July riding

[Crankin]

I commuted today, at a different time than usual. It was lovely, albeit a bit more humid than predicted. I got to work so early (I had an 8 AM client), I had to unlock the doors. People are in a holiday mood, I rode home at 3:15, and was totally soaked with sweat, though it is breezy and partly cloudy.
I've been commuting on my Silque, with a little back sack thing, mostly because I was trying to not ride my Guru with the super low gearing, before my trip. Now that that is done, I need to go back to riding the Guru, with my pannier or Arkel Trail Rider. Of course, the pedals need to be put back on the bike before that!
Plan to do 3 days of riding this weekend. On Saturday, we are doing a ride around the Wachusett Reservoir, starting in Harvard, MA. 45 miles of hills :).

[azfiddle]

I'm still on summer vacation, so riding most mornings. Yesterday was a ride up to Sabino Canyon and back, Wednesday and this morning the usual ride up to Saguaro NP and the loop road through the park. The saguaros are still fruiting and birds are all over them - surprisingly there are a few blossoms still. The monsoon rains have moderated temps a bit since the 111 degree highs we saw in late June. And no, I don't go out midday and ride in those conditions!!

[Crankin]

DH and I just got back from a little 16 mile loop, which we call the flat ride. Of course, it's not totally flat, because we have to get back to our house, and there are 2 other small hills. It's really nice out. We stopped at our favorite local restaurant for coffee and a bathroom break. They were closing up for the holiday, so the chef came out and talked us about cycling, as we were seated outside and drinking our iced coffees. This is what I like about living in a smaller town. He told us they open earlier 2 mornings a week for the large groups of riders that stop in there.
Tomorrow's ride to central MA has been postponed, due to weather concerns on our friends' part (I don't really think it is going to rain here). We're going to do a local route, a club ride I've done a couple of times, with a group and with one of the guys I ride with. It's local, but pretty hilly, and since we are riding to the start, it will be 45 miles.

[azfiddle]

It's summer in Tucson, which means a lot of rides up our mountain: Mt. Lemmon. Today it was warm (80 degrees to start) and about 45% humidity but it was overcast so that was good. I rode to the base (5 miles) and then up to milepost 9 (Seven Cataracts) - elevation gain about 2900 feet. It's always amazing how fast the descent is after the long slog uphill.

[Crankin]

I wish I could learn to like descending. I suck at it.
Yesterday, we did a 44 mile local ride. DH and I rode slowly to the start, about 6.5 miles. It was also cloudy and overcast here, which was good. There were several periods of sprinkles, but no full blown on rain. I had my rain jacket stuffed in my jersey pocket, which seems to superstitiously ward off any rain! We rode from Carlisle into Chelmsford, then into Westford, through an area that I used to frequent when I first moved back to MA. Also, the site of many of my first scary snow driving experiences... When DH was going down a small hill, we went over some rr tracks and his seat bag came flying off in front of me. We had to stop on a busy country road for him to retrieve it and put it back on, but, we were able to stand in someone's driveway. Then, came the climbing portion of the ride. There's a 3 part hill, about 1.5-2 miles long. It's a slog, and I had no desire to try to go fast up it. When you get to the top, you are in the town center, so we stopped on the green, and made our plans for later with our friends we were riding with; after about 6 more miles, we parted ways, as they had driven to the start and we rode home a slightly different way.
I felt good during the ride, despite no sleep the night before. Had a good dinner at our friends' house after the ride, but I think I may rest today, although I kind of want to try out my new trail running shoes. It's going to be sunny and warm, so I am having visions of just laying out by the pond.

[NbyNW]

I brought a bike back from the UK, and picked her up today from the LBS, where she got some TLC from the stress of travel, as well as new Brooks handlebars and a double kickstand. I haven't settled on a name for her yet, but it's definitely a girl!

So, introducing my new "practical" bike ... a 2014 Bobbin Bramble. Already loving it for quick errands around the neighborhood. I'm toying with installing an e-assist on it, since it's hilly around here, it's a heavy bike and I'm terribly out of shape. And, if I can ever get DS to wear his helmet, I'll be able to tow him in a trailer.

17701

[rebeccaC]

So, introducing my new "practical" bike ... a 2014 Bobbin Bramble.


luv the bramble...great city bike!!! You might want to look into a torque-sensed pedal assist kit. Doesn't R&E do a step through Rainier...is yours?

