Double Century

Rides this Weekend - July 3rd and July 5th

2010-06-30T00:00:00.000-04:00

Rides this Weekend

We are going to get in a couple of rides this weekend. First, on Saturday, we will ride starting from my house in Elmhurst. We will go west and perhaps do a few loops on the hill in Winfield.

On Monday we will try something new and ride from the Starbucks in downtown St. Charles west on the Great Western Trail to Sycamore and back. So, beware, we will be on packed limestone trail for the ride on Monday.

I'll keep my phone available to coordinate things if there are any questions, or feel free to e-mail me. I hope to see you there!

Saturday
When: Saturday, July 3rd
Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 7:00am - on the road!
Target Distance: 30 to 35 miles
Route: West as time allows.

Monday
When: Monday, July 5th
Starting Location: St. Charles Starbucks - Main and 1st Ave.
Starting Time: 7:00am - on the road!
Target Distance: 40 miles
Route: St. Charles to Sycamore via the Great Western Trail

Ride this weekend - June 12th and 13th

2010-06-09T23:36:48.331-04:00

Ride this Weekend

We will be trying something that we haven't done for a long time - ride the Prairie Path, Fox River Trail, and Great Western. We scheduled this for Memorial Day weekend, but were stalled by equipment problems and weather. We will start in Wheaton early Sunday morning and be done by 10:00am or so. Watch the weather. If it is really bad, give me a call before meeting. Otherwise, if it is just a little wet, we will find alternate routes.

John provided a link to a good map of the three trails from Google Maps.

Sunday

When: Sunday, June 12th
Starting Location: Caribou Coffee - Downtown Wheaton
Starting Time: 6:00am - Early Start!
Target Distance: 40 to 50 miles
Route: Wheaton to South Elgin, Batavia, back to Wheaton

June 5th and 6th Rides - Corey Lake in Michigan - COMPLETED

2010-06-02T00:00:00.000-04:00

Ride Log

The rides on this weekend were excellent. Although there was weather all around us but we slipped in two rides of about 28 miles each on both Saturday and Sunday. These were very hilly rides - up and down the entire way around several small lakes. Then steaks in the evening. All-in-all, a great evening.

Rides for This Weekend

This weekend, we are going to do a little out-of-town trip to Corey Lake in Michigan. It is about two-and-a-half hours from Elmhurst. We will be able to stay at a lake house that is shared by my son and his friends. They have generously agreed to let us use the house for the weekend. There are a lot nice roads and lakes that we can explore.

I will be leaving from my house in Elmhurst at about 10:00am on Saturday morning. We will drive up, get settled and ride in the late afternoon/early evening. After the ride, I'll be grilling up steaks and we can enjoy dinner on the Pontoon boat. Sunday morning we will get up reasonably early and ride somewhere for breakfast. If we are feeling ambitious, we can go to Kalamazoo which is about 37 miles one way.

My son, Chris, will join us and be available to pick anyone up if needed. We have had more than our share of mechanical difficulties this season, so this seems like a good precaution.

If you are going to be coming on this trip, please e-mail me as soon as possible. I will send you the exact address.

You will need to bring either a sleeping bag or a sheet and blanket. There are several beds and some air mattresses. There are two in my car at this time, and with bikes, that will fill me up, but we could do a mini-convoy. If anyone is willing to car pool, please let me know and I'll try to put things together.

Saturday
When: Saturday, June 5th
Starting Location: Corey Lake, Michigan
Starting Time: Approximately between 3 and 4pm
Target Distance: 40 miles
Route: Wherever the wind takes us

Sunday
When: Sunday, June 6th

Starting Location: Corey Lake, Michigan
Starting Time: 7:00am
Target Distance: 50 to 60 miles
Route: Wherever our fancy takes us

May 29th Ride - Fox River Trail - COMPLETED

2010-05-27T00:00:00.000-04:00

The Ride for This Weekend

This weekend, we will be doing a long ride (50 to 60 miles target) north up the Fox River Trail. We have done this ride several times so far this year and it has become a favorite. We starting right at the trail this time so we can go further north and explore.

We will be starting from the SEBA park in South Elgin at 6:00am.

I will also be doing a long ride on Monday if anyone is interested in joining me, send me an e-mail. We will start from my house and do some exploring in directions we have not typically gone in the past.

Saturday
When: Saturday, May 29
Starting Location: SEBA park in South Elgin
Starting Time: 6:00am
Target Distance: 55 miles
Route: Fox River Trail north from South Elgin

Monday
When: Monday, May 31

Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst, IL
Starting Time: 7:00am
Target Distance: 60 miles
Route: Wherever our fancy takes us

April 17th and 18th Training Rides - COMPLETED

2010-04-15T00:00:00.000-04:00

The Rides for This Weekend

We are starting a little earlier this weekend

Saturday - COMPLETED
When: Saturday, April 17th
Starting Location: Caribou Coffee - Downtown Wheaton
Starting Time: 7:00am (Coffee at 6:45am is Optional)
Target Distance: 40 miles
Route: Northwest to South Elgin, South down the Fox River, Northeast through Fermilab

Sunday - COMPLETED
When: Sunday, April 18th
Starting Location: Caribou Coffee - Downtown Wheaton
Starting Time: 7:00am (Coffee at 6:45am is Optional)
Target Distance: 40 miles
Route: Northwest to South Elgin, South down the Fox River, Northeast through Fermilab

Ride Log

Last week I was out of town, so Joe was the ride leader. John and Matt rode along and they did about 34 miles.

April 10th and 11th Training Rides - COMPLETED

2010-04-05T00:00:00.000-04:00

The Rides for This Weekend

We are back to a morning time for both Saturday and Sunday, but we have a new starting location...

Saturday - COMPLETED
When: Saturday, April 10th
Starting Location: 163 S. Hawthorne Ave, Elmhurst, IL
Starting Time: 7:30am
Target Distance: 35 miles
Route: West from Elmhurst through Glen Ellyn, Wheaton, and beyond

Sunday - COMPLETED
When: Sunday, April 4th
Starting Location: 163 S. Hawthorne Ave, Elmhurst, IL
Starting Time: 7:30am
Target Distance: 35 miles
Route: West from Elmhurst through Glen Ellyn, Wheaton, and beyond

Ride Log

This last weekend, we rode in South Barrington. The route took us through the Poplar Creek and Potawatomi Woods Forest Preserves. When we started out, there was a slight mist of rain, but as we continued the rain increased and continued between a drizzle and and
steady rain. It was a wet, wet ride.

The route through Potawatomi Woods took us onto an old abandoned road. The road was paved, but covered over to a large extent with forest growth. It could be ridden safely, but only with some vigilance. Moreover, with the rain it was muddy. By the time we emerged from the other side, I looked and felt more like a extreme mountain biker rather than a road biker.

An hour after we completed the ride, the weather turned beautiful.

On Sunday we did the same route, but without the rain. The big challenge was the wind which was coming from the South-West and there were gusts up to 20 or 25 mph. Even so, it was a lot more pleasant than the rain. We had a new rider, Karen, who was on her bike for the first time this season. We rode a few less miles than the prior day as a front was moving in on us. The rain hit hard shortly after we completed the ride. Almost made up for Saturday!

April 3rd and 4th Training Rides - A New Route! - COMPLETED

2010-03-31T00:00:00.000-04:00

The Rides for This Weekend

Saturday - COMPLETE
When: Saturday, April 3rd
Starting Location: 714 N. Walnut Lane, Schaumburg, IL
Starting Time: 7:30am
Target Distance: 32 miles
Route: South Barrington Route

Sunday (Easter) - COMPLETE
When: Sunday, April 4thStarting Location: 714 N. Walnut Lane, Schaumburg, IL
Starting Time: 2:00pm
Target Distance: 32 miles
Route: South Barrington Route

The Ride

Last week, my ride was abbreviated when the bearings on my crank disintegrated destroying my bottom bracket and crank. Joe and John continued riding while I called my normally reliable wife who never heard my call. So it was a cab ride home and then a trip to the bike shop for me.

