First off I can report to you that the new path section that goes under the still-torn-up Bluemound Rd. is now open, although there is a nasty bump as you start the asphalt section coming on....marked by an orange barrel for now.
Being a nice sunny hot day I went out to do "Three Bridges" route easy, although I guess this could be called SIX Bridges because I went out on the path with the bridges and came back the same way via a turn-around at the Milwaukee Sports complex, thereby passing on any climbing on the way home. (my right foot is still swollen enough in the shoe that the front of my foot keeps going numb on a ride!)
For as a nice a day as it was there were very few people out and about on the route. It was kind of a dull, workhorse ride for the exercise.
Sunshine, 84 degrees
Light wind
Three Bridges, 36 miles
And now to my other news...
I've made a personal decision to end a 10-year relationship.
When I started riding after my hip replacement surgery ten years ago now, the first bike I bought was a Trek. I have purchased and enjoyed riding three more different Trek bikes in that time frame, including the Madone I am riding now. It's over.
I tried to be brand loyal because Trek is based here in Wisconsin and I was satisfied with the product as well.
That's why earlier this spring when I heard about a job opening at Trek I thought it would be a great opportunity for me. Many people in my profession have made the jump from being on the air to becoming involved in corporate communications, something I never used to have an interest in doing.
But when I saw an opening at Trek for a media relations assistant it sounded like the perfect chance for me to make that leap as well.
Cycling. Trek. Wisconsin. Media. Perfect fit.
I applied for the position, even taking a day trip to HQ in Waterford to check the place out. After not receiving anything back from them in weeks I even called and was personally transferred to the office of the man who was making the hire, where I left a message describing who I am and what I was looking for.
I never received a call back...not even a simple email back. Nothing.
What kind of way is that to do business, especially considering this is a MEDIA RELATIONS person? I'm a 30-year media veteran in this market with a known passion for a decade of cycling. It was like I didn't exist.
I believe it was rude and unprofessional of them to never at least let me know what happened with filling that position.
Then it dawned on me....Why, as frustrated as I am with how that company treated me, am I riding around advertising one of their models on the road? I guess I just got so used to all things Trek=positive that I never thought of it until now.
You've lost my loyalty with that kind of treatment Trek. I am sure there are many other makers of fine carbon fiber road bikes that will be interested in my business in the future. Meantime, I think I'll put some black tape over the big Trek decal on my bike.
Shame on you Trek. It could have been such a good match, and even if you didn't feel that way you should have at least informed me of that fact, not just ignored me. Great media relations guys. Bye-bye.
Season Miles: 1,371
Well despite the fact that I really had no business being on a bike today I went out just to do what I call a hair coloring ride...nice & easy.
This bout with gout is almost a month old now, and although it's almost gone it lingers, and today was bothering me a lot more than yesterday on the bike.
But the weather was so nice there was no way I could sit still and stay off my feet today.
Sunny, 82
Wind 10-12, east
Springdale and back on NB trail
There were pretty many people on the trail today taking advantage of the sunshine. On the way out with the tailwind I put in only a small bit of work. On the way back I sat up, wincing with some pain once in a while from that sore right foot that was slightly swelled and uncomfortable in my riding shoe.
I can report that they were putting fresh hot tar on the new underpass bike path at Bluemound, so although you still can not cross on top, you'll now be able to ride underneath that road out there on 100-and-whatever it is where it's all torn up.
On the way back they were rolling the hot tar and I stopped to walk my bike on the grass. A hottie construction worker chick smiled and said, "It's almost done." Then she told me, "As soon as he's done rolling it there you could take your bike on it. But I don't know, you might pop your tires because it's so hot."
Huh?
Kinda funny. I passed on the chance to be the very first rider on the newly-topped path there and instead walked over the gravel and grit on the side. It sure will be nice to have that new section done though.
Know what else would be nice?
NO MORE FOOT issues! It's a shame because the rest of me feels pretty good on the bike, but this deal just cripples you because you can't put any pressure onto the pedal whatsoever. Yuk. Rain tomorrow...rest for a couple of days at least.