[NbyNW]

luv the bramble...great city bike!!! You might want to look into a torque-sensed pedal assist kit. Doesn't R&E do a step through Rainier...is yours?

I know nothing about e-assist, only that it exists, so thanks for the terminology! I googled it and learned a ton. I also have the information of a guy locally who will do e-assist retrofits, so I was thinking to start there.

I did notice an increase in step-through frames when I recently visited the R&E website. Mine is not, I have a traditional horizontal top tube. I do love step-through frames, though. My folding bike essentially has that feature. It can be a bit tougher to get my lock around both the rear wheel and enclosed part of the frame, though. Maybe I just need a different lock.

[Crankin]

That bike looks awesome. Wish I didn't live on a big hill!
I commuted on my Guru with the pannier for the first time since April. I think I rode the bike once (a real ride, not a commute) once in May, so she's been lonely. I dusted her off last night and switched my front light over. This morning, I got a text from my boss, saying she was home with a bad case of poison ivy, so we couldn't meet for our weekly meeting; I didn't have to be at work until 11, but I actually left at 9:45, as it was getting hot and quite humid. To make myself go slowly, I wore commuter shorts and jersey, so I didn't sweat too much.
The ride home was lovely, at 7 PM. Cooler (79) and breezy.
Going to do a "dark ride," at 5:15 tomorrow morning. Left the Guru out on the front step, sans pannier, of course.

[azfiddle]

It's my last week of vacation- I rode Sunday and Monday with a friend- about 32 miles each day but Sunday was a much easier ride- Monday we went back up the mountain and did over 4000 feet of climbing up to milepost 14 - Windy Point. The last two miles just don't let up- 5-7+% but we had cloud cover which really helped because it's a south facing slope. I had more in the tank, but not enough time and my friend was running out of water.

In some ways, the biggest challenge is carrying enough water because there is none along the road until you get to the ranger station at milepost 20.

[kernowcyclist]

I've decided to try to get out on the bike every day, upping the admittedly small distances (12 miles or so) I do so I can *maybe...* enter a sportif next year. But July weather here in Cornwall has been distinctly un-summery, heavy showers and strong winds. This coupled with the hilly moorland nature of where I live gave me cause to post my ride on strava as 'B***ard wind'! Whatever direction I cycled, and especially cycling uphill, there it was, blasting in my face, causing the most unladylike expletives and facial grimacing. At one point, I had to get off and walk.

And to cap it all, my phone lost the satellite connection half way round so the route, timings and mileage are all up the creek. Sigh......

The forecast is better today though, the showers will clear off this morning but the breeze remains at 19-20 mph; I might hit the road again this afternoon and try a more sheltered route.

On a brighter note, I had a medical check up Monday and the doc said her tests showed I have the lungs of a 30-year old (I'm 61) so the cycling's keeping me fit :-)

[Crankin]

Sounds like tough riding, Kernowcyclist.
I went out at 5:15 AM yesterday, as strong thunderstorms were predicted at the time I normally would leave work, so I didn't want to commute. DH rode out with me, for the first 3 miles, as he wanted to get to work early. I did a 15 mile ride, including the other hill in town. It's a very ritzy neighborhood, with a double hill, kind of a circle on top of the hill, with 3 houses and a monument on top. After that, I rode my regular early morning route, which is pretty flat, except for the return up my street. Funny, I hardly saw any other cyclists, while last Tuesday, I saw so many riders, it was like a Saturday morning.
My ride was nice, but I felt like I was sleeping through it!

[SheFly]

... including the other hill in town. It's a very ritzy neighborhood, with a double hill, kind of a circle on top of the hill, with 3 houses and a monument on top. After that, I rode my regular early morning route, which is pretty flat, except for the return up my street.

Crankin' - trying to picture where this is...

SheFly

[Crankin]

Nashawtuc Hill... if you go right at the light at Thoreau St off of Main.
It's also a loop hill, like my street, but I usually go down another hill on the back side of the loop, and ride around some of the other streets to add miles.
I am sure you've been up here!

[SheFly]

Oh - yup! Now I know where that is. Have definitely been up there, but don't ride up there much.

