July Rides [Archive] - Women's Cycling Discussion Forums

emily_in_nc

07-06-2014, 04:38 PM

We're in Walla Walla, Washington now, and after riding in mostly cooler weather for the past month traveling from Ohio to WA (legwarmers, armwarmers, jackets, etc. needed for many rides, with a few warmer ones interspersed), we are finally feeling the heat. We skipped over the 80s completely and are now looking at highs in the mid- to upper-90s and above. It's great to wear sleeveless jerseys again, but I need to get in the habit of getting going earlier in the morning. We had gotten lax (since the weather had been chilly most places we'd visited), piddling away the mornings 'til it warmed up a bit, and tending not to get going on rides until 10 or 11 am in many cases. We're NOT morning people but need to get going by no later than 9 am here (any earlier is almost impossible for us). This way, we can be done by noonish and avoid the worst of the heat, which peaks in the afternoon. We've been doing fewer but longer rides since we've had lots of driving days interspersed, but here more frequent but shorter rides makes more sense.

All that said, I've ridden every day starting July 2, about 40 miles (give or take 5) each ride, except yesterday, which was just 10 miles of utility riding to the farmer's market and grocery store. The roads in the county here are lightly traveled, with gorgeous views of the farms and surrounding hills. Lots of chip & seal, so you do get beat up a bit on some of them, which is yet another reason not to try for super long rides.

A few days ago we rode down into Oregon -- our first time in that state. In fact, Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon have all been new states for me that we've visited in the past month!

Here's an example of the typical road-riding scenery here in Walla Walla County (just realized I am wearing the same jersey as my profile photo here!)

17249 17250 17251

khg

07-07-2014, 08:42 AM

On Saturday I rode on Mt Rainier--up to the Sunrise Visitor's Center and up to Chinook Pass. It was some of the most fun I've had on a bike--I can't even begin to describe how beautiful it was! It was also really neat to have a ton of other cyclists out with the same crazy idea. The population up there seemed evenly split between cyclists and international tourists.

If you've been to Seattle, you know how impressive and large the mountain looks from the city--at Sunrise, the summit appears to start rising just a few feet from the parking lot, and it is mind-bogglingly huge, beautiful, intimidating, awe-inspiring--I don't even know the words.

Then after the slog up to Cayuse Pass, the turn onto the road to Chinook Pass takes you through a couple of long switchbacks that...well, the view is just ridiculous. That, combined with the grade lessening for parts of the switchbacks, produced a giddy euphoria, as it was suddenly so easy to pedal my bike (comparatively speaking), and the view was unbelievably spectacular. Seriously, even in the middle of the experience, I could hardly believe it was real!

I'm now looking at my calendar to figure out when and how often I can get back up there this summer. The Mt Rainier National Park is truly a national treasure, and I can't recommend getting up there highly enough--bike, car, hike, whatever!

I wrote a blog post with a few mediocre cell-phone photos (though they are actually decent if you click to see them full size)-- http://mebikedolomitesoneday.wordpress.com/2014/07/06/mt-rainier-by-bike/

marni

07-07-2014, 03:48 PM

emily_in_nc

07-07-2014, 07:57 PM

emily_in_nc

07-07-2014, 08:00 PM

did a 36 mile on Friday the 4th. started out at 7:30 am in mid 70's with humidity about 70% finished at 10 with the temperature at 90 and the humidity at 100%. I need to start earlier or give up entirely for a while. Have I mentioned lately that I really dislike Houston summer weather?

Ugh...that has to be one of the worst places to ride in the summer, I think. I lived in NC for many years, and we had some days that were that bad, but certainly fewer than in Texas and for a shorter number of weeks. I feel better about eastern WA weather just reading this -- it's hot but not humid. Much better. I sure don't seen anything wrong with taking the worst couple of months off...it's no different from those up north taking Dec-Feb or so off; your impossible season is just summer rather than winter. No apologies needed!

khg

07-08-2014, 10:06 AM

khg ~~ Your blog post is gorgeous, and I am sure it was an amazing ride! We were recently in the Seattle area for the first time for a few days, and the views of Mt. Ranier are indeed breathtaking and surprising! I had NO idea it could be seen from so many places...just stunning. We did not make it to the national park this time, but we are saving it for when we can go back and give it the time it deserves. I can't wait!

Thanks for sharing...

Thanks Emily! If you make a trip to see Rainier, you should try to make room in your itinerary for Mt St Helens too. More mountain spectacularness, and the blast zone from the eruption is hard to even comprehend. And I've heard great stuff about the bicycling on Helens too!

Raindrop

07-08-2014, 09:43 PM

17252I live in the southwestern part of Washington and I've been out riding every day...but in the mornings because I really don't like riding in the upper eighties. (Sure, call me spoiled). Today I got up early to ride and for the first time in ten years I fell. And it was the stupidest fall ever because I simply didn't unclip. I felt a little more than stupid and inept, but I ended up with an amazing scrape tattoo and what will probably result in an amazing bruise. I even posted it on Facebook. Still....I fell a little dumb for falling over in such a manner.

ny biker

07-08-2014, 10:27 PM

Wasp

07-08-2014, 11:51 PM

17254
We rode part of the Sea to Sky Hwy which connects Vancouver to Whistler BC. Had a blast, but I just don't have the legs to do the entire ride.....yet

Crankin

07-09-2014, 10:53 AM

I rode with one of the guys from both of my clubs today. We finally did the route we were going to do the day my shift lever broke in April! I was pissed that my Wednesday group had a ride I really wanted to do, and they are doing it tomorrow, because it will be cooler out. Anyway, I rode 7 miles to meet him, and off we went. Of course, he sent me a GPS file of the ride that started in a different place, my device was going nuts, trying to direct me back to the start so I shut it off. I did restart it just to record the miles, but by that point, I had gone about 10. DH will have to add them in for me. The ride went into Westford, some on roads I've never been on, which is unusual in a local ride. Some of them I recognized from when I used to live nearer to there, when I first moved back here. It seems like a lifetime ago, and I guess it is... 24 years. Others I've been on. It's a really nice and shady ride, which was good, because it's 88 out, with 38% humidity. Not as brutal as yesterday, and there is a breeze. There was one big climb, that I've done before, but I just slowed down to 6-9 mph and I made it without any issues. The only thing I didn't like about this ride was there were 2 uphill stops, one being quite steep and at a busy road. Jack got across, but I had to stop and I had to actually walk across the street, because I couldn't get going. The other one is just a hard to see left turn on a small rise. I don't know why these things bother me, but I go out of my way to avoid them, on my own rides. Once we got through the big climb, though there weren't any others, just some small ones. I felt better today than on Saturday, even though my riding was about the same speed and it's hotter out. I took my inhaler before I left, which I believe helped. I really hate riding in hot weather, but if I don't, I won't get the miles in.
We got back to Ferns, neither of us were hungry, so we sat on the porch and drank iced coffee for about an hour, and then I pedaled off to home. Very glad to get home and eat by that time.
About 42 miles.

emily_in_nc

07-09-2014, 03:53 PM

Owie, Raindrop!

I had a similar scrape (not quite as many scratches, though) on the outside of my right calf lately from a stupid fall lately too...I posted about it in another thread about stupid falls! The scraped area swelled up and looked pretty bad for a few days but has healed fast. Hope yours does too!

emily_in_nc

07-09-2014, 03:56 PM

The only thing I didn't like about this ride was there were 2 uphill stops, one being quite steep and at a busy road. Jack got across, but I had to stop and I had to actually walk across the street, because I couldn't get going. The other one is just a hard to see left turn on a small rise. I don't know why these things bother me, but I go out of my way to avoid them, on my own rides.

I would too! I hate uphill stops, and it seems like DH always gets right across as he is usually ahead of me and a bit braver, and I end up having to walk across or cut across the road I'm on to get going again (only if absolutely no cars are around) and then cross. If I know one of these is on a route, I'll go another way to avoid it too. So, I don't think you're strange...or else I am too. :D

Crankin

07-09-2014, 04:31 PM

Yes, and it's even harder for me to negotiate these on my custom bike! The seatpost is higher relative to the pedals and i have to think, just to not catch my shorts on the nose of the saddle, let alone try to push off on a steep uphill. I am not weak in the legs by any means, but I just avoid these. I took my Kuota today, even though I would have appreciated the 2 lower gears on the other bike, on that climb, but I had looked at the route before hand and recognized that one spot which had caused me trouble on a group ride 2 years ago. My DH also thinks nothing of these things, but he's learned that I hate them.

cosc

07-09-2014, 06:00 PM

I am a wimp when it comes to getting going on a ascent, even at stops with a headwind.
Last week I had the dumbest of accidents though. My foot slid off my spin bike and I skinned/bruised my shin.

Yesterday I rode a solo 53 mile overnighter to a small town and biked back today after picking up a tractor seal for DH. I'm was very tuckered out when I got home.
Where do some cyclist get energy to go super long miles a day? I'll guess I'll just blame it on my age.

emily_in_nc

07-09-2014, 07:30 PM

Yesterday I rode a solo 53 mile overnighter to a small town and biked back today after picking up a tractor seal for DH. I'm was very tuckered out when I got home. Where do some cyclist get energy to go super long miles a day? I'll guess I'll just blame it on my age.

How old are you? Unless you are > 60, I am not sure you can blame it on age. My DH is 60 and is having the cycling year of his life...he's put in 7200 miles so far this year with multiple centuries (all unorganized, just on his own) and many more 60+ days.

I don't know how he does it either. I've done a few 70+ mile days this year, but most of my rides are in the 40-mile range. And I'm "only" 53. A lot of it is mental.

emily_in_nc

07-09-2014, 07:34 PM

Yes, and it's even harder for me to negotiate these on my custom bike! The seatpost is higher relative to the pedals and i have to think, just to not catch my shorts on the nose of the saddle

I am sure your shorts are not too large, right? The only times I've done this were with slightly too loose shorts. Normally, no matter what type of bike you have, the saddle height relative to the bottom bracket should be the same, shouldn't it?

ny biker

07-10-2014, 12:18 AM

How old are you? Unless you are > 60, I am not sure you can blame it on age. My DH is 60 and is having the cycling year of his life...he's put in 7200 miles so far this year with multiple centuries (all unorganized, just on his own) and many more 60+ days.

