When morning came, most of the ice was gone. Our vehicles were still ice laden, but the roads was just wet, not frozen.

I did 40 miles today in the hills south of Salem. Total elevation gain was near 2000 feet. It was a good day to ride, but I did not have a good day. I was weak and slow. I know I'm having a bad day when Joanne drops me on the hills. The details can be seen here. Oh well, let's see what tomorrow brings.

Not everyone stayed inside yesterday. Rob did fifty miles west of Salem. He said the weather was not bad, that is until the ice formed around his heart rate monitor.

Posted 9:20 PM by John Henry

It never warmed up today. There is still ice on my car.

So, I rode the rollers today and this gave me an opportunity to use my new HAC4.

From this graph, you can see that I stopped at 33 minutes for just one minute, recovered, and then started again, but at a slower pace.

Posted 9:09 PM by John Henry

Bicyclist in hit-and-run greases wheels of justice
Henry Bosak, grateful to be alive after being rear-ended near North Plains, offers a $500 reward in the case
Tuesday, January 11, 2005

HILLSBORO -- Five hundred dollars is a small price for Henry Bosak to pay to teach his children about justice.

He might have paid with his life.

Bosak, 45, was rear-ended and knocked off his bicycle by a hit-and-run driver on New Year's Eve south of North Plains in rural Washington County.

He suffered a broken back and numerous scrapes and bruises. An avid cyclist who regularly rode 3,000 to 4,000 miles a year, Bosak now hurts just shuffling around his Hillsboro home or sitting for any length of time. He can sleep for only about four hours before pain forces him out of bed.

Bosak says he is offering a $500 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case because he wants the driver held accountable.

Sandy James, spokeswoman for the Washington County Sheriff's Office, said investigators had no leads in the case other than Bosak's general description of the vehicle. Authorities hope Bosak's reward brings someone forward.

Bosak describes the vehicle that hit him along Susbauer Road near Wren Road as a dark pickup, possibly a black or dark-blue Ford. He didn't see the driver or the license plate.

"We don't want sympathy. We don't want revenge," said Bosak, who advocated street safety when he was president of the Jackson School neighborhood association.

Bosak's wife, Donna, said the incident has taken an emotional toll on their family, especially their children, Andrew, 12, and Denise, 9. Bosak rode Cycle Oregon on a tandem bicycle with his son last summer and planned to ride the statewide tour with his daughter this year.

"The kids talk about it a lot; they keep wanting to know how are we going to catch this guy," Donna Bosak said. "We need to try and teach our kids there is justice."

Jim Vulysteke, 49, of Cornelius called 9-1-1 when he came upon Bosak in a ditch Dec. 31.

"It's not right at all," Vulysteke said of the behavior of the driver who struck Bosak.

Vulysteke frequently travels the area because his parents' farm is nearby.

"He's probably lucky he's alive," Vulysteke said of Bosak. "The road is so narrow there."

Doctors and Washington County sheriff's deputies told Bosak the same thing. When he went to look at his mangled turquoise-green Bianchi road bike a few days later in the sheriff's property room, an evidence technician told him, "When the bike is this bad, we usually don't see the victim."

Bosak was traveling north on Susbauer Road about 3:45 p.m. Dec. 31, stretching his legs on his 17-mile "winter standard route" to and from Roy.

"That's the route he takes with the kids all the time," Donna Bosak said. "I think we will have to reassess."

It was raining lightly but was still light out. Bosak was planning to cut the ride short to get home before sunset.

"I was thinking about coming home for a nice, hot shower," he said. "Little did I know that would be the least of my worries."

Bosak remembers two cars safely passing him in the same direction. He didn't hear the truck coming.

"It hit me from behind, and I thought, 'Oh, my God.' The front end of my bike kind of exploded."

Hit with such downward force that the bike crumpled at both ends, Bosak catapulted into the air. He doesn't remember whether he hit the pickup's hood or windshield, but he ended up in a ditch on his back. His helmet wasn't damaged.

"I lifted my head and saw the truck and thought they were going to stop and help me, but they never did," Bosak said.

"I could wiggle my fingers and toes; that was good. But I knew my back was hurting really bad. I heard a car coming and I was able to raise my arm."

