Over $2,000 . . . and counting!

With June coming to a close, it's time to add up my miles and make my monthly contribution to the Lance Armstrong Foundation. This month's contribution totaled $101, which included my own contribution of $51 (for 203.7 miles), along with a friend's contribution of $50.

I've reached another milestone! This latest posting brings my "One for All" initiative's total mileage to 2,631.6 and its total contribution to $2,075 since its inception in the spring of 2007. My total mileage for 2009 now stands at 523.1.

Today -- my final vacation day in FY2009 -- I rode an additional 20.8 miles through Bartlett, Hanover Park, and Schaumburg, stopping along the way at Starbucks and to deliver a gift. It was a very comfortable ride, with temperatures that started near 80, but fell to the mid-70s as the clouds rolled in from the north. The biggest problem -- again -- was the wind, which blew from the northwest with occasional gusts. So ends my four-day riding streak, my longest such streak since July of 2008.

A Tale of Three Unremarkable Rides

This past weekend, I rode three times in three days. Although none of my rides was particularly noteworthy, I reached a noteworthy milestone.

Ride 1, on early Friday evening, was ridden in perfect riding conditions, with temperatures in the low 80s and light winds. I traveled a little over 23 miles through the villages of Bartlett, Hanover Park, Schaumburg, and Roselle. In so doing, I discovered another route that allows me to cross the Milwaukee West railroad tracks without having to share a major thoroughfare with rush hour drivers -- the Hanover Park Metra station. Understandably, city planners and railroad companies plan villages so that only major roads (which are usually bicycle unfriendly) have crossings. Thank God for Metra stations; three of the four safe pathways from the region "south of the tracks" (where I live) to the bicycle-friendly region to the north are the Roselle, Schaumburg, and Hanover Park Metra stations.

The next morning -- Saturday -- was a few degrees warmer, but considerably more humid. Ride 2 carried me through Schaumburg and Roselle, resting for a brief time at the bike-friendly Metra stations in each of these villages. I rode 18.3 miles and finished my ride as the summer sun reached the meridian. In retrospect, I should have forced myself to start my ride earlier. It was uncomfortably hot by ride's end, and the fact that I ran out of water certainly didn't help.

A cold front swept through the area late Saturday night, bringing rain, a slight drop in temperature, and (more importantly) a significant drop in humidity. As a result, my Sunday ride was much more comfortable, with one exception -- the wind. Earlier this year -- in the spring -- the rare warm day was accompanied by stiff southerly winds. I grew to dislike the wind, despite the fact that I knew that their existence was the very reason it was warm. Now, the winds were back, but there were westerly now and considerably warmer. On this day, whenever I traveled west, it felt like I was perpetually riding uphill. When I was eastbound, I felt like Superman. Starting my ride in mid-afternoon, my ride was a modest 16.9 miles in length.

Although none of these rides exceeded 25 miles and my total mileage for all three rides was only 58.5 miles, it still pushed me above the 500 mile mark for 2009.

Feeling philosophical, I liken these three unremarkable rides to the individual days of our lives, which are often similarly unremarkable. Despite this, each person's collection of unremarkable days often accumulate to create very remarkable lives. Throughout our vast universe are similar instances when the whole is greater than the sum of the individual parts. They call this synergy. With that in mind, I continue to pedal onward and upward, toward a greater goal that adds my modest effort to the efforts of countless other people who work tirelessly to end the scourge of cancer. By so doing, we make a difference, thereby illuminating the better angels of our nature.

Back to the tranquil triangle

Wow! What a beautiful day! Weeks ago, I selected this day as a vacation day, since the fiscal year was almost over and I had some extra days. Boy, did I luck out! The temperatures were in the upper 70s (perhaps even touching 80) and the winds were light. This is the kind of weather a cyclist (including me) dreamt of during our long, cold winter and spring.

On this glorious day -- and for the first time since early last October -- I rode the Great Western Trail - Illinois Prairie Path triangle, which courses its way through the villages of Winfield, Wheaton, Glen Ellyn, Lombard and Villa Park. Although I've never heard anyone else refer to it as "the triangle," its shape clearly suggests that nickname to me. Since it was a work day, the bike paths were lightly populated and I could travel as fast (or as slow) as I wished. There were times that I did both.

