2021: A Statistical Review

It was another year without racing, but Season 18 was good to me nonetheless. I finished 2021 with a total of 4,704 miles spread over 148 rides. Both numbers were down from last year, but 4,704 miles is my 10th highest total all-time. Here’s how 2021 broke down, month-by-month:

Personal records in June and August, combined with a very solid July, positioned me for a run at a 5,000-mile season. I would have made it if not for the crash on October 7 that put me out of action for three weeks. But my “official” goal coming into 2021 was only 3,316 miles, so I beat that by a wide margin. And even though I rode less frequently this year, I rode longer, averaging 31.8 miles per ride.

My per-ride average could take a hit in 2022 as I return to mountain biking. However, I still expect to exceed my mileage goal: 3,612. That’s what I need to reach 85,000 lifetime miles.

Do I have to mention that my cycling numbers are outdoor cycling numbers? Riding in the real world and riding on the turbo trainer are two different things, no matter how good the simulations are becoming.

I did a lot of walking/hiking for fitness in 2021, covering 463 miles. Much of that effort was motivated by my late 2020 acquisition of a Garmin GPS-enabled sports watch, without which I wouldn’t have such an easy way to track those activities. My late 2021 acquisition of a smart trainer will drive me to produce a whole new set of statistics for indoor cycling, an activity that until now I have tracked only by the number of minutes spent going nowhere. I’m really counting on Zwift to get me through the winter and leave me in better shape than I have shown historically at the beginning of spring.

Off the bike, 2021 was good to me in many ways. My home got a lot of attention. I addressed plumbing problems in the kitchen and all three bathrooms, I repainted the living room, dining room, and upstairs hallway, and I had new carpet installed throughout the upper level. I enjoyed my first real vacation since 2014—I had to work from my mother’s kitchen table when I visited her last year—and I even attended my first Pirates game at PNC Park in my native Pittsburgh. That stadium opened in 2001, but until this year something always got in my way whenever I wanted to visit. A couple of weeks ago I paid off my car loan, three years early. It’s a great feeling to be debt-free … except for the mortgage on my house. And I read another 20 books this year, which was down from last year’s total but still a solid effort.

What’s the plan for 2022? The pandemic continues to jeopardize any plan that relies on other people, so I will remain focused on myself. I can compete against my old mileage numbers on the bike and, now, on foot. But aside from the year-long goal of 3,612 cycling miles and the new challenge of 500 walking miles, all other mileage records will be targets of opportunity. If I find myself getting close to one, then I will go after it. I’m thinking about, but not yet committed to, walking a marathon. That’s 26.2 miles and would be my longest walk ever. I think I could do it in about 7 hours. And I want to read at least 16 more books. That would finish my run through the complete works of T.C. Bridges, author of many early 20th Century adventure stories … entertaining enough in his way but not the talent Robert Louis Stevenson was.

There’s no big objective for 2022. I continue to work on the multi-year goal of 100,000 cycling miles by the time I turn 60, but that’s the closest thing to a big goal that I have … not just in cycling, but in life. When I was 13 years old someone asked me what I wanted to be in 10 years. I said 23. That was me being a smart aleck. But it’s not nearly as cute to be aimless at 56. Without a clear direction, an accumulation of little achievements has brought me to a comfortable place that many people never reach and some people might even envy. Still, it doesn’t completely satisfy and it certainly doesn’t inspire. Maybe my biggest objective for 2022 is to identify what I really want.

Presenting The 2022 Cheesehead Roubaix

Cheesehead Roubaix XI will begin at Newburg Fireman’s Park on Saturday, April 30, at 9 a.m. CDT. Inspired by Spring Classics like Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders, Cheesehead Roubaix is a 63-mile ride that features almost 10 miles of dirt and gravel. The ride will test your fitness with rough road conditions and about 2,000 feet of climbing.

Cheesehead Roubaix is free of charge, but please consider making a voluntary contribution to the Newburg Fire Department to show your appreciation for the use of its facility. Donations will be accepted at the concessions stand before and after the ride. NFD is a small, all-volunteer department. Your generosity will make a big difference!

Our new sponsor, Cedar Creek Outdoors, will provide technical support and a mid-ride rest stop in Belgium. Please let us know you plan to attend so that we can ensure there’s enough food & drink at the rest stop. Join the fun at the Facebook event page, send me email, or leave a comment below.

Cheesehead Roubaix is designed for self-sufficient cyclists. Be prepared to handle your own flat tires and other minor mechanical issues. The ride uses only open public roads and park paths. You are responsible for your own safety and conduct, and you are expressly not exempt from Wisconsin traffic laws. Represent the sport well. Please visit the Cheesehead Roubaix website and print out your own copy of the cuesheet and map. The website also offers data files for GPS devices.

See you on April 30!

Dark And Windy, But Warmer Than Ever

Yesterday was a literal freak of nature: 64° on December 15 in West Bend! It was our first 50° day since November 17 and our first 60° day since November 8. It was a record-breaking day, beating the high temperature of 50° set in 1998. The high temperature is only 33° on a typical December 15. We probably won’t see anything to rival Wednesday until at least March, so I felt compelled to get outside and enjoy it.

On Monday I took my first ride on my new mountain bike and yesterday afternoon I took my second. But I wasn’t mountain biking; these were slow rides on city streets and park paths. I just wanted to get to know the bike a little bit before winter. Outdoor rides in cold temperatures aren’t in my plans anymore, especially now that I have Zwift. My winter rides almost never met any real training objectives anyway. As I have said many times, they were mostly about fighting cabin fever. I can accomplish the same thing with an occasional hiking or snowshoeing adventure.

The steady breeze from the south that brought us yesterday’s warmth turned into a dangerous windstorm overnight. That kept us above 60° until about 2 a.m. … for what it was worth. By 6 a.m. the temperature had dropped below 40° and now we’re at only 32° … which feels like 21° with the wind chill. The forecast says we’ll stay below freezing until at least next Monday, and you won’t catch me fighting it.

Garneau Over And Over And Over Again

Last year I spent pretty freely on cycling clothes. It seemed like everything in my wardrobe wore out simultaneously. I didn’t expect to add many pieces this year, so I’m a little surprised with the results. Pictured above are the five jerseys I bought in 2021: one black with long sleeves, two black with short sleeves, one blue with short sleeves, and one red with short sleeves. All, you will notice, are from Louis Garneau.

