Labor Day Weekend Rides

[Catrin]

I am surprised this hasn't been started yet, so I will begin :)

This morning I got in a beautiful 8am ride. A nice hour-long ride and even used my hydration pack with no repercussions! Granted, I only had 24 ounces of water in it but it was fine and I saw quite a few deer on my route! One nice things about deer is I've yet to see one try to dart out in front of me - unlike squirrels :) I am very thankful that my body appears to be getting more forgiving for riding. It may be too late in the year to really increase my mileage base and I will just enjoy what rides I get.

[Fredwina]

Yesterday was fairly rainy, but I got in about 30. Today was beautiful and I got 18. Tomorrow, the forecast does not look good.

[murielalex]

I'm at the 31st Annual Tour of Sebring, a three-day cycling fest with 500+ cyclists. It's beautiful riding; you're out with the cows and horses for the most part, and everyone is friendly. Did 106 miles today, which was kinda stupid because it was 95 degrees out, and I'd done 63 miles the day before. Also, I suck at hills (yes, I know Florida doesn't have real hills, but I still suck at what we have) and got dropped around mile 42, so did most of the ride solo, though I ran into the group that dropped me with fifteen miles to go. They were at a gas station trying to cool down. What's got me thrilled is that my new bike fits so perfectly and rides so smoothly, despite half the ride being on roads that shook the whole bike non-stop, I had zero issues with hands, shoulder, bum, etc. My legs and butt muscles are tired, but that's it. I feel good. Not sure how far I'm going to ride tomorrow. Gonna see how I feel in the morning.

[Becky]

Yesterday was my first century this season. My friend wanted to do ~80 miles, but I was really hoping for a century, so DH and I rode to the ride start 15 miles away. A 5-mile detour due to an incorrect cue sheet and road marking plus the planned 80 miles meant that I rolled into the parking lot with 100.3 miles and 6900 feet of climbing. DH met us there with the car, my clean clothes, and a cooler full of beer :D

It was a good day and a beautiful route.

[thekarens]

Saturday 40 miles with the club on our usual Saturday route. Today 30 miles that should have been an easy ride, but the bike kept skipping gears and the big chain ring was making noises.

[lauraelmore1033]

we just did an easy 20 miler on the Samammish river trail on the tandem. I'm breaking in a new brooks style saddle before we go on our Adventure Cycling Tour in California this month, so it was a stop and go, tweaky kind of ride. LOTS of families out on the trail, which was not a surprise on a holiday weekend. Parents doing a good job teaching trail etiquette (for the most part) was an amazingly pleasant surprise. Gave many a thumbs up and "lookin' awesome" encouragements as we passed the orderly family formations along the way.

[Irulan]

just another mountain bike ride....

We did another backcountry ride. This one is a high ridge trail, with the options to do two short hikes to the tops of two peaks. Weather was fabulous, company was great, I had a great day on the trail.

me and my buddy, top of Clifty Peak, 6705
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CpUeE8KXVGs/UiTkgaVFrjI/AAAAAAAADz4/O3wq1lgb5nQ/s512/P1020156.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-B22aQqRLj8I/UiTfz0epJgI/AAAAAAAADzA/RL2CxmY9XS4/s512/P1020163.JPG


https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-9XxqOyLHTf8/UiTc_faoNhI/AAAAAAAADx0/qemFwNyyatg/s576/P1020160-edit.jpg


Getting fired up for our 4.5 mile, 3500 ft loss descent to meet the shuttle.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-syl3GO9bFg4/UiTfnVBhjEI/AAAAAAAADyw/lhi5aCg7-7w/s512/P1020172-edit.jpg

[Catrin]

There is no "just another mtb ride", it looks like you had a great time! The trail is beautiful, though I think that exposure on the in the second picture would have had me walking ;) Amazing the difference that trees make!

[lauraelmore1033]

Beautiful ride! You must have nerves of steel.

[murielalex]

That's some beautiful country to ride in. I'm jealous.

Becky, congrats on your first century.

As for me, I managed to do 231 miles this weekend in Sebring. I don't plan on doing that any time again soon, but kinda wanted to push myself, just to find out if I could. Had a wonderful time riding in the country with the cows and horses, as opposed to the ocean and traffic I usually ride in. I met some wonderful cyclists (there were over 500 there), ate good food, and had a ball. My legs are stiff, but that's about the only damage, so I'm gonna call it good. I do, however, really really really suck at hills, even Florida hills. Bah.

[TrekDianna]

I did an easy 32 mile on the road bike today. There was about 2700 elevation gain, but I am taking it slow this week in prep for Cycle Oregon. I hiked 10 miles yesterday to the top of Marys Peak and back down so that gave me some incentive to take it slow today.

