Now We Get a 65 Degree Day!

Where was this weather 2 months ago! I guess I shouldn't complain because they are predicting snow later this week. I should just enjoy the weather while we have it. The winds today were out of the southwest, so four of us decided to ride to Manhattan. It was a nice, rather uneventful ride.

Today's 55 miles takes me to a total of 6,06o miles for the year.

I am saddened by the Bears loss today. However, knowing that the Stillers lost really bad, takes the edge off the Bears loss.

6000!

Yesterday, I was able to do a short "pre-dinner" ride. Total 19 miles. Today, quite a few of us from the Frankfort Breakfast Club went out and did a "post-dinner" ride. We rode to Peotone. It was a really nice day for a ride. 60 degrees by afternoon. There were fairly strong south winds so it was a slow ride out, but a fairly fast-paced ride back. Total 53 miles. Total for the year - 6,006. Hey Pete, we missed you today. Have you hit 6,000 yet?

I am choosing not to ride tomorrow with the Frankfort Breakfast Club. I've ridden three days in a row and I have a ride planned for Sunday. At this time of year, it will be nice to have a day off the bike. Besides I really have to be the Happy Homeowner tomorrow.

Good Timing

A couple of weeks ago, I decided I wanted to take today off. The office closes early and the trains are a nightmare. And I wanted to avoid it all. The bicycling gods blessed us with beautiful weather today and I managed a 39 mile bike ride.

Add that 39 to the 40 or so I did last Saturday with the Frankfort Breakfast Club, I have 5,934 miles. I should pick up another 20 or so tomorrow in the "pre-dinner" ride. So that means on Friday (and the weather should still be nice) I should pass 6,000 miles.

And to both my readers - Happy Thanksgiving!

Hail to the (Real) Victors!

Go Buckeyes!

FOS News

Last night was my bike club's, Folks on Spokes ("FOS") annual pizza party and end of year meeting. A new slate of officers was elected and yours truly (after drinking some wine at a party a month ago) volunteered to be prez. So, as of today, I am also president of FOS. (I hope this group has a sense of humor......)

Anyway, I also won another award last night:



So, maybe 200 miles a week in the summer isn't normal? Hmmmmm.

Time to Dust Off Those Laugh-In Tapes

Well, I'm finally starting to morph into off-season (i.e. non-cycling) activities. I am not particularly fond of spinning. Because, if I'm on my bike, I want to be going somewhere, anywhere. I will do some gentle lifting, but that doesn't fulfill the aerobic part of healthy workout program.

Of course, any chance I get, cycling is my aerobic workout, but windchills and snow do tend to be obstacles at this time of the year. So, I turn to my old friend - Mr. NordicTrack. It's only modestly more interesting than spinning, but because I do very little x-country skiing outside, I can tolerate 30 minute or so on it. Besides the obvious arm/leg workout that it provides, I am usually watching old Laugh-In tapes while NordicTracking (NordicTracking?) and that certainly provides a serious core (ab) workout as well.

So, hopefully I can workout more than I eat and drink.

Celebrating Veteran's Day

We had very seasonal weather today. Cloudy, blustery and temps that never climbed out of the 30's. But The Frankfort Breakfast Club rides on. There were basically three of us riding today. I say basically three, because a fourth joined us for a few miles, but he had a flat and decided he didn't have enough time to go out to breakfast with us and turned around.

We went to downtown Joliet for breakfast. There is a nice smoke-free restaurant right around the corner from the Rialto Square Theater. After a nice leisurely breakfast, which is just another way of saying we ate slow because it was cold outside, we went 2 blocks south to the Will County Courthouse and watched the Veteran's Day Ceremonies for a little bit.

We then headed back toward Frankfort. Of course I stopped in the coffee, er, bike shop and warmed up a little before cranking out the last 10 miles home. I ended up with 49 miles for the day and Pete was nowhere to be seen. I wonder what his mileage total is for the year. hmmmmm.

Recapturing My Lost October

Yesterday, I had some personal business to attend to in the middle of the day. So, in the morning I worked a few hours from home.

Some convergence of the bicycle and weather gods created a beautiful, sunny day with temps in the 60s and modest SW winds. So, not only was I able to take care of my errand by bicycle, I was able to squeeze a little 44 mile ride around it.

Hey Pete - saw your van in Frankfort yesterday. Didja know I was out riding?

A Shameless Plug

On Sunday, November 12, there will be a fundraiser for Animal Adoption Associates. Last summer, I told you the story about Hugo and his rescue.

This year the event will be at Adobo Grill in Wicker Park, 2005 West Division St., starting at noon. There will be a silent auction, boutique and other ways to contribute to the shelter. Good food, good people, and the Bears even re-scheduled their game for Sunday night to accomodate us. You would even get a chance to see me without helmet hair!

$45 in advance and $50 at the door. You can mail your reservation to:

Animal Adoption Associates
PO Box 2104
Chicago, IL 60690

If you cannot attend but would still like to make a contribution, you can send it to the above address.

Animal Adoption Associates is 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit organization. It is one of the largest no-kill shelters in the city. All donations go directly to the feeding, sheltering and caring for the animals.

Hugo thanks you.

A Modestly Nice Day for a Bike Ride

Today, the Folks on Spokes ("FOS") Sunday ride was a show 'n go. Three of us (molto vivace et furioso) showed up and went - to Peotone. There was a modest southwest wind blowing with temps in the mid 40s going up to the lower 50s. So it was at least nicer than yesterday.

When we arrived at the restaurant formerly known as Mayberry's, we ran into some other cycling friends and had breakfast with them. After Peotone we parted ways and rode off to Frankfort, then onto the trail (Old Plank Road Trail) and home. All in all it was another fairly uneventful ride.

I arrived home just at the start of the second qarter of the Bears game. It was pretty ugly people. They scored a TD and Miami missed a FG right before the half. This was just a teaser to give us hope. Well, I hope they have it out of their system now. Lets get back to those winning ways!

On a happier note, the Stillers lost again. I guess we'll start to see black bunting appear throughout Western PA. (he he he).

A Blustery Saturday

The Frankfort Breakfast Club group is getting smaller and smaller. Six of us rode out to Monee this morning for breakfast. There was a brisk south wind. Temps got up into the 40s so it wasn't as bad as it could have been. (There were a couple of mornings this week in which the wind chill was in the teens.) We had head winds on the way out, so we worked up an appetite. The ride back to Frankfort was much quicker. Of course I had to stop in the coffee, er bike shop/warming center to warm up.

I ended up with 41 miles for the day. Which means I need 59 tomorrow to get 100 for the week. The weather promises to be a little less blustery tomorrow than today. But I think Pete has more miles than me right now, so I gotta get 'em when I can.

I hope the rain hold off this afternoon. I actually have to be the Happy Homeowner and mulch some leaves. I don't think walking the lawnmower through my yard counts as miles though....