I don't know how he does it either. I've done a few 70+ mile days this year, but most of my rides are in the 40-mile range. And I'm "only" 53. A lot of it is mental.

A lot is just practice. I ride with people in their late 60s and early 70s. Some of them are still very fast. They ride 4 days a week, sometimes more, can ride 60 miles today and 100 tomorrow. They're able to ride a lot because they've worked up to it.

Crankin

07-10-2014, 04:08 AM

Emily, my shorts are definitely not too small... they are x smalls and I've been about the same size since I started cycling, well, at least once i got a road bike. I can't explain it, except that even the most minute differences in geometry bother me and I just feel more comfortable and my skills are all much better on my Kuota. So much for custom. I think for me, if I'm used to it, that's it. So while the Kuota may be a bit scrunched for me, I *like* that feel because I am used to it. Once I am riding on the Guru, I'm fine, and I like the feel of the titanium.
As far as the age thing, I'm 60, but I have always needed more rest than others, it seems. I don't know how some of the people in my groups do it, except perhaps, that riding is all they do! On the other hand, when I've done tours, I can suck it up and do consecutive 40-60 mile days. I could not do 100 in the mix, at least not now, without a little more training. It is mental, to a large degree, and the amount of suffering you are willing to endure. All I know, is that I felt pretty good on my hot and fast for me 42 mile ride yesterday, because I did nothing on Tuesday.

Jolt

07-10-2014, 08:37 AM

7-mile round trip this morning to get groceries...so much more fun to do it by bike than driving! Tried out my new Keen Commuter sandals (still with flat pedals)...I think the stiffer sole does help but they actually don't give me quite the same grip on the pedals as my sneakers (slid off a couple of times) so I will probably go order a set of Power Grips today. Tonight is a group ride that will probably be 15-20 miles.

cosc

07-10-2014, 10:12 AM

I've put in more miles this year since I'm retired. My biking is still sporadic between the winter and windy days though. I probably need to follow a better training plan to have more endurance and increase speed. The good and bad thing about riding alone is you don't have to push yourself. I've participated in tours this summer where I am always at the tail-end. Keeping up with some riders would be great, but still enjoy what I can accomplish.(However slow)!

emily_in_nc

07-10-2014, 04:33 PM

As far as the age thing, I'm 60, but I have always needed more rest than others, it seems. I don't know how some of the people in my groups do it, except perhaps, that riding is all they do! On the other hand, when I've done tours, I can suck it up and do consecutive 40-60 mile days. I could not do 100 in the mix, at least not now, without a little more training. It is mental, to a large degree, and the amount of suffering you are willing to endure. All I know, is that I felt pretty good on my hot and fast for me 42 mile ride yesterday, because I did nothing on Tuesday.

Yes, my DH pretty much only does cycling; he's retired and rides 6-7 days a week. He also has a mental attitude that borders on OCD about mileage since he decided this was going to be his big cycling year. :D

I know I do better, like you, after a day of rest. I've been riding almost every day, but I took yesterday off and felt much more chipper on my 40-mile ride today. I really like 40 milers. They are long enough so you feel like you did something and burned enough calories that you can treat yourself to something yummy, but not so long that you're ruined for the rest of the day and possibly into the next.

Crankin

07-13-2014, 05:32 AM

I commuted on Friday.
Yesterday I went with the other leader who is doing a ride with me in Mystic, CT, to do a test run. Of course, without DH, I felt slightly guilty, leaving him all day to recover from his injury. He was busy, though, took his bike to the shop for a checking out, and ordered a new helmet. Anyway, it takes 1.5 hrs. to get to Mystic and we got a late start. We added on 10 or so miles to the ride from last year, as people loved the ride, but didn't like driving so far for a 30 mile ride. We started at 11:30 and it was HOT. Part of this ride is along the coast or the Mystic River and part goes through Stonington Center, Mystic, Groton, and inland through some farm and wine country. It really is nice. So, the part we added on is a loop through west Mystic/Groton. This is all by the ocean, and on the way back out of the peninsula, there are 2 extremely steep short climbs, up to the main road. Then, there were 3 long, less steep climbs back into Mystic. My friend has a bike with higher gearing, that he always says he needs to change, but he hasn't and he was lagging quite badly. Finally, I got in the lead up the climbs, but it was tough.We also had a shorter, very steep climb about 2 miles before the end, as we decided to include this instead of a scary uphill left turn at a light, in lots of traffic. All I can say, is that Lamar better screen the participants carefully, because there was 2,175 feetof climbing; sometimes people get fooled about riding along the coast, thinking it's flat.
This morning, I got up early and went out for a short 10 mile recovery ride through Concord center. So nice to be out when it's cooler.
ETA: And, when I awoke at 5:40 AM today, I was greeted with an email, inviting me to join the "Free As In Beer" cycling group. It's a rag tag group of leaders from a few groups, most I know. I said OK, as I meet their requirements, and these people are funny and down to earth. However, I'll probably never be able to join them, due to my schedule, but I have a few opportunities this summer. I hope I can figure out how to use the Google Group stuff. The list manager said the reason for the name of the group is too arcane to remember.

emily_in_nc

07-13-2014, 02:53 PM

Yesterday just rode to the farmer's market and Grocery Outlet on the Bike Fridays, then back with the big haul -- 8.3 miles.

Today did a 33.4 mile loop out in the country before it got too hot. Today's forecast high is 105, but I got back when it was "just" 94. With the low humidity here, it feels cooler than the temp, such a change from the southeast, where the humidity made it feel hotter than the actual temp. I prefer this!

Looks like we're in for 100+ highs until Friday, when we get a couple of days with highs in the mid-90s. That will actually feel cool in comparison...how strange!

I only need 43 miles to make 4000 for the year, so that's my goal for tomorrow.

ny biker

07-13-2014, 04:32 PM

Emily, I did not realize that it gets so hot in Washington state.

Re: riding day after day, I think another aspect of it is pace. If you ride a moderate pace that you can sustain without feeling tired at the end, I would think you'd be better able to feel good riding again the next day. I say "I would think" because I haven't actually tested this theory. But I do know that when I ride on my own or with faster riders, I generally start out fast and then slow way down toward the end because my legs get achy and tired. When I ride with friends who do lots of touring, we usually ride a more steady pace that seems slow to me. But at the end of either type of ride, my average speed is not very different, but I feel better after the steady pace rides.

Anyway, I rode about 35 miles yesterday with a few friends. I designed the route, and it was supposed to be 49 miles in all, but one friend didn't feel well after about 28 miles so we took a short cut back to the start. She said she took a salt tablet, and the only other time she's ever taken these particular tablets she also felt sick. But her main problem was a fast heart beat, which I don't see on the list of symptoms when I do a search on "hypernatremia." She also thought there was caffeine in the salt tablets, so maybe that caused the problem. Anyway, it was also hot and humid, so we stopped for a long time in the shade and took our time finishing the ride, and afterwards we gave her ice packs that a couple of us had in coolers in our cars, and she drank lots of water and ate some mixed nuts, and we sat in the shade while waiting for a family member that she called to drive her home. Her heart rate returned to normal, but she still felt weak and fuzzy-headed until about 5 hours later, which was also about the time she started to pee a lot. So I don't know exactly what was in those tablets, but we all agreed she should throw the rest of the them away.

I was actually happy to cut the ride short, since I had just returned from 8 days vacation in California and I was very tired from jet lag. My legs felt pretty weak when we first started the ride, and we were maintaining a pretty good pace so I was feeling tired by the time we were halfway through our planned route. It would have been one of those start fast/end slow days for me even if my friend had been feeling fine. And it felt hotter than the weather forecast had indicated, maybe because it had been hot in California but not nearly as humid.

Today I took advantage of Trek's annual TdF sale and bought new water bottle cages for my bike. There's nothing wrong with the old ones, but they are black, and I think white ones will look better with the plum handlebar tape that I recently got for my new handlebars. I'm planning to donate the old handlebars to the nonprofit bike shop that works with local teenagers, so I'll probably donate the black bottle cages to them, too.

emily_in_nc

07-13-2014, 07:41 PM

Emily, I did not realize that it gets so hot in Washington state.

I didn't either, being from NC and spending most of my life there. And most of what you hear about Washington focuses on the Seattle area, where it is indeed cool much of the time -- though they're having a heatwave at the moment too.

When we started researching coming out here for the summer, we discovered that Washington has a very different climate depending on whether you are east or west of the Cascades. West of the mountains it's much cooler, rainier, and more humid because of the marine influences from the Pacific Ocean. East of the Cascades is actually "high desert", dry, sunny, and hot in the summer -- it has a "Mediterranean" climate.

My DH loves hot and sunny weather, so that's primarily why we're here. The road cycling is excellent, with roads of lightly traveled farm roads in the valley, and challenging hill climbs in the hills/foothills surrounding Walla Walla if you're so inclined. The scenery is gorgeous.

I have a lot of rides like the type you mention, where I start off fast (riding with DH), feel great, and end up riding solo and slow at the end. DH rides more miles than me, so we usually split up on the return trip so he can do longer loops, and I can get done sooner than him. Some of the sluggishness near the end of the ride is due to the heat building up during the ride just making it harder, but sometimes I don't eat or drink enough during the ride, and I trying to work on that.

Crankin

07-14-2014, 04:38 AM

I start slow and always end up feeling better at the end. In fact, I often end up finishing a group ride before riders that are overall faster than me.
One of the reasons I stopped doing certain group rides is that they all go out like bats out of hell. DH and I have learned that on many of the shorter rides we do, we often start off climbing, go slowly, and by the time we get back to the flatter part of the loop, we can get our averages up about +2 mph.
If people think this is wimpy, well, it works.

jilliebeanmn

07-14-2014, 10:42 AM

You ladies put on some MILES! :)

My "long" rides on the weekend are 20-30 miles, and my weeknight rides are 15-20.

