august rides

[marni]

Saturday, since Texas and or Houston were in the midst of a "cold spell" (at least that was what everybody was calling it) I did a brisk 40 mile ride out of Sealy, Texas in 75 degree, cloudy weather with the humidity at about 60%. There were some rollers and a bit of wind which made a nice change.

Today I did an early 36 miles in 90 degree mixed sun and clouds and a bit of a breeze. On my usual training route which is flat except for a couple of very small swells. The temperature was 91 and the humidity was 66% and I was melting. What a contrast. I am really looking forward to fall.

[emily_in_nc]

D'oh -- I've posted my last few rides in the July thread...one month just blends into another, I guess!

Today was a much-needed day off after a toughish ride yesterday and a terrible night of sleep. One of those nights when the brain just doesn't want to turn off, and my nighttime coughing (due to asthma) was happening. Finally had to get up and use my inhaler, which just made it harder to sleep. There's a lot of dust in the air recently from the wheat harvest, so I am thinking that's what triggered the wheezing (which leads to coughing at night).

[azfiddle]

I was going to start this the other day then got distracted.

I truly enjoyed Saturday's climb up Mt. Lemmon. It was my longest climb of the season- I made it to the Windy Point Vista at mile 14, and about 4100 feet of climbing from the car. There was a threat of rain all morning, but the overcast sky and a bit of a tail wind made the last couple miles less of a challenge. I would have gone further but my husband was tired from riding intervals up and down the mountain and I barely got him to do the last couple of miles. It never seriously rained- just a bit of drizzle and some breezy spots.

Did a solo ride on Sunday to Saguaro NP and back, plus the 8 mile loop, but on my Surly. Definitely slower, but I'm trying to work out anything else I need to figure out before we do another bike-camping expedition this fall.

[emily_in_nc]

Congratulations azfiddle -- after driving up Mt. Lemmon, I know what a climb that is. Daunting! I wish I'd been a bit better trained when we were Tucson in Feb. so we could have tried it. After riding on coastal flat roads in Dec. and January, when weather permitted, I just wasn't ready to attempt something like Mt. Lemmon. We did ride the Sagauro NP East loop a couple of times towards the end of the month (fun except the one long climb midway in) and Pistol Hill a couple of times as well. But neither of them is a mountain. :D

[Crankin]

I also posted my last ride in the July thread. Duh.
I led a ride tonight. Actually, I was the sweep. I never have been on an AMC night time ride. The Tuesday series is the "slower" one, and usually I wouldn't do it, because 1) there can be some very inexperienced riders, especially early in the season, and 2) usually, I'm working until 6. But, my friend (the one who always gets lost) was leading, it started from his house, which is is in the next town, and I was done with work at 2:00.
Only 16 miles and not as slow as I thought. There was still a lot of traffic as we headed out from his house in Bedford, but we soon got into quieter country. Even a very tiny stretch of dirt in a neighborhood I've ridden through. It was really nice out, although solar glare in some spots, and other spots really shady and dark. At the end, the 2 people in front of me missed a turn, into an office park. I reeled them in, and then we got a bit lost. My GPS was telling me the right way, but these people weren't believing me. Finally, we got on the right track, I knew we were almost back, but it was getting dark and they did not have lights. Worst of all, these 2 are leaders, and they were so slow, I could have been back at Jack's in 2 minutes, but they were just like, socializing, and struggling up little inclines. But, I waited, they finally got it, that I was correct in my directions, and they thanked me. All I could think about is that the guy is someone my very close friend used to lead with in the early 90's and he was known for "naked hot tub parties," on weekend trips. I guessed he must have burned himself out! Had a glass of wine when I got back to Jack's and then went home and ate.

[Crankin]

Now I know why I don't ride at 6 PM... I had a lot of trouble falling asleep last night! I remember this from when i first started going to the gym in the 80s.
Anyway, I rode with Jack today and my body was telling me, "no." Good thing, his was, too, but for him, it just means less miles. He rides everyday, unless it rains and one day a week, he just rides to the senior center to play pool, 6 miles. Of course, when I just ride my 5.2 mile commute, I generally feel like I've ridden, although it varies. He met me at the bottom of my street (his comment is that my driveway is "hors category") and told me we were not doing the 35 mile ride we had discussed. All in all, just familiar streets through Carlisle and Chelmsford, although a couple of them, I've only been on with him or in a group. We actually got on the bike path for a bit, too. It started out partly sunny and humid, but near the end, it was cloudy and there was a nice breeze. We did stop at Ferns for coffee, sat on the porch, and gossiped about the people on the ride last night. We parted after the coffee and I rode the 7 miles home, rather speedily.
23 miles, exactly, I am glad I did it, but I've had a headache all day, I think from some neck and shoulder issues that started on Monday after I used a heavier bar to lift at boot camp.
Going to the gym tomorrow and I am resting on Friday, for sure. I haven't had a total rest day in about 10 days.

[ny biker]

So is "Bedford" pronounced "Bedfid"? I know someone whose family is from Medford ("Medfid"), MA, so I would expect that Bedford is similar.

I rode 20 miles last night. Due to rain in the forecast today, I moved my Wednesday night hill ride up a day. I made a slight route modification to add a big new hill at the very beginning, which kept my overall average down. It was a good workout, which I needed since I was out of town this past weekend so I didn't ride at all, and I've got some big rides coming up later this month.

[Crankin]

Ha, ha. Well, a townie (old timer, family been around for years) might pronounce it "Bedfid," but I can assure you that SheFly (who lives there) and my friend Jack, who also lives there, do not! And, my son lives in Medford and says, well, Medford. Some of the older people there actually say "Meffa,"
When i was a kid, I talked that way, but 23 years away, cured me quite quickly. Around where I live, very few people have a Boston accent. When I first moved back here, I lived a bit north of here, near Lowell, and the accents were very strong. I once had one of my kid's teacher write a note talking about the drawer, spelled "draw." That's how she said it, and I guess getting a master's degree didn't teach her any differently.
The only time my accent comes out is when I get angry; when I yelled at my kids they would make fun of me. It's still not natural for me to say "r's" but I don't ever slip up.

[ny biker]

My friend does not have an accent, he just pronounces it Medfid because that's how his older relatives pronounce it. I will tell him the times, they are a-changin'.

Last night on my way home after my bike ride I stopped to get gas for the car. I noticed that the car at the pump in front of me had a license plate frame with "Manhattan" on it. The driver of that car noticed the "NY" in my personalized plate and asked where I was from. He's from Manhattan, born in Chelsea, drives a limo back and forth from NY to DC. Jets/Yankees fan. Awesome NY accent, better than I've heard in a long time.

My accent has largely faded, but I will always pronounce "orange" and "Florida" the NY way.

[Crankin]

Yes, that's generally the northeast way. I say those words in Standard American Speech now; wow, the cycling thread has gone way off topic.
I say Arizona "Air-i-zona," as this is how natives and people from the midwest say it. People here look at me weirdly when they ask me where I moved here from, but, that one has stuck. Last night, on my ride, I heard two of the guys who were most assuredly not Arizona types, discussing the merits of living in the Valley, the heat, etc. I decided not to chime in. They sounded like tourists to me, and one ended up riding in the back, with me as the sweep, but I didn't say anything. It was funny for me to hear this discussion.
Back to the cycling thread.

