Category: Ride Report

Neighbor: You’re not going biking tonight, are you?
Me: Oh yeah. Can’t miss it. They take attendance.

That was a conversation I had with my neighbor as we were once again shoveling our driveways after the most recent snowstorm.

Winter biking is great fun. Pulling on layers of clothes, prepping your crusty bike, and being cold for that first mile is not fun.

What makes Robert (Herriman’s) Winter Ride Challenge Series (WRCS) so valuable is it motivates you to get out and get going even on the most wicked days. The motivation is he takes attendance. You get more points the colder it is. You also get bonus points for being on a singlespeed. If you can’t ride and just show up to see the group off, you still get social points.

This year there were three rides per week: two from Royal Oak and one from Rochester Hills. It started January 2nd and ended March 10th. The biggest rides had 22 cyclists, the smallest had 3.

As the WRCS progressed through the winter, Roberts tracked everyones points, ranked us, and posted the results on the WRCS blog. Group shots were also posted.

Awards will be given at an upcoming end of the series party.

We had some rough rides this year: icy roads, freezing rain, deep snow, sub-zero wind chills. Mother Nature certainly put the “Challenge” into the series.

So thanks to Mother Nature and Robert for pushing us through another Michigan winter of riding. Indoor trainers and gym memberships? Who needs ’em!

It was a cold, snowy, windy winter day. I was training hard for the Iditasport 350 so it was perfect riding weather. The radio station announced Isaac Hayes was in town for a book signing at a northwest Detroit book store right along my training route. What luck!

Everyone knows he wrote and performed the Theme From “Shaft”, but he also wrote some great tunes for Sam & Dave (e.g. Soul Man) and recorded some of the best make out music ever, including the classic Hot Buttered Soul album. More recently he’d been the voice for the Chef character on South Park and was now promoting his new Cooking with Heart and Soul cookbook. So I rode the fifteen or so miles to the famous Apple Book Center along Outer Drive. I brought a compact disc for him to sign and bought a cookbook as well.

Mr. Hayes has not lost his popularity for the autograph line wrapped completely around the store. This line was mainly made up of moms who split their attention between keeping tabs on their bored kids and conversing with others in line.

I was doing my best to act normal as I stood there in my winter bike gear and helmet. I was definitely hitting the upper reaches of the dork scale.

When I finally got to Mr. Hayes, he dutifully signed my items, looked at me and said in that unmistakable “Shaft” voice, “Did you ride your bike here?” To my acknowledgement he replied, “You are one brave individual.” So cool.

Jumping back on the bike, the wind was at my back and I was making good time through the City. Being a dork isn’t always so bad.