This coming weekend, the weather looks very good. We are trying a new route through South Barrington.

What to Expect

The first rides of the season are always the most painful. We have a couple of extra training weeks this year, so we are starting with a short ride of 22 miles, but if you don't make the full distance, don't worry about it! Trust me, if you stick with the training schedule, you will be in shape to make the full ride on June 5th and 6th. Also, everyone misses some of the training rides - we are all busy. That's OK, particularly if you make up the lost mileage on your own during the week.

For these first few rides, there are several places we will be able to stop and rest. If you need to, you can rest while the other riders go further and then come back to pick you up.

We generally ride regardless of the weather. If it is cold, make sure to wear several layers and long biking pants. Below 45 degrees and a face mask is a big help. We have found that Under Armour Cold Gear is the best layer to start with in cold weather. My personal rule of thumb for layers is:

Below 45 degrees - Under Armour Cold Gear (long sleeve turtle neck), a biking jersey, a cotton or fleece sweater or sweat shirt, and finally a wind/water-proof windbreaker jacket; long-fingered biking gloves; face mask.

45 to 55 degrees - Under Armour Cold Gear, a biking jersey, windbreaker jacket; regular gloves

55 and Up - biking jersey and a windbreaker jacket.

The jackets that have removable sleeves are really nice because we experience quite a range of temperatures when we start early in the morning and ride into the late morning.

Other key equipment:
A good helmet is a *must*!

Good biking gloves - my favorite is Pearl Izumi.
Biking pants (By the way, do not wear underwear when wearing biking pants! You will regret it! If you are uncomfortable with that - get over it.) My favorite is the Castelli "Wicked" shorts. Castelli also makes some nice longer pants and their sizes are more realistic for my American sized butt.
Good biking shoes that have cleats that clip on to the pedals. These are not essential, but once you use them, you will never want to go back to pedals with the "rat trap" cages to hold your shoes in place.
Bring a cell phone if you can - sometimes we get separated or someone has a break-down.
A decent road bike - it doesn't have to be expensive, but it does need to be in good shape. Check the tires.
Spare inner tube for your size tire.
Sun glasses are helpful.
A few bucks in the case of an emergency.
Good Attitude!

2010 Training Rides

2010-02-07T00:00:00.000-05:00

Training Concepts

We are going to use a series of 10 weekend training rides to build up to the distance we need to do the double century. Using a common recommended approach of building up to 75% of the target ride, we will do two long rides each weekend using this target schedule:

It will be important to get in the additional miles on your own during the week to stay on training. If you don't think you can train for both days of the trip, just train for one day (Saturday) and then you can ride home in the SAG van. To train for one day, do one of the two long weekend rides per week and train do half of the remaining days mileage during the week days.

Training Links

Here are some of the good articles and links on endurance training and long-distance biking:

A good basic guide from Ultra Cycling Magazine.

Other good links from Ultra Cycling Magazine:
Nutrition for a Century or a Double
Eating for a Century, Brevet or Double Century
Water and Salt Intake During Exercise

2009-Training Rides

2009-06-27T00:00:00.000-04:00

Training Concepts

We are going to use a series of 13 weekend training rides to build up to the distance we need to do the double century. Using a common recommended approach of building up to 75% of the target ride, we will do two long rides each weekend using this target schedule:

It will be important to get in the additional miles on your own during the week to stay on training. If you don't think you can train for both days of the trip, just train for one day (Saturday) and then you can ride home in the SAG van. To train for one day, do one of the two long weekend rides per week and train do half of the remaining days mileage during the week days.

Training Links

Here are some of the good articles and links on endurance training and long-distance biking:

A good basic guide from Ultra Cycling Magazine.

Other good links from Ultra Cycling Magazine:
Nutrition for a Century or a Double
Eating for a Century, Brevet or Double Century
Water and Salt Intake During Exercise

Syscon 2009 Double-Century (Almost) Bike Ride

2009-06-27T00:00:00.000-04:00

2009 - Here we Come!

When: Saturday and Sunday, June 27th and 28th, 2009

Where: Elmhurst, IL to Utica, IL
Who: Friends of Syscon

Why: To help people less fortunate than us, for fun, for health.

Check out the 2008 Ride Picture Gallery.

Welcome to the general information page for the Syscon 2009 Double-Century (Almost) Bike Ride. These pages contain the current information regarding the ride.
In addition to the fellowship, fun, and health aspects of this ride, we raise money for an excellent cause - truly helping transition homeless families to self-sufficiency through Daybreak of Elmhurst. This is a demanding ride and requires some preparation and training, but anyone can do it who has the heart and the interest. This year, we have added two weeks of training to the schedule which will help those of us that have let the winter fat store up just a little too much.

The Ride
On the first day we ride approximately 100 miles. We then stay at a hotel and reverse the route to return the next day. Most of the ride is along Illinois country roads. See my comments from the 2007 ride for a more detailed description.

We are doing this ride for helping those less fortunate than us, fun, fellowship, and exercise. That is all there is really to it. Syscon is going to cover the cost of lodging, breakfast and dinner on Saturday, breakfast on Sunday, and a SAG van with a driver to carry our supplies and give a respite to anyone who may need it.

To make this a bit more fun and beneficial, in addition to the training rides, the riders will meet together twice before the actual ride. Once to share training ideas and the second time to do an orientation on the route and schedule a week before the ride.

Training

There is a training schedule posted, and there is a significant time requirement to get in shape. This is a significant effort and you need to be ready for it. However, everyone that actually follows the schedule and does all the training rides will be able to do the double century without a problem - at least that has been our experience to date.

Do What You Can
You don't have to commit to the full ride if you do not wish to. If you don't want to train for 200 miles of riding in one weekend or you don't think you can make it the full ride, plan to do one of the two days - or even just a partial of one of the days. Join us for one of each of the two training rides each weekend or just stop a little earlier during the training rides. What is important is to get out and ride!

Requirements
Since I am going to suggest a route and Syscon is going to sponsor some of the expenses of this trip, we are going to have to deal with the legal side of things - namely a waiver of liability. It will be required that all of the riders on this trip sign a waiver prior to leaving on the trip.
Secondly, I'm going to ask everyone that rides to wear a helmet. I have had two crashes where my helmet has prevented significant injury to me, so I am personally convinced of the value of having something of a buffer between my skull and the concrete on the road (or a tree, rock, etc.). I'm asking everyone to commit to wearing a helmet during the training and the ride just so I don't have to worry about anyone getting hurt.

Questions?
If you have any questions or comments, please e-mail me at lawendt@syscon-inc.com.

June 26th and 27th - The BIG Ride!

2009-06-25T00:00:00.000-04:00

The 2009 Double-Century Ride

The 2009 Route on Bikely.com

Saturday
When: Saturday, June 27th
Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 6:00am - Early Start!

Sunday
When: Sunday, June 28th
Starting Location: The Willow Hotel, Utica, Illinois
Starting Time: 7:00am

This is It
Last weekend, we did a little experimenting and found a better path through Aurora. I have put up the entire route on bikely.com and you can download it to your GPS if you would like. The total route is 105 miles, about 1 mile longer than the old route, but a whole lot safer and nicer through Aurora. We will reverse the route coming back on Sunday.

The weather looks hot for Saturday, so we are trying to get an early start and beat most of the heat of the day. On Sunday, the weather looks perfect.

Before the ride, please download, print, and sign the waiver form.