[marni]

todays' 50 miles started at 81 degrees and finished at 92 but the humidity feels like was 104. thank goodness for every little puff of wind and bit of occasional cloud cover.so much for the Texas "cold front."

[khg]

On Sunday, DH and I did the Ride the Hurricane event http://www.portangeles.org/pages/RideTheHurricane/ --an opportunity to ride up Hurricane Ridge without cars. I had ridden up the ridge a week previous, but he had never ridden it. Even with cars it is a spectacular ride, but the actual event was So Much Fun! You realize how much room cars take up, how much noise they make, and how much of your riding brain is taken up with being attentive to cars. I was able to look around way more than the other time I rode it, and was more relaxed (as much as one can be relaxed while riding up a mountain...) I'm definitely going to be keeping an eye out for more car-free events, as it was a blast.

Since it takes a while to get to Hurricane Ridge, it was also really nice to ride it together, as last time, when I went solo, I missed having someone to talk about the ride with on the way back. This time, I had a great drive home, spending a couple hours essentially going back and forth with DH over and over "that was so much fun! Yeah! Oh my gosh, that was so much fun!"

Today was a welcome 15 miles of taking the long way to a work meeting and back--otherwise, it's a few days of prepping, then painting our front and back porches. A work out, and kinda satisfying, but not as much fun as being on the bike.

[emily_in_nc]

I say Arizona "Air-i-zona," as this is how natives and people from the midwest say it.

Heheh, what other way is there to say it? I'm a southerner married to a midwesterner and have only heard it pronounced Air-i-zona!

Today's ride was WINDY! But humidity was low, temps were very reasonable (low 70s at start, mid-80s at end). Rode 46 miles, the first third of which were into the wind and kinda tough, but it got better from there. LOVELY tailwind on the last 1/3, which is always the best way to end a ride, dontcha think? Makes me feel like queen of the road, and the early tough parts are long forgotten. Average speed suffered overall, but that's not what I'm about anyway.

Happy not to have any flats today, either DH or me. It's goathead season and tire liners are on order. We've gone through a lot of tubes lately.

[brigada]

When I'm in the mood for demanding rides, I climb a nearby mountain. I usually do a road climb (10 kms of road, 1100 m elevation gain), but this time I decided it was time to tackle the climb via a singletrack path in the woods. It is much steeper than the road and the route is much more direct - only 5.5 kms, but the average grade is 10.6%. I was very pleased for the first time with 80 minutes it took for me to climb all the way up.

And SPD just keeps proving its worth on the climbs. I was able to climb up steep sections covered in roots that I never would have guessed were doable.

I'm sure it doesn't sound like much to the more seasoned riders around here, but having gone from zero workout in years to riding seriously just four months ago, I keep being amazed at my progress. And I'm pretty sure I'm hooked on this amazing sport for good :)

[marni]

50 miles yesterday at 14.9 mph and temps in the high 80's. 38 miles today at 95 = and a5.9. The heat is making me strong. or I am so miserable that I am riding faster just to get out of it! And lets not even mention the sweat rings all over the garage and the humidity.

[Jolt]

40 miles today, average speed 13.4 mph, with a climb of Mt. Agamenticus (not really a mountain, but a good sized hill in the town of York). Elevation gain on the road up Mt. A is 896 feet, average 10% grade but up to 14%. Pretty small stuff compared to the climbs some of you do, but was a challenge for me. I was in my lowest gear most of the way, but didn't have to get off and walk. Need to remember the bug spray next time...there were lots of those annoying small bugs that like to fly right in one's face, and I couldn't go fast enough up the hill to drop them! On the way home a thunderstorm blew through so I ducked into a little farmstand store which had all kinds of good stuff; I had a raspberry-oatmeal square, an all-natural soda and tried some of their cheeses, jams and salsas that they had out for sampling. I will definitely have to go back there prepared to bring some things home. Once the storm had passed, the rest of the ride home was pretty uneventful although I have some tweaking to do on the bike since getting the thick-soled cycling shoes which required me to raise the saddle about an inch...my neck and upper back were getting uncomfortable either from a) having more weight on my hands because the saddle is now higher in relation to the bars, or b) having a little more reach because I did not move the saddle forward at all when I adjusted the height. I had no such discomfort before the shoe/resulting saddle height change, including on my 50-miler two months ago which I did in my very thin-soled Merrells, so I know that is the culprit. If tweaking saddle position doesn't solve the problem I guess the next step will be a stem with a little more rise, which will be annoying since I just changed the stem this spring (when I got the bike).

[emily_in_nc]

We've had a windy few days, and although the temperatures have been more reasonable, I think I prefer the heat and light winds to this. At least I haven't had a flat for the past few days. :)

Yesterday: 52.2 miles
Today 36.6 miles

Tomorrow -- utility ride to recycling place, farmer's market, and grocery. Short and sweet!

[Raindrop]

I must be a lightweight these days because you are all doing a whole lot more than me. I try and get out in the mornings before I have appointments, but even then, I only average about 26 miles a day.

My high point this week? My son is going through a divorce and I only get to see my grandkids for 1 1/2 days one week, and 3-4 days the next. Well, I often ride on the other side of our city and i was riding past a park where I knew the grandkids sometimes went with their babysitter. (no, I'm not a stalker). Anyway, I glanced down to the playground structure and saw several small children with some adults. As I rode closer I saw my grandson and his babysitter, (after seeing it wasn't "stranger-danger') yelled, "Hey! It's Bobbi! (My grandmother name)....Both kids (my grandson and my grand-daughter came running over. Hugging me they said, "yuck! you're really sweaty". The babysitter asked why I was so far from home and I just told her that the east side of town was more bike friendly in that there are a lot of bike lanes. My side of town has older roads with huge drop-offs and a lot of people that don't really like it if you take your lane,

Anyway, seeing my "angels" on an off day was sweet!!!

Adding that my picture is my grandson!

[shootingstar]

Sounds like your grandchildren really enjoy seeing you, Raindrop.

Perfect day today --bright, sunny and around 25 degree C with a slight cool light breeze. Cycled 45 km. Did some light grocery shopping midway, stopped off from bike path route to a local science centre for a huge cup of coffee and on way back, near home, stopped at street festival. I stopped the first time this year just to look around. Other years I passed this annual festival on bike. This year, it appears a much bigger event which is great to see since the area was damaged by the flood last year.

[Crankin]

I did a 37.5 mile ride from Acton to Bolton Farms for lunch, and back. My friend changed the first part of the ride from what DH and I usually do, and today it was 2 climbs I haven't done in ages (the first since last year and the second, I only remember doing it once, during my first year of riding). The weather was lovely, about 84, light breeze, and thankfully, becoming cloudier after lunch, when there's a moderate 3 mile climb that is not shaded. DH had worked on my bike a bit before I left and there were some shifting issues, but nothing bad happened. However, when I got home, he went to look at it and realized both of my bikes needed new chains. While he was "testing" to see what was wrong with the shifting, he got on my bike and rode it around the driveway; first ride since his crash. He felt good and may go out with me tomorrow. His 6 week check is Monday, and he knows the doctor will still say September, but he is getting antsy and frankly, we know people that have been back on the bike 3 weeks post surgery.
Anyway, my ride had just under 1,900 ft. of climbing and I am ready for the Mojitos DH is making.

