October Rides

[emily_in_nc]

Well, I figured I'd start this thread after having such a lovely ride this morning! We finally, finally got a "cold" front through here, and it felt so good this morning! The dewpoint was in the 60s! Now, I know that seems warm to most of you, but we've had a dewpoint of around 77-79F since arriving in Mexico in late July, so this is a welcome change. There's a touch of fall in the air, light breeze. lower humidity, and continued brilliant sunshine.

DH and I take a 20+ mile ride every Sunday morning, which is the lowest traffic day here (I won't ride on the weekdays due to all the traffic). We ride from our apartment over to the longest bike path in the area, do a couple out and backs on it, then hit Sam's Club most Sundays on the way back. Today was the same but the first time I've gotten back from a ride without DRIPPING sweat.

I took these photos last Sunday but don't think I posted them here. They show our utilitarian set-up on DH's Bike Friday with two bags and his rack. I carry a few lighter things in a small backpack but do not use a rack here, since we never need to carry that much.

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[azfiddle]

Emily- where are you located now?

I had two longish rides this weekend: yesterday, 56 miles and today 50. Yesterday we strung together some of the regular routes on the east side of Tucson.

The ride today was exceptional. The weather is changing here and it was a little cooler, with a front bringing some clouds in. My husband was doing a long run with a running group in the Santa Rita Mountains south of Tucson. So my friend and I hitched a ride to the parking area, which was conveniently located at 4200 feet, allowing us to start our ride with a wonderful descent down to the Santa Cruz River Valley. It was pretty much downhill all the back to Tucson, with a tail wind for 42 of the 50 miles. We ended up with an average speed of 18.5 mph at the end of northbound section, and a final average of 17.2, even after riding across the city for 8 miles. It was perfect weather- some clouds, reasonable temperatures the whole morning and we were home by 10:30 am, amazingly.

[Crankin]

Here is my cut and pasted version that I put in the September thread... duh. I deleted it from there.
Sharon, that ride sounds nice. I remember every fall, feeling the "change." Too bad, that in Phoenix, it's often not until the end of October! I've never been to the Santa Ritas. Tucson has much nicer scenery, closer to the city.
I did get myself out there, but not for the 38 miles. I did do a 21 mile ride that is very pretty and goes into Westford and South Chelmsford. I've done this ride a lot in the past couple of years, but only a couple of times this year. Was not sure how to dress. It was 54 when I left, with sun going in/out of the clouds. And windy. Very gusty. It wasn't supposed to get much warmer, so I wore light weight tights because of the wind, a regular LS jersey with no thermal, sleeveless base layer and a light weight head cover, light weigh long fingered gloves, and light wind jacket. I brought regular gloves with me, though. After about 6 miles, and some climbing, I was getting warm, so I decided the best way to cool down would be to take off the head cover. It worked. The back of my knees felt a little sweaty (weird) at times, but the sun stayed in for most of the second part of the ride, so that was good. It felt like I was riding into a headwind for 3/4 of the directions, though. Kind of like an early spring ride. On part of the ride I go by the street where there's a little farm, at the end of a regular neighborhood; I used to take my kids there for pumpkins and apple picking when they were little and we had first moved here. But, since I had no place to carry anything, I didn't go there, although it's still there, after 25 years.
Going to commute Tuesday. I haven't ridden to work in a month, due to road construction, horrible traffic, and having to get there at times when I don't want to mess with the traffic. I can ride more miles, too, if I go out early in the AM. Anyway, I have to be there at 8, so I'll leave super early, change, eat breakfast there, and enjoy the quiet.

[emily_in_nc]

Emily- where are you located now?

Playa del Carmen in Mexico's Yucatan peninsula, where we spent last winter. :-)

[Crankin]

I commuted yesterday, for the first time in 3-4 weeks. Left at 6:30 AM, and still hit a bit of a traffic build up going into Concord Center. However, it was uneventful, though 43 degrees :eek:. I was dressed appropriately; my new Terry commuter tights are awesomely warm. They have the same minimalist tri-type chamois as my capris, which I thankfully brought for the way home. It was about 60, and the sun was almost down, but despite having the capris, no base layer, short gloves, and thinner socks, between my thermal jersey and wind jacket, I was sweaty.

[Crankin]

Today I sort of did a club ride. It started in the next town, so I rode, to the start, 8.2 miles. Along the way, unbeknowst to me, I picked up another rider, riding to the ride, who was drafting me :eek:. I saw him when I was entering the round a bout in Concord Center, but, when I got onto the next street, I didn't see him. That is, until I turned onto the street that gets you to the meeting place. I must admit I was going at a good pace, for me (an average over 15), but I wish people would at least ask if they can do this, becuse he scared me when I turned the corner and he was there. There was a huge group for the ride. I had made the decision to do the shorter, 27 mile ride and not go to the lunch. Indian food at noon time, on a Wednesday does not cut it for me! The longer ride is becoming a sufferfest and this is not what this group is supposed to be. I can't do 40-60 hilly miles at their pace without feeling like dying, hence my choice. As soon as I put my GPS n the route, I remembered that I have had lots of issues when I download rides. Long story short, I lost the memory card a couple of months ago, and DH replaced it with an Open Source card. It does not work, won't go into details, let's just say it was a good thing I was with this group, in my own area. We got separated at the beginning by a stoplight, but the leader waited at about mile 4 or 5. After that, it was non-eventful. I stayed at the front and did 2 turns as a human arrow. On the last one, one bitc*y woman yelled at me, that she couldn't see me, or my bike. Sure, with my my front light flashing. I may have let an F bomb out, but she was already past me. After that, I caught up with the sweep and slower people at the end, passed them, and decided to take my shortest way home. I ended up doing 30 miles, which is fine for a midweek ride.
It was an absolutely gorgeous fall day. Chilly at first, but about 65 when I got home. So, even though I was mildly irritated about a few things, I am very glad I went.