I destroyed one of my Team Pedal Moraine jerseys when I crashed in October. I will replace it as soon as the team places another order … probably this winter. Full-custom jerseys are not cheap! But good jerseys don’t have to be expensive, and that’s why I really like Garneau. I like Garneau’s shorts, too, and ride in them exclusively unless I’m wearing my full team kit. Garneau is Canada’s answer to Pearl Izumi, delivering great performance for the money. There’s something about Garneau that works better for me.

Garneau is my go-to brand for summer. For cold weather gear, I choose Aero Tech Designs. My tights, baselayers, and merino wool tops come from Aero Tech, which makes most of its stuff in America. That’s super rare and from other brands comes at a premium price, but Aero Tech remains a high-value provider. Aero Tech’s shorts are expensive though, and its jerseys, while affordable, don’t often appeal to my Spartan aesthetic. Aero Tech’s baselayers and merino wool pieces are simple and tasteful, and I use them off the bike as often as on. For hiking or just casual wear, I love my Aero Tech merino wool jersey. I think it would be better with a full zipper, but otherwise it’s perfect.

Now there’s a new player competing for my attention: Decathlon. The French retailer isn’t really new—it opened for business in 1976—but it’s still fairly new to the American market. Decathlon has a global reach and a lot of attractively priced house brands. I recently purchased three sleeveless baselayer tops for the price of one top of equivalent quality from a big brand like Pearl Izumi, which itself is still nowhere near the top of the price spectrum. It’s easy to win on price if you’re willing to sacrifice quality, but Decathlon doesn’t seem to be doing that. I’ve been completely satisfied with my purchase and a quick Google search will show you lots of good reviews of Decathlon’s other offerings.

So, who are you wearing this season?

My 2021 Giant Anthem

It’s my favorite holiday: New Bike Day! But before we get to the good stuff, here’s a little history lesson:

In July 2019, I sold my mountain bike, a 2011 Trek X-Caliber that I had purchased in early 2012. At the time, I thought I might soon be selling my house and maybe even moving back to Pennsylvania, so unloading the bike (and a bunch of other things) made perfect sense. At 8 years old, the bike was outdated. It was time to get a new one that offered several technological advances. I figured I would do that in my new location, but more than 2 years later I’m still here in West Bend and I now have no plans to leave. It’s time to put mountain biking back on my program.

That’s easier said than done, however, as the COVID-19 pandemic has severely disrupted the global supply chain. With almost all bicycles coming out of Asia, getting a new bike is a challenge. I’m lucky that I found not just any bike, but one that meets all of my needs: the 2021 Giant Anthem 29 2. During an exhaustive search that included almost every imaginable brand, I spotted the bike on Giant’s website and quickly completed the purchase. Giant shipped the bike to Mountain Outfitters, West Bend’s downtown bike shop, for final assembly. The purchase price included a tubeless wheels/tires setup, an absolute essential for a modern mountain bike but something most brands don’t provide. You know what the other brands mean by tubeless-ready? They mean get ready to pay even more money.

The Anthem is my first full-suspension mountain bike and I’m counting on that rear shock to make a world of difference. My first mountain bike had 26-inch wheels, so upgrading to the Trek X-Caliber and its 29-inch wheels back in 2012 was a huge step forward for me. I was instantly able to overcome trail obstacles that had stopped me before. Now, I expect a similar leap as I upgrade to full suspension. I’m not the most technically adept mountain biker. Getting more out of the equipment will help. I also expect to like the simplicity of the Anthem’s single chainring. The X-Caliber had a triple that was a frequent and frustrating source of dropped chains.

I think the Anthem is going to be a great fit. I would have been happy with the equivalent Trek, but nothing was available and there’s no end in sight for the distribution bottleneck. So, I feel a little guilty not being able to patronize Pedal Moraine, the bike shop sponsor of the racing team to which I belong, but these are unusual times. And I’m not super loyal to Trek as a brand. The Anthem is my third Giant: I used to have an OCR1 and an FCR3, great bikes that eventually I outgrew as a rider. Giant bikes offer exceptional value. At any given price point they are usually outfitted better than their rivals from other major brands.

There’s a lot of uncertainty about the 2022 mountain bike racing calendar here in Wisconsin. Neither WORS nor WEMS has announced a schedule yet, and many people believe WORS will not come back. We’ll see. In the meantime, I’m going to train as if mountain bike racing will be an option next year. The Anthem is a great cross-country machine and I would like to see what I can get out of it—and out of myself—in competition.

Pass This On To Your MTB Friends:

Since January 1, 2018, Washington County has charged admission for all motor vehicles entering its 6 most prominent parks:

• Ackerman’s Grove
• Glacier Hills
• Heritage Trails
• Homestead Hollow
• Leonard J. Yahr
• Sandy Knoll

The county parks department received a lot of criticism from the public when the fees were announced. Much of it was from people who simply didn’t want to pay for something that had been free. Other people observed that the fees were unfairly burdensome for low-income households. I stayed out of the argument. But give credit to the parks department for making the best of a bad situation. It instituted the fees only after our tight-fisted county board told it to fund itself, as no more money would be coming from taxes. And the department recognized that it would need to offer more attractions to bring in paying customers. During the last four years we have witnessed numerous changes. Old buildings have been refurbished and marketed as wedding/reception halls. Cabins and ranger houses are now available for rent to families in search of a peaceful weekend getaway. Beer gardens and live music have become common. Public/private partnerships like Sandy Knoll’s disc golf pro shop look like they’re here to stay.

None of this mattered very much to me. Bikes were banned from county park trails, so I used the parks only for hiking and snowshoeing, activities I could do just as well and without any fees in West Bend city parks. But in 2022 I will have to consider a parks pass for myself. After a four-year absence, I am coming back to mountain biking … just in time for the official opening of the new trails at Heritage Trails County Park. This purpose-built system will keep hikers and mountain bikers on separate trails. Much of the system is already complete, and rider reviews have been overwhelmingly positive. If Minooka Park is the center of mountain biking for our neighbors in Waukesha County, then Heritage Trails may soon become the center for Washington County. It will, at least, give West Bend’s Glacial Blue Hills Recreation Area a worthy rival.

