Early June rides bring me to 500 miles

Current Seasonal Total: 525.5

On Friday, June 4th and Monday, June 7th, I rode a couple of modest rides to keep in shape for next weekend's Trek 100 in Waterloo, Wisconsin. With spits of rain falling, I thought I would simply ride to my nearest Starbucks and back to add a few extra miles to my seasonal total. However, as I enjoyed a cup of coffee and a scone, the rain became less frequent . . . so I kept on riding. From the Dominicks Plaza, I worked my way southward to Kuhn Road and turned west onto Lies Road, just as I'd often done to ride the West Branch and Hawk Hollow bike trails. However, with rain a constant threat (and the trails comprised of crushed rock on compacted soil), I instead chose to stay on pavement by following a network of small roads through Bartlett, Hanover Park and Schaumburg. My total mileage was 20.3 miles.

Three days later, I took another vacation day, and the weather was sunnier, but about 5 degrees cooler. For the first time in 2010, I rode to the Poplar Creek Forest Preserve Trail between Streamwood and the Northwest Tollway. I started my ride at about 10 a.m. Skies were partly sunny to partly cloudy with temperatures in the low- to mid-60s and light northeasterly winds. I followed a more direct path to get there, stopping en route at the Starbucks on Irving Park Road. Since it was a work day, the Poplar Creek Forest Preserve was relatively empty, and I enjoyed riding through the picturesque landscapes comprised of woods, prairie grass, and wild flowers. I completed its large 8.9 mile loop without much difficulty before returning home via a slightly longer route through the streets of Schaumburg. My total mileage was 28.9 miles, bringing my seasonal total to 525.5 miles!

My current seasonal total is about three weeks ahead of last year's date when I reached this same mileage figure. Only time will tell whether I can maintain this pace.