[roo4]

About 24 miles of sharply rolling hills. Average speed was 13.7. I added a couple of miles by climbing the dreaded Bait Shop Hill, which I had never done before. Turns out it was steep, but short. Much shorter than the beast that loomed in my imagination. Take that, beast!

[emily_in_nc]

Crankin, that's great that your DH got on your bike and rode around, even if just for a little driveway test. Sounds like he's healing up quickly! Know you're both glad of that.

Today was not what I expected because FINALLY we got a day without wind. We've been fighting it for days now, so today was a real gem. We did our usual errand ride in the morning: recycling, farmer's market, and grocery outlet on Bike Fridays, 10 miles total. Temps were in the 70s with sunshine and low humidity, so after unloading, we grabbed more water and snacks and headed out for a 40-miler on our Treks. That was supposed to be tomorrow's ride for me, but since we're leaving tomorrow afternoon for a several-day short side roadtrip, I was really happy to get it done today so tomorrow I can get up and pack and take a day off the bike. I haven't taken a day off since Tuesday so am ready!

Temp did get up in the 80s and a slight breeze started up at the end of our ride, but nothing much. Since we didn't have wind and the route was a less hilly one, I ended up with a very rare over 15 mph average. :)

[Crankin]

DH went for his first post surgery ride today! We set out to do an out and back flat ride (except for our street, of course), but when we got to Fern's he decided he was OK to do a loop, where there is a hill (small one) involved. Everything was fine and it was a perfect recovery ride for me after all the climbing I did yesterday. I did get a bit annoyed as we were coming near the hill, and a guy was on my azz, as I was following DH. So, I dropped DH, and he felt compelled to drop the guy, too. I let DH get in the lead again, near the top of the hill, as I felt exhausted from that little sprint up a hill.
The ride was 15.3 miles; it was getting hot out and the humidity is rising. I really don't like riding in temperatures above 80, but, I do it.

[Irulan]

We just returned from a week in Revelstoke BC which has some of the finest alpine singletrack I have ever seen, in addition to the most spectacular alpine views... glaciers and the jagged peaks of the Canadian Rockies in all directions are just part of it.
We did the classics of Keystone Standard Basic and Frisby Ridge, plus some other local favotries.
Here's the reward when you get to the cabin at the turn around point at Keystone...17319

[Irulan]

Here are a few more:
17320
my friend took this one
17321

[thekarens]

So pretty Irulan!

[khg]

Great photos Irulan! They make me think I need to take up mountain biking, even though I'm terrified by the thought!

After a week of essentially no riding (a few miles for errands, but that's it), I finally got out on a decent ride today, and it felt really nice! I spent the week covering myself in paint (and in the process, painting the front and back porches)--it just took way more time and energy than I anticipated. At least I got a good leg work out--a couple hours a day, for several days, doing crabwalks in a squat... My legs were really feeling it by the end of the week! I meant to go for a good ride on Sunday, but ended up in bed finishing a library book that was due.

Today wasn't anything epic, but it was a lot of fun--I rode over to Mercer Island and then rode the perimeter of the island in both directions, for a total of 44 miles on the day. The road around the island is gentle rollers, and there's one section in particular that has a great series of winding turns. The road is nicely banked, and riding it feels like the road is giving my bike a friendly hug and effortlessly guiding me to where I need to go. It's a fun swoopy feeling leaning one way, then the other, then the other, etc... Anyway, the terrain is constantly interesting, and there are great views through the trees--and the shade those trees provide was very welcome, since it got into the (unusual for here) 90's today.

I was enjoying the sensation of speed on the bicycle, and it felt easy to put in extra bits of effort and bursts of speed--but I don't have my computer set to display my mph (too distracting and/or depressing) so I didn't know if I was actually faster, or just feeling happy. It was nice to get home and see that I actually was fast--I set a PR going around the island, and on a couple hills on my way home. So I guess the week of squats--and the reading in bed--combined for some sort of training effect!

[salsabike]

Today wasn't anything epic, but it was a lot of fun--I rode over to Mercer Island and then rode the perimeter of the island in both directions, for a total of 44 miles on the day. The road around the island is gentle rollers, and there's one section in particular that has a great series of winding turns. The road is nicely banked, and riding it feels like the road is giving my bike a friendly hug and effortlessly guiding me to where I need to go. It's a fun swoopy feeling leaning one way, then the other, then the other, etc... Anyway, the terrain is constantly interesting, and there are great views through the trees--and the shade those trees provide was very welcome, since it got into the (unusual for here) 90's today.



Love the MI loop!

[marni]

rain cooled air from last nights thunderstorms must have inspired me this AM. 40 miles in 2:23 for an average of 16.63 mph which for me is astounding. Still leaving sweat rings all over the garage floor at the end of the ride though- started at 78 and finished at 94 with a feels like of 102. I'm really really ready for foall.

[MarieV]

Last Saturday my husband and I did my favorite ride. I call it the Kitsap Loops (http://ridewithgps.com/routes/4963479), and it's based on the 2012 Kitsap Color Classic 63-mile route with three loops around Indianola, Hansville, and Poulsbo on the Kitsap Peninsula. The weather was perfect, mostly sunny and in the low-70s. I love the nice, smooth roads on this Kitsap route, and except for two stretches on busy highways, most of the ride consists of nice rollers, only a few short climbs, and a several long descents--my favorite!

Here's a photo of the funky house made from the bridge of the US naval tugboat, the M/V Jupiter Inlet, on Point No Point Road towards the Point No Point Lighthouse near Hansville:

http://www.drmariev.com/Cycling2014/BoatHouseatPtNoPt-small.jpg

Most people visiting the PNW like to go to the San Juans, but I always think riding on the Kitsap Peninsula is a lot more fun. I hate the rough chipseal roads on San Juan Island, not to mention the steep drops and climbs to get to and out of each of the harbors. Of course, that may have been because the only time I've tried to do a 100 km ride around San Juan Island, I'd only been riding for 6 months, and I was riding my heavy steel bike while my husband was a seasoned randonneur riding his light carbon bike. I'd probably enjoy the ride more now on a lighter bike, but I still don't think that rough chipseal will ever be any fun.

[khg]

Last Saturday my husband and I did my favorite ride. I call it the Kitsap Loops (http://ridewithgps.com/routes/4963479), and it's based on the 2012 Kitsap Color Classic 63-mile route with three loops around Indianola, Hansville, and Poulsbo on the Kitsap Peninsula. The weather was perfect, mostly sunny and in the low-70s. I love the nice, smooth roads on this Kitsap route, and except for two stretches on busy highways, most of the ride consists of nice rollers, only a few short climbs, and a several long descents--my favorite!

