2021 mileage: 2648.7
Riding at 9:30 this morning in order to beat the early afternoon rain they are calling for, I set off in brisk but sunny 43° conditions, and my gloves and fleece felt good. I rode a round trip to Baker Rd., though modifying the outbound leg just slightly in order to take me by the library (so I could drop off a book I just finished) and the credit union (to deposit a check I received this week for Finale work I did recently for a friend).
2021 mileage: 2629.3
I wanted to ride early today so that I could be home in plenty of time for the Tigers' 1:00 game, but complications meant that I didn't arrive until the bottom of the first inning. I was glad to even make that, however!
I left at 10 a.m. in 42° cloud cover, and set off to ride the Packard/Platt Square. It was going splendidly through the first five and a half miles ... but then, after having ridden south on the sidewalk paralleling Platt Road from Packard to Ellsworth (the eastern side of this route), I was stopped, waiting for the light to allow me to cross Ellsworth. All had been fine to that point, with not a hint of any trouble ... but when the light changed and I began to try to move forward, I made it a foot or so and then could go no farther.
After dismounting and wheeling the trike back onto the sidewalk (our of the way of the oncoming traffic), I began to examine it, and it didn't take long at all to discover the problem: the chain had somehow come off the gear in front, and was wrapped awkwardly around the pedal crank.
I worked with it for 5-10 minutes, but could see that it was beyond my ability to disentangle. As I was just coming to the conclusion that I was stymied, a young man came riding by asked if he could help. I whipped out my wallet and showed him my card. Then upon pointing out the problem, I stepped back and let him wrestle with it for several minutes, but he could make no headway either. So I texted my dear friend Dan Cogan.
Dan has helped me on a number of occasions in the past—most often (but not exclusively) with tire issues. This time he told me he could be there soon, and a few minutes later he rolled up.
Although it was a tremendous mess, and I despaired of it being reparable, Dan had it straightened out within 10 minutes. When I told him he was a genius, he laughed, and self-deprecatingly said, "Naw ... just lucky this time."
I later told Dan that, though I don't share his Jewishness, I could say most definitely that he is a mensch, which the dictionary tells me is a Yiddish word meaning "a person of integrity and honor." I was surprised by being able to finish the ride, getting home at a reasonable hour despite the roughly 45-minute interruption.
Because of this break, Relive created two separate videos today ... of the first part of the ride, and of the second part.
Relive video of first part of ride
Relive video of second part of ride
2021 mileage: 2615.6
Today I fully intended to ride to Matthei. But when I began, at 10:30, in unseasonably chilly conditions (43°, which combined with a healthy 13 mph wind to bring the wind-chill down into the low thirties ... and here I had thought "wind-chill" was a bit of terminology we had left behind until late this year!), I rode less than a mile before changing my plans so that I rode "just" the Platt/Packard Square. (Or actually a modified version thereof ... I reconfigured the northeast corner of it so that I could ride by Pheasant Run Apartments, where Michelle and I used to live.)
We were at Pheasant Run from the time we were married (December 1993) until we bought our present home and moved into it in the spring of 2004.
The conditions made both my gloves and the fleece I wore over my hoodie feel just perfect! This gave me a ride of 13.6 miles in 1:33.
2021 mileage: 2602.0
Got a new mileage milestone today (2600 for the year!) I went out at 10:30 and rode the Packard/Platt Square under cloudy skies, with the temperature falling from 59° to 57° during the ride. (13.7 miles in 1:33.)
2021 mileage: 2588.3
Today was cool and rainy all day, so I rode on our stationary bike. Late this afternoon, I did 31.7 miles on it (2:17) while watching Mary Poppins.
2021 mileage: 2556.6
Today was a HUGE high joy in my riding life. Christy brought her bike over early this afternoon, and we rode together. We did a round trip to Marsh Park (10.0 miles), in 1:12. I told her that it felt like an easy, lazy ride to me to only do 10 miles ... but I'm quite sure that she felt differently about it, not (yet) being a regular rider.
At the park, we asked a man to take our picture together, and I was looking forward to being able to share that—but, alas, it didn't come out.
2021 mileage: 2546.6
I had planned to ride early this morning, but when I wanted to set off, at 7:00 a.m., it was still only 32°, so I changed my plans and decided to spend the morning practicing piano and composing. Then we had to leave late this morning for an afternoon family function up near Lansing.
Returning home late afternoon, I decided to ride—but, although it was enjoyable riding in the 65° sunshine at 5:30, the significant, swirling winds that buffeted me (23 mph, primarily from the southwest) persuaded me to keep it fairly brief. I rode down to Stonebridge, and did a couple of laps in there, giving me a short but taxing ride of 8.1 miles in 58 minutes.
2021 mileage: 6002.0 I am seeing the old year out with a day off -- something I hate to do. But a combination of factors brings it about: (1...
