CTS Rides

[XMcShiftersonX]

I felt like this was worthy of a new thread . Anyone planning on doing the first CTS ride of the season on Saturday? I know a few of us have already talked about doing some of the other CTS rides. I work every other weekend, so I at least plan to go to one ride a week on the weekends that I'm off. It would be nice to meet some of you there. I'm planning on joining the 14-16mph group for this first ride, and then seeing if that's a right fit or not. What about everyone else?

-Jessica

[Susan126]

Jessica I will not be there for week 1 and 2 but I will try and make week 3 the Magnuson-Mercer Island Loop. So hopefully we will finally meet Jessica on April 3rd. :) You'll have to show me the ropes on the CTS ride.

[XMcShiftersonX]

Awesome! Yes, I should definitely be at that ride. Closer to, we'll have to talk about ways to spot eachother. And maybe sometime I'll make it out to one of the TWBC rides, and you'll have to show me those ropes :)

[lauraelmore1033]

We're doing the McClinchy Mile this Saturday, but might catch the CTS ride on Sunday. Will definitely make it the week after. I think I'm going to stick with the yellow group though. I'm still too slow on the hills to move up to green. I'll be the large lady on the Specialized Tricross...

[XMcShiftersonX]

We're doing the McClinchy Mile this Saturday, but might catch the CTS ride on Sunday. Will definitely make it the week after. I think I'm going to stick with the yellow group though. I'm still too slow on the hills to move up to green. I'll be the large lady on the Specialized Tricross...

Whoo what's the McClinchy Mile??? I'm not sure I like any bike ride with the word "clinch" in it haha...

[lauraelmore1033]

http://www.bikesclub.org/html/mcclinchy/mcclinchy.htm
A fundraiser for our local club. We're doing the 47 miler.

[XMcShiftersonX]

Aww that looks like a nice and fun ride! I thought about doing the ride around puget sound, so it would have been nice had I known earlier, although I am trying to save money right now, so it probably wouldn't have been in the cards this year. It's relieving to know that it's someone's name, and not an indication of how you're body will feel after doing a whole bunch of hills or something though! It's too bad that the person it's named after, died early in life. Do you know what happened to him?

[lauraelmore1033]

I don't know anything about Stuart McClinchy. Googling the name just brings up previous mentions of the ride in his honor. Hmmm. i hadn't made the connection between Clinchy and the way a hard ride might make one feel:D, but now that you mention it, that seems fairly obvious.

Of course, you could always do the ride on your own. The maps are available on line and the course markings will remain for some time...

[XMcShiftersonX]

Okay, so I'm off to do the first CTS ride of the season... I'm hoping the green group is the right fit! I'm a little nervous, this will be my first big group ride. If anyone does end up coming I'm wearing a turquoise craft jersey, black assos shorts, and I'll be on my white and pink Orbea. I hope you ladies have fun on the other rides you're doing today!

[XMcShiftersonX]

Okay! So, I went on the ride and it was great! I did the green group, and I actually kind of felt like I could have gone faster. I don't know if it's because it was the first ride of the season or what. Going out to Seward Park we intentionally were going slower like 14-15mph I guess to let people warm up etc. On the way back it was a little faster, and I kept getting caught in the back part of the group just based on where I was standing in line and being separated by cars, etc. so then I would have to sprint at like 19mph to get back up to the rest of the group, but that wasn't a problem. I'm used to doing the distances we did, so it may get a little more challenging once our rides are up in the 40-50mile range. But I was actually thinking that maybe I would be okay in the blue group of the CATS team. It was an okay workout, but I didn't really feel challenged at this point. You're just constantly slowing down for stop signs, cars, etc. I'm nervous to make this jump though, because people were talking about how "hardcore" the CATS people are etc. I'm worried that I will try it on a ride, and get left behind. But I am usually going faster than what we were doing today. Any advice from experienced CTS/CATS people?

Thank You!

[lauraelmore1033]

Hmmm, they must be seriously enforcing the pace guidelines. Last year in yellow group we were going 16-18 mph on the flats for that ride to Seward Park. The rides got a lot hillier pretty quickly, so the pace on the flats didn't really matter after that... I don't have a recomendation--especially since I am so slow that moving up to cats would be inconceivable. If you do make the leap, make sure you've printed out the map and have enough water and tools and tubes etc...

The rides will definitely get more challenging. Maybe give it a while? When DH rode with the green group they broke up into a fast green and a slow green. Maybe they'll do that again.