[emily_in_nc]

So, even though I was mildly irritated about a few things, I am very glad I went.

LOL, this sounds like most rides I do! :D :rolleyes:

[ny biker]

I've been there too.

Crankin, your commute the other day describes the reason I rarely wear thermal jerseys. I often need the flexibility of multiple thin layers as the day warms up (or cools down, depending on when I start). I only really need thermal tops in December -January when the sun is low in the sky and least strong. However it's the opposite for my legs and feet -- last winter I wore my AmFib tights often and rarely had warm feet when I rode. I bought some Gore booties toward the end of the season and am hoping they help this year.

Meanwhile. I did my hill ride tonight after work, just shy of 20 miles. Temps were in the high 60s and it was dark when I started. I wore a thin wool base layer with long sleeves, a short sleeved jersey and capris. I was too warm sometimes, chilly a few times and sweating almost the hole time. I guess on average I was dressed right.

[lph]

However it's the opposite for my legs and feet -- last winter I wore my AmFib tights often and rarely had warm feet when I rode. I bought some Gore booties toward the end of the season and am hoping they help this year.

NY, my experience is that my feet need more layering before my legs do. Not as much as my dh, who has skinny feet and uses his winter bike boots year-round on cool days, but still. So I'll start using booties and even switch to winter boots before changing from regular long tights to AmFib winter tights.

Ditto with hands and upper body, but not quite as obvious, there the wind chill on my chest is more of a factor.

[Crankin]

I have different layers of thermal jerseys, as well as some long sleeved jerseys that are just jerseys. Three kinds of base layers, too (LS,SS, sleeveless), to give me lots of choices. In a couple of weeks, when I am more used to temperatures in the 40s, I might have chosen a different jersey weight, or even a ss jersey with arm warmers and a base layer, which works at times. My issue is the first almost 2 miles of my commute is downhill, and even if I go slowly, it is freezing. I absolutely have to have warm hands and feet! I didn't wear my winter boots Tuesday, because I knew I'd be wearing capris on the way home and that would be weird, so I wore my warmest wool socks, chemical heaters, and booties. I would have worn my heated gloves, if I knew where DH put them, so I wore my Mavic thermals, with a very thin wool liner. I still can't wear my Amphib gloves, without fear of getting them caught in the shifter, which happened once, and that was enough. In retrospect, since I had bought my work clothes to work the day before, I should have brought a lighter jersey. I have not been riding my Guru with the pannier, so my little napsack can only hold so much. I need to start riding that bike again... it is lonely. Riding it up the hill, with a packed pannier just kills my back. When I move to the condo, it will be a totally flat 3 mile ride.

[Crankin]

Did 36 miles today, most of it as part of a club ride. I rode to the start (same place as the last ride) and this time, it was the same temperature, but windy, and it did not get as warm. All I did was take my glove liners off when I got to the start. I alternated between taking off and putting on my head cover, too. Part of the ride was shady and I felt chilled, but as I peeled off from the group to go home, I did stop and put on my regular gloves and took the head cover off (again).
It's a beautiful fall day. The colors are just starting, a bit late because of the drought and hot weather this summer. Typical AMC group, but I stayed behind the leader, who I helped train and who is now the chair of the bike committee. She rides pretty much like I do. I ignored the usual weirdos and talked with others I know, so it was nice. But, I was getting hungry, so instead of going back to the start, and then going home, I peeled off earlier. It was about 4 miles shorter than the alternative, but much hillier.

[azfiddle]

No need for tights and thermal jerseys here! It was 65 to start this morning and over 90 (yes, the heat came back) by noon. My husband and one friend from my women's cycling group went to meet some folks planning to ride the first 2/3 of El Tour de Tucson route- and no one else showed up! So the three of us went anyway and even altering the route somewhat to follow the El Tour route more closely, we ended up with 74 miles. If we had followed the directions for the ride it would have been over 85. This was my longest ride since the spring... I'll miss at least one of the pre-El Tour century rides here.

I enjoyed it but was definitely feeling the heat by the last 10-12 miles.

[rebeccaC]

No need for tights and thermal jerseys here! .

no need here either…..we’ve had a couple of days in the 90’s lately which is highly unusual for this time of year, actually anytime of the year. Other than commutes I rode today for the first time in a few weeks. A friend wanted to go into the santa monica mountains so I kept her company. I shouldn’t have. It was 102 at the fire station we stopped to get water at and stayed that way until we came back down to the ocean which was still in the 90’s, 98 when i got home. Lots of salted nuts/dried apricots, water both drinking and poured over us and sweat. Got home and took a shower, had an almond milk, blueberry, frozen banana, homemade protein powder and flax seed drink and haven’t moved much since. i want my normal 70 degree weather back!!!!

[emily_in_nc]

Did our usual 21-mile urban and bike path ride this morning. Sunny, hot, not much wind. My lower back was barking at me a bit, but overall, it was a good ride.

[Crankin]

