Asher mentioned that he wanted to get out on a ride Saturday.  He also mentioned some beast called Peterson Avenue, which I’d never heard of.  I basically said that I can handle any in-town terrain on my single-speed.  We met up and headed out.

We did a couple of warm-up climbs on Eastern Parkway, and in Cherokee Park.  I fell behind because I’m out of shape, and I was riding a single-speed, but I did as I expected and just kept going.

When we made a turn on to Peterson Ave, I then understood the challenge.  It’s a steep, if short climb.  No problem there.  The problem is the surface.  It’s a very bumpy brick road.  I made it about 1/3 of the way up before dismounting and walking.  Asher rode to the top.  Walking on cleats on a brick road was not my favorite way to do this.

We eventually worked our way to River Road and stopped at The Black Spring, a very unique bike shop.  After looking at cruiser bikes (just for fun), we ate some BBQ from a new business that shares space with the shop.

Once fueled again, we headed toward downtown, where we passed a lost-looking guy on a hybrid bike.  We passed him at a good clip, then I noticed he caught up with us easily and stayed right behind me.  Asher and I chatted with him a bit.  Ed was here on business and rented a bike after arriving in town.  He’s a serious cyclist.  He used to be a full-time commuter in San Diego, and currently is a part-time commuter in Salt Lake City.

We gave him a tour of Portland, the West End, and part of the Riverwalk before he headed back to his hotel.  He mentioned how flat the area was.  Although Louisville is flat compared to where he’s from, he missed the hills we were on earlier.

I ended the day with 35.6 miles and still had time to get a bunch of yardword done then wander around the neighborhood with Robin for the Schnitzelburg Beer Walk until a thunderstorm with hail chased us to shelter.

Not a whole lot to say about day 14.  I rode about a half mile, just so I could say I was on the bike.  I did spend the day with Robin, and that was a fair trade-off.

On Sunday, day 15, I goofed around the house a while.  I had intended to take off on a long ride on the recumbent.  I couldn’t seem to force myself out the door.  After several hours of working on PHP, HTML, and CSS, I decided I needed a bike ride.

Another bike pose

I scaled back my plans and took off for an urban ride on the single-speed.  It was warm, about 80 degrees, but quite windy.  I meandered through neighborhoods and eventually made it to Mellwood Ave.  I took that out to Mockingbird Valley, down to the trail along River Rd.  There were many people out a Carrie Gaulbert Cox Park.  Some were cooking on the grill.  Some were putting boats on the river.  A few were flying kites.

Ohio River through the trees

I then started climbing through the Indian Hills neighborhood.  Eventually crossing Brownsboro Rd at Country Ln and riding through the parking lot and bike path at Chenoweth Elementary School.

Pretty climb

Being a Sunday, the bike rack was empty.  I’d like to see how many kids use it during a nice day.

Empty bike rack

The path is a very short path that goes from Sprite Rd to the school.  It allows the kids to get from the quiet neighborhood streets of Brownsboro Village to the school without having to travel on the busy Brownsboro Rd.  This may be the only utilitarian bike path in town.

Bike path

I then wound around through St Matthews.  Normally the next part would be through Seneca Park, but i wanted something different, so I hopped on Lexington Rd where I managed a brisk 20mph into a headwind (but going downhill).  I turned off on the Beargrass Creek Trail and stopped to rest and take a picture of the signage.

Slippery when wet

The warning is no joke.  It was dry for this ride, but I’ve ridden the trail when it’s wet.  There are several bridges over the creek, and they are especially hazardous.

Around this time, I heard from Tim.  He wanted to get out and burn off some of the food he had consumed.

I finished the trail, and worked my way to Baxter Ave then Bardstown Rd where I met up with Tim.

He was on his QuickBeam, so we both enjoyed the simple-ness of a single-speed.

He led us through Cherokee and Seneca Parks.  It was getting to be evening and the bugs were out in force.  When I wasn’t inhaling them, they were bouncing off my glasses.

I followed him off-road twice.  It was an interesting ride.  Both of us have to be back to work today (Monday), so we eventually parted ways.  I headed straight down Eastern Parkway, taking advantage of a tailwind and a hill to spin out at 35mph for a bit.