[XMcShiftersonX]

Okay! Those are good things to think about. Maybe it was just a little slower because it was the first ride of the series, they probably wanted to ease in to it a bit. There were 60 people in the green group and it had to be broken into three groups of 20. So maybe just the sheer number of people slowed it down too! It may also calm my nerves to stay in the green group for now, being that this is the first year I've even done big group rides like this. Like I said, I was nervous this morning before I even got there, not knowing what it was going to be like or if the group would be too fast. So, I'll stick with it, once we get in to hills I'll probably need to be there anyways! Thanks for all your advice along the way :D

-Jessica

[lauraelmore1033]

Oh, I don't know that my advice has been any good. Hubby (who regularly averages 15-16 mph on a hilly-ish ride) just told me that he can find people in the green group that go "plenty fast". But...
I should mention that he is kinda an, um, oldish fart (I am guessing in comparison to you) and when he was a youngish fart he probably would have been riding with the CATS group, no doubt. He also said that the only reason he wasn't riding with the CATS group now was that it was too much of a logistical challenge to get both of us to different start locations. So, he's holding himself back for my sake....
You are young and strong, so maybe you should go for it? (and be sure to print out the map, and, and, and...)

[XMcShiftersonX]

haha... Well, I'm so indecisive anyways, which doesn't really help matters much :D. I talked to my husband about it, and he's like "if it didn't feel like a challenge then just go for the harder group, don't over think it! Just go for it! Afterall, the point of these rides is to challenge yourself, right??" I keep going back and forth, and probably will until the next ride. The good thing is that the CAT ride in the third week (which is the next time I'll be able to go) is a flat ride in an area I'm pretty familiar with, so it may be a good time to give it a try. *sigh* So it continues... haha

[Susan126]

Jessica I've been debating whether to join the 14-16 mph CTS group or the 16-18 mph CATS group. After giving it much thought and reading the posts in here about the first CTS ride I think I may ride in the 16-18 CATS group. I checked the route and it is flat. I hope I'm understanding their ratings. This means they will cruise on the flats between 16-18? Right? I still have two weeks to decide. I hate this! Argh. How I wish my hubby was riding this year. He is fast and always pushes me and waits for me. I'm a better rider when I ride with him but he is having serious knee pain. He's been to the orthopaedic doctor and he may have to have a knee replacement. He's already had three knee surgeries.

---> Sue :)

[XMcShiftersonX]

Sue - I believe that is right (because it's certainly not an average for the whole ride!). On the way out to Seward Park in the green CTS group we intentionally rode slow, before coming back, they said to expect to be going 16MPH (it was the 14-16MPH group) on the flat. So, I imagine it's the same for the CATS group. Hey, if you're taking the plunge too, at least we'll have each other haha... I think my co-worker may also be joining us. she's never done these rides before, but we ride together usually and we're a pretty equal mach. I told her how it went, so she's going to check out the website and see if she wants to join that group too.

[XMcShiftersonX]

I hate to ask, since I bailed on today's CTS/CATS rides because of the wind and potential for rain. But did anyone else go? And how did the weather end up? It didn't rain here, so I somewhat feel bad that I didn't make it! I just hate getting caught in bad weather on a ride and today was so unpredictable. I know I'll regret having asked, if I hear the rides were fun, so you can lie to me, haha j/k. :p

-Jessica

[Eden]

I was out on a team ride, not the Cascade ride, but we had fine weather throughout (we were out from 9 until almost 3). It dripped a few drops on us and hailed for a brief instant coming into Bellevue, but that was the extent of the precipitation. It was quite windy.

[lauraelmore1033]

I'm still trying to get rid of this lingering cold, so I didn't go, but even if I'd been feeling 100%, I'm not sure that you could have paid me to ride on the I-90 bridge today.

[Eden]

It was windy on I-90 today, but not horrid. I was out there once in 35 mph gusts (there's a chart online somewhere and I confirmed there really were 35+ winds when I was out there....) - it was *not fun*

[XMcShiftersonX]

Holy Scheisse!!! Yeah I-90 is not fun with just a little bit of wind, let alone a gusty day. When I ride on it I always imagine I'm going to crash into the black railing going 18MPH. I can't stop myself! Well, I think I made the right decision, even if it didn't rain. I've never really taken in to account to check the wind pattern for the day when deciding to go on a ride, but I've gotten stuck in gnarly head winds that are ALMOST as bad as getting rained on. So, I think it's something I'll start to keep in mind. I wanted to be on my bike so bad though when I was out walking my dog this morning and saw so many cyclists!

