I Want You

Since returning from vacation I have fought the erroneous impression that summer is over. It’s simply not true, and there are many more weeks of warm weather ahead. But I know why I feel this way: cycling. The day before my vacation ended, the Tour de France reached its conclusion in Paris. Now it will be another month before the Vuelta begins, and in the interim there won’t be much to excite a fan of the pro peloton.

But I’m not just a fan. I ride. Whether I ultimately view 2010 as a success is still mine to decide. I have had to clear my schedule of races and just about anything else with a registration fee, but I’m reworking my schedule to ensure that I do more than just spin without purpose through the remainder of the year.

Fortunately there are several Washington County Bicycle Club events in the coming weeks, and both Cream City and Bay View will be in my neck o’ the woods before the end of the club ride season. Weeknights are weeknights: I get whatever miles I can after work. But weekends should be and will be special. Here’s what I have in mind to get through August. Please join me if you can, or suggest other ride options. I’m looking for people to share the experience, as I always find it more motivating and fun to ride with others.

• 7/31 @ West Bend — Washington County Bicycle Club Ride (33 miles)
  
• 8/01 @ Clyman Junction — Wild Goose State Trail (metric century)
  
• 8/07 TBA
  
• 8/08 @ Richfield — Cream City’s “Around the Barns,” (metric century*)
  
• 8/14 @ Newburg — Washington County Bicycle Club Ride (32 miles)
  
• 8/15 @ West Bend — Cream City’s “Mayville Towering Maze,” (metric century*)
  
• 8/21 @ Trenton — Time Trial (my 3.7-mile road course)
  
• 8/22 @ Kewaskum — Time Trial (my 14.3-mile trail course)
  
• 8/28 @ West Bend — Washington County Bicycle Club Ride (32 miles)
  
• 8/29 @ Waterford — Cream City Cycle Club Century (100 miles)
  

The asterisks indicate rides I intend to make into metric centuries by riding to and from the start/finish locations; the actual routes are a little shorter. And as much as I would like to do the Cream City Cycle Club Century on Aug. 29, I won’t do it solo. Contact me if you want a ride partner, otherwise I’ll find something else to do on that date. My time trials will be part of longer rides on Aug. 21 & 22 … unless something else comes up. The on-road TT is so short that I could easily do it on a weeknight instead.

With a solid and sustained effort between now and the end of November, I will reach 5,000 miles for the first time in a single calendar year. That’s a good goal. Will you help me reach it?