I went out for another ride out west of St. Charles. A headwind was my only companion today but luckily the headwind didn’t turn around when I did so I rode back to the car alone – and more than twice as fast.
Last week I saw a small dead owl. I was feeling too competitive to stop and get a closer look to identify the species though. Today I saw a dead Sora. A beautiful bird, apparently recently hit by a car. The bird I saw was a male in breading plumage.

I stole the photo (that you can see if you click on sora rail) from "Stealthispicture.com."

Yesterday we rode in the Illinois countryside (West of St. Charles) with a fella we’ll call, “Ben.” Ben looked to be out on a Sunday ride – and it was Saturday! He somehow managed to move slower but travel faster than the rest of us. We rode 42 miles on what turned out to be a very windy day. Twice we decided to see how fast we could go with a tailwind and my computer claims we reached 37.77 miles per hour but I think my computer was a bit optimistic.

4 Days Ago I Ate

Homemade granola and lowfat plain Brown Cow yogurt
A Banana Lara bar
A “BBQ Tofu” Sandwich
Spinach salad with tuna and two hardboiled eggs w/balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil
One biscotti and a cup of English breakfast tea with milk
Various handfuls of homemade granola throughout the day

Day before yesterday I ate

Homemade granola and lowfat plain Brown Cow yogurt
A Banana Lara bar
A “BBQ Tofu” Sandwich
Spinach salad with tuna and two hardboiled eggs w/balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil
One biscotti and a cup of English breakfast tea with milk
Various handfuls of homemade granola throughout the day

Yesterday I ate:

Homemade granola and lowfat plain Brown Cow yogurt
A Banana Lara bar
A “BBQ Tofu” Sandwich
Spinach salad with tuna and two hardboiled eggs w/balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil
One biscotti and a cup of English breakfast tea with milk
Various handfuls of homemade granola throughout the day

The Ten Speed Heroes are all shaving their legs for the new season. The hair will be saved and donated to LAF (Lance Armstrong Foundation).

What I ate today

1 Lara Bar (Banana Cookie)
1 Bowl Oatmeal w/raisins
2 Eggs, over medium
Several hands full of mixed nuts and raisins (raw, not roasted)
Half a peanut butter (organic) sandwich on whole grain bread and a minute amount of raspberry jam
A “Griller” (a fake meat patty) on whole grain bread with mustard
A ½ lb of pasta with red sauce/mushrooms
1 piece of whole grain bread with garlic rubbed on it

Bath Time

45.5 MIles on the Prarie Path

It rained.

A Bear in the Suburbs

Yesterday, while riding on the Prairie Path, I passed a big man wearing rolled up jeans and riding a twenty or thirty year old ten speed. I said hello as I passed him and, through a long walrus mustache, he said hello back and asked me how I was. Then he said, "Watch out for bears." "OK, I will," I said. Then, considering that the Prairie Path is in the Western Suburbs of Chicago, I started to think about the possibility of actually seeing a bear. And then I realized he was talking about a different kind of bear - a bear that rides a bicycle and wears jeans.
More on the ride later.