Goodbye, Lovers Lane

It doesn't look too bad at first ...

Lovers Lane, that beautiful mess of a road around which Cheesehead Roubaix was created, is gone. I visited Lovers Lane yesterday and found it transformed into a drainage ditch. The road was never really suitable for vehicle traffic, and that was part of its charm. Several years ago, the stop sign at Highland Drive fell over. It was never replaced. It was never needed. There was no Lovers Lane sign at either end of the road. Passing motorists had no reason to assume it was anything more than farm access.

but then the big rocks take over.

In October 2020, the Town of Farmington vacated Lovers Lane and annexed it to the adjoining properties. Due to the COVID pandemic, Cheesehead Roubaix didn’t run in 2021. But when we reconvened last spring, we were on private property. I didn’t know it at the time, and it’s a deal breaker now. There are six different private parcels with a property line on what used to be Lovers Lane. It might be possible to obtain permission from all the owners, but I can’t be bothered. I want to continue to use only public roads and park paths. That makes for much easier administration, and it creates a route that you can ride anytime, not just once a year.

For most people, Lovers Lane connected nothing to nothing. It must have been an easier decision for Farmington to give it up than for the neighboring landowners to take it on.

While I am sorry to see Lovers Lane go, I am enthusiastic about the new Cheesehead Roubaix route. It keeps all of the other gravel sectors, moves the mid-ride rest stop deeper into the ride to make it more valuable for most riders, and begins with a fun loop southwest of Newburg that we have never used before.

Please visit the Route Details page at the Cheesehead Roubaix website to download your own copies of the new cuesheet, map, elevation profile, and GPX/FIT files for GPS-enabled navigation devices. And please register at the Facebook event page to ensure adequate provisioning of rest stop goodies.

See you on April 29!

Never Put Away The Thermals!

I am back in Wisconsin for the first time since March 29. During my stay in Pennsylvania, I did 11 rides for a total of 300 miles. The weather was great! Today I did another 25 miles, which was all I wanted after driving overnight. I’m now at 500 miles of outdoor riding so far in 2023. Last year, I did not reach that plateau until May 14. Today’s ride gave me a 7-day streak, but that will end tomorrow. The forecast suggests an all-day rain. I need a rest, so I will take the day off regardless of the weather. With 1-3 inches of snow coming between Sunday night and Monday evening, I’m certain that Monday will be a rest day too. It’s never very nice for very long here in Washington County. You didn’t really expect 80° to last, did you? We’re going to struggle to hit 50° next week. And Cheesehead Roubaix is just two weeks away. Let’s hope the upcoming return to winter weather is the last such downturn of the 2022-2023 season.

One More Week At Mom’s

Last week I spent 8 hours in the saddle, riding 120 miles here in suburban Philadelphia. I had not logged that much time outdoors since the week of October 31—November 6. Even if you’re only an amateur mathematician, then you will notice that’s a 15 mph average. In summer I would consider that to be painfully slow, but at this time of year it’s OK. Not only am I not fit right now, but also I am doing rides in urban areas with lots of stop signs, traffic lights, and turns. My average will improve with greater fitness and with a return to the rural roads that surround West Bend. I am extending my stay in Pennsylvania until Thursday or Friday. I will be home by Saturday night to begin my new work week.

West Bend is about to enjoy its nicest warm streak since mid-October and I won’t be there to benefit. It’s almost as if my return is going to trigger the massive temperature drop, so thanks for nothing:

But it will be nice here in PA, too, so I plan to rack up more miles in the week to come:

When I return to Wisconsin my first priority—well, my first cycling priority—will be to prepare for Cheesehead Roubaix on April 29. There may be some significant route changes this year … more on that subject later. My second priority will be bike maintenance. It’s time to install the new parts I acquired over the winter: tires for the road bike and a better saddle for the gravel bike. I did my first ride in a new pair of shoes yesterday. When I’m back in Wisconsin my new helmet will come out of its box. It feels like the 2023 cycling season has begun in earnest.

Little Switzerland Bike Park Closes

There’s bad news today for downhill mountain bikers. Little Switzerland, the ski hill located in Slinger, has announced that it is closing its bike park:

“We have made the difficult decision to permanently close the Little Switzerland Bike Park. Our insurance company has dropped coverage of the Bike Park, and alternative insurance options would not make the park economically viable moving forward.

“We want to thank all of our loyal Bike Park customers that have made it a special place. It’s been quite a ride—literally and figuratively—over the last 10 years.

“We also want to offer our sincere gratitude to the dedicated build crew that made the Bike Park one of the best in the Midwest. None of it would have been possible without their time, dedication, passion, and effort.

“We are donating any features that may be usable to Heritage Trails County Park, located 10 minutes away and will offer any support to Heritage we can.

“We are personally saddened by this difficult reality, and wish nothing but the best for the gravity biking community.”

