Still alive and kicking ....

It's been a while since I posted something, but not much important happened these last few weeks. About three weeks ago, I had to have another spoke replaced in the rear wheel, since I broke another on. Used the XP mostly for commuting, since my velomobile has not been put together yet. Fortunately, the weather conditions were mostly good ( meaning : no rain or showers ), so I really enjoyed riding the XP to work.
I did change the rubber grips on the handlebar though. During summertime, I noticed that the regular ( straight ) grips I had before became very slippery once I started to ride and sweat and that it took some effort to keep my hands on the grips. I replaced them with curvy ones, which offer more grip to keep my hands from slipping off. They were cheap no-brand grips ( Scorpions ?),but they offer more grip and are more comfortable on longer rides. I also changed the angle of the handlebars, putting the ends more inward. Feels a bit more comfortable too, just have to see what it'll give on the long run. Weather was excellent today, so I took a 2 hour ride. Actually, I checked out a route today, 'cause I'm supposed to organise a recumbent group ride during the weekend of November 18. I took a 40 mile trip today, which I think is the perfect distance for a group ride, especially since the group ride will include some kids on their bents. It's a ride that will cross the borders with the Netherlands a couple of times ( no problem, I live less than 10 miles away from it ), but with very nice scenery and either seperate bicycle lanes or roads with almost no motorized traffic. The picture below was taken this afternoon just across the border, close to a place called ESBEEK. Rode a total of 2565 miles on my XP so far.