Syscon 2009 Double-Century Fact Sheet

General Release and Waiver Form

June 20th and 21st Training Rides - COMPLETED

2009-06-19T00:00:00.000-04:00

The Rides for This Weekend

Saturday
When: Saturday, June 20th - COMPLETED

Starting Location: Caribou Coffee - Downtown Wheaton
Starting Time: 6:30am
Target Distance: 50 miles
Route: Fermilab and then West through Aurora

Sunday
When: Sunday, June 21st - COMPLETED
Starting Location: Caribou Coffee - Downtown Wheaton
Starting Time: 6:30am
Target Distance: 50 miles
Route: Fermilab and then West through Aurora

A Little Exploring

Normally, we do a short ride the week before the Double Century. However, this year we have had more than our share of weather and scheduling issues for various riders and some of us have missed some of the longer rides. So we are going to do two medium length rides this weekend. Not too much so we are exhauste for next week, but a decent training ride.

For our destination, we are going to do some exploring in Aurora. We have a good route from Elmhurst to Utica for the big ride with the execption of getting through Aurora. This weekend, we will start from Wheaton, go through Fermilab and do some exploring going south through Aurora to find a new route for this segment of the ride.

June 13th and 14th Training Rides - COMPLETED

2009-06-11T00:00:00.000-04:00

The Rides for This Weekend

Saturday
When: Saturday, June 13th - CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER

Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 6:30am
Target Distance: 70 miles
Route: West into Glen Ellyn, Fermilab, Batavia - then North to South Elgin, and Return

Sunday
When: Sunday, June 14th - COMPLETED
Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 6:30am
Target Distance: 70 miles
Route: Wherever the mood takes us!

The Last Long Rides

This is the last week that we will do a long ride for training. It has been fun building up to riding these distances again. I'm looking forward to our big weekend!

May 30th and 31st Training Rides - COMPLETED

2009-05-29T00:00:00.000-04:00

The Rides for This Weekend

Saturday
When: Saturday, May 30th - COMPLETED

Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 6:30am
Target Distance: 57 miles
Route: West into Glen Ellyn, Fermilab, Batavia - then North to St. Charles, and Return

Sunday
When: Sunday, May 31st - COMPLETED
Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 6:30am
Target Distance: 57 miles
Route: West on St. Charles Road to Smith Road and into South Elgin, St. Charles, and Back

The Big Triangle

This week - with only four weeks of training left - we are going to ride the "triangle" from Elmhurst to Batavia to St. Charles and back. We spend a small portion of the ride along Fox River.

There are three more weeks of long rides left and then a light week and then the double-century. Are you ready?

May 23rd and 24th Training Rides - COMPLETED

2009-05-20T00:00:00.000-04:00

The Rides for This Weekend

Saturday
When: Saturday, May 23rd - COMPLETED

Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 6:30am
Target Distance: 51 miles
Route: West into Glen Ellyn and then to Fermilab.

Sunday
When: Sunday, May 24th - COMPLETED
Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 6:30am
Target Distance: 51 miles
Route: West on St. Charles Road to Smith Road and into South Elgin, St. Charles, and Back

50 miles and Counting

Last week, we had some great weather for riding. The rides were a little shorter than the target mileage, but on Sunday, with Louie pushing the pace, we had some hard riding (at least for us). It was a great work out.

Now we are over 50 miles on the training rides. This is a fun distance. We get to some less travelled areas and some interesting places - like Fermilab. There are places with miles before stop signs and lights, so we can set up a pace line and move at a pretty good pace without interruption. Plus, the average person is pretty impressed when you say you went out and rode 50 miles that day!

May 16th and 17th Training Rides - COMPLETED

2009-05-14T00:00:00.000-04:00

The Rides for This Weekend

Saturday
When: Saturday, May 16th - COMPLETED

Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 6:30am
Target Distance: 46 miles
Route: West into Glen Ellyn and then to Fermilab.

Sunday
When: Sunday, May 17th - COMPLETED
Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 6:30am
Target Distance: 46 miles
Route: West on St. Charles Road to Smith Road and into South Elgin

Half-Way Home

I didn't get to mention this last week because I missed sending out the notification, but last week was the half-way mark of the training rides. Just 7 more training weeks before the ride.

We are getting to some mileage targets that take us on some more interesting routes. The two we will do this week are two of my personal favorites. Saturday goes down to Fermilab and back. Sunday we take St. Charles road - which is only really safe on an early Sunday morning - catch a few back roads up to Smith Road and then to Army Trail through Wayne. These are very nice rides with interesting sights along the way, some rolling hills, and some places to do sprints.

May 9th and 10th Training Rides - COMPLETED

2009-05-14T00:00:00.000-04:00

The Rides for This Weekend

Saturday
When: Saturday, May 9th - COMPLETED
Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 6:30am
Target Distance: 42 miles
Route: West into Glen Ellyn and then Winfield.

Sunday
When: Sunday, May 10th - COMPLETED
Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 6:30am
Target Distance: 42 miles
Route: West on St. Charles Road into Carol Stream

I Blew It!

I think this is the first time I ever did this, but I forgot to send out a notification to everyone last week and so there was a little confusion. However, we still got our rides in.

Saturday we did a nice 42 miles. Sunday, we had a new rider and we ended up going a little bit short. Besides, it was Mother's Day and we all wanted to get home a little early.

May 2nd and 3rd Training Rides - COMPLETED

2009-04-28T00:00:00.000-04:00

The Rides for This Weekend

Saturday
When: Saturday, May 2nd - COMPLETED
Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 6:30am
Target Distance: 37 miles
Route: West into Glen Ellyn and then Winfield.

Sunday
When: Sunday, May 3rd - COMPLETED
Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 6:30am
Target Distance: 37 miles
Route: West on St. Charles Road into Carol Stream

Starting to Build Mileage

I still remember the first year we did this ride and the 15 mile round-trip to the Glen Ellyn coffee shop seemed like a days good work. Now as we build our training mileage, as we get into 35, 40, 45 miles it is exciting and interesting, not terrifying.

With these longer rides, we can do some very interesting routes and on Sunday, we are going to take one of our favorite rides along St. Charles road.

April 25th and 26th Training Rides - COMPLETED

2009-04-22T00:00:00.000-04:00

The Rides for This Weekend

Saturday
When: Saturday, April 25th - COMPLETED
Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 7:00am
Target Distance: 33 miles
Route: West into Glen Ellyn and then Winfield.

Sunday
When: Sunday, April 26th - COMPLETED
Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 7:00am
Target Distance: 33 miles
Route: West into Glen Ellyn and then Winfield

Let's tackle the Hill

During this time of the year, the weather is almost always our first concern when planning for riding. Soon we will be past this as we move fully into spring and the suprise snowfalls and cold days are a thing of the past. This weekend, it looks like our weather challenge will be the wind. Good.

With this week of training, we will have caught up to our target mileage after losing the first week due to weather. We will be going 33 miles with a route into Winfield. There is a nice hill that we do two or three times in a loop in Winfield and that will be our target for this week.

April 18th and 19th Training Rides - COMPLETED

2009-04-16T00:00:00.000-04:00

The Rides for This Weekend

Saturday
When: Saturday, April 18th - COMPLETED
Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 7:00am
Target Distance: 30 miles
Route: West into Glen Ellyn and then Wheaton.

Sunday
When: Sunday, April 19th - COMPLETED
Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 7:00am
Target Distance: 30 miles
Route: West into Glen Ellyn and then Wheaton.

Saturday was a good riding day. Although it was a bit cloudy, it was reasonably warm and there were times when the sun was visible. Fortunately, we did not have any mishaps this week like last. We extended our typical ride to Wheaton with a loop around the College of DuPage and completed just under 30 miles.