I did 25 miles on the trail yesterday and it was a PERFECT biking weather day. If not for a packed day, leaving very little time in my schedule I definitely would have went further. I am such a newbie. :)

My biggest problem with rides over 2 hours is my back ends up killing me. I think I am going to try and move my seat down a little and see if that helps.

ny biker

07-14-2014, 11:09 AM

jilliebeanmn

07-14-2014, 11:14 AM

2014 Cannondale Quick-a hybrid with flat handlebars.

emily_in_nc

07-14-2014, 05:13 PM

Today I did 47 on the roadie and 2.5 afterwards on the Bike Friday w/panniers to get groceries.

My DH finds the end of our rides here hard too -- I think it's a combination of chip-seal roads near the end, a slight but very long "false flat" back to our rental, and the fact that by the time we're heading in, it's HOT. Today was 88 when I finished up, and I was dripping from every pore. The last 5 miles or so were a grind, but I did it.

I am proud because I achieved 4000 miles on the year today. I have a lot more time to ride now that I'm retired, and it's looking like this will easily beat my previous record year of 2004, where I did 4279 miles, but a good % of those were trainer miles. Living in NC at the time and being a cold-weather wimp, I rode almost exclusively on the trainer from Nov-Feb and occasionally outside those months as well. Now we're able to follow good weather, so getting in outdoor miles is much easier.

AppleTree

07-14-2014, 07:35 PM

ny biker

07-14-2014, 07:55 PM

2014 Cannondale Quick-a hybrid with flat handlebars.

You might want to try posting in the Health forum for advice. It could be a problem with reach, which might be fixed by a different size stem or different handlebars. But it also might be an issue with core strength or flexibility. When my lower back hurts, it means I need to stretch my hamstrings.

emily_in_nc

07-14-2014, 08:48 PM

Way to go Emily! And the year's only half over, so well done you! Riding in the heat is hard, I hate it. I'm glad I didn't do STP this year, as the first day was in the 90's. It would have killed me for sure, haha.

I've been sick all week, horrible bronchitis. I'm hoping to feel better to ride tomorrow maybe.

Thanks AppleTree, and so sorry to hear that you're sick...bad time of year for that.

I was amazed to see how hot it would be for the STP. I'm sure that's atypical!

I'm sure my miles will tail off this fall as we'll be traveling back east, so lots of days in the car, then some family time so not a lot of cycling then either. So for me, the year is well more than half over...and really it is since this is the 7th month, not the 6th. I was thinking the same thing today as I rode along: "Hey, today the year is just about half over!" when I realized that actually occurred a month ago. :D Time flies!

Crankin

07-15-2014, 03:28 AM

Getting ready for our annual trip to the Berkshires. Decided to rest yesterday and just got back from a very fast 3 mile walk with DH at 5:30 AM. I want my legs to be rested, as my friend who plans the routes has 2 new ones: one is 57 miles with lots of climbing in the beginning and the other has a 15% climb. The others, well, I already know the suffering! Oy. I will be tempted to sit by the pool with DH as he heals, but I intend to ride every mile. This should add in some good mileage for me. I'm at 1,100 and I need to be at 2,000 by the end of August to get near 3K for the year. It probably won't happen, but, I am hoping for a nice fall.
DH went to the ortho yesterday. He doesn't need to wear the sling, can walk or run. He's still targeting easy riding around Aug. 15. The doc said he'll be easily be ready to lead a ride we are doing on 9/27 and for our trip to Portugal, the week after that.

marni

07-15-2014, 03:37 PM

Woot! 15.2 mph for 36 miles today in 2:15 in the 80/80% heat and humidity. This at a 7:30 am start. Guess leg pressing 220 lb x 40 per week is starting to pay off. Either that or it is so ****miserable on the road so that all I want to do is get off!

emily_in_nc

07-15-2014, 07:06 PM

That's awesome, Marni! I would be thrilled with that speed. I normally average 13.5 - 14.8 depending on route and whether I'm riding with DH or not. I have averaged 15+ just twice this year. Used to be much faster, but since my crash in '05, I've never been able to ride that fast since. I can do the miles, just not quickly!

Crankin

07-17-2014, 06:05 AM

Did our Berkshire warm up ride late yesterday. 18 miles, with enough climbing to make me hurt. This was a slightly different version of a 15 mile ride I've done before. Woke up not feeling so great, definitely allergies, but my stomach and other parts not so great, either. Our ride is 40 miles today, a really beautiful ride, so I have to get myself in gear. My friend is really ow, so I can always ride with her, instead of trying to keep up with her DH.

cosc

07-17-2014, 08:37 AM

Yesterday was a perfect (70's without much wind) day to ride. I rode 46 miles, but wasn't feeling up to snuff. About 12 miles in I started getting a stitch in my side which spread to other parts.
I saw a cute scene which I would of stopped and taken a picture if I wasn't looking forward to plopping on my bed at home. There was about 20 red cows cooling themselves in a creek, while their white calves were all in a group keeping flies on the bank of the creek. Amazing thing to me as none of their babies were red like their Mom and not 1 calf was in the cool water.

ny biker

07-17-2014, 09:30 AM

I rode 19 miles last night, one of the longer versions of my standard post-work hill ride. Thanks to a derailleur/shifting problem, I had major issues shifting into my largest cog, which meant I couldn't use it like I usually do for the short but steep climbs. What better way to get back in shape after a sedentary vacation? My legs were tired by the end but it was a good kind of tired, as they say.

The weather was damn near perfect, and a found another small park with a restroom that's near my ride start, since the portolet has been removed from the park where I start.

Crankin

07-17-2014, 02:49 PM

Today's ride in the Berkshires went from our inn in Gt. Barrington, through Alford, into W Stockbridge, up Lenox Mt. Into Lenox, past Kripu, and Tanglewood and into Stockbridge where we ate lunch. Then we took a back way through Housatonic back. 40 miles, 2500 ft of climbing, but it felt much harder than the last time I did this ride. It is really a beautiful ride, but really lots of ups and downs.
Tomorrow, 57 miles.

emily_in_nc

07-17-2014, 03:23 PM

Yesterday was my day off the bike. :)

Today was WINDY. Sheesh! Worst wind we've had here so far. I made it about 10 miles into our planned route (which pretty much headed out right into the wind for 20 miles and would have a great tailwind on the way back) before deciding I just couldn't handle 10 more miles of headwinds and turning around. DH left later than me and would have caught me, but we both detoured on different roads and missed each other, so I finally called him and let him know where I'd be going. We both did loops closer to "home" to avoid any more westward pedaling, and I cut my ride short with "only" 31.25 miles. Still, glad to get that in these conditions!

Crankin

07-17-2014, 03:33 PM

That should have said Kripalu.

marni

07-17-2014, 04:18 PM

another successful 36 miles at 14.9. Can't believe that I have done two days in a row at a speed which is almost light speed for me. Guess for once there hasn't been any head wind, or maybe the heavy leg presses actually are paying off. time will tell.

emily_in_nc

07-17-2014, 05:17 PM

That's great Marni! I averaged a pitiful 13.4 today. But with the wind, I'm not beating myself up too badly.

smittykitty

07-18-2014, 07:39 AM

Rode Tour D' Cure for cancer out of Bend OR with DH last Sat. This had to be the most scenic organized ride we have fine so far. Beautiful farm country on quite country roads, with incredible mountains everywhere! Wonderful support and great cause.

We planned on the 50 miler due to our limited riding this year, but we feeling so good that we jumped on the 74 mile route! In the end we wished we had stuck with the shorter route. Upper 90's and LOTS of rolling hills was a lot harder then the much cooler, flat rides of W. WA!
I also had a bad experience with leg cramps, in my clip out leg no less. Guess I was dehydrated. Never want to experience that again! Ouch and scary!

We plan to do it again another year, but will train and properly hydrate (lesson learned). Won't forget Advil again either!

Crankin

07-18-2014, 11:18 AM

Today's ride was an epic fail. First, we decided to bail on the climb over the mountain. We have not done this route before. The climb (we drove it) was hard,, but doable. It, just as we suspected, the descent was not so good, with broken pavement t. The worst was, the next road was a dirt road, very muddy and rocky. Not ok for road bikes. Next road was more climbing. Got to the new start point and rode about 4 miles on a rail trail. Then our GPSs all were going nuts. After a couple of more miles, Brant said he thought Janine and I should ride back to the car, as the GPS was trying to send us in the opposite direction. We were in a very rural area in NY, so no guarantee about road conditions or climbs. We rode back, got in the car and were back at the inn in 11 miles.
Brant just posted a pic of him eating lunch in a graveyard in Connecticut, about 15 miles from here.
I rode 12 miles at a slow pace and now I am going to sit at the pool.

emily_in_nc

07-18-2014, 08:09 PM

Great ride today! I'd planned on around 40 miles, but riding with DH, ended up with 55...figures!

We rode up to a park. Terrible headwinds for about the first 14 miles, but then we turned and had crosswinds as we climbed to the park on a very low-traffic rural road. Only heart-pounding moment was when three LARGE dogs started chasing us, but they stopped at the end of their property, thank goodness! The grade was not bad at all -- 1000' elevation gain in 11 miles. The park was gorgeous! We didn't stay long, just looked around, then turned around and headed back down. This time we had more of a headwind, but downhill, it was okay. And the three dogs were nowhere to be found in this direction, thank goodness!

When we got back to town, we treated ourselves to lovely cinnamon rolls from the Mennonite bakery, then continued on back to where we are staying, mostly with tailwinds, for the rest of the mileage.

khg

07-18-2014, 08:37 PM

Are people doing rides on Sunday for the Women's 100? (It's an idea/event put forward by Rapha, whereby women around the world ride 100 kilometers/62 miles on the 20th--a sort of global solidarity of women's cycling. I guess.)

I'll probably be doing something, though I don't know what yet. I was thinking of biking Hurricane Ridge, but I think the weather will be better for that in a few days. I might join Cascade Bicycle Studio's ride that they're hosting, or just do a ride on my own if that's more my mood.