Here's a photo of the funky house made from the bridge of the US naval tugboat, the M/V Jupiter Inlet, on Point No Point Road towards the Point No Point Lighthouse near Hansville:

http://www.drmariev.com/Cycling2014/BoatHouseatPtNoPt-small.jpg

Most people visiting the PNW like to go to the San Juans, but I always think riding on the Kitsap Peninsula is a lot more fun. I hate the rough chipseal roads on San Juan Island, not to mention the steep drops and climbs to get to and out of each of the harbors. Of course, that may have been because the only time I've tried to do a 100 km ride around San Juan Island, I'd only been riding for 6 months, and I was riding my heavy steel bike while my husband was a seasoned randonneur riding his light carbon bike. I'd probably enjoy the ride more now on a lighter bike, but I still don't think that rough chipseal will ever be any fun.

Thanks for posting the link to the route you rode. That looks like a really fun ride, and I'm looking forward to trying it out!

Chip seal is never fun--but I have noticed a difference from bike to bike. My first bike, the Jamis, is steel with a carbon fork, and pretty smooth. But when I got my Colnago, also steel but with the old-fashioned curved steel fork, I noticed that a lot of chipseal disappeared. Bad chipseal is still annoying, but the Colnago glides down the road so beautifully! I have pretty much the same tires on the bikes--25mm Conti 4000s on the Jamis, and 23mm ones on the Colnago, but on wider rims so that the 23's end up measuring 25mm--so I think the difference really is in the bikes.

(BTW, the only time I rode on any of the route you did was doing the Bainbridge-Port Townsend 200k permanent. I was 3 months into bike ownership, wearing tennis shoes, and riding with my husband, the seasoned randonneur... I remember the road from the Hood Canal Bridge to Poulsbo and then Bainbridge as being really really difficult riding! However, I was pretty tired by then, and I'd probably enjoy the ride more now... At any rate, I think it's neat to revisit things that were huge challenges a while ago, and see how much less intimidating they seem now--even if they still aren't easy. You might find it fun to bike San Juan Island in triumph now, even with the chipseal!)

[rebeccaC]

You women in Wa just keep making me jealous of your routes!!!!!

When I rode in the San Juan islands I had a great time. The newer paved chip seal roads on Orcas and San Juan used a smaller than usual aggregate and better emulsion and weren’t a problem at all for me. I assume that's what they are continuing to use now. Even the older paved roads weren’t too bad for me with 25mm tires, a carbon fork, Fizik gel padded bar tape and good gloves. I’d go back in a heartbeat……

[MarieV]

khg, I'm actually curious if riding on San Juan now would be a lot more fun, especially since my Colnago seems to absorb more of the rough road and it will definitely be much easier to climb out of the harbors. Still, there's a 10-15 mile stretch on the RSVP between Bellingham and Lynden that's mostly chipseal, and even on my carbon bike, it was AWFUL! I remember thinking I'd rather do a long climb than endure another mile of those seemingly endless, albeit flat, chipseal roads.

khg, did you do the original Bainbridge-Port Townsend 200K (~7500 ft. cumulative elev.) or the new Bainbridge-Port Townsend v2 200K (~6600 ft. cumulative elev.)? I want to do Bill's Bainbridge-Port Townsend v2 200K when I'm ready to start doing 200Ks. It includes the Hansville and Poulsbo loops I like, so only the other 100+ km will be new. I'm also going to submit my Kitsap Loops as an SIR permanent, so I can get credit for those rides and maybe even get a P12 some day.

Rebecca, when I rode on San Juan, I was riding my steel Bianchi with 25mm tires at 80 psi, but it was still rough. Looking back now, though, I may have been exhausted by the climbing more than the rough roads. I just remember getting so frustrated when I would climb a hill then instead of cruising downhill and recovering, I'd actually have to pedal even going downhill since the roads were so rough--UGGHHH!!! Were you riding your Seven when you came up to visit? I wonder if your Ti bike just soaked up all the roughness. You shouldn't be jealous; you should just plan to visit more often, so you can ride with us.

[Crankin]

I disliked the chip seal in the San Juans, even on my lovely and smooth custom titanium bike.
There is no chip seal around where I live and it was not an experience I'd like to repeat. The riding itself was fine, but truthfully, San Juan Island was not as big as I thought it would be and Lopez was pretty, but not that thrilling. We skipped the climb on Orcas as we just didn't have enough time. I am glad I went, but...

[rebeccaC]

Marie, yes, my Seven, which also has a carbon seat tube, seat stays and fork. I wonder since my trip was within the last year if they have changed the chip seal formula. As I mentioned there was a difference in aggregate size in older paved roads and newer ones.

In the last year or so I’ve done three trips to the PNW doing the one day STP with Portland friends last year, then a San Juan island trip and, because Eden posted some photos of one of her rides to Mt. Baker, on a business trip to Huxley College in Bellingham a few months ago I rode the Mt Baker Highway. It’s been great weather each time too……I do like year round sunny California 70 +/- degree days though...:)
I mentioned to khg earlier in the July rides thread that I’d like to do the North Cascades highway one of these days. Would luv to have anyone who wanted to ride it join in!!!!

Crankin, I found Lopez to be a nice break between Orcas and San Juan. Nice art culture vibe on the island with some interesting people. Great climb from the ferry landing too.

[roo4]

I rode a nice 20 miler with two people from the bike club. We hadn't met before, so we spent some time on the ride chatting about family and jobs and general information. Happily for me, they rode at my pace (about 14 mph last night). I'm feeling stronger on the hills, although I must admit that our route was the flattest possible route in the area. Unfortunately some of it was newly chip sealed, but we get that a lot around here.

[khg]

khg, did you do the original Bainbridge-Port Townsend 200K (~7500 ft. cumulative elev.) or the new Bainbridge-Port Townsend v2 200K (~6600 ft. cumulative elev.)? I want to do Bill's Bainbridge-Port Townsend v2 200K when I'm ready to start doing 200Ks. It includes the Hansville and Poulsbo loops I like, so only the other 100+ km will be new. I'm also going to submit my Kitsap Loops as an SIR permanent, so I can get credit for those rides and maybe even get a P12 some day.

We did the original one--this was four years ago, so the new one didn't exist yet :( Actually, it was a gorgeous ride, and for the most part I really enjoyed it, though it was a ridiculous thing to do given my level of experience at that point, and I went to my dark place a few times. It's definitely a ride worth doing, but save it for a day you're feeling like a challenge! Bill's v2 sounds nice too, though I'm not sure how much easier it will really feel!

You could try doing the 100k of it that is new to you as a stand-alone ride, and then put it all together. With a good lunch stop and rest in Port Townsend you can tell yourself you're not doing a 200k, just 2 100k's in the same day :) Or at least, that's the sort of mental game that sometimes works for me--I guess I'm easily tricked... At any rate, that other 100k would be a really nice ride in its own right, and I think that a challenging ride like the full 200k is made easier by having some familiarity with the route. Once I'm familiar with a route, it always seems shorter and easier. But that might be just me--I like to research routes ahead of time so I know what to expect, but I know people who prefer for it to be a surprise, with a "I won't worry about the big hill if I don't know it's there" kind of philosophy...