Sunday was cold and raining. No one showed up to ride, so I rode by myself starting about 2 hours after our original start time of 7:00am. I kept hoping the weather would clear. Finally I just struck out. I did a decent 32 mile ride to Winfield.

April 11th and 12th Training Rides - COMPLETED

2009-04-09T00:00:00.000-04:00

The Rides for This Weekend

Saturday
When: Saturday, April 11th
Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 7:30am
Target Distance: 25 miles
Route: West into Glen Ellyn and then Wheaton.

Sunday
When: Sunday, April 12th - CANCELLED
Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 7:30am
Target Distance: 25 miles
Route: West into Glen Ellyn and then Wheaton.

A Good Weekend to Ride

It was cold on Saturday, but four struck out at 7:30 and started riding. One of our new riders, Mike, had a little crash but survived. Fortunately Mike does not seem discouraged about continuing the ride. Sunday was even colder in the morning. The cold, combined Easter events, killed this ride. Hopefully some of you had a chance to ride in the afternoon which turned out quite nice.

I'm still getting a lot of people talking to me about riding, but not everyone seems to be getting out and doing it yet. The weather is warming up and the mileage is getting longer, so come and join us as soon as you can.

April 4th and 5th Training Rides - COMPLETED

2009-04-01T00:00:00.000-04:00

The Rides for This Weekend

Saturday
When: Saturday, April 4th
Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 7:30am
Target Distance: 22 miles
Route: West into Glen Ellyn and then Wheaton.

Sunday - Cancelled due to weather
When: Sunday, April 5th
Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 7:30am
Target Distance: 22 miles
Route: West into Glen Ellyn and then Wheaton.

The Ride

It was a good ride on Saturday. A ride out to Wheaton, a cup of coffee, and back. Although it was a bit cool (about 37 degrees when we started out), the sun was warm and as long as we kept moving, we were fine.

Sunday - on April 5th - it was cold, raining and sometimes snowing. We had to cancel riding to due to the weather.

What to Expect

Since last week was cancelled due to weather, it looks like this week will be the first. I have repeated the "what to expect" information from last week here.

The first rides of the season are always the most painful. We have a couple of extra training weeks this year, so we are starting with a short ride of 22 miles, but if you don't make the full distance, don't worry about it! Trust me, if you stick with the training schedule, you will be in shape to make the full ride on June 27th and 28th. Also, everyone misses some of the training rides - we are all busy. That's OK, particularly if you make up the lost mileage on your own during the week.

For these first few rides, there are several places we will be able to stop and rest. If you need to, you can rest while the other riders go further and then come back to pick you up.

We generally ride regardless of the weather. If it is cold, make sure to wear several layers and long biking pants. Below 45 degrees and a face mask is a big help. We have found that Under Armour Cold Gear is the best layer to start with in cold weather. My personal rule of thumb for layers is:

Below 45 degrees - Under Armour Cold Gear (long sleeve turtle neck), a biking jersey, a cotton or fleece sweater or sweat shirt, and finally a wind/water-proof windbreaker jacket; long-fingered biking gloves; face mask.

45 to 55 degrees - Under Armour Cold Gear, a biking jersey, windbreaker jacket; regular gloves

55 and Up - biking jersey and a windbreaker jacket.

The jackets that have removable sleeves are really nice because we experience quite a range of temperatures when we start early in the morning and ride into the late morning.

Other key equipment:
A good helmet is a *must*!

Good biking gloves - my favorite is Pearl Izumi.
Biking pants (By the way, do not wear underwear when wearing biking pants! You will regret it! If you are uncomfortable with that - get over it.) My favorite is the Castelli "Wicked" shorts. Castelli also makes some nice longer pants and their sizes are more realistic for my American sized butt.
Good biking shoes that have cleats that clip on to the pedals. These are not essential, but once you use them, you will never want to go back to pedals with the "rat trap" cages to hold your shoes in place.
Bring a cell phone if you can - sometimes we get separated or someone has a break-down.
A decent road bike - it doesn't have to be expensive, but it does need to be in good shape. Check the tires.
Spare inner tube for your size tire.
Sun glasses are helpful.
A few bucks in the case of an emergency.
Good Attitude!

2009 Training Rides

2009-03-29T00:00:00.000-04:00

March 28 and 29 Training Rides - CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER!

2009-03-23T00:00:00.000-04:00

The Rides for This Weekend

CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER!

WEATHER UPDATE! (3/27 6:18am) - The weather for this weekend is looking bad. In general we will not ride in snow or if it is below 40 Degrees. We are going to cancel the both rides for this weekend. Instead, come on over to my house and do some planning for the ride on Saturday during the ride time. I'll have breakfast ready for you. Give me a call if you have any questions. If you don't have my cell phone number, e-mail me for it.

Saturday - CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER
When: Saturday, March 28nd
Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 7:30am
Target Distance: 22 miles
Route: West into Glen Ellyn and then Wheaton.

Sunday - CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER
When: Saturday, March 29th
Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 7:30am
Target Distance: 22 miles
Route: West into Glen Ellyn and then Wheaton.

What to Expect

The first rides of the season are always the most painful. We have a couple of extra training weeks this year, so we are starting with a short ride of 22 miles, but if you don't make the full distance, don't worry about it! Trust me, if you stick with the training schedule, you will be in shape to make the full ride on June 27th and 28th. Also, everyone misses some of the training rides - we are all busy. That's OK, particularly if you make up the lost mileage on your own during the week.

For these first few rides, there are several places we will be able to stop and rest. If you need to, you can rest while the other riders go further and then come back to pick you up.

We generally ride regardless of the weather. If it is cold, make sure to wear several layers and long biking pants. Below 45 degrees and a face mask is a big help. We have found that Under Armour Cold Gear is the best layer to start with in cold weather. My personal rule of thumb for layers is:

Below 45 degrees - Under Armour Cold Gear (long sleeve turtle neck), a biking jersey, a cotton or fleece sweater or sweat shirt, and finally a wind/water-proof windbreaker jacket; long-fingered biking gloves; face mask.

45 to 55 degrees - Under Armour Cold Gear, a biking jersey, windbreaker jacket; regular gloves

55 and Up - biking jersey and a windbreaker jacket.

The jackets that have removable sleeves are really nice because we experience quite a range of temperatures when we start early in the morning and ride into the late morning.

Other key equipment:

A good helmet is a *must*!
Good biking gloves - my favorite is Pearl Izumi.
Biking pants (By the way, do not wear underwear when wearing biking pants! You will regret it! If you are uncomfortable with that - get over it.) My favorite is the Castelli "Wicked" shorts. Castelli also makes some nice longer pants and their sizes are more realistic for my American sized butt.
Good biking shoes that have cleats that clip on to the pedals. These are not essential, but once you use them, you will never want to go back to pedals with the "rat trap" cages to hold your shoes in place.
Bring a cell phone if you can - sometimes we get separated or someone has a break-down.
A decent road bike - it doesn't have to be expensive, but it does need to be in good shape. Check the tires.
Spare inner tube for your size tire.
Sun glasses are helpful.
A few bucks in the case of an emergency.
Good Attitude!

Syscon 2008 Double-Century (Almost) Bike Ride

2008-06-08T00:00:00.000-04:00

GENERAL INFORMATION - DONE!

When: Saturday and Sunday, June 7th and 8th, 2008

Where: Elmhurst, IL to Utica, IL

Who: Friends of Syscon

Why: To help people less fortunate than us, for fun, for health.

Check out the 2008 Ride Picture Gallery.

Welcome to the general information page for the Syscon 2008 Double-Century (Almost) Bike Ride. These pages contain the current information regarding the ride.
This year, we are using this ride to raise money for an excellent cause - truly helping transition homeless families to self-sufficiency through Daybreak of Elmhurst. This is a demanding ride and requires some preparation and training, but anyone can do it who has the heart and the interest.

