Weekend Bike Rides... if it rains you get wet.

Today is Monday June 1 2026 and i rode my bicycle outdoors last Saturday and Sunday.

It was a rainy weekend - it was a single speed weekend - it was a pretty fu*cking great weekend.

Saturday - Left the house around10:15am for 2 hours, including a coffee stop.

Sunday - Left the house around 9:45am for about 2 hours and 45 minutes, including a coffee stop.

All told it was 62 miles of single speed riding. That bike deserves a cake. Thru thick and thin its always been there for me. It doesn't ask for much and it never complains. My other bikes breakdown, require attention, are sidelined for months... not the single speed. 

At the drop of a hat that bike is ready to rock and roll.

What a machine.

Pre ride on Saturday i watched live coverage of the Unbound Gravel race and found it extremely entertaining. It's amazing we can watch good coverage of an event like that from the comfort of our couch. What a world. Then i threw a rear fender on the bike, donned my rain jacket, put a cycling cap on beneath my helmet, and headed out. After maybe 30 minutes the rain died down, the jacket came off, the pace ramped up.

(Important point, it was warm. If this had been a cold rain i would have hid inside under a blanket.)

At the coffee shop i checked back in with the race and then headed home. Once home i checked in with the race again and upon seeing that the fine folks racing in and around Emporia, KS were on hour 7 of about 10 i no longer felt like such a bad a*s for riding my single speed for 2 hours in a light drizzle.

The ride window on Sunday was an early one so i was ready by 7am but Mother Nature had other plans. She put her foot down in the form of heavy storms. For the next two hours i basically sat in a comfy chair in my garage drinking coffee and becoming an expert weather man.

Then the rain cleared and i headed out, with a rear fender attached but no jacket and no hat.

36 miles and one coffee stop later i returned home, fully cooked. 

i kind of think i was flying. Steep hills were ridden. Long out of the saddle accelerations were plentiful. Seated climbs were confidently conquered. 

Fitness is coming. Leg strength is good. Lung strength needs some work.

The Little Sugar mountain bike race is a just over 4 months away and that's plenty of time to whip the lungs into shape... but that doesn't mean i'm going to actually do that.

i make the rules around here and i'll do what i want.

Because for me... the action is the juice.

Saturday Ride...

Sunday Ride...

Weekend Bike Rides... have you ever heard of the healing power of laughter?

Today is Tuesday May 26 2026 and i rode my bike outside twice this (long holiday) weekend.

i was pretty sick all week. Doing hard sleep deprived bike rides catches up with you, and then you get sick.

On Saturday i reluctantly attended a BBQ with old friends and by the end of that my reluctance, which was caused by the lingering effect of a nasty head cold, was replaced by a new lease on life. 

Maybe it was the change of scenery, maybe it was getting up and moving around, maybe it was the fresh air, maybe it was the joy of old friends getting together and the healing power of laughter, maybe it was the two hot dogs i ate... but whatever it was by the end of that BBQ i was cured.

So the next day (Sunday) i found a ride widow around 4pm and headed out on the road bike.

Despite hacking up phlegm every 20 minutes i pushed hard. i didn't want to... i had to. If you feel halfway decent then that road bike has one gear, the attack gear, and i felt halfway decent. By the time i got to the coffee shop i was feeling the bonk so i ordered a coke in addition to the espresso and on the ride back home i think i saw god. 

Holy cow it felt like i was flying!

This was one of those magical rides. Where, like a character bonding with a creature in those overstuffed Avatar movies, i became one with the bike.

Corny? Yes! 

Totally bad a*s? Yes!

Upon arriving home i did a lightning fast shower and dinner and then headed out on the town for a concert and late night drinks at my favorite dive bar. (Full disclosure i only know two dive bars)

When old friends are in from out of town you pony up.

(That reminds me of the Sound Pony, so correction, i know three dive bars)

The late night dive bar drinks were so good (2 for 1 Miller Lite's... you ever dance with the devil in the pale moon light?) that i left my car in Westport overnight so when i woke up at 6am the next day, Monday, Memorial Day, no work, i pedaled to get the car. 

That sounds terrible (another early morning bike ride after a late night out) but it was actually kind of awesome. Sure my body would be happier if i got more sleep and took life a little easier but sometimes you gotta get nuts.

Now you wanna get nuts?!? Come on! lets get nuts.

Sunday Ride...

Sunday Night...

Monday Morning go get the Car Ride...

Weekend Bike Rides... they'll never catch me, because i'm fu*king innocent.

Today is Monday May 18 2026 and i rode bike outside yesterday and the day before.

Saturday = Hard 2 hr road session

Sunday = Hard 3 hr mountain bike session.

Saturday i was up very early so that i could be back in time before X (my wife... her Roller Derby name was Xcelerator) had to leave at 8am. We hosted a sleepover for the not so little man and a few friends meaning an adult had to be there in the morning to ensure they had access to the powdered donuts, OJ, and video games. 

For the road ride i tried to do the Rocky route in under 2 hours and did not succeed. i only put my foot down about 4 times but that's not surprising given the 5:30am Saturday morning start time. The true test of a foot down champion is a rush hour ride thru the heart of the big city. 

Sunday i was up early to do a long mountain bike ride. X again had to leave early for work so this time we told the not so little man he might wake up alone. He's the type of guy who appreciates some quality alone time and was excited about this development but on this particular morning he woke up with a fever and called me alone, scared, and crying, wanting me to be home now. 

So after around 2 hours and 45 minutes of road and single track riding i pointed my bicycle towards home and hauled a*s. 

Prior to that minor emergency phone call i was reflecting on how magical the ride was. The weather was warm and humid but also very windy and cloudy, outside felt electric. The ride started with an hour of pavement followed by basically an hour forty five of singletrack. A few sprinkles had fallen overnight and the dirt was totally bad a*s. The spiders were out but only just.

Amazing ride.  

There really is a ton of sweet singletrack pretty close to my house.

2026 continues to be bountiful with its bike rides although i am having to get up pretty early to make it happen. 

On the run from Johnny Law... aint no trip to Cleveland.

Saturday Ride...

Sunday Ride...