I had forgotten how lovely the Illinois Prairie Path was, especially with the recent rains having transformed the surrounding plants into a lush "tunnel of trees." Only after the ride ended did I recall that I would surpass 400 miles during this ride. My seasonal total now stands at 415.3 miles.

Beautiful Busse Woods

Well, for the first time in 2009, I broke a sweat riding my bike. And for the record, that's not because I've only ridden easy rides. Instead it speaks to the fact that our weather has been so abnormally cool this season. Yesterday, temperatures finally climbed into the upper 70s, and I could finally leave my long-sleeve layers behind. Yippe! To celebrate, I rode to the Busse Woods Forest Preserve in Elk Grove Village, largely along Weathersfield Way. Although Busse Woods was populated with people enjoying their leisure time on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, the bike trail never seemed overly crowded.

Busse Woods is a perennial favorite of mine. When you're amidst its paved trails, large lakes, expansive meadows of tall grass, and sections of dense woods, it's hard to believe that you're in a populated area, less than a mile from Woodfield Mall. On some previous occasions, I've driven to Busse Woods so that all my miles could be spent within it picturesque confines. Yesterday, however, I chose to keep the car at home and bicycle the whole way, which amounted to 35.3 miles.

I am fast approaching 400 miles for the season and (surprisingly) I'm ahead of last year's record pace. I doubt that trend will continue in June and July, though, since I rode an unprecedented amount during that same period last year.

The Trek 100

On Saturday, I participated in my first Trek 100 ride, which supports Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer (the MACC Fund) and research into critical pediatric cancer and related blood disorders. This year's ride, which was their 20th anniversary ride, began at Trek's world headquarters in Waterloo, Wisconsin. Those electing to ride the 19 or 36 mile routes were asked to assemble at 10 a.m. On an abnormally cool and rain-threatened day, I arrived on-site around 9:45, with light rain falling. There were a large number of people assembled there, so they were started in small groups every few minutes. I started riding around 10:15. Fortunately for the balance of my ride, there were only a few minutes of steady light rain, an additional hour or so of sprinkles, and the remaining two hours were ridden under rain-free cloudiness. Temperatures started around 63 and dropped to 59 by ride's end. The wind was very light at the start, but increased as the ride progressed. Because of the cool temperatures and rain threat, I wore my red nylon cycling jacket for extra warmth, wind protection, and waterproofing.

The route was very rural, with rolling hills typical of southern Wisconsin. I passed farm fields (and cows), lovely Rock Lake (near Lake Mills), and wooded sections with lovely homes on the western edge of that lake. There were three well-stocked rest stops along the route, but I didn't linger very long at any of them. I rode a total of 36.3 miles, bringing my seasonal total to 355.7. At some point during the ride, I reached a speed of 32.2 mph, which is the fastest I've so far ridden on my Trek 7500 bicycle.

Despite the very atypical June weather and the nagging worry of rain, the Trek 100 was an enjoyable ride. If I elect to ride the Trek 100 again, it will hopefully be on a far warmer and sunnier day!

A memorable ending to May

On the final weekend of May, the Chicago area was blessed with some great cycling weather. I took full advantage of these circumstances and rode each day for a combined 55.7 miles. On Saturday afternoon, I followed a south and western route that brought me through Bartlett, along the Elgin Spur of the Illinois Prairie Path, along a segment of the Great Western Trail, and northward back home. On Sunday afternoon, I went the opposite direction, riding eastward and northward through Schaumburg to the Busse Woods bicycle trail. The 7.8 mile loop within the Cook County Forest Preserve in Elk Grove Village was crowded with pedestrians, cyclists, and in-line skaters, but there were fleeting moments when my travels took me through serene forested sections devoid of people. Very relaxing . . . very Zen. After each ride, I felt strong and pain-free, which indicates to me that I am well prepared for my next official challenge -- the 36 mile section of the Trek 100, which takes place next Saturday morning in the rolling landscape of southern Wisconsin.

The annual Trek 100 bicycle ride supports critical pediatric cancer and related blood disorder research through the Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer (MACC) Fund. The primary beneficiary of the Trek 100 is the Midwest Children's Cancer Center of the Medical College of Wisconsin. This year, the Trek 100 returns to the birthplace of Trek Bicycles in Waterloo, Wisconsin. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the rain-free weather forecast holds true.

My 2009 mileage now stands at 319.4 and I have so far raised $181 for the Lance Armstrong Foundation.