Washington County is offering different designs for its 2022 passes. They all provide the same access, but the different designs allow patrons to show off their particular interests and give the parks department another way to measure which amenities park users want to access. So, if you’re a mountain biker, buy the mountain bike pass. The annual pass is the best deal for frequent visitors, but day passes are available too.

Finally Getting Smart

After a long debate with myself, today I committed to a smart trainer and a Zwift subscription. The cheapskate in me said no but the cyclist in me said yes. The compromise, if you can call it that, was the trainer itself. I went with the Saris M2, which is pretty basic and inexpensive as smart trainers go but far superior to anything I have had before.

Saris is a Wisconsin company that offers great American-made products in an industry dominated by imports. The M2 smart trainer has the same look and feel as my old CycleOps Magneto, and that’s no coincidence. Saris trainers used to be branded as CycleOps. But the addition of “smart” technologies to the M2 changes everything.

I installed the Zwift application on my laptop, to which the M2 connects wirelessly via Bluetooth. There was no add-on ANT+ dongle to buy and no mandatory cell phone app such as those required by some of Zwift’s competitors. Installation of the Zwift software was a little buggy, but I make my living in IT. Despite one or two nuisances I was able to get the application talking to the trainer in just a few minutes.

And then it was time for a test ride! Zwift has a script for a new user’s first ride, so I followed that and then tacked on a few extra minutes exploring the virtual world of Watopia. It was cool to feel the resistance of the trainer changing as I moved up and down hills in the simulation. I had not felt that sensation since the last time I rented a CompuTrainer for an hour. Remember those? They were great in their day, but now you can have an even better virtual riding/racing experience at home.

My recent record with indoor training has been poor. Today’s investment in a trainer and a Zwift subscription could turn out to be a huge waste of money. I don’t think it will, though. Zwift’s visual presentation is nice, but it’s the statistics that will motivate me. I won’t have to track my time anymore. I won’t have to do intervals with a piece of paper and a wall clock. The application includes a large variety of workouts and even lets me configure my own. And for the first time ever, I will be able to track watts. I’ve never had a power meter before.

Each winter I gain a lot of weight and lose a lot of fitness. A new approach to indoor cycling should be good for me. In the days to come I will establish baseline statistics and create plans to improve my performance. Eventually, Zwift could become a racing platform for me. My overnight work schedule, which includes Saturday and Sunday nights, makes real-world racing difficult. Zwift makes racing a possibility on any day at any hour. It also pairs well with Garmin Connect, opening a new path for points and badges on that platform.

Every little bit of motivation helps. During the first rides, much of my motivation will be proving to myself that I have not thrown my money away. But I like what I see so far, and I think this new direction will prove to be the right choice.

Salvaging A Top 10 Season

With 4 rides for a total of 91 miles over the last 4 days, I have reached 4,655 miles this season and moved 2021 into my all-time Top 10. It’s a small achievement, one that probably would have passed without any comment if it had happened during the second week of October. And it almost certainly would have, but my big crash put me out of action for nearly a month. Without the crash, today’s blog post might have been a celebration of another 5,000-mile season. But I’ll accept my consolation prize gratefully. In some ways, making 2021 a Top 10 season legitimizes my effort. I wasn’t just screwing around, even if I did get hurt and even if I didn’t do any racing. This wasn’t a lost year. It wasn’t a waste of time.

But it’s also true that the effort of the last 4 days was supported by good weather I had no right to expect. The cold, wet side of November—the normal side—is about to show itself. I have no more cycling goals within reach this year. It’s another 560 miles to break into the Top 5, and that’s just not going to happen.

Coming Soon: Santa Ramp-Up 2021

Continuing The Comeback

We almost got to 60° today—we should surpass it tomorrow and Monday for the first and, probably, last times this month—but today was windy and I’m still coming back from my injuries, so instead of hopping on the bike I hiked almost 7 miles on the Ice Age Trail from Ridge Run Park down to Paradise Drive and back. And in shorts, too! I did cover up my left calf to protect the last of my road rash, but this was a beautiful November day and hiking was a great way to say goodbye to Daylight Saving Time.

Returning To Full Health

I got 4.5 hours of outdoor exercise this week. Baby steps …

I came into October strong and I’m leaving it on the upswing, but the three weeks in the middle were rough! After my bike crash on October 7th, I didn’t do anything remotely athletic until the 23rd. Then I resumed walking for fitness. On Friday morning I even picked up a Garmin Connect badge, my first since September 29th.

On Saturday afternoon I got on the bike for the first time since my crash. I would have been content with another walk, but again Garmin Connect provided extra motivation. I needed just 11 more miles to complete the October mileage challenge. But I didn’t feel like doing much more than that: I finished the day with 17 miles, bringing my October total to a modest 162. That’s my lowest monthly total since February. I am not yet fully recovered and as the weather continues to decline I am unlikely to ride outside again this year.

Today there was a third Garmin Connect badge on offer, so I knocked out a 5K walk around the neighborhood. I’m still working on the overall walking challenge for the 4th quarter of 2021, and I’ll probably need all of November and at least some of December to complete it.

One of the worst things about getting hurt was being shut out of the home gym. Because my crash happened at the end of a week-long vacation, I already had missed several training sessions. November begins tomorrow and so does my winter strength program. It may be slow going at first. My left arm and shoulder are still a little tender. Weightlifting, stretching, foam rolling … everything stopped when I got hurt. I’m happy to be moving again, but I will take care not to do too much too soon.

The 2021-2022 Hugh Jass Fat Bike Schedule

Here’s the schedule for Season 7 of the Hugh Jass Fat Bike Series, which includes a race at West Bend’s Regner Park for the third straight season:

1. 11/27 – Lake Geneva Ziplines & Adventures - Lake Geneva

2. 12/11 – Trek Headquarters - Waterloo

3. 01/01 – Minooka Park - Waukesha

4. 01/22 – Regner Park - West Bend

5. 02/12 – New Fane - Kewaskum

6. 02/26 – Black Hawk Trails - Madison

Fan Status Reconfirmed

At the midpoint of this year’s race, Sina Frei and Laura Stigger are crushing the women’s field.