[lauraelmore1033]

It was windy on I-90 today, but not horrid. I was out there once in 35 mph gusts (there's a chart online somewhere and I confirmed there really were 35+ winds when I was out there....) - it was *not fun*

I have a suspicion that "not horrid" for Eden is the equivalent of "I'm going to die now" for Laura...

[lauraelmore1033]

Jessica, I'm sure you're fit enough to do the stp with one leg tied behind your back. No worries, it'll be a breeze for you.;) You are way ahead of the game at this point!

[XMcShiftersonX]

haha thanks for your vote of confidence. Today my other friend said I should do STP in one day... now that's just crazy talk!

[Susan126]

I hate windy days too! I went to the gym yesterday and spun for an hour then did my core workout. I hope to get some good after work rides in this week (weather permitting) on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I want to do my out and back routes. I can make my out and back short, 23 miles from Enumclaw to Kanaskat State Park, or as long as I want like 30-45 miles, depending on when I want to turn around. Then hit the gym for my core workouts on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

I'm doing the STP in one day but I'm not starting at the start at the University of Washington. Instead I'm going to pick it up where it goes by Sumner near the Cannery. I'm going to leave my house in Bonney Lake and cycle down the hill into Sumner and catch the course there. I will get a total of 167 miles. I just don't want to deal with the thousands of cyclists at the start. I've experienced that start a few times and for me it's never been fun.

The extended forecast for Saturday, April 10th looks pretty descent so I plan on doing the CATS Lake Washington Loop, 52 miles.

[XMcShiftersonX]

I imagine the next time I do STP I'll probably do the one day, but since this is my first year doing it, and doing long rides in general, I think it's best I stick to the two day!

I wish I could go to the CATS ride on the 10th, but I have to work, then the week after that is Daffodil and then I work again. So I'll try to do their ride at the beginning of May.

Yesterday I tried to go to the gym but they closed early because of Easter, so I came home and got on the trainer for an hour and a half while watching "The Business of Being born," which was an interesting movie.

The weather looks really nice right now, maybe a little windy though. But I was thinking about doing the S. Lake Wa+Mercer Island loops from Coulon Park. I wish the weather would just cooperate with my plans!

[XMcShiftersonX]

I think I'm going to have to stick to my old rule that if there's ANY chance of rain on a day I want to go ride, I won't go ride!!

So... I get all ready, drive to Coulon Park because my legs are sore from weight lifting and I wanted to do an easy route (instead of leaving from my house). I get there, get all my gear on, the sky is starting to look grey but it looks blue over towards Seattle. I get on the bike, don't even go 1/2 a mile and it starts pouring down rain... not a drizzle, it's literally raining sideways.... I turn back around go back to the car, load everything up, and begin driving home. It stops raining, and the sun comes out. This happens all too often to me!! :mad:

Off to the gym I go... I was just a little frustrated and had to vent!

[Susan126]

Sorry to hear about your rainy ride yesterday Jessica! I HATE riding in the rain! So if there is any possibility of rain I do not even attempt it. I had a very bad crash five years ago in the rain. The roads were slick, cars and trucks passing me were splashing and spraying me, I came around a corner and hit either oil or sand or just the wet pavement, whatever it was I fell and slid about 50-75 feet right into a guardrail. My right butt cheek all the way down the outside of my right thigh to my knees was black and blue and swollen for weeks. I could barely walk. I don't know how I managed to get home but I did. My helmet was cracked in three places (and probably saved my head). So NO riding for me whenever I see a chance of showers. I'm still nervous on wet roads.

I think it's supposed to be nice today after work and tomorrow too. I hope so because I'm tired of the gym.

[XMcShiftersonX]

Holy cow! That's a horrible crash! I'm sorry that happened to you. I'm so scared of crashing... I haven't fallen at all yet. I'm wondering if it's like an earthquake, the longer it takes to happen, the worse it is. I have a lot of respect for people who can get back on the bike after an experience like that.

[Susan126]

No you don't want to crash! It was not fun and I was sore for quite some time. My daughter crashed going down a hill at 30 mph and her neck still bothers her 3 years later. She's been seeing a chiropractor and it's getting better but now she has a fear of going fast down any hill. I have to wait for her at the bottom of any long steep downhill that we used to race down together. The mental injury is sometimes a lot harder to get over then the physical one.

So stay safe and be alert out there everyone! :)

[XMcShiftersonX]

ACK! That's like my greatest fear. There's this one hill by me that I go almost 40MPH down and I LOVE it! But how much would it suck to wipe out on it! There is so much about riding my bike that scares me everyday I get on it. I'm such a wuss. But part of it is empowering that I'm doing it regardless of the fear!

