80 Mile Ellicottville Sunday Ride

The forecast Sunday was a beautiful one.  So I rode to church and then headed South to Ellicottville for some Pan Pizza and bike riding.


The Valley Home

  It was a non-fun headwind all the way to Ellicottville.  Zapped my energy pretty quickly so I kept munching on clif-shots, zone bars, and other goodies I had in my bento bag that provides super easy access.  I was dreaming of pan pizza the closer I got to Ellicottville and I knew my ride home would be pretty smooth with the tail wind that was promised by battling head winds all the way to my destination.

Been Pretty Dry I Guess

I arrived at my pit stop site, grabbed pizza, chips, pop, and a lot of other snacks to re-energize myself for the ride back home.  You would not believe what I found while heading back home?

Falls Is On It's Way

Gravel - There was not a lot of it but it was a fun climb anyways.  I believe I had driven that road about 6 years ago or so.  It went in between private hunting grounds and would not be accessible come winter time.  I even found access to the Finger Lakes Trail in this area.  Did not lead very far but I need to grab the maps to explore more of it!

I Found Gravel In Western New York

 Made one last stop for some Pepsi and more snacks that I had with me.  I should have grabbed another slice of pizza across the street but I wanted to see how Davie G rolls with the vending machine stops in the middle of Iowa.

My BMC Monster Cross At Rest

The BMC treated me well today and I sure slept very sound last night.

By the way there are still 4 days of Commuter Sponsorship Openings available!  Drop me a line if you are interested.

You Can Sponsor My Daily Commutes

A photo from my daily commute to work

People sometimes ask me what I think about when I am riding my bike so much (most don't ask because they are afraid to know what is really going on inside my mind and I can see why!).  Today on the way into work I had a genius idea come to mind.  I was thinking about a computer friend Kevin who was in a pretty bad bike crash last weekend doing a race and the fact that he is going to be off his bike for a while recovering.  I didn't really want to commute today because it is supposed to be wet this evening on my way home and then I thought hey Kevin can't ride even if he wanted to - you need to step up to the plate Bill and ride anyways.  I have rain gear and fenders and I surely won't melt.  So I rode!

Now onto the idea:

I am selling my commutes to the highest bidder.  I only have 4 slots open right now because a BT'er Bopper was in a pretty bad crash last weekend and I am setting 1 commute aside a week in support of his recovery.
This leaves any business owners/entrepreneurs with 4 other days to chose from.  In return for your contribution here is what you and/or your company will receive:
1 - I will post a thread thanking your and/or your company the day you sponsor.  I can highlight what your products/services are and help spread the word about you around BT.
2 - I will post a blog post on my blog which will copy #1 listed above.
3 - If you have logos/stickers I will put them on my panniers/backpacks/clothes to advertise your company while I ride to and from work.  Most days I am on the bike around 2 1/2 + hours so that is a lot of face time for your company.  Some days it is even longer - yesterday I rode for over 4 hours (but don't tell Jane please :) )
4 - In my training log I always start the blog out Commute #___ - Then I will add sponsored by _______________________.  Sort of like the Rose Bowl sponsored by Citi or Sports Authority Field at Mile High Stadium.  It is pretty common practice today so I think you get the idea.
5 - If, by chance, you want to purchase a pre-designed bike with decals and all your company stuff on it and ship it to me - that bike will be ridden the day of your sponsored commute.

The only reason I wouldn't commute on a particular day is travel for work but I will still post information about you weekly.  There might be some serious weather issues that I don't commute because of either but those are limited in the Buffalo, NY area.  And I believe that with sponsorships being sold that will only drive me to commute even more.  You could 30+ days a year of advertising if you went with the annual deal.  More if you chose to pick up others days as well.

I am willing to sell it by the week, month, or annually (this is where the bike would come in handy for you (and me) - I prefer a Gates Belt Drive setup so you can prep the frame with that in mind.

Many photos will be posted of your logos as well on my Facebook page as well.

E-mail me via my blog if you are interested.  I am open to discuss rates.

Thanks in advance (and yes this is what my brain contemplates on the bike at times).

Been A While But I Have Some Photos To Show Off



Looking North towards Lake Ontario


Fall is right around the corner in Western New York and I love riding my mountain bike in the fall and getting new photos.  I have not been taking many pictures lately on the rides because it is always the same area and nothing new to show the world.  Yesterday I got to sneak off to Ontario County Park again and was looking forward to some views that I have not seen in a while.

My Surly 1x1

 I rode the Single Speed today for a switch up.  I have put a lot of miles on geared bikes this year but not nearly enough on the single speed versions by any means.  Makes hill tougher than running gears but it is also a great gage of leg strength and overall bike fitness when you can power up some hills without bailing and walking (which happens enough trust me!)

Same view but with protective wall so you don't fall?

