Todays the day for the big ride

The storms are breaking up along Lake Michigan so we may get a little wet but we are riding. This will be my first 105 mile ride from Zeeland, MI to Michigan City, IN. I have been planning this trip since July 2013 and I am so happy to see it happen. Starting at 7:45AM after I pick my friend Tony Maravolo up from Grand Rapids.

Week Before my ride To Michigan City

Had a couple great rides over the past week. Went riding with a neighbor last Thursday the 5th and had a flat about 8 miles into the ride (first one of the season). Dummy me had everything to change a flat except for C02 cartridges or an air pump. I ended up walking about 1.5 miles which is not the easiest in clip on shoes but my neighbor was nice enough to ride home and come get me. I am ready for this if it happens again. I did 23 miles on Sunday the 8th and 18.5 miles on Tuesday the 10th in a drizzle of rain. I got home about 10 minutes before it started pouring.  I had set a goal to hit 550 miles by the end of June but I have a feeling I am going to hit that with no problem. I am already at 376 miles and I am riding 105 miles next Friday on my trip to Michigan City.

Getting Ready

I have been lazy about following up on this blog so trying to play catch up. My bike has been complete since roughly the last week of April. I have already ridden over 325 miles since I got it back. Had to make a few modifications from the original equipment I purchased due to buying too large of a stem for my handlebars. FSA 130 was my original purchase and I now have a SLK 110. I also had to give up a sweet set of all carbon Planet X Rims with Gatorskin tires due to being track rims instead of road rims. I now have a new set of Velocity aluminum rims with Continental Grand Prix 4000s tires. Overall the bike has been an awesome learning experience buying all the parts myself. I did give up on building it myself due to the cost of the tools and the price I was quoted for having it assembled professionally was just to good to pass up. The bike was just to expensive for me to take a chance on. Below is a pic of my bike.

 I am stepping up how many miles I am riding each week so I am ready for the big ride on Friday, June 20th with my friend Tony Maravolo. We are biking from Zeeland, MI to Michigan City, IN which will be my first 100 mile bike ride. Tony has done this a few times before so he is a veteran. The most I have ever ridden in a day is 40 miles so this will be a new experience for me.

My weight loss goals have been mediocre so far. I was right around 205 lbs. when I first started this blog and to date I am at 198 lbs. so I have a ways to go.  What can I say I like to eat but I do have a few weeks to go before the big day.

Bike Progress & Personal Goals - December 30th 2013

I have been buying parts for my all carbon road bike build since July 2013 and I plan on having it built by April 1st 2014 then sending it to a local bike shop to check and make sure I did everything right. This pic is close visually to what my bike should look like when finished.

 
My goal is to ride from Zeeland, MI to Michigan City, IN in June 2014. I still need to drive the planned route but it is around 113 miles. I will be blogging about my journey building the bike as well as my goal to lose 25-30 lbs. and get in shape for the ride.  My starting weight is 204 lbs and my goal is to be between 175-180 lbs. by June 1st. Here is a list of items I have purchased so far. As of Dec. 30, 2014.

Planet X	Pro Carbon 50 Rims 700cc
On One	Hubs
Continental	Sprinter 20mm tires
Speedplay	Light Action Pedals Red
Selle Italia	SL XC 10 Black Lorica Cover Manganese Rails
FSA	SL-K Forged 110mm Road Stem w/ Carbon Face Plate
	Carbon Handlebar Red Bar Wrap - Red
OEM	full carbon fiber handlebar
Shimano	105 STI Factory Cable Set
Shimano	105 7pc Groupset - Crankset, Derailer 10spd cassette, Shifters, Brakes
Element Six	Time Trial Frame, 57cm
	Hydration Back Pack