It's nice to be back on the bike

After a nine day absence, during which time I saw the Chicagoland area experience the greatest one-day rainfall in its history and the remnants of Hurricane Ike adding to those rainfall totals the following day, it was nice to resume my cycling in beautiful autumn-like weather. Under a cloudless, azure sky, I rode surface streets in Schaumburg, Streamwood, Bartlett, and Bloomingdale. Having heard from fellow cyclists that parts of Poplar Creek and Busse Woods were still under water, I avoided all trails.

Tonight, I surpassed 1,050 miles for the season.

What next?

On Friday evening, I watched the "Stand Up to Cancer" special on television. Without commercial interruption, this hour-long program ran simultaneously on the three major networks. With a balanced mix of celebrities and average citizens, the program was informative, moving, and provided an additional "shot in the arm" to my own fund-raising efforts!

After I've spent the last few months in pursuit of my goal of cycling 1,000 miles in 2008, it has become a little disorienting now that I've reached and surpassed that milestone. To keep myself motivated, I've decided to set some new "mini goals" for myself, as follows:

Goal #2 = 1,100 miles for 2008 = 64.1 miles to go
Goal #3 = 2,000 miles in 2007 and 2008 = 81.8 miles to go
Goal #4 = 4 days (96 hrs) on the bike = 15.75 hours to go
Goal #5 = 1,250 miles for 2008 = 214.1 miles to go
Goal #6 = 1,500 miles for 2008 = 464.1 miles to go

Goals 2 and 3 will be achieved in late-September. Goals 4 and 5 are more challenging, but are still achievable by season's end. Goal 6 is less likely, but who knows? When the year first started, I didn't think I'd be cycling 1,000 miles by September 1st, either. Stay tuned.

1,000 miles . . . and counting!

My cycling season started early this year, on Anna Maria Island, Florida on February 24th. Exactly 191 days, or 52 rides, or nearly 78 hours on the saddle later, I reached my goal of riding 1,000 miles in a single season. Originally, I thought that my Florida miles (111.8) would prove critical in reaching this landmark number, but in the end, they were merely a mental "jump start" to ignite a two-wheeled fund raising project that is now a whopping 378 miles ahead of last year's figure on September 1st.

Today, my 27.6 mile ride coursed its way through Hanover Park, Bartlett, and Streamwood to the Poplar Creek Forest Preserve Trail, where I completed the large loop, then rode back home through the streets of Schaumburg. I reached the 1,000 mile mark while passing through the Schaumburg Metra Station at 11:30 a.m.

So where do I go from here? I keep riding, of course . . . to the stratosphere of my expectations. My goal is now open-ended, and only time will tell what my final mileage will be when autumn's cold forces me to stop. Stay tuned!