Thanks to the Absa Cape Epic, I am a bike racing fan again! I had been AWOL for a few weeks. But each stage of the 8-day African mountain bike race is free to watch on YouTube, and the 7-hour time difference puts the live broadcast in the small hours of the morning on this side of the Atlantic. That’s perfect for a 3rd Shift worker like me. I’ve got my job on one computer monitor and the race on another. Rest assured: I’m not neglecting my job, but in spare moments I’ll un-mute the race and get caught up.

I didn’t see any of the three UCI Cyclocross World Cup races here in the United States this month. Injury kept me from attending the race in Waterloo, and economy kept me from subscribing to FloBikes to watch the broadcasts. I’ve said it before: it’s now almost impossible to watch cyclocross for free. So, I’m very grateful for the Cape Epic broadcasts on YouTube, just as I love the Red Bull.tv coverage of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup.

Annika Langvad—the Danish woman who won the Cape Epic five times during a career marked by success on the road, in mountain biking, and in cyclocross—is providing the color commentary for this year’s broadcast. And she has valuable insight, but it’s also kind of sad that she isn’t racing anymore. She was a cyclist after my own heart, someone who was good at everything and not a one-dimensional specialist.

I like Dutch cyclists Marianne Vos and Lucinda Brand for the same reasons, and Italy’s Eva Lechner, and France’s Pauline Ferrand-Prévot. Among the men, Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands), Wout van Aert (Belgium), and Tom Pidcock (Great Britain) shine as multi-discipline stars. There’s a ton of talent out there right now.

But in addition to Langvad, a couple of recent departures have made cycling feel a little less like the sport with which I fell in love. Sophie de Boer (Netherlands) announced her retirement this week. She was one of my favorite cyclocross racers. And Katie Compton, who reigned for a decade and a half as the American women’s cyclocross champion, was forced out of the sport by a positive doping test that she and her husband clumsily denied. I didn’t say anything in August when the Compton story broke. I hoped it would prove untrue—she had been such a great ambassador for American cyclocross—but two months later there’s still no good reason to doubt the validity of the test results.

I’ll get over it. Yes, I miss many now-retired pros: Sven Nys, Paolo Bettini, Thomas Voeckler, and a bunch of others. But cycling renews itself every season. This week, for example, I recognize only a few of the names of the Cape Epic riders, and that’s OK. It’s still bike racing.

Grim Days

A week has passed since my big crash in Pennsylvania. I have been in dull pain and discomfort ever since. But the healing process is evident. I have more movement in my left arm than I expected at this point, and I have grown an array of scabs over my road rash that almost rivals the rocky carapace of Marvel Comics superhero The Thing.

Despite my injuries, I got through a full week of work without much trouble. I don’t know how I would have made it if I were not working from home; going into the office would have been torture. And for a little extra consolation, I didn’t miss many opportunities for outdoor recreation. Until this afternoon we were in a dark and rainy funk for several days.

I am content to be a bum for a while longer. It’s October, so there are plenty of schlocky monster movies to watch. The new NHL season has just begun. I’m reading books again after taking a break in September. With so many “easy chair” distractions, my convalescence should be done in time for raking leaves and other autumn yard chores.

By next week I may be doing fitness walks/hikes again, but I have no target date for getting back on the bike. My next ride might be indoors.

Back In Wisconsin … Broken

It was a great vacation in Pennsylvania until Thursday afternoon when I crashed on the road and badly injured my left shoulder … again. Pretty sure I know what to expect: two weeks without the use of my left arm, then a fairly rapid period of improvement, and finally a long winter of rebuilding strength in the home gym. I’m a mess: road rash all over the left side of my body. But aside from the shredded handlebar tape that needed to be replaced anyway, I think the bike is OK. At the moment I don't really care. I think my outdoor riding season is done for 2021.

I’m still replaying the crash in my head, and I’m still failing to understand it. I hit a bump in the road with such violence that the handlebar was wrenched from my hands. Fortunately there were no other people or vehicles nearby.

Working from home is going to prove its worth again tonight. As my new work week begins I will be relatively comfortable in my home office where no one will ask why I’m limping and holding my left arm tightly against my chest. And having my oldest kid living with me again is going to ensure a steady flow of groceries to the house. It will be a while before I make my next appearance in public, and unfortunately that means I won’t be at Trek HQ in Waterloo tomorrow for the UCI World Cup cyclocross races.

Zwift is looking better all the time. I can’t keep breaking myself like this.

Sunburst Surprise

Because it was kind of a rest day but not a complete day off, today I decided to visit a short section of the Ice Age Trail that I had not seen before. My brief hike turned out to be something more than I expected.

I started at the Ridge Road trailhead and followed the trail to Sunburst Winter Sports Park. I thought my hike would be a simple out-and-back, but on my return I decided to leave the Ice Age Trail and its familiar yellow blazes for wherever the white blazes might lead. And by following those white blazes I not only got to see even more trail I had never seen before, but I also got to revisit some that I had. In the days of the Sunburst Showdown—formerly part of the Wisconsin Off-Road Series—I raced my mountain bike there. The back of the ski hill always had more potential for fun than the front, but it’s all private property and getting access was a challenge.

Anyway, the combination of the Ice Age Trail and this other trail made for a short but challenging loop with a lot of elevation change. My counter-clockwise, 2.7-mile lap took 47 minutes.

That’s as much as I could squeeze into my schedule today, but I’ll go back soon to knock out a couple of laps now that I know it’s an option.

A Ride For The Statuesque And The Not-So-Chiseled

West Bend has a surprising array of no fewer than 36 significant pieces of outdoor sculpture. Some are visible from public streets, but others are tucked away in city parks and the best way to experience the collection is by bicycle. You’ll have that opportunity on the Tour de Sculptures next Sunday, October 3, no matter what kind of bike rider you are. Tour guides will be on hand to provide information about each piece. Check out the flyer below, and keep watching the Facebook event page for updates … especially if bad weather creeps into the forecast.

