A Few Relaxed

Just a few miles, compared to recent rides, and just a few riders. This August 18, 2009 saw only three riders cover 14.3 miles at a relaxed pace of 12 mph. One rider found one dime. It was great time to talk and enjoy the late summer countryside. The river near our route for a few miles, a gravel plant that no longer produces product, and corn canyons were all part of our conversations and the evening ride.

We encountered another rider, when our road intersected their route, and for a few brief moments managed to introduce ourselves and encourage participation in next weeks ride. Anyone new to town should join us for our weekly ride. Anyone should consider joining us and everyone is welcome. 5:30 pm each Tuesday we meet at First English Lutheran Church and just pick a route. Often the route develops as we progress.

Maps: http://felcbiking.blogspot.com/2008_03_01_archive.html

Two Finders

August 11, 2009 I finally got back to ride with the group after three weeks of missing rides for various reasons. We had five riders tonight and managed 19.5 miles at a 13.1 mph average.

Two riders found coins. Seven pennies were located by one and two pennies by the other rider. It is still a fun activity and humorous comments abound.

We rode the Cardinal Trail to Industries Road and then went west of town. I suspect I was not alone in my enjoyment of a beautiful sunshine sky. After the ride ended and participants were home it rained hard. It was great to get a good ride in with welcome weather.

We discussed continuing to ride at 5:30 pm each Tuesday until well into September.

Maps: http://felcbiking.blogspot.com/2008_03_01_archive.html

Warm Bugs

July 21, 2009 - One rider commented that it was finally warm enough to ride. It has been a cool year and tonight was a ride in the 80's. Eight riders enjoyed a 15.6 mile route at an average speed of 13 mph.

An interesting event on this evening's ride was the clouds of bugs we rode into. Most of us in the Midwest know of the bugs near corn fields that come out for just a few days a year. Our car windows quickly become coated with white splotches as the bugs spatter against them. We know not to turn the wipers on because they just smear a greasy mess over the window. These same bugs got into helmets and hair as we cycled into the flying swarm of them. It was almost as if the bugs were presenting us with a "critical mass" to disrupt our ride. Several of us were removing helmets to get the crawly creatures off of our heads. After passing the corn fields the situation improved.

There were a few hills and they spread the group out. Regrouping at the top of a hill was the norm for this evening. It was fun to ride in a double line on a flat section and converse with each other. The ending emotion was a pleased glow for a great ride.

Several admitted that they will not be there following week and it looks like the next ride will be more sparsely attended. There should still be four or more riders.

July 7, 2009 saw eight riders in our group. One was courageous enough to join us on a 3 speed just taken out of storage. Another new participant had fabricated his own disc to cover the rear wheel spokes for better aerodynamics. It is always interesting to see the varieties of equipment and the people who ride them. Bicycling is another way we celebrate diversity.

Our distance was 14.8 miles and the average speed 12.3 mph. The group kept spreading out as we encountered hills, but we frequently regrouped. Oh, I picked up a dime.

Right Past

I had to miss the ride on June 30, 2009. We were in Greenville baby sitting. I was told that they covered nearly 20 miles and the time was just under 1-1/2 hours. That suggests about a 13 mph average. When stepping out of my garage to mow the lawn, the group sailed past my drive. I counted at least five riders, and they were just finishing the route. I hope it was a good ride.

Longest

Tuesday, June 23, 2009, really wasn't the longest day of the year. That was Sunday. It probably was the longest day of the year that we will ride together. It was also the longest distance we have covered this year. We decided that temperatures in the eighties were ideal to dry us out from last week's ride. 19.6 miles at an average speed of 12.1 mph was the trip for Tuesday. Seven riders made a good group size. Other that traffic around the Wayne County Fair grounds, our ride was enjoyable. Again, it was nice to have additional riders and all are welcome.

We were told about a ride Reid Hospital has organized. Their website is: www.reidride.com Registration is available there and the online material should answer all of your questions.

Rain, Rain, go away

June 16, 2009 when the question was, "Will we get wet?" The answer was yes, at about the nine mile mark of the ride. Corn and soybeans were growing and I'm sure they liked the rain more than we did. One rider recalled he had not ridden in the rain for about two years. It was not a heavy rain yet, although there were "rooster tails" sprouting from tires. We completed the ride with good spirits and not much hypothermia.

There were six riders and the distance turned was 17.1 miles. An average speed of 13.4 mph was a little more in line with our normal ride speed. We seem to be enjoying longer rides because of the amount of daylight available.

At one point in the ride I noticed a small flying animal. At first it appeared to be a humming bird, and I almost called it that. Then it zoomed upward and flew directly overhead. Looking up, I could see it was a dragon fly silhouetted against the sky. It was fun to have it flying in formation above.