Philadelphia Freedom

My pessimistic side looks at my employee benefits package and laments the paucity of vacation days. Having only 6 vacation days each year is discouraging. I’ve been in the workforce since January 1982 … not always with the same employer, of course, but I still think I should have more “fringe” benefits than I currently enjoy. And my complaint isn’t just about the number of vacation days; it’s also about how I have to use them. My vacation days are tied to my anniversary of employment and I can’t use any days that I haven’t earned yet. I can’t take off an entire work week until the beginning of October, and I must use all of my vacation time before the end of November. That’s a narrow window at a time of year during which I would prefer not to travel. I still associate vacation with summer. That’s what it was when I was a schoolboy, and that’s what it remains in my mental image of a perfect vacation.

My optimistic side looks at the fact that I work remotely, 100 percent of the time. And because I literally never have to go to the office, I am free to work anywhere that has a reliable Internet connection and a router with an open Ethernet port for my Voice-over-IP desk phone. Such conditions exist in my house, of course, but they also exist at Mom’s house.

Greetings from suburban Philadelphia! After working overnight on Tuesday, I packed up my home office and drove to Pennsylvania. I burned a vacation day by taking Wednesday night off, but the rest of my time here will be a working “vacation” during which I use no additional hours. Yesterday and today were my “weekend” and the new work week doesn’t begin until 12 midnight Eastern tomorrow night. I will be here at least until next Thursday, and perhaps until April 13. The exact date depends on the weather and on Mom’s willingness to put up with me.

The latter seems more secure than the former. We had a big family gathering today in celebration of my mother’s 90th birthday, the most important reason for me to be here right now. But I don’t deny that Philadelphia’s weather has its own appeal. During the next week, the average afternoon high will be about 63° here and only about 49° in West Bend. That’s a big difference. Today I rode outside in shorts for the first time this year. Next week I might be riding with bare arms. There will be ups and downs in the weather while I’m here—rain might cost me a couple of opportunities—but there shouldn’t be any snow or days that are so cold that I can’t ride. If there’s an unexpected return to winter conditions here, then I will head back to Wisconsin where such weather is more of an expectation than a disappointment.

I don’t have any big rides planned for this trip. I will be happy with a steady diet of 25-30 miles on every day with fair weather. And if this trip ends successfully, then it will serve as a model for future trips. Time with Mom is precious, and I simply do not accept that it should be confined to a handful of days each autumn.

Garmin Connect Level 5

Today I picked up the last 3 points I needed to reach Level 5 on Garmin Connect. I thought I was going to finish Level 5 before the end of 2022, but that goal evaporated when I injured my left calf in August. Garmin Connect levels are hard to complete when you’re relying on just one type of activity. In the second half of 2022, I missed out on several points because I was no longer walking for fitness.

I’m back to full strength now and I had better stay that way. Being injury-free is good not just for its own sake, but also for the pursuit of additional fitness goals. I reached Garmin Connect Level 5 with 300 points. I will need another 320 to reach Level 6! Most Garmin Connect challenges are worth only 1-2 points. Getting to Level 6 could take years. Luckily, fitness is a lifelong goal.

Flowers And Bunnies And Sunshine? Not Quite!

Officially, spring arrived today at 4:24 p.m. CDT. I was literally on my bike at that moment, but I didn’t notice any change. Today was a statistically average March 20 in West Bend: chilly, breezy, overcast. The romantic ideal of springtime is many weeks away. It’s best not to get too excited. Fresh in my mind is the -6° wind chill that West Bend felt before sunrise on Saturday morning. I rode outside today and it was good, but we’re not going to have an unbroken path to summer. Tomorrow looks like a nearly identical day, and that will pull me outside again. Wednesday may be even warmer and I’ll look for another chance to ride if we don’t have an all-day rain. I haven’t ridden outside on consecutive days since October 29 through November 3, so I’m eager to see what I can accomplish this week. I had a horrible spring last year and it won’t be hard to beat. There’s a real opportunity for me to finish March with more miles, year-to-date, than I had last year before May 1. And on top of that goal, I have a couple of Garmin Connect badges to pursue. Every little bit of motivation helps. That’s especially true when experience tells me that there’s at least one more blast of cold air and at least one more accumulating snowfall before spring really arrives.

The Absa Cape Epic is running this week and I am enjoying the live YouTube coverage from South Africa. My overnight work schedule gives me a chance to stay tuned to the race without losing any sleep. As our spring begins, autumn is starting in the southern hemisphere. There were plenty of jackets and hoodies at the finish line of today’s Cape Epic stage. It was 66° at the time. West Benders would have been complaining of the heat!

Welcome, March 2023

Today's ride was typical of my winter rides: short, slow, and close to home.

