Some Cycling Notes For June 2021

Today's route, completed counter-clockwise.

Today was my third straight day on the bike, so I guess I have another streak going. But it doesn’t compare to the 22 consecutive days on the bike from May 30 through June 20. I had hoped to ride every day this month … and then “summer” arrived. On Monday the 21st the air temperature reached only 64° in West Bend. That’s 15° below average, and it was windy in the bargain: it felt like only 50-something. I couldn’t be bothered. I was still demoralized on Tuesday, so one rest day became two. Today we got back to 80° for the first time since last Friday but there isn’t another 80° day in the 10-day forecast. And the severe lack of rain that has plagued us this year? We’re on our way to solving that! There’s a chance we will see at least some rain every day for the next week.

The Tour of America’s Dairyland has carried on despite the recent rains. ToAd will conclude on Sunday in Wauwatosa. I made a brief appearance in Grafton last Saturday before I had to beat the sunset back to West Bend. Saturday is a work night for me, after all. And I meant to check out Downer Avenue last night but I couldn’t justify the drive down to Milwaukee when the chance of rain was so high. If you insist on racing in the rain, then that’s fine but don’t expect me to stand in it to watch you. This evening I might have gone down to Shorewood but I got such a late start on my day that it was either ToAD or my own ride, and my own ride was more important to me. If tomorrow’s forecast proves true, then the day might be a complete washout and my new streak will come to an end.

This rainy period is threatening Sunday’s WORS race in Waterloo. Saturday’s pre-ride has been canceled and Sunday’s racing schedule has been pushed back to allow pre-riding in the morning. But the whole weekend could be wiped out if we get another 1.5-2 inches of rain in the next 24 hours.

In better news, WEMS announced on Wednesday that there will be a mountain bike race at New Fane on July 10. That’s great for racers in this part of the state. Without New Fane on the calendar, the closest WEMS venue was Wausau … more than 150 miles from West Bend.

Finally, the Tour de France will begin tomorrow. I won’t be following the live TV coverage the way I once did. For most stages, I will rely on YouTube for highlights. But two stages will be shown on standard broadcast TV. Tune into NBC—that’s Channel 4 in the Milwaukee market—to watch Stage 14 on Saturday, July 10, and Stage 21 (the finale on the Champs-Élysées) on Sunday, July 18.