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.

I rode from Weaver Park to Hwy 204 and back. I probably averaged my best time yet. The only problem is that I now have a seriously sore muscle in my left lower back. I moved my seat back about 3/4", and now I wonder if that caused my problem, or if it is just because I pushed myself really hard today. I guess I'll find out tomorrow. I plan a longer and slower ride tomorrow.

There were lots of people riding The Chief Ladiga Trail this morning. I rode 18.35 miles, and my average time was acceptable but not really good. I hope to see some improvement soon. 12 days until The Cheaha Challenge. I really need more time but I guess I'll just have to get in as many miles as I can before May 6.

I finally got to ride today. It was a short 12.25 miles, Weaver Park to Hwy 204 and back. The trail looked really good today. There were several people out riding. I hope for a longer ride tomorrow.

I rode 12.3 miles today. I rode my usual route, Weaver Park to Hwy 204 and back. There were very few people out today. I saw one other person on a bike, and two walkers. It was very windy, and a little cool when I first started. Not much of note to report other than still lots of dead grass and debris on the trail.

Latest word I have on the Chief Ladiga Trail is that the eastern 4.5 miles of the trail should be completed in mid to late May. The western part of the trail (4 miles) would be started by approximately July or August. It still seems possible that the trail could be completed by September.

I rode 26 miles today. My average time was actually better than usual. Maybe I"m actually making some progress. There was lots of dead grass on the trail today. It seems they're not keeping it as clean as they have in the past.

The trail between Jacksonville and Piedmont has a problem where tree roots have caused cracks in the asphalt, and have forced parts of the asphalt up, making it uneven. This seems to have gotten worse since last summer. You have to be careful in some areas because the bumps have become severe. As soon as the trail is completed, they're going to have to seriously look at resurfacing some parts of the trail.

I made a short ride today. I didn't have very much time so I rode from Weaver Park to Hwy 205 in Jacksonville and back. I tried to do it as fast as I could, but, as usual, my average time was not very good. The trail was clear except for some freshly cut grass is Weaver that hadn't yet been blown off the trail.

No ride today. It was just too cold for me. On my last ride my bike started making a popping sound that was coming from the bottom bracket. It sounds like the bearings. I've worked on that today as well as giving my bike a good general lube job. I'll see how the bottom bracket bearing issue is the next time I ride, which will probably be Tuesday.

I won't be riding today. The hi temperature for today is supposed to be 57. I usually don't ride unless it is 60 degrees or higher. I may have to adjust that number because it isn't supposed to be above 60 before Monday. I'll just have to see how it goes.

I rode 22.68 miles today. My average time was terrible. I walked 2 1/2 miles with a friend before I rode. She walks at a very fast pace, so I was tired before I started riding. I don't think I need to try that again, but I probably will. I should have taken two water bottles with me. My bottle was empty at the half way point. It wasn't that hot, but it was very humid. I'm seriously thinking about taking a break tomorrow.

I finally got back to riding this morning. I rode from Weaver Park to Roy Webb Road just north of Jacksonville and back. My average time was a little better because I pushed myself pretty good, but it still is not nearly as good as I was averaging last year. Tomorrow I hope to do a longer ride. I'm not going to worry about my average time, I just need to get some miles in.

My vehicle was finally repaired. They had crossed two plug wires. No ride today, but I plan on getting one in tomorrow. Unfortunately, I'll be out of town on Friday and Saturday, and it looks like a chance of rain on Sunday. What do I have to do to get several days in a row with no commitments or obligations?

April 17th & 18th the Tour De Georgia will be in Rome. On April 17th Stage 2 will be from Thomaston to Rome, and April 18th Stage 3 will go from Rome to Chattanooga. This will be the best chance we have to see teams like "Discovery Channel", "T-Mobile", and "CSC".

No ride today. Got my truck back from the shop and will have to take it back again in the morning. They fixed one problem but created another. Will this ever end?

The next upcoming events that I know of are The Highlands of Alabama Century starting at Fort Payne High School, and Ride to Live Metric Century and Road Race in Leeds. Both are on April 7. I doubt that I attend either of them, but both should be good rides.

I'm really dropping like a rock on bikejournal.com. I'm down to 3064 with only 122 miles logged this year.

This was another no ride day. These have got to stop. My truck is still in the shop (fuel pump). I should get it back tomorrow. I hope to get it back early enough to go riding but it doesn't look very likely.

I didn't get to ride today. My truck needs some repair so I guess tomorrow will be spent taking care of that. If I can get it fixed early then I might be able to get some miles in.

Rode 18.57 miles today on my usual route. There were lots of people on the trail today and there have been all week (spring break). The Calhoun Century is tomorrow. I'm not going to ride because I'm just not up to speed (or distance) yet. There will be LOTS of traffic on the trail tomorrow so I've planned a day off from riding. No need to get in their way.

The Chief Ladiga Trail looks to be in very good shape on the portion that I have riden this week. The grass has been cut and blown off the trail and there are no sticks or debris.

Hope to ride again on Sunday. The weather looks very good for the next few days.

No ride today. I worked 12 hours. I hope for enough time tomorrow to get some miles in.

An article in the Anniston Star earlier this week was about removing the rails between Michael Tucker Park and the Train Depot on 4th street. This will at some point be part of the Chief Ladiga Trail. My concern is that the parts of town that it will be going through are some of the worst in Anniston. I'm not sure I want to ride on a trail that goes through areas known for crack houses, drug dealers and prostitution (not to mention occasional gun fire).

I think the part of the old tracks that go to Fort McClellan would be a much wiser way to go. I don't see that once it reaches the 4th street train station that it can go anywhere else. The Fort McClellan area just seems to be nicer and MUCH safer.

It was a nice day for riding. I went from Weaver Park past Germania Springs, past Federal Mogul to the small electrical substation on the left. On the way back I took a ride through the parking lot of the Jacksonville Rec Center. Total of 18.52 miles. My average time was a little better today, but still nothing to brag about.

Latest news on "The Chief" is that it may be as late as September before it is finally connected with the Silver Comet. According to a report in the Anniston Star, bad weather in Cleburne County is the cause of the delay.

We are way behind in rainfall for the year already, but apparently Cleburne County has gotten more rain than everybody else in Alabama. Don't be suprised if these delays run into next year.

No ride today. Tomorrow I plan to ride from Weaver Park to Germania Spings and back. I hope my average time is a little better than it was on Monday. I really need to start getting in some longer rides. The Cheaha Challenge is May 6. I'm only doing the 26 miler, but I would like to have a reasonably good time. Time is getting short so I need to crank up my rides pretty soon.

I was able to ride today, but was tired from working late. I rode from Weaver Park to Germania Springs and back (15.51 miles). My average speed really sucked, but I hadn't ridden in almost a month and only about 5 times all year. I know I won't be able to ride on Tuesday because I'll have to work late again. I hope to get in another ride on Wednesday.

I see that it may be mid July before the Chief Ladiga Trail is completed. http://ridethisbike.com/2007/02/silver-comet-chief-ladiga-trails.html
Looking forward to be able to ride into Georgia when "The Chief" is connected with the Silver Comet Trail.

Got new Speedplay Light Action pedals today. Having problems making them engage and disengage. Hope to spend more time with them tomorrow.

Just got my bike back from the shop. It had a full tune-up, and they repaired a headset problem that I caused by my own stupidity. Will be gone for the weekend, but hope to get back to riding on Monday. I'm looking forward to trying out my new Speedplay pedals.