Late September Is Looking Up

As I mentioned on Monday, I am focusing on climbing for the remainder of September. Today I got plenty: 3,182 feet. There wasn’t a lot of flat road today. Check out the profile:

Today’s ride was stupidly windy too. The combination of hills and wind made for a lower average speed than you should expect from me. I’m very satisfied, though, not disappointed. And I tested a loop in northwestern Washington County that would be excellent for hill repeats. Maybe I’ll go back to it in the week to come. My goal for September is 20,000 feet, and after today’s ride I’m still looking for another 4,019. I’ve allowed myself too many days off the bike this month; otherwise I could have hit my goal with the sorts of rides I usually do. So, now I’m pushing myself and today’s ride was a big step in the right direction.

Last Of The Summer Whines

Autumn will begin on Wednesday. That’s the official start, anyway. Unofficially, autumn has been here since August 31st or thereabouts. It was then that the days became noticeably shorter, the mornings noticeably colder, the leaves a noticeably less uniform green. Things are unraveling quickly. We’re still getting an occasional burst of summer, but have we seen the last of the 80° days in 2021? In the 10-day forecast there are no 80° days and only one 70° day. On Wednesday we might be lucky just to hit 60°. And with overnight temperatures dipping into the low 40s this week I may be turning on the furnace and forgetting all about the air conditioner until next July.

Fortunately, I have no cycling mileage goals for the remainder of September. I will be happy with whatever I get. My real focus will be on climbing: I want to climb at least 1,000 feet on every ride between now and October 1st. That’s not guaranteed around here, and I certainly won’t find it on the Eisenbahn State Trail. I plan to spend the bulk of my time in the Town of Wayne (Washington County’s northwest corner) and in the Northern Kettle Moraine.

When October rolls around I will be in my native Pennsylvania. My vacation will feature some cycling, but in a sense it will be the end of my season. On my return to Wisconsin I will ramp up my cross-training program. More than ever before, this year I have continued to cross-train throughout the cycling season. But autumn, for all of its sickening crimes against cycling, really is the time for those other activities to shine. I plan to walk more, hike more, ruck more, and return to longer and more structured strength training workouts in the home gym. I will be only a fair weather cyclist for the rest of the year.

This morning I reached a walking milestone: 100 walks since I started tracking on Garmin Connect this time last year. And with my next walk I will surpass 300 miles of walking in 2021. Garmin treats hiking and walking as distinct activities, so my hikes have not contributed to these totals. There’s a lot more of this to come in the next three months.

And then what? I’m still thinking about a smart trainer and a Zwift membership to get me through the deepest, darkest months of winter. If something as simple as a Garmin Forerunner GPS-enabled sports watch can make me train more by turning my non-cycling workouts into a game, then how much more would I get out of indoor cycling with Zwift? I hesitate purely on financial grounds. If I could have the equipment and the membership for free, then I would grab it in an instant.

Covering A Lot Of Ground

Meh.

Today I reached 4,000 miles, year-to-date. It’s a nice milestone even if it has become rather common. This is my 13th consecutive season with at least 4,000 miles. And I feel like I have arrived late. Today’s ride was just my 7th ride this month. What about the other 7 days? We’ve had as many bad weather days as good ones, and I’ve been busy with home renovations and other domestic chores. Tomorrow’s weather looks great—just as warm as today but without the high winds—but I probably won’t have a chance to ride. A thousand square feet of new carpet goes into the upper level of my house tomorrow and I have to stick around for the installation. I’ve carved out a 3-hour block just for the arrival of the installers. Who knows how long the job itself will take? I shouldn’t complain; the house will be really nice by Wednesday evening. But halfway through September it looks like I will be well off the pace for a 5,000-mile season. If I’m being honest, then I’ve already given up on that goal. There are others, though. I’m not done.

Taking Things Too Far

It goes without saying that I should not have been using a tire as far gone as the one pictured above, but I was. Until yesterday that was the rear tire on my road bike. Obviously I knew it was on its way out, but I kept getting “just one more” ride out of it. And, trust me, it didn’t look that bad until the very end. I guess it broke through some barrier on its last ride and then started to come apart in chunks. Whatever. Any way you look at it, I should have replaced this tire long ago.

I got thousands of miles from that old Continental Gatorskin and I replaced it—no surprise here—with another Continental Gatorskin, one of the two I bought way back in early November 2019. I put one of those on the front wheel some time ago … wish I could remember the date. Well, I won’t have to guess about the new rear tire; I’m going to use Garmin Connect to track it:

This will be an easy way to tell how many miles I get out of the new tire. I love my numbers and I love getting my money’s worth, but I promise I won’t push this new tire to the ridiculous limits of its predecessor.

The Hasty Retreat Of Summer 2021

It’s Labor Day, the unofficial end of summer. Perhaps you enjoyed a day off from work. Good for you. For me, it’s just a Monday without mail. I worked last night, I will work again later tonight.

Last Monday we hit 80° in West Bend and we haven’t been close to it since. On Saturday we didn’t even get to 70° and on a couple of occasions in the last week we had overnight lows in the 40s. We also had lots of clouds, a little rain, and generally depressing conditions, all of which figured in my ride statistics. For the week that ended yesterday, I did only 3 rides for a grand total of 100 miles in 6 hours. You have to go back to May 3-9 to find a weaker effort in my training logs. Going into last week I had completed 7 consecutive 200-mile weeks. Last Thursday, Friday, and Saturday was my first 3-day break from cycling since May 27-29. I just couldn’t rally myself.

I’m feeling the change of seasons very acutely, again. And it doesn’t help that we’re losing almost 3 minutes of daylight per day. Next Thursday, September 16, will be the last day in 2021 with a sunset later than 7 p.m.  If you live a normal daytime schedule, then it’s getting difficult for you to ride after work. There’s a little more flexibility for me, but even I have to sleep sometime. Right now I’m still trying to sleep away the cooler hours of the morning so that I can ride in the warmest hours of late afternoon, but each afternoon is getting shorter. It won’t be long until I’m staying up after work so that I don’t miss a tiny window of nice weather early in the afternoon, then I’ll sleep in the evening.

My new training week began today with a 32-mile road ride. The forecast isn’t bad, so I’ll try to rack up 200 miles before the week is done. But last week wasn’t an anomaly; it was an omen.

