ducks dinking around

Sometimes you have to take a break from the bike and mow the lawn. Other times, you have to walk the dog. Sometimes you have to just chill. So that's really what we've been up. There were a few good rides last week, but some solid resting too. This week we're focused on a couple weekend rides, and maybe a group ride tomorrow if it's not too hot (or rainy).

I know you've all been refreshing your browser constantly to see if we've updated, so I apologize for the delay. You now have had your fix.

Or, if you were really craving juicy bike stories, stay tuned and we'll post more soon.

smothers brothers and sibling revelry

Tonight, the newest band of brothers was released onto the streets of KC. J-Garv finally got his bike, so we demanded that he take it for a spin with us. We went on a modified colonel. Of course, I led the way. By the end of the ride, on a scale of 1 to 10, Justin's hate of me was a 10, and of Matt, about a 7. Honestly, it is oppressively hot here. So the fact that little J got on the bike and mustered those 11 miles says a lot for where he's headed in the cycling realm. Only good things to come!

Check out the video and give the littlest (and newest) member of the Duck Dales team a big welcome!

P.S. Justin spent a lot of money on his bike. What is it with you engineers, JKG?

Blazing Saddles

This weekend was hot as blue blazes. Today we went for a morning spin to the Overland Park First Watch - about 22 miles. I think it was definitely the sweatiest day of the Summer. Sorry guys, I know you didn't need to hear that, but when it's ninety and up and you're pedaling on blacktop, it takes it out of you.

77.4 miles for the week. Fell a bit short of the 80 we were after, but I think that's okay considering the heat. We also got some hills in, so that counts for something too.

Bye!

Going downtown

When you're alone and life is making you lonely
You can always go-downtown
When you're got worries all the noise and the hurry
Seems to help I know-downtown

Just listen to the music of the traffic in the city
Linger on the sidewalk where the neon signs are pretty
How can you lose?

The lights are much brighter there
You can forget all your troubles forget all your cares
So go downtown
Things'll be great when you're-downtown
No finer place for sure-downtown
Everything's waiting for you
Downtown

Petula Clark wasn't kidding. Today we went for a ride down to River Market, made a stop at Cascone's for breakfast, then headed back South to make an unannounced drop-in at J-Garv's. We put in 22 miles round trip. We also stopped and got Matt a new jersey and some gloves on the way as well. Fun day!

Speedy Suits

Last night we went on the Brookside group ride through KC Bicycle Club. It was a good group, nice route, and lots of fun. The route was somewhat similar to the Colonel, but took us a bit farther (just under 18 miles). On the ride, we crossed paths with 3 other group rides. One such group of 10 or so FLEW by us in triathlon get-ups - speedy suits. We also had a few kids stand on the curb and say hi as we passed, and one counted us, which was pretty cute.

Now, you all know Matt's birthday is coming up. Looking for a gift idea? You can't go wrong with a speedy suit: https://shop.sunrisecyclery.com/item/36233/

delights and disses

We know you love lists. Who doesn't?

We dig:
1. research that gets us closer to a cure for MS
2. all our friends and family that have donated to us - we're listed in the top 20 teams in KC and we have a mighty group of 3, not 30
3. our bikes - love 'em
4. belching on a ride - why are we swallowing so much air? have to get that under control...
5. sprinklers are always nice
6. finally feeling a sense of normalcy in the spandex
7. the breeze as we hit 30 mph every once in a while
8. puzzles like the one below (thanks Mom!)
9. people who read our blog and tell us they like it
10. ride-pie-ride-pie

We disdain:
1. tattooed shirtless man that cuts us off on the bike (and others that don't share the road)
2. potholes
3. tan lines
4. MS - every last bit of it, no doubt
5. riders without helmets - refer back to #1 on the disdain list - not smart

So you see, our delights outnumber our disses. And the things we're not so fond of? Some of them are pretty funny, with the exception of MS. So maybe we're using all the spandex jokes and redneck anecdotes to keep us laughing this summer, as Dale's disease keeps progressing and we refuse to stop being ducks just because things get tough.

Squeakin' up the Summit (the Sequel)

Today we decided to repeat the Grandview Mountain climb. So we headed South this morning and let's just say we were a lot speedier than last time. Part of that has to do with my new bike, and the other part is due to our cycling calves. The ride is about 27 miles for those of you that forgot, and as recommended by numerous advisors, we followed the ride-pie strategy. Actually, breakfast, then strawberry-rhubarb pie at TJs.

A bit more on this breakfast spot, according to the Pitch:
"At T.J.’s, the crowd ranges from grizzly tattooed truck drivers in tank tops to well-heeled businessmen in Brooks Brothers suits. "

Seriously, well-heeled businesmen in Brooks Brothers suits? When did that reporter go?

Weekly total = 74.5 mi
Next week's goal = 80

The Colonel

We traded wind for humidity upon our return, but we've enjoyed two rides following the Colonel route - Monday and tonight. It's a nice 15 mi ride.

century mileage sun

As promised, we now deliver the highly anticipated trip recap.

You know we went up for the Okoboji Cycling Classic, but in the process we also created some classic memories, which we're happy to share with you in the attached video. In our eight day stay in the lakes area, we put in 128 miles on the bikes.

Saturday: 50 mi
Tuesday: 7 mi ride through the woods on mountain bikes
Wednesday: 42 mi ride to Fostoria, with a stop in Arnold's Park
Friday: 14.5 mi around Big Spirit
Saturday: repeat Friday

Enjoy the footage!

Duck look-alike

There's been plenty of biking this week, but we'll cover that in a later post. For now, it's time to focus once again, on the duck. When you're consumed with being a duck dale, you start noticing how everyday objects resemble your feathered friends. Honestly, this is just as much a part of your life as considering how high cadence training ramps up production of mitochondria...

Now, the inspiration. I was hanging in my mom's kitchen, when I noticed this piece of ginger. If you can't see the resemblance, I'd say you're probably one of those naysayers that didn't believe it when the auction for the Virgin Mary toast fetched over $25,000 on ebay a few years ago. This is the real thing, my friends. No photoshopping here.

I encourage all of you to get in tune with the call of the duck. Send in your photos to kyliab@gmail.com and you could just be the lucky winner of a sweet duck horn for your bike. Act now!

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*prizes and participation may vary, subject to availability. 48 contiguous states only.