Mar 7 rides

[TrekTheKaty]

It's the first 60-degree weekend in St. Louis! :D After a slow cycling summer last year (work was crazy, while hubby did 4 centuries) I was ready to GO! Hubby headed out from house and I met him at the trailhead. Good news--we got to go ride! Bad news--the trail was in bad shape from a harsh winter. But I did 15 miles and I'm officially in training for the season opening Tour de Stooges on May 1!

[makbike]

The sun was out in force today and though the thermometer said it was in the mid-50s it was chilly. I got chilled early on and after 34 miles I parked the bike in the garage and headed inside. Hopefully next weekend it will be warmer.

[Crankin]

After yesterday's painful short, hilly ride, we decided to test out the ride we are leading on 4/10. Since we left from our house and not the meeting place, we did a total of 37.6 miles. It was a gorgeous day, again, and despite the fact I was zonked at the end of the ride, I felt pretty good. DH and I made a pact to go slowly and even if we felt good, we would not go ahead.
I am happy with the ride I planned (I do the planning, while he makes the actual cue sheets); it's mostly flat and rolling, with one longer climb that is a little painful at this time of the year and a couple of short climbs. It will be 30 miles, total.
Took a detour through our old neighborhood on the way back. There is so much sand on one of the streets in the development, it was like riding on a beach!
I didn't time my nutrition quite right, since we had a brunch type breakfast at 9:30 and we left around 12:30. I ate half a Luna bar at mile 12 and the rest at mile 18. By mile 25, I was feeling it and I did not want to stop anywhere, I just wanted to get home. But, I was able to stop the negative voices telling me to quit right there, and I actually went ahead of DH on the torturous climb up my street and driveway (where I saw 3.9 on my computer for the first time ever, at the crest of my driveway, where it's 15%)

[7rider]

Big family reunion today. That is, the Sunday Shop Ride officially went off for the first time in....well, a loooong time. Blizzards, 3 feet (1 m) of snow, crappy weekend weather....all conspired to keep the shop ride in hold-status. But today was sunny, mild, and generally a gorgeous Spring day.
I met a few others early at a different location (not the shop) and did the C-ride. We took it easy. The main group caught us fairly quickly, but we had one who was sick, another who hurt her hip running, another who busted a rear derailleur cable and was riding his bike as single speed, and others who just generally hadn't been out in a while. We took every short cut we could find! ;)
Today's ride really was miles different from yesterday's torture-fest with DH. Not the he was brutal to me or the ride was that much harder (well, it was hillier and windier), but riding with a half dozen others, chit-chattting while moving (DH is a silent rider), made everything much better. Yeah, it wasn't a real challenge....but that's not what I needed today. I needed a FUN ride to put me in a HAPPY bike frame of mind. And that's what I got and it worked.
Yay, bikes.

[owlice]

I got in 13.5 miles on my favorite trail today; I'd ridden it yesterday, starting in the middle to see whether the snow that had blocked me last weekend was gone. It was! So today I rode from one end to the other, around the lake a couple of times, along another short trail, not quickly, spinning more than pushing, and had a grand grand time! Lots of people on the trail, especially at the lake, walking dogs, children, grandparents in wheelchairs, people on scooters and skates and skateboards and even bicycles.

AND!!! AND!!! I passed TWO PEOPLE, and neither one of them had training wheels on his/her bike!!!!

[shootingstar]

38 kms., with very occasional rain spit..then it got steady by the time I got home.

I'm happy. :)

[mudmucker]

Wheeeee! I am back on the bike. I did my first road ride after cancer. Surgery was Dec. 30. During the bleak days of recovery all I wanted to do is be back on the bike. A very long down time with no xc skiing or running this winter so I kept it to a very very slow 8 miles for my first time out. No pain. Legs felt great. Standing in the pedals felt great. Huffed and puffed on the hills. Still 10 lbs down so I need to bulk up. I'm a real pipsqueak right now. This ride was so meaningful and such a perfect metaphor; with the hope and promise of spring follow warm days with new life.

Ten, twenty, thirty, forty miles before you know it.

http://picasaweb.google.com/jbartos700/FirstRoadRideAfterCancer#5446001830044746306

[kmehrzad]

Wheeeee! I am back on the bike. I did my first road ride after cancer. Surgery was Dec. 30. During the bleak days of recovery all I wanted to do is be back on the bike. A very long down time with no xc skiing or running this winter so I kept it to a very very slow 8 miles for my first time out. No pain. Legs felt great. Standing in the pedals felt great. Huffed and puffed on the hills. Still 10 lbs down so I need to bulk up. I'm a real pipsqueak right now. This ride was so meaningful and such a perfect metaphor; with the hope and promise of spring follow warm days with new life.

