The best week ever

year in a row we completed the full 100 miles. That means Tom has now done 5 century rides and Mary has done 4. In three weeks we'll each add one to that total when we complete the Today was a great day to ride. Cool. Sunny. Only light winds. So we went down to Three Oaks, Michigan and participated in our fourth consecutive Apple Cider Century ride. And for the 2ndJDRF ride in Death Valley. The only disappointing part of the ride today was that we didn't see any of our fellow JDRF riders. Of course with 5000 people it is possible they were there and we missed them. We did ride with our friends from Chicago, Susan and Elvin and their son Eddie. Also Chan from Indiana and Clark from the Detroit area. We were quite a far flung group that got together for a fun ride today. Actually Susan, Elvin and Clark have ridden with us every year in the ACC. We'll have some photos up later in the week.

This week's ride totals:
9/23 - 26.6 miles; WPT, Indian Lakes, Edgerton, Post loop (Tom)
9/25 - 15 miles; WPT north
9/28 - 103 miles; Apple Cider Century
Total: 144.6 miles (Tom)
Total: 118 miles (Mary)

More miles

15 more miles went under the tires tonight. It's getting more difficult to get evening rides in now that the sun is setting around 7:30. We did pick up some nifty rear tail lights from Ted over at VeloCity, so now the cars can see us better when it gets dusky out. This Sunday we will be riding in the Apple Cider Century with both our 5 x 55 friends and some of the WM Ride Team.
We leave for Death Valley three weeks from today.

Today's loop

It was a beautiful day today so Tom got out on his bike this afternoon for what was going to be a short ride. 26 and a half miles later the short ride ended. I went north on the WPT to Indian Lakes Road, turned east and then followed Edgerton south. A couple of side streets connected me with Pine Island and then Post Drive for the buzz home. A nice loop on a great day.

Miles to go before I sleep...

Tom got in 4 rides this week, trying to make up for the wet weather last week. We will actually be riding in Death Valley four weeks from yesterday. Thanks to everyone who has donated to our effort so far. We'll be running another list of contributors later this week. If you'd still like to donate, you still can. The easiest way is to click one of the "Donate" links to the left.

This week's ride totals:
9/17 - 36.5 miles; WPT north to Sand Lake and back (Tom)
9/18 - 17 miles; Seven Mile hill to Cannon Trail and back
9/19 - 11.8 miles; running errands on the bike (Tom)
9/21 - 15.6 miles; Courtland, Keis, Blakely, 7 Mile loop (Tom)
Total: 80.9 miles (Tom)
Total: 17 miles (Mary)

A Death Valley Memory

One month from today the West Michigan Ride Team will once again be on top of Zabriski Point as in the above photo from the 2007 ride. October 17 is our training ride day. It's a 10 mile, get reacquainted with your bike, ride from the Furnace Creek Ranch to Zabriski Point and back. The 5 miles there are all up hill, but that makes the 5 miles back all down hill. Then we relax, carb up and get a good nights sleep so we can be ready for the sunrise start on October 18.
In other news, Tom rode the White Pine Trail to Sand Lake and back today, a 36.5 mile round trip.

A rainy week

I think we received more ran this week than in all of July and August combined. The wetness really limited our riding, we only got out once. However the weather people are predicting sunshine for this week so we'll hit it hard.

This week's ride totals:
9/11 - 24.8 miles, Rockford to GR and back
Total: 24.8 miles

Nice ride, except for the flat

We took the White Pine Trail from our house south past the ball park. We then rode the trail thru Riverside Park and picked our way past the construction on Monroe to end up in downtown Grand Rapids. I guess we decided to do a little urban riding tonight. We came home via the west side. It should have been a quick trip back with the nice southerly breeze. But Tom ran over something and got a cut in his brand new red front tire and a punctured tube. Bummer. The good news is that it was almost a 25 mile ride.

Also, photos of Jake's Music Festival have been posted. Click here to go there.

What a show!

Jake's Music Festival was great last night. We had more people in attendance, more bands and made more money than any other year. Thanks to everyone who helped out or attended the show. The final numbers aren't in yet, but it looks like we'll clear between $2,500 and $3,000. Special thanks to our sponsors Frames Unlimited and Magic Hat #9 Beer. We'll be posting the photos soon.

There was also some riding done today. Tom rode the back roads from our house going north and west to the corner of 13 Mile and Alpine. He then headed back east and south on different roads to return home for a 26.5 mile loop.

This week's ride totals:
9/1 - 33 miles, Lake Paw Paw to Benton Harbor and back
9/3 -13 miles, Rockford east loop (Tom)
9/7 - 26.5 miles, home to Alpine & 13 Mile loop (Tom)
Total: 72.5 miles (Tom)
Total: 33 miles (Mary)

One day until Jake's Music Festival

The headline says it all. To see the full schedule of bands please go to www.jakesmusicfestival.blogspot.com. Doors open at 5:30, music from 6:00 to midnight. Tickets will be available at the door, but come early to get a good seat.

1 day until Jake's Music Festival

Quick ride, quick post

Tom got out this morning for quick, but tough ride. 13 miles with several hills. Started east on 7 Mile, which means a very big up hill one mile into the ride. Then went south on Chauncey, east on Cannonsburg and then north on Egypt Valley, for more serious climbing. Finished off by riding west on Belding Road, south on Courtland Dr. and then west (and downhill) on 7 Mile. A nice quick loop before the rain started. Still waiting for that rain.

3 days until Jake's Music Festival

Happy Labor Day

We missed the team ride yesterday because we were out of town visiting our friends Elvin and Susan Hayes at their cottage. So this morning we did a real nice ride from Lake Paw Paw all the way to the Lake Michigan shore north of Benton Harbor and then back through Coloma. It was 33 miles in all on an absolutely beautiful day to be riding. No wind and only a few low rolling hills. We spent the rest of the day tubing on the lake, playing volleyball and enjoying food and drink. A great way to spend a holiday weekend.

5 days until Jake's Music Festival