I hate that!

I know the economy is tough, and I hate to complain about street maintenance, but this year, I have found the roads are rough to bike on compared to last. I have been experimenting with various commuting ways, especially at night, as the main roads I ride most frequently are just plain worn out. I have never broke a spoke twice in 6 weeks and only found out because my bike tire was a little out of balance, otherwise I would not have known. This is not from hitting a pothole, jumping a curb, or anything like that; it is just from ordinary riding.

This has really been a deterrent, as the rides are less enjoyable. I have completed several 20-plus mile rides in the past few weeks and will do more in the future. I just do not enjoy them as much as I would like. It is like trail running: keep your head down and take action to miss the holes and other imperfections on the road.

Besides the roads in the area I ride, a coworker who drives from Minneapolis (uptown area) recently was told that her shocks and struts have worn out in less than 50,000 miles. They said this is more common with the poor condition of the roads. I guess we'll pay it one way or the other.

Enough complaining, but it really ticked me off yesterday! I plan on some good rides and a few runs this week. I leave for Kalamazoo next week, then I get back and head to Colorado. It will be August 27 before I finally have a weekend at home, able to rest and relax, but then I really would like to have a few 6-mile runs by then.

Hope all is well and everyone enjoyed the great weekend! Carry on...