The Ride
On the first day we ride approximately 100 miles. We then stay at a hotel and reverse the route to return the next day. Most of the ride is along Illinois country roads. See my comments for a more detailed description.

Requirements
Since I am going to suggest a route and Syscon is going to sponsor some of the expenses of this trip, we are going to have to deal with the legal side of things - namely a waiver of liability. It will be required that all of the riders on this trip sign a waiver prior to leaving on the trip.
Secondly, I'm going to ask everyone that rides to wear a helmet. I took a very bad spill last summer riding and am personally convinced of the value of having something of a buffer between my skull and the concrete on the road (or a tree, rock, etc.). I'm asking everyone to commit to wearing a helmet during the training and the ride just so I don't have to worry about anyone getting hurt.

Questions?
If you have any questions or comments, please e-mail me at lawendt@syscon-inc.com.

2008 Picture Gallery - Syscon Double-Century (Almost)

2008-06-08T00:00:00.000-04:00

We started out on Saturday with four-and-a-half riders. From left to right - Chad, Matt, Tim, Larry, and Joe (our half rider). Joe said his ankle was broken and he was still in recovery, but it looks fine in this picture to me.

Our first stop was for breakfast in Oswego, IL. Here Chad looks relaxed a comfortable. Hmmm, that might change in the next 60 or 70 miles.

South of Oswego, we have a water break. Here is Chad who trained with us last year but did not get to do the ride and Tim who is new to biking.

Below is Larry (with a few ominous clouds in the background.)

Pete was our SAG van driver. He was fabulous - staying ahead of us and providing us with fresh water and food. At the end of the ride, he greeted us with cold beer at the hotel.

This is the rest stop in Morris, IL - about 68 miles into the ride. Joe is mugging for the camera and looks nice and fresh because he hasn't ridden a single mile yet! (Remember - he is the one recovering from a "broken" ankle.)

Loading up on water for the last 40 miles of the trip. There was cloud cover, but the temperature was in the low 90's. It was hot and we had to drink continuously.

This is on a great little bridge on Old Stage Road between Morris and Seneca. This is one of the best stretches of road on the trip. It is a small two-lane road that winds along side the Illinois river, although there are only glimpses of the river here and there.

Matt had a little trouble with some dog poop stuck in his shoe cleats. Here he is just west of the bridge trying to clean them out. We still all tried to ride upwind of him for the rest of the day

A half-mile further west from the bridge we came upon a car accident that had just occurred. A Chevy Impala had somehow flipped over into the roadside ditch. Although the emergency response had not yet arrived, another motorist had extracted the young woman who was driving and she looked OK. I suspect she will slow down in the future. It was Matt's claim that if he hadn't had to stop to clean his cleats, the driver would have taken a few of us with her.

We have arrived in Utica!

Joe - who rode the fewest miles of the day - was the first to make himself comfortable at the Willow Inn... (Not a pretty site.)

Ironically, Joe, who rode only 37 miles on this day, and Pete who rode only the van on this day, were the first to head to town for dinner.

Duffy's Tavern - best darn Prime Rib in the state. At least, that is what it tastes like after 100 miles of riding. They also have an impressive collection of beers to wash it down with.

Joe seems to know somebody everywhere! We walked into Duffy's and the table next to us was one of Joe's old tennis buddies

We were in quite the mood - boisterous and hungry when we came in to eat. The server was gracious and joined in the fun.

Here we are heading out for Day 2 - sore butts and all.

The conditions were fabulous for the first 65 miles of the ride home. The wind at our back, the sun was out, and open road. Unfortunately, we were hit with very severe weather just outside of Oswego and had to get rescued by Larry's wife, Cathy.

Following the ride on Sunday night, Joe and his wife Sheila graciously offered to host a reception for the riders and all the Daybreak people at their house. Here, Joe is telling Matt how difficult it was to ride for 37 miles on a broken ankle...

Tim, a new rider with us this year, is a runner and clearly in great shape. However he discovered a few muscle groups used in biking that are not used in running.

The end of the day - Matt and his wife Pam head home with many more stories to tell from this years ride.

2008 Training Rides

2008-06-07T00:00:00.000-04:00

Training Concepts

We are going to use the weekend training rides to build up to the distance we need to do the double century. Using a common recommended approach of building up to 75% of the target ride, we will do two long rides each weekend using this target schedule:

Make sure to get in the additional miles on your own during the week to stay on training. If you don't think you can train for both days of the trip, just train for one day (Saturday) and then you can ride home in the SAG van. To train for one day, do one of the two long weekend rides per week and train do half of the remaining days mileage during the week days.

Training Links

Here are some of the good articles and links on endurance training and long-distance biking:

A good basic guide from Ultra Cycling Magazine.

Other good links from Ultra Cycling Magazine:
Nutrition for a Century or a Double
Eating for a Century, Brevet or Double Century
Water and Salt Intake During Exercise

Daybreak of Elmhurst

2008-06-07T00:00:00.000-04:00

Daybreak of Elmhurst - Helping Families be Self-Sufficient

If you really believe in the hope of the United States and changing peoples lives, read on...

From Homelessness to Self-Sufficiency

Is there anything more honorable than to reach out and help someone out of the endless cycle of poverty, homelessness, and welfare into a self-sufficient, productive, and valued member of society?

I spent a month in two of the most difficult and turbulent countries of Africa - Mozambique and Rwanda - for World Relief when they were a client of Syscon. It was there that I had the life-changing realization that it is absolutely unique to the United States and a very few other Western nations that a person - if they truly want to and have the desire, self-discipline, and a little bit of luck - can lift themselves from poverty to self-sufficiency. Our ride this year will honor and support this irreplaceable freedom and opportunity.

When one of our Syscon Team riders, Joe Berkemeyer (Siemens), suggested that we support Daybreak of Elmhurst with our ride, I was enthusiastic. Here was an organization whose sole purpose was to help people break free of the welfare cycle. Participants in the Daybreak of Elmhurst must pass rigorous criteria with financial budgets, work ethics, and reliability to qualify for the program. In return, they receive free housing for up to two years in apartments paid for by Daybreak of Elmhurst as well as mentoring by two volunteer mentors.

To date, Daybreak of Elmhurst has helped over 35 families move from the welfare system to self-sufficiency. The entire organization is staffed by volunteers - including the mentors. Every dime collected goes directly to supporting the participants of the program. This is a good solid organization with no fluff or frills - just a fundamental idea that they execute extremely well. Please consider supporting this organization with a donation for our ride.

Syscon is paying all of the costs of the meals, lodging, and jerseys for the riders. We will all ride about 1000 miles in an eleven week training period to get ready. On June 7th and 8th, we will ride 200 miles on our bikes from Geneva, up and around DeKalb and then down to Utica, Illinois by Starved Rock State Park and we would appreciate your help.

Joe Berkemeyer - the driving force behind this effort and one of the riders - is challenging us to triple our effort from last year. Our goal for this year is to raise $18,000 for Daybreak of Elmhurst. E-mail me, Larry Wendt, if you are willing to support us with any donation or if you would like any further information. Some examples are:

$0.50/mile = $100; $1.00/mile = $200; $5.00/mile = $1,000

However, we will gratefully accept any donation of any size. Checks should be made out to "Daybreak of Elmhurst", PO Box 2033, Elmhurst, IL 60126. You may mail the check directly to Daybreak or send it to us here at Syscon and we will forward it to the organization. If you do send it directly to the organization, please let us know so we can track our progress towards our goal.