[emily_in_nc]

I have been away from this thread for a bit. We recently took a side trip and rode several excellent trails in the Moscow, ID - Pullman, WA area. Lovely! I'll be doing blog posts on those, but in the meantime, here are a couple of blog posts I wrote recently on favorite rides in this area (Walla Walla, WA):

Favorite Bike rides 1: Touchet, WA: http://travelingtwosome.weebly.com/traveling-twosome-blog/favorite-bike-rides-1-touchet-wa

Favorite Bike rides 2: Milton-Freewater, OR: http://travelingtwosome.weebly.com/traveling-twosome-blog/favorite-bike-rides-2-milton-freewater-or

I've now reached the milestone of 5000 miles ridden this year. Never, ever thought I'd be here. Very happy and feeling grateful that I am able to ride with almost no pain now! :p

[Crankin]

Rode 19 miles with DH this afternoon. I had a meeting at the high school I see kids at, and although it was like 20 minutes long, it negated me going on the club ride, which was in SE MA/RI, in an area that I really want to explore more. Oh well, next year. It was DH's 3d ride post surgery and he is doing well. I am recovering from some kind of viral/allergy thing, which was helped along by traveling to CA and it being 97 degrees there for the whole 5 days. We did go out and walk every morning there, but I haven't ridden in 8 days. Today's ride was beautiful, perfect and dry New England weather.
I seem to have developed an issue in my right hamstring, from something I am doing in boot camp. I've been really lazy about stretching and using the foam roller, too. I suspect by this time in the season, my quads are way overdeveloped and I have a huge muscle imbalance.
I could spend all day working on my body. Who has time to work, even part time!???

[emily_in_nc]

That's a good question, crankin! Now that I am retired, I don't know how I ever found time to work. Of course, I rode a lot less than I do now. Glad your DH is able to get out for some short rides. :) Sorry to hear you've been sick, though.

I've been riding most days around 40-45 miles total. Today was a day off, and I picked a good one -- it was very windy, though lovely with fall-like temps, low humidity, and sunshine. Hoping for lighter wind tomorrow. I hate fighting wind!

[roo4]

Another easy 20 with the bike club, this time at about 13.7 mph. Good news: DH is going to the bike store to pick out a new bike! He is looking at a Cannondale Synapse, aluminum with carbon fork. We may get to ride together! :)

[Crankin]

I commuted for the first time in 2.5 weeks. I went to boot camp (in the car), came home, ate, showered and rode to work. I must say, it is so nice to have a cloudy day. After 5 days of hot scorching sun in LA and beautiful, but sunny weather since Monday, I need the break. Didn't have to do too much of a clean up when I got to work and I even wore my Terry knickers with a minimal chamois, so I was able to keep them on and just change into a tunic type top from my jersey. Saw a couple of clients and came home. Actually got sprinkled on, on the way home for a bit, but it was just a spritz.

[ny biker]

I rode last night after work. Started later than usual because (a) things suck at work right now and (b) I had to wait for a thunderstorm to pass. The roads were still wet for much of the ride. My legs felt pretty tired, which is not good since I'm planning to do a 50-miler on Saturday that will not be flat. I needed my headlight for most of the ride, because it's getting dark earlier. It was cool at the beginning -- I started with light arm warmers and a vest -- but it was super humid, with steam still coming off the pavement hours after the rain ended. So all around not the best conditions. Still, it was a decent ride.

I probably should have put the fenders on my bike last night but I was too lazy. I had just cleaned the bike the night before, because this past Sunday I did the Covered Bridges metric in Lancaster, PA. This ride should have been called the Tour de Poo. Most of it goes through farmland inhabited by Amish and Mennonite people, so there's horse sh*t all over the roads. My friends have been going on and on about the beautiful scenery on this ride, but I was mostly focused on not riding through the piles of sh*t. And it rained for the first 40 miles, which just made things worse. I have SKS Race Blade fenders (easy to put on and remove, but not full-coverage), and they helped keep me and my bike cleaner than most folks, but I still had lots of cleaning to do after the ride ended. (I didn't have my Camel Back with me so I covered my water bottles in plastic wrap. It was a pain to have to unwrap the top of the bottle before taking it out of the cage to drink from it, and after about 45 miles the plastic had torn so I had to toss it. But it definitely helped keep the poo spray off the bottles.)

[Crankin]

Rode 25 pleasant local miles with DH today. So nice and cool, about 71 and partly cloudy. We did the flattest ride we can do, and then added in another loop with a hill. Saw some seriously egregious riding when a guy on a tri bike whizzed past us on the road leading out of Hanscom AFB, was in the right lane at the stop/T intersection, and then made a left from the right turn lane, because he didn't want to stop and wait in the line of cars turning left. And, this is turning onto a busy, main road, which goes through Minuteman National Park. Sigh.

[Raindrop]

I've ridden more this summer than I have in years, probably because my bike really fits this year, I'm finally retired (pretty much) and, due to a divorce between my son and DIL I've had a lot more depression than usual and have needed the time on the road to clear my head. I'm pretty much a loner, not much of a joiner so when I ride I just get out my front door and go wherever the mood strikes. I know most of you do more mileage, but my treks usually only vary from 24 - 30 miles a day because that fits into the time frame I have for my singular pursuits.

In a time crunch I tend to hit the MUT that's about four miles away for an out and back, but I really like to just head out and see different areas of my city/county. The only consistent ***** I have about the roads around here are the number of bolts/nails/ screws I run across and the glass pieces. Next set of tires will be better than the ones that came on this bike.

[Crankin]

Rode 30 miles with DH, in Harvard, Littleton, and Boxborough, Acton, without doing any of the big hills (which is kinda hard!). We started out to climb Oak Hill, but DH just doesn't want to push his recovery and he was feeling a little tired. There were enough little hills to keep me busy. I'm focusing on riding a couple or a few days in a row now, in preparation for my trip. I know I can do the climbing at this point in the season, that part is all mental for me. And I've been riding even the bigger climbs with my Kuota, which has a couple of less lower gears than my Guru, and the gearing is more like what I'll have in Portugal on a Madone.
I've noticed a little issue with my Terry Bella shorts. They used to be the shorts I always wore, but when I went to Spain, the heat was unbearable, and I ended up riding in the 2 pairs of Sugoi RS I had. Since then I usually reserve the Terrys for early/late in the season, when I need leg or knee warmers, since they are the only shorts that don't give me horrible thigh bulges. It's going to be cool in the mornings in Portugal, so I've been wearing them a little more, and I've been having soft tissue issues. Nothing else has changed. I am wondering if they are just old and the chamois is worn, or I need something different now. I generally hate thick chamois and I am not sure how the RS are different. I might buy one new pair of the Bellas and see. I now have like 5 pairs of the Sugoi.

[ny biker]

I started having chafing problems with the Neo Power shorts, including a new pair of them. I think something about me has changed, the way I'm sitting or something. I've been happy with the Gore Oxygen shorts -- their new chamois is very good, thinner in front than in back.