SheFly

[Crankin]

My commute to work is going to be messed up for the rest of the summer... sigh. They are doing major bridge work for the commuter rail and there are going to be lane closures on a curvy 2 lane road that is a major access to a highway. One or two weekends at the end of the month, the road is going to be totally closed all day. And, it will be totally closed the whole last week in August.
This is going to be a mess, in the car and on the bike. The lane closures will start at 7 AM, so my usual commute time of 9 on Mon. and Tues. and 7 on Thurs. won't matter. It will be OK for my way home. There are alternate routes, which will both add time to my commute. And, I imagine lots of other people taking the same alternative routes.

[marni]

yesterday's ride was a 4 H (heat, humidity, headwinds and hills) ride from Brenham to Chapel Hills. There is a reason that the town is named Chapel Hill and not just Chapel. In the 16 miles between Brenham and Chapel Hill on the route we followed there were a lot of rollers plus 8 hills. 3 were "oh gawd" hills ( where all you can do is pant those words with each pedal stroke0, 2 were "you have got to be kidding me", 2 were "I think I can hills" and 1 was a "this is not a real hill " gasped at the end of a continual long but not steep ascent. We started at 8:00 at 85 degrees with a feels like of 88 with the wind at about 10 mph, and finished at 11:00 at 90 with a feels like of 98 with the wind at about 15 gusting up to 20. And it's not even the dog days of August yet.

The indoor trainer is looking better and better.

[Blueberry]

yesterday's ride was a 4 H (heat, humidity, headwinds and hills) ride from Brenham to Chapel Hills. There is a reason that the town is named Chapel Hill and not just Chapel. In the 16 miles between Brenham and Chapel Hill on the route we followed there were a lot of rollers plus 8 hills. 3 were "oh gawd" hills ( where all you can do is pant those words with each pedal stroke0, 2 were "you have got to be kidding me", 2 were "I think I can hills" and 1 was a "this is not a real hill " gasped at the end of a continual long but not steep ascent. We started at 8:00 at 85 degrees with a feels like of 88 with the wind at about 10 mph, and finished at 11:00 at 90 with a feels like of 98 with the wind at about 15 gusting up to 20. And it's not even the dog days of August yet.

The indoor trainer is looking better and better.

Hah. I live in another Chapel Hill. And yes - there is a reason. :p Good training, but not really the ideal commute.

And agree 100% on the indoor trainer. We were over 90 by 10AM, with a 104 heat index this afternoon (and I'm pretty sure that was on the low end). Rode yesterday (a memorial ride for a friend who was killed 2 years ago), but not today. Tomorrow should be (a little) better.

[Crankin]

I commuted yesterday. It's working out well for Thursdays, when I have my first client at 9... I leave at 7, to just beat the traffic backup at an intersection near my house. I take my time, change and clean up, drink more coffee, and then I do some filing in my charts and clean my office for the week. Yesterday I got to leave at 2, but usually, it will be 4, before rush hour.
My SI joint is complaining after riding with the pannier this week. I don't think it's the trail running, because it started the day before I ran, after I commuted. I hadn't had any issues when I was commuting on my other bike, with a back pack.

[azfiddle]

Last week before I return to work (short summer, long fall break is the trade off in our school district). So I made my 3rd ascent up Mt. Lemmon in a week and got to the top of the ridge, but not to the little village of Summerhaven because the paved road was closed after a tree had fallen. The Forest Service decided to keep the road closed and do extra maintenance. There was detour onto a dirt road for two miles- it would have gotten me to the Cookie Cabin for my reward, but I didn't want to attempt it on my road bike so I reluctantly turned around 2 miles short of my goal. I'm sure I'll try one more time at least.....

Today was a very slow/easy 20 miles out to Saguaro NP

[Crankin]

We had a good, but hot ride to Kimall's Fruit Farm in Pepperel, MA/Hollis, NH today. First time we've taken a group up there. There were about 12 people, quite a few other leaders, so no pressure on me, as a new person was sweeping, so he can get his full leadership status. DH went out really fast and I was shocked my average was 14 at the lunch stop, after climbing Worcester RD. This is a 7 part hill. There's some rest in between the 7 hills, but, it's tough. After lunch, though, is when you hit constant short, steep climbs. Thankfully, it's shady, until the last 4-5 miles, which includes more hills. 2,569 feet of climbing and it was 88 when we got back. Thankfully, no humidity.
Went out for ice cream afterwards at a new place in my old town. Good, but feeling it now!