Forecast was much warmer today, although it's still windy. I am having a bad issue with watering eyes when riding in temperatures less than 60. First this was only when I skied. Then it has crept in to riding at increasingly higher temperatures. A couple of weeks ago, I had a really bad allergy attack and my left eye started tearing spontaneously, not while outside. I've been wearing my glasses more, but it doesn't seem to help. I cannot wear my glasses while doing sports. A friend had this issue and was told to stop wearing contacts or wear those old lady goggle things while she rides. Ah, no thank you. My eyes were fine in June, when I mentioned this, but I think I might have to see an ophthalmologist. It's annoying. Anyway, I went out with no particular agenda. Thought I might do the hilly ride I've been wanting to do for weeks, but my legs told me no right away. Not that any ride around here is flat. I ended up doing 27 miles into Boxborough and Stow. I knew I should avoid areas around apple farms, but I was not prepared for the the cars parked along side of the road near Shelburne Farm. It turns out the orchard is down the road from the farm, so when I thought I was avoiding the crowds, I was not. There were cars about a mile on either side of the orchard, and tons of clueless people walking along the narrow country road :eek:. Who goes apple picking in a dress and heels? OY. I was being very careful when a Stow cop who was there for crowd control started pulling out in front of me! He saw me (geez, with a flashing front light) and stopped, I said "thanks," in kind of a sarcastic way, and he started going again. This was intentional. I feel like reporting him, but it's not worth it. I knew he wouldn't hit me, but I sped up and he turned in the other direction.
I stopped at the café 3.5 miles from home and had lunch outside. Listening to some of the conversations amused me. This place is a mecca for cyclists, but today, it was only dressed up families and people on dates. As I was leaving 2 other women pulled up on bikes, and I knew one of them, so I gave them my table. A nice ride, the leaves are getting more colorful, but I am glad DH is coming home from Japan in a couple of hours.

[ny biker]

Forecast was much warmer today, although it's still windy. I am having a bad issue with watering eyes when riding in temperatures less than 60. First this was only when I skied. Then it has crept in to riding at increasingly higher temperatures. A couple of weeks ago, I had a really bad allergy attack and my left eye started tearing spontaneously, not while outside. I've been wearing my glasses more, but it doesn't seem to help. I cannot wear my glasses while doing sports. A friend had this issue and was told to stop wearing contacts or wear those old lady goggle things while she rides. Ah, no thank you. My eyes were fine in June, when I mentioned this, but I think I might have to see an ophthalmologist. It's annoying. Anyway, I went out with no particular agenda. Thought I might do the hilly ride I've been wanting to do for weeks, but my legs told me no right away. Not that any ride around here is flat. I ended up doing 27 miles into Boxborough and Stow. I knew I should avoid areas around apple farms, but I was not prepared for the the cars parked along side of the road near Shelburne Farm. It turns out the orchard is down the road from the farm, so when I thought I was avoiding the crowds, I was not. There were cars about a mile on either side of the orchard, and tons of clueless people walking along the narrow country road :eek:. Who goes apple picking in a dress and heels? OY. I was being very careful when a Stow cop who was there for crowd control started pulling out in front of me! He saw me (geez, with a flashing front light) and stopped, I said "thanks," in kind of a sarcastic way, and he started going again. This was intentional. I feel like reporting him, but it's not worth it. I knew he wouldn't hit me, but I sped up and he turned in the other direction.
I stopped at the café 3.5 miles from home and had lunch outside. Listening to some of the conversations amused me. This place is a mecca for cyclists, but today, it was only dressed up families and people on dates. As I was leaving 2 other women pulled up on bikes, and I knew one of them, so I gave them my table. A nice ride, the leaves are getting more colorful, but I am glad DH is coming home from Japan in a couple of hours.

Um yeah, apple picking. I was supposed to do that near Charlottesville VA this past Sunday (same day you rode). I was meeting up with cousins who go every year with their relatives who live in that area. I was running late so I was supposed to meet them there. But the line of traffic leading up to the orchard was so long -- estimated 1 hour wait -- that they called me and said we were switching to plan B, lunch on the mall downtown. I don't know that area at all so we stayed on the phone and they gave me directions as I drove, until I reached a certain intersection and they said "what car are you driving" followed by "we're passing you now in the black truck -- pull out behind us!" We had a lovely outdoor lunch, walked around and hung out, had dinner, a very nice day overall. I wore jeans, a t-shirt and sneakers, figuring that apple picking would involved walking on non-paved surfaces and possibly sweating a bit in the sun. Anyway.

I had been planning to do a metric century outside of Fredericksburg that day but changed my plans when I was invited to join the apple-picking excursion. Instead I went for a ride on Saturday. A friend said she would be doing a B/CC ride with a local club that I am currently not a member of. We typically ride a CC pace. The route was in an area that I'd heard about because it's very popular with cyclists, but I'd never ridden there before. It included a climb up a small mountain/big hill -- about a mile long, steep at first, then leveling off, then it kicks up again and is even steeper. The total ride was 53 miles with the big climb more than halfway into the route. It was pretty chilly before we started; temps on Friday had hit 80 but then a cold front came through overnight and dropped temps to the mid-50s. I was wearing my mid-weight tights, long sleeved wool base layer, short sleeved wool jersey, a wind vest and my wool Moxie shrug. Plus a wool cap and toe covers.

So we start the ride and immediately everyone leaves my friend and I in the dust. I don't know if my friend told the ride leader not to worry about us, I just know that we never saw anyone else from the group again until we came back to the parking lot and found a few of them sitting around chatting about how they'd all averaged a BB pace -- faster than what was advertised. Which is typical for that club.

Part of the route was nice but a fair amount of it was on roads with no shoulder, a 50 mph speed limit and lots of traffic, including big trucks. I was pretty freaked out by the traffic. On roads like that, drivers do not slow down and wait until it's safe to pass -- they figure you're taking a ridiculous risk so you must be okay with the possibility that they'll hit you. If I had been alone I would have turned around and cut the ride short.

When we stopped at the rest stop I took off the shrug, and when we reached the base of the big climb soon after I stopped to take off the wool cap, unzip my vest and roll up my sleeves. It was warm in the sun by that point, temps in the 60s. As I started on the first part of the climb, my legs felt like noodles. I just have not been riding enough lately and am not on good form. And though the paralyzed vocal cord from last spring is mostly recovered, I could feel some wheezing in my throat. When things leveled off I felt better, but when the road kicked up again I could just tell that I would have an asthma attack if I kept riding. So I got off my bike and walked to the top -- my first time walking up a hill in 15 years. But as Tony Curtis once said in a movie I saw many years ago -- he who fights and runs away lives to fight another day. I would rather walk than stop breathing.

