October 22/23,2011 rides!

[Fredwina]

Went a little further today
Saw these folks at the Corning preserve:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xY0E_lIdrtY/TqMmP67cAxI/AAAAAAAAQts/QyaXHL47S04/s640/100_0296.jpg
Leftover from Irene:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kf8oP0PC9Ig/TqMmWymo_II/AAAAAAAAQt8/V3vqCZwK270/s640/100_0301.jpg
On the Mohawk Hudson Bike Hike path in Cohoes:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-dDCtlzveaSk/TqMmck1rFGI/AAAAAAAAQuI/waszHC6Pzk4/s640/100_0306.jpg
Thaddeus Kosciusko Bridges over the Mohawk:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-auxhJIQJoIw/TqMmio908AI/AAAAAAAAQuU/dBnXGVJvEIs/s640/100_0310.jpg
old mile marker:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-A8JEoC2NG34/TqMmlkxKBfI/AAAAAAAAQuY/Az9kXFWGrVE/s640/100_0311.jpg
old diner:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-zGSfZHI0pME/TqMmq2tb0DI/AAAAAAAAQuk/sjY-YMbp8wM/s640/100_0314.jpg
not quite as much color as last week:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Sjp_IvCDEI8/TqMmujgmZgI/AAAAAAAAQus/FSWUd14FZEk/s640/100_0316.jpg

[westtexas]

Fred, that is some seriously beautiful country you are riding through. How many miles was it total? And it looks like it was a pretty cold day too!

I rode 50 miles this morning at 17+ with a new group I've started riding with a few times a week. They're all older than me, but they can seriously kick my butt. It was a cool morning - started out in the 60s - and very little wind, so it made for a pretty pleasant ride. I was impressed with how well the land around here has recovered after the apocalyptic summer fires we had. Just a smidge of rain and the landscape has a fuzzy green coat over the soil. Went a new route today too which is always nice, especially since the sights to see around here get old pretty quickly (and are definitely not picture worthy!)

Afterward, ate a bunch and then napped for two hours and although tired, my muscles seem to be recovering nicely. Going out for sushi tonight. Will hopefully be riding another 50 tomorrow too.

[Roadtrip]

WOW. Pretty country there Fredwina!!

I returned to my old hilly route today and the time off the bike really showed. I couldn't finish the route and bailed out before the big hill at the end. I knew there was no way I'd make it so I turned around. Disappointed. Legs like Jello and really shaky and felt like they would buckly just walking back to car. Tired.

Shannon

[Fredwina]

"Only" (for me) 38 miles

[azfiddle]

71 miles. I didn't feel that tired when I got off the bike but I needed a nap after taking a warm soak. My group separates out pretty quickly by speed (I'm always at the back), but a couple of thoughtful guys stayed back and kept me company on different parts of the ride. The last 18 miles I told them it was just fine if they wanted to go on ahead, though we arrived only 5-10 apart at the end.

Unfortunately, a couple of guys in the fast group went down- both will be alright but one needed a trip to the ER to get checked out.

[rubysoho]

rode yesterday after work and only got five miles into my ride before I started feeling not right. Pulled over and had to wait for some dizziness to go away. Apparently it was too soon after the cold I thought I was over. Pedaled easily back to my car. Ran today and felt 100 times better so I think I will try for a twenty mile ride tomorrow.

[7rider]

Random riding...48 miles - started with 2 friends. Picked up the N2 for about 15 miles. Split off from the N2 with my 2 friends. They peeled off at various points with other home commitments. Headed home solo, with a slight detour to ride with my friend visiting from Chile who's in the area for a while - ran into him on my ride home.

Stopped to munch on a Peanut Butter and Jelly Lara Bar as I was so darned hungry. It was DA BOMB! Loved it. Gotta go find more. Almost as good as their Cashew Cookie and Blueberry Muffin.

Got home. DH and I went to REI to pick up ski poles that I ordered and had shipped to the store. Then we went and test drove a Ford Edge and Ford Explorer. I think we're going to buy the Honda Pilot. My poor old Escape has been feeling jealous that we've been looking at other cars, and the brakes started failing and it started making awful metal noises recently in protest. Sigh.