August 2021: A Mileage PR

Last year I rode 835 miles in August to set a new personal record. This year I went even farther: 910 miles. And personal records are always satisfying, but this one is a little sweeter because of how busy I was off the bike. In July I mentioned that I was planning to tackle a number of home improvement projects in August and September. So far, so good. There’s a new light fixture above the kitchen sink and there’s fresh paint on the walls of the living room, dining room, hallway, and foyer. Next comes new carpet for the living room, dining room, hallway, foyer, and bedrooms. Getting that done will be my top priority in September.

It won’t be my only priority, though. With good weather I could make a run at a September mileage PR (currently 806). I also have identified 5 new Garmin Connect badges to achieve in the month to come, so there’s some cross-training in my immediate future. Another 5,000-mile season? That’s not a priority, but it is a possibility. I’m finishing August with 3,757 miles, year-to-date. I’m finally ahead of last year’s pace: I had 3,753 miles in my legs at the end of August 2020. August 2021 is now my No. 2 month all-time, trailing only July 2011 (1,020 miles).

80,000 Miles

Today I surpassed 80,000 lifetime miles. That’s not bad for someone who didn’t start counting his cycling miles until March 26, 2004. I was almost 39 years old. Now I’m 56, and I’m still hoping to hit 100,000 miles sometime around my 60th birthday. With a little effort, I might reach my goal on my birthday.

And here’s a neat coincidence (I swear to you that I didn’t plan this): it was exactly two years ago that I hit 70,000 miles.

As it was on that occasion, so it was today. Getting to the nice round number was my mileage goal for the season. I came into this year 3,316 miles short of 80,000. Now that these objectives are behind me, in a sense anything extra is just gravy. But in another sense it’s damned hard to ride 5,000 miles in 12 months in this climate. So, I will push on. And there are other little prizes to chase, starting tomorrow. With 477 miles so far in August and half of the month remaining, I’m only 358 miles away from 835, the personal record I set just last year. That’s doable.

First Metric Century Of 2021

Today I did my first metric century of 2021, the counter-clockwise tour depicted on the map above. Not a bad solo effort. I thought I would be doing more rides like this; now I’m wondering whether my first metric century of 2021 will be my only metric century of 2021. I hope not.

Free Helmets!

Need a helmet … or two? I’m giving away these very lightly used Bell Lumen helmets in white/silver. These helmets have never been crashed and are in excellent condition. If you need a large helmet—23.25”-24.75” / 59-63 cm—then contact me through the email widget on the right side of this page and arrange a pickup time.

Still Rolling

Since I embraced foam rolling in December 2012, I have made it an almost daily part of my training. Even on days when I don’t ride my bike, I still stretch and spend a little time with the foam roller. And I know there’s debate about the effectiveness of foam rolling, but if I am really only relaxing for a few minutes, then at least I am relaxing for a few minutes. There’s precious little of that in my life.

My original foam roller went out with this week’s trash. Its departure was long overdue. I had pretty well worn out all of its resistance—for the last few months it was more foam than roller—and it was starting to go to pieces, shedding little black dots all over my carpet. So, now there’s a new one and I haven’t missed a beat. As with most training tools, consistency is the key to results. I’m convinced foam rolling helps me to avoid soreness and even cramping.

Worthy Of A Record, But Not A Record

Close, but no cigar!

It was a busy month in the saddle. I spent almost 54 hours on the bike: 27 rides for a total of 902 miles. That’s my second-highest mileage total in any month ever, beating last month’s 880 miles. But it’s not a record. I still haven’t topped the 1,020 miles I rode in July 2011.

And I still haven’t caught last year’s pace, but I’m close. At the end of July 2020, I had amassed 2,918 miles. Right now I’ve got 2,847 … with 11 fewer rides. That small difference in total mileage combined with this season’s higher miles-per-ride average has me thinking about making this another 5,000-mile year. Getting to that threshold wasn’t in my original plans for 2021, but it’s a very real possibility now. I haven’t had back-to-back 5,000-mile seasons since 2015-2016.

Bring on August!

Dedication

Dedication is the word of the day. It works on two levels. First came the dedication of Bike Friendly West Bend to create on-street bike routes in the city. It was the work of more than 5 years, and in 2017 the dream looked like it was over when the city’s Common Council refused even to vote on the idea. But BFWB stuck with it, breaking down a big plan into smaller, easier-to-digest chunks. Last December the city approved one of those chunks: the Orange Loop. And today BFWB met with city officials at the intersection of Sylvan and Vine for a short dedication ceremony to mark the opening of the route. Mayor Chris Jenkins and City Administrator Jay Shambeau were among those on hand.

After the ribbon-cutting, Shambeau rode the loop with BFWB representatives. It was an opportunity for BFWB to share its observations with someone at City Hall who is in a position to help. Along the way, I commented that the Orange Loop goes where it goes so that it can connect what needs to be connected: residential neighborhoods, schools, parks, and the Eisenbahn State Trail. To the dismay of some critics, the loop does not always travel the best-maintained streets. And one or two intersections will feel a little challenging to a less-skilled, less-confident rider. Witnessing these limitations and fielding recommendations from long-time local advocates like Jeff Puetz and Rich Ramsey will give Shambeau a first-hand perspective to share with city employees and elected officials.

I rode to the dedication ceremony, took the tour, then rode home again. At only 8 miles, it was the shortest ride I’ve done for a while! But it was an important ride. It was a way to show appreciation for the combined efforts of BFWB and City Hall, and it was a chance to have the attention of people in government in a casual but still respectful and collaborative way. It’s only in that way BFWB has been successful, and it’s only in that way BFWB will succeed in the future.

The Next Two Months

Yesterday I announced to the  West Bend Cyclocross group on Facebook  that I won’t be hosting a practice series this summer. The series ran at Royal Oaks Park from 2012 through 2019, then got wiped out by the pandemic in 2020 along with the entire WCA season. There will be cyclocross in Wisconsin this fall and I intended to bring the practice series back, but my priorities have changed.

In late September my oldest child will return to the nest to enjoy rent-free living and, I presume, accelerated student loan repayment! I couldn’t be more delighted; the house has been empty without my kids. But now there are household projects that just won’t wait any longer, and many of them can be done only with fair weather. None of this stuff was unexpected, but I had a longer timeline in mind when I was building my project list. Fresh paint, new carpet, various other decorating touches … it’s going to feel like a new house, not like the one I have occupied for 20 years. And there will be no shortage of work outside, where the trees are dying but the bushes and weeds are overgrown. Can’t forget about that September 18 block party on my street. I don’t want my house to be that house.