I was going to do a 50-mile ride in northern Maryland yesterday, a club ride that would give me a chance to check out some roads that I'd like to include on some routes I've been working on. But the weather forecast was iffy, with rain possible, and I had had a long week at work and I was just really tired when I got up yesterday morning. So I decided to skip it. This turned out to be a good idea, since it rained very hard in that area yesterday during the late morning/early afternoon. And I went back to bed and slept until 11, so I guess I needed the rest.

I had to work this morning starting at 6:30, and we finished up around noon. By then the sun was out and the humidity was dropping. I headed out for a solo afternoon ride, using a 48-mile cue sheet I had developed last month for a ride with a few friends. That ride had to be cut short, because one of my friends wasn't feeling well. But one of the good things about this route is that it's easy to short-cut. Sure enough, my legs felt pretty tired from the get-go so I figured I'd cut out a 10-mile section and make it an easier ride.

After about 15-16 miles, I was nearing my rest stop at a wildlife sanctuary on a river, when I felt something snap. It was a spoke on my rear wheel. Okay, this has never happened before. (Did I mention I was riding alone, in a quiet rural area, and that I live alone, have no significant other and no family within 300 miles?) Now I remember that a friend always keeps duct tape and zip ties in her bike bag. Why don't I do this??? Would they even help???? I find a small plastic sandwich bag in my handlebar bag (in case I need to keep something dry in the rain), and I use that to tie the broken spoke to one next to it. But now the wheel won't turn. I open the brake lever, it's still rubbing, the wheel is out of true. Damn. My car is at at a small community park, and it's not a short walk to get back there. I know the roads around here well, what's the best way to go? Wait, let me send an email to my bike club's yahoo group -- there are a few members who live nearby, and others might have suggestions.

So I send the email, giving details on where I am and where my car is, then I have a quick snack, put the cleat covers on my cleats and start walking. Fortunately I'm able to walk the bike without too much trouble. Fortunately the weather is fantastic, sunny but not hot. Fortunately the road is not steep; since I was down near the river, every route back is uphill.

After about 10 minutes, my phone rang -- one of my friends from the club is out running errands and can meet me to bring me back to my car. Yay!! We made arrangements to meet at the intersection where the the road I'm on meets the main road in the area. A few other club members sent emails with tips on how to make the bike rideable -- loosening the brake cable, loosening the spokes on the other side (if I had a spoke wrench, which I don't). Another friend sent the name of a cab company that serves the area I'm in.

The walk was actually not too bad, even uphill in cleats. Though my legs and feet definitely would have been hurting if I'd had to walk the whole way.

I left the bike in the car, so I can bring it to the shop tomorrow to get the wheel fixed (or replaced? I hope it's fixable). While I'm there, I'll get a spoke wrench and ask them to show me how to use it. I actually had thought it would have been bad for the wheel to try to ride the bike with a broken spoke, but I guess that's something that is okay to do. I supposed you'd want to get off the saddle when going over bumps, and of course you'd have to be careful with only the front brake for slowing and stopping.

By the way, this is my friend's trick for carrying duct tape in her bike bag -- take a piece of cardboard and wrap a long strip of tape around it. This will give you a small "role" of tape for roadside repairs. She also has a fiber spoke that can be used as a temporary replacement when needed, so I'll look into that. Also I'll be programming the name and number of that cab company into my phone.

So, I had a pleasant 15ish mile ride, followed by an adventure that underscored how very nice the people in my bike club are.

[roo4]

ny biker, you're right, bike club people are the best! Glad you were able to make connections.

(my ride was rained out yesterday, so no report. I had limited time today so I went for a run instead)

[emily_in_nc]

Ah, ny biker, so glad you were able to get some assistance. It's times when something like this happens that we always realize how we could be better prepared, but more often than not, a cell phone is your best line of defense.

I am sure your wheel will be fine. I broke a spoke on each wheel in Belize (not on the same day) due to them rusting out, and was able to get the wheel rebuilt. At each time I replaced all the spokes with stainless steel -- a must when living on a salty island. One big difference in there and here is that the young bike shop guy only charged me $15 BZD ($7.50 US) on labor! And he spent around 90 minutes each time! Of course, I gave him a very good good tip!

Today's ride was a good one. We rode a gorgeous route DH just discovered. It was tacked onto one of our usual 40 mile loops, so I ended up with 61 miles. The scenery was breathtakingly gorgeous, and we only got passed by a couple of vehicles on the 21 mile addition -- it's super deserted rolling farm country. We were lucky enough to have NO wind starting out and a tailwind for a lot of the middle section, but our luck ran out in the last 5 miles where we faced a stiff cross to headwind, as the wind clocked around due to nearby afternoon storms. I thought I'd never get back and was going SO slowly at the end.

Here are a couple of photos so you can see how pretty it was...this was north of the tiny town of Touchet, WA outside of Walla Walla.

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[cosc]

Cons: Headwinds for the first 3 days.
Putting tent up in the rain on the 1st day. A wet night in the tent.
3 nights of shredded pork or beef sandwiches.

Pros: Beautiful scenic country including flats-rolling hills-steeper hills, corn, soybean, sunflower, and flax fields-many small to large lakes and the Missouri river.
Around 200 great people
Very good support
Bike ride averaged 67 miles per day.
A loop ride.

I went solo to this N. Dakota ride and had a fun week. The route was close to the Missouri River. The cons were mostly controlled by Mother Nature. Tent service is available and I would of paid a lot for it the rainy evening.
Port-a-potties are adorned with geese dressed in their finest apparel. A beautiful thing in the middle of the prairie!
I'll try to get out of my comfort zone to attach some pictures.

Fun rock-n- roll rest stop with yummy oatmeal with all the fixings:
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Port-a-Potty on the prairie:

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North Dakota roads are rumble strip happy with a middle strip too. Blue is a beautiful flax field that looks like water.
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My tent at fairgrounds with abandoned carnival rides:


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Sunflower field with Missouri River in background:

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[cosc]

A few more pics to share:

Close to Bismark with low ground fog over river :

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Quad riders that have participated in many Candisc tours.

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Celebration at the end:

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[Crankin]

I rode 19.5 miles with 2 of my riding friends from the 2 clubs I belong to. I just am losing the will to drive far for a group ride. So, one of these guys doesn't drive and lives near me and is usually a willing riding partner. The other lives in Cambridge and comes out here to ride. He's about 76, and had a bad crash 2 years ago. Since then, he can't ride more than 25 miles, and he said he's working on "not trying to ride at 18." Thing is, he says he gets exhausted, and he is really struggling on hills. We paced him, riding at an average of 13.5 and he still was struggling on the hills. I am wondering if he's having cardiac issues and doesn't know it. Anyway, it was fun, though. Was getting quite hot, got to 91 yesterday, so we stuck to our little loop in Concord and then went for coffee when we got back to where he was parked. I kind of wanted to ride longer, but, the heat and having stuff to do on my day off made me ride home!

[ny biker]

I think you should try to bring up the possibility of cardiac issues with your friend, just to be safe.

