it is the perfect time of year to get a friend out on the road or trail with you. Invite a non-cycling friend and plan to do an easy, social ride in an effort to get them hooked. Remember when you first fell in love? Your friends deserve that, too.

My friend, Erin, did a cycle of training for her degree here in my town. Fortunately, her clinical instructor is a riding friend of mine. It didn't take long to get Erin excited about mountain biking. She was hitting up the Tech Trails and Maasto Hiihto/Churning Rapids with us quite frequently. She also happily took part in the post-ride meals and beverage, read: beer.


I stole this picture form Erin's blog. Left to right: Mike, Cynthia, Di, Kevin, Arlyn, and Sandy. Erin is behind the camera. We are all contained within the Keweenaw Brewing Company. I personally believe that is what Heaven will be like.

I am proud to say that we have done well with Erin's training. She accepted a job in Washington and moved there a couple months ago. Erin's new adventure is our great loss. We miss her dearly, but we are proud to say that the Keweenaw has forever left its impression on her. She continues to mountain bike in Washington.