Larry Wendt
President, Syscon, Inc.
Rider in the 2008 Syscon Double-Century

Training Routes

2008-06-06T00:00:00.000-04:00

Thanks to one of our riders - Chad - we are now able to post maps of our training rides. Over the past four years, we have found quite a few good routes through the busy Chicago metropolitan area. I know that I have always appreciated tips and routes from riders that take the time to post them for others to see.

The data was collected with a Garmin GPS and posted to trail.motionbased.com. The links will take you to Google Maps and from there you can click on the trail.motionbased.com link which provides elevation information as well as some other nice statistics.

Chicago to South Elgin - 60 Miles

This route starts in Elmhurst in the Butterfield Park area, but the route is easily accessible from anywhere in Elmhurst. This is a great "any time" route as it avoids major roads (at least where they are the most busy) but also does not have an unreasonable amount of stop signs and lights.

Google Maps - Chicago to South Elgin - 60 miles

May 31st and June 1st Training Rides - COMPLETED

2008-06-04T00:00:00.000-04:00

The Rides for This Weekend

COMPLETED

Saturday
When: Saturday, May 31st
Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 7:00am

Sunday
When: Sunday, June 1st
Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 7:00am

June 6th and 7th - The BIG Ride

2008-06-04T00:00:00.000-04:00

The 2008 Double-Century Ride

Saturday
When: Saturday, June 7th
Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 7:15am

Sunday
When: Sunday, June 8th
Starting Location: The Willows, Utica, Illinois
Starting Time: 7:00am

Sunday Reception
When: 5 to 7pm
Where: Elmhurst (please e-mail me for details)

This is It

With a little luck, we will slip the ride in between rain on Friday and rain on Monday as currently predicted. Last weekend we had two beautiful days and a couple of nice easy rides. We went 25 miles on Saturday and 45 on Sunday. Sunday we pressed a bit and averaged 18mph for the entire ride. This is a decent pace for us as we usually average between 16 and 17mph as a group when we are riding.

If you cannot be there for the ride, please consider coming to the reception. Joe Berkemeyer, one of our riders, and his wife Sheila are hosting a “Welcome Home” reception for the riders this Sun evening, 5-7 PM at their house. There will be drinks, sandwiches and snacks as well as several prizes given away. The weather is expected to be a nice which will make for a very pleasant evening. Please try to come to welcome the guys back.

May 24th and 25th Training Rides - COMPLETED

2008-05-22T00:00:00.000-04:00

The Rides for This Weekend

COMPLETED

Saturday
When: Saturday, May 24th
Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 7:00am

Sunday
When: Sunday, May 25th
Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 7:00am

Holiday Rides - Two Weeks Left

It is supposed to be beautiful weather and we need a couple of good rides.

Last week we had two decent rides - 60 miles on Saturday and 50 on Sunday. Sunday was tough - cold and windy. For me, every mile was a chore. Still, it was good to get out and do some significant milage two days in a row.

This week, we shoot for 65 miles. This is, again, a little below the target, but we have one more training week after this. We usually take the last week for a little rest, but we will go for a semi-long ride and we will be more than ready for the double-century ride. See the training schedule for the remaining weeks.

May 17th and 18th Training Rides - COMPLETED

2008-05-15T00:00:00.000-04:00

The Rides for This Weekend

COMPLETED

Saturday
When: Saturday, May 17th
Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 7:00am

Sunday
When: Sunday, May 18th
Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 7:00am

Making Up for Lost Week

55 miles this weekend - each day. I've backed off the target mileage a little bit for this weekend since we missed last week.

I don't remember when we had so much bad weather during the training period. Saturday I was out of town, so hopefully everyone rode when and if they could. Sunday was cold and just a plain old storm. It was not realistically rideable. Personally, I won't be pushing the pace too much because I have 7 days of vacation fat and sloth right now (and it was well worth it!).

This week, we shoot for 55 miles. This is a little below the target, but we need to do some catch up time after this last week. See the training schedule for the remaining weeks.

May 10th and 11th Training Rides - CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER

2008-05-08T00:00:00.000-04:00

The Rides for This Weekend

CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER

Saturday
When: Saturday, May 10th
I will not be available on the 10th. You are on your own. Our target miles for this weekend is 57 miles per day.

Sunday
When: Sunday, May 11th
Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 7:00am

Getting Close

57 miles this weekend - each day. We are not in a hurry, so we will stop a couple of times to take a break and we won't leave anyone behind.

Last week Saturday still had some good winds, but not nearly as challenging as the prior week. Matt and I were the only riders although Joe stopped by to say hello. His cast is off, but he won't be riding for a few weeks yet. We completed 51 miles - again going through Fermi Lab. An moment of poetic justice was when a car flew by us on the road through Fermi Lab where the speed limit is 35 and shortly after a cop was on his tail. We passed him - pulled over - about a mile further down the road - no doubt getting a ticket from the officer.

Sunday was much a beautiful day and we headed west on the St. Charles road route. Nine miles out, Matt lost the bolt on his crank and he was down for the ride. That is not a field repair within my ability or tools. After getting Matt his car and sending him on his way, I completed 35 miles before I had to leave for the day.

This week, we shoot for 57 miles. See the training schedule for the remaining weeks.

May 3rd and 4th Training Rides - COMPLETED

2008-05-02T00:00:00.000-04:00

The Rides for This Weekend

COMPLETED

Saturday
When: Saturday, May 3rd
Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 7:00am

Sunday
When: Sunday, May 4th
Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 7:00am

We Break the 50 mile Mark!

51 miles this weekend - each day. If you can make these rides, you can do the double-century. We will stop a couple of times to take a break and we won't leave anyone behind.

Last week Saturday had very, very challenging 15 to 20mph winds with gusts up to 30mph. Matt and I were the only riders and as we hit Fermi Lab with its wide open plains, we had our heads down pumping as hard was we could to make 10 to 12 miles per hour. My heart was cruising steadily at 150bpm. I cannot believe how hard we had to work.

Sunday was much better and the same ride was more enjoyable. It was still cold (I'm getting sick of this crummy weather), but no rain as was originally predicted. We hit 45.8 miles both days doing the same ride from Elmhurst to Fermi Lab and back.

This week, we break the 50 mile mark. See the training schedule for the remaining weeks.

April 26th and 27th Training Rides - COMPLETED

2008-04-26T00:00:00.000-04:00

The Rides for This Weekend

COMPLETED

Saturday
When: Saturday, April 26th
Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 7:00am -- EARLIER TIME!

Sunday
When: Sunday, April 27th
Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 7:00am -- EARLIER TIME!

Half-way There!

Believe it or not, this weekend coming up is the half-way point of the training. We are shooting for 46 miles at a decent pace. Are you up for the challenge?

Last week, I rode by myself on Saturday. Since I was alone, I stretched the distance from the targeted 30 miles to 46. It was an excellent ride going out to Fermi Lab - little wind, reasonably warm and sunshine peaking out between the clouds. I was feeling good and continued on to Fermi Lab but - of course - the minute I turned around the wind whipped up into a good headwind. Shortly after the rain started and I had a long, wet ride home.

Sunday was great. Chad, Matt, and I had a solid ride for 35 miles in sunshine that has been sorely missed for the last few weeks.

This week, we are at the half-way point. 46 miles and building fast. See the training schedule for the remaining weeks.

April 19th and 20th Training Rides - COMPLETED

2008-04-19T00:00:00.000-04:00

The Rides for This Weekend

COMPLETED

Saturday
When: Saturday, April 19th
Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 8:00am

Sunday
When: Sunday, April 20th
Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 8:00am

A Short Ride and a Chance to Jump In Again

We anticipated a character builder last weekend with the weather - and we sure had that. There was actual snow on Saturday - mixed with rain and it was cold. No other riders showed up and I just didn't have enough character to ride by myself in that mess! Sunday was not much better, but at least it was not snowing and the rain had let up. Matt and I rode the full 41 miles. We had lots of wind and hard little pellets of sleet hitting us at points in the ride. None-the-less, we had a pretty decent time and got about 3 miles west of Route 59 in West Chicago.

