Wednesday, 8/28/2024

                                               

2024 MILEAGE - 2747.2

Our intense heat wave persists, so I rode inside again today, while finishing off the second part of The Sound of Music, which I began yesterday.

Tomorrow I leave for a trip to Ireland, and won't be home until September 10, so I won't be riding again until September 11 ... unless I try to squeeze in a ride early tomorrow. I'm not convinced yet whether to try it or not, but I'm thinking probably not.

This gave me a ride today of 13.6 virtual miles in 1:13.

Tuesday, 8/37/2024z

                                              

2024 MILEAGE - 2733.6

I haven't ridden since Saturday, mostly due to inexplicable foot pain. I got back into it today with an indoor ride, due to odd weather -- threatening rain, abut also forbiddingly hot conditions. So I watched the first half of The Sound of Music (up to Intermission) during my ride.

This gave me a ride today of 18.4 virtual miles in 1:49.

Saturday, 8/24/2024 - 48th outdoor ride of 2024

                                             

2024 MILEAGE - 2725.2

Oppressive heat and humidity are predicted to move in, so I wanted to get my ride done early, and therefore began just past 7:00 a.m. in 55° cool, reminding that the end of summer is imminent.

This gave me a ride today of 10.0 miles in 1:28.

Relive video of today's ride

Friday, 8/23/2024 - 47th outdoor ride of 2024

                                            

2024 MILEAGE - 2715.2

I haven't ridden since Tuesday due to sore feet and a general tiredness, so I was glad to be able to get back into the routine this morning by beginning a few minutes past 9:00, in cool (62) sunshine that rose to 75° by the time I finished, and riding the Packard/Platt Square.

This gave me a ride today of  13.5 miles in 1:51.

Relive video of today's ride

Tuesday, 8/20/2024 - 46th outdoor ride of 2024

                                           

2024 MILEAGE - 2701.7

After taking yesterday off from riding, and spending the time on composition instead, today I rode the Platt/Packard Square, beginning just before 1:00 in relatively brisk 68° conditions that climbed to 71° during the ride.

This gave me a ride today of  13.6 miles in 1:43.

Relive video of today's ride

Sunday, 8/18/2024 - 45th outdoor ride of 2024

                                          

2024 MILEAGE - 2688.1

Got my ride done early today, even though it was, again, a modest one. I left at 7:05 in cool conditions (67°, up to 69° at the finish) and under a thoroughly gray sky, and rode a round trip to Marsh Park again (like last evening). Nothing unusual happened today, except that my phone wouldn't allow me to text, for some unknown reason. Fortunately, no critical need for this arose.

This gave me a ride today of  10.2 miles in 1:26.

Relive video of today's ride

Saturday, 8/17/2024 - 44th outdoor ride of 2024

                                         

2024 MILEAGE - 2677.9

This morning I went hiking with a couple of my friends. Even though our hike was quite modest, it would normally have persuaded me to take the day off from riding. But since I am going on a trip to Ireland in less than two weeks, and that will force me to have eleven days off from riding, I am trying to push myself to the modest goal of no rest days until then.

Therefore, this afternoon I went out (with my heart singing after a Detroit Tigers victory over the hated New York Yankees) and rode a round trip to Marsh Park, beginning just past 4:30 with a temperature of 79° which fell a degree during the ride.

I am tempted to think of this ride as a short, "baby" one that is hardly worth doing. But at such times, I find myself encouraged to remember a comment my daughter made one day last spring when we rode it, and I expressed that feeling. "Dad," she told me earnestly, "it is still a good workout, and a worthwhile ride!"

This gave me a ride today of 9.9 miles in 1:26.

Relive video of today's ride

Friday, 8/16/2024

                                        

2024 MILEAGE - 2668.0

Today we were projected to have rain pretty much all day, so I planned an indoor ride. Then when I finished, mid-afternoon, it was sunny and warm out. Go figure!

During my ride, I watched a baseball movie about which I am extremely fond (it is about a pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, and the climactic end of his career).

