Group Ride

Today is Thursday April 23 2026 and yesterday i did the Wednesday group ride.

This was my third week in a row participating and 4th time in 5 weeks.

i think i'm actually trying hard to get faster this year and consistency is the pathway to that. So consistently showing up to this group ride is key. It's hands down the hardest i ride all week and that's what i need.

Lets quickly recap the previous 3 group rides.

1 = showed up on a single speed for shi*s and grins and almost puked at 103rd and Lee Blvd. Would do again.

2 = Dropped on the hill. Hooked up with a large second group. Got a flat. Called my wife for a ride. Learned not to ride in the gutter.

3 = Hung on over the hill but then got dropped 5 min later. Rode with a Gal who then got a flat. She was riding in the gutter.

Now on to last nights ride...

On the hill the guy in front of me lost contact so i did as well. Had that not happened it's conceivable i could have hung on, but i was on the limit. i did the rest of the ride with that guy and we rode excellent. Trading hard pulls all the way. Great workout. i felt good and am getting more comfortable on the new road bike.

(i've still never survived this ride with the led group, i'm not even sure i've ever completed the full route, i've got about 5 months to make it happen.)

Weekend Bike Rides

Today is Monday April 20, 2026 and i rode my bike last Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday = 37 miles on the road bike.

Sunday = 37 miles on the mountain bike.

Saturday was cold and i only took two pictures. X and i were out late the night before so that ride is kind of a blur. 

Sunday was a bit warmer and i took a lot more pics. i felt pretty sluggish so the first half of the ride was very casual, including exploring some urban single track, but after stopping for coffee at my new favorite spot (Cafe Ca Phe ) i picked up the pace because i had to get back home in time to pick up the little man from a sleepover. 

Things like that are good motivators to pedal hard.

So... another great weekend of bike riding is in the books.

Group Ride

Today is Thursday April 16 2026 and yesterday i did the Wednesday group ride.

It was pretty sweet.

The weather leading up to the ride was bizarre (quick storm, sun, hail, sun, rain) but it cleared up and i headed out with 5 minutest to spare and made it just in time.

I've decided that the ideal group ride is one you can get to by pedaling from your house no more than 5 minutes and all down hill. Not that i'm opposed to pedaling longer to reach a group ride, but the current situation is idea.

The roads were still wet which had me slightly on edge. i don't ride a road bike much plus this new bike feels extra foreign and i was worried about sliding out on a wet corner. Those worries were probably overblown, but never the less.

i managed to hang on to the group a bit longer than last week, including survived the main hill, but after that there is a long section with no stopping and i just couldn't hold the pace. And by "long section with no stopping" i mean 5-10 minutes, keep in mind almost all of my riding is in the city so i have to stop a lot.

But i didn't blow up, i disengaged right on the edge and kept pushing and linked up with a gal who was also dropped. We rode together until she got a flat at which point i waited with her while she scheduled an uber and then headed home.

Upon arriving home the conclusion was made that the new road bike is completely bad a*s.

What a time to be alive!

Weekend Bike Rides

Today is Monday April 13 2026 and i rode my bike last Saturday and Sunday.

On Saturday i was up fairly early for 36 miles on the single speed.

On Sunday i was up fairly early for 15 miles on the Mountain Bike.

I went pretty hard on the Saturday ride so it was nice to spin the legs on the Mountain Bike and go much easier on the Sunday ride.

Having multiple bikes that can lead to temporary infatuations is pretty sweet. Currently the single speed is my A number 1 but once i get the flat fixed on the new road bike i expect it to take over.

Saturday Ride...

Sunday Ride...

Group Ride (Flat Tire)

Today is Thursday April 9 2026 and last night i did the Wednesday group ride.

I got dropped on the big hill, hooked up with a small second group of fellow dropped riders, then got a flat and had my lovely wife come and pick me up. But the weather was primo and the sun was setting so waiting around for a ride wasn't terrible.

It's also not terrible that this was the first group ride on my new road bike (which i haven't actually paid for yet, for the record.) The new bike is amazing but apparently its not enough to instantly turn me into Lance Armstrong. 

The flat was partially my fault, i spent a lot of time riding near the gutter where all the road debris accumulates. Lesson learned. Or not.

Anyway, i think i'll be able to do a lot of these Wednesday rides which has me really psyched. Last year i didn't start doing this ride until late June so i'm ahead of schedule by 2 + months.   

And i have a new bad a*s road bike.

2026!

  

Weekend Bike Rides

Today is Monday April 6 2026 and i did three bike rides in the last three days.

i'm pretty tired.

We had Friday off for Good Friday so i rode the single speed bike for about 41 miles. Including a stop at One Star Bicycles. By the end of the ride i was pretty cooked. i'm strong enough to ride a single speed 41 miles on a windy day and old enough that an effort like that seemingly takes 5 days to recover from.

On Saturday i rode my new Road Bike (more on that later) for about 20 miles.

On Sunday i did a casual mountain bike spin with my Niece.

After riding three different bikes in three different days i think i need to be doing more Yoga because it was hard to feel comfortable on all of them.

That said, my single speed bike fits like a glove. i plan to keep riding it regularly but the rides need to be under 2 hrs because i'm getting too old for this sh*t.

Bicycles!