[khg]

Well, I posted this over in the PNW forum, but my fun riding of the weekend was the annual Seattle-To-Portland ride on Saturday. It was my fifth time doing the 200 mile ride (each year I've done the 1 day option, there's also a 2 day option), and it went really well. The ride is about as easy a double-century as you can find (not that a double-century is easy) as the ride is well supported, and a pretty flat route overall.

10,000 cyclists take part each year, split about 20/80 between 1 day and 2 day. It makes for a bit of a madhouse the first 50 miles or so, as you're packed in on the road and have to watch out for people doing sketchy things. But there's also something magical about being part of so many cyclists working towards the same goal!

The ride also highlights to me what an amazing invention the bicycle is--it seems almost unbelievable that I could get from Seattle to Portland solely under my own power, in a single day! And yet not only did I do that, I even got to Portland in time to shower, enjoy a couple beers and some pad thai at the finish line festival, and cheer other people as they came across the finish line!

And perhaps more impressive to me than what I (and thousands of others) did on Saturday, is that on Sunday I rode the 5 miles and 400' of elevation gain home from the bike/bus drop off point in Seattle... Oddly enough, that ride wasn't too bad, but going up and down stairs still kinda sucks.

I'm already looking forward to next year!

[smittykitty]

Also rode STP in two days. Khg really summed it up. I tried posting in NW last night, but must have fallen asleep in the process! Will try again soon. Massage today!

[qcuthbert]

Like hearing about all the riding going on. I only made it to 20 miles in one setting. Trying to do more but anything with a hill gets me exhausted

[lauraelmore1033]

Like hearing about all the riding going on. I only made it to 20 miles in one setting. Trying to do more but anything with a hill gets me exhausted


it gets so much better qcuthbert!

[Crankin]

Had a good commute today. The traffic was not detoured yet, but I was prepared with an alternate route. However, there were other narrowed lanes for other work, right before the real detour. I like when I commute on Mondays, because leaving work at 7 instead of 6 is just so much nicer! I was flying and had my fastest commute of the year.

[khg]

A week and a half ago, I was scheduled to do a fun ride on Mt Rainier with my husband and a friend--but woke up with a cold instead, and spent the day in bed :( I was really disappointed to miss the ride for training reasons, and because it's just a beautiful ride.

Between various commitments, today was the only time in a several week span that I could do it, as long as I got up early enough and didn't dilly-dally so that I could get back home in time to head to work in the afternoon... So painful as it was, I jumped out of bed at 5:45 and hit the road soon after. (I am NOT a morning person!)

The route I did starts at the Crystal Mountain turnoff, then enters Mt Rainier National Park to go up to the Sunrise Visitor Center (highest paved road in Washington State!), comes back down the mountain, then turns to go up to Cayuse Pass, continuing on to Chinook Pass, and then 13 miles of descending back to the car, with a respectable 55 miles and 5,500-6,000' of elevation, depending on who's counting. It's challenging--hardly a flat moment--but also stunningly beautiful, and the weather today was perfect for it--views for days.

I had a great time on the ride--no pictures, because I was trying not to stop (15 minutes to buy and eat food at Sunrise was my only time off the bike)--so you'll have to take my word for it that the wildflowers on the mountain were riotously beautiful. The range of colors and shapes was constantly engaging, as well as the contrast with the dark evergreen trees behind. On the last bits of the climb up to Sunrise, you're facing directly towards the summit of Mt Rainier, and it's just HUGE. Even from Seattle, it can dominate the landscape--up close, it's incredibly awe-inspiring.

I had a little more excitement than I wanted partway up to Sunrise. About 50 feet up the road, a bear emerged from the trees and started casually crossing the road. I immediately stopped and waited. And sure enough, a couple bear cubs soon followed. They lingered a bit, eventually crossed, then hung out on the side of the road for a while before heading up the hillside. The cubs were so cute--but that was way closer than I ever needed to be to a momma bear and her cubs!!!! Had I kept biking instead of stopping, I likely would have been directly between her and the cubs when they got to the road. Yikes!

And now... Now my legs are tired. We're doing a road trip this weekend, and sitting in the car for a long time suddenly sounds really really nice. Sitting anywhere sounds really really nice.

But I'm glad I made myself get up and go--it's a great ride, and was so worth it!

