90th outdoor ride of 2023 - Friday, 9/29/2023

2023 Mileage: 3657.2

Today, during the twenty-ninth day of my 2023 Great Cycling Challenge (a fundraiser for kids' cancer throughout the month of September), I rode the round trip to Marsh Park, which enabled me to complete my 400-mile goal for the month.

As I rode, knowing that I was completing my mileage goal for the Challenge (with one day to spare), I found myself toying with the idea of bumping up my goal for 2024 from 400 miles (as it has been in 2021, 2022, and this year) to 500. But that would mean raising my needed daily average from 13 and a third miles to 16 and two thirds, and, quite frankly, I'm not certain that I'm up to that challenge.

Here is the link to my page for the Great Cycling Challenge:

Link to my page for the Great Cycle Challenge

This gave me a ride of 9.8 miles in 1:16.

Relive video of today's ride

Thursday, 9/28/2023

2023 Mileage: 3647.4

Today, during the twenty-eighth day of my 2023 Great Cycling Challenge (a fundraiser for kids' cancer throughout the month of September), I rode inside, as I did on Tuesday. That day I watched the first half of the 4+ hour 1996 movie adaptation of Hamlet, and today I finished it up.

Here is the link to my page for the Great Cycling Challenge:

Link to my page for the Great Cycle Challenge

This gave me a ride of 25.4 virtual miles in 2:13.

89th outdoor ride of 2023 - Wednesday, 9/27/2023

2023 Mileage: 3622.0

Today, during the twenty-seventh day of my 2023 Great Cycling Challenge (a fundraiser for kids' cancer throughout the month of September), I rode the Platt/Packard Square, leaving at 8:45 in 61° cloudiness (that climbed to 63° by the time I finished). While about halfway through (on the Platt Greenway), I was happy to see my friend and fellow recumbent striker Jim Alvey, whom I can always recognize from quite a distance as he approaches me, due to his dependable and steady flashing headlight.

Yesterday I watched the first half of the 1996 movie version of Hamlet as I rode on the stationary cycle, and I had intended to watch the second half today. However, since the weather today allowed an outdoor ride, and tomorrow it's supposed to be raining all day, I decided to hold off on Hamlet until tomorrow.

Here is the link to my page for the Great Cycling Challenge:

Link to my page for the Great Cycle Challenge

This gave me a ride of 13.5 miles in 1:46.

Relive video of today's ride

Tuesday, 9/26/2023

2023 Mileage: 3608.5

Recently, I was reading a book in which the author assumed an acquaintance on the reader's part with Hamlet by Shakespeare. I quickly realized that I have never either read the play nor seen a performance of this peak achievement of western culture. Deciding to rectify this shortcoming, I researched this morning and found that there are several movie adaptations of it. I chose the unabridged 1996 version directed by Kenneth Branagh (who also stars as Hamlet) to watch during my ride today.

Even though it is a very hefty performance, running just over 4 hours, I was going to try to do the whole thing. However, as I went along, I confess that I found it such heavy going to wade through the Shakespearean English from around 1600, that I cut back and just watched the first half of it, and hope to finish up tomorrow.

Here is the link to my page for the Great Cycling Challenge:

Link to my page for the Great Cycle Challenge

This gave me a ride of 24.1 virtual miles in 2:00.

88th outdoor ride of 2023 - Monday, 9/25/2023

2023 Mileage: 3584.4

Today, on the twenty-fifth day of my 2023 Great Cycling Challenge (a fundraiser during the month of September for Kids' cancer), I rode the Packard/Platt Square, I rode to the library to pick up a book I had requested on hold; and after that, I rode down to Stonebridge, a subdivision about a mile south of our home, which is wrapped around an 18-hole golf course. Michelle has approved my riding there on the good, wide, low traffic roads. I did a lap there before coming back home.

When I got up early today (5:30), I first put on a polo shirt, but then realized a flannel shirt might be more fitting, and so changed. I was concerned that I might be too warm in it for my ride, but when i began at 10:00, the temperature was 63°, and the shirt felt just right.

Here is the link to my page for the Great Cycling Challenge:

Link to my page for the Great Cycle Challenge

This gave me a ride of 12.3 miles in 1:34.

Relive video of today's ride

87th outdoor ride of 2023 - Sunday, 9/24/2023

2023 Mileage: 3572.1

Today, in the twenty-fourth day of my 2023 Great Cycling Challenge (a fundraiser during the month of September for Kids' cancer), I rode the Packard/Platt Square, on yet another really SPECTACULAR day (perhaps the nicest one so far, in fact)—unbroken blue sky with a gentle breeze.

