Ride Data
Ride #9 – June 7, 2008
Distance: 40.17
Year to Date Distance: 316.55
Time: 2.15.41
Avg. Speed: 17.7 mph
Max. Speed: 28.2 mph
Ride Description: Lake Macatawa Tri
Riding Partners: Mike Mortorff and Jeremy Berghorst
Notes on the day: Helping out at the Lake Mac Tri..
Ride Data
Ride #8 – June 2, 2008
Pre- Ride Distance: 13.75
Year to Date Distance: 276.38
Time: 47.34
Avg. Speed: 17.3 mph
Max. Speed: 27.5 mph
MCC Monday Night Ride
Ride Distance: 36.30
Year to Date Distance: 312.68
Time: 1.56.42
Avg. Speed: 18.6 mph
Max. Speed: 28.5 mph
Ride Description: Macatawa Cycling Club – Monday Night Ride
Riding Partners: Tom Ayres, Scott Chapin, Chris Davison, and many others.
Notes on the day: Got in a ride before the ride tonight. Kept track of the stats separately to bettter gauge how my fitness is coming along in group rides.
The (good) sensations are starting to return. I gutted it out to the top of the hill on 58th Street coming up from the K-Zoo river. I really never expected to be the first one to the top… I was waiting for Chris D to come around me but I had forgotten he was on his fixie. This however proved to be a huge strategic error on my part as I then totally blew up on long gradual hill on 60th St from Old Allegan up to 136th Ave. It was ugly. Still the pace was healthy and except for the last 5 miles I felt extremely good.
Tongiht I would love to ride again but I just realized that there’s an MCC board meeting tonight where we talk about cycling and it prevents me from cycling. Can you feel my love on this one?
.
Ride Data
Ride #7 – May 25, 2008
Distance: 35.34
Year to Date Distance: 262.63
Time: 1.59.21
Avg. Speed: 17.7 mph
Max. Speed: 35.7 mph
Ride Description: Velo City Cycles May Fun Raiser – The Dessert Ride
Riding Partners: Scott Chapin, Chris Davison, Mike Clark, Carmen Hannah, Mike Mortorff, Frank Yarde and many others.
Notes on the day: A very nice ride this afternoon and great dessert at thebike shop following the ride.
[UPDATE: My comments this morning were very brief so here's some expanded thoughts]
I had a great pre-ride conversation with Carmen (one of my favorite people!). She shared some of her experience with the Big D. Enjoyed seeing Mr. Mortorff… I wish you would ride more.
Ride Data
Ride #6 – May 21, 2008
Distance: 23.09
Year to Date Distance: 227.39
Time: 1.47.36
Avg. Speed: 12.8 mph
Max. Speed: 25.5 mph
Ride Description: Ride of Silence – http://www.rideofsilence.org
Riding Partners: Around 25 other local cyclists from all aspects of cycling recreation and sport.
Notes on the day: Tonight was once again cold. Those that know me… know I am a talker. A 13 mile ride in silence was odd for me but very good all the same. I had a couple of really great conversations with myself during the ride – very positive and very therapeutic.
The extra mileage was me riding to and from the event.
Ride Data
Ride #5 – May 19, 2008
Distance: 43.76
Year to Date Distance: 204.30
Time: 2.30.14
Avg. Speed: 17.4 mph
Max. Speed: 35.0 mph
Ride Description: MCC Monday Night Ride – Sport group.
Riding Partners: A bunch of MCC’ers
Notes on the day: Tonight was cold – low 50’s at the start and it only dropped from there. This was my first ride with the Sport group. Previously I rode with the Tour group. The pace was about perfect. The Race group caught and overtook us on Grafschaap right near the highway overpasses and I jumped on the back but quickly blew up. It is very frustrating to be so much lighter but not even as fast as previous years… I guess that just proves that the 30 lbs I lost was muscle mass…. lighter but weaker.
Ohh well… My fitness is improving but I guess I just need to be more patient. Had a great ‘lawnmower conversation” in my head during the ride. It was positive and encouraging… I look forward to completing the healing process that has begun.
Not sure if I will ride tonight with Velo or not. Looks to be even colder tonight. I have some sprinklers to replace in my yard that were damaged by snow plows this winter and it feels like the perfect time to get that work completed.
Ride Data
Ride #4 – May 7, 2008
Distance: 24.48
Year to Date Distance: 160.54
Time: 1.35.38
Avg. Speed: 15.3 mph
Max. Speed: 25.8 mph
Ride Description: Jim Mahaney’s Zig Zag route. It started out as our classic East Saugatuck loop but then we basically turned left (south) and right (east) at every corner after we got to 64th and Blue Star.
Riding Partners: Jim Mahaney and Lee Glover
Notes on the day: Tonight was cold.