At any rate, happy riding on Sunday, whether it's 1 or 100! Or happy ride recovering, if that's the agenda!

azfiddle

07-19-2014, 11:03 AM

I've ridden nearly 300 miles so far in July but really haven't posted. Started the month in California on our vacation, and had a chance to ride in the Santa Cruz Mountains for one last steep hill before driving home to Arizona, on the Soquel road up to Summit Road and toward Loma Prieta (we didn't finish the climb- not enough time or energy and it was getting hot).

After getting back to Arizona, I've done quite a few 20-ish mile rides for commuting (5 times in two weeks!) or after work on "training" rides (following instructions for intervals etc, from my coach). Other than the that, the only longer rides have been 30 miles taking the long route in to work via Pistol Hill and Colossal Cave Road last Sunday, and this morning's ride).

The ride today was 42 miles with my women's group, and as usual, I am usually at the back of the group once we start any climbing. The intervals don't seem to be helping that much, at least so far. As soon as I start trying to go faster on hills, my quads hurt. It's like I have a built in upper limit :( Maybe it will get better.

But the route was good, it wasn't too hot, and part of the time someone stayed back and rode with me so I didn't feel totally left out, and we ended up at a coffee shop that sponsors us.

Crankin

07-19-2014, 12:54 PM

Today's ride was wonderful. Not as long, but beautiful. We rode out of the inn, into Sheffield, through just outstanding rural neighborhoods, farms, and forest. It was all slightly rolling, with one big climb, which I had done before. It seemed harder than I remember, or maybe I am just getting old? Well, there were some spots where it flattened, I was able to recover, and slowly spin to the top in my granniest of gear. AZ Fiddle, no amount of intervals would increase my speed on these kinds of climbs; it's just too painful, I'd rather just be able to get to the top. And today, I had a moment of wavering, when I reminded myself it's a head game. Without DH to talk me up the climb, I get lazy. Well, I've felt pretty strong at home, so I guess I don't care. After the climb, we descended into Salisbury, CT for more ups and downs, until we got back to a road that connects to the one our in. Is on. With 9.5 miles left, Brant took off and I was alone to tackle some relentless small hills on a busier road.
Good ride in cooler weather. 28 miles with about 1900 ft of climbing.

Catrin

07-19-2014, 03:24 PM

Sounds like good rides all around! I found myself waxing nostalgic this morning on my way to my usual Sat morning competition training session. Most of my route is actually an old route that I used to ride all of the time. Indeed it feels odd DRIVING that route :) I could remember the level of effort THIS hill took or THAT section of rough rode. It was a good kind of nostalgia however, for which I am thankful.

marni

07-19-2014, 03:47 PM

You can tell when you have been riding to many days in a row when in the car, you find yourself taking your foot off of the gas pedal 100 feet from to stop light , hoping that the light will change before you come to a full stop or when you find yourself calling out" on your left" to the woman ahead of you in the grocery aisle.

sigh....

emily_in_nc

07-19-2014, 04:34 PM

This morning was just a little 8-mile ride to the farmer's market and grocery outlet on our Bike Fridays with panniers. Got lots of goodies!

Catrin, I so know that feeling. No matter where we happen to be, we ride much more than we drive, so whenever we get into the car and drive on roads we've ridden (often numerous times), it feels so strange!

azfiddle

07-19-2014, 06:44 PM

Marni- I knew I was riding too much the day I was driving alone in the car and saw some debris in the road, and pointed at it.....

Catrin, :( Sorry you're missing out on riding. You have had such a challenging journey but glad you are still here.

Crankin- if I was alone I wouldn't care how fast I went up, really, but there is this peer pressure and everyone is faster than I am, even when I get in more miles.

Catrin

07-20-2014, 10:13 AM

...

Catrin...You have had such a challenging journey but glad you are still here...

Thanks so much for your kind words - and I am very thankful to have found something else that my body will allow me to do without any real problems. Over the years this forum has come to mean a lot to me, and while I've been on the internet since...well it actually wasn't the "internet", at least not in a form that modern users would recognize, I've yet to see another forum as open and supportive of women as this one. Riding brought me here, but the great group of TE women kept me here :-)

marni

07-20-2014, 03:57 PM

Did the Katy Flatland Century, a supported ride,this am. Now this is a ride you have to sign up for in advance, pay a registration form for etc. It''s a big ride = or - 3500 riders. Simce this is right in my back yard I always ride it. My big problem is that in a ride like this, at least around here, there always seem to be an excess of flats withing the first five miles. I counted 15 today and then another 25 in the remaining 57 miles. Since people presumably plan ahead for this ride and are good riders, and I ride these roads month after month without a flat why are there always so many flats.

and why is there always at least one (three today) large groups/ teams in matching kits who persist in riding in the lane in spite of traffic behind them. Not just for a short distance until it is safe to single file or at least edge over but for several miles holding up the traffic and endangering the rest of us who are riding single file over to the right, trying to ride save? Idiots like this are who make it hard for the rest of us normal bike riders.

Anyway, enough of the vent did a metric century in 3:30 with an average speed of 15.8 which for me is amazing. Don't know what was in my morning coffee but I want more!

khg

07-20-2014, 04:15 PM

I'm working on my climbing, so I used today's Rapha Women's 100k event as a motivator to ride out to a couple big climbs in the area (both gain + or - 1000 feet, with some cruelly steep bits...). I ended with 62.3 miles and 5300 feet of climbing. Ouch--but I guess that's the idea! Yesterday I did an abbreviated, 50 mile version of the same ride, so that added to the fun today...

At least it was a great day here for climbing--overcast and in the 60's, and after a system came through overnight, the air was really fresh. My ride went through a couple wooded areas, and the smell in the air was so amazing--green, growing, and alive. It made me glad I was having to breathe so deeply! It was also encouraging that even though I found the ride today to be really difficult, it was way beyond what I could do not too long ago.

Right now I'm trying to motivate myself to get off the couch and walk as far as the fridge--no success yet. And I'm taking a rest day tomorrow!

Marni, congrats on the blazing fast metric century--if you figure out what was in your morning coffee, send me some too! As it was, I set no land speed records on my metric century today...

Crankin

07-20-2014, 04:50 PM

I did a small ride when we got home from the Berkshires today. It was kind of cloudy out there, and had rained last night, and the weather looked better at home. Ate lunch, read the paper, and went out for my short loop, around 11 miles, with 2 climbs. As I was cresting Strawberry Hill, a guy passed me and said "good job." Now I know this is meant as a compliment, but I always take it as "good job for a newbie, Fred, old person." I laughed and said, "Yeah, for a 60 year old lady," as I was going about 10 at the top. He actually slowed and said he had been riding around 22 years; when I said I had been riding around 14 years and didn't start until my late 40s, he said, "You must hve been a runner before," to which I replied, definitely not, I was a fitness instructor, but starting to ride was like starting all over. We rode together, chatting for just a bit and I turned off. I pushed myself, had an average of 15.2 when I got back to my neighborhood; well, I count my average before I go up the climb, as the last mile is a 5-15% grade and I use it as a cool down, or it's not pretty.
Going to commute tomorrow and Tuesday, hopefully.

emily_in_nc

07-20-2014, 05:16 PM

45 miler today. The first 20 miles were into the stiff wind and mostly uphill...not huge grades, but a grind. I was only averaging 12.7 when I turned around and was pretty miserable. Fortunately, most of the way back I had either a tailwind or crosswind with just a short section of headwind. It's been so windy here lately! Supposed to have a less windy day tomorrow, so am crossing fingers. Ended up with an average speed of 14, which I was delighted with considering the first 20 miles were sooooo slow!

Veronica

07-21-2014, 04:06 AM

We spent the first two weeks or so of July mountain biking in the Hood River, Mount St. Helens area. At some point I'll have pictures. It was a blast and I came home covered in bruises, so much so that I have had people ask what happened to me. My chiro said it looked like I had been beaten. We don't have much in the way of single track in our immediate area and these trails were a real challenge for me - technical, steep. I only had two falls and those were both in the first few days, but every day I had more bruises. We also "hiked" through a two mile lava tube. That was pretty cool. I say "hike" because it involved a lot of rock scrambling and one section that we had to scale. It had really good hand and foot holds though and was not very tall, maybe ten feet.

Yesterday we took the road bikes out for the first time in forever and rode 30 miles. We actually got rained on a little bit. It doesn't typically rain here until the fall. It was just sprinkles, so the drought is not over. My road bike is SO light! But on every hill I wanted a smaller gear than I had. I think my legs are use to the feel of climbing in my mountain bike gears. It wasn't a big deal that I ran out of gears. I think the steepest climb was 15% and they were super short. My road bike is a compact double so of course the gearing feels different.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BtAQjEECcAAXTvT.jpg

I have decided to race tri again in September so this ride was kind of a benchmark ride to see where I am on the road bike. I'm pretty happy with how I felt on the bike and my average speed. It's a good starting place. I'll have different things to day about tomorrow's first run I'm sure. I don't think I've run outside in the last six months.

Veronica

roo4

07-21-2014, 07:22 AM

I rode the Keystone MS150 this weekend. About 75 miles each day through rolling country roads. I averaged about 14.5 mph on both days. The first day I started with my group, but they outpaced me after 20-30 minutes. We regrouped at each rest stop and repeated this throughout the day. Yesterday I just did my own ride and never saw them after the start. The ride was extremely well organized, roads were marked, most intersections had people flagging traffic, there were lots of support vehicles on the road and plenty of food at the stops. The weather was overcast and cool the entire weekend, just perfect for cycling.

emily_in_nc

07-21-2014, 08:14 PM

This morning before our longer road ride we loaded up the Bike Friday panniers and rode the 4 miles over to the recycling place here, since there's no pickup where we're staying. It was a fun little ride and a good warm up for our longer ride. 8 miles for the recycling ride and 39 for the road ride. The wind was finally lighter than it's been recently, and the temperature was lower as well -- 70s! All in all, an excellent day.