I had 30.7 miles for the day.  I’ll take it.

BRIGHT Headlight

I got up at 4:30am, had coffee and and oatmeal and prepared for an early ride with Tim.  He sent me a message that he wasn’t well, and wouldn’t be at the ride.

I was going to ride anyway.  My (abbreviated) ride took me through Smoketown, Downtown, across the river to Indiana, then back through Old Louisville and home.

I didn’t spend any money, as it’s Easter, and nothing was open.

Commute through Old Louisville

I had an uneventful ride to work this morning.  It had rained overnight, but skies had cleared before time for work.

At 5:00pm the rain was coming down hard, but I worked late and it was barely raining by 6:20pm when I headed home.

I invited Robin out to dinner at Cafe Amici in Old Louisville.  I ate a bit too much, but limited myself to one beer.

Bike Pose

My DiNotte lights that I bought back in 2008 show signs of wear.  The cables were fraying.  The batteries don’t last as long.  DiNotte has a reputation for good service.  I have them a call yesterday to see what my options are.

The headlight I have, the 600L, is no longer made.  They’re selling me a new XML-3 which is substantially brighter and throwing in a free refurbish on my 140L taillight.  Works for me.

So, this morning I rode to the post office on the way to work to mail the old stuff to them.  Now it’s time for “the wait”.  Nobody likes the “the wait”.

After work I took a meandering ride home.  There was a risk of rain today, but it hasn’t materialized yet.  Overall a nice day.

Heavy skies

This might have been the first week this year that I rode to work and back a full five days. Most of those were on the single-speed.  I think I’m getting better.

Some of the improvement is mental.  Deciding to just deal with the pain has made things easier.  I’m still stretching and taking Aleve, but that’s pretty much it.

The nicer weather is a bonus.  Most of the country is having an early spring.  I’ve been leaving my bedroom window open for over a week now.  That was a bad idea during the day yesterday.  We had a storm, with tornado, blow through while I was at work.  There was no damage in my part of town, but the wind blew the rain in my open window getting my bed wet and splattering my laptop with droplets.  The laptop just needed a wipe-down. It still works fine.

After work I spent time with Robin and watched basketball.

I plan to participate in the 30 days of biking for the month of April.  That basically means I’m on the bike at least a little every day of the month.  I usually have days that I don’t go anywhere, or only walk, so I’ll have to take a little extra time for a spin around the neighborhood.

I’m going to keep this short.  Five of us set out for a gravel adventure on Sunday.  I was a bit worried about a 40-mile gravel ride on the ‘bent, but the bike did reasonably well.

Our navigation and fitness left a bit to be desired.  After riding off-course for a while, we took the direct way back to the cars, and only got about 37 miles in for the day.

It was beautiful weather.  It was good fun.  I need to do it again.

Tim’s write-up.

Asher’s take on the day.

It’s no secret that my bike riding is way down.  My neck issues have seen to that.  Now that I’ve decided what to do about it (exercise and stretching) I need to ride more.

Saturday, Timothy and Asher competed in the Sub9 Death March.  They planned to stop at Charlestown Pizza for a victory beer after the race.  I’m in no shape to race, but I hopped on my recumbent for a ride to Charlestown to meet up with them.

Charlestown Pizza used to be one of my regular hang-outs when I lived in Charlestown.  I now live 20 miles away, so I don’t get there often.  A 40-mile round-trip means I can consume a few calories.

The 'bent near a funny sign

I actually had a rough ride on the way northward.  It’s a slight uphill the whole way.  Drivers were rude and I wasn’t feeling well.  To think I used to ride the route often to get to work was amazing.  I also realized just how out of shape I’ve gotten.

The weather was stunning.  It was sunny, clear, and in the mid-50s.  I arrived at Charlestown Pizza to see they are having a fundraiser for tornado-affected areas.  They were busy, but there was only about a 20-minute wait for a table for three.

After hearing about Timothy and Asher’s struggle on the Death March (and the DNF they got), we enjoyed food and beer.

It was dark by the time it was time to leave.  I was well-lit, yet I took a different route with less traffic but more hills.  I felt strong.  I felt good.

