I rode 28+ miles today. I went from the Eubanks Welcome Center in Piedmont to the Esom Hill, GA Trailhead and back. There was some work still going on, but the trail was passable. From Piedmont to the Georgia line is just about all uphill. It's not a very steep grade, but after several miles it feels steeper than it is. On the way back though, you can make very good time.

I rode 22+ miles today. There were several people out riding. It was cool this morning compared to what it has been.

Today there was a large tree limb that had fallen and partially blocked the trail. It was about 100-200 yards north of Hwy 204 in Jacksonville. I expect that it will be taken care of soon. Jacksonville is very good about taking care of their portion of the Chief Ladiga Trail.

I rode today for the first time in almost two weeks. Not much to report. There were very few people out riding, and only a couple of walkers. I need to get some miles in this week, so I plan to ride every day except Wednesday. I have other commitments that day.

I rode from Piedmont to the state line today. I rode a mountain bike because there are still about 4 miles that haven't been paved. The bridges have been completed, but there is still a lot of work still to be done.

If you ride this section of The Chief Ladiga Trail, take plenty to drink with you because there are no places to get water. Even at the new archway at the state line there is no water available. I hope that changes when it is complete.

There were several people riding this section, which surprised me because this section is still pretty rough.

I only rode 16 miles today. My heart just wasn't in it. It was really hot and humid. I try not to make myself go riding. That's when it seems like work and stops being fun. I hope to be in the mood to ride this weekend. This will be the first weekend I've really had to ride in a long time.

I rode the entire trail today. While I was at the bridge at Terrapin Creek, I talked to a couple on mountain bikes just coming off the unpaved portion. They said there is only about 3 miles of unpaved section left. Hopefully, those three miles will get finished pretty quickly!

There were more people riding the trail today than I have ever seen. Memorial Day seemed to be the day everybody wanted to ride. I wish it was like this every day.

It was a nice morning for a 20+ mile ride. I didn't see very many people out riding. My back still hurts, but it wasn't unbearable. I hope to get in another 20+ miles tomorrow or Thursday. The Chief Ladiga Trail was clear although I did almost get beaned by a large falling pine cone. Thankfully I haven't had any close calls with any animals in awhile.

I rode 22+ miles today. There were lots of people out riding. I still have some back pain. I'm not sure what else I can do other than stop riding for a couple of weeks and see if that cures it. I'm not ready to do that just yet. I'll just have to see what happens.

It was a nice day for ridding except for the wind. It was brutal riding into the wind, but nice with it at your back. I rode 18.5 miles today. There were lots of people out riding.

I rode 20+ miles today on my usual route. While riding I noticed a problem I haven't ever noticed before. Going north from Jacksonville toward Piedmont, after you pass Federal Mogul and the electrical substation on the left, there are two bridges. On the second bridge I noticed that some of the wood planks are rotten. As I rode over them I could feel them "compress" (the only way I know to describe it) under the weight of my bike. I don't think this is an immediate problem, but one that will soon have to be addressed. If you ride over this bridge be extra careful and slow down.

I got back to riding today after taking a few days off to recover from The Cheaha Challenge. I rode 20+ miles without any back pain. It seems I only get the back pain when I ride fast and really push it. I guess I need to see if I can figure out how to stop that from happening. I see that the preliminary results from The Cheaha Challenge have been posted on their website. I do have some questions about them, but they are preliminary. I'll hold off on comments until they can sort out the final results. It was a fun ride.

I rode in the Cheaha Challenge yesterday. It was lots of fun, and the people were very nice. I was really impressed with just how well the riders were checked on during the ride. You couldn't go very far without seeing a vehicle that was checking on riders. As I got almost back into Piedmont, I stopped for a minute to rest and take a drink. A vehicle pulled up just to check and see that everything was alright. I really do appreciate the great planning and the amount of volunteers that The Cheaha Challenge is known for. We are very fortunate to have these dedicated people who put so much effort into making this a great ride. I spoke to several people from out of state who were very impressed also, and said they would definitely be back next year.

I rode the 26 mile ride (hope to be able to do much more next year). I didn't finish first by any means, but was certainly not last either. My main objective was to not finish in last place. Since this was my first organized ride, I had no idea what to expect as far as where I might place. I hope to see the final results in the next couple of days on www.cheahachallenge.com. I was pretty happy with my effort, considering my back has really given me problems this last week. I can give it a few days rest now before starting back trying to increase my distances, and plan which organized ride I'll tackle next.

Here are some pictures I took at the Sunny King Criterium.