[Geonz]

I agree -- there's no "just another" MTB ride :) I got in 99.7 miles today on our annual Perrysville, Indiana ride. We have a 50 and 63 mile route, but it starts 48 miles from home so... I rode to the ride. So did some of the fast folks including our Maarten and Jay who dude! placed THIRD in the team-of-two competition at RAAM! (and without the RVs that the first two placers had; it was these two guys and a car, so when one turned over the bike the other woudl find a motel, sleep a few horus, then chase down the other and swap out again). ( http://www.news-gazette.com/blogs/starting-line/2013-07/raam-tough.html YES our local rag has CHEESY headlines!)
Me, I rode out at my pace -- well, and caught myself trying to do 18 and backed off to 15-16 because this was the longest ride I've done all year. I decided a month ago to go ahead and replace my Garmin and try to get back to doing Lots of Long Miles == but having a Garmin isn't, um, the same as riding :) ... had one and a half "dog incidences" along the way. In Grape Creek, my first trip I'd been warned about murderers and packs of wild feral dogs... and had had a woeful nursing dog appear by my side, begging and nuzzling... I'd obliged. Welp, at that turn I remembered her... and 16670 ... what should appear but a young, beautiful dog ... who managed to keep me company for at *least* 8 miles. I tried to outrun it... 18 mph was just making it grin wider. (It was truly beautiful. I mean, when you see a race horse running it's beautiful but the joy is tempered by the knowledge that there are nasty human machinations involved. This was just a young dog RUNNING... and it wasn't feral; it was collared and healthy. Yea, it shouldn't have been out there on the loose but it was BEAUTIFUL to watch)... and it just may have kept me from having a second Dog INcident because just before the Indiana State Line I'm riding by a house and I hear "NO!!! DONUT!!! COME BAAACK!" in that special voice of an owner who has NO control over a dog, and SOMETHIGN told me that Donut would not have Peanut's skill at keeping out of harm's way.
Of course, Peanut was *much* more interesting to Donut than me... and I reckon DOnut more interesting to Peanut... *and* Peanut would at least be encountering humans, not be 8 miles from home (soemething tells me Peanut would find its wayback...)
Yea, I have to wonder if Peanut wasn't borne of that litter of the nuzzling mom...

[Skippyak]

Rode in the Uintahs over the WE. along with deer, a snake that I ran over LOL, cows on the road, crazy people who shoot into the hillside from the side of the road and scare the **** out of riders, (Deliverance, 2013, your 5 yr old, a gun and the road). Too much bike crap on the side of the road, who are the riders who throw gel packs and used co2 cartridges? I see that a whole lot in Utah, and this particular ride would have been hard pushed to be gel worthy LOL. Saw lots of riders on sat, not so much sun.

[emily_in_nc]

We had such a FUN Labor Day bike ride. Temps were in the 70s with low humidity and bright sunshine -- couldn't have ordered up a more beautiful day! We rode from the home we're renting in Prairie Village (KS) into downtown Kansas City, MO and all over to various sights there. DH thought the traffic would be light on a holiday, and he was right -- only a couple times did I get a bit nervous about traffic on a couple of roads with many lanes. The ride there and back took us through many beautiful neighborhoods with hardly any cars, we happened upon a beautiful rose garden in Loose Park (we'd never been there), and made it all the way to the Amtrak station. Total mileage was 28.5, but with all our stops/starts and urban pace, that was close to three hours of saddle time.

I posted some photos on Photobucket if anyone wants to take a look: Labor Day Kansas City Ride (http://s816.photobucket.com/user/emilys7atgmaildotcom/library/Facebook/Cycling%20around%20Kansas%20City%20on%20Labor%20Day)

[thekarens]

Beautiful pics Emily! Looks like y'all had a great ride.

[Owlie]

I got my bikes back this weekend, so I went on a little 10.3-mile ride with BF's family.

[emily_in_nc]

Beautiful pics Emily! Looks like y'all had a great ride.

Thanks! I wish every ride could be that perfect. Brilliant weather and LOW humidity helped a lot.

[Crankin]

Isn't it amazing what lower temperatures and no humidity do? I felt so awful during my first 2 rides after coming back from Italy, I knew it wasn't just the jet lag. After my trip to CA last weekend, I've done two short rides and while I am seriously not in that great cycling shape from lack of riding, I didn't feel like Iwas going to die. I know it was the weather. I acclimated myself to hot weather a couple of years ago when I rode about 3,300 miles, but this year I couldn't do it. A month of 95+ temperatures had me doing nothing more than 10-15 miles for quite a few days.

[AppleTree]

we just did an easy 20 miler on the Samammish river trail on the tandem. I'm breaking in a new brooks style saddle before we go on our Adventure Cycling Tour in California this month, so it was a stop and go, tweaky kind of ride. LOTS of families out on the trail, which was not a surprise on a holiday weekend. Parents doing a good job teaching trail etiquette (for the most part) was an amazingly pleasant surprise. Gave many a thumbs up and "lookin' awesome" encouragements as we passed the orderly family formations along the way.

We were on that trail Saturday. Same thing, lots of families out enjoying that rare good weather Labor Day Weekend. Also saw quite a few seriously intimidating looking pelotons going the other way

We were on the Centennial Trail on Monday, did about 45 miles that day. I rode three days in a row, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, woo hoo. Over 100 miles altogether.

Lauraelmore where does your tour start?? I am so jealous!!