You ridin' with the PhilCast on the Tour de PhilCast II ride? Let me know with an RSVP to phil@thephilcast.com Sat. Aug. 13...rolling out from Backyard Bikes in LaGrange, WI at 11:00. Meeting for outside picnic lunch after the ride. 26 and 13 miles social ride routes.
Season Miles: 1,335
I had the time to do it today so I headed south to 7-Mile Road for a longer ride in the afternoon. 50 miles in all to the south and back on a day that saw near-ideal conditions to get lost in time traveling down a country road.
Sunny and 84
Light wind, 5-10
7-Mile Rd. via 92nd., 50 miles
Things were very dead out there today. On the way down in Franklin an elderly lady waved me down, her 'bent' leaning on a picnic bench and with a map in her hands. She wanted to know if the street she was about to turn onto was indeed Drexel. It was. She was happy for the help. I think she might have been from out of state because a saw a flag on her bike with the name of a town and a GA after that.
She smiled and said, "Sorry I slowed you down to ask."
Huh, I must have looked fast to her!
For some reason although my right foot feels much better I can not climb out of the saddle at all yet. The pressure on the ball of that foot and the toe area is so painful (I tried it ONCE) that my entire leg almost collapsed in pain. So any hill I came upon had to be climbed in the saddle. And the worst part is that the front half of that foot keeps going numb during the ride too. Whatever.
I stopped to eat the PB&J I brought along for lunch in some shade next to a creek. Then in the final miles I was pretty tired and ready to park it.
Getting hot again...and more humid on Tuesday too.
Sounds like a ride day to me.
Season Miles: 1,315
They were saying that today might be the hottest day Milwaukee has seen in five years. I believe it.
Even with my love of heat, today you had to be careful.
Sunny, HOT, humid, 102 degrees!
Windy, 12-15
Almost Wales, 36 miles
I never intended to ride west today but of all things my toe dictated direction. At the start today as I was doing my cyclocross through the gavel construction area to get on the Oak Leaf Trail my gout-tainted right big toe really hurt me. I knew I would not be able to climb at all today, thus shooting my plan to ride some laps in Whitnall Park. I would go west where it was flat instead.
Into the wind and up the false flat at a steady pace allowing my body to adjust to the heat. With the wind in my face it was at least somewhat cooling, not that there was anything cool about this effort.
But I enjoy the hot weather. My best advice to riders is to pay extra attention to your body temperature. Your body will tell you when there is danger ahead. Today, I listened.
And I rode smart.
I had an entire water bottle in me between Greenfield Park and Springdale on the New Berlin Path. Feeling good and enjoying the sun and heat, I decided to keep going into Waukesha. The only climb I would have to deal with on the way out and back would be the hill at Carroll University. After getting up that I decided my next stop would be the learning center building in Waukesha that is located just in front of the entrance to the Glacial Drumlin Trail.
It was there that I took a break, paying attention to my body. If you feel the heat building...if you stop sweating...if you actually get tingles or goose bumps...well, you've taken on too much heat and are ready for a breakdown. I avoided that with this stop.
I took off my helmet, gloves, glasses, and went right to the water faucet they have sticking out of the building. Cold water. High pressure. Awesome feeling of water dumped over my head running down onto my body.
I filled water bottles number three and four and decided to check out the GD path for a bit.
Lots of water. Little shade. At times you could feel the bursts of heat like an oven door opening as it reflected off the path. It drains you in a hurry no matter how much water you are taking in.
With no shade and a long stretch slightly uphill I started to overheat. I decided there was no reason to go to Wales. I would stop and turn around at the next intersection, which is where I got a surprise.
As I pulled over at the stop sign at Highway DT I only had one foot unclipped when two guys rolled up next to me, one of them on a white Specialized bike. I had NO CLUE anyone was behind me. I must have been pulling for them for a while but heard nothing due to all the wind I was riding into.
We exchanged hellos and off they went across the road. Despite knowing I needed to turn around here the thought of a chase and group ride with them occurred to me of course. But I did the right thing. Ironic that I was at Highway DT, my late grandma's initials. Maybe she was the one who looked down and told my brain, nope, let them go and stick to your plan Phil...it's a good one.
So I turned around to head back to that same water stop.
It was much easier going back because of the wind and elevation direction now both being in my favor. I got there in no time and repeated the water stop I did on the way out. Thank goodness for that place!