[Crankin]

And I think I'm tough because I ride 15 miles at 5 AM????
I would have totally freaked out at a bear sighting. Of course, seeing my neighbor's dog freaks me out, so it's all relative.
Had a lovely, and cool/dry ride this morning at 5. Fifteen miles, same ride I did last week, even though I was tempted to cut it short. It was below 50 degrees F at one point, and while I was dressed appropriately, I could have had knee warmers on. When I got to the top of Nashawtuc Hill, a deer and fawn were coming out of the woods. They didn't move, but I was concerned they might go down the hill the other way and run out in the road, out of the woods, on the other side.
I usually don't ride early AM on Thursdays, and I did not see as many riders as I do on Tuesdays.
Group ride tomorrow.

[smittykitty]

Just for you that may not have grasped kbh's discription of the incredibly beautiful and STEEP HILLS she rode at Mt Rainier, well I'll just say it's steep by car! Oh, and way to recover from your STP one-day ride on Saturday! I haven't even gotten back on a bike yet, let alone Mt. Rainier! Wow! I'm so impressed! We've had several deer wonder out in front of us lately. I hope we don't meet up with a bear and cubs.

[Helene2013]

I would freak out too I think seeing bears or anything that can "attack" me. I've had enough of 2 dogs chasing us for 8km.... never pedaled that fast in my fast for the 1st half of it since I did not know if they were dangerous or not. Happened they were friendly and sooooo happy to get a good run. Me? NOT...it was my 2nd road bike ever and I had no control on anything. Lucky I did not fall, kill myself or heart attack with such high cardio then. haha

You'll have to go by car...and get us pictures of that scenery KHG. You truly rock on a bike to get all this done..in the morning on top of this. yikes.

[khg]

Whether rightly or not, I'm more freaked out by dogs than bears. Dogs are people-oriented, like to chase things, can be territorial, etc. Off the bike, I've had some bad run-ins with them (luckily nothing on the bike yet). Whereas the bears, since I was a little ways away, didn't care about me at all--I don't even know that they bothered to look at me. There were more interesting things going on for them, like yummy plant bits to nibble... Still, I was sure glad that I had noticed the mom coming out of the trees soon enough to stop when/where I did...

It has been a chunk of challenging stuff on my bike for me. It's been fun, and I'm also hoping I will get some strength and stamina gains out of pushing myself like this. But I know that strength gains come from the body's rebuilding during rest, so I'm typing this while lying on the couch--and no big rides for a few days!

Crankin, 15 miles at 5AM counts as tough in my book! I think if you told me that I had to do that tomorrow, I'd just curl up in the fetal position and cry ;)

[rebeccaC]

Bear cubs are cute but a protective mother isn't something i want to deal with. If I rode in areas where bears are I would be carrying this (https://www.sabrered.com/bear-and-dog-sprays)

I do carry regular pepper gel in my handlebar bag mainly because i ride alone a lot on low traveled mountain roads and some of the more iffy areas of L.A.....thankfully i haven't ever needed to use it.

[steppink]

I carry pepper spray in my pocket also, for that " just in case dog or even worse the just in case person ", as I also ride alone, though it wouldn't help much against a bear :eek:

[Crankin]

I have only had one dog run in, on my street.

[kernowcyclist]

Seeing dogs off-leash by the roadside makes me very vigilant. I was knocked off my bike by one years ago on my way to work, on what was usually a busy road but luckily was clear at the time. The owner just casually strolled past as I untangled my legs and heaved the bike off , and called 'Allright?' then carried on. She seemed supremely unconcerned. I carried on to work, fuming, where I was overtaken by the shakes and my worried workmates plied me with sweet tea. No damage, just a bruise or two. I didn't see the woman or the dog on that route again though.

[marni]

Todays ride was a relaxed out and back on the shadiest route we could find. Fast enough to keep a steady cadence of 79 and slow enough to talk about things so a good combination of effort and therapy. Started and finished early enough that the heat wasn't too brutal. 26 miles in 1;45 for an average of 14.0. Thanks to riding buddy Mx for doing the ride with me.

[Crankin]

I helped lead an impromptu group ride. There were only 6 people, of varying speeds, so a lot of stopping and back and forth. But, a nice day, and good climbing. I've done this route before, so I was prepared. I was a little surprised they all knew my name, but I have no idea who these people are!
30.1 miles, with 1650 ft. of climbing. I am glad I didn't ride to the ride, as it would have made it just under 50 miles. Really slow, but, still fun.