I will say that the view on the way down the hill was very nice. And the roads around it were nice too. But as we got closer to the park where we started we were back on the high-speed high-traffic roads again. I do not expect to do any rides in that area again.

BTW as I walked up the hill I watched my friend spin away ahead of me. So after we regrouped at the top we had a nice conversation about gearing. I expect to have to replace my cassette soon, and will look into getting something that will make the hills easier.

[Crankin]

I love my 11-32 and 11-34 cassettes. Ah, technology.
Did a very short 11 mile ride today. Considering how awful I felt when I got up, it was OK. Still warm, about 63 when I went out, but very windy. I was fighting a strong cross wind the whole way. But, at least my average wasn't frighteningly low, like yesterday morning. Came home, ate lunch, and then went on a 3.2 mile hike with my friend. She was tired from Cross Fit and I didn't mind at all. This hike has lots of climbing, an overlook, and a chasm, in the middle of a nearby town. It's fairly hard and I didn't care today, when my friend was slow.
Rest tomorrow.

[azfiddle]

Well, my vacation riding has pretty come come to the end. Tomorrow we leave for a non-cycling music weekend in Texas. But since the break started (last week of September) I've ridden about 450 miles. Following Saturday's 74 and Sunday's 24 miles, I rode 67 yesterday on Tucson's "loop" path, plus getting to and from the ride. Three miles from home, I ran into my son on his bike, heading back to his apartment after a study session at Starbucks. So I followed him home for some ice (it was well over 90 degrees!) and then went back to my house.

Today, I did a home visit with one of my 7th grade students and we went an easy 7 miles together. She did great, considering she was riding her mom's heavy cruiser bike.

[ny biker]

I rode 20 miles after work on Wednesday night. Same weather conditions as the previous Wednesday -- temps in the low 60s-high 50s -- but the prior week it was more humid and this week it was pretty dry. And it made a big difference. I was downright cold for the first few minutes until I reached the first hill and was cold again after I stopped for a snack. But while I was riding I was okay, zipping and unzipping my vest as I went up and down the hills.

Up next for me is a metric century on Sunday morning. The ride is being organized by the bike advocacy group in Anne Arundel County in Maryland, the county police and their parks and rec department. It starts way earlier than I would like given the cold weather we're expecting, but it's a chance to explore an area that I'd like to check out, including some trails as well as roads into Annapolis. I'm trying to figure out what to wear for temps ranging from 40 to the low 50s with late October sun, which is still fairly strong and warming. If it were December I'd wear my warmest tights and booties, but this weekend they might be too much. Decisions, decisions.

One thing is for sure -- this will be my last early morning ride of the year. I'm a big fan of starting rides later on cold days to give the sun a chance to warm things up as much as possible.

[emily_in_nc]

One thing is for sure -- this will be my last early morning ride of the year. I'm a big fan of starting rides later on cold days to give the sun a chance to warm things up as much as possible.

I totally hear you there and completely agree. Good luck with the metric!

[Crankin]

Usual start time for rides on days with the high in the 40s... 1:00 PM. Fifties, maybe at 11-11:30.

[shootingstar]

Last weekend we went out into the Rockies but on tame bike routes. Except I had not cycled that distance since last yr. Anyway in rain drizzle, here is what we saw:

And other activities that inspire me from scenes like these. https://cyclewriteblog.wordpress.com/2015/10/13/mountain-leaf-and-light-dancing/

https://cyclewriteblog.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/burnished-grassesmtundles2015.jpg

[rebeccaC]

Beautiful autumn scene shootingstar…
I should have been working the last hour but I kept needing to read more of your wordpress site….

[emily_in_nc]

Beautiful photo, shooting star!

No riding here today...we are having torrential rain and lots of wind. Here is a photo from my walk earlier, prior to the rain beginning again.

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[rebeccaC]

lots of wind according to those palm trees....i'd be thinking about a great tail wind ride :)...even with a good rain

Did a ride to the watts community action center in south central L.A. for a coordination meeting in preparation of the start of sex trafficking prevention and intervention programs at the center. A strong and positive interaction with community based people with hearts of understanding and compassion. 52 miles total and a happy soul the entire ride/day

Statue of the ‘Mother of Humanity’ at the center. Working to heal, promote peace, speak truth and having the heart and courage to take strong fearless action with reverence and respect.....a fitting symbol for the center
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/646/22070067009_52d8635345_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/zCfS1H)

[salsabike]

rebeccaC, your ride, its purpose, and this picture all made my day. Thanks. :)

[rebeccaC]

....:)

[Crankin]

Today's ride truly felt like a November ride. High is 44 degrees. It was sunny when we left home to go to the condo to measure some closets. Sunny, with a breeze. Had on heated gloves, mid weight tights, winter Assos jacket with a thermal jersey, and a short sleeved base layer. Wore my winter shoes, too. It was just about right. My core was heating up, just as we arrived; since this is the first day in weeks my sinuses don't hurt (meds are working), I did not want to feel chilled. Did our work, and rode right home. Nice and flat, except for the climb up to my house. I swear, on the way back, the sky looked like snow is coming. We actually might have some flurries tonight, it's going to be 25. My legs felt good, but I didn't try too hard. Only 15.5 miles.

[emily_in_nc]

Crankin, a Facebook friend of mine in Vermont posted snow photos this morning. It was so strange to this NC gal to see snow in the same photos with fall foliage. Normally in NC, the trees (other than pines) are bare by the time snow falls.

Rebecca, I know, I love a good tailwind too, but there were deep puddles everywhere (Mexican roads have terrible drainage), and we could see on the radar that it was about to pour again. About 30 mins. after I took these photos, it was coming down in sheets. If you would have ridden in those conditions, you are much tougher than I!