While southbound, Venus and Jupiter were to my right.  Mars was to my left.  Orion was nearly overhead.  I easily saw these things because it’s easy to look up into the sky while riding the recumbent.  The bike has it’s drawbacks, but the view is not one of them.

After riding home I felt incredibly alive.  Unlike my camping trip last month, I didn’t hurt from the ride.  Even the Big Dummy, with it’s upright position, hurts.  The ‘bent doesn’t.

Now I’m in a quandary.  I’m considering selling the LHT.  It’s designed for long trips.  I can’t ride an upright bike for long distances.  My single-speed works great around town for short trips.  The Big Dummy works for hauling dog food and other supplies short distances, but the ‘bent has to be my “distance bike”.

In any case, it was great to get out again.  I’m going to start getting out on my solo rides.

Patrick eating by headlamp - Saturday night

Read part one if you haven’t already.

I woke sore, stiff, and cold on Sunday morning.  I rolled out of the tent glad to be off of the ground.  It was about 6:30am.  The other guys started stirring about the same time.

The original plan was for me to make coffee and breakfast.  Breakfast required Asher to get the fire going again.  I was convinced by the others to skip making breakfast and concentrate on coffee.

I used Patrick’s stove and a percolator I borrowed from a co-worker to make passable (but hot!) coffee.

With everything packed, we rolled out of the campsite.  We waved at the younger group on our way out.  They were up, awake, and making breakfast.

The 33-degree temperatures were chilling on the fast descent down Holsclaw Hill Rd with no warm-up time.  Then it was a steady slog into and through town.

We decided to eat at a buffet near my house.  I fell behind everyone (except Asher who rode with my sorry slow ass).  Shortly after turning on Eastern Parkway the bike started feeling “squishy”.  Yep, the rear tire was going flat again.

Repairing a flat means unloading the bike.  Not a big deal at the campsite, but a real pain on the side of the road.  We were probably less than two miles from the restaurant, so I pumped the tire back up and continued.

After a less-than-satisfying breakfast, Patrick loaned me a CO2 cartridge that I used to re-inflate my tire and ride another mile to get home.  The bike is still sitting in the living room with a flat tire.

Building a bench - Saturday

I completely enjoyed the adventure, even with the cold, the neck issues, and the flats.  I’ll eventually buy better camping equipment.  I’m still not sure what direction bike changes will take.  I may be limited to riding the recumbent permanently.  This ride was painful.  I can add an under seat rack for more carrying capacity on the ‘bent.  I don’t want to do so until I know if I need to.

For now, I ride what I have and enjoy what I can.

A S24O is a sub 24-hour overnight trip.  The RCCS has been wanting to do one for quite a while.  Why not February?

So Saturday afternoon, Tim, Timothy, Patrick, Asher, and I all headed for Jefferson Memorial Forest.  Asher went on ahead to deal with firewood and paperwork, while the rest of us rode together after a meet-up for coffee and snacks.

I’m not supposed to be riding my bikes, other than the recumbent, per doctor’s orders.  The ‘bent isn’t set up for hauling a touring load.  Riding a drop-bar bike is out of the question.  The only choice I was left with was to ride the Big Dummy.  It has a more upright position which is easier on the neck.  It can also easily deal with hauling a load.

Loaded Dummy

I don’t have winter camping gear.  My sleeping bag was bought at WalMart 13 years ago.  I have an even cheaper sleeping bag I brought along as a second pad to supplement my foam pad.  My tent is an old but serviceable dome tent.  I also brought my regular pillow from home to help with my neck.

We wandered through town hitting a few extra hills to warm up (Tim claims it was just one extra hill, but I’m not convinced.)

We eventually made our way out to Mitchell Hill Rd then to Holsclaw Hill Rd.  Somewhere along there we got to enjoy a backyard firing range, 80s heavy metal blaring from a stereo, and an aggressive driver in a Mustang.

My fitness level is way down.  My weight is up.  I was riding a heavily-loaded cargo bike.  I fell behind the group on Holsclaw Hill Rd, well, because it goes up a hill!  I actually got off the bike and walked… for about ten feet.  The loaded bike was too heavy to push.  I got back on and continued pedaling.