In the past, we have taken this week (week 5) as a rest week and done only a short ride of 20 miles. Since we have missed three rides due to weather in the past four weeks, we are going to compromise a bit on this one. We are going to go for 30 miles at an easy pace. This is an excellent time to join us for the first time if you are still contemplating training with us for the ride. Say, if you have a bet or something like that.... After this week we will return to the training schedule for the remaining weeks.

April 12th and 13th Training Rides - COMPLETED

2008-04-12T00:00:00.000-04:00

The Rides for This Weekend

SAT - CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER

SUN - COMPLETED

Saturday
When: Saturday, April 12th
Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 10:00am
Target Distance: 41 miles
Route: West into Glen Ellyn and then Wheaton, then southwest toward Fermi Lab

Sunday
When: Sunday, April 13th
Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 10:00am
Target Distance: 41 miles
Route: West into Glen Ellyn and then Wheaton, then southwest toward Fermi Lab

Building Character

We had two beautiful days for riding last weekend. On Saturday, we had four riders and hit about 37 miles. On Sunday, Kent joined us for the first time and we hit 36 miles. However, the weather looks pretty crummy for this upcoming ride. Perhaps 42-44 degrees and rainy. I figure this will be a "character building" weekend. Remember, our 2006 ride started in cold rainy weather just like this - and it was at the beginning of June. There is precendent and we should definitely keep riding as long as it is not dangerous.

For this week, we have caught up with the training schedule and go for 41 miles. We are still sticking with a flat, easy route. We will have rest stops at the Glen Ellyn Starbucks and the Wheaton Caribou Coffee Shop. If anyone is too tired to continue, they can rest while the rest of the group continues and then loops back to pick them up.

We will be trying the later times again this weekend to allow a bit of warm up.

April 5th and 6th Training Rides - COMPLETED

2008-04-05T00:00:00.000-04:00

The Rides for This Weekend

COMPLETED

Saturday
When: Saturday, April 5th
Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 11:00am
Target Distance: 35 miles
Route: West into Glen Ellyn and then Wheaton.

Sunday
When: Sunday, April 6th
Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 11:00am
Target Distance: 35 miles
Route: West into Glen Ellyn and then Wheaton.

Making up Some Ground

Last week was a tough first week. We had five riders - Larry, Louie, Matt, Chad, and Paul - on Saturday and found the great hill in Winfield on Summit. This is a hill of about a 6 to 7% grade and about a 1/4 mile long - a perfect training hill in the middle of the ride. Chad trained with us last year but could not make the ride. He has a brand new Specialized road bike and is serious about riding this year. Paul is a brand new rider and used a road bike and clips for the very first time on this ride. I think he found a few new places to be sore by the end of the ride.

Sunday was cold and rainy - about 38 degrees and rain is not a very fun time to ride. For this one, there were just three of us and we all wanted to give up after the first few miles. But mutual peer pressure did the trick and we did the entire ride.

For this week, we will catch up a little ground on the training schedule and shoot for 35 miles - just two miles short of the 37 target for the day. The weather looks like it will be absolutely perfect, so it should be a lot of fun. Again, we will stick with a flat, easy route. We will have rest stops at the Glen Ellyn Starbucks and the Wheaton Caribou Coffee Shop. If anyone is too tired to continue, they can rest while the rest of the group continues and then loops back to pick them up. This worked out well last week. There is no shame in resting while other riders go on. By the time we ride the double century, we will all be cruising!

We will be trying the later times again this weekend to allow a bit of warm up.

March 29th and 30th Training Rides - COMPLETED

2008-03-29T00:00:00.000-04:00

The Rides for This Weekend

COMPLETED

Saturday
When: Saturday, March 29th
Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 11:00am
Target Distance: 30 miles
Route: West into Glen Ellyn and then Wheaton.

Sunday
When: Saturday, March 30th
Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 11:00am
Target Distance: 30 miles
Route: West into Glen Ellyn and then Wheaton.

Our First Ride

Since we had to cancel last week due to weather, we will target 30 miles for this ride instead of the 33 miles as per the training schedule. We will catch up with the schedule over the first few weeks. The route we will do this ride is a flat, easy route. We will be staying on the roads and we will have rest stops at the Glen Ellyn Starbucks and the Wheaton Caribou Coffee Shop. If anyone is too tired to continue, they can rest while the rest of the group continues and then loops back to pick them up.

If this is your first ride with us, see the notes from last weeks ride on what to expect.

March 22nd and 23rd - CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER

2008-03-22T00:00:00.000-04:00

The Rides for This Weekend - CANCELLED!

WEATHER UPDATE! (3/21 12:27pm) - The weather for this weekend is bad. In general we will not ride in snow or if it is below 38 Degrees. Unfortunately, we are going to have to cancel this weeks rides due to weather. For those of you who are now breathing a sigh of relief - just remember, this means we have to do 200 miles with one less week of training! Get on those stationary bikes this weekend!

Saturday - CANCELLED
When: Saturday, March 22nd
Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 7:00am
Target Distance: 30 miles
Route: West into Glen Ellyn and then Wheaton.

Sunday - CANCELLED
When: Saturday, March 23rd (Easter! But we will be done by 9:30)
Starting Location: 296 E. Van Buren, Elmhurst
Starting Time: 7:00am
Target Distance: 30 miles
Route: West into Glen Ellyn and then Wheaton.

What to Expect

The first rides of the season are always the most painful. We are shooting for 30 miles, but if you don't make the full distance, don't worry about it! Trust me, if you stick with the training schedule, you will be in shape to make the full ride on June 7th and 8th. Also, everyone misses some of the training rides - we are all busy. That's OK, particularly if you make up the lost mileage on your own during the week.

For these first few rides, there are several places we will be able to stop and rest. If you need to, you can rest while the other riders go further and then come back to pick you up.

We generally ride regardless of the weather. If it is cold, make sure to wear several layers and long biking pants. Below 40-45 degrees and a face mask is a big help. We have found that Under Armour Cold Gear is the best layer to start with in cold weather. My personal rule of thumb for layers is:

Below 45 degrees - Under Armour Cold Gear (long sleeve turtle neck), a biking jersey, a cotton or fleece sweater or sweat shirt, and finally a wind/water-proof windbreaker jacket; long-fingered biking gloves; face mask.

45 to 55 degrees - Under Armour Cold Gear, a biking jersey, windbreaker jacket; regular gloves

55 and Up - biking jersey and a windbreaker jacket.

The jackets that have removable sleeves are really nice because we experience quite a range of temperatures when we start early in the morning and ride into the late morning.

Other key equipment:

A good helmet is a *must*!
Good biking gloves - my favorite is Pearl Izumi.
Biking pants (By the way, do not wear underwear when wearing biking pants! You will regret it! If you are uncomfortable with that - get over it.) My favorite is the Castelli "Wicked" shorts. Castelli also makes some nice longer pants and their sizes are more realistic for my American sized butt.
Good biking shoes that have cleats that clip on to the pedals. These are not essential, but once you use them, you will never want to go back to pedals with the "rat trap" cages to hold your shoes in place.
Bring a cell phone if you can - sometimes we get separated or someone has a break-down.
A decent road bike - it doesn't have to be expensive, but it does need to be in good shape. Check the tires.
Spare inner tube for your size tire.
Sun glasses are helpful.
A few bucks in the case of an emergency.
Good Attitude!