Absolutely overcome by the beauty and glory of the day, I snapped the following picture on a section of the trail about three quarters of a mile east of Marsh Park (between there and Platt Rd.).

Here is the link to my page for the Great Cycling Challenge:

Link to my page for the Great Cycle Challenge

This gave me a ride of 13.5 miles in 1:44.

Relive video of today's ride

86th outdoor ride of 2023 - Saturday, 9/23/2023

2023 Mileage: 3558.6

Today, in the twenty-third day of my Great Cycling Challenge (a fundraiser during the month of September for Kids' cancer), I rode the Platt/Packard Square, soaking up the sunshine as best I could, enjoying the weather on this first day of Fall. It honestly could not have been much better for a ride—63° when I began at 10:00, with nearly unbroken sunshine (although some clouds moved in during the ride), climbing to 69° when I finished, accompanied by a gentle, refreshing breeze.

I was pushing myself to try to get back in time to see the noon kickoff of Michigan's home game with Rutgers. I just barely missed the kick, but, sadly, got to see Rutgers score the first touchdown of the game, about a minute in. However, Michigan has played well since then, and now leads 14-7 at halftime.

Here is the link to my page for the Great Cycling Challenge:

Link to my page for the Great Cycle Challenge

This gave me a ride of 13.6 miles in 1:47.

Relive video of today's ride

85th outdoor ride of 2023 - Friday, 9/22/2023

2023 Mileage: 3545.0

Today, in the twenty-second day of my Great Cycling Challenge (a fundraiser during the month of September for Kids' cancer), and the last official day of summer (the autumnal equinox occurs at 2:50 a.m. tomorrow), I rode the Packard/Platt Square, soaking up the sunshine as best I could (it was mostly, though not entirely, sunny), with a temperature of 64° when I started at 10:30, and 75° when I finished.

Here is the link to my page for the Great Cycling Challenge:

Link to my page for the Great Cycle Challenge

This gave me a ride of 13.7 miles in 1:42.

Relive video of today's ride

84th outdoor ride of 2023 - Thursday, 9/21/2023

2023 Mileage: 3531.1

Today, in the twenty-first day of my Great Cycling Challenge (a fundraiser during the month of September for Kids' cancer), I rode the Platt/Packard Square in beautiful weather: 66° when I began at 10:00, and 76° when I finished, with mostly sunny skies throughout, and a gentle breeze.

Here is the link to my page for the Great Cycling Challenge:

Link to my page for the Great Cycle Challenge

This gave me a ride of 13.6 miles in 1:43.

Relive video of today's ride

83rd outdoor ride of 2023 - Wednesday, 9/20/2023

2023 Mileage: 3517.7

Today, in the twentieth day of my Great Cycling Challenge (a fundraiser during the month of September for Kids' cancer), I rode to the far west end of Saline (where the sidewalk stops, about a mile beyond Wellers), and then on the way home, rode to Marsh Park, and then stopped at Meijer to pick up a few things.

It was funny—when I stopped at Meijer, since I only had to run in for a minute, I was tempted to leave the trike unlocked. However, I realized that, while it might be only an infinitesimal chance, if someone WERE to walk off with it, it would be both an experiential and a financial tragedy, so I went ahead and took the time to haul out my lock and secure it. But then when I came out afterwards, and was unlocking it, a guy laughed and told me, "I don't think you'd have to lock that—it looks so complicated that I don't think anyone would be able to ride the damn thing!"

Wnen I got home, I found I had received an email from the Great Cycling Challenge with some interesting information:

Here are some key stats from the challenge (so far) this month:

• 27,742 riders are taking part from all corners of the country.
• 99,707 individual donations have been received to support your efforts.
• $8,036,920 has been raised (so far), which is incredible.
• Together, we've logged 114,071 rides and ridden a total of 1,655,751 miles.

...and we've still got 10 days to go.

Here is the link to my page for the Great Cycling Challenge:

Link to my page for the Great Cycle Challenge

This gave me a ride of 21.3 miles in 2:51.

Relive video of today's ride

82nd outdoor ride of 2023 - Tuesday, 9/19/2023

2023 Mileage: 3496.4

Today, in the nineteenth day of my Great Cycling Challenge (a fundraiser during the month of September for Kids' cancer), I rode a round trip to Baker Rd. (Dexter). My hoodie felt good, as the temperature was 66° when I began at noon, and 69° when I finished.