I climbed Carroll hill no problem and got myself back onto the NB trail, where wow, I was able to crank it up for some reason. Sweat pouring off my arms and hands as I was in the drops for much of the way to Calhoun, just wanting to get out of the sun a little quicker now. It was really burning down on me by this time...coming up on two in the afternoon.
A quick stop at the new Trailside Cycles at Calhoun to talk to the guy who works there, Warren, who happened to be outside when I rolled up and he asked me how it was out there on the ride.
36 miles--6 water bottles.
When I got home I felt pretty darned good. Aside from the toe issue I probably had more miles in me, but I did the right thing. You can only go so long without a water/shade stop, and if you get into a position on the road where you could not do that you would be in trouble for sure.
I was more hungry than thirsty afterward, so after a quick and cooling shower I was rewarded with the post-ride meal of champions:
Peanut butter and honey on toast.
This is one I'll remember in the depths of the upcoming winter...the day I rode when it was over 100 degrees with a heat index of Lord knows what, but I bet it's over 110 degrees!
Season Miles: 1,265
I know for many of you it's too hot and muggy. But I love to ride in this. I'd say today provided almost perfect conditions for me to ride in.
Sunny and hot 94 degrees
Humid
Light wind
Three Bridges, 35 miles
Despite dealing with a right foot that is at about 75% I was in a hurry to get out there and soak up some of this heat and sun. A bout of gout is lingering and my foot is a little swollen and sore to the touch. One thing is clear...there would be no riding out of the saddle. The one time I tried it was an adventure in pain. It's OK other than that, except my toes go a little numb from time to time. Like I said, not a 100% yet.
The story of this ride came while in the parkway heading south toward Loomis. I was riding along minding my own business when I swore I heard voices coming up behind me....female voices.
Figuring I was about to be passed by a couple of women I decided to pick up the pace a little and give them a steady pull. They'd either grab onto my wheel and work together or blow past me.
Riding with a little cross wind and feeling pretty good and fresh yet, I was able to provide them a steady 20.5 pace for a good section. As I crossed Loomis I didn't hear any voices and began wondering if the whole thing was just imagined. But as I looked back to check on traffic as I approached the Franklin path entrance there they were. I saw two bikes riding together coming off Loomis. They were now going to still be behind me
I rode the path enjoying the sunshine and wondering if they were still somewhere behind me. A few miles in....sure enough...I thought I could hear talking back there again. I rode up to the Milw. Co. Sports Complex and waited at the intersection. I figured if they came up behind me and went straight I'd hook up with them and keep going. If not, I'd turn around. They never showed. They must have turned off at some point behind me.
The path was dead, both on the way down and on the way back. I did see "The Knave" down there however, sporting the same old bike and the same old look as he did years ago when we had our epic battles.
Also at one point I looked up only to see a big deer about five feet away from me on my right. It never moved.
The new path UNDER Bluemound is almost done and it is going to be sweet. But for now I am still having to walk the bike over gravel to take my routes.
Season Miles: 1,229
Well this one was odd from the start...
I am indeed playing hurt.
Gout in my right toe reared its ugly head earlier in the week after over a three-year hiatus. Things were not right, but better than they had been and I felt I needed a little exercise after being a celebrity judge Thursday night at "Feasting For Fido", a fundraiser done by the Wisconsin Humane Society.
Yeah, it's a tough job but someone has to do it!
And someone named Phil had to burn some calories today despite the gout pain.
It was hard to get my riding shoe on my right foot because it was still somewhat swollen and painful to the touch.
Once the shoe was on I rode out of the driveway only to realize I didn't put my helmet on. Oops. Back to the house. Then just a couple of blocks up there was a train blocking the street and not moving an inch. Drat. I turned around and found another way to get around all the construction.
The area around where I need to start all my rides is really ripped up. There is no way to avoid gravel, sand, dirt, dump trucks, close quarters with vehicles. Yuk.
The foot was OK as long as all I did was keep a high spin and not use much downforce on the pedal. I made the mistake once, ONCE, of getting out of the saddle. It was then I yelled out loud because it felt like someone hit me in the toe with a sledge hammer.
