This is my choice route of the day

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                                                Obviously not riding this

                                                       Not riding this.....gravel

                                                           three amigos

Biking conditioning getting better.  I currently have 1,500 miles since March.  Not as many as I normally ride but not bad.  I just finished a ride to Downs which is at the 45 mile distance. I wanted finish in LeRoy for 55 miles but I  only planned riding to Bloomington at 40 miles.  I felt so good and ahead of time so I extended another 5 miles.  I felt it would have been a great day to ride to Champaign, my first century since the new knee. but time did not permit this.  Last week, in celebration of our 50th wedding anniversary, the kids came home for the weekend.  I convinced Eric and his girlfriend Ester to ride to Eureka, do a small lunch, and ride back, a 20 mile round trip. A shout out to Russells cycling.  He not only let me borrow a bike for Eric, but when we discovered Ronni's bike was to big for Ester, Joe loaned another bike that fit her dimensions.   Being somewhat concerned about Ester's ability to bike that 20 mile distance, I quickly discovered my concern was not warranted.  I knew she did a little biking and has trained for marathons but was delighted when she took the lead and ran a consistent 12-13 mph.   A great time was had by all and Joe Russell came through like a champ.  Pun intended.  On another note, my usual route leaving the city was just covered with chip seal meaning loose gravel.  I do not ride on those roads so I had to deviate from my normal route.  And, one of my roads is totally unusable as per the attached pic.  Still looking forward to my first century so stay tuned

 Another great week for biking.  30-35 miles four days with a 20 miler to Eureka lake on Sunday.  Looking forward to the day when conditions are favorable for me to ride my first century since the knee replacement.  Bike camera needs work as the movie function is not working.  It will still take photos but movie not working.  Looks like I will need to purchase a new one.  Also, the biking scene is picking up.  I encountered 10 bikers on Thursday's ride.  Folks are trying to find a way to get out during the current pandemic.  Since my return and the biking season began I have accrued over 1,300 miles.  I still do not clip my right foot but it seems to be working out.   Hopefully in early September I can ride a century but we will see.  Stay tuned

And this is another reason I bike.  Riding along Dee-Mack road approaching business 24 I was passed by a pick-up truck towing another older truck.  Dee-Mack is a state road but without much traffic.  Route 24 is a major east-west road between Washington and Eureka and well traveled with many speeding autos.   As I crossed 24 I looked to my right and there were the same two trucks on the side of the road . The towed truck had broken loose from its two straps and the driver was working to reattach it.  However there is no shoulder so the two were three-fourths into the driving lane.  After assessing the situation I decided to lend a hand to the driver.  He had no flashing lights on either vehicle so oncoming traffic would not be able to realize there was a problem.  So, after asking if I could assist reattaching the tow and determing he didn't need assistance I positioned my bike behind the trucks to warn on coming traffic of the situation.  I turned my rear light onto the bright mode and acted like a traffic cop motioning cars to slow down and stopping them when there were cars in the opposite lane.  The good news is there were no further mishaps and when the driver finally was able to drive off I was glad I was there to help. It could have been disastrous. You just never know.  Another good deed done by a biker.  Later.

Biking update.  Almost back to normal distances.  My daily ride is 30-35 miles.  I ride 6 days a week and have just passed 1000 miles since the weather accommodated outside biking.  Off days are on the trainer in the  basement.  My objective there is to squeeze the knee as much as possible.  I still use a stationary bike pedal with a strap across the shoe on the repaired knee side.  That stabilizes the foot and allows me to ride with a reasonable degree of comfort.  While my speed is not where it was before the TKR I am slowing increasing it.  Currently I am only about two miles per hour slower and today I got within one mile.  It was great day with low 80's and virtually no wind.  On the trash front, Bud products are still the number one discarded can along the side of the road with Miller lite a close second.  Coke still rules in the soft drink discarded can category with Mountain Dew a close second.  Gee, I wonder who still tosses those items out the car/truck window in this era of environmental consciousness.  But it is what it is.  I am getting more confident that soon I will accomplish a century but I still don't want to rush it.  More later

Biking is getting somewhat back to normal.  I am doing 30-35 miles three to four time a week.  The knee is in pretty good shape but without the flexion needed to use clips.  Instead, I use a pedal on the right foot with a strap.  It allows me to rotate without the foot sliding off the pedal and the left foot remains clipped.  For the first time this week convinced me I would be able to do a century sometime this fall.  While I'm getting my distance back, my speed in another question.  I have lost about 2-3 mph.  However, there are times my speed is where I want it to be but not for the entire ride.  I suspect that will come with  more training.  I should also mention that most motorists are very respectful but as usual there are always some idiots out there.  During my last ride I was being passed by a panel truck.  As it passed it slowed down, passed my by about a foot, and layed on the horn.  Again, idiot.  The heat has returned so I need to be extra careful remembering I'm still not conditioned like before.  But it will come and look forward to my first century in a year.

Weather finally turned nice.  Since last Sunday I have ridden four days for a total of 140 miles.  While the distances are getting back to normal, speed is down quite a bit.  I'm not sure I am too concerned at this point but we will see.  I am getting more encouraged about doing my first century since the new knee.  I'm still shooting for early fall but with the current heath situation it remains in doubt.  I'm also resigned to accept the fact the knee is as good as it's going to be.  The only problem is I would like a bit more flexion but it is what it is.  Another oddity.  It seems like fewer and fewer cars pass me giving me the whole lane even though no cars are approaching from the opposite direction. Also, my route to Bloomington is getting more and more crowded since the eastbound lane accessing the interstate are under repair. Thursday I took route 150 and on several occasions pulled off the road to let traffic pass.  The traffic was brutal so I may need to find another path Looking forward to my next century

                                           Cannon in LeRoy square

Riding is coming along quite nicely.  The weather is such that outdoor biking is getting better. Some days were quite windy so I continued indoors.  Last week with 4 days of riding  I accumulated a total of 140 miles.  On Friday with proper wind conditions I decided to ride to Downs.  That was supposed to be a 45 miler.  It would have been the longest ride during my recovery.  Ronni would pick up at that point. When I arrived at our meeting point I could tell I had a lot of "fuel" in the tank so I decided to finish my ride in LeRoy, a 55 miler.  So I arrived in LeRoy and felt I could have made it to Champaign  which would have been a 100.  But discretion being the better part of valor I hopped in the van and went home.  The good news is the knee felt pretty good.  Still not as flexible as I would like but good enough to ride distances.  It looks like I will be able of accomplishing  my goal of a century before my birthday.  Hopefully that will happen.  Stay Tuned.