Weekend rides... aimless version

Today is Monday October 5 2026 and i rode my bike outside twice over the weekend.

It was okay.

i'm finding it hard to 'take it easy' as i gear up by winding down in preparation for this Sundays Little Sugar mountain bike race in Bentonville, Arkansas. i'm doing the 50k distance and its going to kick my a*s so i need to show up rested.

So this weekend i tried to take it easy but i probably failed. i was aimless.

On Saturday i did the road bike for maybe 25 miles (Garmin was acting up) and on Sunday i finally rode some single track. i threw my mountain bike on the bike rack and drove east 15 minutes and parked by the trolly trail and then pedaled to and from the blue river / swope trails. i probably did 1 hour and 10 minutes of single track and i pushed really hard and i went fast but got worked over real good.

That singletrack session was much needed. It's time to cram for the test! 

Swope is harder than i remember. i was able to ride hard for maybe 25 minutes before fatigue set in. At one point i crushed a hard climb and then stopped at the top to dry heave. Pic below.

So anyway that was my weekend of riding.

We also found plenty of time this weekend to go to the Spirit Halloween store and work on our decorations. It was awesome.

Summer is over, fall is hear, the weather is perfect, on Thursday afternoon we leave for Bentonville.

i'm excited!

Saturday Road Bike...

Sunday Single Track...

Evening Ride... rainy version

Today is Thursday October 1 2026 and last night i rode my bicycle outside.

It was pretty amazing.

The forecast showed rain so i skipped the Johnny's ride and instead took my mountain bike down to the Crown Center water fountain and back. It's funny how things change, just the other day i was thinking my biking routes are getting stale but then last night i was thinking it was the best route ever.

The truth is somewhere in the middle but i did have a mini epiphany... there's something to be said for knowing every inch of your route. It allows you to go faster in a safer way. 

i was pedaling by around 6:20 and it hadn't started raining yet, which is key. Riding in the rain is much easier if you start before the rain. 10 minutes in the hat went on and 30 minutes in the jacket went on. Then the jacket came off, then it went back on, then it came off again and stayed off.

i think i was flying last night. 

Too bad i was riding solo because my head is getting pretty big and i'm sure a harsh reality check is in store for me at Little Sugar... but there is no doubt that my fitness exists. Last night i could almost do whatever i wanted, several times i looked down and was surprised at the size of the gear i was turning.

And let me just say, you haven't lived until you've hauled a*s down Main St. while blasting Brothertiger from your Bluetooth speaker.

After the ride i weighed 148.1 which i think is pretty light for 46 year old me. 

Little Sugar is 11 days from today but if i somehow manage to botch that race i'll still have the memories from last nights amazing ride to tide me over.

Pre Work Bike Ride... steroid version

Today is Tuesday September 29 2026 and this morning before work i rode my bike outside.

It was awesome.

Did i mention that last Sunday i got stung by a bee and had an allergic reaction and got prescribed steroid pills and some sort of cream? The allergic reaction wasn't life threatening but i broke out in itchy red blotches all over my body. It sucked. The bee stung my right ankle, which is still very swollen and fairly painful. i was curious how riding would feel and this morning i felt great (must be the steroids) so that's nice.

Hopefully the rain holds off tomorrow and i can do the Johnny's ride. 

Either way i'll have the lovely memories of this mornings ride to tide me over. Temp was 63 at departure, dew point was low, sky was clear, moon was mostly full, Bluetooth speaker was crushing, mountain bike felt great.

i didn't do the Tilford Gravel race last Saturday and its looking like i also cant make the Lawrence mountain bike race this Saturday but i feel pretty good in terms of preparedness for the Little Sugar race. i haven't ridden singletrack in a coon's age and i haven't done much climbing (two things featured prominently in the Little Sugar race) so i cant expect to set the world on fire but i also haven't been this fit in 5-10 years so im psyched to get on the start line.

And i think (hope) my swollen ankle will be a thing of the past by then.

Weekend Bike Rides...

Today is Monday September 28 2026 and i rode my bicycle outdoors twice this weekend.

Saturday i did the Rocky Route on the Mountain Bike (trails were too wet to ride).

Sunday i did the Crown Center Water Fountain route on the Mountain Bike (trails were too wet to ride).

i felt pretty good both days.

On Saturday i was pedaling by 6:15 on a very nice morning. This was the morning of the Steve Tilford Foundation Gravel race in Lawrence, KS which i decided to skip because of a rainy forecast. The race started at 8am and about 8:20 on my ride i thought to myself "wow this weather is just about perfect for bike riding", i did get rained on significantly starting around 9:15 but i had a rain jacket and was home around 9:45 so it was fine. Hopefully the racers had decent conditions.

i started this ride in the dark with a full moon present... which was bad a*s.

Later that day we enjoyed a nice evening outside while messing with Halloween decorations.

Sunday i had planned to ride during the chiefs game but i woke up early so decided for a short ride starting at 8:15. i went hard when i felt good and went slow when i didn't and by the end of the ride it felt like i was flying. 

Later that day i watched Brandon Mcnulty of the USA win the elite men's world championship road race!

Hot diggity!

Little Sugar is in 14 days so its time to start thinking about pulling back on the throttle. Having said that i plan to ride tomorrow am and then do the Johnnys group ride on Wednesday evening. After that i'll reduce things significantly before we leave for Bentonville on October 8th.

Bicycles!

Saturday...

Sunday...

Johnny's Ride... finished in the front group

Today is Thursday September 24 2026 and last night i did the Johnny's group ride.

It was great.

Every once in a while everything clicks and last night was one of those nights.

The weather was perfect. The entire day leading up to the ride was perfect. The food and drink prep was perfect. The legs were (ultimately) perfect. i finished in the front group.

10 riders started and i did some pulling early and then got dropped early but chased back on. My chase was epic and probably the most exciting 5 - 10 minutes of bike riding i've had this year, i rode smart, i rode aggressive, i rode aero, i cornered like a boss, i got lucky with the lights, i caught back on.

What a workout.

i think i got dropped again at some point but that time i caught back on quickly.

My 45 mile ride the day before probably played a factor in my early struggles but the longer the ride went the better i felt. There was power in there i just had to access it. For the last 20 minutes i was in the zone. i wasn't strong enough to entertain the idea of pulling thru but i was having no trouble following the wheels.

5 of us finished in the front group and we finished in the dark, which was exciting, nothing like hauling ass down Mission Road with blinking bike lights all around and cars coming and going to get your blood pumping.

Upon arriving home i took a sweet pic of my bike by our Halloween decorations... much more to come in that department.

This Saturday is the Steve Tilford Foundation gravel race but rain is in the forecast so i'm a maybe. 

After that it's time to cram in some quality time on my mountain bike because counting today the Little Sugar race is 18 days away.

Ohh baby.