[XMcShiftersonX]

Susan - Let me know how the CATS ride goes tomorrow!! I hope it turns out to be a good fit for you.

[Susan126]

I will give a full report. I'm sitting here right now with my morning coffee. I'll be leaving around 7:30 for the ride. It says to be there no later than 8:30 so you can sign the sign in sheet and be ready to roll by 9:00. It is cold this morning. My thermometer says 29 degrees outside right now!

[Susan126]

What a ride I had today. The temperature at the start was 31 degrees. Starting from S. Bellevue P&R we went clockwise around Lake Washington. Coming around the southern point we turned north and straight into one heck of a headwind. Lake Washington had some choppy waves out there. Headwind and hills (yea, HILLS! It was a very hilly ride too) and 51.1 miles. The pace was good the ride leader awesome and the other riders were very nice too. The blue group (the one I was in) had such a turn out that we had to split into two groups. I'll sleep soundly tonight! :)

[XMcShiftersonX]

Awesome! So you think it was a good fit? Sorry you had a headwind though!

[Susan126]

Yes, the blue group (16-18) was a perfect fit for me. Towards the end of the ride my legs were very tired and I kept falling behind on the long long long hill climbs (two at the very end) but I always managed to catch up after I got over them on the downhill and flats. In the beginning I climbed just fine. It shows me how out of shape I am and how much endurance I need to rebuild. But it's the perfect group to push me and help me get back in top shape for my summer rides. Looking forward to the ride two weeks from now. April 25th's ride (this one is on a Sunday) the Renton - Cedar Grove Loop. I wish I weren't going to Spokane this coming weekend. Maybe we'll leave Saturday instead of Sunday and I can make the Daffodil? We'll see. :)

[XMcShiftersonX]

Well that's good. I think I will try them out on the May 1st ride then. I don't know that ride at all, so hopefully I don't get dropped. But, I'm sure I'll find my way if I do. Last time I had looked today and tomorrow were supposed to be really nice, but now the forecast sucks! It looks kind of iffy right now but I think my husband and I are going to go do this 55 mile ride today with 2500 feet of climbing, and then if the weather is okay tomorrow we'll do a 40 mile ride with 2200 feet of climbing. Friday and Saturday look nice so I might just do an easy 22 mile ride each day that will be flat. I don't want to overdo it so close to the 60 mile Daffodil ride. Do you know what type of rides are recommended and how close to a big ride? This is my first year doing training and big rides like that so I don't know. I'm so nervous because I haven't been outside on my bike for two weeks, even though I've been to the gym as much as possible. And I did my 50 mile ride almost a month ago, and since then have only done a couple 40 mile rides! I hope I don't hit a wall at the Daffodil. I also won't be able to do the Cedar Grove ride because I work that weekend, but that is a route I do all the time since it's just down the street from my house (a shorter version), I wish I could do it though!

[Susan126]

It’s raining right now in Bonney Lake. A very wet and gray day but tomorrow and the rest of this week look sunny and dry. So my plan is to ride after work on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday all this week.

The next CATS ride I will be attending will be the April 25th ride starting from Gene Coulon Park and also the May 8th Auburn Carbonado ride. The ride on May 1st in Arlington is too far north for me to drive just for a ride. I will do one of my local rides on that weekend or perhaps I will do the May Day Metric (http://www.maydaymetric.net/Home.html). It starts and finishes at Phil's South Side Cyclery in Federal Way.

The CATS training rides are a wonderful plan for building a rider up for the big rides. The only thing you need to add are your weekday rides. The CATS ride is your big long ride for the week but you should also include two to three short weekday rides in between the long weekend rides. For example, my plan is to ride twice or three times during the weekday. Anywhere from 20-40 miles and then do the CATS ride on the weekend. I believe this will sufficiently prepare you for your big ride.

I may be back from Spokane in time for the Daffodil ride on Sunday. But I think I will start riding a little earlier than I had planned.

[XMcShiftersonX]

Yeah today is not a good day weather-wise for a bike ride. But it's okay because my husband and I have a lot of errands to do. Yesterday turned out okay, it didn't rain at all! We ended up doing a 45 mile ride with 2300 feet of climbing, and I must say I felt it after wards! Of course with my husband I don't stop and eat/drink and stretch as much as I would if I were by myself. So, I think if I went at my own pace it might have been better. I had originally planned to do the May Day Metric, but I wanted to save money so I just picked 3 rides including STP that I really wanted to do for now. So, I think I'll make the trek to the north end for the CATS ride, I always like the adventure of going somewhere new. I work Wed and Thurs and when I work it's 7am-7:30pm so unfortunately I can't fit in a ride! I think I've decided to start the Daffodil at 10am. Waking up at 8am is a good time for me, and I want to be well rested. It's supposed to be in the low 70's on Sunday!!

