Once I got the PhilCast show completed I came up out of the 'recording lounge'/studio to see the sun was about to at least try to come out. Boom...go change and give it a shot before going out for a fish fry tonight.

I was so excited to have the chance at hitting the road for a ride that I pulled out of the driveway without a helmet on and had to turn around to go get it.

The ride out was uneventful, but nice. Minooka Dog Park was really busy for a Friday afternoon too. The climbing portion was more difficult than usual. My legs are whipped. The story came on the way back. Wow...I'm tired.

On the path in New Berlin (which by the way is a mess with mud and stones for some reason) I heard a noise that didn't register with me right away. It was a rider saying 'left' as he whizzed past me. At first I thought about trying to jump on his wheel but didn't. He was flying. After he was up there about a block or more I decided to use some intervals in an attempt to catch him.

So, down to business. In and out of the saddle time and time again. From 19's to 20's, from 20's to 21's, from 21's to 22's and I STILL was hardly gaining on this guy in the hi-viz jacket. Finally, as we approached an intersection I had him. I knew I had to catch him before he let up for the intersection or it would be meaningless. I ALMOST did it. Then at the next intersection it took me the entire run to catch him again.

This time I was right behind him, close enough to see he had black tights with red panels and UW Madison socks on. He took off like a shot and again I had to work my butt off to not lose him. Now, I'm not sure if he was trying to put one on me or not. He certainly knew I was there since he was the one who passed me.

At first I thought maybe it was 'Der Jan' messin' with me....he'd blow past me and put me away, then let up to let me catch him so he could tease me....'cause that's how he'd roll! But no....not Der Jan.

Whoever this guy was he actually took my route all the way to within a few blocks of my house. When he jumped back onto the path and I went home. He was there all the time. I looked down the path and gave him a nod. A tip of my hat sir...and thanks for being my carrot today.

I need to go lay down now...

Finally, feeling good and exhausted about a ride. I waffled all morning about whether or not to go out in the ugly November grey. I finally decided to go when I felt it out there...a little warmer at 56-57 at the start and a little less wind than the past couple of days.

I suited up. Just as I was about to shut down the computer I saw an email from my sister in York come in. I had asked her about a laptop issue. I called her and she talked me through the issue, again, because she's so good at that. She just started a new job out in York, PA so she has been riding less and said the weather was pretty bad out there today. So I rode for her, inspired by the fact that  I had one less computer worry thanks to her help!

I thought there might have been a chance at bumping into "Der Jan" out there on the New Berlin trail today, since that is one of his home routes. No Jan, but lots of people out and about. Climbing the steep hill up to Minooka Dog Park I found cars everywhere. The park was jammed with our four-legged friends.

This route goes like this: Straight and flat/climbing in the middle/straight and flat back.

On the way back I punished myself, pushing to the limits of everything I have left in my legs this late in the season, without serious training, and with the air a lot colder than my body likes to perform in.

Into the drops and into a sprint in a BIG gear for a dozen or so revolutions. Then sit down to recover for 20-30 seconds. Then do it all over again. After about a dozen of those my legs were screaming. My lungs were about to burst. It was crazy to attempt another, but I pushed and punished myself to do it. It was as if an anger deep within me drove me to go again, the anger pouring out of my body and into the pedals. I was like a crazy man for that stretch until I could do it no more.

After the intervals I just went steady, but still hard enough to be going 22's all the way in.

One last gasp of performance perhaps before settling into the trainer in the basement for the winter.

...tired of the cold wind

...tired of the snotty nose

...tired of dead legs into the cold wind

...tired of the howling sound in my head from the cold wind

...tired of it not really being sunny out

....tired in general I guess.

My plan today was to go on a longer ride, making it three days in a row of riding. Didn't really happen. I made my drink bottle ahead of time and pumped the tires up too. I was all ready to stick to my plan. I got my show done for the day first. I put the Porsche away for winter next. I grabbed a sandwich and then was undecided about riding. I looked at the temp and it said 56. Huh, a little warmer than yesterday afternoon and the day before that as well.

I decided I would be too guilty if I did not go.

When I hit the road it felt just as cold as the previous two days, if not worse! Why? The flags were blowing straight out...that's why.

A few miles in my legs were dead, I had developed a sore spot behind my left knee already, my nose was running and that wind in the face...that damn November wind. Why was doing this?

I turned around and came home to have a whopping six miles on the books today.

Whatever. It's the end of the season.

Basically it was the exact same ride as yesterday! The conditions were almost identical...only today I kept more of the wind out of my ears because I went with the full balaclava rather than just a skull cap under my helmet. That, plus the iwnd was slightly more southerly, meaning less in the face on the way back home.

I saw lots of riders out this afternoon, all doing what I am doing....grasping onto those final fall miles before the good road bike is put away for winter.

It was cold out on the road today, even if it was sunny. For some damn reason the howling wind was in my head the ENTIRE time.