Also, it looks like there will be an East Coast vacation for me in October, which serves as an additional incentive to finish the household projects by the end of September. But as that trip will coincide with one or two WCA cyclocross races, it’s an additional disincentive to commit to the season. I’m still knocking out 12- to 15-hour weeks on the bike, typically surpassing 200 miles per week. My commitment to ride has not changed. But racing is a bad fit at the moment. It wants time, energy, and money when all three are needed elsewhere.

Two-day

Nice day! I did a 2-hour Ice Age Trail hike in the morning …

and a 2-hour road bike ride in the evening …

Each activity completed a 2-point Garmin Connect challenge, so I earned 2 new badges.

It’s good that I continue to find motivation from Garmin, because I’m not finding it in many other places. I am planning for some home renovations and a week-long October vacation, but so far those are only plans. I could use something new and novel right now when things are, frankly, kind of a grind. I’m doing a good job, but sometimes it seems like my only reward is that I get to do the same good job tomorrow.

Just Like Paradise

I averaged 17 mph on Friday’s 42-mile road ride, but as I got close to home the 0.7-mile section of Paradise Drive between 7th Avenue and Stonebridge Road demanded something more. Outside of the city, Paradise Drive is a treat! Within city limits, I usually avoid it. Paradise is one of the least bike-friendly streets in West Bend: too many cars, too many traffic lights, too many conflict points. But for whatever reason, on Friday evening I took it on … and even had fun with it. The secret is speed. Or maybe that’s obvious and not a secret at all. Whatever. Get up to automobile speed and you’ll be fine. Looks like I even had a little burst above the 25 mph speed limit. Sorry, WBPD, got to go along to get along. I was hardly the fastest vehicle on the road; I was just fast enough not to be an impediment. Not one horn sounded. Not one middle finger extended. Not one driver shouted for me to get on the sidewalk … and woe to any pedestrians if I had. Bikes are vehicles. They belong on the streets. The more we share the road with cars in a safe and courteous manner, the more we normalize our presence and improve the relationship between riders and drivers.

Halftime 2021

This month, two people suggested to me that my commitment to cycling is waning. I don’t suspect collusion; these people live 1,000 miles apart, have never met, and could not have coordinated their statements in any plausible scenario. And we’re all entitled to our opinions, but first let’s look at some facts.

With 6 months of 2021 behind us and 6 still ahead, I have ridden 1,945 miles. That’s not far behind the 2,096 miles I rode in the first half of 2020, and it’s ahead of my pace from 2019. Last year turned out to be a 5,214-mile season, my 5th best. I’m not shooting for 5,000 this year, but I should be comfortably above 4,000 by the end. And I’m finishing this month with a new personal record for miles in June: 880. That beats the 843 miles I rode last June and it is my second-highest total in any month ever, trailing only my 1,020-mile effort in July 2011. Good, right?

One of the comments about my commitment to cycling was very specific: I’m not doing really long rides anymore. My last 100-mile ride was on August 13, 2017, the 10th Anniversary edition of Race The Lake. But in truth, I have never done a lot of long rides. I have ridden 15 centuries all-time … out of 2,724 career rides. In 2015 when I rode an all-time best 6,236 miles, my average ride was only 29 miles. I did 215 rides that season. Consistency produced that big mileage total; I didn’t ride a bunch of 100 milers.

I think the other comment was substantially influenced by my lower profile on social media this year. On Facebook, Twitter, and even on this blog, I have been saying less about my own cycling activities. Why? I guess it’s because so far in 2021 my rides have been just rides. I haven’t been racing or riding with groups, and there’s a sameness to my training rides that I wouldn’t expect anyone to find interesting. This is Season 18 and much of the novelty is gone. What can I tell you about an out-and-back Eisenbahn State Trail ride or a quick loop around the Cedarburg covered bridge that you haven’t heard before?

A new month begins tomorrow. I don’t plan to make a run at a mileage record in July. But there are several new Garmin Connect goals for the new month and for the new quarter. I’ve been hitting all my targets on Garmin Connect. That’s good. It’s even kind of competitive. But it’s not racing. Perhaps my biggest challenge in July will be to find the motivation to train specifically for cyclocross. If I don’t race this fall, then I don’t know if I ever will again. And at that point I wouldn’t be able to deny that my commitment has waned.

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.

The 2021 WCA Cyclocross Calendar

The Wisconsin Cycling Association announced its 2021 cyclocross calendar today and Washington County will have a race for the first time in almost a decade. But that race won’t be at River Hill Park in Kewaskum, where we raced in 2011 and 2012. The new venue is Richfield Historical Park.

There are always some differences between the season that is planned and the season that is raced, and the schedule in its current form recognizes the uncertainty still presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. So, expect some changes but start looking forward to the season.

Return Of The 200-Mile Week

I was on my way to my first 200-mile week of 2021 last month when bad weather wiped out Sunday the 23rd and I had to settle for a lousy 179. But this week I flew past the 200-mile mark, finishing with 246. I spent 15 hours, 15 minutes in the saddle. It was my biggest week of training since September 21-27 last year, when I rode a personal best 283 miles in 16:44. Stringing together 90° days is always going to meet with my approval, but I could do without the wind. I’m happy with the numbers I put up this week, but they would have been even bigger if I didn’t feel limited by high winds.

Up With Downer!

Was it only Monday that I was lamenting the absence of the Downer Classic from this year's Tour of America's Dairyland schedule? ToAD caught me off guard in a good way today by reinstating the race. The Downer Classic won't occupy its usual Saturday slot, but a Thursday works even better with my weird work schedule. See you there!

Some Notes To End May 2021

May is a spring month in Washington County, not a summer month, so again we took the bad with the good as the weather fluctuated wildly. We had some days in the 80s, some days with wind chill in the 30s, and everything in-between. We had rain, but not too much. And we had wind … lots of wind. I didn’t have big expectations coming into May, so I’m satisfied with what I got: 17 rides for a total of 550 miles, my highest totals so far this year. Add another 47.4 miles of walking/hiking and it was an active month. Looks like I may have lost a couple of pounds. I’ll know tomorrow when I do my “official” monthly weigh-in.