[Crankin]

Yesterday, DH and I did a very short ride of 13 miles, including the steep hill I did on Friday. My knees were killing me after the ride Friday, and I really was trying to figure out why, since this is not a usual problem for me. Then, I realized that my early AM ride Thursday, I had shorts on, it was about 50, and I was definitely stiff when I started. I should have had knee warmers on, so learned my lesson, I cannot be like DH!
Today we explored some new streets in Sudbury. We rarely ride in this direction, although it's a very local ride. We ended up going up a climb of 11% grade. There are 2 charity rides going on today, going through Concord, so we wanted to avoid all of that. It's really hot and humid, too, but thankfully, the clouds mostly helped. I was just soaked through, when we stopped for a brunch sandwich, about 3.5 miles from home. We rode about 29 miles, very happy to be showered and in the AC.

[marni]

another hot and humid ride started early and kept it short and sweet, 33 miles in 2;30. Starting temp at 7:30 was 80, finishing temperature at 10:15 was 92 but feels like was triple digits 103 because of the humidity. Thankful for the group I ride with and for the occasional clouds and breezes.

[marni]

another day, another hot sweaty feels like triple digits ride back to back with yesterdays ' ride. It's a party!

[salsabike]

another day, another hot sweaty feels like triple digits ride back to back with yesterdays ' ride. It's a party!

You have all my respect for being able to do this. :)

[Crankin]

Cooler here today, and less humidity. Did my first group ride with the "other" club I ride with, not the one I lead for. This is an annual ride from a guy's house, in the next town, and then a lunch in his backyard. The last 2 years I have done this, it's been blazingly hot, and last year, I almost lost it, about 7 miles from the end. DH came with me today, too. Non-eventful, except for the major azzhole guy who kept trying to get ahead of me. I dropped him on every climb, and he passed me on the downhill. I had to make sure I was away from him on the flats. And, he ah, did not smell nice, either :eek:. I had it when after a climb on a busy road, he passed me on the downhill, drinking from his bottle, while a truck was passing us. I got angry, and picked up the pace for the rest of the ride. Near the end, he was behind me (I could tell he was tired), passed me and said, "It's terrible trying to draft you, you are so low down." It took all the reserve I had not to say, "Yes, because I am not a slovenly fat pig like you." Sure, I am short and small, but don't be mad at me for that.
Was glad we drove there, changed our clothes in the car, and had a good lunch. Now, getting ready to go to the airport and pick up my son, who is visiting from LA.
31 miles. My legs hurt, and we have a ride to lead tomorrow night, after work.

[azfiddle]

Back to work so my riding is a bit curtailed.... I commuted once last week and once this week (so far)- I plan to ride Friday again. Still my mileage total for July is up to 445 - which is a bit over my goal of 100 miles a week, and we still have a few more riding days available.

[Crankin]

How come, when we lead rides, there's always a story to tell? Tonight, we only had 2 guys show up. I was not really in the mood to ride, but we are committed, so...
One of the guys showed up on a 30 year old bike and it clearly was not in good condition. He was somewhat strange, couldn't really put my finger on it. He came back from using the rest room and he had cut himself, on his pedal, riding from the port-potty to where we were starting! It looked terrible. I had him rinse it with water and then blot it with kleenex, and then gave him a huge bandage I had in my supplies. It really needed 2, but it was good enough. Off we went. He was wobbling and every time he shifted with the down tube shifters, he was looking down. He wasn't weak, but more inconsistent. After about 5 miles, he says to me, "My bike is broken." Sometimes, people say that when they are tired, but his bike was really messed up. I rode ahead to get DH, who brough him over to where i had stopped with the other rider. So this guy starts screaming at DH that he was fixing the bike incorrectly (he wasn't), and DH had to tell him to be quiet and listen, that he had been a bike a mechanic for a racer (our son). He got the bike going, and we finished, but I was exhausted. I really don't like riding at 6:00 PM, but the rides are short and now I have enough leads to get a free jersey.

[Helene2013]

Wow Crankin...truly a good story. haha Liked it. I would not have traded places though. hihi

We're on vacation and brought our Crux bikes as the roads around here are not in great conditions with very damaged asphalts.

Well well well....they redid the paving for probably 30 miles. We also found a bikeway to use that is fully paved. If we've had known this, we'd have brought our road bikes. But riding on the Crux will make us stronger and when we get back on our road bikes, we'll fly. haha

I have not ridden for about 3 weeks. Too many good reasons: too hot and humid, stuff needed to be done at home before vacation (like staining deck, etc) but most of all, Montreal has been having too much rainy days lately and of course when it is nice, we work. Murphy's law.