[bluebug32]

Nice pics, Fredwina! All very familiar to me as I live about an hour south. Miss Albany Diner...drool. There are so many great places in the Capital Region. I'll be in Saratoga tomorrow cross racing.

[Crankin]

I did 26 miles with a friend. One of my favorite rides, nice color in the trees, and my favorite riding temperature, 58. But, the sun kept going in and out, so I think I unzipped and zipped up my thermal jersey a million times!
My legs have felt dead lately and the hills hurt, which is not like me. My calves are still sore 4 days after taking a step class. I should take a break, but it's still so nice out for riding.
Still waiting for my new saddle for the Guru; until then, I am riding the Kuota.

[skywalkerbeth]

Hi everyone

Yesterday I was on the bike for the first time in two months! I didn't go very far because by the time I got my sorry *** moving, it was late afternoon and then I found out I had a severe flat (which I expected). BUT, I couldn't get it to pump. Had to load bike up and go to LBS.

Once they sorted me out, I rode around their parking lot for 20 minutes. Mostly to practice with my NEW CLIPS (first time out with them).

SPDs. LOVE THEM. All the fear I had from the speedplays - mostly gone. What fear I do have is because of my bad experiences with the others. But these are like buttah - so easy in and out. As I get used to that I'll be just fine.

They really do come out easily - clipping in too. In fact, I had unclipped my left foot while practicing for a stop (right foot down) and just rested my left foot back on the pedal. It clipped in without me knowing it which was a surprise BUT when I got off balance because I wasn't expecting that and started to think OH HELL, blip: out. Just like that. No stress.

[skywalkerbeth]

Hi everyone

Yesterday I was on the bike for the first time in two months! I didn't go very far because by the time I got my sorry *** moving, it was late afternoon and then I found out I had a severe flat (which I expected). BUT, I couldn't get it to pump. Had to load bike up and go to LBS.

Once they sorted me out, I rode around their parking lot for 20 minutes. Mostly to practice with my NEW CLIPS (first time out with them).

SPDs. LOVE THEM. All the fear I had from the speedplays - mostly gone. What fear I do have is because of my bad experiences with the others. But these are like buttah - so easy in and out. As I get used to that I'll be just fine.

They really do come out easily - clipping in too. In fact, I had unclipped my left foot while practicing for a stop (right foot down) and just rested my left foot back on the pedal. It clipped in without me knowing it which was a surprise BUT when I got off balance because I wasn't expecting that and started to think OH HELL, blip: out. Just like that. No stress.

[redrhodie]

In order for me to do the Sat morning lbs ride, I have to be in my car by 6:10. I was still in bed at 6. I don't know how I did it, but I got there on time! I had to forfeit my usual big breakfast, and settled for some cheese slapped on a couple of pieces of bread, too sloppy to be called a "sandwich". I also didn't have time for coffee, and by the end of the ride (around 27 miles), my head was pounding. By 11 am, I thought I was going to have to go home sick from work. Instead, I did a meditation technique I saw on Dr. Oz by Deepak Chopra, and within a few minutes, I was fine. Wow.

After yesterday's ride, we switched out my stem, lowered my bars, and moved my saddle forward, trying to get my position closer to my other bike. I tried it out around the block, and thought it felt way better. Today I did 28 miles with hills, and now I can say for sure, it is way better. The bike felt perfect; nothing hurt, it felt less twitchy, and I had more power standing. Quads felt like they were being used more, but that's to be expected. Everything else feels great.

What a perfect weekend for riding!

[nscrbug]

We did our usual routes and distances this weekend - 72 miles yesterday, and 71 today. With the sun rising later these days, we are getting a later start (7:15) but the upside to that is I get to sleep in a bit longer. :p

Linda

[Catrin]

Such a beautiful day for a bike ride, but due to neck issues I decided to postpone my planned birthday ride. I still rode, but just did a very easy 10 miles in a park. Nice park. I am getting very sick of that park. I was quite thankful for it today though. The muscles appear to be easing, and while there was/is some discomfort it is markedly less.