2007 Double-Century Picture Gallery

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June 9th and 10th was a beautiful weekend to ride. We started in DeKalb, IL and rode west to Savannah, IL along the Mississippi river. We started out six strong...

from left to right is Kurt, Matt, Larry, Joe, Louie, and Peter. A pretty motley crew, if I have to say so myself.

Louie topped us all in terms of the "pro-biker" look. A far cry from last year when Louie went on his first ride with us. He has taken to biking like a brick to mortar and is now leading the pack when we ride.

Usually, the training rides shake out all of the odd little quirks and tweaks we have with our bikes. The first few rides are typically filled with noisy gears, flat tires, and such. However, on this ride, we had our fair share of mechanical trouble.

Here we are passing the Zion nuclear power plant. That was good for about 15 miles of "glowing in the dark" jokes and chides for everyone.

Water was a problem on this ride. My route had some logistical mistakes including not having

adequate stops for water along the way. It is hard to remember that 30 miles between towns on a bicycle is an hour-and-a-half of hard riding instead of 20 minutes in air-conditioned comfort of a car. This was a perspective we were reminded of several times along the way.

Joe was the big motivator of the ride. The general consensus is that Joe will talk to anyone anytime and if there is no one strange around to talk to - he will pepper the other riders with questions, jokes, and comments.

Peter is still smiling here as we enter the part of the route we were not all that ready for. Most of our training was within 50 miles of Chicago - probably one of the flattest spots in all the mid-west. A "hill" to us was going over a major road on an overpass. Once we got about 50 miles west of DeKalb, the hills started... and kept going and going - just continuous rolling hills. Some of them pretty substantial. After a few miles of this, we knew we were in for an interesting afternoon.

And yet another flat tire. This one was more serious and actually ruined the tire rather than the tube. We were prepared for blown tubes - only Peter was prepared for a blown tire and had an extra. Points for Peter...

We called Joe the "Energizer Bunny" but he was out cold on this rest stop. We were at the 80 mile point and waiting for my son, Chris, to show up with more water - we had run out.

We figured we had another 20 miles to go, but another unfortunate aspect of my route was that it was actually 114 miles to our destination instead of 100. Good thing we didn't know it at this point.

Entering Savannah was a relief. It is hard to read, but the first sign we saw as we rode into Savannah was "Poopy's - Motorcycle Parts & Service" and if that wasn't enough, Poopy's also offered "Live Entertainment," "Free Tent Camping," and, of course, "Tattoos."

We were darn tired at this point, but we still had another 6 miles to go to the other side of town and our hotel.

This is the picturesque view from our motel. The proprietor wanted to make sure - after she heard what we were doing - that we had a great view from our room. Of course, this had to be at the top of a steep hill! Our last after 70 miles of hills. More than one of us walked up (I won't tell which ones.)

As picturesque as this was, there were trains about 100 yards away that leaned on their horns all night making getting a good night sleep a challenge for some of us. Not me - I sleep through anything.

The next day, we took an alternative route home which Joe said had no hills. We'll...he was wrong. Still, we made it back minus a couple of riders who took their leave a little earlier in the ride.

Daybreak of Elmhurst - 2007 Fund Raising Results!

2007-06-09T00:00:00.000-04:00

Daybreak of Elmhurst - Helping Families be Self-Sufficient

Through the generous support of many people, we earned over $5,600 for Daybreak during our 2007 ride greatly exceeding our goal of $3,000.

Thank you all for your generous support!

Read more about Daybreak of Elmhurst and our upcoming 2008 Double-Century ride.

2007 Route

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Route Description

The route has been determined with one or two sections yet to be confirmed.

We will be starting in DeKalb. We will then head west through Oregon, Polo, Milledgeville, Chadwick, and finally into Savanna.

Ride Details

Saturday, June 9th

7:00am Meet in DeKalb. We will provide a parking location where we can leave our cars for the duration of the trip.

~7:30am On the road!

~10:00am Stop in Oregon for breakfast.

~2:30pm Stop in Chadwick for another meal.

~5:00pm Arrive in Savanna. Great dinner!

Sunday, June 10th

6:00am Coffee and then on the road!

~7:30am Breakfast in Milledgeville.

~10:00am Oregon for rest stop.

~2:30pm Arrive back in Crystal Lake.

2:30 to 5:45m Drive to Larry's house in Elmhurst. Showers for all that want them, change.

6:00pm Dinner, Drink, and Party for all riders, friends of riders, contributors to Daybreak, and Daybreak friends. At Joe's house in north Elmhurst.

2007 Route Map

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2007 Training

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2007 Completed Rides

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Larry's Comments on 2007 Ride

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The first time I made an attempt at a double-century (We call it an "almost" because a true double-century is completed in a single day) was in early October of 2005. I recorded 95 miles going down to Utica from Elmhurst with a total riding time of 6 hours and 43 minutes - an average of 14.2 mph for the distance of the ride. It was a good ride, but I had some trouble with my seat - both on my bike and my body. I stayed at The Willow Inn in Utica, which was a nice serviceable hotel. Dinner was at the local pub where I had an enormous prime rib dinner for twenty bucks. The next day I sat on my bike and knew I was in trouble with respect to sitting on that seat for another 7 hours or so. I gave it a try and ended up going about 35 miles to Morris, but that was it. I had to call in the cavalry (in the form of my son, Chris, who will be driving the SAG van for us this year) to get a ride home from Morris. My personal goal for 2006 was to make it there and back with endurance and "rear-end endurance" to spare.

In the spring of 2007 several friends committed with me to train for and make the same ride. I realized that I had done a very poor job training. With a little bit of research I came up with an eleven week training plan slowly increasing the mileage by 10% each week to reach 75% of the total target mileage. We did the training rides back to back on Saturday and Sunday together and each rider was responsible to ride during the week. What became apparent immediately was that the first ride of the weekend was easy compared to the ride the next day. It was that second ride each week that toughened us up.

The training was fun - and though demanding - within the reach of every rider. We had two riders that had never done any distance riding at all - Matt and Lou - and none of us were what you might think of as "athletes." Yet we made tremendous progress over the 12 weeks. We started barely able to make a 30 mile ride at an average of 13 mph. By the end of the training we could turn in rides in excess of 60 miles at 15 mph or faster.

In addition, this year we will ride for a good cause, Daybreak of Elmhurst. We will take our time and stop often to enjoy the ride. This is a race everyone can win just by participating.

(law)

Syscon 2007 Double-Century (Almost)

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GENERAL INFORMATION

When: Saturday and Sunday, June 9th and 10th, 2007

Where: DeKalb to Savanna, IL (on the Mississippi)

Who: Friends of Syscon
Why: To help people less fortunate than us, for fun, for health.

Welcome to the general information page for the Syscon 2007 Double-Century (Almost) Bike Ride. These pages contain the current information regarding the ride.
This year, we are using this ride to raise money for an excellent cause - truly helping transition homeless families to self-sufficiency through Daybreak of Elmhurst. This is a demanding ride and requires some preparation and training, but anyone can do it who has the heart and the interest.

Requirements
Since I am going to suggest a route and Syscon is going to sponsor some of the expenses of this trip, we are going to have to deal with the legal side of things - namely a waiver of liability. It will be required that all of the riders on this trip sign a waiver prior to leaving on the trip.
Secondly, I'm going to ask everyone that rides to wear a helmet. I took a very bad spill last summer riding and am personally convinced of the value of having something of a buffer between my skull and the concrete on the road (or a tree, rock, etc.). I'm asking everyone to commit to wearing a helmet during the training and the ride just so I don't have to worry about anyone getting hurt.

Questions?
If you have any questions or comments, please e-mail me at lawendt@syscon-inc.com.

2006 Double-Century Picture Gallery

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