trike-ab-trike-2020

2020 mileage: 4213.8 I had unseasonably nice weather for the last ride of this year that we're all happy to see leave. When I began, at about 1:15, it was in 30° conditions, and under mostly sunny skies. I was happy that by riding the Packard/Platt Square (13.7 miles in 1:39), it put me over one last mileage milestone for the year—4200—and helped me establish a new yearly mileage record. (Of course I aim to do better in 2021, and will be shooting for 5000.) Inspired by a fellow trike rider in one of the triking groups I belong to on Facebook, I've compiled this summary of my riding for the year. The reason the mileage doesn't coincide with my 2020 mileage listed above is because early in the year, before COVID arrived and shut down the gyms, I rode a considerable number of miles inside at LA Fitness, on their stationary cycle. Link to (Relive) video of today's ride

2020 mileage: 4190.1 Another cool ride today—30°. I began at 1:00 p.m. A few miles into the ride it occurred to me that, while there are doubtless numerous days in, say, July, when it would feel good to be barefaced, right now (especially when riding) I'm very glad to have my beard. I rode the Platt/Packard Square, 13.7 miles, in 1:40. If I can do it again either tomorrow or Thursday, I'll pass one last mileage milestone (4200) for the year. However, the weather forecast for tomorrow doesn't look particularly promising (a possibility of cold rain much of the day). But Thursday, the last day of the year, looks better. And anyway, if it doesn't happen, I'm OK with that. I'm disappointed to have ridden less than half the days this year, having a mental image of myself riding roughly six days a week. But there have just been too many long and unconquerable stretches of mechanical and medical issues that kept me away from it this year. Here's to a better 2021! Li...

2020 mileage: 4176.4 I was hoping to ride today -- but when I went out to begin early this afternoon, I had another flat tire. My friend Dan Cogan kindly helped me to get it changed just now, but as it's 3:30 and darkness is already approaching at this delightful time of the year, I've rethought my plans and will dig into it tomorrow. Having changed two tires within the last week, though, and having done the majority of the work myself (with some coaching), I am feeling more confident about my ability to change one out in the field if needed -- only, please God, let it not be in the winter. My hands are just like ice blocks. 🚴

2020 mileage: 4176.4 I got a nice, refreshing, nippy start to this Sunday ("Lord's Day"). With sunrise at 8:03, I began my ride at 7:45. However, feeling uneasy about riding on the Lohr/Textile Greenway because of its still-uncleared surface, I just rode down to Stonebridge, the subdivision build around a golf course a little over a mile south of us, and did three loops in there, for a total ride of 10.4 miles in 1:16. Again, though, I didn't have to worry about overheating 😎, as it was 22° when I began but all the way up to a tropical 26° when I finished. Link to (Relive) video of today's ride

2020 mileage: 4166.0 After not riding since Wednesday (because of prepping for a guest on Thursday, and then Christmas yesterday), I was eager to try to squeeze one in today. But when I went out to check at midday, the snow we had gotten rendered the surface unsafe for riding, in my judgment, and the 25° temperature dissuaded me also, so after just now finishing a Zoom session with our grandchildren in which we continued our tradition of building gingerbread houses, I'm going to crawl in for a nap now. I decided that there's no reason I have to beat myself up!

2020 mileage: 4166.0 After taking yesterday off so that Michelle and I could spend the day visiting family and delivering gifts, I was eager to get back to it today. And with unseasonably warm weather (it was 44° when I began at 12:15, up to 48° by the time I finished—pretty astonishing for late December in Michigan), I had planned to ride to Saline. But when I headed south along the Lohr/Textile Greenway, it was right into the teeth of a brisk wind from the south (about 15 mph), and it didn't take me long at all to change my plans. Instead of going south to Saline, I turned in to Stonebridge and did a loop in there (in pursuit of my mileage goal for the day), and then continued on to ride the Platt/Packard Square (16.5 miles total) in 1:58. My mention of a mileage goal is because last year, I rode 4165.4 miles in total, and that was my all-time h igh. (Even though a much higher percentage of last year's miles were achieved "virtually," riding indoors on a stionary cy...

