June rides, summer begins

[north woods gal]

Thought I would get the June rides thread going.

Nothing special to report, here, for rides. Just my daily mix of trail and pavement work. Did check in with my bike shop and, yippeee! The Log Lady has arrived. Now it needs to get assembled and modded the way I want. Since my bike guy - the owner - has given his main helper a long vacation, he's going mostly solo in running things, so it may be awhile before the Log Lady comes home. No problem.

While, there, I mentioned to him that I might want to sell or trade off some my aluminum bikes, specifically, my old Trek 8000 26" MTB. I rarely ride it, anymore, given that I've moved to the larger wheel stuff. He mentioned that we have a local club that helps find bikes for youngsters who want to learn the basics of MTB riding, but can't afford a good bike. Some of them have to settle for some really low end bikes, for now. Given how the market for old 26" MTBs has hit rock bottom, anyway, I figured I'd sell the Trek cheap or even donate it to the cause. Back in the day, I upgraded all the parts, so it would make some kid a great bike. Be nice to pass it on to the next generation.

[emily_in_nc]

I agree, nwg, nice to have a group to donate it to. My DH recently traded in a 26" MTB and only got $125 for it at the LBS, and it was a very nice Jamis Dakar, so the market has indeed tanked. He had also considered donation, but even that small amount helped offset the cost of the Townie he wanted for cruising around the campground.

We did our usual ride (roads and bike trail) yesterday for 35 hot and sticky miles. It was the most uncomfortable ride so far this year because of the humidity. Sultry! The weekend is for walking, laundry, and staying off the busy trail, then back to riding on Monday.

[north woods gal]

Glad you survived that kind of humidity. Last time I bicycled on a visit to Florida, I think that's what did me in the most when I bonked. We'll be going back to the same area, come September, but at least I know what I'm up against.

My hubby and the other neighborhood guys got together, this morning to work on repairing a community dock on the lake used only by members of our association. I got to help by hauling tools and gallon jugs filled with water with my Surly ECR. The ECR is designed to handle heavy loads, so I was eager to see how it handled the extra weight. Ha! Couldn't even tell the difference in the way the ECR handled. In fact, with the extra weight, it rode a bit nicer. I honestly think I could load all my camping gear on the ECR and disappear for months. After all, it was designed with that in mind. :)

[Crankin]

Our club bike rally was today, and our ride was a success. The forecast, as I mentioned earlier, was all over the place. It was 82 and humid/sultry when we left and rain/scattered thunderstorms predicted. We were scheduled to leave at 12:30. Before we left, DH and I figured out several bailout points, going back a shorter way, on a main, flat road, if I it either started raining hard or lightening. We had about 40 people, and then broke the group into 2 by speeds, so we ended up with about 20. The group was pretty good, with 2-3 people who stayed back behind me, as the sweep. DH seemed to speed up after we did the big climb, so I stayed with these people, until they told me to go ahead. I seriously was working hard to catch up with the next rider, whom I could barely see up ahead. At this point, we had sprinkles, it got cloudy, and was cooling down, thankfully. I was super hungry, too, even though I had a big breakfast and large snack right before we left. At one point, it was clear that it had rained quite heavily, about 5 miles from the end of the ride, with the street very wet and road spray hitting my shorts. But, we never got wet from the sky. I caught up to the last rider, who was struggling, stayed with him until the second to last turn, and then kept him in my rear view until I got back. I rolled in about 5 minutes after DH, so not bad compared to other years.
We had no incidents and no real azzholes in the group, which has not always been the case. We left to quickly drive home, shower and change, to go back for happy hour and dinner, at the local farm where we start. It's under a tent and they do a great job of catering. On the drive home (5 miles), we saw the slower half of our group returning; the sky opened up. They got soaked. But, when we returned, it was sunny, much drier, and cooler. Overall, a success, but I feel like I am on the edge of even being the sweep for this group.

[north woods gal]

You mean the stem was not aligned with the front tire, Sheila? If so, that can happen on its own, over time, with any bike. I have to redo the stems on all my MTBs I use for my trail riding, on a fairly regular basis, because he front ends on those bikes take a pounding, of course. Have had it happen with road bikes, too, but nowhere near as much of an issue. Something I check, now and then, though, with any bike.

Hope you get the pain issue solved. Been there. The worst of it is trying to figure out what caused it. Since you have other bikes, might see if it goes away when riding them. Best of luck.

