Happy 29er day

Happy 29er day everyone. What a great day to ride a bike. The sun was shining and it felt like spring. I ditched my San Jose and grabbed my SE Stout 29er to celebrate at lunch today. I love this bike. The only problem is the rear wheel isn't very clyde friendly. OH well I dont ride it enough to justify a new wheel set .... Yet. I was lucky enough to get just over 9 miles at lunch today lets call it 9.29 hehe. The only thing that sucked is this dam wind we are having. I burned about 1200 calories thanks to the rolling terrain in the heather/fairway ridge subdivision. If anyone is ever riding in the Gurnee area I recommend you try it.

Cant wait for the next 29 er day in 2016. Now what to drink tonight after class.

Garrett and his bike

For Garrett's birthday sarah and I purchases our oldest son a strider prebike. For those who don't know it is a bike with no pedal and it helps kids work on their balance and confidence by allowing them to use their feet. Anyways it was a nice Sunday and I asked him if he wanted to ride. He jumped at the chance to get outdoors. It wasn't very cold out and snow which was on the ground was starting to melt. We did some laps around the driveway and he fell a few times but it didnt faze him.

Then he saw the snow. He quickly road his strider over to the end of the driveway where the plow had piled up the  snow and there was still a decent amount on the ground. He looked back at me and said "Daddy I want to ride over there," and he started to take his bike into the snow/dirt. I dont know if it was the wind or if emotions got the best of me but im pretty sure a tear trickled down my face. Seeing my three year old take is bike onto the dirt his first time out was awesome. I cant wait for his first trip north up to the single track. I better get in shape before then.

On a side note anyone who has a young child who is thinking about getting them their first bike i strongly recommend the strider or a similar bike. We love it so much that we are probably getting Gavin one for his second birthday.  Pictures to come soon. 

Barley made it

Woke up yesterday at 630 and quickly realized that I had 15 minutes to shower, get dressed, grab my bike and drive to the train station. I made it just in time and luckily didn't forget anything and even remembered to grab lunch.

When I got off the train at western ave. I was reminded how cold it was. I quickly hopped on my bike and started pedaling. The cold quickly disappeared everywhere expect my feet. I covered the 5 or so miles to school in about 20 minutes which was a pretty decent pace for me at 8 in the morning. I like taking it slow so I'm not a sweaty mess for class. I still have enough time to cool off before class begins.

Class was fun. We watched a few videos and the movie black class that was exciting. Now I have to figure out what to brew.  Anyone know a fermented beverage from ancient times?  On my ride back to the train station I decided to head to union station so I could grab some beers for the ride back. The only beer the cvs had that was drinkable was sierra nevada pale ale which is not bad at all. I challenged myself to drink all six on my train ride home and succeeded. I got home around 630 and was greeted by a happy family and some delicious itallian beef sandwiches. All in all a decent 12 hour school day.

The Streak Is Dead

Today ended my streak of friday commutes to work. A few things factored into this decision to drive my cage to work today. I had to drop my son off at my moms this morning to spend the day with grandma, and it snowed about 6 or so inches. The reason I dont like to ride after a big snow is not the weather, its the plows. I rode last time it snowed and I almost got plowed a few times. I decided that when it snows like this its just safer to stay inside and get plowed. I will try tonight to get my miles in around my neighborhood. It sucks but I dont want to start my weekend attached to the front of a truck. Maybe next year Ill do some logistical work and figure out a safer route.

Winter Commuting

I decided to take advantage of this mild midwest winter and started the season early. I was sick and tired of sitting around the house and feeling like crap. The first bike to work was the last friday in January and I almost lost my feet. Since then I have updated my kit and have been enjoying everyday since.

The best part about biking year round for me is the way I feel. My 45 or so minutes of exercise before work or at lunch have really improved my overall mood. I dont know why I never did this before. Best of all I'm doing it with one speed. Right now I dont really have any goal expect to hit 1200 miles by December 31st.

Wish me Luck and I will post updates on the journey here on my new blog.