I rode 20 miles after work last night. The guys at my LBS are beyond awesome. They replaced the broken spoke, trued the wheel, and also replaced the cable to the rear derailleur after I had mentioned that it's been needing more adjustments than usual lately. It's now shifting beautifully. Since my usual post-work route is ~20 miles from the LBS, I rode a different route last night, which included portions of some other rides I've done before. It was very dark for the last 10 miles (very few streetlights), so it's a good thing I knew where I was going. Also a good thing that I had just changed the battery on the headlight that's on my helmet, because I needed it to read the cue sheet.

[Crankin]

DH took today and tomorrow off and I don't start my Thursday clients until 9/11. Had all intentions of doing a 40-50 mile ride and I woke up feeling like a truck hit me. Who knows why. My weird autoimmune/allergy stuff has been acting up this summer, but since I know the drill, I push on, at least in a modified way! We ended up doing a more local route, that goes into Westford and Chelmsford for a bit and then stopped at Ferns for lunch on the way back. DH put a new chain on my bike a few weeks ago and I have had issues since, despite him fiddling with it continually. After the second "shift by itself" incident, of course, on a hill, and the third time we had to stop, he found the correct fix and it's finally back to normal. Yesterday I dropped my chain making a left in traffic and I could not get it to go back on with the "put it in the high gear" trick, so I actually had to pull off the road and lift the rear of the bike and spin the pedals to get it to move.
We sat at Ferns for quite a while; it got cloudy and was feeling a bit cool for the last 7 miles home, but it was fine. Actually averaged over 15, so, in the end, a good ride of 23 miles.
I am going to take a day off from riding tomorrow, probably hike in the afternoon, after I am done with work.

[Crankin]

Awesome ride to the Fruitlands in Harvard, MA today. It has to be perfect weather... 73 degrees, breezy, no humidity. DH did his first post surgery ride with bigger climbs, including Oak Hill. We are kind of experimenting for our Portugal tour, and we went at touring pace! We rode about 17 miles, ate lunch at the restaurant at the Fruitlands, where the view is outstanding, but we were surrounded by loud women, having lunch! This is where I have often seen the Red Hat group, but, it was just various random groups of people who had fun staring at our bike clothes. We went home a more direct way, past our old house, where the trees DH and DS #2 planted are totally mature. Total ride was about 37 miles, with 2,000 feet of climbing.
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[ny biker]

I rode 79 miles today, my first >70 miler in years. It was a century ride put on by a local racing team, but I figured out a couple of short cuts because I didn't want to ride more than 80. I rode with several friends and had a (mostly) good ride.

Five miles from the end, I had another broken spoke. I was able to finish the ride; the wheel was out of true but I opened the brake as far as it would go and ignored the rubbing brake pad. I'm planning to start a separate thread to discuss broken spokes. In the meantime, I can't get to the LBS until Monday but have a big ride planned on Saturday. So I called the LBS from the parking lot of the ride start/finish location, they looked up the type of wheels currently on the bike, we discussed some options, and I ordered a new set of comparable wheels. They should be in by Tuesday, but if there's a delay the shop can lend me a wheel temporarily.

This is not an expense I would like to have right now, but I consider it an investment in my sanity. ;)

Btw one of my companions today was asking about winter cycling clothes. The general discussion centered on layering, wool and shopping at TE.

[azfiddle]

I rode about 64 miles today on an organized event east of Tucson, from Willcox to the Chiracahua Mtns and back, with about 2500 feet of climbing. I did not go with my regular breakfast of oatmeal or a bagel, but threw together a piece of toast & peanut butter and mini-yogurt from the motel we stayed at. It warmed up quickly and was a little humid, and my stomach felt yucky as soon as we left the flats and started climbing. It basically felt yucky the whole ride, though I managed to drink a bottle of electrolytes, 3 or 4 more bottles of water, and ate half a banana, a cookie and a piece of my home made fruit-nut bar (pan forte).

I felt so crummy on the last uphill portion (about 15-16 miles before the end) I stopped and rested twice on the climbs. I considered just getting a ride back, but stopped at the last aid station and dumped a bottle on my head, sat in the shade and then got back on the bike for the descent and a 5-6 mile flat section. After all the riding I've been doing, I was a little depressed about my lack of progress and an overall moving speed of 13.5 mph.

I blamed it all on my eating, but then after I got off the bike, I realized that I was getting a headache and scratchy palate (actually ignored a little preview of the scratchy palate when I woke up this morning). So now I am thinking it was more that my body was just having to deal with too much: oncoming cold, sub-optimal breakfast, and a long bike ride with heat and hills.

It was still a beautiful route with almost no cars, grasslands green from the summer monsoons, soaring Swainson's and Red-tailed Hawks and the songs of the desert sparrows serenading me.

[emily_in_nc]

Been riding a lot but haven't been posting. Today's ride was just a little 13.5 mile market ride, but overall for the past week I've done several 50+ milers. I've been battling a bad saddle sore, but I think I finally turned the corner on that in the past few days. Thank the gods.

The wind has come back with a vengeance here, and the past few rides have been less than fun having to fight it. Looks like more of the same tomorrow. :( Other than the wind, the weather has been lovely, though!

[Crankin]

Today we did a CRW ride and then went to the Labor Day party at my friend's Jack, house, after. It started about 2 miles from his house, in a parking lot at the VA campus. Unlike AMC rides, it's a kind of "you're on your own," thing, so we took off about 20 minutes before the start. Rode some new roads and nice ones in Lexington (where i've never ridden, except on the bike path), and then we headed back to Concord, into west Concord, Acton, and up Nagog Hill. Now, this is in the area I live in, but I rarely do the whole hill... it's a series of 5-6 hills on one road. Today, we did them all, and more, because we took the road all the way to the end, which I have only done a few times. Then, we headed into Littleton and Westford, back onto a route that we often do. From there, we had about 12-15 miles left to get to Jack's house for the food! Need I say, that the weather is the absolute opposite of Saturday. It's 85 degrees with like 70% humidity. Thankfully, partly cloudy. We did stop to eat and take long drinks twice, but overall, we got to Jack's hosue with a decent average for a hilly ride. Sat and had pizza and beer, sat more, because then we had to ride 2 more miles back to the car. That 2 miles felt pretty painful, after sitting.
I'm really stiff and tired, need to go revive myself. This weekend I've ridden about 80 miles and hiked 8 miles.

[MarieV]

DH and I just finished the Seattle Int'l Randonneurs Maltby-Granite Falls 100 km ride: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/3728236

The ride was just over 64 miles and started and ended at the Maltby Cafe. What a scenic route! It went through mostly quiet country roads, with lots of horse ranches and farmland. It was also mostly downhill with lots of long descents, a few miles of rollers, and only a few climbs, kind of like my favorite loops around the Kitsap Peninsula, even including some water views of Lake Roesiger.

Maltby's also a bit more convenient since it's only about 25 minutes away from downtown Seattle and doesn't require a ferry ride. It's great to start a long ride with a big hearty breakfast at the cafe. If I didn't have gluten sensitivity that makes my stomach blow up like a puffer fish, I would definitely have ended the ride with the cafe's signature gigantic cinnamon roll.

http://www.drmariev.com/Cycling2014/MaltbyCinnRoll.jpg

[salsabike]

DH and I just finished the Seattle Int'l Randonneurs Maltby-Granite Falls 100 km ride: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/3728236

The ride was just over 64 miles and started and ended at the Maltby Cafe. What a scenic route! It went through mostly quiet country roads, with lots of horse ranches and farmland. It was also mostly downhill with lots of long descents, a few miles of rollers, and only a few climbs, kind of like my favorite loops around the Kitsap Peninsula, even including some water views of Lake Roesiger.