Another good rain for us, last night, but very cool, today, only in the 50s. Our weather really is like a box of chocolates ... :) Will take a fattie out and see how the trails did, later in the day.

Put a new set of trail tires on my old Kona steel 26" MTB, yesterday and then proceeded to do some tuning on the rest of the bike. Almost forgot what a pain in the *&# those old center-pull brakes are! Disc brakes have spoiled me. Got it ready to ride the trails, though, and off we went. That old school steel Kona and I have a lot of history, together, so it was a nice ride down memory lane. Still the same old pal of a steel bike it's always been.

1995 Kona Kilauea. Steel bikes never go out of style for this gal
https://s33.postimg.cc/3rul9vj2n/P1100050.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Crankin]

Sheila, I am glad you found the cause of your pain, but sorry it took so long. I hope it resolves soon.
I woke up with my hip/back really hurting and my sinuses screaming. I rushed so much to get back back to the dinner last night, I neither stretched or did my saline nasal rinse. Upon waking, I did both, as well as take some Claritin, and I felt much better.
It was only 55 today, clear, dry, and breezy. We decided to do something different and took a 2 hour walking history tour of Somerville. It's a very cool, but rapidly gentrifying city, next to Cambridge. The change has been extremely fast and the young man who did the tour grew up there and is into social activism to help the different factions work together. So, not a sedentary day, as the tour was about 2 miles, including a couple of big hills. When we finished, we had wine and an app and then went across the street to the restaurant where my DIL is gen manager, but she had taken the day off. We didn't say who we were until we were paying the check, and we were surprised when the waiter knew both our son and granddaughter.
So, I am full of food and my legs kinda hurt from walking up big hills in the city and we are in for 2 days of cold rain. Gym tomorrow and rest Tuesday.

[north woods gal]

Our showers, yesterday, were supposed to quit by noon, but they had other ideas. Rained off and on all day and temps never got out of the 50s. Of course, I refused to quit, too, so just took the single speed out for about 15 miles on the local pavement. Had to dig out the leggings, again, and even added some light gloves, but it was worth it. The ride was quite comfy. Never got around to trail riding, but figured I might as well let things dry out a bit, anyway.

Warmer, but very windy, today. Hope to get back into my usual mix of road and trail, today.

Was reading about the famous Dirty Kanza 200 race, the brutal 200 mile gravel and dirt road race in Kansas which is ridden in one day, straight though. Learned there was a team of 5 gals from Chicago that competed, this year, in the single speed division. Way, way out of my league, but go girls, go. How cool is that? :)

[emily_in_nc]

After reading about the Dirty Kanza 200 :eek:, I have right to complain about my ride yesterday, but I will anyway. ;)

OMG, the humidity was brutal! We really did have a nice spring here in Florida, but then the rains came for a couple of weeks, and now that we've dried out a bit, summer is here with a vengeance. Yesterday we were riding in the 80s up to about 92F, and the humidity had to have been about that high as well. DRENCHED! I stayed hydrated and had some yummy potatoes (with coconut oil, salt, pepper, mustard, and tumeric) for my snack, but it was still rough.

Today we are hitting the road for some time in NC visiting my family and a few doctor/dentist appointments. We'll take three days driving up in the motorhome. Probably won't get to do a lot of cycling in the next couple of weeks as I'll be doing stuff with and for the family, but I honestly don't mind missing during such a hot time of year. We'll be back here in Florida in the latter part of June and still have plenty of hot and humid rides ahead!

[north woods gal]

That was how that heat hit me in Florida, too. I do understand. That kind of heat and humidity combo is brutal. Hope you can escape some of it up in North Carolina. Ride when you can, of course. Have a great trip and visit.

We're doing fine, now, for our weather. Normal stuff for us in June. Cool enough i the morning for a light coat if I ride, then the coat comes off for the rest of the day.

[Crankin]

It did get up to 65 today, but, it rained half the day. Going to be 45 in the AM, with another chance of showers early, so I am meeting a friend for breakfast and will ride later. The group ride is a city ride, Cambridge and Boston, not for me! Not sure what I will do for my ride, but it should be 20-25 miles and I might ride Thursday morning, before work. I am no longer working on Fridays, so I finally have a chance to do the group ride, for the club I lead for. Not more than 4 have showed since my friend restarted it in May, but I get credit for co-leading if I go. We're heading out to western MA Friday afternoon, to help our friends lead a ride on Saturday. It's an easy ride we did last year, and then we will head home after the ride.
Hopefully, we can get through a weekend with no rain.
Have a good trip, Emily.

