Two Mile Stones

Mile Stone 1. Last week I reached my goal of riding 6000 miles commuting to and from work.

It took me just over 11 months, but I did it. For years I kept coming up a couple hundred miles shy of 6000, but this year I finally did it. Year to date, 7,035 total miles ridden.

5,994 miles down; 6 more to go.

I am very lucky to work at a place that not only supports bicycle commuting but also promotes it. I am also fortunate enough to have a great group of friends and co-workers who were willing to wait out in the cold to cheer me on as I left work and surpassed my goal.

Mile Stone 2. The Man Gave is 99% complete. Or at least complete enough to share pictures.

The garage before. Cracked concrete, crappy garage door, okay shelving, and so-so bike storage.

The garage after. New concrete, 36" french doors, plenty of shelves for storage, and adequate space for 14 bikes.

The only thing left to do in the garage is hang my bike tools, do a little electrical work and and caulk some of the gaps around the door. Special thanks to Tim and Joe for all of their help.

Phase one of garage rebuild complete.
Pictures to come.

Setting up my phone to blog from.

Laying It Down

Tonight on the ride home I unexpectedly laid my bike down going around a corner. I wasn't going too fast, I was actually in the saddle about to crest a hill when my front wheel washed out from under me. Before I knew it I was sliding on my side as my bike slid out from under me. The streets were wet, but I wasn't expecting it to be so slick. I guess the time has come to start riding with a little more caution; be warned winter in near.

Garage Mahal?

Not quite, but I am still excited to remodel our one car garage.
The concrete work started about an hour ago. The old concrete is out and they are laying the re-bar now. The new concrete should be finished tomorrow.

I ordered the new doors this weekend, they should arrive in two weeks. In this time I need to design the new work bench and layout for the bikes and storage shelves.

I am excited to design my "man cave"

Let's think about this a little more

The new bike lanes in downtown Minneapolis don't look that safe to me?

Gravel Ride

Today I decided the leaves could wait another weekend to be raked and went for a ride instead. Jason Boucher and I drove down to Northfield and did an awesome 50 mile gravel road ride with the locals. The ride was put on by Northfield locals Ben and Sean, two great guys who know how to keep cycling real and host a good event; thanks guys, you threw down an impressive ride.

This was the longest ride I have done in awhile and I felt really good. The pace generally pretty tame, with some hard efforts on the climbs. I rode my La Cruz with the new Salsa Woodchipper

Now playing: Tom Waits - Don't Go Into The Barn
via FoxyTunes