Panniers loaded with recycling, plus mixed paper/cardboard strapped on top of DH's rack:

17283

Irulan

07-22-2014, 09:16 AM

I did some exploring this weekend. I finally found some trails in an area that DH likes to go for whitewater boating. Now I've got something to do besides being shuttle bunny.

There was some of this
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3839/14710016745_ed29220d83.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/opSFun)

and some of this
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3859/14709902975_da51205d1a.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/opS6EP)

and on one trail, a whole lot of this:
https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2916/14709618432_470751e1ee.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/opQD5U)

roo4

07-22-2014, 10:24 AM

Irulan, that is gorgeous! Enjoy exploring.

emily_in_nc

07-22-2014, 01:49 PM

Wow, gorgeous, but you are brave! Those look like hiking trails to me. I am such an MTB weenie!

marni

07-22-2014, 03:49 PM

not only are the seasonal salt/sweat circles on the garage floor back, but so are the triple digits. Finished the standard training ride of 40 miles at 10:00 AM and the temps was 93 with 100% humidity- Definitely at least a "feels like" of at least 105. sigh......

Catrin

07-22-2014, 04:32 PM

Woah! Those are some awesome mtb trails! I suspect I would be afraid WALKING a couple of them :-)

Crankin

07-23-2014, 11:58 AM

I went on a group ride today. It's about 91 degrees with 47% humidity. I questioned my sanity, but it's local, led by someone I ride with and know, and there was a catered lunch afterwards. I correctly chose not to ride to the start, as that would have been close to 50 miles and I knew I would not want to ride home in this weather, after lunch.
So, this is the group that uses human arrows; since I know the area and the leader, I vounteered to arrow on the second turn. Took me awhile to catch back up, after the sweep went by, but, I did. Then, about a mile after that, Jack, the leader, missed a turn, despite having a GPS. One of the safety coordinators for the club yelled out, "Who has a GPS that can ride with Jack and you don't have to arrow." I volunteered, and made everyone happy. However, when we got to a hill in Westford, on a busy street, I got dropped a bit and few of the faster guys stayed with him, until I caught up. I stayed at the back of the front group until he missed another turn, and I yelled out, got the 4-5 guys to reel him in and we turned around. By this time, despite the shady roads, I felt crappy, despite drinking my Skratch and one Shot Block. When we turned onto a street that was in full sun, I finally pulled over, dumped water over my head, and went on. So now, I could see no one. One guy had been behind me, but he went ahead. The whole ride was in familiar territory, so I slowed down. Finally, affter making 2 turns and seeing the human arrows, someone caught up with me. We were almost back, and voilá, there was Jack with one other guy. The 4 of us got to a left turn with a steep little uphill, that I hate, someone else took the arrow post and I took the next one, which was the second to last turn. I got to stand and point the way, under a shady tree, and down what was left of my water and Skratch. I was there awhile, and then I rode back to the start with the sweep.
I don't think I've ever sweat so much. I brought a skort to change into and I could not stop sweating when I was changing, cleaning up. Ate a chicken breast with mushrooms and some salad and had a well deserved beer.
It's really ugly out there. 35.5 miles and Ilearned a nice route that I can make into a 50 miler from my house.

ny biker

07-23-2014, 01:17 PM

I have never heard of a ride with human arrows before.

After finishing a ride on a hot day, I find that I need to wait a while for the sweat to stop pouring out like buckets before I change into clean clothes. Ideally I'll find a place with A/C to cool down, otherwise I try to find some shade where I can sit and drink the OJ that I keep in a cooler in my car. I also have blue ice packs in the cooler, which can help cool me down faster.

I want to go for a ride after work tonight or tomorrow, but I can't tell which day will be better, weather-wise. Tonight there is a chance of thunderstorms, but the forecast for tomorrow is not clear on whether it will rain in the morning/early afternoon or continue through the evening.

Crankin

07-23-2014, 04:16 PM

Well, this is a sub group of a club that is known for faster rides, where no one stays together. It's social. What's happened though, in the ten years I've been riding with them, is that we have faster riders, who average around 15, even on really hilly rides and those that like the regular pace of an average of 13-ish, though we certainly get our speed up to 17-18 at times. We often have 2 groups go out, at diffrent paces, sometimes 3. Today, I was with the fast group, but it was advertised a regular pace... which even for me, with arrowing and stopping was over 14. The intent of human arrows were so they didn't need to give out cue sheets. Now, about half or more of the people, at least the ones I tend to stick with, have GPSs. Some of these people are incredible, 60-80 years old and ride tons, travel, do tours, run marathons, do the PMC. Others are younger, in their 40s or 50s, but can get Wednesday off. Quite a few also belong to AMC and sometimes come on the rides I lead (that's how I found this group). I know enough of them that it's friendly, but I am not in the inner circle, since even with Wednesdays off, I don't go every week. When I was teaching, I had a few years of going frequently, but since some of the summer rides repeat, and require driving long distances to the start, I don't feel the need to do those again. Most are around the area I live in, though.

emily_in_nc

07-23-2014, 05:18 PM

Ugh Crankin, that sounds like tough weather. It's not the heat, it's the humidity! Not missing that in eastern WA one bit.

Today I surpassed my previous annual mileage record of 4279 set in 2004 before my cycling accident in April 2005. I honestly never thought I'd be able to ride that much again because of the pain I continued to have in my upper right buttock/lower back, but this year, since we've been traveling and following the good weather, I was able to start training in January and build up mileage slowly. Plus DH put a stem extension on my Trek that put me in a more upright position, which may have helped as well. Whatever the cause, with today's ride I have now had my biggest mileage year ever. :) And it's still only July!

Today's ride was 51 miles, and I actually averaged over 15, which is rare for me these days. Of course, it helped that I drafted off DH...when I do this route or a variation of it on my own, I would be somewhere in the 14s.

I ate a nice large bowl of ice cream when we got back to celebrate. Yum!

Crankin

07-24-2014, 04:48 AM

You know, Emily, I often wonder if I would ride as much as you do, if I was in your situation. Something tells me no. When I quit teaching, I had all intentions of riding tons and actually, the opposite happened; I felt paralyzed, anxious, and ended up not riding for a whole fall, which is my favorite season! I know I ride plenty, and this year, I am making more of an effort, but sometimes I wonder about both my physical and mental toughness. Yesterday, there were several people who did a very tough century on Sunday (goes up Mt. Wachusett) on the ride I did, which was stressful because of the heat. They were also talking about what rides they were doing Thursday/Friday. I know everyone is different, but there are plenty of moments when both DH and I say we want a day to be "regular people." Of course, we might go for a hike or walk, but we are not riding. My limit seems to be 4 times a week, maybe 5, as long as I am going to the gym for boot camp. You and I seem to be somewhat the same type of rider, so I guess that is why I am comparing to you. I am finding more and more it's a mental thing, but I definitely need more rest than a lot of the other riders I know.

ny biker

07-24-2014, 07:54 AM

My limit is twice a week. Anything more than that is not fun for me.

In part this is because I do weight training twice a week, and too much cycling makes me feel tired, like I never recover from a ride or a workout. But it could also be because I have to work five days a week and I find that I need time to relax and do nothing as part of the stress management for that. If I were working less, I might enjoy riding more days per week.

BTW I ended up not riding last night. It looked like thunderstorms would hit the area during the ride. As it turned out, the rains storms fizzled out, but there was lightning in the area during the time that I would have been riding so cancelling was a good call. The weather forecast indicates that the overnight/morning rain showers should be gone by this evening, so I'm going out tonight instead.

emily_in_nc

07-24-2014, 08:40 PM

Crankin ~~ I agree that we are similar types of riders. In the past, i.e., when I was working, I rode 4x a week max -- often both days of the weekend (one shorter, utility ride; one longer recreational ride) and 2x a week after work. We had a gym at work, and I worked out with weights and/or jogged the other days of the week, so I was doing something every day of the week, but I had more of a balance.

Now that I'm retired and no longer have a gym at my easy disposal, the main reason I am riding so much (6x weekly) is because of DH -- he has almost 8K miles on the year this year and is absolutely obsessed with this being his biggest cycling year ever. Since we're traveling and only really have each other, I feel compelled to join him on rides, even when sometimes I'd rather not. Often I ride less miles than him (turn around sooner and ride back by myself), but we almost always start out together. Since he decided to make this a huge cycling year, I finally decided to follow suit since he really doesn't want to hike or do other things at the moment, just ride. And the weather is so gorgeous here, it's very conducive to daily cycling, unlike in other places we've lived in the past.

I've found that the more I ride, the more it's hard to skip a day. I take one day completely off per week, and on Saturdays we just ride to the farmer's market, so it's a short utility ride.

You are working and doing other types of workouts as well, so it's perfectly understandable that you wouldn't have the desire or time to ride as much as I am now. And really, this may be the only year I do this. But I've come so far now that I want to challenge myself to see just what I can do.

All that said, I haven't done a single century or other organized event this year and have no desire to. I don't like to pay to ride, drive to the start of a ride, nor start as early as organized events start. I just get up, drink coffee, eat a healthy breakfast, then ride as far as I feel like.

And the miles add up. :)

Crankin

07-25-2014, 04:03 AM

I think one of the reasons I don't want to move to a climate where I could ride all year round, is that I am afraid I'd burn out. This definitely happened to me when I was teaching aerobics; even after I stopped teaching classes, I lasted about 4-5 more years, and then I started riding. I just couldn't stand going to the gym, even though I needed to lose weight! I understand why you are riding so much, it sounds like your DH won't continue this rate of riding, after the year passes.
I am only working about 25 hours a week, less during the summer, since I have a lot of clients away, teens with jobs, etc. I'm kind of like you, in that I am loathe to drive far for a ride start, thus the reason why I haven't gone to a lot of the Wed. rides in my group. But, I need to do one longer (30+) mile ride during the week, to do any kind of decent yearly mileage. It's pretty rare I'd do a ride this long by myself, too. I don't generally do organized (charity) rides, either. Too many people, especially ones acting like racers. I did 2 local metrics last year, and that was fine, because I didn't need to raise money, just pay a sign up fee, and I could start early ahead of the crowds. The one that was super hard is for a very good cause that gives bikes to kids in the city, but they upped the fundraising and DH refused to do it. And the other one is this Saturday, and i am leading a ride somewhere else. I also wanted to do the Soldier Ride again (I did it about 3-4 years ago) alone, as it starts in Concord and it's the one charity I believe in; the Wounded Warrior Project. Again, it's on a day when i am leading a ride.
I barely got over 2,000 miles last year, somewhat because of weather (heat), a vacation that included no cycling, and laziness. That was my lowest mileage in 11 years.