Here's an example of a street just down from us:

17832

[Crankin]

Emily, that looks like the roads in Miami, during a rain. Maybe this is something particular to tropical locations?
Yes, I had a few pics from friends in VT, with a dusting of snow. One from SheFly! Also, a couple of pics from x country ski centers that had a funny juxtaposition of foliage and trails with a tiny bit of snow. I think what happened is the foliage season started very late, because of the drought, then rain. The cold air this weekend is a blip, supposed to be back in the 60s by mid week. I am supposed to do a metric next Sunday, so we will see.

[rebeccaC]

Rebecca, I know, I love a good tailwind too, but there were deep puddles everywhere (Mexican roads have terrible drainage), and we could see on the radar that it was about to pour again. About 30 mins. after I took these photos, it was coming down in sheets. If you would have ridden in those conditions, you are much tougher than I!

i wouldn't say tougher.....with seldom getting rain here means i can recall the inner child when it does and just enjoy riding in it and through puddles with my legs up :)...a strong tailwind would just make it even better :)

but then only on a road that doesn't have large potholes hidden by surface water

[Jolt]

I did the Dempsey Challenge (charity ride in central Maine) yesterday…had signed up for the 100-mile ride but only did the 70 b/c I was not going to make the time cutoff and got rerouted at the point where the two courses split. Actually, I probably would have decided on my own to just do the 70 given the conditions yesterday…it was pretty cold (below freezing at the beginning) and WINDY. There was a headwind for most of the ride, making it extra tough (and it's already a fairly hilly ride…one hill is known as "puke hill" and is long and gets steeper as you go up). I was pretty wiped out by the end of it and was glad to have finished! Next time I may just do the 50 miler, to keep it enjoyable and not stressful. It was interesting seeing what bikes everyone else had…I did not see one other Surly (maybe they were all on the shorter rides) and some people were riding what looked like triathlon type bikes. The ride is really well organized and there is a variety of good stuff at the rest stops, including hot apple cider and hot chocolate, which were really welcome on the chilly ride yesterday. There is also a lobster dinner and beer from a local brewery at the end which is a nice way to top off the day. I think more people might have stayed around for the post-ride festivities if it had been a little warmer! Today I am being a lazy bum before heading into work this afternoon.

[emily_in_nc]

i wouldn't say tougher.....with seldom getting rain here means i can recall the inner child when it does and just enjoy riding in it and through puddles with my legs up :)...a strong tailwind would just make it even better :)

but then only on a road that doesn't have large potholes hidden by surface water

Yes, we used to ride our beach cruisers through huge puddles in Belize all the time, some quite deep, but I hate to do that with my Bike Friday. I am not fond of cleaning my bike after riding in the rain, especially when in a dirty city. I am also leery of strong tailwinds as that means at some point during the ride, I'll be battling an equally strong headwind! There will be plenty of other days to ride. :-)

[emily_in_nc]

There is also a lobster dinner and beer from a local brewery at the end which is a nice way to top off the day.

OMG, you are so very lucky. I need to get back to Maine one of these days. We certainly don't have post-ride eats like that in NC or anywhere else I've lived. Congrats on making 70 miles in what sounds like tough conditions!

[emily_in_nc]

Emily, that looks like the roads in Miami, during a rain. Maybe this is something particular to tropical locations?

Yes, because the rain tends to come down so fast and heavy, even places with good gutter systems can't always handle the inflow. And we don't have good gutter systems here. Some of the roads do have drains, but they always seem to be placed wrong, like on a high point where the water can't flow. Not the best road engineering here, I'd say. :D

[rebeccaC]

Yes, we used to ride our beach cruisers through huge puddles in Belize all the time, some quite deep, but I hate to do that with my Bike Friday. I am not fond of cleaning my bike after riding in the rain, especially when in a dirty city. I am also leery of strong tailwinds as that means at some point during the ride, I'll be battling an equally strong headwind! There will be plenty of other days to ride. :-)

But I like the zen state I can get to while meticulously cleaning my bike :)
The few times I've wanted to ride with just a very very strong tailwind I/we would get someone to drive us to a start point that gave us the tailwind all the way back home. Did that once while visiting a friend in Springfield Illinois. On a nice reasonably straight rural road we were doing high 30's low 40's without much effort almost the entire ride back to her place. :cool:....anyway my post was about my inner child not my pragmatic womanhood. :)

[Crankin]

Emily, there was not very good drainage in Miami, either. Of course, this was in the early 70s, but I suspect, it's not much different now.
Jolt, congrats on that ride! I have always wanted to do it, but I know how hilly it is and I would never attempt the century. I don't like rides with time cut offs! But, yes, the conditions yesterday must have been brutal, as it was windy and cold enough down here.

[Jolt]

Emily, there was not very good drainage in Miami, either. Of course, this was in the early 70s, but I suspect, it's not much different now.
Jolt, congrats on that ride! I have always wanted to do it, but I know how hilly it is and I would never attempt the century. I don't like rides with time cut offs! But, yes, the conditions yesterday must have been brutal, as it was windy and cold enough down here.

Yes, "brutal" pretty much covers it! I've decided I am not a fan of rides with time cutoffs either (after this ride and D2R2 this past summer)…maybe if I were faster I would feel differently, but since I'm not they kind of stress me out. You could always do the 50…I think that is what I will do next time. I would still like to try and do a century, but not sure if it is even realistic given how slow I am. Maybe I need to find one that isn't so hilly!

[rebeccaC]

Nice weekend away….went out into the desert to do some work on Friday then to the Searles valley to do some photography on Saturday and a ride today. Beautiful valley with some old towns in various degrees of decay and some interesting creative people. Today we rode a series of well paved side roads with very little Sunday traffic and with beautiful desert landscapes just thrown in. 76 not too strenuous miles....well, and a couple of interval challenges with both of us smiling before and after :)
nice overcast, very little wind and it was cooler in the desert than the beach so H60’s to L70’s was nice too.