2020 mileage: 4149.5 Today's ride was highly invigorating! I began at about 1:45 with a temperature of 35° and steady, though light, precipitation that continued throughout my ride. Though it fell as snow, it turned immediately turned to water upon striking my face (or, unfortunately, my glasses). I rode a fairly spirited round trip to Marsh Park, completing 10.2 miles in 1:12. I returned home thoroughly wet and thoroughly cooled off, and have now laundered both my bright yellow winter coat and my heavy winter gloves. The plethora of medical and mechanical issues I faced in the second half of the year long ago rendered my original goal of 5000 miles (as well as my secondary goal of 4500 miles) unattainable. My focus now is on beating my all-time annual mileage high of 4165.4 miles, set last year. I will not be able to ride tomorrow, as Michelle and I are going to spend the day delivering gifts and visiting family. But on Wednesday, depending on the weather and my level of ambition,...

2020 mileage: 4139.3 Today's ride was challenging in several ways. I was not entirely convinced that I wanted to ride, and as I am currently experiencing considerable lower back pain, I could have easily justified taking the day off. However, the seat on my recumbent trike is sufficiently comfortable that this consideration  was  not really a big issue. A few summers ago, a regular who I passed on the trail laughed and told me, "There you go in your La-Z-Boy again!" This picture is one that Michelle took in August 2017 -- NOT today. 😎 After allowing myself to climb in for a midday nap, I had to scramble once I got up. I wanted to ride the Platt/Packard Square, which usually (in good weather) takes me about 1 hour and 45 minutes, give or take. And with daylight ending so early at this time of year (today's sunset was at 5:05), I figured I'd need to be away by 3:00 at the very latest in order to give myself a chance, since I have no lights in the new trike yet, and...

2020 mileage: 4128.3 Chilly ride today! When I began (just past 11:00), it was 31° and very humid, making the air feel quite raw.. There is also a significant amount of snow remaining on the ground, so that I had to be quite careful with my riding lest I should have to stop suddenly and be unable to.  Most of the time, this caused me no problem (other than slowing me down significantly), but on the final stretch, as I was coming up the hill on the sidewalk from the intersection of Lohr and Oak Valley towards our complex, I hit a patch that utterly stymied me, so that I had to get off and walk it 40 or 50 feet, cutting my speed from 8.5 mph (already slow) to an abysmal 8.1. My new battery-powered heating socks arrived yesterday afternoon. By that point I had already decided to take the day off, so I had to wait till today to inaugurate them. They helped, though not as much as I had hoped they would ... they definitely take the edge off. I solved the issue with my battery by putting ...

  2020 mileage: 4118.0 This morning's ride was refreshingly brisk! I began at 9:00, with a 27° temperature and a nice 11 mph breeze from the east northeast to help keep me from overheating. A few miles into the ride, a nice light snow began falling -- the first wave of what they say will be about 2 inches for us here in Ann Arbor. I look forward eagerly to my appointment at the Apple Store tomorrow to have my phone's charging problem addressed. Since yesterday I just finished my ride seconds before the phone would have died, I was concerned about not making it today, so I shortened my route and did not even ride to Marsh Park. I rode down and did a loop through the Silo Ridge subdivision, and then on my way home did a loop in Stonebridge, giving me a total ride of 9.2 miles in 1:08. Link to (Relive) video of today's ride

2020 mileage: 4108.8 When I went out to ride this morning just past 11:00, it was 25° (moderately colder than yesterday's 32°). But it was almost calm today, and without fighting that significant wind that I battled yesterday, it felt warmer today. As I am still having issues with the charging port on my phone (I'm looking forward to my appointment Thursday at the Apple Store), I needed to keep the ride fairly brief, and settled for a single round trip to Marsh Park (10.0 miles in 1:11). As it was, I just barely finished the ride, before the phone blinked off. Link to (Relive) video of today's ride

2020 mileage: 4098.8 today was a tale of me vs. the elements. When I began, at a bit past 1:00, it was 31°, with a sporty 20 mph wind out of the west northwest bringing the wind-chill down to 19°. However, as I told Michelle, it is not so much the cold that bothers me, but fighting that darned wind. Given the conditions, I could very easily have justified taking the day off. But if I want to ride in much more extreme conditions this winter—and I do—given that LA Fitness is not an option for me right now with the pandemic going on, then I certainly could not justify caving in today. And, in fact, now that I'm done, I'm glad that I pushed myself to do it. I limited myself to a single round trip to Marsh Park (10.3 miles), in 1:15. I would also have liked to tack on at least a loop in the Stonebridge subdivision on the way home (in part because this would have put me over 4100 miles for the year). For a while, early in the ride, this seemed feasible—with the wind pushing at my bac...

