New Route -- New Pledges -- Lots of Fun -- May 29th

Good evening -- had a great evening to try a new route. Rode from Huntington to Markle and back -- 28.7 miles. Took Old 24 to Erie Stone Road to Meridian, south to Riverside Drive, then east through Bowerstown and on to CR 500 E. Then jogged down to CR 300 N and turned east, crossing over I-69 to CR 600 E (County Line Road) and south into Markle. Spent some time visiting with friends at the Markle Park. By the way, if you have never been to the Markle Park, you are missing out on one of the real hidden treasures of Huntington County. Lots of fun for the entire family -- swimming, tennis, playgrounds & and equipment, ball fields. There is always something to do or to see at the Markle Park.

I am on track for my first 100+ mile week of riding -- a neat milestone for a beginning cyclist. On Sunday, a group of about 5-6 of us are headed down to Gaston to ride the 28 mile Rails to Trails route, known as the Cardinal Trail. That will be fun. Tom Mills provided me with a route map for the Huntington County UPWARD 100 -- a 100 mile route that runs the perimeter of Huntington County, jogging through most of the small towns and "ghost" towns of Huntington County. I plan to start riding sections of that route in the next week or so.

A few more pledges came in the past few days -- the total per mile stands at $5.450/mile -- quite a motivation, when you think that everytime I do a 20 mile ride -- Huntington County United Way will receive around $220.00 with the pledges and the Lilly Endowment match.

I am enjoying riding with some of you and look forward to riding with any of you who might want to join me some evening or weekend.

Have a great weekend -- I will be doing a month-end wrap-up on Saturday evening for the month of May.

Brooks

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Hey bike bloggers -- accomplished a milestone yesterday and rode from Huntington to North Webster, 38.5 miles in 2:36 ride time. It felt really good and the scenery was wonderful. I left Huntington around 8:00 AM and stopped for a quick walk at the Sycamore Golf Course just west of North Manchester and then rode to Pierceton and took a break at the BP station at SR 13 and US 30. Got to the lake just before 11:00 AM. Special thanks to by brother in law, Greg Hauswald for teaching me about the Indiana Gazetteer, which outlines all the county roads across the state.

The total mileage after the weekend is at 324. No ride today -- busy day and questionable weather. Tommorow looks to be a good one as does Thursday and Friday. This Sunday a group of us are giving some serious thought to riding the Cardinal Trail that goes from Gaston through Muncie and on down toward the Richmond area. Should be lots of fun.

Thanks for checking in -- Brooks

PS -- sorry about no photos -- I am working on the technology.

Memorial Day is Upon us

Hi gang -- Memorial Day weekend, May 24, 2008 is upon us and finally we have what most of us would consider a beautiful spring day. Lots of sun, temps in the low 70's and a light breeze -- all told a wonderful day for a bike ride. Given the schedule of the day, I was only able to log 10.6 miles, but am I glad I squeezed in a ride this evening. Tomorrow looks to be a similar set of conditions. At this point the mileage total stands at 275 miles toward the 2000 mile goal. Several additional pledges of support came in the past several days and that total stands at $5.3505/mile with several other verbal pledges of support coming in the next several days.

It is fun to see folks out working in their yards and enjoying the weather. I am also enjoying some extended rides with some new "biker" friends. You meet the nicest people riding a bike -- try it sometime.

Till next time -- Brooks

A New Week and Some Great Progress

It has been a great couple of days since the last blog posting. The big news is that the pledges of support continue to come in and the per mile support level stands at a whopping $5.255/mile! That is sooooo huge and very cool. That means that every twenty mile ride brings in a total of about $210.00 for the 2008 Huntington County United Way campaign (including the $5.255/mile match from Lilly Endowment). What a great illustration of this year's campaign theme of "LIVE UNITED" -- lots of ordinary people doing ordinary things and together making extraordinary help come to life for those in need. I am so proud to be a part of this community.

And now for the mileage tally -- as of Sunday evening, May 18th -- I am at 226 miles toward the 2000 mile goal. The next couple of days look like good ride days and I have the route maps out. My goal is to be over 300 miles by this time next Tuesday, following the Memorial Day weekend.

Be looking for some cool coverage on the Ride, Brooks, Ride effort in the upcoming issues of the Herald Press and the Tab. I promise to have some photos on this site by this time next week.

