Week 50

Date
December 13, 2016

Distance
103 miles

Strava Link
Week 50

Route Map/Profile

Weather

Ride Report 
I got back from my trip earlier than expected, so I had time to squeeze this ride in today. I was feeling tired, but look at that weather. There's no way I could pass it up. Who knows what the weather will be like on Sunday.

I haven't given a tubeless update for a while. I'm still very happy with the new Hutchinson Intensive rear tire. I have a little over 1,400 miles on it and I still haven't noticed any punctures yet. The tire is still in very good shape and hasn't started to square off yet. There are a few small cuts, but those are entirely expected. There are no big cuts at all. I'm very happy. So far it's everything I hoped for out of tubeless. I should just buy a new pair of these tires after this one wears out, but I probably won't be able to resist the urge to buy a different brand just to keep experimenting.

The year is almost over. Only 2 weeks to go. There's always something to aim for. I still haven't hit 12,000 miles for the year yet, so that goal will keep me going over the next 2 weeks.

Week 49

Date
December 5, 2016

Distance
100 miles

Strava Link
Week 49

Route Map/Profile

Weather

Ride Report 
I did back-to-back centuries on the 4th and 5th because I'll be out of town next weekend. This is the same route I did two weeks ago, but I'm new to the area, so I'm not bored with it yet. There was more snow to look at this time.

The weather was good again. It was a little colder and windier than yesterday, but it was still good weather for December. I haven't done back-to-back long rides in a while, but my legs felt fine. Both rides were relatively flat, so that helps. I just feel like ever since I completed Petoji I've been able to to back-to-back rides without much of a problem. Can the physical effects really last more than a year? Probably not. I think it's more of a mental thing. Speaking of Petoji, I may have something shorter but similar happening in 2017. More on that in a few weeks.

I followed these two rides up with a mountain bike ride on Tuesday. That's right, I got a new mountain bike and I'm planning on riding it about once a week. There are a lot of potential MTB routes within a decent distance of where I live now. It's going to be a big learning experience for me. I haven't done any real mountain biking in the past. I did a century in Alaska on a MTB, but a lot of it was on pavement and the gravel portions were on a smooth gravel road. "Gravel bikes" didn't really exist back then, but would have been perfect for that ride. 

My first ride was short and involved a lot of walking. I was in over my head quite a bit. I'm hoping to do some easier roads over the next few weeks to get my skills up a little bit. The problem is that I don't know the conditions of any of the roads because I'm new to the area. That's not ideal for slowly building up my skills, but it is a lot of fun and I'm eager to explore. I just need to have realistic expectations. I'm not a good bike handler. I'm going to suck for a while. The biggest thing will be not getting frustrated with myself. It was a weird feeling on Tuesday. Physically I was capable of pushing my legs and my lungs a lot harder, but skill-wise I couldn't keep the bike moving. I did get frustrated at first and I was wondering why I bought the stupid MTB in the first place. But even over the course of that ride I could feel myself getting a little (and I do mean little) bit better. I'm hoping I can just keep it fun. I take myself a little too seriously out on the road.

Week 48

Date
December 4, 2016

Distance
100 miles

Strava Link
Week 48

Route Map/Profile

Weather

Ride Report 
This was a simple out-and-back towards Dayton. The weather was about as good as you can hope for this time of year. Highs were in the upper 50s and there wasn't much wind.

December is here and there are only 4 weeks to go. If the weather keeps cooperating it will be a pretty easy 2016, but you never know what the future may hold. Deep down inside I think I secretly hope for at least one crazy week to put things in doubt. I don't have any wiggle room for Week 50. I'll have to do that ride on December 18th. That might be the one.

Week 47

Date
November 24, 2016

Distance
102 miles

Strava Link
Week 47

Route Map/Profile

Weather

Ride Report 
Thanksgiving ride. I have a lot to be thankful for because I'm finally moved into the new house. There is a ton of work to be done, but I'm really enjoying the change of scenery. This will probably become one of my standard routes.

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.