The Tuesday Night Community Bike Ride is awesome. It started about two years ago when a group of friends decided to have a birthday party on wheels for their pal, Nick Jett. From there it grew into a much larger event. Often, like last night, hundreds of people join the ride which takes different routes through the city.

It's had some issue with the police in the past, but the founders of the ride and law enforcement officials had basically come to an accord.

I've been trying to add in a longer Sunday ride each week and this week I joined Carl and Cody for a ride. They had never been out to Saguaro East and were intrigued. Being that it was a "fee-free weekend," we decided to head out that way and do the loop.

It is a lot of fun riding with these guys. Everyone pushes eachother to ride faster and it is nice to chat while riding though the boring parts of town.

It sounded like they both enjoyed the loop, it'd be hard not to. It is a lot like a roller coaster, but instead of a machine hauling you to the top, you have to haul yourself up with your legs.

As much fun as it is, I am really looking forward to some cooler weather.

I wasn't really out of the saddle after my crash last week, actually I rode 176 miles this week, but I did feel the need to go back out to Saguaro East and make it though the loop without crashing.

Well, I didn't actually crash my 10-year reunion, but I did crash my bike and I did go to my reunion.

I was talking to my friend, co-worker and bike guru, Jay, this morning about how many bikes out there fit my criteria for my new ride. Rather than help me narrow my decision, he through another option out there. He suggested getting a custom bike setup for me.

I came to an agreement with my better half about buying a new bike. We have a baby on the way and our deal, which I think is more than fair, is that once we purchase all the primary baby gear, I can get a new bike.

I've started doing research, but am quickly getting overwhelmed. I am hoping that some of you can help. I know I need to ride the bikes to see which one feels and fits the best, but I am hoping to narrow my list down to 4 or so bikes.

I struggled with how to start this particular blog entry. I wanted to convey how important the changes I made in the last year are, but I didn't want it to be too cheesy or dramatic. In the end though, I guess I don't really care if it comes off cheesy or dramatic because my life is so different than it was a year ago. Maybe it should be cheesy.

So in that vein: One year ago today I made the second most important purchase of my life. 365 days ago, I bought my first bike. The most important purchase was of course an engagement ring for my fantastic wife.

What follows below is semi-brief chronicle of how my life has changed in the last 365 days. 

Let's begin with some photos: (Click on the photos to enlarge them)

My wife and I spent a few days visiting friends in Fort Collins, CO. This is the first time I have been there since I began seriously riding a bike, so I was acutely aware of the bike scene there.

We spent 6 days around the July 4th holiday with our friends Dan and Nicole in Ft. Collins Colorado. Check out some of the images from our trip. Click the "read more" button to see all the images.

I've been following Ryan VanDuzer on his Web site and twitter feed for the last week or so. Ryan is treking across the country on his 3 speed New Belgium Brewery cruiser bike. He started last week in Oceanside, CA.

A last minute change in his route brought him to Tucson. Originally he planned on going north through Flagstaff, but the hills were more scary than the heat. I met Ryan this afternoon at a coffee shop and hung out with him for a while. He is a really laid back guy who loves riding his bike. He doesn't even own a car. 

His ride got me thinking about touring. It seems like such a fun way to travel. You must see more that way. My goal for this summer is to get a few poeple together to do a short trip somewhere in Southern Arizona. Ultimately, I'd like to ride somewhere in one day, camp a night or two and then head back home. Any takers?

In any event, good luck Ryan. It was a pleasure meeting you.