Ten, twenty, thirty, forty miles before you know it.

http://picasaweb.google.com/jbartos700/FirstRoadRideAfterCancer#5446001830044746306

Welcome back! I know getting out and riding today must have been such an uplifting time for you. You'll regain those miles in no time. Loved your pictures (that's a beautiful red bike).

[Biciclista]

22 miles! to Rehab center and back. mudmucker, you rule! back on the bike after cancer and surgery! welcome back!!

[Blueberry]

Yay!! This is excellent news!! I was wondering how you were fairing:)

We did about 15 today - we finally have seatposts that have my knee position correct. What a difference! Finally feels like spring is in the air!

[redrhodie]

Wheeeee! I am back on the bike. I did my first road ride after cancer. Surgery was Dec. 30. During the bleak days of recovery all I wanted to do is be back on the bike. A very long down time with no xc skiing or running this winter so I kept it to a very very slow 8 miles for my first time out. No pain. Legs felt great. Standing in the pedals felt great. Huffed and puffed on the hills. Still 10 lbs down so I need to bulk up. I'm a real pipsqueak right now. This ride was so meaningful and such a perfect metaphor; with the hope and promise of spring follow warm days with new life.

Ten, twenty, thirty, forty miles before you know it.

http://picasaweb.google.com/jbartos700/FirstRoadRideAfterCancer#5446001830044746306

Yay!!! I'm so glad you're back!

[IFjane]

31 very hilly miles for us today. First group ride of the season - like so many others have already posted, the winter weather kept everyone off the roads and on the trainers (or not). Great fun, gorgeous weather, about 60 degrees.

[jdubble]

28.5 miles with a great group of 7 other moms from my son's elementary school, on our first ride together. Not terribly fast, since many of them haven't been biking this winter, and for some it was the longest ride they've ever done, but it was a nice morning for riding, and it was fun to ride with new people!

[violetpurl]

Glorious 35 mile club ride. Mid to high 60's - test riding a Cannondale Synapse Carbon Feminine 3, sweet ride. My longest ride to date....

[Crankin]

Glad you're back, Mudmucker. I'd be honored if you wanted to venture a bit east and go on a ride!

[Chile Pepper]

Wheeeee! I am back on the bike. I did my first road ride after cancer.

Excellent news! Glad you had a good ride.

I rode 47 km yesterday (Sunday), and it felt great. The weather has definitely cooled off in the last couple of weeks as we move into fall. Perfect riding weather. I just did my usual weekend route, but it was one of those rides where everything comes together.

[ivorygorgon]

The San Diego Gran Fondo was March 7. We did the 53 mile route. I haven't been so wet and sandy for over 20 years! What fun. It was a really great ride. DH and I had a ball. I almost bailed (because my feet were numb from the cold) and did the smaller ride (30 miles) but we pressed on. I was glad I did. I feel good about not wimping out. This was our first organized ride.

[HoosierGiant]

DH and I drove the bikes to town to ride US 40 since our country roads are still covered with grit, sand, chemicals, and other nasty stuff. Road 51 miles (48 degrees, winds variable @ 7mph). It was sooooo nice to hear the hum of tires on the road as opposed to the whir of the trainer! The grackles and the redwing blackbirds have arrived -- spring's not far off!!

[mudmucker]

Glad you're back, Mudmucker. I'd be honored if you wanted to venture a bit east and go on a ride!

Sure! Certainly we can do that.

I can’t say when I’ll be up for longer rides with some level of speed. That was the first amount of big movement other than slow walking that I've done since mid November. Couldn't xc ski, run, do yoga or pilates. I only started gentle stretching a week and a half ago. I’ve lost a lot of core and cardio. When I say no pain and the legs felt great that was while I was feeling my way on the bike. My legs certainly felt it that evening and the next day. A good sore though. Not pain. And when I say very very slow - This first ride was less than 10 mph. Maybe we try when I can at least get up to 18 miles and a little over 10mph.

There’s been some drama and trauma to the body and I’m 50 years old this year so it will be interesting to see how quick I gain my strength back. I am going to do this gently and smartly. Obviously at this point I’m not into intensity, or pushing too hard.

They’ll be a time later to challenge myself but not now. It’s just me, and the sun, and the wind, and just being on the bike and reminding my body what it feels like to be on the bike. No numbers, no performance pressure or care how others perceive my performance, no comparison to where I was last year. There’s a real purity in this. It’s a real sweet moment.

[annielynn]

My ride this weekend was really nice. I went out with my hubby and my nephew who is just starting to ride. We rode about 21 miles in the gorgeous FL sun. It was in the mid 50s when we started and in the 60s when we got home. Just awesome. The headwind was a bit tricky but we still kept a good pace. We did have to stop once for my nephew to "move his furniture" cause "his boy parts were going to sleep." LOL Silly goose had boxer shorts on underneath his spandex. We have to teach this boy!