Giulianna23

07-25-2014, 08:46 AM

Been riding an average of 150 miles per week. Trying to improve my skills and speed, trying to vary my rides as much as I can in between hilly rides training,Short hard rides, some relaxed rides and lately practicing intense drafting on flat terrain with few rolling hills. Had my first very fast group ride last week and what a difference it makes to ride as a group with each one taking turns pulling the pack. We did 30 miles with a 19.5mph average at the end of the ride. I was a bit tired but not exhausted. I could have gone for another 10-15 miles at the same pace. I couldnt believe that at times we were going at 22-23mph on the paceline. I felt accomplished and vey proud that all the hard work at the end pays off. I Thought it was going to take me much longer to see that average number on my gps screen, but it came sooner than expected and I am so glad. : ) just wanted to share with the forum.

ny biker

07-25-2014, 12:03 PM

My ride last night was very nice. I'm still trying to get back the fitness I lost over vacation, so I pushed the pace a bit and my legs were tired as a result. But that was the objective. Total ride was 19 miles with lots of short, steep hills.

My next ride will be a fundraiser for a volunteer fire department on Sunday. It's a long drive to get there, but it will give me a chance to explore some new roads, and I think I can modify their route to use a more convenient starting point for a future club ride. However I think it will rain on Sunday, which will make it somewhat less fun. I just hope there are no severe storms.

Dragonfly5

07-25-2014, 05:43 PM

We just returned from our vacation in Grand Isle VT. The riding there is fantastic! Beautiful mountain and lake views, smooth pavement and wide bike lanes on the busier road, so unlike what we have here. I set a goal for myself to ride 100 miles in a week (Sat. to Sat.) I'm at 80.5 and will be riding with a group of ladies tomorrow morning so I'm confident I'll reach my goal. It's incredible to feel myself getting stronger and faster (a little) I'm totally inspired by the miles you ladies ride every week :)

emily_in_nc

07-25-2014, 07:40 PM

Had my longest ride in Walla Walla so far today -- 56 miles. It's easy to put in pretty long mileages here because in the valley the terrain is mostly flat to near-flat with only a few rollers, nothing with really steep grades. The wind is more of a factor than the terrain, and the fact that a lot of the roads are chip-seal, so you do get tired and hands get numb, etc. We had a beautiful day today with light winds, so it was a great day to push the mileage just a bit. Yesterday I'd done just 22 miles so felt great today and ready for more mileage. It's been cooler than normal here lately, but supposed to get hot again starting tomorrow for the next week at least. Ah well, it's that time of year. This morning starting out in the mid 60s, it was downright chilly compared to what we've gotten used to.

Dragonfly, that sounds so beautiful. Vermont is one of my favorite states to ride in, though we haven't been there for years. It's absolutely gorgeous!

Crankin, I totally get what you're saying. I used to really enjoy my winters off the bike in NC, or just riding the trainer and not feeling compelled to go out in chilly weather. I would concentrate on weights and the dreadmill (which I really didn't mind, given good music on my MP3 player) and then be excited to hit the road again in the springtime. However, this year I've really enjoyed being outside in the sunshine all winter long -- it helps my mood just to get out there.

Here's the kind of views we see riding here. You can see why it makes me smile!

17295

kajero

07-25-2014, 09:44 PM

Woo! Woo! I rode 19 miles today and didn't get lost once. And it was a new route for me. It is the second time this year I rode a 19 mile route and didn't get lost.

I seem to have a problem getting lost when I ride over 16 miles. Yes, I have maps, but I am not good at the reading them. :D I don't have a smartphone or an expensive Garmin so those to options are not available to me.

OK, I know 19 miles is as much as most of you ride, but it is more than my friends who stay home and watch TV ride!

khg

07-26-2014, 10:22 AM

I rode Hurricane Ridge yesterday--and if you're in the PNW, I highly recommend it! Even better, next weekend is the Ride the Hurricane event, where for the morning, the road is closed to cars. http://business.portangeles.org/events/details/ride-the-hurricane-2773

Anyway, it was a hard ride, but so beautiful that it made the effort joyous. It also is much more do-able than I had anticipated, as there are no seriously steep bits, just constant climbing, usually around 6%. If you have low enough gears, don't care about setting a land speed record, and can just keep pedaling, it's an eminently attainable big impressive ride! I blathered on a lot about it here, with photos: http://mebikedolomitesoneday.wordpress.com/2014/07/26/hurricane-ridge-by-bike/

FYI, there are three short-but-unlit tunnels in quick succession--for these you want a taillight (I had mine on the whole ride) and a headlight that is good enough to see the road by, not just a be-seen blinky type of headlight. The road surface seems pretty good in there, the lanes are wide and there's even a bit of a sidewalk if you want to walk your bike through, so the tunnels feel pretty safe, but the transition from daylight to the tunnel is pretty intense. I brought my decent headlight, not my awesome headlight, and next time I will bring the awesome one...

The temperature at the bottom was in the 60's, and it was around 50 at the top. I had on a short-sleeved wool jersey, and my Rapha 3/4 winter bib knickers (probably my favorite piece of bike wear ever. I picked them up on sale, and look forward to weather cool enough to wear them. They are fleecy-soft warm happiness--I call them my Rapha pajamas--and I'm seriously tempted to buy another pair, even at full price... Ouch.) and I would have been fine with less clothing on the way up. But on the way down, even though I felt warm in the sun at the top, I bundled up, and am sure glad that I did. I had a wool cap, arm warmers, a windbreaker jacket, and full-finger wool gloves, and I wouldn't have minded a bit more clothing... So if you do the ride, bring warm things!

A little taste of the day:

17296

emily_in_nc

07-26-2014, 02:29 PM

Crankin

07-26-2014, 03:33 PM

Today was interesting. I led a ride in Mystic, CT, as after 8-10 miles, the other leader had one of his spokes break and his wheel was totally untrued. He sat on the side of the road to figure out a way to get back, after we all tried to get it fixed enough for him to ride, but couldn't. So... on I went. It was humid a partly cloudy down there. There were only 5 people on the ride, a mix of typical AMC geeks and one person from CT who is a super runner, young, and trying to improve her cycling to do an Oly. There was only one mildly annoying guy who was riding up on my azz, but kept falling back on the climbs. Finally I told him to go ahead if he wanted, which he did not; I dropped him on a long hill instead. Meh. Why do some guys do this?
It was fun, no issues, but it did start raining, just sprinkles as we did the area by the water in W. Mystic and Groton. There is a lot of climbing in the last 6-7 miles and I was tired, but not like 2 weeks ago, because the sun was not beating down on me. This ride has country roads, water views, the Mystic River and harbor, beaches, vineyards, mansions, and a downtown. It's really pretty and the part by the beach is not crowded at all, like in NH or the Cape. No honky tonk.
I drove down with another woman from Concord, so it was nice to not have to drive back after leading. It was a little hairy when we went down a hill, coming into the downtown, with tons of traffic and tourists. I actually got off my bike and walked a bit, as we were being squeezed off the road, but since we had to go over a drawbridge, it was fine, as we had already decided to walk over the grated bridge. But stuff like that makes me super vigilant, and it tires me out, because I feel responsible for the people. 42 miles.
Going out for bad food and beer :).

khg

07-26-2014, 05:10 PM

khg, absolutely gorgeous photos and lovely blog post. Congratulations on your huge accomplishment! And here I thought riding up Spearfish Canyon (13 miles at a lower grade) was something to brag about...sheesh -- you ROCK! :)

Thanks, Emily! You made me curious, so I found your June post about Spearfish Canyon, and right back at you about the photos and blog post. Now I want to go to Spearfish Canyon! What an amazing day that must have been, and *definitely* something to brag about :)

I'm really getting hooked on these sorts of rides--if a place is scenic enough to drive to and through, then it'll be even better by bike. You miss so much whizzing by in a car, and with anything mountainous, the view is that much sweeter for having earned it. (And given my impending bike trip to the Alps and Dolomites, I guess it's a good thing that I'm coming to love this sort of thing...)

That said, I was ok with *not* riding up a mountain today!

emily_in_nc

07-26-2014, 05:31 PM

Thanks, Emily! You made me curious, so I found your June post about Spearfish Canyon, and right back at you about the photos and blog post. Now I want to go to Spearfish Canyon! What an amazing day that must have been, and *definitely* something to brag about :)

Oh thanks! It wasn't really that difficult, just a long climb for me, especially since we've been riding mostly flat paved rail-trails for months. The views and scenery made every second worth it.

Enjoy Europe -- that will be amazing! And yeah, I don't blame you for not wanting to climb a mountain today. :)

All we did today was a little utility ride to the recycling drop-off, farmer's market, and grocery outlet, around 9 miles total on the Bike Fridays. Tomorrow will be a longer ride!

rebeccaC

07-28-2014, 01:25 PM

Did a bike trip last week that has to always be in the top three of my life. I was in Oslo for a couple days for a conference and then I spent 5 days of cycling, hiking and kayaking on Norway’s northern coast. Eye orgasms everywhere every day, friendly people, beautiful islands, mountains, fjords, small old fishing villages and good weather too. More bicycle tourists than I expected, this is the best weather time of the year to be traveling the coast or the islands though….on the second morning I met an Italian women who was doing the same route and I shared a great 4 days with her. We will definitely see each other again.

