Well, I just got back from a week in Arizona for work. No bike and no fitness center at the Hotel, but I did get some exercise in along with some sightseeing. I walked around Tombstone and Boot Hill for a few hours on Tuesday and did a Biplane tour of Sedona on Wednesday.
This week is back on the bike finally, except for Tuesday when I am in Kansas City for work.

Only 3 weeks left until the Michigan race and my weight is still higher than I want it. I am down 6 pounds though, so that will be some help. It would be great to be down at least 4 more before the race. I will have to do that over the next 2 weeks though, I don't want to be in weight loss mode the week before the race.

Anybody going to Michigan give me a shout! I will be in my Orange-ish Chevy HHR...

Yesterday I did another Skyline Drive ride that went quite well. A total of 27 miles, but my time to the 10 mile mark was three minutes faster than 2 days earlier. My cadence average was higher and I felt a lot better.
It threatened to rain the entire way, but luckily stayed dry. There was a pretty hefty headwind/crosswind most of the way out, but the view from Gooney Point Lookout was worth the ride. Is anyone actually reading this? lol

Yesterday I started some hill work, heading for Skyline Drive. I only did 20 miles, but with 1965 feet of climbing, and most of that was from the 7 to 10 mile mark. The first 7 miles only took 26 minutes but the next 3 took 34 minutes. Total time round trip was 1:42, right around 12 miles per hour.
My weight is finally coming down too, I dropped 4 pounds in the last 10 days. With 4 more weeks to Michigan I hope to get about 8 to 10 more off.

Well, with the Michigan race coming up I made the leap to a Peter White Schmidt Wheel for light at night. That eliminates one excuse for not going fast at night, plus with the cost, I better do some good miles.
I saw a rider using this combination in Texas last year and the amount of light was unbelievable. Plus, it was easy to switch over from his day wheel to the night wheel, only taking a minute or two. The hub weighs more than a standard hub, but less than the batteries I would need with a 6 volt system. Until now I have just used some dual LED white lights but this should be a significant improvement.

Well, this was a good weekend! Although my weight is up from the extensive travel from work, and my training time has been lower than I want, I still did Calvin's Challenge in Springfield Ohio on Saturday.
My goal was to finish at least 150 miles. I ended up doing 164 miles and actually had time to do 14 more (and should have). Still, I am quite happy with 164 and now know I will do well next month in Michigan at the 24 hour Challenge. Hopefully my weight will be down at least a little more. Anything will help since it is a hilly course.
My goal for Michigan is 288 miles. The first loop is the worst at over 100 miles and hilly, so if I can get off of that loop in a decent time, I know I can hit my goal. It would be really awesome if I could get to 300 miles, but we will see.
In July I will be doing the Saratoga race in New York State. I still haven't decided if I will do the 12 or 24, but am leaning towards the 12. August is in Massachussetts and it is 12 or 24 as well. I understand it is a very flat course, but since it is only a month before the 24 Hour Championships in Iowa, I will probably do the 12 hour race. Besides, then I can have 3 good 12 hour races and 3 24 hour races for the year.