Here is the link to my page for the Great Cycling Challenge:

Link to my page for the Great Cycle Challenge

This gave me a ride of 19.3 miles in 2:33.

Relive video of today's ride

81st outdoor ride of 2023 - Monday, 9/18/2023

 2023 Mileage: 3477.1

I've been a little lazy and undisciplined the last 10 days or so, and as a result, I've fallen behind the pace I need to achieve in order to make my 400-mile goal for the Great Cycling Challenge. Therefore, I need to do some longer rides to catch up, and figuring "no time like the present," I rode the round trip to Matthaei Botanical Gardens today. The picture below was taken when I stopped at Lillie Park on the way to Matthaei ... it's about halfway there.

II am proud to be a good speller, and therefore I was both surprised and embarrassed today to discover that I've been misspelling "Matthaei" (Botanical Gardens) the last few years while I've been riding there, omitting the A. I hope that now, having caught and fixed this, I won't slip up and do it again.

      

Here is the link to my page for the Great Cycling Challenge:

Link to my page for the Great Cycle Challenge

This gave me a ride of 31.0 miles in 3:53.

Relive video of today's ride

80th outdoor ride of 2023 - Saturday, 9/16/2023

2023 Mileage: 3446.1

Yesterday was a busy day, and I was lazy, as well, so I chose to take a rest day. Today, while it was good to get back to it, travel plans that Michelle and I have meant I could only do a short ride, so I settled for a round trip to Marsh Paek.

Early in the ride I was pestered by thoughts such as, "This is such a little ride that it's hardly worth doing!" But then I reminded myself of the encouraging comment my daughter Christy has made, that this is still a significant workout, at over an hour, and I needn't feel bad about doing it!

I felt, as well, the first real indication of oncoming winter. Though I still rode comfortably in shorts, the 47° temperature when I began at 7:00 had my fingers tingling not very far into the ride, and I realized that I'll soon need to break out my gloves.

      

Here is the link to my page for the Great Cycling Challenge:

Link to my page for the Great Cycle Challenge

This gave me a ride of 10.1 miles in 1:24.

Relive video of today's ride

79th outdoor ride of 2023 - Thursday, 9/14/2023

 2023 Mileage: 3436.0

Today, on the fourteenth day of my Great Cycling Challenge (a fundraiser for kids' cancer),  I experienced a MASSIVE joy, as I met my former student Tonia Erlenbeck and my former faculty colleague Roger Humphrey for a ride at Kensington Metropark. We had mild difficulty finding one another when we first arrived, in large part because, after I arrived first, I was unable to say clearly where I was. This led Roger to crack me up once we DID meet, with his droll observation, "Good thing you were a musician, not a cartographer!"

Because of this late start, and the tremendously hilly and challenging terrain, we settled for a shorter ride than we might otherwise have done, with a single lap around Kent Lake. Tonia also got nice pictures of us before and after the ride, and took several of Roger and me as we were riding, also.

 

      

Here is the link to my page for the Great Cycling Challenge:

Link to my page for the Great Cycle Challenge

This gave me a ride of 8.7 miles in 1:11.

Relive video of today's ride

78th outdoor ride of 2023 - Wednesday, 9/13/2023

2023 Mileage: 3427.3

Today, on the thirteenth day of my Great Cycling Challenge (a fundraiser for kids' cancer),  I rode another round trip to Baker Rd. (Dexter), as I did on Monday, but I experienced a comedy of technical errors. First, I have no picture, because when I took one at Baker Rd. when I turned around, something went wrong, but the bright sunshine prevented me from being able to see this. And then, second, during the latter half of the ride, when I was a little over halfway from Baker Rd. back to our home, I realized that the MapMyRide app was no longer providing vocal feedback. (Normally, every tenth of a mile, it tells me my total distance, my average speed, and the current time.) Pulling over to check this, I discovered that my battery had turned off for some unknown reason, and even though the phone had charge left, it too had shut down. By the time I discovered this, I had lost roughly two miles on my stats. However, thankfully I was able to get everything restarted, and somehow, despite the interruption, the app had kept going, so I have a video ... just not a fully accurate or complete one.

     

Here is the link to my page for the Great Cycling Challenge:

Link to my page for the Great Cycle Challenge

This gave me a ride of roughly 20.0 miles in 2:40.