So last night it is beautiful here near Boston. No wind, just cooler than the high humidex we had on Monday. We're walking the dogs and I say to hubby...either we go watch the band singing at campground or.... we go for a ride. Guess what he chose (cause he cycling in any condition but rain - not me. I'm too sissy).

So we got our bikes ready and left. OMG. It was soooo hard. Hills after hills. I'm normally not that bad but it shows I've slacked in my training and it totally showed last night. I did not wear my heart rate monitor but I'm sure for part of it heart rate was over 175-180 per minute. I was sooooo hot that we returned after 13km. When I got to campground, I felt like vomiting. I knew I had pushed too much but loved it anyway. Must be insane. haha So hubby told me to just stay in the motorhome so I could cool down some. It only took a few minutes and I regained my body. Went for a quick pool dipping and a soak in hotbut then cool showers. Slept well last night as temperatures were around 12c. That is nice.

We are getting ready for trying a bikeway in Rhode Island. Hoping it is not too hot as chances are I'm turning around. haha

I just can't wait for cooler weather (read: Fall and winter) to come around. I'm so not much a summer person. I prefer to stay in the air conditioning than lying beside a pool. Unbelievable how much I can ride when temperaturs are under 18c and as soon as it hits 22c....I'm out of it.

[Crankin]

Helene, we could have visited! The rail trail in RI is nice, but will be crowded on the weekend. Lots of nice ocean there.

[Helene2013]

Crankin,
We did the rail trail last summer. It was nice.

But today we did the blackstone river valley bikeway which I found much nicer. It was busy and I would not go on weekends as it was fairly busy and just a Friday. A nice 35km round trip. It was hot but lots of shady areas due to trees. So it was good. My Bora-bora (Crux) is riding so well. Sure it is harder to climb hills due to weight/style but it has good kick-ins when you push it. We got back on time to the car before I felt a few drops of rain. Got back to camper, had time to walk my wackos (read : very excited dogs) and took dip in pool/spa before they "kicked" us out due to storm coming in. So now we're relaxing.

But today's ride was much more enjoyable than the one last night. I need time for a good warmup and my knees do not like climbing before I'm good. Today was perfect. Although in the sun it was hot. Too hot.

Probably will just ride near campground tomorrow...if not too hot and if I feel like it.

[marni]

another 28 mile hot and humid finishing at 11:00 in the feels like triple digits gives me 100 miles for the week. Not outstanding but better than last week.

[Crankin]

It's going to be 96 here by Thursday... not sure if I want to do a hilly group ride on Wednesday in those conditions. We shall see.

[Helene2013]

Same for where we are. As the days are passing...it will get hotter and stickier. Yark. So I think I will enjoy the next 2 days cycling a bit (I think Sunday calls for isolated storms). I just can't ride when it is just too hot/humid. I don't know how people can do this. You're tougher than me. So I guess it will be pool/jaccuzi at campground and reading books in the shade, if not in the air conditionned motorhome. Why rough it up when you can take it easy. hihi

[Crankin]

If I didn't ride when it was hot/humid, half the summer would be gone. I did have to build up to being able to do this, and I still don't love it. Most likely, on Wed.-Friday of this coming week, I will ride very early in the AM (5-6). I'd rather get a 15 or 20 mile ride in at this time, than suffer just to get more miles. I used to actually go a spin class on those kinds of days, many years ago, when I started riding, but I would not do that now. I either go out early, take a rest day, or go running in the woods. I have a lot of really shady, short rides I can do when it is hot out. The thing is, that this kind of weather never lasts more than 3 days here, so it's not like I am in Florida or Texas.
I've ridden in the Blackstone Valley area, but not on the Bikeway. We did a tour across MA a few years ago, and that area was a big part of it.

[Crankin]

So, after we discovered the memory card had fallen out of my GPS sometime last week, got a new one, and went out for a short ride to test if everything worked correctly, because I have not been able to get the right screen when I'm following a downloaded route. All kinds of weird stuff has been happening, on and off, even before the memory card got lost. DH made a route of one of our simplest 15 mile routes to test it. After 3 stops to work stuff out, I think it's OK. It's not so hot out, but very humid, and big dark clouds threatening. I felt really strong and good, when I really didn't want to do any speed records today. I didn't, but the speed was much higher than I thought it would be. I really babied my knees, using the easiest gears for the terrain.
It started sprinkling right when we turned back onto our street, which actually felt good. I proceeded up the steep side of our street, so I could get momentum up the driveway.
I may commute tomorrow, but there's a 50% chance of predicted thunderstorms when I will be leaving work.

