Roads...

Where we're going we don't need roads.

Just kidding! Where i rode yesterday i needed lots of roads.

Speaking of which i've always loved riding my bike on the roads of KC.

We're a big enough city to have lots of cool neighborhoods and areas to explore but not so big that traffic and congestion is terrible.

I'm a fan.

We also seem to have a lot of mountain bike single-track. I didn't ride any of that yesterday but its out there. So much so that a friend recently said he was hesitant to move because of all our great single-track and that comment caught me off guard, do we really have it that good?

Whatever we have i do love it.

I also love riding my bike with no gloves and when you can do that in December its a pretty great day.

That's what i did yesterday. Rode my bike on the roads of KC wearing no gloves. 

I felt like Tim Johnson on his way to winning the 2007 cyclocross national championship. The race was in KC and it was cold but sunny and I think it turned into a two man race between him and Jonathan Page. About midway thru the race i vividly remember seeing Tim Johnson take off his gloves and i thought to myself "it's over he's got this".

It was and he did. 

He won.

Just like me.

It's like the great Bernie Mac says in Oceans 13...

"Literature? You don't need no literature. All you got's to do is FEEL it!"

 

Went to the best bike shop in the world today

Today is Friday December 13 2024 and today i visited the best bike shop in the world.

i would know, i've been to them all.

There are many factors that make this the best bike shop in the world and the fact that this song was playing when i walked in today is one of them...

Song

My mountain bike got jacked up, which i highlighted in an earlier post, so it needs to be fixed.

If you or anyone you know has a jacked up bike, or wants to purchase a new bike so that it can get jacked up, i highly recommend visiting the best bike shop in the world.

Two rides one post

Today is Monday December 9 2024 but yesterday and the day before i rode my bike.

The weather was primo.

On Saturday i rode mountain bikes with friends, which is rare for me these days. I'd say 98% of my rides are solo.

On Sunday i rode solo, on my single speed.

Saturday was epic as far as my typical outings are concerned. Sunshine, single track, discovering new paved trails and fun spots in the city, whisky, trivial pursuit, and a close encounter with a big limb that broke a few spokes. Right turn Clyde. We pedaled for 3 hours. It was a hell of a day at sea!

Sunday was much shorter but equally as enjoyable, i found a small window from 4pm-5pm so i grabbed my single speed (Which is basically my only functioning bike since my road bike stays chained up in the basement, the cx bike has a rear flat, and the mountain has two freshly broken spokes) and set out to do a timed loop i like to do thru the suburban neighborhoods by my house. 

It was hard because riding that single speed is hard but the Christmas lights were nice, the weather was good, the setting sun was pretty, and the music was lovely. 

2024 is ending on a high!

Ride # 1....

Ride # 2.....

Four more days of bike riding... in a row!

Today is Monday December 2nd 2024 but i rode my bike 4 days in a row, culminating yesterday.

• Day 1: Indoor trainer ride on Thanksgiving morning, guess that movie.
• Day 2: Rode my single speed bike for the first time is about 2 years. It was hard. I love that bike but you have to be in decent shape to really use it. I bought it at Volker Bicycles in 2008 (i think).
• Day 3: Snow ride on my mountain bike. Riding in the snow is pretty awesome. Riding while its snowing is less awesome. Riding when its warmed up and the snow turns to slush kind of sucks.
• Day 4: Rode the single speed again. I guess its a good winter bike because it forces you to work hard, which keeps you warm. We'll see if my 44 year old body can handle it.

Day 1...

Day 2...

Day 3...

Day 4...

 

Day 4 of riding 4 days in a row.

Today is Wednesday November 27, 2024 but two days ago, on Monday, i rode my bike.

That was the 4th day in a row of riding.

It was cold so i bundled up, grabbed the mountain bike, and pedaled to the singletrack. Which was amazing.

I overdid it a bit and was pretty wiped by the time I got home.

Over this 4 day period i road a total of about 8 hours, that's a ton for me.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, which means i have 4 days off of work. Maybe i can squeeze a ride in each day.

Biking on a Sunday

Today is Monday November 25 2024 and i'm getting ready to go for a bike ride.

I have the day off work.

Yesterday on what was an awesome weather day i rode my mountain bike for about 3 hours. That included a crash on some dirt singletrack. Thankfully i didn't break anything but i rung my bell good. Pic of the aftermath below. My ribs are still sore today. But i dusted myself off and rode for another hour and a half.

Pedaling medium effort from my house i can be on single-track is less than 30 minutes. Sweet single track, especially this time of year when the woods are pretty and there are no real bugs.

Today i'm taking the mountain bike out again. 

It's much colder than yesterday, gonna need all the cold weather gear.

Plus my speaker, have i mentioned that i've been riding with a speaker? It's a game changer for me. If fits perfectly in the water bottle cage. I have a biking mix. 

Here are the pics from a great ride.