Convenience is my top factor. I like to choose a route that I can take from my house. When I have the time to mount the bike on the car rack and drive to a spot that is a treat.  

How much time do I have? You may have your bike with you and you can ride between work  and  home.  I know that some of you are commuters and your ride is part of getting home.

Safety is a big factor.  How do I feel about car traffic along the route? I prefer to ride on less traveled roads.

Am I excited about my proposed route? I think about where I will ride in advance of departure. Under this factor and several aspects.  Many of us have multiple bikes: mountain, gravel, fat tire, road, etc.  For example if my last ride was on the road, I probably will want to do gravel today.  What is my focus or goal for the ride? I want to set up anticipation and excitement about going outside. What am I looking forward to see along the route?  I like to take photos on the ride.

Will you ride with someone? I will ride by myself almost 100% of the time. I know that with a riding buddy, this becomes a major factor.  

Sunset is earlier in November and darkness comes much faster than in the  summer. Right now I am enjoying the residential rides close to home.  I can get out quickly and I am close to home to beat the dark. I also have options to keep moving and not get slowed down by late afternoon traffic.  I am familiar with various routes and can quickly make adjustments during the ride.  I can create a route that allows 20-30 miles of riding.

I am lucky that within 3/4 mile I can get to a network of gravel roads. Those rides could go for a long time.

What factors influence your ride choices.?

Recuperating from my fall has given me time to get the bike into the REI repair shop and now I have been riding each day for 50-60 minutes.   My granddaughter gave me a tire to fix. A 65 degree day is perfect and after the short ride I was able to get more practice changing the tube.

Last night I picked up my CTY 2.2 from a check up service.

After my fall, I wanted to have the bike checked. They noticed the chain could use changing. I said change it. My light and Garmin mounts were broken. It had been a year since my last service.

These are the original tires and they are still good for the coming season at least. They have 5500 miles of wear. This are the first set of Schwalbe tires I have used. I am pleased with their durability. They are the Big Ben model. Two years ago I changed the front and back to even out the wear. I took on the challenge to do it myself. I had never changed the tubes. I am pleased to see how much tread is left. I wonder if they will last another 5000 miles.

I took on this project because I have never needed to change a tire on this bike.  I have had great luck with my tires and tubes.  I was glad to get the experience and that builds confidence.
      What was different?
1. The front axle is a through axle. This was no problem. I already knew that I carried the proper size hex wrench.
2. The tires have supple sides. My tour tires have a very rigid bead. The tires were more flimsy and I was not as smooth as with the tour tire.  When you do a repair once, you gain confidence. I will get better each time.
3.  These wheels have disks for brakes.  I only changed that once before and I was concerned about doing damage. I was careful and it was okay. I put a wedge in between the brake pads to avoid any complications from hitting the brake levers. I had no problems and happy with the assurance that the brake pads were protected.
4.  I used the handlebar jacks for the first time. The bike was on a level garage floor and when on uneven  ground in the field the steadiness would be trickier.

Elevation changed 1332' to 919'. We did manage to go uphill a bit for a total of 121'.  At the start of the ride the temperature was 59 degrees and this was a day for shorts.  I was able to be comfortable in my long sleeve tee.

Terrible floods in the early 1900s resulted in the building of this dam to control the water level from snow melt and rain. Besides the added peace of mind, the lake provides a wonderful recreation area.

The rush of water created a massive plume of mist which drifted our way and made the air very chilly.  We quickly moved on.  Yesterday we were following the Casselman River and now we continue along the Youghiogheny River.  We gradually rose above the river level and into the shaded trail.   We could occasionally catch glimpses of the river. On the other bank was the B & O train.  There were the steady sounds of the trains. Through the morning we crossed paths with cycle tourists heading in the opposite direction. Seeing others on the trail and saying "Hi" is exciting for some reason. I wonder why.

Ohiopyle means "white frothy water" or "it turns very white." This area has long attracted those wanting recreation, There are shops and we had our lunch along the river. The park had a lot of activity for a mid-week day.  

When George was a young soldier in the British army , he was tasked with finding a route to reach Fort Pitt. During that time the French and English were fighting over these lands.

These towns have lost a lot since the steel and coal industry is not what it used to be.  Some of these facilities are getting used in new ways.

This bicycle was used by Canadian and British paratroopers in the  days following the D-Day invasion. Do you see the couplings to fold the bike in half?

What a great way to end a wonderful day.

For all the miles that I have ridden, I have been lucky that I have not had many falls.  Ten days ago I fell halfway through a 42 mile ride.  I hit the concrete and no bones were broken. I was a little shaken though. My light and bell were broken on the bike, but otherwise there was no damage.

X-rays did not show any broken bone.  Movement of my arm and legs did not indicate muscle, nerve, connective tissue damage.  The doctor directed me to rest and let the body heal.  I asked how long to do that and he said at least two weeks.  It has been ten days since the injury.  Improvements are daily, but they are smaller that I want.

Being patient with the healing process is  very hard.  I like to cycle two hours a day.  My routine is more open to other activities.  The recovery allows some opportunities.  Making the adjustments is also growing from what life throws at you.  I want this to turn into more positive things. 

I set plans to ride the Big Bam Ride across Missouri in early October.  This ride will be my motivation to heal and not rush back into activities. 

Do you have any advice or stories about your recovery process?

Every year the week before the Woodward Dream Cruise the Sierra Club organizes two rides.  One ride is a suburban ride of 22 miles and the other is an urban ride of 42 miles from Ferndale through Detroit to Belle Isle and back. 

The weather was wonderful. By the 8:00 start time the temperatures were in the 70s and warmed up into the 80s.  There was no threat of rain.

They were open for restrooms and coffee was available.  A bike mechanic was able to help with minor adjustments. There were also trail treats to put in your bags to hold until our first snack break. The longer ride was split into a fast and  a slower group.  There were about a half dozen "ambassadors" helping to manage the group and street crossings.

Our leaders knew the way and I had downloaded the route from Strava, but they worked to keep the group together.  Eventually some wanted to head off on their own.  If you left us, you were on your own.  The route was very bike friendly.  Detroit has been adding painted and protected bike lines through the city for years.  We also took advantage of one way streets to allow space for passing cars.  Drivers are tuned in to the biking scene in the city.

After about a dozen miles we stopped for a photo of the newly renovated building and grounds. Ford Motor Company has done a wonderful job rejuvenating the area.  We passed on to connect to the River Walk that took along the Detroit River.  This area has been a project for years to reclaim the area from the industrial buildings that lined the river. It is always windy along the river, so we did not feel the hot day.

Windsor is across the river. 

Some riders took a break while most of the group rode the 6 mile loop of the island. We did not take the time to explore all the points of interest today.  Belle Isle is now run as a State Park.  From here we started our ride back to Ferndale.

Our stop for refreshments and restrooms.  Only about 10 miles from our end point.

What a wonderful day of riding.  The group going with us and coordinating our route, stops and safety did an excellent job.  I had done this ride before but  this was a different route.  I strongly suggest it to anyone comfortable riding 40 miles.