[north woods gal]

Finally, finally brought the Log Lady home, late, yesterday. Slapped some pedals on it and rode my trails till it got too dark to ride. That should tell you something about what I think of the bike. :) The most important thing I learned is that I got the gear ratio just right for my trails. All my calculations and experience with the other single speed paid off. Will report more, later. Unfortunately, looks like an all day rain, today, so riding may be a bit iffy. Cold, too. Of course, we all know how crazy I am.

[Crankin]

Well, it was cold this morning, and gray, so I met a friend for breakfast at 7:30. As I was pulling into the lot of the restaurant, I felt a little "off," in a way that is usually a sign I am coming down with something, allergies, or a weird kind of headache that isn't throbbing. I got through the breakfast, thinking eating would make it better, but I felt worse when I got home. So, I sat down and did some work. By 11:30, I knew I shouldn't ride. Another wasted day off, but I have a lot of riding planned in the next few days.
DH is working from home, so we took a 2 mile walk at lunch time, after which, I took an allergy pill, which has helped some.
The plan is to do an early AM ride tomorrow, if I feel ok at 5 AM.

[ny biker]

So I've been busy with too many things lately, some good and some stupid wastes of time. I had led a 50-mile ride on May 20, which overall was nice except for it being a very hot day. There were two rest stops, the second one at a church that was having a strawberry festival. I was feeling the heat between the rest stops but after only 5 minutes in the air conditioned church I recovered. Others in the group were also suffering, however, and they chose to sit outside in the shade rather than go into the A/C. This made a difference in the last few miles, and we had to stop several times for one person to rest in the shade. The result was the last part of the ride lasting much longer than it should have, so the heat started to get to me again (it was 3 pm by then) and I ended up with a bad headache. So a day that was both good and bad.

Then I went out of town for 6 days including Memorial Day weekend. I was in the Chicago suburbs with my sister, visiting my nephew who just started a job with a minor league baseball team there. It was hot and sunny which was okay for the night games but not okay during the Sunday afternoon game. I nearly melted. It did occur to me that at least it was a step on the road to acclimating to the heat.

The first weekend in June I figured I'd be able to get in a good bike ride, but it rained. Heavy rain with lots of flooded roads. And I had to spend time cleaning and getting my apartment ready for my parents to visit -- they arrive tonight. So no bike rides this weekend.

Fortunately the rain finally ended and I was able to ride after work on Monday, 17 miles. We are having spring weather now, with temperatures more typical for April. It was in the 60s Monday night.

p.s. My mountain bike is an old Trek 26" hardtail and I'm happy with it. But then I'm not into particularly technical riding.

[north woods gal]

NY, sounds like you got that heat that nailed us the last part of May. Broke all kinds of records, here. As for the old 26" MTB, the old 26ers will never die and they still do a great job, no matter how many new things the bike industry tries to sell us. :)

Well, here's the Log Lady.
https://s33.postimg.cc/uf3pu4tv3/P1100051.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Really is a beautiful steel frame, nicely done and well-designed. My only regret is that it doesn't say "Log Lady" anywhere on it. I can understand that All-City doesn't label their bikes with the models for the sake of sales, though. After all, they also make bikes like the Macho Man, Nature Boy, Electric Queen and Mr. Pink. Not sure I'd want to be tell people I ride a Macho Man. :)

Anyway, the Log Lady is a great trail bike and I've got the gearing set just right for my trails. Did a full 5 miles of trail riding, today, even though the trails were a bit squishy and slow after a rain, this morning. That's a complete set of laps that I usually ride and each lap has a strenuous climb. I'm going to feel it in the morning, but I did it.

Had the bike shop outfit the LL tubeless (highly recommend tubeless) with some very aggressive Continental 27.5x2.4" Trail Kings. I found out, just this morning, in fact, that climbing wet trails by standing on the pedals is a real plus with tires that have a good bite. From my snow riding experience, I know how much traction you lose when you get up off the seat. That's a big no no in the snow or real soft stuff. The Trail Kings are NOT fast rolling, but about as safe a tire as I can get when trail conditions are not at their best.

