The day started with a magnificent sunrise and an early morning cab ride to News Channel 10 for an in studio interview with my bike. Courtney Olson, the cab driver/owner is the gold standard. Two minutes into the ride she’s shoving a $20 bill at me and insisting on making a donation to the 21st Century Dads Foundation.  FYI, the cab fare, including a generous tip, was only $28. The folks at the studio were also top notch and great human beings.  FYI, the video below indicates the Dads Honor Ride is 21,000 miles in 21 days.  For the record, it’s only 2,100 miles

Today was scheduled to be a half day with a modest 60 mile ride from Santa Rosa to Tucumcari, except for the fact we didn’t make it to Santa Rosa last might. We got up a little earlier and headed back 44 miles to yesterday’s stop point and started pedaling from there. Air temps were in the low 60s, elevation was favorable, legs felt strong and (thank God) we had a tail wind. I covered the 44 miles in 2 hours averaging just over 22 miles/hour. Easily the strongest two hours of the entire journey. We arrived back in Tucumcari

I got up at 4:45am and biked, in the dark with a headlamp, a few miles (not included in the total miles for the DHR), over to NBC4 for a 5:30am appointment. The in-studio interview with Kim Tobin went well and I got back to the hotel by 7:30 for a bite to eat and to hit the road for Santa Rosa. Getting out of Albuquerque proved a little more challenging than expected. I felt a little vulnerable navigating the expressway, so I decided to take some bike paths and local streets. Getting up early also set me back from

After a good night’s sleep and breakfast at the Hampton Inn, it was time to hit the road for our longest scheduled ride (140 miles) of the entire three weeks.  Good news, no rain in the forecast and moderate temperatures.  White fluffy clouds most of the day with wonderful panoramic views.  One of the highlights was stopping at the WOW Diner in Milan, NM, a classic 60s style diner.  Great food and great service.  We also passed the Continental Divide at 7,245 feet.  Except for some extreme cross winds, including tumble weeds, it was a great day for riding.  We

This was supposed to be a 125 mile day, except for the fact the ride was cut short by 15 miles yesterday, due to lightning. So we started riding today, 15 miles west of Winslow, where we left off yesterday. Did I mention it was still raining when we started riding? No time to complain, just start pedaling. After snapping some photos at the infamous “Standing on the Corner” location in downtown Winslow it was off to Gallup. The rain subsided after a few hours and it was smooth sailing the rest of the day. We said good bye to

Went for a short ride to watch the parade and attend the solemn Memorial Day ceremony at Evergreen Cemetery in Barrington. Thank you to Ann & Bob Lee for the nice photos afterwards. Shortly there after I suffered my first flat tire in about 1,300 miles.  Fortunately, I was meeting up with Dads Honor Ride, ride director Lincoln Baker and assistant ride director Maciej Wierzchucki just a 1/2 mile away. After a quick tire repair we connected with long-time friend Gary Grube, who has graciously agreed to allow us to use his F250 diesel pick-up truck for the entire ride.

A huge THANK YOU to Gary Grube and Caerus Institute for donating the use of their truck for a month and all the communications equipment. We are very greatful for your support of the the Dads Honor Ride.

Completed a another century ride Saturday.  Perfect day, 75 and sunny.  Rode to Lombard and back along the bike trail. Treated myself to some DQ (at mile #80) and then happen to notice good friends Young Chung and son Peter (looking very red, white and blue) in their yard (at mile #90) planting a peach tree on Kris’ birthday. Hard to believe the Dads Honor Ride is just one week away. Please be sure to Like the new FB page: www.facebook.com/DadsHonorRide and encourage others to do the same.

On Wednesday I decided to ride to Milwaukee to meet a friend for lunch.  It was a clear but crisp day with temperatures in the mid 50s.  Happen to notice a yard sign with the number 2211, which coincidentally is the exact number of miles for the Dads Honor Ride, not the 2,100 we’re telling everyone.  The ride up was uneventful except for a brief encounter with a Milwaukee police officer who wasn’t too happy that I decided to ride a short segment on Interstate 43.  He issued a stern warning and escorted me to the side streets of Milwaukee. I enjoyed a

We are staging a Faces of Fatherhood event featuring Springfield students who have written essays about their dads. The event will take place on  on June 19th (day #19 of the ride). For the essay contest, each student is asked to write a 250 word (or less) essay on the theme “What My Father Means To Me,” describing their relationship with their father or father figure. Here is a brief overview of the 2015 Springfield Fatherhood Essay Contest : Each student will receive a Certificate of Participation, Each student will receive a Great Dads Coin to present to their dad, Up to ten

The first ride took me from Barrington to Evanston, where I met with Jean Anderson, a marketing specialist, who has agreed to put together an overall communications strategy for the Dads Honor Ride. From there I pedaled to Lincolnwood to visit my mom (AKA grandma Claire). I also enjoyed meeting one of the other Lincolnwood Place residents, Monty Nachman, a 96 year old WWII vet, who shared a handful of amazing stories. From there I pedaled to visit my friend Jim Mullen and his daughter Maggie, who will be riding on day 21 of the Dads Honor Ride. From there

On a good news front, I’m happy to report Motorola Solutions with a donation to underwrite our the Dads Honor Ride’s First Responders Relay Team.  This means we’ll have at least one police officer, firefighter or EMT with us every segment of the 2,100+ mile ride from LA to Chicago. Many thanks to Motorola Solutions!    

Training for the Dads Honor Ride is coming along nicely.  I was able to get 180 miles in this weekend. The first ride was a solo round trip to Lake Geneva and back, with a stop at Gino’s East to refuel. I also treated myself to a Dog N Suds rootbeer float on the return ride. On Sunday I went for a small group ride with long-time friend and 11x Ironman, Phil Lageschulte, and some of his Barrington Endurance Club friends.  Was great put some long rides in advance of heading to Santa Monica on June 1st.  For the other

Exciting news! Bloomington Cycle & Fitness will collect essays from local students for the Bloomington-Normal Fatherhood Essay Contest. For the essay contest, each student is asked to write a 250 word (or less) essay on the theme “What My Father Means To Me,” describing their relationship with their father or father figure. Here is a brief overview of the 2015 Bloomington-Normal Fatherhood Essay Contest : Each student will receive a Certificate of Participation, Each student will receive a Great Dads Coin to present to their dad, Up to ten students per grade (K-12) will be recognized at a June 20th