2020 mileage: 4088.5 A nippy ride today! I went at 12:30, and it was only down to 34°, but with solidly overcast skies and moist atmosphere, it felt colder than that. In light of the conditions, I allowed myself to ride just a single round trip to Marsh Park, about 10 miles in 1:20. MapMyRide measured it at slightly less than that, due to a malfunction ... early in the ride, it went inexplicably into Pause mode, and I didn't discover this for a little over half a mile, when I realized I was no longer hearing its vocal feedback. I also saw my good friend Doug Franklin again today, out on his daily walk. In his bright yellow coat, I saw him coming from a good distance this time. With my trike, on the paved trail, it's safe to take my hands off the handlebars momentarily, and I did this today, giving him a gesture of shivering—but he replied (accurately), "Oh, it's not so bad out here!" Link to (Relive) video of today's ride

2020 mileage: 4078.5 The weather conditions for today's ride were what I would describe as schizophrenic. This morning featured a cold rain that kept me inside, snuggled in my recliner and composing. Then the rain seemed to ease up enough to convince me that I could squeeze in a ride, so I set off at 12:30, in 52° cloudy conditions, with a significant wind (about 14 mph from the west southwest). I rode down to Stonebridge for a loop in there, and then continued on the Platt/Packard Square (16.4 miles total) in about 1:57. The first 10 miles or so were tolerable, but far from pleasant, with a steady (though light) rain. But then, during the last few miles the sun came out, making it seem like a nice April or May day and eliciting my forgiveness for Mother Nature. However, not long after my return home, the clouds moved back in. One technical issue is concerning. About 13 miles into the ride, my phone died. This was a recurrence of an issue I've had several times before—even thou...

2020 mileage: 4062.1 Today is a very busy day, with lots of piano practice - last-minute cramming for a video I have to make this evening of a piano solo that will be used in the live stream of our contemporary worship service Sunday ... a seasonal tune, Hark the Herald Angels Sing in a jazz-tinged arrangement by my favorite arranger, Marianne Kim. It is not virtuosically hard, but it has its tricky moments. Anyway, between that and the fact that I walked with Michelle this morning, I gave brief thought to the possibility of not riding today. But I hated to waste the glorious weather—only partly sunny, but an astonishing 51° when I began at 1:30, up to 52 by the time I finished. So, wanting to ride some, but not  having time for a lot, I settled for a single round trip to Marsh Park—10.0 miles in 1:07. Link to (Relive) video of today's ride

2020 mileage: 4052.1 Today is the 27th wedding anniversary for Michelle and me. The picture is from our December 10, 1993 wedding in East Lansing. For such a special day, I was blessed with spectacular riding conditions. When I began, at 1:30, it was 43° and mostly/partly sunny with very little wind, climbing to 45° over the course of the ride. Given this weather, and mindful of the fact that such days will be extremely rare in upcoming months, I almost felt guilty of sloth for not taking on my 30-plus mile round trip to Matthei Botanical Gardens. But instead, I settled for riding the Packard/Platt Square, augmented by loops on Interfirst Dr., the Bicentennial subdivision, and in Stonebridge on the way home, for a total ride of 19.8 miles in 2:23, and consoled myself that it was still a good, substantive ride. As an extra bonus, I was blessed with double sightings of two of my friends. My fellow triker Jim Alvey, I ran across both during the first half of the ride and the...

2020 mileage: 4032.3 Today ,as with most recent days, I was in absolutely no danger of overheating. 😆 When I began, at 11:15, it was 40° and cloudy, with a bit of wind (11mph from the WNW), but not too much. I rode down to Stonebridge for a loop in there, before continuing on to do the Platt/Packard Square (16.5 miles total) in 2:00. The only downside to this was that it had me riding right into the wind on the home stretch (coming west along Packard and then Eisenhower), so that my speed kept steadily dropping from a high of 9.4 to a final speed of 8.2 mph. Yesterday, with my longer ride, I listened to two different sources of music—the first half was Spotify's playlist "Cozy Christmas Jazz," and then during the second half of the ride, I switched to something COMPLETELY different—"This is Mozart." Today, I just listened to their " Christmas Hits" playlist. Link to (Relive) video of today's ride