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5661/22493650251_32fa857090_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/AgFQy4)


https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5801/22294952268_46a79e6279_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/zY8syL)

[Crankin]

I commuted today, for the first time in quite awhile. It was 38 when I left, so I was decked out in all my gear, including a light balaclava under my beanie. Well, even though it was at least 5-8 degrees colder than the last time I rode, when I was freezing, the sun must have made the difference. I was warm even going down the hill. Knowing I would be building up sweat, i barely rode above a speed of 14. I did not want to stop, for a 5.3 mile ride.
I rarely wear my winter riding shoes for my Frog pedals. They are so toasty, I felt like I had chemical heaters on. I still have issues with the cleats kind of not engaging and my left foot often flies out. I finally got this set on my regular shoes. There was a lot of chatter about this a few years ago; you can hear a light click when it engages, but on these, Irarely hear the click, so I keep my heels in, just in case. Between that, and the packed pannier, I felt a bit off. The ride home was gorgeous, though. Fully dark, with a full moon.

[emily_in_nc]

Gorgeous photos, Rebecca!

Crankin, when I used to use Frog pedals on my MTB, I never heard a click. I just twisted my foot into position and they engaged. I do like the click I get with my Eggbeaters.

[Catrin]

Gorgeous photos, Rebecca!

Crankin, when I used to use Frog pedals on my MTB, I never heard a click. I just twisted my foot into position and they engaged. I do like the click I get with my Eggbeaters.

I used Frogs for my road rides and loved them, I never heard a click but I COULD feel them engage - sort of :-) Glad you like your Eggbeaters!

[Crankin]

The click is very "mild" sounding, nothing like the click in my Speedplay Xs, or even with spd pedals. My foot will slide in, but any bump or movement causes it to slide out. I know there were some years that this was a major issue, as I read about it on line. It seems to have been solved. DH says I am crazy, but when I showed him the threads, he saw the light. I think it has to do with the fact the cleats are just slightly off for fitting on the shoes. They are fine with my regular Shimano mtb shoes, I use with my Guru, but these winter shoes are Northwaves. It was really hard to find winter shoes in my size (37), for women. I was able to find Shimano winter shoes for the road pedals, and those are seamless, but I have avoided wearing the Northwaves because of this. Thing is, the shoes are super warm and better than the winter road shoes, but the pedal issue is driving me nuts. This is the bike I ride in the colder weather, or if there's a sunny/clear road day in the winter, and early season, so I would like to use the shoes, instead of dealing with booties, etc.

[azfiddle]

I commuted yesterday- October is the perfect month to ride in Arizona. Not quite 60 degrees and less of the prevailing headwind than usual to start and a short sleeved jersey was sufficient and the ride home was not too hot- 80 degrees or so. The weather here is getting ready to cool down a bit by the end of the week so the next time I commute I'll definitely need an outer layer or arm warmers.

[Crankin]

Rode this morning, in anticipation of the remnants of the hurricane coming through. I only have one word: windy. It didn't look that windy when I started out, though. But, since there was nothing else wrong, I am assuming that's the reason I was struggling! I did what I call my flat route, and while the 2 hills on the loop were fine, I found myself going at least 6 mph slower than normal on some parts of the flats. This is the ride that I've had my fastest average ever, and while I don't expect that will ever happen again, it was nowhere near the usual. However, finally, I got on the part of the route that was less of a crosswind, and maybe a teeny tailwind, and I was able to push it. I passed one guy who was moseying, and that gave me the oomph to just get done. Again, I was not dressed quite right. I wore my rain jacket, which was a mistake, and I should have had a lighter jersey on. Even my legs were sweating... it was 44 when I started and 52 when I got home. I did take my glove liners off and push my skull cap up over my ears, which helped.
A lot of work for 17 miles, but I am glad I went

[Catrin]

Sounds like you had fun though. Good for you for getting out while you could!

[emily_in_nc]

We just got back from a short trip (by bus) to Valladolid, a lovely little colonial city west of Playa del Carmen. Here's my DH taking Paisley in her travel kennel to the excellent boarding facility here. We'll go to pick her up in a few minutes and just hoping the rain holds off. As you can see, it was a gorgeous morning when we took her over on Monday, but quite cloudy now. It's only about 3.5 miles one way but very urban so takes longer than expected to get there.

I wonder if we are the only people who have ever dropped our dog off there on a bicycle!?

17834

[rebeccaC]

Here's my DH taking Paisley in her travel kennel to the excellent boarding facility here.

what was paisley's reaction the first time traveling in that carrier? is there light that gets into it? nice photo of an urban landscape, your dh and a hidden paisley!!!!

paisley is loved so all's right in dog world :)

[emily_in_nc]

what was paisley's reaction the first time traveling in that carrier? is there light that gets into it? nice photo of an urban landscape, your dh and a hidden paisley!!!!

paisley is loved so all's right in dog world :)

Thanks Rebecca! This is her airline travel kennel, so she is pretty used to it since we've flown with her quite a few times now. It has mesh on each end and on top that can be covered up all or partially by velcro'd flaps, so she has plenty of ventilation. She made it home just fine and looks great. She is zonked out now, though, after all the doggie play time!

[ny biker]

Catching up... back on the 18th I did the metric that was sponsored by the bike advocacy group, police department and parks and rec department over in Anne Arundel County, MD. It was ridiculously cold for mid-October. I started in Amfib tights, Woolie Boolie socks and Gore windstopper fleece-lined booties -- my heaviest winter gear. On top I wore a long sleeved wool base layer, short sleeved wool jersey and wool arm warmers under a Gore windstopper jacket with a wind vest on top of that. After a few hours it seemed like the sun had gotten warm enough to take off a few layers, so naturally the dark clouds rolled in followed by cold rain and I think some actual sleet mixed in. Luckily I ran into a friend at the start, and he had just run into one of his riding buddies, so the three of us stayed together. We all agreed that we didn't like the route all that much. My legs were exhausted and aching for much of the ride, which didn't make sense since it was not any harder than the ride I had done a week earlier. I think either I was worn out from several miles of bumpy milled-down pavement along the route, or it's possible that my front brake was rubbing slightly. Anyway it was the first time in a while that I actually completed an event that I had planned earlier this summer, which is good. But not great.