Ride Data
Ride #4 – May 5, 2008
Distance: 39.56 (includes 12-14 miles I did on my own prior to the Tour Group ride
Year to Date Distance: 136.06 miles
Time: 2.34.02
Avg. Speed: 15.4 mph
Max. Speed: 32.8 mph
Ride Description: The Macatawa Cycling Club’s Monday Night Ride – The newly formed Tour Group ride.
Riding Partners: John Vandenberg, Tom Ayres, Austen Ayres, Marci Michmerhuizen, Ed Baies, and several others
Notes on the day: So good to see everyone tonight. I really love riding with Marci M. She truly is a genuine happy person. Wish I could surround myself with people like her 24 hours a day for the next few months. It would make healing go so much faster 
The Tour Group ride, I believe was a success. Although the number of poeple who will participate in this ride will always remain small, I believe it is the single biggest commitment the club can make to foster new riders and give them a place to start. There was definitely a couple in the group tonight who joined the club and I am sure would have never came back had the Tour group not been available last night. The pace was light and I acted as Ride Leader. That moniker in itself is kind of odd…. as in many ways I feel like a newb myself…. although I guess after 8 years riding I guess I no longer qualify as a newb.
Next week I may try the Sport group, although the early comments from Jim Mahaney last night said the group pushed 21-22 most of the route and really split up on 60th coming north of 136th Avenue. Not sure my fitness is ready to sustain that for 36 miles yet but trying might be fun.
Last night was also my birthday. It was nice to have the club to hang out with and not be totally alone last night. My STBX (soon to be ex) wife texted me last night “Happy Birthday”. To which I reply (mentally not actually) just eff off! Why the acts of kindness? It just makes no sense to me.
Realized I can’t ride tonight as the Cycling club has a board meeting at 6:30pm. Not sure how I feel about this. I like being involved in the club but giving up riding to be active in the club is an issue…
Ride Data
Ride #3 – April 25, 2008
Distance: 36.23
Year to Date Distance: 96.5 miles
Time: 2.13.30
Avg. Speed: 16.2 mph
Max. Speed: 30.3 mph
Ride Description: Basically the MCC Monday night route but we cut over off Wyley rode earlier to avoid a long slow climb into the head wind going up to 126th Ave.
Riding Partners: Jim Mahaney
Notes on the day: Pretty easy paced ride. In the end it was about the same overall speed as on Tuesday (Ride #1) but boy did it hurt a lot less. <grin>. The head wind was pretty brutal for this early in the season…. but the ride home was sweet. Jim was great company and we had a burger at his place afterward. Definitely a bit different on weeks that I don’t have the kids to go out for a ride and then be able to just hang out thereafter, although I do miss coming any hanging out with the former wife.
Ride Data
Ride #2 – April 24, 2008
Distance: ~23 miles
Year to Date Distance: 60.27 miles
Time: unknown
Avg. Speed: unknown
Max. Speed: unknown
Ride Description: The Classic East Saugatuck Loop starting from my home. Route slip put the distance a bit over 23 miles.
Riding Partners: None – Solo!
Notes on the day: Ride my path bike and intended on doing a few miles casually but ended up riding the East Saugatuck loop.
Ride Data
Ride #1 – April 22, 2008
Distance: 37.27
Year to Date Distance: 37.27 miles
Time: 2.12.29
Avg. Speed: 16.8 mph (17.1 when the ride ended but my ride home was very slow)
Max. Speed: 28.2 mph
Ride Description: Velo City Cycles Tuesday Afternoon Road Ride.
Riding Partners: Mike Mortorff, Jim Mahaney, Leon Slikkers, MC, Kelly, Aaron, Greg, Jessica Oosting, John Jasker, Dawn Davison, The Original Randy, Dave Blanford, Kirk Walters, and so many great people who I am forgetting at the moment.
Notes on the day: Quite the title… I know. For those that don’t know the story. My wife left me last October and life has been quite different since that day. It’s definitely been the most humbling experience of my life. I entertained thoughts of continuing to ride indoors this past winter but once the Divorce news broke, I really didn’t have it in me. As of yesterday I’m 30 pounds lighter than last October and not the kind of weight you want to lose. I knew last night was going to hurt and hurt bad. It did and it was absolutely beautiful. The sensations in the legs and lungs were VERY good. I just need to get my stamina and endurance back and I just may be faster than ever. My stress level this morning is at a level that I can’t remember the last time it was this low. You know I used to read cycling magazines and talk of ‘love of the bike’. I thought it was corny and wrote it off…. last night I not only discovered my ‘love of the bike’, I think I rediscovered myself in the process… my new single life is a bit scary but it ‘will be’ very good in time.
Thanks to several really close friends that helped pull me through the last 6 months.