[Helene2013]

I only did a 15km ride today. We took a different route from campground and it was better on the knees. Still hilly but less than the other way.

We felt some rain drops and we turned around. It was so hot and sticky. I did not realize until I got out of the motorhome all dressed up. Oh well. I pushed up some of those hills at over 30km/h which is very good for me. It was easy to get speed since some I was able to get the speed up (going down) before going up. We also had good winds facing us on the return and thought I'd choke more than this...nope. I would not have done a 60km at this rythmn but it was good enough for me.

But after 15km I was very happy to get back to campground, change into swimsuit and dip in the pool and hot tub. Hubby just dropped me off at the gate and he went to do a Froome out of him and did his run twice. He came back soaked up. Clothes went into our washing machine while we went swimming.

Those bikes are really nice to ride. Easy and still fast. I'm impressed.

Storms here tonight and tomorrow as well. They said this of today and it's almost 6pm and we got nothing.

[azfiddle]

Two work commutes, (Tuesday & Thursday), a short ride up to Saguaro NP on Saturday and another climb up Mount Lemmon this morning. I dragged myself up to mile 14 on the mountain- (36 miles total with the ride up to the base). About 4000 feet of climbing. I felt like I was riding through molasses around mile 8.... felt better but not much faster on the sections after that.

I was not with my husband, who had gone up further, when he almost had a disaster descending. His bike apparently started shimmying and he lost control, though he stayed upright, and careened into the lane which fortunately had no oncoming cars at the time. That's it- he's getting a new and stable bike before he goes back up the mountain. He test rode a couple of Specialized this afternoon.

[Crankin]

DH took DS to the airport at 5 AM, for his flight back to LA, so since I was getting up to say goodbye, I decided to ride. Today and tomorrow are going be 95+ degrees, with humidity, and I knew I would not be going on the hilly 35 mile group ride! It was a perfect temperature, 75, though it felt soaking from the start. I did a bit over 15 miles. I am noticing that I feel the need for caffeine when I ride this early, although I never have coffee before any exercise in the morning, no matter how early, as it upsets my stomach. The feeling eventually goes away, but it's strange how this developed all of a sudden.
Noticing how much darker it is at 5 AM :(. I had to use my "big" light, as it was still fully dark when I left. I wish the solstice was at the end of July, instead of June!

[marni]

by dint of an early start I got in 38 miles today before the heat hit the triple digits. To further enliven the day, I encountered 5 dogs, four of who were loose with their owners and gave me no problem. The fifth was on a leash but his owner let him run to the end of his leash and across the line in the middle of the road to lunge at me. Then a bit further on, just as I was contemplating a rest pause, I hit a herd of cattle being moved up the road and spent a brief period watching the lead cutting horse lunge back and forth across the road and into the ditches to chase down resistant laggards. It was a lovely interlude as I grew up in cattle country and used to ride a cutting horse. All in all a lovely 40 miles in spite of the heat humidity and headwinds.

[azfiddle]

So far this week- just one commute to work. Fine in the morning but it was pretty hot riding home. Only mid-90's but humid with a storm on the horizon.

The DH brought me to work and I planned to ride home, but the bag with helmet, shoes etc was on the kitchen floor. Guess he'll be picking me up later today.

[Crankin]

Led another ride today, with my friend, Jack. We are trying to get a Friday morning series going again. Only 2 people came today and one had to leave after half a mile, as her disc brakes were rubbing and Jack had no experience fixing them. We were still pretty close to the bike shop, near our start, so she went back. It is less humid today, but still hotter than I like for riding. We did the same ride as last time I led this, and it's mostly shady, but I felt horrible near the end. I really wanted to ride to the ride, but I knew I might feel crappy at the end, and didn't want to torture myself with 8.5 hot and unshaded miles riding home, so I drove there. Good choice. The one woman peeled off near the end, so Jack and I went to lunch and split a sandwich, and then I rode the last half mile to my car and he went to play pool at the Bedford Council on Aging.
30.1 miles, some good climbs. Next time, I do this, though I am planning the route.