This gave me a ride today of 22.5 virtual miles in 2:11

Trailer for For Love of the Game

Thursday, 8/15/2024 - 43rd outdoor ride of 2024

                                       

2024 MILEAGE - 2645.5

After taking yesterday off, I was glad to resume the routine of riding today. Today I left about 10:15 and rode the Platt/Ellsworth Rectangle -- a slightly shorter route than the 13.6-mile square that is my most common ride. It was quite warm, with a temperature of 75° when I began and 81° when I finished.

One special joy today was seeing friends of mine during the relatively early part of the ride (about 3 miles in). I met Ron Cundiff relatively early in my riding career—I did not make note of the date, but I suspect it must have been late in the summer of 2015, because I began riding that spring, and then about the time that we met or slightly later, he met Donna and married her early in 2016. We are all Facebook friends now.

We have shared a meal in the past, but I no longer see them much, as they split their time between winters in the south (where I think Donna is from) and summers in the north. So it was a bit of good fortune that I should run into them today.

This gave me a ride today of 11.8 miles in 1:38.

Relive video of today's ride

Tuesday, 8/13/2024 - 42nd outdoor ride of 2024

                                      

2024 MILEAGE - 2633.6

When I saw that the forecast was for a tolerable temperature this afternoon (pleasant summer warmth, but not excessive heat), I decided to wait for my ride so that I could compose this morning. I set off at 1:15 in 81° sunshine (and it was still 81° when I finished, though I'm sure it arched higher than that during the ride).

A bonus again today -- for the second consecutive day, I got to see my good friend Doug Franklin on his daily walk. I came up behind him when I had almost exactly a mile to go before finishing, and, knowing it was him, I began to sing Hail to the Victors. Amazingly, without even turning around to look, he knew it was me, and called out, "Hi, Allen!"

This gave me a ride today of 13.9 miles in 1:45.

Relive video of today's ride

Monday, 8/12/2024 - 41st outdoor ride of 2024

                                   

2024 MILEAGE - 2620.0

Roday on a GORGEOUS summer day, I left at 10:45 in bright 73° sunshine (that climbed to 78° during my ride), and went around the Platt/Packard Square.

A bonus today -- early in the ride, I got to see my good friend Doug Franklin on his daily walk. 

This gave me a ride today of 13.9 miles in 1:55.

Relive video of today's ride

Sunday, 8/11/2024 - 40th outdoor ride of 2024

                                  

2024 MILEAGE - 2606.1

This afternoon, I went out shortly past noon and rode the Packard/Platt Square (at which I had been stymied by flats during my last two attempts, Wednesday and yesterday), and today's ride was (refreshingly) problem-free.

Well, almost problem-free. When I took my customary short pause at Lillie Park (roughly halfway through the ride), the app (MapMyRide) inexplicably shut off. So I had to restart it and make a second video for the latter part of the ride.

This gave me a ride today of 13.6 miles in 1:51.

Relive video of today's ride (A)

Relive video of today's ride (B)

Saturday, 8/10/2024 - 39th outdoor ride of 2024

                                 

2024 MILEAGE - 2592.5

This has been a heck of a week! On Wednesday I got a front tire flat, and ended up taking the trike to the dealer (Jack's) in Dearborn—not only did it need, of course, a new tube, but both front tires were also near bald and in need of replacement, and as long as I had it there being worked on, I had them replace both front tubes. So I figured I'd be in good shape for a while.

This morning I pushed myself to get out early, and left at 7:00 a.m. in brisk conditions (clear, but 55°) to ride the Packard/Platt Square. As I was getting started, I thought to myself, "I wonder how long it'll be before the rear tire goes, too!" Not long, as it turned out—about 4 miles into the 13-mile ride I started hearing a fluffing sound from that tire, and when I checked it, of course it was shot. Changing a tube on the rear wheel of my trike is considerably more complicated than a front one, so I figured I should leave it to the professionals (even though I'll have to learn how at some point).