I didn’t bring my camera on this trip.  I brought my iPhone to use as a camera.  I have mixed feelings about it, which I’ll write more about later.  I didn’t take a lot of photos.

While approaching the entrance to the campground, the  gang was at the top of the hill waiting for me.  I attempted a steep uphill climb off-road as a shortcut, and fell in the mud.  Oops.

We rolled into the campsite.  Before I could even unload the bike, someone pointed out I had a flat tire.  Sure enough, the rear tire was completely flat.  I unloaded the bike and changed the tube.

We all set up our tents.  Asher got a fire going.  Asher, Tim, and Patrick built a bench from a log and two rocks.  (I brought a camp chair).  Patrick prepared an awesome meal of pasta and sauce.  There were also prepared meat balls that just needed to be roasted over the fire to warm them up.  Beer was shared.

Timothy's "Beast"

Another group of five who were mostly U of L students were also bike camping a short distance away.  They invited us on an after-dark hike on a trail to a cemetery.  I was feeling the effects of the alcohol, and joined them.  The others in my group declined.  I enjoyed the hike.  The peaceful darkness was nice.  Flashlights were kept off unless needed.  The hiking warmed me up in a way the fire couldn’t.

Photogenic Tim

Once it got late, we eventually crawled into our tents to sleep.  I stayed completely dressed including hat and jacket.  I only removed my boots.  Even cocooned in my sleeping bag I was cold.  I slept poorly and was glad when I woke to sunlight.  That meant I could get up and move.

Patrick's Fargo

I’ll finish the story later in the week.  I need to get to sleep.

Tim, Patrick, and I got together early this morning for a drive out to Holland Indiana for another gravel ride.  We all rode with Tim.  Tim picked me up right on time at 6:20.  We loaded my bike, and made a stop at Sunergos… which doesn’t open until 7:00 on Sundays now.  Okay, next door is Nord’s with passable coffee and a donut.

As we left the metro area the temperature dropped from about 22F to 17F.  Brrrr.  It had warmed to about 19F by the time we arrived in Holland.

I have some history with riding in the winter out of Holland.  Last time, we had a planned store stop in Winslow, just as we did this time.  Last time, we cut that part of the ride out and I stopped and refused to ride farther because the snow was too much for me to ride in.  I ended up sitting on a bench in the town of Stendal waiting for a ride back home.

Today was cold, but there was no snow.  About 7 miles in, we come across our first problem.  The route was taking us on a private road with big KEEP OUT signs.  We routed around and kept going.

I had switched back to clipless pedals recently, and had tried my best to keep my feet warm in the vented shoes.  I wore two pair of wool socks with plastic bags between them to block wind and keep warmth in.  It really wasn’t working.  My feet were getting painfully cold.  The rest of me was comfortable.

Although he wasn’t complaining about it at the time, Patrick was suffering cold feet also.  He was running his normal clipless pedals and shoes with toe covers.  Tim was the smart one.  He swapped out his pedals for some platforms and wore warm shoes.

I had made comments before the ride that “at least were routing around Stendal” – the town I sat on a bench in the cold back in January.  Our detour to avoid the private roads took us through Stendal.  The bench is still there in front of the defunct Stendal Store.

At about mile 17 Tim decided he needed to head back.  He was feeling weak and ill.  He tried to convince us to continue the ride, since I had my GPS.  Patrick and I both had painfully cold feet and we just figured that left us more time to eat.

We headed back a mostly direct route to Holland, passing through Stendal once again.  Nearly back to Holland we turned south on S 825 W.  This road surface was incredibly bad.  Luckily it was frozen enough that we didn’t bog down in mud.

S 825 W

We rolled back to Tim’s car.  Tim was glad to be off the bike, and could barely walk.  Patrick and I were griping about our frozen toes.  We loaded the bikes and stopped at Waffle House for a completely unhealthy, yet totally satisfying meal.

The planned 55-mile ride turned out to be only 27.5 miles.  It was still a much more enjoyable day than hanging around the house, or even riding around town.

Click for route