Beautiful ride though, if slow and easy. I may not have seen that beautiful young buck with antlers if I had been whizzing through there at my usual pace. There were very few cyclists out, or really few of anyone, so it almost felt like I had the park to myself to enjoy all of the fall colors and to chase lovely crunchy leaves :cool:

[zoom-zoom]

Yesterday DH and I explored some muddy seasonal roads on our CX bikes for about 21 miles, then today I took part in my 3rd ever CX race...I still need to work on my mounts and dismounts. I wasn't DFL, but there were only 3 people behind me in the C race. I'd love to have at least a half-dozen back there.

A friend shot a killer photo of me on his iPhone--I think this was only after the first lap or two, as I don't see much mud splatter on my legs:
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/316467_2554194738480_1362296891_2953672_504683529_n.jpg

I felt pretty good. Yesterday my legs felt like crap, since I hadn't been on my bike in a week (returned from Death Valley JDRF ride and a few days in Vegas late Tues, then the weather was garbage for a few days). Glad that yesterday's ride woke them up for today.

[azfiddle]

Today was another in the series of training rides for El Tour de Tucson, with the coaches from Carmichael Training. This was the first "endurance ride" - the others have been skills rides: buddy riding and bike handling, cornering, pacelines and hill repeats.

Today we rode 40 miles with about 1200 feet of climbing. The ride followed a portion of the El Tour course (maybe about 20-25 miles of it?). Although I always seem to be getting dropped no matter who I ride with, I managed to stay with my group for about 60% of the ride, and the well organized pacelines upped my average to 16.5 mph- when my solo rides are usually about 14.5-15, and on yesterday's 71 mile ride I was at about 15.1 But with 111 miles in two days, I'm ready for a day or two off, at least!

[owlice]

Wild Goose Chase; rode the 42.8 mile ride which turned out to be about 46 miles for us, so I rode another four miles for 50. Lovely lovely ride.

[Catrin]

Yesterday DH and I explored some muddy seasonal roads on our CX bikes for about 21 miles, then today I took part in my 3rd ever CX race...I still need to work on my mounts and dismounts. I wasn't DFL, but there were only 3 people behind me in the C race. I'd love to have at least a half-dozen back there.

A friend shot a killer photo of me on his iPhone--I think this was only after the first lap or two, as I don't see much mud splatter on my legs:

I felt pretty good. Yesterday my legs felt like crap, since I hadn't been on my bike in a week (returned from Death Valley JDRF ride and a few days in Vegas late Tues, then the weather was garbage for a few days). Glad that yesterday's ride woke them up for today.

Zoom-zoom, it is good to see you, and it looks like you had fun!

[rubysoho]

love the photo, zoom-zoom!

[Titania]

Rode my longest ride yet, 26.4 miles. Talk about varied terrain, though...we rode slow local roads, fast 50 mph roads, a bit of bike trail, some local roads where all of the pavement had been ground off (thank god for the carbon bike!), a couple of nasty hills (just a hair under 1100 ft of climb). We rode by some very old farmhouses in Groton that are on a hill overlooking a HUGE pasture. The view was incredible with the spectacular foliage ringing the pasture.

[Norse]

It was a beautiful autumn day here and I decided it was perfect to ride the old Trek FX with panniers to the Minneapolis Farmer's Market. Getting there and back was mostly on the Cedar Lake Trail. A good thing there were not too many hills as I must have been carrying about 30 extra lbs on the way back - mostly meat and I sure did notice it going up hills! Just 18 miles for the round trip but what a wonderful outing. :)

[redrhodie]

Today was supposed to be a rest day, but another perfect day had me in the saddle. The forecast said it was in the 40s F, so I wore wool knickers, full finger gloves, and a jacket over my jersey. I was way overdressed. I was doing a "fast" ride, so I was bummed that I had to stop to take off clothes. There was hardly a breeze. Not complaining, but I hate being too hot.

Tomorrow's back to work, and back to windy. Not sure which bike I'll ride, or clothes I'll wear. I can't seem to get it right this time of year.