Relive video of today's ride

77th outdoor ride of 2023 - Tuesday, 9/12/2023

2023 Mileage: 3407.3

Today, on the twelfth day of my Great Cycling Challenge (a fundraiser for kids' cancer),  I went out a bit past 10:30, wearing my new cycling jersey, and rode the Packard/Platt Square.

For some reason unknown to me, the MapMyRide app shut off entirely less than a mile before the end of the ride, and thus the video is not quite complete. But at least it's close.

     

Here is the link to my page for the Great Cycling Challenge:

Link to my page for the Great Cycle Challenge

This gave me a ride of 13.6 miles in 1:48.

Relive video of today's ride

76th outdoor ride of 2023 - Monday, 9/11/2023

2023 Mileage: 3393.7

I took yesterday off, as I sometimes do on Sunday, and because I went hiking in the afternoon with my friends Tom Brown, Tom Clark, and Bryce Babock.

Today, on the eleventh day of my Great Cycling Challenge (a fundraiser for kids' cancer),  I rode a glacially slow round trip to Baker Rd. (Dexter). I rode about as slowly as I have ever done that route, but was experiencing pain in both my knees and my feet, and just couldn't do any better today, so I just focused on the mileage, plugging away determinedly.

For many years I tried to hold myself to a minimum average speed of at least 8 miles per hour, even though this would be ludicrously slow for a regular bicycle. But the trike is heavy and slow. However today, I never even got UP TO 8 mph!

Here is the link to my page for the Great Cycling Challenge:

Link to my page for the Great Cycle Challenge

This gave me a ride of 20.3 miles in 2:53.

Relive video of today's ride

75th outdoor ride of 2023 - Saturday, 9/9/2023

 2023 Mileage: 3373.4

Today, on the ninth day of my Great Cycling Challenge (a fundraiser for kids' cancer),  I pushed myself and rode a round trip to the Matthei Botanical Gardens on the far northeast side of town. This was my first time of riding there in 2023, and to be honest, I had begun to think that perhaps I was done riding there. However, I did cut myself a bit of a break and rode a slightly shorter route on the way home, taking Packard and Eisenhower west from Platt instead of going all the south back to Textile again, as on the way out.

Here is the link to my page for the Great Cycling Challenge:

Link to my page for the Great Cycle Challenge

This gave me a ride of 26.7 miles in 3:39.

Relive video of today's ride

74th outside ride of 2023 - Friday, 9/8/2023

2023 Mileage: 3346.7

Today, on the eighth day of my Great Cycling Challenge (a fundraiser for kids' cancer),  I waited until midday, and then wore a hoodie for my first time since early last spring. It felt good, though, in 64° cloudy conditions, with occasional light rain drops being spit at me. I began at 11:30.

Yesterday I went and played piano for the worship service at Brecon Village, a retirement community in Saline, and afterwards was just exhausted, so I allowed myself to take the day off. But I felt uneasy about this, since the Great Cycling Challenge is a fundraiser for kids' cancer, and, after all, those kids don't ever get to take a day off from having cancer.

I rode the Platt/Packard Square, and then lengthened it just very slightly by adding a lap in our complex when I got home.

Here is the link to my page for the Great Cycling Challenge:

Link to my page for the Great Cycle Challenge

This gave me a ride of 13.8 miles in 1:45.

Relive video of today's ride

73rd outdoor ride of 2023 - Wednesday, 9/6/2023

2023 Mileage: 3332.9

Today, on the sixth day of my Great Cycling Challenge (a fundraiser for kids' cancer),  I wanted to ride early. We got rain overnight, and it's projected to return midday. Accordingly, hoping to slip in a ride before this happened, I began at 8:30 (72°, which only rose to 73° during the ride, under cloudy skies), and rode the Packard/Platt Square, going at 8:30.

I forgot to mention that during yesterday's ride, as I  rode northward on the sidewalk paralleling Platt Rd., when I came to the intersection with Lorraine (between Ellsworth and Packard), I came upon a disturbing scene. A motorcycle was lying down in the roadway, with busted parts scattered around, and the rider lying on his back in the middle of the intersection, being tended to by paramedics.

in addition to praying for the rider, this caused me to renew my constant prayer, for God's protection and His help in enabling me to ride carefully, safely, and legally, to His glory. This follows an acronym that I set up when I began riding back in 2015, and it is one very easy for me to remember, as the initials—CSL—are those of my favorite author for half a century now, C.S. Lewis.

Here is the link to my page for the Great Cycling Challenge:

Link to my page for the Great Cycle Challenge

This gave me a ride of 13.5 miles in 1:38.

Relive video of today's ride