On the 13 miles down there was a loud wind in my ears. I told myself to just ride on and it would be better on the way back. It wasn't. On the 13 miles down I had headwind, but on the way back it was headwind to crosswind at best. It just bugged me for some reason today, and it wasn't that windy either....6-10-ish.

Oh well, it is supposed to be warmer on Thursday....I'll give it a go again I guess.

Well, after recording, editing and posting my PhilCast show today I hit the yardwork in Tosa, after doing that all weekend at the lake place.

I pulled old plants out...raked leaves...cut grass...swept...caught lunch, then hit the road on the Madone.

30 miles today in all. A bit chilly with the wind, but still very nice. I probably could have gone with a wind jacket, but just had a long-sleeve jersey on today.

Felt good up until the end, when I was a bit cool under the clouds and my legs were tired. No complaints. It IS afterall Nov. 9th.

I should sleep well tonight!

Final word--congrats to reader Pat (Der Jan) who mailed me that over the weekend he had a great 60-mile effort that put him over his 3,000-mile season goal.

The sun being out made all the difference. Coldest air of the season today on the bike at 47 degrees when I started. That, coupled with a cold north/northwest wind would have meant no way would I ride today if it was cloudy. But the sun was out and I had no problem being out in the sun.

I started with a Three Bridges route but cut it off at Drexel to make a loop back. The reason I cut it a little shorter to 30 miles was because of the wind. It was mostly at my back all the way down so I knew it was going to be a lot tougher coming back.

The temptation in those conditions is just to keep going longer, fooling yourself into thinking how good you feel with the wind at your back. It's a lot harder and seems a lot longer once you turn around and get that wind howling in your ears.

All in all, glad I got out today. Maybe tomorrow too. Despite the forecast of a nice weekend I will not be able to ride. I've got my hands full with sawing up a large downed poplar tree out at the lake place. That'll be an all day thing with a couple of buddies on Saturday. Sunday...rest and watch the Packers game.

Everything about Sunday is just a countdown to watching Brett return to Lambeau as a Viking. So as I watched the NFL countdown show this morning on ESPN, I rode the old Trek on the trainer. I actually went for 35 minutes without really thinking too much about it. A little exercise before my special snack for the game, a buffalo chicken wing dip I have never made before. Should be good.

So the plan now is to switch bikes in the cycling room. The old trek FX 7500 goes out to the garage as the bad-weather winter ride bike at the ready to use outdoors if conditions allow. The Klein is now set up on the trainer for the winter season. I like to use that on the trainer because it is a closer fit to the Madone, and it also has the computer hooked up to the rear wheel. That means I can keep track of RPM, speed and miles while on the trainer. And as I have said before, my trainer miles count for something because the wear and tear on my fake hip is just the same as being on the road!

I won't log the miles though...I just like to know for myself, but it won't count as the road total miles for the season.

It's just a means to get a little exercise from now on. But the Madone is still at the ready...there is still some time to get a few more outdoor efforts in on it I am sure.

What an ugly day for a ride. Still, with the first full-fingered gloves ride of the season under my belt today, I was glad I went. It was a bit chilly, but more than anything it was ugly. It was gray. It was was dark. It was dank. It looked like it would rain any second. Yet somehow today I was OK with being out there in it riding.

I saw a doe and a fawn walk across 116th and just stop on the road holding up traffic while they took a good look, then just walked across and into the woods.

The annual sad sign I saw though?

The bubbler at Greenfield Park's golf course where I ride up the hill to the clubhouse is gone. It is an annual thing too. They take the bubbler off the pipe and all that is left to mark the spot for the winter is a a snow flag attached to the pipe coming out of the ground. Sad. Winter is indeed upon us again.

Went to the new fall colors after today's ride too!

Fumbling through a few sections of the Sunday morning paper I notice there is more sun out than I expected Sunday morning. So I went right to the laptop to dial me up some weather radar. Yes! The radar looked clear. Out I went for some Sunday morning exercise.

I had real solid 26 miles with good legs today. The color is great, although I have a 'leaves' story from the ride back.

In Greenfield Park where they put that new section of path in this summer the canopy of trees is like a spectacular golden shower. But there are so many leaves on the path that you can not even SEE the path...it's just one big mess of leaves....WET leaves at that.

I got through it OK on the way out, but on the way home I suddenly realized the ride was bumpy. Oops, I had drifted off the path and onto the ground on the right side. I figured I had one shot to get this right and the chances of jumping back onto the path onto wet leaves ending well for me seemed slim.

I picked a spot and sort of bunny-jumped it back. All was fine and I kept going after a few tense moments there.

The wind was a pest heading down for the front half of the ride, but so be it. I got back in time to take a hot shower and be in place for what turned out to be a pretty dull Packers' game. In fact, I headed back outside by the fourth quarter for a nice drive to Kopps in the Porsche. Cookies and Cream in a dish. Now that's clean livin'.