So a few days later I went out for my weekly post-work hill ride, on a relatively warm evening. Tried out my new Gore Oxygen windstopper knickers. Had a pleasant enough ride, thought about adding a few miles to take advantage of the good weather but decided against it since I was leaving for a long weekend in Austin the next day and I still had to do laundry and try to figure out what to pack. I think I was about 14-15 miles into the ride when I shifted the rear derailleur and um wait what just happened did a cable break or something? It was too dark to see much, even with my headlight, but it felt like the cables were okay. So I tried to shift again and the lever went way too far to the left and stayed there. So there I was, in the small chain ring and smallest cog, several miles from the ride start. Fortunately the most difficult hills were behind me and I was able to take a shortcut back, about 3 or 4 miles in all. But as someone who likes to spin in easy gears, they were some hard miles. I felt it in my lower back and quads the next day.

While I was crosschaining through the last few miles, I weighed my options. I could proceed with packing, laundry, etc., leave for the airport the next day and forget about my bike for a few days, and then take it to the LBS on Tuesday after I returned from Austin. Or I could somehow squeeze a trip to the LBS in before going to the airport the next day. Of course I wanted to go with option B, especially since I had a feeling they would have to order a part in order to fix it. I decided to leave the bike in the car overnight and try to get out of the house early enough to go to the bike shop.

Packing for my trip was not easy because the weather forecast called for the opposite of the warm sunshine that I had hoped for. I spent a lot of time trying to fit my rain boots in my too-small suitcase, eventually giving up and packing some old leather sneakers instead. As it turned out I should have left some of the clothes home and gone with the boots, but that's a tale for another thread. The good news is that somehow I managed to get packed and out of the house in time to go to the LBS and still make it to the airport with time to spare. The problem was a broken shifter, they had a replacment part in their warehouse and the repair was done the next day.

While I was in Austin I caught a cold -- sick again!!! third time since April!!! -- so I have been laying low since I got back home. I did go out and pick up the bike yesterday. It needs to be cleaned and I want to test the new shifter. It rained here tonight so if I wasn't sick, I wouldn't have gone for my weekly hill ride anyway.

Next up -- on Saturday I'm heading up to Frederick County, MD for a ride that I've been wanting to do since early February.

[emily_in_nc]

Ugh, ny, sounds like you've had some challenging times! I broke the rear shifter cable on a very long (over 80-mile) ride last year and had to limp back in one gear, so I do feel your pain! It was mostly flat, thank the gods, except at the very end, where there was one long and steep climb that I had to walk.

I hope you feel better in time for your ride Saturday. Colds suck, and though I don't get them often, mine tend to linger and turn into a horrible cough at the end, so I pretty much know I'm going to be "out" for any athletic endeavors for about a month when I get one.

[Crankin]

Ugh, I broke my rear shifter cable going up my hill, on a commute home, several years ago. Thankfully, I was in the small ring up front. I did have to walk up the driveway. Also, broke a shifter cable, which tangled itself up in the derailleur, on a ride on Patriot's Day 2014. My friend jerry-rigged it and we got to a bike shop, where they said they couldn't fix it, but put it in a decent gear, for me to get home.
I did a little 12 mile ride this afternoon, as it's nice out. Still windy, though. Man, I was slow. I don't care, I was out there. Going to do 62 for 62 tomorrow :eek:.

[emily_in_nc]

Going to do 62 for 62 tomorrow :eek:.

A metric birthday? If so, Happy Birthday! Hope the weather cooperates and that you have a wonderful day. :-)

[Crankin]

My metric birthday is Wednesday... there's a chance of showers tomorrow. I gave DH the choice of doing it all today, or splitting the miles and being like "normal" people tomorrow.
Right now it's 28 degrees. Supposed to be 42 at 10, though. I know DH wants to wimp out, but I will strong arm him. I can't ride that long by myself; 40 miles is my solo limit, or I get bored and cranky.

[Catrin]

My metric birthday is Wednesday... there's a chance of showers tomorrow. I gave DH the choice of doing it all today, or splitting the miles and being like "normal" people tomorrow.
Right now it's 28 degrees. Supposed to be 42 at 10, though. I know DH wants to wimp out, but I will strong arm him. I can't ride that long by myself; 40 miles is my solo limit, or I get bored and cranky.

Hoping you're having fun right now on your birthday ride :cool:

[emily_in_nc]

My metric birthday is Wednesday... there's a chance of showers tomorrow. I gave DH the choice of doing it all today, or splitting the miles and being like "normal" people tomorrow.
Right now it's 28 degrees. Supposed to be 42 at 10, though. I know DH wants to wimp out, but I will strong arm him. I can't ride that long by myself; 40 miles is my solo limit, or I get bored and cranky.

Ditto...40 is the most I've ever ridden solo. 42 degrees sounds pretty darn chilly!

I did my little ride (very short, like 2.2 miles each way) to the dog rescue this morning, as usual (I go every Saturday, unless it's raining). It's a really pleasant way to start the day, and since I get to walk dogs once there, to get some activity without it being too much in the heat/humidity. Temp is still in the mid- to upper-80s with very high humidity (dewpoint of 79F). Supposed to be about the same tomorrow to ring in November. Hope it will start cooling off a bit soon.

[BikeDutchess]

Short 10 mile club ride this morning - our annual Halloween Ride. Daughter and I cut, glued and pinned our costumes together. First time on the bike in forever. My IT band is still not back to normal, started to twinge again even though it was a very short, flat ride. Great turn-out for the ride, looked like about 60 people. Some very elaborate costumes, too!