There was bike racing in Wisconsin—four of my Pedal Moraine teammates competed in the WORS season opener on May 16—and there was bike racing around the globe, with very competitive UCI Mountain Bike World Cup races and a terrific Giro d’Italia. May also was a month of steady progress in the development of the new mountain bike trails at Heritage Trails County Park near Slinger. And here in West Bend, the city has started to install the signs for our first official bike route, the “orange loop.” This is all good stuff!

I did a little shopping in May, adding two jerseys, another pair of bib shorts, and a couple of better water bottles. I’m looking for a new helmet too, but I don’t need much more. I appear to be finishing a process I began last year when it seemed like all my cycling kit wore out at once.

June should be a high-mileage month for me. It typically is, and last June was a personal record: 843 miles. But June will be somewhat atypical this year for the Tour of America’s Dairyland. ToAD was canceled outright in 2020 because of the pandemic. It’s back for 2021, but it will not feature the Downer Avenue race that, for me, was its signature event. Weather permitting, I will be an unmasked face in the crowd in Grafton on June 19 and in Shorewood on June 25. Somebody beer me—the good stuff, not that watery, low-cal, domestic swill—and let’s all start to feel normal again.

Finally: 1,000 Miles In 2021

I was on a mission today … a slow, wind-blown, and by the end chilly mission to reach 1,000 miles, year-to-date. With 5 miles to go I was very conscious of the 13° temperature drop and I retreated to my house for the arm warmers I had talked myself out of about 2 hours earlier. Oh, well. Mission accomplished: my first 1,000 miles of 2021 are complete. This is the latest date on which I reached 1,000 miles since May 28, 2007, and I now have a streak of 6 seasons in which I reached the milestone later than the year before. I’m starting to wonder whether I ever again will finish this goal before the end of April. I haven’t done so since 2017. It probably doesn’t matter, but I always thought April 30 was a good target.

Finding A Little

Today's route, completed counter-clockwise.

If this blog goes silent, then you can be sure I’m not happy with how things are going on the bike. Such was the case for the last couple of weeks. This month began with a pair of 80° days but then rapidly dropped below normal for two weeks. I struggled to find the motivation to ride. I wasn’t completely idle—I did a lot of walking/hiking and I stuck to my strength training schedule in the home gym—but in the first 12 days of May I reached for my bike only 3 times.

Things look like they’re about to get much better: I reached for my bike 3 times in the last 4 days. Today’s ride was by far my fastest this year. Friday’s ride was by far my hilliest this year. The week to come will be much warmer than the week that just ended. I hope that means I can record my first 200-mile week of 2021. I need to start cranking those out like I did last year.

Today’s ride, my 28th this season, got me to 719 miles. I am well behind last year’s pace for both metrics. But I’m going to make an earnest effort to surpass 1,000 miles by the end of May. In a good year, that’s a number I see by the end of April. Yes, I’m that far behind. Good times are coming, though. Better weather, better attitude. Better attitude, better performance.

The Rusco Trailhead Groundbreaking

It has begun! The southern terminus of the Eisenbahn State Trail at Rusco Drive will have several new amenities this year, and today a group of about 50 people turned out to celebrate the beginning of construction. The ground is being cleared on both sides of the trail to accommodate off-street parking, a bike repair stand, portable toilets, and more. This picture gives some idea of the orientation of the parking spaces:

Several local dignitaries were on hand from the City of West Bend and from Washington County government. County Executive Josh Schoemann read a proclamation honoring the work of Bike Friendly West Bend President Jeff Puetz, who addressed the audience:

Bike Friendly West Bend raised $20,000 for the project and played a key role in keeping the conversation going for more than 5 years. The project stalled when a telephone company raised the issue of liability if construction disturbs its underground lines. BFWB helped to coordinate conversations with all stakeholders at the local, county, and state levels to overcome the opposition.

Puetz is now the outgoing president of BFWB. He is retiring from corporate life at the end of the month and will step away from his leadership role in the advocacy group soon thereafter as he moves on to a new set of goals. Replacing him will be hard—it might be impossible—but there’s still more work for BFWB to do. If you have an interest in that role or would like to volunteer to help BFWB in some other capacity, then let me know. Let’s keep the ball rolling!

Meh

April 3-7 was uncommonly nice in Washington County: 5 straight days in the 70s. That’s about 20° above the average daytime high for that time of year, and of course it couldn’t last. When things went back to normal I went back to accepting any excuse not to ride my bike. On the days that failed to reach 50° I could argue—if only to myself—that it was too cold. On other days it was too windy or too rainy. One week ago today it was too snowy, and for proof I recall to your memory the 100-car pileup on Interstate 41 that left one person dead and sent several others to the hospital.

Today was … just OK. Yeah, you read that right. Sure, we got back above 70° for the first time since April 7, and I did my first full-distance Eisenbahn State Trail ride of 2021. But it was 74° when I started at 1 p.m. and only 61° when I got back at 4:30. The wind shifted from southeast to northeast when I was about 12 miles into my 50-mile ride. I had studied the forecast and expected the shift to come a little later and a little more gradually, but when it came it was like somebody threw a switch labeled “Screw you, Dave.”

And keeping with the theme of just OK, that badly neglected bridge south of Old Fond du Lac Road in Kewaskum has been repaired. It’s far better than the decaying mess it had become, but I’m not a fan of bridge decking that runs in the same direction as bicycle traffic:

The perpendicular decking is great: a bike rider will hit that at a 90-degree angle. But the middle of the bridge will be a problem eventually. Decking pops up when it wears out. When the perpendicular planks start to pop up, they will do so at the edges of the bridge where there’s no traffic. In the middle of the bridge, planks will pop up in a high traffic area. That’s a tripping hazard for walkers and a potential over-the-bars danger for bike riders. There’s also expansion and contraction to consider. It’s not a problem when the gaps between perpendicular planks get a little wider—your tires will handle that easily—but it’s a bicycle tire trap when gaps appear between planks running in the same direction as the trail. I asked a Washington County administrator with oversight for this project to ensure that all bridge decking be perpendicular, but I was ignored. So, good luck to you. Don’t be the person who proves me right.