2020 mileage: 4015.8 Happy to have made it over the 4000-mile mark for the year today! Even though that is considerably short of where I had once hoped to be by now, the plethora of medical and mechanical issues I have weathered made we wonder whether I would even get to this point. I rode a round trip to Baker Rd. (20.3 miles) in 2:33. It was a nippy ride—I began at 32° (10:00), and it went up to 37° during the ride Even though winter hasn't officially arrived yet, you certainly couldn't prove it y my poor feet! I have ordered some battery-warmed socks from Amazon, but still await their arrival. The ride contained one unsettling incident, as well. On my way home, as I rode by the bus shelter on Jackson Rd. near Maple, a man called out to me. Although I couldn't understand him, I thought he might either be someone who knew me, or someone with a question or a positive comment about my trike (as has happened often before), so I stopped. (I can communicate in a pinch by typing...

2020 mileage: 3995.5 I set off at 1:00 this afternoon in quintessential early winter conditions—gloomy gray skies, with a 34° temperature (though, thankfully, very little wind). I was planning to do my 20-mile ride to Baker Rd., and the only regret I have for changing that plan is that by shortening my ride, it prevented me from exceeding 4000 miles for the year today. About 3 miles into the ride, I realized that I was especially eager to return home and begin work on a new compositional project hat began to creep into my mind this morning—a tenor solo for my brother. (And, to be fair, that 34° temperature probably played a part in my decision,  too. 😇) So, I cut my ride short, and made my way home via a route I had never ridden before, though I had previously ridden nearly all of its components—just not in combination. And it allowed me to finish with a ride of 11.2 miles in 1:18. Link to (Relive) video of today's ride

2020 mileage: 3984.3 After the inexplicable abdominal pain I was experiencing early this week, I consulted a physician's assistant on Wednesday (as my doctor is not currently seeing patients), and was advised, among other things, to give it a rest from riding for an unspecified "few days" in case I had pulled an abdominal muscle and could thus avoid aggravating it. So after not riding Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday, and feeling not a hint of any pain or discomfort, I went out this morning at 8:45, and (not pushing myself very hard) did the Packard/Platt Square (13.7 miles) in 1:34. I was tempted to tack on a few more miles, but in the end I felt it was more prudent to keep it on the lighter side today, and see how I felt afterwards. Beginning at 8:45, it was a chilly 30°, and even though it warmed up to 33° during my ride, and my feet have been wrapped in a blanket since I got home, they are still not fully warmed up. To use a rustic phrase I have heard before (by Tigers...

2020 mileage: 3970.6 When I saw the physician's assistant late this afternoon, about the abdominal pain I first noticed during yesterday's ride and which convinced me I should not ride today, I showed him a rather vague note explaining that the pain I was experiencing was not constant, and located slightly right of center and fairly high ( above  the navel). I also said that, while I didn't know if this made any sense, it seemed to me to be like a pulled muscle. After examining me, he concluded that, "You're something of a mystery." Based on location ("Kind of in no-man's land between major organs") and what he could observe, he ruled out anything like a major problem with my appendix or gallbladder. He said that, "Somethimes these things are slow to develop, and while it's good that you jumped right on this, it's possible that in a couple more days, we'd say, 'Oh, of course - THAT'S what it is!' " For now, thoug...

2020 mileage: 3970.6 Well, today's ride was very far from being among my most enjoyable, but still I'm glad I pushed myself to do it. When I began, at about 12:20, it was 30° and cloudy, with a brisk, snappy, sporty 15 mph wind whipping out of the northwest, creating a wind-chill of 20°. even though our snowfall had been quite a bit less than was once forecast (we ended up getting less than 2 inches), there was a lot of water on the ground, and I frequently had to ride through patches of frozen, crusty, crunchy snow. I rode the Platt/Packard Square (13.6 miles) in 1:43, and although going out (with the wind at my back) was quite nice, the second half of it, riding largely into the teeth of the wind (with the additional complicating factors of flagging energy, and an inexplicable abdominal pain I was experiencing) proved to be plenty challenging. My average speed dropped from a high of 9.7 miles per hour about 5 miles into the ride, to 7.9 at the end. It would certain...