riding into June and the beginning of summer

[rebeccaC]

I ended last month riding in the napa valley. Got a little over 90 relaxing miles in during the long weekend. Warm days in the 80’s but that didn’t bother me at all since I was riding in the napa valley and was with good friends….and cuz we found cheesecake ice cream sandwiches at Dean and Deluca in St Helena.

Silverado Trail Rd ftw!!!.....lots of interesting winery architecture and good restaurants for lunch by going back and forth on the side roads between Silverado and State Route 29…..

looking forward to what June brings in riding area's, challenges and delights!



“O come sweet June, my lovely June

The month when first the roses bloom
-
A wondrous, colorful display

By sunlight kissed throughout the day, 

So chasing all my cares away.”…Valerie Dohren

[north woods gal]

June is a very nice month for us with highs typically in the 70s. Lots of folks out and about doing all our sumner outdoor things and some tourists, too. Roads are never crowded, though, and traffic never an issue. Mostly just me, the bike and our north woods. Will shoot for 500 miles, this month.

Have a great month, everyone!

[Geonz]

It can get hot here in the midwest but it's not yet
Last year I made 1000 miles because June is when I go to GITAP and ride on the Illinois Trails (Grand Illinois Trails and Parks ride), but I might be doing more volunteering and a little less riding this year. Still, I got in 40 miles yesterday with my commute andour "Pedaling for Pleasure" ride... so we'll see!

[north woods gal]

Good for you. I managed 32 miles, yesterday, but very windy, up over 20 mph at times. Just like old times, though, back when I lived on the prairies.

[rebeccaC]

Ellie, Jennifer, who is on my work team, and I rode into downtown L.A. today for a day of 3 work meetings. Uneventful ride which is a good one when riding downtown. A pleasant ride home especially the last miles on bike paths. 8 pm sunsets ftw! The three of us went to dinner when we got back to santa monica to go over the day’s meetings.
The early afternoon meeting was just a couple of blocks from the moca museum so we went to see an emotionally charged and complex exhibit of art works that investigate the culture of violence perpetrated on black citizens. Had a good lunch and a conversation about how we were processing the exhibit.
48 total riding miles during a good day of work, intellectual art stimulation, easy riding and good food. Perfect day for me!

[ny biker]

I am loving the later sunsets. Still can't get through my post-work rides without lights because I start so late, but at least I can get away with just one light now. When the sun sets earlier I use two headlights because they both have relatively short battery life (~1.5 hrs) on the brightest setting which leaves no margin for error. Anyway. I had a good ride after work two days ago. Another day of feeling lazy but I pushed myself not to take shortcuts. Instead I altered the route a bit in a couple of neighborhoods and used roads I'd never been on before. I think I need to do more of this to keep things fresh and interesting.

Last weekend (technically May, not June) I led a really good club ride. It was supposed to be 47 miles but we took a short cut at the end because it was very hot and we were very much not acclimated. Seriously it was 30 degrees hotter than it had been a week earlier. I was really feeling the heat because everyone else was much faster than me and just trying to stay within sight of them was more work than I should have done in the hot sun. Fortunately there was a lot of shade in the middle of the route, as we explored a four-mile trail that connects two parks on the Patuxent River. Half of it was a dirt trail which was manageable on road bikes but there were some loose dirt areas that required me to remember my mountain biking days. It was fun. Then of course the bike had to be cleaned afterwards.