Talked to my bike guy at the shop. He used to race single speed MTB. He told me that almost all ss MTB racing is standing on the pedals. I can't imagine that. I'm NOT up to that, physically. Way beyond me. Oh, I can stand to pedal just enough to do my climbs, but no way could I manage it full time. Fortunately, I don't have to, with the way I geared the Log Lady. I can stay mostly seated when riding the flat sections. Still a heavy workout, but doable and that was my goal. Really is a trick to riding this single speed stuff, so it's been interesting and fun to learn. Kind of nice, too, to have handlebars with only brakes to operate. Hey, who needs shifters, anyway, right? :)

[Crankin]

I did a very short ride this morning, about 30 minutes. It was humid and 55 and I was a little overdressed.
Didn't feel great while riding, but feel better now. When allergies strike, it's better for me to move, less than usual and slower, but do something. Came home and did my nasal rinse, etc.
We are going to have a completely sunny weekend!

[azfiddle]

Hi everyone- I've been MIA for quite a while- just had other stuff going on.

I was commuting at least 4 days a week for most of the spring. May 8, a kid on a scooter stepped off the curb, turned in front of me (perpendicular to my direction of travel) and I looked up with the realization that I was going to hit him. He was fine.... I'm 30 days out from the accident and finally feeling almost back to normal. The right side of my rear end hit the ground really hard and jarred my lower spine as well as doing some soft tissue damage. Things have calmed and I'm going to PT now, which is helping work on my core, stretching hamstrings and strengthen my back and gluteal muscles. I was actually worried it was worse than it was because it got worse before it got better, but I'm now back to riding on the mostly flat bike paths. Not back to climbing yet though.

Anyway- I'll try to check in again regularly. I've missed you guys.

Sharon

[emily_in_nc]

Sharon -- so sorry this happened to you! Sounds painful. Kind of reminds me of my endo over the tot on a bike last year (broken jaw to show for it). It's maddening when someone pulls out in front of you and there's no way to avoid them. :mad: And in both cases, sounds like we bore the brunt of it.

NWG, nice new ride! Glad you've already gotten to enjoy the new Log Lady. I would want the bike model on the frame as well!

Crankin, hope you're feeling better.

We made it to NC and have not ridden since Monday. I will be busy with my folks today and tomorrow but do plan to ride on Sunday, when the roads around their place are quieter. It's not a great place to ride, hilly with no shoulders on the roads, but at least the traffic should be light on a Sunday. If I can just get a couple of rides in while we're here, it's better than nothing!

[north woods gal]

Nice to see you back, Sharon, and glad you're recovering. I've had my share of close calls and falls, but nothing in the same class as you and Emily have experienced. My accidents have all been road or trail induced, not collisions. I can appreciate, though, how it just takes a fraction of a second and how these collisions sometimes just can't be avoided. Hope you get a good summer of riding in.

Good to know you're safe and sound in N.C., Emily. Yup, any ride is better than not riding. Roads with no shoulders, though, not good. One thing about our area is that all roads have wide shoulders - not many paved, most are dirt - but always an option to head to the shoulder if need be. In fact, with the wide tire bikes, I often just ride the sand and gravel shoulders for fun when I get tired of riding pavement. (We have to have wide shoulders on our roads because of our heavy snowfall. No place to pile up the snow, otherwise.)

Got lucky and sold off two of the aluminum bikes at a reasonable price. Now have only steel bikes, with the exception of two of the fat bikes which are aluminum. I'm fine with aluminum on snow bikes or any bike that will be ridden a lot in the rain or mud. Probably more practical than steel, though I've ridden steel a lot in wet conditions, too

[Crankin]

Congrats on selling the bikes, NWG.
Despite my little ride yesterday, I woke up saying, "I am not going to the gym," (never happens) and after getting up and having coffee and breakfast, I had about 2 hours of well, let's call it extreme GI distress :eek:. So, I knew I wouldn't be doing a 30 mile hilly ride. In fact, I thought I might have to cancel my trip to my friends in Amherst. After 2 doses of Pepto, Zantac, Claritin, and Tylenol, I started feeling better. I drank a bottle with Nuun (see, not just for riding). It is so gorgeous out, at around 10:30, I put on some hiking clothes and walked to the nearest trail and did an out and back, which ends up being about 4 miles. Very calming and I feel like I worked. It was just about lunch time after I showered, so I ate a small lunch, as I am hungry! I still feel off a bit, but I'll be fine for the "warm up" ride we are helping our friends with tomorrow, which is 24 miles and flat. We are coming home right after the ride, so we can ride around here on Sunday.
Now I just hope my stomach is settled enough for the happy hour my friend is preparing and the Indian food we are having tonight!

[north woods gal]

Been so long since we've had Indian food. We're a long way from any Indian restaurant. Really miss it.

