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.

This week showed me how much conditioning and flexibility I lost since the knee replacement.  While I completed two 40 mile rides in the last two weeks, this week I completed four rides. Monday was another 40 miler but I did not have to contend with any negative wind conditions.  Wednesday was a 35 miler on what  I consider my regular route.  But the difference was I had to contend with a 12-15 mph wind from the SE.  On the ride back into the wind it took a great amount of effort to finish.  But finish I did.  Friday's ride was another 35 miler and I was totally out of gas when I returned.  I am no where close to the speeds prior to the new knew. So, Saturday with the wind down somewhat, I did a "quick" 25 miler and was pleased with the result.  Therefore, in the last 8 days I rode 135 miles.  This is my realization at this point.  Conditioning is not coming as quickly as I hoped.  I still need to work on more flexibility.  Hopefully I will overcome these inadequacies and regain the ability to ride greater distances so hopefully complete a century by the end of summer. Stay tuned.

                                                         11 years ago-Cross country ride.

Good week for a bicyclist.  Weather for the most part was acceptable for outdoor riding.  I am still in the testing the knee mood.  Aside from my normal basement on the trainer routine, I rode outside on two occasions.  My first was a 40 miler to the east side of Bloomington.  Because of traffic diverted from the interstate, my usual route along 150 was a bit more crowded than normal.  But, thank goodness, there were no close calls or obscenities directed at me.  After arriving at my destination, I felt I could have finished in LeRoy, 15 miles for a total of 55 miles. I decided to not overdue it.  The knee was feeling pretty good so why push it?  The following day I tacked on another 35 miler so I rode 75 miles last week.  All in all a good week for bicycling but it appears the weather for the next week is not favorable.  The knee continues to improve but is not 100%.   Just a reminder, this week begins the eleventh year since my cross country ride.  Amazing.   I still keep in touch with many of my fellow riders from that adventure.  Razed at his ability to accomplish that ride at that age.  Stay tuned.