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/763/22648332675_104044bf1e.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/AvmCfp)
Happy Halloween (https://flic.kr/p/AvmCfp) by DutchRosie (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48330200@N04/), on Flickr

[rebeccaC]

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/763/22648332675_104044bf1e.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/AvmCfp)
Happy Halloween (https://flic.kr/p/AvmCfp) by DutchRosie (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48330200@N04/), on Flickr

:)...and both of your smiles tell me you enjoyed being together!!!!!!!

[Crankin]

Very nice, Bike Dutchess.
I accomplished my metric for my metric birthday. We didn't leave until close to 11:30. Set out to do our flat loop, and rode back to Concord center, so we could pee and I had to take my base layer off! I had already changed out my glove liners and head cover. Then, we rode to west Acton for lunch. That was 25 miles. We probably sat a bit too long at lunch, but on we went to the Delaney Reservation in Stow, about 6 more miles. So, at the half way point, we realized we needed to either make the ride shorter, or speed up. DH had his "big" light, I did not, but I did have a light. It got a bit cloudy after this, but we spent a long time on main roads that are flat-ish. At least it was in places i haven't ridden in awhile, through Maynard, Sudbury, Lincoln, and back to Concord. We knew we wouldn't have enough once we were heading toward home, so first, we rode to Verrill Farm, to use the bathroom, I ate a Shot Block, and took the glove liners off. Eleven miles left. Got to Concord Center, in a round about way, and took a loop around the center, but when we got close to our area, we knew we would have to go past our street. We did, and ended up with 61.1. I feel pretty good, only my left toes started cramping near the end. Of course, this route was flat for us, about 2,200 ft. of climbing.
On to Cuban food!

[rebeccaC]

three of us did a nice city ride into west hollywood to a friends. stopped to have lunch, take some street art photos and buy some makeup supplies. At the moment I have a pallid anemic face and exposed skin, bloodstained lips, black lipstick over and under my eyes, blackish purple bruises, blood dripping down my chin and neck onto my tank top, open wounds on both arms and I’m ready to party this Halloween night :)

[ny biker]

Ugh, ny, sounds like you've had some challenging times! I broke the rear shifter cable on a very long (over 80-mile) ride last year and had to limp back in one gear, so I do feel your pain! It was mostly flat, thank the gods, except at the very end, where there was one long and steep climb that I had to walk.

I hope you feel better in time for your ride Saturday. Colds suck, and though I don't get them often, mine tend to linger and turn into a horrible cough at the end, so I pretty much know I'm going to be "out" for any athletic endeavors for about a month when I get one.

Thanks Emily. Fortunately the thing with bike rides is that if you have a few bad ones, you just keep going out there and riding until they get good again. I worked from home all week so I could rest and by Friday the cold was almost completely gone -- with no bizarre complications or secondary infections like the last two times I was sick, so yay for that. Saturday we rode 49 miles and had a really nice time. My friend and I co-led it for our club. The route was a variation on one that we did in February on a day that was supposed to be spring-like but ended up cloudy and cold. I reversed it for a bit of variety and added a slight detour to pass a historic site in the area. We had a few minor incidents -- made a wrong turn due to a weird mistake from ridewithgps, had an unexpected gravel section that lasted more than a mile, then some confusion due to signs saying the road was closed for road work when it was really open. But the weather was nice, sunny and warm enough for late October, and we enjoyed the scenery along with good conversation.

The new shifter feels loose compared to the old one, but I spoke to the mechanic at the LBS today and he said that's the way SRAM is making them these days. It works well enough, just moves more when I shift than before. While I was there I picked up some new windshell hi-viz windshell gloves along with some knee warmers and compression socks that were on the clearance table. And the gloves were 20% off so all in all it was a good shopping trip.

[ny biker]

Very nice, Bike Dutchess.
I accomplished my metric for my metric birthday. We didn't leave until close to 11:30. Set out to do our flat loop, and rode back to Concord center, so we could pee and I had to take my base layer off! I had already changed out my glove liners and head cover. Then, we rode to west Acton for lunch. That was 25 miles. We probably sat a bit too long at lunch, but on we went to the Delaney Reservation in Stow, about 6 more miles. So, at the half way point, we realized we needed to either make the ride shorter, or speed up. DH had his "big" light, I did not, but I did have a light. It got a bit cloudy after this, but we spent a long time on main roads that are flat-ish. At least it was in places i haven't ridden in awhile, through Maynard, Sudbury, Lincoln, and back to Concord. We knew we wouldn't have enough once we were heading toward home, so first, we rode to Verrill Farm, to use the bathroom, I ate a Shot Block, and took the glove liners off. Eleven miles left. Got to Concord Center, in a round about way, and took a loop around the center, but when we got close to our area, we knew we would have to go past our street. We did, and ended up with 61.1. I feel pretty good, only my left toes started cramping near the end. Of course, this route was flat for us, about 2,200 ft. of climbing.
On to Cuban food!


Congrats and happy birthday!

[Crankin]

Did a very little 11 mile ride on my actual birthday. It's 65 out, and gorgeous, actually was up to 68 at one point. But, I had a stupid training at work from 12-1, right in the middle of the day. So, by the time i came home and had lunch, I decided just getting some fresh air would be good. Probably will ride to work tomorrow and then Friday I am co-leading a ride. It's supposed to be in the 70s.
ETA: Ha, I just forgot I have a client at 8:30 AM... I also go to a class at the gym at 5:45. So, since I don't want to ride to the gym at 5 AM, do the class, then ride to work (although that is only about 3 miles), I guess I won't be riding tomorrow!

[emily_in_nc]

Happy birthday, Crankin! 17841

[Crankin]

Thanks, Emily.