There are so many great adventures just waiting for us and our bicycles………

http://rchauvin.smugmug.com/photos/i-D3Zqvwn/0/L/i-D3Zqvwn-L.jpg

marni

07-28-2014, 04:27 PM

because I work out with a trainer 2x 2hr each week, I find it works better if I ride only three times a week. My normal training routes are between 40 and 50 miles and I ride with other people at least one of the three days which keeps me pushing. But honestly every few weeks the two rest days don't seem ebnough so I will take a light week and only train 2 x and ride 2 times and take three good solid do nothing other than short utility rides if that. You have to learn to listen to your body and be willing to admit that quality over quantity is a better choice every time. Unless you are training for an event and then you need to be really disciplined.

Having said all that I will admit that these days with the feels like temperatures in the triple digits and the humidity hanging close to 100%, that third day of riding is awfully hard to do.

Today's 45 were enlivened by several happy sights. A family of wild boars crossing the road in front of me ( mind you this was at 6:30 AM), a C 47 flying back and forth over my head a couple of times, a hot air balloon and a family of five ( mom, dad, baby in tag along and two kids ages 8 and 10 all riding along the road and not the sidewalk, all of them wearing firmly fastened helmets and all on properly fitted and sized bikes. On the street, all in helmets and fitted bikes are rarities around here.

khg

07-28-2014, 05:19 PM

emily_in_nc

07-28-2014, 09:19 PM

RebeccaC, that sounds like an amazing trip. Wow! Would love to do that someday.

Yesterday we did a metric century, kind of unintentionally as I'd planned on 45-50, but DH talked me into riding to a couple of small towns south of here with him. It ended up being a fun ride, albeit with a lot of climbing compared to our usual around here. We stopped at a fun little authentic Mexican restaurant along the way back, which gave me the extra calories and caffeine needed to finish the ride strong.

Today was supposed to be a recovery ride, and the first half was -- no wind, flat, easy pedaling, but on the way back it had gotten very hot, I couldn't even bear to drink the water I had left as it was steamy, and I forgot I was in the big chainring after a descent so worked way too hard in the last 10 miles or so wondering why in the heck it was so difficult going! Got home after 42 miles and felt awful, dripping with sweat and exhausted, but after two big glasses of water felt fine, so it had to have been dehydration. Funny since it was "only" 90F when we got back from this one, and yesterday's we ended at 95F, but today was harder in the last 10 miles due to lack of appropriate hydration.

I got spoiled with the cooler weather lately, but now it's back to HOT, and I need to take my Camelbak filled with ice water to make sure I have enough to drink if we don't run across a store or drinking fountain. Riding in rural areas, there's often not much available, so I need to plan better.

Lessons learned...you wouldn't think I'd still be making "rookie mistakes", but sometimes I still do. :rolleyes:

Crankin

07-30-2014, 01:42 PM

Today I went on a ride with a former colleague and her DH. She is the one person from my teaching career that I am still friends with. I bagged a very hilly group ride. They are about 10 years younger than me, and fit, they hike a lot. They both have hybrids; he had a crash a couple of years ago, and is just getting back into riding. I knew they would be slow, but they were enthused. I rode to meet them at the Acton library, about 4.7 miles, and we did a really pretty and mostly flat ride through Acton, Boxborough, and Stow. I had to do a lot of "teaching," for my friend, and she was definitely nervous when we got around more cars near the end. But, she managed OK, despite doing a couple of things that were not OK, like following me through a left turn, with oncoming cars. Fortunately the cars stopped and let her and her DH go, but really, I was the only one who had time to do it. We stopped for lunch at Idylwidle Farm and sat outside, where I ate a delicious caprese/eggplant salad. I ended up with 30 miles, they did about 20.
They were slow, but the difference was, they did pretty well on hills compared to other slower people I ride with. I did a lot of explaining and teaching about components, etc to her DH, so much, he paid for my lunch, he said he learned so much. It was a really nice day.

emily_in_nc

07-30-2014, 05:04 PM

Took a much-needed day off today. Yesterday's ride was 45 HOT miles, but this time I brought plenty of water. We stopped the little Mennonite bakery we like and bought some goodies to eat at our "10 miles from home" stop. Good ride!

Crankin, glad he bought you lunch -- with all the education you were giving these folks, it was only appropriate! :)

Catrin

07-30-2014, 05:10 PM

Crankin, sounds like a great day!

Emily - would that lovely hot ride have been on Toto or on Gloria? Just curious how the Jamis is standing up.

Crankin

07-31-2014, 10:07 AM

I rode with Hirakukibou today, for the first time in a couple of months. She came to my house and we did a slightly different version of my club's rally ride. The weather is really nice, but you can feel the humidity building. I don't know is in the air today, but there was just a surplus of awful/distracted drivers at the beginning of our ride, as we were going through Concord center. Since it was the exact same time and route that I take while commuting, I was very surprised. Two people wouldn't let us move left to get in the lane (one because he was in the wrong lane!) and just a bunch of other small things. On the way home, 2 guys were walking on the sidewalk and about to step out in front of us, with heads down, not even looking. What the? I yelled out and scared the cr@p out of them, and I hope I gave them a headache. What if I had been a car? I mean I was going about 18, not much slower than a car.
But, all in all, a great ride. We ride really well together. Came back here, Hira got ready for work, and then we ate lunch. A nice day.

emily_in_nc

07-31-2014, 04:13 PM

:mad:

Just wrote a longish comment/response here, and the internet glitched, and it went bye bye. The DSL in the airbnb unit we're staying in is a DOG, slow and prone to glitches; the only negative of this lovely place, and the owner is disinclined to do anything about it. So frustrating.

Anywho, Catrin, we can only carry four bikes with us on our travels, so this time the MTBs stayed behind in NC. We brought the Bike Fridays instead since we knew we'd want the panniers for going to markets and groceries, and we have certainly made use of them for utility rides. The Treks are what we ride for our longer rides.

The Jamis is doing great, though! I rode it a lot in KC on the urban trails and crappy roads and on gravel roads in Arizona this early spring. There's definitely more MTBing in our future, but this summer we're concentrating on mileage, and we can get more for less time (in the HEAT) on our roadies.

Today's ride was 53 miles, giving me over 1000 for this month -- maybe my best month ever? It was a pretty ride up to Harris Park, ate berries on the side of the road, met some curious horses and a friendly dog, and enjoyed the screaming descent out of the park. Nice ride!

Blueberry

07-31-2014, 05:36 PM

Emily - your mileage is such an inspiration!

I'm just focusing on having fun on the bike. I needed to scout a few things for the upcoming school year (bike racks since *$&% University is under construction and has moved them) - and so I just rode around and explored. In light rain. So much fun!!

khg

08-01-2014, 02:41 PM

So great to read about everyone's riding!

I finished off July by riding on Mt Rainier again, then volunteering at RAMROD (http://www.redmondcyclingclub.org/RAMROD/RAMROD.html) (Ride Around Mt Rainier in One Day), one of the big events here. I wrote a way-too-long post about it on my blog (link in sig)--but at least there are photos like this too: :)
17305

17306

My last ride of July was 1.5 miles from my motel room to the volunteer gathering at the start of RAMROD--at 3:15 am, I was trying to figure out what side of the huge high school everybody was on. When I finally found them, I blithely cycled up to the gathering, completely not noticing the curb in my way, and... Splat, hiss, hiss, I pinch-flatted both of my tires right in front of everybody! Oh well... I never have been one of the cool kids, and just need to remind myself of that once in a while. I had to laugh at myself though--apparently I can ride 70+ miles up and down mountains with nary a problem, but can't bike into a parking lot unsupervised...

After my shift I walked my bike back to my room and changed tubes in peace there (and with access to a sink--will I ever learn to remove and re-install the rear wheel without getting grease all over myself?) I had been meaning to replace my tubes anyway, as the rear was patched and the front's valve stem was shorter than I like--so maybe my unconscious was just making sure I stopped procrastinating, at the expense of my pride!

But it was still a great month of riding, and whatever I do, August has got to start out better, right?!?

Crankin

08-01-2014, 04:26 PM

I commuted today and someone else in a car blew their horn at me in the same exact spot as yesterday, when I was on a ride with Hirakukibou! This time, they did not cut me off; they were in the right turn lane and I had moved left to go straight. Apparently, I am supposed to hug the curb and get into the left lane like that? Eh, I gave her the finger, but I don't think she saw. It did raise my anxiety for the rest of the day.
I did not feel like riding with my packed pannier and I did not bring my clothes to work on Tuesday, because it was pouring out when I drove in. So, being that it's Friday, and i only had 2 clients, as well as being dead in the office, I rode my Kuota and wore my Terry city commuter shorts and a lycra t shirt, that's stylish. Unfortunately, I had to stuff a very light pair of shoes in my backpack, and that was kind of too much, but I made it. I left them at work and rode home with a much lighter pack. The few other colleagues thought I looked fine, but it was a bit too casual for me. I should have worn my cycling dress with a shrug, because it was hotter than hell and humid on the way home and that t shirt did not cut it!

emily_in_nc

08-01-2014, 09:00 PM

Thanks, Blueberry! Glad you're having fun on the bike. That's most important! :)

Today's ride was HAWT, HOT, however you spell it, it was just simply muy caliente! Started out at 86 degrees at 8:30 am and ended up 95 degrees four hours later. Owie.

I flatted due to a $*&^%! goathead at a little over 17 miles in -- one reason I prefer to ride with DH most of the time -- he's a lot better than I am at changing 'em. We discovered that one of our two spare tubes was the wrong size, so we only had one good tube without patching. Used that one to fix my flat.

Finished the ride, and near the end, we split up since I was done and DH wanted to ride further. I ended up with 57 miles, which was more than enough. After lots of hydration, snacks, and a lovely shower, my phone rang. It was DH, out on the road with a flat he couldn't fix. Since I'd used the only right-sized tube, and taken the one that flatted with me (that he possibly could have patched), he only had the one he flatted with. Since he'd ridden on the rim for a bit trying to get to some shade (it was 98F by this time), in addition to the original puncture, he had two pinch flats! So no way he could fix it.

Thank the gods for cell phones and spouses, I was able to jump in the car and go pick him up. He was only around 3 miles from "home".