He lost consciousness after deputies arrived. He was flown to Legacy Emanuel Hospital & Health Center.

He spent the next two days in the hospital.

Deputies couldn't find his bike's back wheel when they searched the scene.

Bosak thinks the wheel may have lodged on the truck. At the least, the truck would have damage to its bumper and possibly to its hood or windshield.

"We are just thankful it wasn't worse," Bosak said. "We feel pretty lucky."

Posted 10:05 AM by John Henry

Saturday morning. The current weather conditions:

The good news is that the weather will improve for the rest of the weekend. Also, this will give me some time to learn about the HAC4.

Posted 9:37 AM by John Henry

What can I really expect for weather in Oregon in January? The National Weather Service says:

Saturday
Rain at times...as freezing rain in the morning. Highs near 40. Northeast wind 5 to 15 mph...becoming southeast in the afternoon.

I was hoping to ride 100 miles tomorrow, but I am going to wait and see how the weather shapes up. I have a three day weekend, so I am think I will be able to get a century in sometime in the next three days, maybe two centuries.

Meanwhile...

I have purchased a new computer - a Ciclosport HAC4. Now I have to learn how to use it.

Posted 10:00 PM by John Henry

Yesterday, Monday, I worked out with Martin at the gym. Maritn does not ride that much any more, bicycles that is. He likes to build motercycles and then attempt to break speed records. He did 118.590 on that bike. By the way, he turns 65 this week.

Today was a rest day. In other words, no lifting and no riding.

Posted 11:03 PM by John Henry

Another cloudy day here in Salem. I did 32 miles with the Salem Bicycle Club to Silverton and back. There, I met a young couple from San Diego. They were moving to Oregon and looking for a small town to live in. Silverton would be the perfect place.

As we neared home, the rain began to fall. But it was not heavy and we did not get that wet.

My wife bought me a B.O.B for Christmas. I use it to go to the grocery store. Today, it carried $137 worth of food for the week. Hey, we cycle and it takes a lot of food to keep us going! I do not know how much the food weighed, but the ride home was somewhat unstable.

Posted 8:27 PM by John Henry

It rained thourghout the night accompanied with a strong wind. The weather was still ugly when I woke up. It was not any better when we left for the ride.

Joanne and I arrived at the red log, the starting location for the Salem Bicycle Club. Just two others joined us in the rain as we headed south out of Salem. However, the rain soon stopped and left just the wind to challege us.

We rode over forty miles today, the first half into the wind. But the second half was with the wind. WooHoo!

Posted 9:35 PM by John Henry

Well, the weather was very nice last weekend, nice enough to ride the fast bike, but I had a cold. I did not ride on Saturday or Sunday. Instead, I was on the couch with a stuffy nose, a cough and wishing I was outside on my bike.

I did make it to work on Monday, but left early and took a long nap till dinner time.

Tuesday, I was feeling better and rode with the folks at Scott's Cycling. It was clear and cold - 33 degrees.

Wednesday, I had told Martin I would work out with him, but my wife wanted to go for a night ride. What to do? Well, both! I did a quick session with Martin at the gym, and then a quick twenty mile ride north of Keizer. The weather was still clear and cold.

Thursday I met Martin for another session at the gym. But, we found out that the gym has been sold. Uncertainty abounds!

Now, I looking forward to the weekend. I am feeling OK, but still have some of the cold left. So, I will ride with the Salem Bicycle Club tomorrow on a 40 mile somewhat hilly route and then if I feeling up to it, attempt my first century of the year on Sunday.

One small problem, the weather. From the National Weather Service.

Saturday:

Rain showers. Probability of measurable precipitation 60 percent. South wind 10 mph. High 43.

Saturday Night:

Cloudy. Chance of rain. Probability of measurable precipitation 50 percent. South wind 3 mph. Low 33.

Sunday:

Cloudy. Chance of rain. Probability of measurable precipitation 40 percent. South wind 10 mph. High 43.

Sunday Night:

Cloudy. Chance of rain showers. Probability of measurable precipitation 40 percent. Northeast wind 8 mph. Low 31.

Posted 9:33 PM by John Henry