Well, of course, after selling two aluminum bikes, what's a gal to do? The place I sold the two aluminum bikes had a great sale on a very traditional steel touring bike in the Salsa Marrakesh and since they offer it in a flat bar Marrakesh (https://salsacycles.com/bikes/marrakesh/marrakesh_flatbar_deore) version ... and since I don't have any skinny tire bikes (if you can call 700x40s, skinny) ... figured it would be a good investment. A steel touring bike is such a classic for us steel fans. This one even includes the Brooks saddle and rear rack. How's that for traditional? I went with the more conservative green color, not the blue. Other than changing the tires for something more gravel worthy, going to leave it stock and enjoy.

[Crankin]

Had a wonderful ride in the Pioneer Valley of western MA today, despite still feeling under the weather. In fact, it was perfect, since it was totally flat (381 ft). There is no way I could do a 24 mile flat ride around where I live. Now, there is plenty of difficult climbing where we were today, but you have a choice.
We got out there at around 5 yesterday, had a little happy hour with our friends at their house, and then went for Nepalese Indian food. Very good, indeed. We got to the ride start around 9:30 this morning, although the participants didn't have to be there until 10. Also, they were training a new leader, so we talked with her. Of course, there's always one outlier in any group, who comes late, is unprepared, bike not ready or even in good working order.
It was 70-82 during the ride, slightly overcast, but beautiful. We stopped at the "big tree" in Sunderland, which is a Dutch maple, dating from the 1600s. Another cyclist stopped and took a group pic for us, which I will try and post when I get it. Then we had a rest stop at the general store there, where there were tons of cyclists. People are generally friendlier than in the Boston area, out there, so we talked to a lot of them.
The ride was at a slower pace, and I stayed up front, as there were a couple of squirrelly riders, and this ride began and ended on a bike path, which is another set of worries for me! The end was kind of cool, and changed from when we did the ride last year. We rode through the U Mass Amherst campus and onto a bike path on campus, that used to be a sidewalk, but is now a bike path. Then, this connected back to the path where our cars were parked at. The university has grown, even since my son graduated in 2005.
Beautiful rural and semi-suburban roads, farms, and rivers today, and no nasty drivers. We ate lunch outside, at a farm market next to the bike path, headed back to our friends' and cleaned up. They headed out to the Berkshires for 2 nights and we headed to the local winery, bought some wine, then bought fresh strawberries at a farm, and finally had ice cream, before we headed home.

[north woods gal]

Thanks, Sheila. Not sure All-City even makes decals for their bikes. Be a cool touch, though.

Crankin, that sounds like a lovely ride. Glad to hear that you got a good one in, despite feeling under the weather. That's a home run in my book.

Had a very cool and gloomy day, yesterday. Seemed so dark back in the woods with the Log Lady that I was almost tempted to use a light. We sometimes get days like that, up here. Not my favorite. Depressing, really. Today was still cloudy with a peek of sunshine or two, but brighter. Did almost 25 miles of pavement and gravel with my other single speed, my Ruffian. I'm making allowances for my newfound love of single speed riding, knowing that enthusiasm tends to get carried away when you newly convert to anything, but this kind of biking really, really agrees with me. Wish I had discovered it, sooner. Love the simplicity of it and the way it takes me a better and smarter rider, not to mention a stronger rider. Don't need no stinking' shifters or derailleurs. :)

[rebeccaC]

beautiful bike nwg....wishing you lots of enjoyable trail rides!!!!!.....glad to read you're getting better Sharon!!

.....too much going on for me and it's down to pilates/yoga and commutes for a few weeks.

[Railtrail]

Woah! Love the decals on that Surly!

I could have sworn I saw a Log Lady decal in a photo somewhere. I was a little disappointed when it arrived without such. However, I have found a fun alternative. It turns out there is a vast amount of Log Lady kitsch on Etsy. I picked up a Log Lady patch from a shop called blacklodgepress and sewed it to my seat bag.

I agree with you, NWG, it’s a lovely frame and I’ve really enjoyed it since my last post here. I think I’ve put in about 200 miles and it’s very hilly here. The hills have kept me away from ss before but I’m glad I switched things up. I’ve been really surprised by how well it climbs. I will say that I do stand to climb and have lost traction on the back several times on wet or sandy hills. I am running with the rocket rons, which I otherwise really love thus far. They are super quick.

The frame is really well made and has a unique ride quality, in my experience. I think the Log Lady really slid under the radar or perhaps All City may have missed the mark in marketing it. I hope you enjoy yours as much as I’m enjoying mine!

