Week 46

Date
November 20, 2016

Distance
100 miles

Strava Link
Week 46

Route Map/Profile

Weather

Ride Report 
I had to earn it this week. It was one of those days where it felt like I had a headwind in all directions. On top of that, I haven't been riding enough lately and I'm out of shape. On the bright side, I didn't get rained on very much and I was rewarded with an awesome sunset towards the end of the ride.

Next week is Thanksgiving and the year will be over before you know it. Make the most out of 2016 while you still can.

Week 45

Date
November 8, 2016

Distance
107 miles

Strava Link
Week 45

Route Map/Profile

Weather

Ride Report 
The one good thing about being homeless for a while is that I get to ride some different routes. I've ridden all of these roads before, but never in this combination. It's mostly a flat ride with a 6 Mile Canyon loop thrown in at the end.

My work schedule changed and I'm going to have to ride early for a while. If you look at the weather chart, you'll see the pros and cons of riding early. The good news is that I beat the wind. The bad news is that it's cold out there in the morning this time of year. It was nice and warm towards the end of today's ride, though.

Morning fog

Quick tubeless update: I'm much happier with the new Hutchinson Intensive tire. It's definitely a tougher tire. I have almost 800 miles on it so far and I haven't had any noticeable punctures. The tire is still in really good shape. There aren't any cuts and it looks like it has a lot of life left. Riding the Intensive on the back and the Fusion on the front has worked out well. I get the nice, softer feel of the Fusion on the front where it's not wearing out so fast and there's less chance of a puncture. At the same time, I get more durability and flat protection on the rear. I think I can get 2,000 miles out of the Intensive. We'll see how it goes.

Week 44

Date
November 1, 2016

Distance
100 miles

Strava Link
Week 44

Route Map/Profile

Weather

Ride Report 
October is over. I only got in 818 miles for the month, but there's been a lot going on and I'm still within reach of 12,000 miles for the year. November's going to be another busy month, but I'm pretty sure I'll make it.

Meanwhile, today's ride was a simple out-and-back on US 50. I was feeling lazy and there wasn't much wind, so it was a good day to do this route.

Week 43

Date
October 25, 2016

Distance
101 miles

Strava Link
Week 43

Route Map/Profile

Weather

Ride Report 
Windy Day route. I rode on Franktown Road for the first time since the Little Valley Fire.

There were a lot of thoughts running through my head, but the main thing I came away with was the thin line between luck and disaster. Some of the houses were very close to the fire, yet somehow didn't burn down. What was the difference? Was it just the random path of the fire?

It seems like we're all so close to disaster more often than we realize. Just think about the simple act of riding a bike. One wrong move from a driver and we could be dead in an instant. One flat tire at the wrong moment and we could ride off the side of a mountain. Not to mention deer and horses. Yet somehow it all seems to turn out just fine. I've ridden over 125,000 miles and I've only really had one serious incident. Even that could have been much, much worse and for the most part I feel like I came out on the lucky side.

Keep on riding while you still can.