riding into June and the beginning of summer

[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.

[Crankin]

Well, the bike rally is over, and I had my first ride of June, since I was sick on Tuesday-Thursday, and yesterday I decided to hike locally, to test how I felt.
Weather was warm (83 and slightly humid), but thankfully, it got overcast as the ride went on. We had a big group. So, we gave our talk and explained how we split this ride into 2 groups, with 2 speeds.. If people are lagging, they can just stop and wait for the next group, since it's the same route. Within 2 minutes, one woman stopped to wait, and there were 2 others who should have. I asked them several times to please pull over and wait for Lamar, but they said no, they would go at their own speed. One was particularly nasty. There was a big enough group in the back, with me sweeping, but those 2 were outliers. We regrouped at 2 stops and at the top of a climb, so the 2 caught up.
I'd say, it was OK, there was a couple at the end, who was lagging, and the woman had mentioned she was really sweaty, so I asked her if she was OK, and she got mad! I was really trying to be nice, so I said I was just concerned she might be overheating, and she told me rudely she was sweaty because she was working hard. Near the end, on a small hill, they told me to go ahead, but then i had to stop to check out a guy who had crashed, and was with the bike committee leader, who is a nurse. He was fine, thankfully, but they missed the turn I very explicitly told them about, and then I saw them just cut right across the street and kind of ride the wrong way, while I was stopped. Oy.
DH also told me about the antics of a couple of guys up front, too. No matter how explicitly we talk about turning, trouble spots, model it, it seems like a lot of people just don't think. There is only one spot where we have to make a left across a very busy 2 lane road. We reviewed this twice. Still, I found myself screaming "Get in the lane," and finally, "Move left" when they were hugging the right curb.
Still, I am not ready to give it up. We did not stay for the happy hour and dinner this year, have other plans. And now, we live close enough to ride there,

[rebeccaC]

Nice adventure on the metro train system and then riding through the east los angeles industrial and warehouse districts to take photographs today. Very few people working/driving in those areas on Sunday so it’s a good day to ride and photograph there…..well unless you ride through an open gate and find it closed/locked when you come back….thankfully just once a few months ago so far.

First time I’ve used the metro trains with a bike. rode to the station in santa monica and then the train to east l.a. There are spaces for 12 bikes on either end of the rail cars. One hour with a few stops vs shorter in a car outside of rush hours and over two on a bike. They are building out the rail system even larger during the next 5 years too.
Only rode for 23 flat miles total with a lot of stopping and walking to take photos. Good day and enjoyed just being with me.