Weekend Bike Rides... cx bike version

Today is Monday September 21 2026 and last weekend i rode my bike outdoors, twice.

It's all king of a blur... but it was good.

Saturday i did 61 miles on my cx bike and Sunday i did 23 miles on my cx bike.

This upcoming Saturday i'm hoping to do the 55 miles distance at the Steve Tilford Foundation Epic gravel race in Lawrence, KS so i figured i'd better spend some quality time on the cx bike first.

Saturday i was up early and i had to be very quiet because the not so little man had a few friends sleeping over and they were in the back living room right off the kitchen with no door between them and the rest of the house. i prepped the night before so i could quickly and quietly get out the door, it worked and i was pedaling by 6am.

Temperature at departure was 77 and it felt glorious. i did the Rocky route (i think i pushed hard, its a blur) and then happened upon the Bike MS ride going thru midtown so i hooked up with them for a bit. i ended up crossing the Bike MS route again and this time joined them for maybe 45 minutes complete with an aid station and official photos!

Ultimately i ended up close to Avila University before turning around for home. On the way home Andre from One Star Bicycle passed me so i turned around and rode with him and his wife for a few minutes before turning around again and truly going home.

With the exception of red lights and stop signs i didn't stop on this ride. No water stops, no bathroom stops, no coffee stops. Okay, technically i briefly stopped at the Bike MS aid station but once that official photographer took my picture i was out of there!

Riding unobstructed rural roads would i'm sure have served me better as prep for a 55 mile gravel race... but at least i didn't stop.

(i took no pictures of the ms ride or of Andre, but i swear they really happened.)

Later that day i saw a cool butterfly while walking the dog.

Sunday i was out the door around 8:30 am for a quick ride to Crown Center and back.

A cold front blew thru overnight and i started the ride with a wind jacket but that quickly came off because the dew point was still pretty high. Later in the ride it started misting and just like that it felt like fall. We had a very hot and very extended end of summer here in KC so hopefully that's done for the year. 

My legs were tired on this ride but there was still power to be had, it felt like the floor of my fitness had been raised and i could push one or two gears harder than normal.

Later that day i cooked some steaks on the grill and watched the Chiefs win in OT.

The Little Sugar mountain bike race is close, my fitness is good, i'm getting nervous!

Saturday...

Sunday...

Evening Ride... wow is it dewey out here.

Today is Thursday September 17 2026 and last night i rode my bicycle outside.

It felt like i was flying... which is a good thing.

i couldn't make the Johnny's ride but by 6:45 i was on my single speed bike headed towards Crown Center. It was extremely sweaty and extremely awesome. My legs felt great. it felt like i was setting single speed pr's on several sections. That's the great thing about the single speed, since its only one gear you can compare efforts via the force easier than on a geared bike. Several times last night i was spun out on long sections that have given me trouble in the past. 

So that was bad a*s.

During the ride i also swallowed a bug and saw a fox.

This recent heat wave should break by Sunday but i get the sense the bugs realize the party is coming to an end because they were everywhere last night. 

Upon returning home i looked down at my Garmin and sweat poured out of my helmet.

Wow was it dewey out there.

(Editors note: 'dewey' refers to the dew point, which is a great indicator of how sweaty the outdoors is going to be. Last night the dew point was 73, which is high.)

Pre Work Bike Ride... warm and windy version

Today is Tuesday September 15 2026 and this morning i rode my single speed bicycle outside before work.

It was pretty bad a*s.

i'm always looking for a good weekly exercise routine and lately i've somewhat settled into a Tuesday pre work ride because its awesome and it pairs nicely with the Wednesday post work group ride. The warm weather helps with all this because getting up early to ride in the dark is a lot easier when its warm. Also now that the not so little man is not so little its easier for me to leave the house.

i felt good. The ride started with a stiff tail wind and ended with a stiff head wind but i had plenty of juice to push hard all the way. i made it down to crown center and then came home via the Kessel Run. My ear was attuned to the will of the living force and it told me to swing away so that's what i did.

Upon arriving home the family unit went thru the motions of getting ready on a work / school day, i put Tuna the old cat up in his perch, then drove to work with a coffee mug too big for my cup holders.

Now i need to get the front flat on my road bike sorted before tomorrow's Johnny's ride. 

(Editors note: i forgot to stop my Garmin for 10-15 minutes, pretty sure i did the route in under 1:30)

Weekend Bike Rides... tired version

Today is Monday September 14 2026 and i rode my bicycle outside twice this weekend.

i was tired both days.

Saturday i was up around 5:30 but due to rain i didn't start pedaling until 8:00. The roads were soggy so i rode the single speed and my legs felt zapped from the start and never came around. i was able to do the 37 mile rocky route and i didn't necessarily go slow, but i felt slow.

Later that day i put up a few Halloween decorations and lights. Too soon?

(you may have already noticed creepy woman hiding behind the bushes in previous pictures but i added a few more lights)

Sunday i was up early again but this time the weather was perfect and i was pedaling the mountain bike by 5:30 am. Just like the day before i did the rocky route and just like the day before i felt pretty crappy, although the last 30 minutes were noticeably better.

Later that day we went to watch our cousin play soccer down at the Swope soccer village.

i'm hoping to hit the bicycle riding hard this week but one ear will be listening closely for the will of the living force. If it tells me to take it easy then do that i shall.

Saturday...

Sunday...

Evening Ride... wet single speed version

Today is Friday September 11 2026 and two nights ago i rode my single speed bicycle for 1 hour and 31 minutes thru the mean streets of Kansas City.

It was amazing.

(i tried to do this post yesterday but was having technical difficulties)

It was one of those rides where everything clicks and life seems full of possibilities.

Our 10+ day heat wave has ended and now its rainy. i decided to skip the Johnny's Ride (which probably didn't happen anyway due to the rain) and do my own thing. The wet weather was a great excuse to ride the single speed, which is truly a bike for all seasons.

The rain was fading away as i started pedaling and the only extra gear i needed was a cycling hat and a rear fender. 25 minutes in the hat came off and rays of sunshine began to appear. Epic riding conditions.

And i felt good, really good.

That makes 4 hard rides in 5 days. 

Some rest is probably in order but that could be a hard pill to swallow since riding is so fun right now. Last year i messed up by 'resting' too much before races. In hindsight i don't think i'd done enough work to justify the rest so the rest just led to worse fitness. This year i'm just going for it. i'm playing the long game, which to me means 'just ride a lot and fitness will come'.

Put another way... 'if you build it they will come.'

So maybe in 10 years i'll be a really fast 56 year old.

Or perhaps i'll burn out and get soft. 

i make the rules around here.