[Susan126]

I'm happy to hear that you got a good ride in yesterday with your husband Jessica. 45 miles, little stopping, and 2300 feet of climbing is a pretty good workout. I haven't been on my bike since Saturday's CATS ride. I think tomorrow will be a nice enough day to finally get out and ride.

I've never done the May Day Metric and this is the year I'll give it a try. From what I've heard from others who have done it, it's pretty hilly and hard. But I need those hill rides!

Wow 70s on Sunday! I'm grinning ear to ear! :D

[XMcShiftersonX]

Hey Sue -

Did you go on the CATS ride yesterday? How was it?

[Susan126]

Jessica the CATS ride this weekend is on Sunday, today. I'm leaving in about an hour. It starts in Renton at Gene Coulon Park. It's supposed to get up to almost 70 today!

Are you working today? If not you should come and do the ride. 63 miles. I'll let you know how today's ride went later today (probably this evening).

Sue

[Susan126]

What a GREAT CATS ride today! Gorgeous weather, nice route (Mercer Island sure is HILLY) and nice folks to ride with. 63.31 miles total! I'm ready for FOOD! :D

[XMcShiftersonX]

That's great! I wish I could have gone, but unfortunately I am still at work. The weather looks absolutely beautiful out too! I will be at next week's ride for sure. Oh and I LOVE Mercer Island! I do it all the time. It's the most beautiful place in Seattle in my opinion :) Glad you had fun.

[XMcShiftersonX]

Also, what did you guys average for the whole ride?

[Susan126]

We averaged 14.4 mph. It was hilly!

[XMcShiftersonX]

Hey Sue -

How was your CATS ride yesterday??

-Jessica

[Susan126]

I didn't do the CATS ride this Saturday. Instead I drove all the way down to Chehalis and participated in the 28th annual Lewis County Historical Ride. I did the 72 mile course. It was totally the best! Lewis County is beautiful. The entire ride was on low traffic back roads through some of the most beautiful country side in our state. Plus our rest stops were at historical buildings and sites. I would move there in a flash if Joe could find a job there. It's gorgeous.

I wrote about the ride at my blog and posted a few pictures that I took with my cell phone's camera. Here

Saturday's ride through beautiful Lewis County. (http://www.cycling-addict.blogspot.com/)

So did you get a ride in on this beautiful Mother's Day weekend. Oh and yesterday, Mother's Day, I got a leisurely 11 mile ride in with my hubby on the Orting Trail before his knee began to hurt. His surgery can't come soon enough.

[XMcShiftersonX]

Well that sounds nice! No, I didn't get to ride this weekend. I was working. But my husband and I are planning on doing the whole Lake Wa loop from our house tomorrow at noon. The weather is supposed to decent. It should be about 53 miles, and will hopefully help prepare me for the CATS ride on the 15th.

[Susan126]

You and your husband have a great ride today around the lake and I will see you (finally) this Saturday! I hope our weather this Saturday for the CATS ride will be nice!

[XMcShiftersonX]

Me too, it looks like it'll be overcast (surprise, surprise...), but in the upper 60's. I hope I don't die. It's a lot of miles! My husband and I just ate a bunch of pancakes and soy bacon, so we're kind of dragging our feet on today's ride. But I think we'll still go, just a little later than anticipated.

[XMcShiftersonX]

Eek... didn't make it out today. The husband and I just weren't feeling it. He had a headache, and the overcast really kills my energy. I hope I'll be okay on Sat.

[XMcShiftersonX]

Looking forward to meeting you tomorrow Sue. I hope I don't die! I'll be wearing a Road ID around my neck. If I do, I'd like you to call my husband :p The weather should be perfect!

[Susan126]

You won't die! I'm looking forward to meeting you and the ride. The weather is going to be fabulous! I'll be riding my black with gold script specialized ruby. She has a white saddle and white (err dirty white) handlebar tape. I'm enjoying my breakfast and coffee right now. See you in 2 1/2 hours.

:D

[XMcShiftersonX]

I don't know if you'll get this in time or not, but I'll be riding my white and pink Orbea (it's my only bike:) and be wearing a turquoise jersey. We have to make sure we end up in the same group together:)