February is gone and I won’t miss it. I spent only 8 hours on Zwift and that’s simply not getting the job done. I did spend 4 hours riding outdoors in February and that’s OK in this climate, but overall I was unhappy with my training volume. Until this afternoon, I had not been on any kind of bike ride since last Friday due to a bit of a cold, the first time I felt sick since June 2016! It was only a little congestion and pain in the sinuses. I spent a lot of time in bed and kept myself extra warm to ensure things didn’t get worse.

Assuming I stay healthy, it won’t be hard for March to beat February in every category that matters. With generally warmer temperatures and the return of Daylight Saving Time, March should offer more opportunities to ride outside. But it is still winter, so I won’t forget about Zwift. And I expect to get back into a more regular schedule of walking and hiking. Today’s 21-mile outdoor ride was a good start to what I hope will be a busy month.

In February I kept my promise and abstained from Coca-Cola. Eliminating thousands of empty calories helped me to lose 1 pound in February despite a lower level of activity. It’s the first time since 2019 that I lost weight in February, and I’m 5 pounds lighter than I was on March 1, 2022. So, I’m going to abstain from Coca-Cola for another month. Let’s see what happens.

From Aigle, With Love

Today the UCI released its 2023-2024 Cyclocross World Cup schedule, and I guess we stupid Americans should just shut up and count ourselves lucky that we still have one race. Those halcyon days of October 2021, during which America enjoyed not one but three World Cup races in an 8-day period, are long gone. Later in that same season, the biggest names in the sport came back across the Atlantic for the world championships. America had never seen a cyclocross season like it … and probably never will again.

What we’re left with is the season-opening race at Trek’s headquarters in Waterloo. And sincere thanks to Trek for its continuing commitment, but the bloom is off the rose. Waterloo was one of two World Cup races in America during the 2022-2023 season. Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert, and Tom Pidcock skipped both. For the three superstars of cyclocross, it simply wasn’t worth the time and expense to come over from Europe. With so many races on the schedule, anyone with series ambitions or who uses the World Cup season only to tune up for the world championships can skip the American trip and keep training without jet lag. With only one American race on next season’s calendar, the situation promises to be even worse. If you’re not a Trek-sponsored rider, an American, or a Canadian, then you’re better off staying in Europe.

Ultimately, the only thing that will make things better on this side of the pond is money. Lots of money. Make American races so lucrative that the Europeans can’t ignore them. The top names in cyclocross typically get appearance money to ensure their participation in races they might otherwise skip. Appearance money brings in the most popular racers, and that attracts more fans. If you’re monetizing the fan base—like every major sport in the world does—then attracting more fans equals more revenue for the race promoters. Done right, that’s a self-perpetuating cycle with benefits for everyone and a path back to multiple World Cup races in America.

Waterloo’s World Cup race will be the biggest cyclocross event in Wisconsin in 2023. It will fall smack in the middle of the Wisconsin Cycling Association season. So, it’s not too early to think about what the WCA calendar will look like, but it is too early to expect any announcements. Last year’s calendar wasn’t released until May 24. The very top level of cyclocross is now barely breathing outside of Europe, but there’s every reason to expect our state championship series will continue to be strong. Hang in there, baby, #crossiscoming.

That’s A Workout!

I hate snow as completely as a person can hate snow. Every flake is a personal insult. Snow represents not fun, but work. It’s another form of trash: something I have to discard, just like autumn leaves or used kitty litter. And my hatred for snow is only enhanced by my ownership of a corner lot. I have sidewalks on two sides of my house, not just one. There’s 121 feet on the north side and 94 feet on the east side, plus another 47 feet from the front door to the streetside mailbox. My driveway is 52 feet long and fans out from 19 feet wide at the garage door to 22 feet wide at the curb.

It’s a lot of concrete. Any measurable snowfall leaves me with more than an hour of shoveling if I want to clear it all. I briefly utilized a snowblower about 20 years ago, but I hated it. Not only was it extremely loud, but also it didn’t clean down to bare concrete. I went back to shoveling and, while I despise it, I’m a demon at it. Remember the legend of John Henry, the “steel-driving man” who could hammer his way through solid rock faster than a steam powered drill? I’m that good with a shovel: I frequently clear my sidewalks faster than my snowblowing neighbors. And I don’t die of heart failure at the end, so there’s that!

Of course, some people do die of heart failure during or shortly after shoveling. Your local newscast will be happy to warn you about the dangers every winter. So, just how hard is it? Today I measured my effort as I cleared 5-6 inches of snow from my sidewalks. I left the driveway alone; we’ll be somewhere around 40° tomorrow and Sunday, and I have nowhere to go in the meantime. Here’s what today’s sidewalk cleanup looked like statistically:

That’s no joke: a workout of 53 minutes, 40 seconds, with an average heart rate of 116, a maximum heart rate of 150, and an estimated energy burn of 332 calories. I would have to walk almost 3 miles at a brisk pace to match it, and there are plenty of hour-long Zwift rides on which I don’t approach 17:30 above Zone 3. Enough snow shoveling would beat almost anyone into shape … if it didn’t beat him to death.