It was just one of those days, I guess! Tomorrow is our light day with just a quick ride to the Farmer's Market -- really looking forward to that. We are both read for a rest.

rebeccaC

08-01-2014, 11:39 PM

I wrote a way-too-long post about it on my blog (link in sig)--but at least there are photos like this too: :)
17305

17306

Nice write up on your mt rainier ride! must be nice to have the cascades so close!!! I think I’d like riding the north cascades highway.....i should have that in my goal journal :).....seems like good climbing in some isolated nature. Have you ridden over it ?

cosc

08-02-2014, 07:02 AM

I've rode a few 43 mile rides this past week. Weather was great for this time of the year. Mostly upper 70's with little wind!
The past couple of days I've been packing for CANDISC ride in ND. Why it takes me so long to pack I don't know. It's not like I haven't prepared for rides like these before. Yes, I need to bring less so I have less to haul around at the campsite. I'm going by myself so I'll get an arm workout carrying 2 full bags. The ride makes a loop close to the Missouri River.
I put different tires on my bike last night so I'm looking forward to trying them out.
Gotta get movin so I make it to Garrison ND today. I'll tell you about my adventure when I get back.

khg

08-02-2014, 10:29 AM

Nice write up on your mt rainier ride! must be nice to have the cascades so close!!! I think I’d like riding the north cascades highway.....i should have that in my goal journal :).....seems like good climbing in some isolated nature. Have you ridden over it ?

Thanks, Rebecca :)

I haven't biked the N Cascades Hwy, but it's on my to-do list. I might try to get up there in the next week or two. It is pretty amazing the places you can get to with a couple hours drive from Seattle. One of the things I have really enjoyed about my biking this summer is that, in pursuing good training rides, I've done a ton of regional sight-seeing. I've been to a number of places--like Vashon Island, Sunrise on Mt Rainier, Hurricane Ridge, etc--that I had never been before, despite being born and raised in Seattle!

emily_in_nc

08-02-2014, 05:46 PM

Today was bike cleaning and maintenance day, lube the chain, etc. My poor Trek was filthy! In the midst of it all, noticed that the end cap was missing off one of my old Candy SL pedals, so I ordered a rebuild kit for them. Since they're 10 years old, it's about time, no? :D

We did do our usual Saturday farmer's market and Grocery Outlet ride of 8+ miles on the Bike Fridays, but that's almost like a day off compared to usual mileages!

emily_in_nc

08-02-2014, 05:49 PM

I've been to a number of places--like Vashon Island, Sunrise on Mt Rainier, Hurricane Ridge, etc--that I had never been before, despite being born and raised in Seattle!

khg, how difficult is the cycling on Vashon Island? A friend recommended it to me, but we only had two good riding days while staying in the greater Seattle Metro area and ended up not getting to do it. From the little bit of research I did online, it looked really pretty but quite hilly. Thanks!

khg

08-02-2014, 08:42 PM

khg, how difficult is the cycling on Vashon Island? A friend recommended it to me, but we only had two good riding days while staying in the greater Seattle Metro area and ended up not getting to do it. From the little bit of research I did online, it looked really pretty but quite hilly. Thanks!

It is very pretty. If you love hills, you'll be quite happy--if not...not.

Here's the map and elevation profile from the ride I did there (click to see larger size):

17310

The Vashon part starts 16 miles in--the first big hill on the elevation profile :) Note that this route did include a couple gratuitous hills, and it would be possible to do a nice, much flatter than this ride on Vashon, but it would still be hilly. Some of the best parts are cycling along the water, which tends to mean continually going up and down from sea level as the road goes down to the water and then back up a bluff or ridge.

Here's what I wrote about it: http://mebikedolomitesoneday.wordpress.com/2014/06/16/vashon-happy-magic-place-of-pain/

emily_in_nc

08-02-2014, 09:00 PM

Crankin

08-03-2014, 06:15 AM

I didn't ride yesterday, went on a 3 mile walk with DH. I feel really badly for him, watching me ride while he heals, soI'm trying not be gone all day riding on the weekends, although I was for the last 3 weeks, at least one day. This morning I went out for a 15 mile "2 hill" ride, that I usually do before work. My legs were actually kind of sore from walking! Anyway, it's cool and damp out today, was 60 when I left, so I had my arm warmers and vest on, which I did need going down the hill for the first 1.5 miles. It started sprinkling as I was turning onto the street with the other hill in town. Normally, I would have taken the arm warmers off then, but I was worried I might get wet. The rain stayed at the sprinkle level, though. As I was riding through town, for the second part of the ride, I almost turned toward home, but instead, I stopped, took the arm warmers off, and ate a bite of my Lara Bar, which resulted in feeling better. After that, I had a PR on a hill heading back into town (not a big one), and it started raining lightly, so I took the most direct route home, climbing the steeper side of my street for only the second time this year.
My average was really low, but the 2 bigger hills, combined with not having had coffee contributed, I am sure.
Both DH and I have realized how much time in our lives we spend cycling, as a result of his injury. A lot of women I know, mostly from the gym, go out and do their riding early in the AM on the weekends, and then go on with the rest of their lives. For us, riding *is* the rest of our lives. I much prefer it this way. Before I started riding, DH would go out and ride, I would go to the gym, and then we would go shopping or do stuff with the kids, although they were already on their way out when I started riding. Anyway, I should get to 2K miles by Labor Day, it would be earlier, but I will be away for 5 days this month, so I'm giving myself an extra week. Since I only rode 2,000 all of last season, I definitely will will get to 2,500, which is my minimum goal, with 3K being what I really want.

emily_in_nc

08-03-2014, 05:45 PM

Great 50-mile ride today. Finally a break from the relentless heat...it was 75 when we started out, and 85 when we finished up. On Friday it was 86 starting out and 95 at the end, riding at the same time as today and nearly the same route. I felt SO much better and my water didn't get HOT as it did Fri. (started out with tons of ice cubes in it both times).

The only negative was a light headwind on the way out, followed by a bit of tailwind, which then died 1/2 way through the ride, so we didn't get the tailwind to push us back at the end that we were counting on after dealing with headwind on the way out. Oh, and my mirrcycle mirror broke. We ride a lot of bumpy roads here and go over frequent train tracks. I was just riding along, and the plastic post just sheared off. No repairs possible. Good thing I have a Take-a-Look as a backup, because I have to have a mirror!

khg

08-04-2014, 07:46 AM

Thanks khg! It sounds and looks gorgeous, but that many hills are not really my cup of tea. DH would love it, though. When we did a metric last Sunday that involved 2400' of climbing, I felt that was plenty. About half the ride was pretty flat, and the other half hilly. The equivalent to Vashon would probably be the entire ride being as hilly as the "bad" half of our ride, and I would not have cared for that, especially in the intense heat we were riding in. I expect Vashon would be cooler most of the time, which would help a little.

I don't mind a few hills, but I am not a great hill climber and just don't really enjoy them, especially the steep ones. My lowest gear on my roadie (30x25t) just doesn't cut it on some the hills we have to climb for me, though I know it's plenty low for some riders who are better on hills. On my Bike Friday I have mountain gears, but it's a slower bike overall, so the hills (and all of it, really) take a little longer. If we ever do Vashon, I'll take the Bike Friday!

If you guys do end up on Vashon, it sounds like your DH would enjoy some variation of the Passport2Pain (http://passport2pain.org/) routes--and if you went over the top of the island on the main road you could go from one ferry terminal to the other ferry terminal--scenic and kinda cool--and then on the way back stop in the "downtown" which has some nice shops and eateries. I think that would be not too hilly, comparatively speaking, and if you're interested in doing a bit more, I have some ideas for that too. Anyway, if you're going that way and want some ideas, feel free to drop me a line :)

shootingstar

08-04-2014, 05:42 PM

For reasons I haven't fully figured out, but this summer so far, I haven't done longer distance rides like I do every summer. Oh well, I just on keep on riding anyway. Today I cycled 46 kms. which included a grocery shopping stop and dim sum on the northern suburban edges of city. Route mostly through a park path system.

So hauled home a Dungeness crab as a holiday supper treat for dinner.

Yesterday was a series of short rides.. to a Middleastern bakery for snack, then elsewhere for shopping at farmers' market, bank, then dropping by for a heritage tour of an older local church where permanent stained glass artwork depicted the fallen soldiers for WW I. (since it is the anniversary for start of WW I). Probably did the same total distance as today, but yesterday it was all broken up.

It never ceases to amaze me how under-utilized our bike-ped park pathway system is. I attribute part of the problem is lack of enough washroom facilities. One could cycle 20 km. for a segment and not encounter any washrooms. Now in the open prairie parks, with hardly trees.... that makes long distance jogging, cycling or walking with newbies, children, a tad difficult.

emily_in_nc

08-04-2014, 07:47 PM

If you guys do end up on Vashon, it sounds like your DH would enjoy some variation of the Passport2Pain (http://passport2pain.org/) routes--and if you went over the top of the island on the main road you could go from one ferry terminal to the other ferry terminal--scenic and kinda cool--and then on the way back stop in the "downtown" which has some nice shops and eateries. I think that would be not too hilly, comparatively speaking, and if you're interested in doing a bit more, I have some ideas for that too. Anyway, if you're going that way and want some ideas, feel free to drop me a line :)

Thanks! We're not going to be back in western WA this time, I don't think, but I'll keep it in mind for a future trip.

emily_in_nc

08-04-2014, 07:51 PM

Today I awoke to yet another puncturevine (aka goathead) induced flat. All of a sudden, they must be at the right state of germination, because both DH and I have gotten multiple flats in the past week (and we've been here since July 1). Tire liners have now been ordered.

While DH was fixing my flat (on my Trek), I hopped onto the Bike Friday and rode to the post office to pick up a package (ironically, from Tree Fort Bikes, containing two new QuikStiks (http://www.treefortbikes.com/product/333222334908/694/Quik-Stik-Pocket-Quick-Stick.html) (the BEST tire irons we've found) and a shifter cable (for backup stores). That was a little 2.8 mile ride.

Back to the house and hopped on the now-fixed Trek and rode with DH. 44 miles on a moderately hilly rural route. A good ride is now a ride with no flats. Today was a good ride. :)