So I went out to Waukesha and back on the NB trail.
Hazy sun
84-ish
Light wind
Waukesha via New Berlin Trail, 23 miles
After the short ride it hurt to pull that shoe off. I headed for the shower, then headed for the freezer to ice the foot while watching today's stage of the Tour de France.
Season Miles: 1,193
A few interesting stories from a second day in a row of hot and humid riding the way I like it.
My legs were tired after the climbing workout on Monday, but by 11-30 I was on the road under the sun. Heading toward Loomis in the parkway I was tooling along into some wind minding my own business when out of the blue a roadie blows by me on the left. I immediately look down to see my speed so as to get a handle as to how fast this guy was going. I was only doing 17.7 when I checked. He was gone.
Doing Sunny Slope at the start of my rides is going to get old fast. That's a lot of climbing when I am not even warmed up yet thanks to all the construction keeping me from getting onto the OLT when I usually do. I was already tired when this guy passed.
After he was gone about a block or more up I decided to use the stretch to Loomis as a workout on bridging the gap. I put the Madone into the big ring where it should normally be and I worked with about as much as I could muster. I was hardly gaining on him at all. Then I gained a bit on him the cheater's way...he had to wait for traffic at 76th and I did not. But even with that advantage it didn't take long for him to pull away by leaps and bounds.
Sunny, muggy and hot
86 degrees
Wind, 8-10
Three Bridges, 40 miles
As I turned to get onto the Three Bridges route in Franklin he kept going straight far ahead of me. He never saw me, but I saluted him and said out loud as I turned, "Good on ya mate. Good riding." Two more riders passed me today too. I guess I was just slow on the first half of the ride.
Now it was time to recover and take it easy seeing the sights on the path. Only problem was that there were no sights to see. It was really dead in there, both on the way down and on the way back.
One oddity on the path today. At one point on the way back I looked up to see a Franklin police car driving head-on down the path at me. Never saw that before!
Then came more passing and gassing on the parkway on the way home. At one point a woman in a sleeveless jersey passed me as I was starting off from a stop sign. She's riding a flat-bar bike with knobby tires and I'm not catching her. What the???
I had to get up to 18.3 to pass her. Why I felt the need to do that is beyond me. Then it got worse. I decided that before I got back on the path I'd take this section and go all out to show the little lady what I can do. Bah...what an idiot I am out there. Into the drops and up a couple of gears and I blasted away. I just about blew up at the end of the run, but it did force me to push beyond my comfort zone. She was gone now and I dialed it down.
A few miles later I heard a rider coming up behind me, then he passed me on the left riding a Seven bike. Nice guy...he kept yelling out 'clear' as he passed through intersections ahead of me. I had nothing left in my legs or mind to try to get up to his wheel and ride with him.
Then I heard a guy say 'left' from behind me again. But wait, that's no guy, it's THE SLEEVELESS CHICK riding past me again. She had fought back and passed me for Christ sake. Well, I dialed it up a bit again and went passed her a second time before I turned off the beaten path and headed for the climbs back home around the construction.
Once again you see how fellow riders, strangers, help each other out there by pushing us to ride harder. That guy early-on helped me. Sleeveless pushed me and I pushed her back. It's all good.
But the best of the ride came toward the end when, due to the construction re-route, I stopped at Nora B's in Elm Grove to see my friend Nora...show her my bike...and drink the best cup of ice water I believe I have ever downed in my life!
Season Miles: 1,170
Okay, so they weren't mountains, but they felt like them.
After being off the bike and on a binge of eating and drinking odd things for two weeks of holiday and vacation I felt it was time to clean out my system of the poisons and start the long road back to being in riding shape.
Because of total destruction on Bluemound I could not even get to any of my routes...so I decided to climb Sunny Slope as a detour. No easy task for the first time back.
Hot. Muggy. No training. Hills. Yup, felt like mountains today.
I took the Minooka route, minus the steep hill up to the actual dog park, knowing I'd have to climb back up Sunny Slope on the way back home a second time.
Sunny and hot
86 degrees
Windy, 12-15
Minooka Park, 28 miles
So here we go...more rides coming this week as I watch the Tour de France begin climbing this week as well.
Season Miles: 1,130