We've done that SIR Maltby 100k on our tandem! It's a great ride. And omelettes after at the Maltby Cafe. :)

Today we did a ride on our tandem that we made up and love, about 44 miles, that includes a bunch of hills, including riding up the ridge from Meydenbauer Bay in Bellevue, a 13-14% grade in parts. Beautiful day in the PNW today. 70 and mostly sunny. Typical sight on this ride: Mount Rainier from Medina City Hall.

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[pll]

This summer I was training in part for Rebecca's Private Idaho (http://www.rebeccasprivateidaho.com), which was on Sunday. Let me pitch it to you ladies here: that area of Idaho has the most amazing landscapes. The only muscles that nearly cramped were those in my face because I had a silly grin most of the ride. It is a gravel ride and they offer two courses: the 'big potato' (93) miles and the 'small fry' (50-something miles). Each rest has wonderful volunteers -- they would fill your bottles or hand you one on the go, if you were racing the course-- and the tastiest roasted potatoes... It's a small ride, limited to 300 people, Rebecca Rusch is super nice. I can't say enough. I wish I had spent the entire week leading to the ride in Ketchum and hope to go back. Here are a couple of photos:

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[Crankin]

Did another little 22 mile ride with my 2 older friends today. We are pacing the one guy, and he was very pleased with himself today. He stayed with us, did better on the hills, and felt better about himself. I did bring up the cardiac issue, but he says he has no issues there, it's just age. He did want to hear all about my DH's story with cardiac stents, so I know I gave him something to think about.
The humidity is gone, but it's still too hot for me.

[Owlie]

Sunday, I went for my first ride in a long time. About 10 hot miles. I nearly bonked. (I went with my BF and his parents. ALL of them are of the type that can't eat anything before riding. I am exactly the opposite. I figured I'd be OK, since I'd had 2 days of more food than usual--loads of sushi on Friday night, Saturday they had people over, and there was a huge amount of loaded nachos and so forth--and I wanted to get out before it got really hot. Yeah, no.

[ny biker]

My road bike is still in the shop getting new wheels after the two broken spoke incidents. Last night I planned to ride my mountain bike for my usual post-work ride. I haven't ridden the mountain bike in a while, so I pumped up the tires to max psi on Monday night, figuring any leaks in the tubes would make themselves known before Wednesday. As I wheeled the bike out to the car yesterday morning, everything was fine.

After work I arrived at my usual starting point, started to take the bike out of the car, and discovered that the front tire was completely flat. Awesome. I got out the floor pump (doesn't everyone keep a floor pump in their car?) to put some air in it so I could see what was going on. That's when the local mosquito gang arrived and started to attack. Naturally the floor pump decided not to cooperate. I could tell that air was going into the tube, but the tire gauge didn't show any air pressure. I take the thing off the valve and try again, and now it won't stay on the valve at all. While I'm struggling with it, I'm trying to fight off the mosquitoes, and one of them keeps flying right into my face, and it's hot and humid so I'm sweating, and I'm yelling at the mosquitoes to leave me alone. I take the tire off the rim, look at the tube, finally get some air into it, it seems fine, I put it and the tire back on the rim and try to pump it up again but the pump is still not cooperating. I reach for the frame pump, then find that the air I had already put into the tire has leaked out again. And these damn mosquitoes will not leave me alone.

At this point I'm ready to give up. I only have one spare tube with me for this bike (of course I have a bunch of 700c tubes in my bike bag, but no extra 26" tubes). Given the way my luck has been lately, I don't want to use the only spare tube before I even start the ride. So I throw everything back into the car and head for home. Once I get there, I bring the wheel and floor pump in to the house, replace the tube with an extra that I had at home, reassemble the tire, fight some more with the floor pump and finally get enough air into the tire. It's almost dark, but I have good lights so I can still get in a ride around my neighborhood. So I go back outside to get the rest of the bike out of the car, change my shoes, top off the air in the rear tire, finally get ready to ride. While doing this more mosquitoes show up and attack. These are slower than the first gang, and I manage to kill three of them.

So. All in all I rode 12 miles, doing laps around my neighborhood. It was not easy to get going, but pretty uneventful after that.

I'm hoping the road bike and its new wheels will be ready tonight. Also hoping that I get a break from mechanical problems for a while.

[Crankin]

I hope your spokes are fixed soon! The same thing happened to the other bike leader I was leading a ride with back in July. No one in the group could fix his issue, and the wheel was totally out of true. He walked/hitch hiked back to his car 5 miles and left me to lead the ride. We were in Mystic, CT, so I was thankful as hell that we had pre-ridden this route.
I rode with my friend Linda today. She spends most of the warmer months at her house on the Cape, so I haven't ridden with her too much this year. It was fun, and I didn't mind her slower speed. I stopped at the tops of all the hills and enjoyed the weather. The ride was about 22.5 miles and had about 1,500 ft. of climbing. My legs are a little dead today; I have taken about 10 days off from boot camp, to ride more, but next week, back to the grind, in both fitness and work.

[ny biker]

I'm a bit worried that it's 5 pm and I haven't heard from the shop yet. Though I'm still okay for Saturday's big ride if it's ready tomorrow.

I'm going to bring the old wheels home, keep the front as a back-up and practice using the FiberFix temporary spoke on the rear, so I can be more prepared the next time.

I noticed that the multi-tool that I keep in my mountain bike seat bag has a spoke wrench on it. I never new what it was before. If I can get better at emergency spoke repairs, the whole experience will have been worth it. The adorable little multi-tool I use for the road bike doesn't have a spoke wrench, but I bought one to keep with it.

[emily_in_nc]

It's been pretty windy here lately, and we're back to having to use arm/leg warmers, etc. in the morning (ugh!), but we've managed some really nice rides. Just put up a blog post today about two of them. We did the Touchet North ride again today (photos in the blog are from about 1.5 weeks ago, when we last did it), and thankfully got a break from the wind as it was light today. 58 miles round trip.

http://travelingtwosome.weebly.com/traveling-twosome-blog/two-gorgeous-rides-north-of-highway-12

[Crankin]

Today was some of the worst weather I've seen this summer. We did some stuff at home this morning and it was 12:30, 88 degrees and at least 60% humidity when we finally got out. At least it was mostly cloudy and breezy. With the threat of impending severe weather, all ideas of a long ride went out the window and we did our go to 11 mile hill route.
Despite starting off slowly, when we turned onto the homeward part of the loop, my average was at 15 and ended up at 15.9 just as I started climbing the hill to my house. Very strange, as I felt terrible in the beginning of the ride and like I was flying by the end.
I do not enjoy this weather. Plus a lightning strike hit our cable modem about an hour and a half ago; DH is now at Best Buy getting a new one.