At that early hour, I didn't want to bother Michelle, so I took an Uber home, put the carrying rack on our car, went back and picked up the trike, and returned to Jack's with it. They quickly had me taken care of ... so NOW I'm hoping to be trouble-free for a while.

This gave me a ride today of 4.0 miles in 40 minutes.

Relive video of today's ride

Friday, 8/9/2024 - 38th outdoor ride of 2024

                                

2024 MILEAGE - 2588.5

Today I waited until late afternoon to ride, starting at 4:00 in 78° heat (that cooled off to 74° during my ride). Then I settled for a short ride, just doing a (slow) round trip to Marsh Park.

This gave me a ride today of 10.2 miles in 1:33.

Relive video of today's ride

Thursday, 8/8/2024 - 37th outdoor ride of 2024

                               

2024 MILEAGE - 2578.3

Kristian Frikke-Schmidt is a very dear friend of mine. He and his family (wife Henriette, and children Ulrik, Teresa, and Luca) are natives of Denmark, but moved to California many years ago, and then moved to Michigan (Ann Arbor) sometime over a decade ago, and I became friends with him at our church, where he served as a song leader for our contemporary worship.

Then, after I got my first trike in 2015, for the first couple of years I had it, Kristian and I rode together almost every day, usually in Stonebridge, a housing development just over a mile south of us.

In 2019 their family moved yet again, to Pennsylvania, and I've not seen him since then, except for one summer day a couple of years ago when he and Henriette were back for a visit, and met Michelle and me for a modest hike at a local park.

Last week I got a message from him that he would be in town this week, and wondering if we could ride together. We planned a ride this morning, and set off about 9:45, riding (slowly) the Platt;Packard Square in great weather (not too hot, not too cold ... just right) -- 71° when we began, and 81° when we finished.

Just as we were starting off, I told him, "Sorry ... I'm still slow." He smiled, and reassured me warmly, "It's OK -- I'm here to ride with you, not to race with you."

This gave me a ride today of 13.4 miles in 2:02.

Relive video of today's ride

Wednesday, 8/7/2024 - 36th outdoor ride of 2024

                              

2024 MILEAGE - 2564.9

Today was my first ride outside since July 19, and I was glad to be able to get back to it. However, it was not an unmixed success. I left about 9:45, in 71° bright sunshine, and was riding the Packard/Platt Square (quite slowly) but not long after I made my traditional midway stop at Lillie Park, I developed a flat tire. With my back still hurting I didn't feel inclined to try to fix it out on the road, so I texted Michelle to come pick me up, and then after I dropped her at her school for a meeting, I took the trike to the dealer (Jack's) in Dearborn for what was a fairly simple repair. It turned out that both front tires needed replacement, and as long as they were doing the one tube, I had them do the other also.

Now I'm in good shape for a ride tomorrow with a friend. Kristian Frikke-Schmidt and I rode together nearly daily when I was first beginning to ride back in the middle of the last decade. But he and his family moved to Pennsylvania a few years ago. However, he contacted me to say he'd be back this week for a visit, and wondered if I'd like to ride together, so that's planned for tomorrow morning.

This gave me a ride today of 6.4 miles in 1:01.

Relive video of today's ride

Tuesday, 8/6/2024

                             

2024 MILEAGE - 2558.5

It's been 8 days since I last rode. We left on Tuesday, July 30, for a vacation in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and just returned home two days ago, on Sunday. Then yesterday I gave myself an additional day off, focusing my time on composition instead. And today, rain (including thunderstorms) was predicted for the entire day, so I rode inside.

On Monday, July 29, I  began watching during my ride the acclaimed 1977 TV miniseries Roots, which I had not seen when it was originally broadcast, as I was away at college then. On that day I watched the first episode, and today I watched Episode 2 of this incredibly moving and powerful presentation.

This gave me a ride today of 20.4 virtual miles in 1:36.

Trailer for Roots