Thanks for checking in and supporting the ride -- Brooks

Great ride on Thursday

Today I had a lot of fun riding with a couple of real cyclists -- Jim Lewis and Brian Neel. We met in the parking lot of Our Sunday Visitor and travelled into a stiff east wind out Old US 24 to Hosler Road and then on to Mayne Road and up to Station Road into Roanoke. Lots of fun, even with the nasty wind -- but man, was the ride home a breeze! Came back in CR 900 N to Old Fort Wayne Road to 600 N to Stults Road in past the Parkview Huntington Hospital and the University. 24.7 miles in just well under two hours of riding. I was nice to know that I could keep up with some guys that have been riding for several (many) years -- I don't think they were "dogging it" too bad to let me keep up.

Got my first flat tire just as I was getting home -- so tomorrow I get to figure out how to change a flat. Should be fun. The mileage total after today's ride stands at 179.8 miles and with a few additional pledges the support rate is at $4.498/mile (Goal is $5.00/mile).

Hope this finds you well and enjoying life -- Brooks

Monday -- and the cycling is fine

What a beautiful day for a ride. Sunny, partly cloudy skies with light breezes. Didn't get started until about 7:30 PM for my ride, but 15.7 miles later at a really good speed and I am home for the evening. Mileage tally for the 2000 mile ride stands at 125.8 as of 5/12/08. The rest of this week I am on vacation, gearing up for Melissa's graduation from Huntington University and the weather looks to be great for some additional extended rides. Word is out on the street and riders are UNITING -- an old high school classmate who rides is meeting up with me on Thursday afternoon -- should be a lot of fun.

Two more pledges of support came in over the weekend bringing that total to $4.358/mile toward a goal of $5.00/mile.

Keep on spinning -- Brooks

Its Friday -- A week into the ride

Hard to believe a week has already gone by -- the running total is at 88.7 miles toward goal of 2000 miles by October 31, 2008. Barb (my wife) and I are headed to Indianapolis this weekend to spend Mother's Day with our oldest daughter and her fiancee. The weather on Saturday is supposed to be fantastic -- the bike is going on the back of the Vibe and I hope to put some significant miles on the bike over the Monon Trail. The knee is doing better -- visited with Dr. Derek Dyer again today. Pledges of support still are coming in -- the per mile total stands at $4.288/mile. Not far to go to that $5.00/mile goal.

Thanks for your encouragement and support -- here's to some good weather and long rides.

Brooks

Another Great Day for Riding a Bike

Today, without a doubt was the most perfect day for riding a bicycle. Mid 70's, no wind, sunny and partly cloudy skies. The only disappointing part was that I only had time to log 12.0 miles. This is one of those days you feel like riding for hours. The good news is that the stamina is picking up -- rode the 12.0 miles in 48:23 -- an average of 14.8 mph. That's getting better and close to my goal of 15.0 mph for some extended event rides that I have planned for later this summer. Tomorrow, Wednesday is a full day -- so regardless of the weather -- no riding for Brooks until at least Thursday.

Till then -- Brooks

Great day for a ride

It was a perfectly gorgeous spring day and the riding was good -- 19.4 miles. It was the 300 W north to Goblesville route then east to Meridian and back into town via Old US 24 and Erie Stone Road. No return trip is complete without the last 1/2 mile up the Division Street hill. Average speed today 13.8 mph -- getting stronger every day. The wind was strong out of the west southwest, so it factored into the fatigue level. Got the all clear from Derek Dyer on my knee -- still have some tenderness, but the mobility is good and painfree.

Tomorrow is to be another splendid day for riding. Got a neat email from a person today who has decided to try cycling again as a form of regular exercise -- felt pretty cool. I wish her good luck and happy riding.

Till Tuesday -- Brooks

Back in the Saddle Again

The knee is recovering nicely -- got a 10.8 mile ride in on Saturday and plan to do something similar today. The next couple of weeks look good for logging some significant miles. Got "Old Blue" the trusty 1973 World (Schwinn) Traveler back from the bike shop yesterday, all outfitted with new high-pressure tires and a much needed new rear derailleur. This is my back-up bike and the one I use to ride around town or on routes that have significant car traffic. Should have some photos later this week.

The pledges continue to come in each day -- the per mile total stands at $4.163 toward the goal of $5.00/mile. This is a great response and is an incredible motivation to keep climbing back on the seat. Several of you have indicated an interest in riding with me some throughout the season. I am putting together an email directory of interested riders and will keep you posted on when and where some group rides are being formed.

Keep riding -- Brooks

First day Ride

May 1st, 2008 nice day for a ride, until I decided to saddle up. About .5 miles from the house, I had to lay the bike down to avoid a wreckless car. Skinned up the left knee and tweaked it a bit, but got on the bike, just like dad taught me to as a kid and rode 20.3 miles. Spent the evening with alternating cold and hot compresses and going to see Drs. Dyers this morning (May 2). Good news is that there is no pain in the pedalling motion -- just pain when I work the knee side to side or twist it.

See you down the road -- Brooks