 I love Ontario County Park.  I had the whole place to myself.  One biker was coming in as I was prepping to leave but other than that I only heard the workers mowing the grass in the camping area, caught a glimpse of 2 people walking to the above overlook area from the road, and spooked about 3 or 4 deer up from the fall after lunch naps.

Zoom View

Canandaigua Lake

I was going to bring my road bike and do a 50+ mile loop around the above pictured lake but the forecast the night before called for afternoon rains so I decided to take the mountain bike instead.  They got the forecast wrong and I missed out on a beautiful day to ride around the lake.  Someday I will pull the trigger and go and do it.  Can't experience everything all at once - what else would there be to look forward to :)

May Photo Dump

I went to do a blog last week but it would not let me sign in and I forgot what it was going to be about so I will just do a photo dump.  Weather has been rainy, cold, foggy, sunny, warm, and a mixture of all of them on any given day.  One thing it has not been is close to Hot and I am missing that right now.  It is almost Memorial Day and we had the wettest Mar-May ever in history and will add to our totals again tomorrow and the weekend with more rain.

I hope I am not around the next time we break this record!!!!  Enjoy the photos!  I just realized I have more at home on the other laptop and that is where I was going to post from.  Maybe I will add some more later but here are some fog and no wind/sun pictures of the Lake Erie Lakefront area.

Back in the Grove

Of blogging, not bike riding - I don't think that grove thing ever left!

Today I returned to the office and it was decision time - drive or ride????  Ride or Drive???  Hmmmm, pondering minds want to know.  Bill you don't get home until 7 when you close and ride and it is Friday and that means dinner with the wife.  But I got all of the shopping done yesterday so we don't have to worry about that and we can have a late dinner.  So I rode!

Then the question becomes what is the weather and what bike are you going to ride.  Rain = Vaya because it has fenders and racks and I stay somewhat dry.  Dry = Wide array of choices.  You will have to read on to learn which bike was chosen for the day.

Sunrise over Eastern Western New York

I need to learn more settings on the camera to let more light filter in

Aren't the colors amazing?

There she is Orange Crush

Yes I rode the Black Mountain Cycles Monster Cross today.  She gets parked in the empty cube next to me so prying eyes and fingers don't touch her downstairs in the garage.  Yes I am lucky my employer doesn't mind.  They think I am nuts for riding all that I do so they give me lee way :)

She sure is pretty and Mike says there are still frames available from him if interested.  Click on the link above to find more information out.  All the cool gravel kids have one :)

Well maybe next week I will get to my Vacation photo dump.  Until then get out and ride your bike :)

Have a great weekend.

Sunny Day Off Bike Ride

What a sunny day.  Notice how I didn't say warm or hot.  But after the past 2 weeks of rain that we have had - I will take sunshine!

Took the Mukluk out with the new 29'er wheel set on it and hit the hills.  Slow and steady just like I was riding over the Continental Divide 100+ times next June by chance!  Only time will tell.

Here are the photos - Enjoy - I know my Vitamin D levels did!!!!

Ski Area Snowmaking Water Supply

What a view huh???

Found a Bird Sanctuary I have never seen before and 18 Mile Creek

Tulips are still blooming - shows you have poor of a spring we have had

Mukluk with Project 123 Blue Anodized Stans No Tube Rims - all Blue and Pretty

Long Overdue Post

So do I do a vacation photo dump?

Or do I do a weekend photo dump?

I am tired from driving just under 4000 miles over 9 days of vacation and then losing lots of sleep volunteering at TransIowa and then getting home very late the next evening (Easter Eve) and finally having to get my daughter to church at 7:00am to practice her Easter Song.  I am recovering but after this post - a nap is on tap because the weather is crap (again!)

So I will do a weekend recap photo dump and will get the vacation pictures out this week:

The sun was out yesterday for the first time in a long time.  We had record rainfall in April and hopefully that is it but May is starting out the same way April did - WET!

When your route includes Hill in the street name - you know you are in for a hill!  This is the road that leads to the top of a local ski area, Kissing Bridge, just for reference on elevation gain.  Not like Rocky Mountain High climb but steep enough and long enough to let you know you are climbing!

When you get to the top though you are rewarded with some great views and fast downhills!

Sunday was great - my daughter sang with her friend accompanying her on piano and then the grand crest of the whole weekend, month, year, life (maybe not this but still awesome!)

My son got baptized at church today!  I recorded the whole thing and took stills of the other candidates but need to wait for my friend to send me stills of his baptism to show off to the world.  He is quite the young man, and my daughter is quite the young woman as well.  They are like most kids and make me crazy at times but I would not trade with anyone in the world and if you heard the words our pastor said about Jake, you would understand what I mean.

Have a great day and if it wasn't 30mph winds and rain I would be out riding - so you go out and ride for me!