[north woods gal]

Thanks for the link, Sheila. Might try getting some decals. That's one fine looking Surly, too. Love it.

Hope things ease up a bit for you, rebecca, so you get some ride time. Of course, we'd all like some of those great pics, too. :)

RT, oh yes, I love my LL. Had to change out to a 22 tooth cog in the back to manage my trail climbs without blowing a knee (not to mention I just turned 68). After all, All-City advertises the LL as a single speed race bike. Not sure I'll ever get into the category. With the 22 tooth cog, I still have to stand for my steep climbs, but it's doable and I am getting stronger. The good news is that with a 22 cog I can stay in the saddle for a lot of my easier sections. Gives me the option of loafing a bit on the easy stuff.

You're right about the frame. It's not as good as my Gunnar single speed, but that's a custom frame, after all. Still, I'd rate the LL frame as outstanding. It's a steal for that price. Love that front fork, too. Nice and stable on the downhills and the rough stuff. For tires, I went with the much more aggressive Continental Trail Kings on mine, but am thinking of trying something else. The Trail Kings are on the slow side, but they do have a great bite. Have had no slippage on my climbs while standing with these tires. They also manage the sandy spots with minimal fishtailing.

Now that I have one, I feel very lucky in having grabbed the last Log Lady available. In fact, while checking availability, just this week, with a lot of bike brands and models, I was amazed at how many models have sold out for the year. Wow! Lesson learned. For anyone thinking of ordering a new bike, do it as early in the year as possible. Summer is not a good time to buy a new bike. The popular models are usually sold out for the year.

[Crankin]

Sounds like you're having fun, NWG.
I knew I needed to not ride today, despite the beautiful weather. So, in keeping with our decision to enjoy the places we don't get to enough, we took the train into Boston and walked the entire Rose Kennedy Greenway, plus a lot more. The Greenway had an exhibit of old neon signs rescued from restaurants and businesses that have closed. One was a restaurant I went to as a kid. Tons of people out at the beer gardens, some Pride activities, a Portuguese festival, etc. After our walk, we walked to the North end, found a restaurant on a side street we hadn't been to and was not full of tourists, and sat by the open windows by the street and had some appetizers. We are going away Thursday for a quick weekend trip to Chicago, so instead of our usual grocery shopping, just stopped by to get something for tonight.
I always feel guilty when I don't ride on a nice day, but it's not like I am inactive. DH thinks I am a little over the top; he's probably right, as I've had long periods of obsessive exercise, but since I don't weigh 92 pounds anymore, well, I feel guilty. The weather until we leave looks good, so I will get at least 2 rides in. Looking forward to the trip and we plan to walk everywhere.

[north woods gal]

Sounds like fun, Crankin. I do miss some of those activities the big cities offer. I did ride into town, yesterday and there was a motorcycle rally and meet going, complete with stands selling hamburgers. :) That's more our speed, up here.

Did 12 miles of laps on my trails, today, first half with my old Pugsley and the last half with the Log Lady. Pretty pooped out when I was done, but the two bikes were an interesting contrast, of course. The old Pugs is no racehorse, but you just can't beat those wide tires for smoothing out the trail and rolling over anything in their path. No need to do any fancy darting or dodging. Just plow right on through. As for the Log Lady, after riding the Pugs, it was like going from a pickup truck to a Porche. :)

[emily_in_nc]

nwg, there are a lot of online shops that sell custom decals. For awhile, a lot of folks in our bike club in NC were getting decals with their names on them, so I did the same when I built a lovely Aegis Swift with bronzy-gold decals. I matched the color as close as I could on an online shop and added my name to the frame. Can't remember the online shop, as this was back in 2004, but they did a great job with the decal!

Crankin, your ride (including campus and bike path) sounded really fun. Just the kind of ride I would like. I like variety during a ride rather than just a long road ahead, where the environment is the same the entire way. Keeps my senses clicking.

We finally got a ride in yesterday (first in nearly a week after traveling and have been visiting my mother and step-dad). This was in my mother's and adjacent neighborhoods. She lives in the foothills of the Appalachians, so it's quite hilly, though there is one road connecting a couple of the neighborhoods that is flat, a welcome break. No shoulders, but at least the speed limit is only 25-35 mph, and it doesn't get much traffic. The neighborhoods are hillier but get little traffic on Sunday mornings. It was hot, humid, and sunny, so I only put in 18 miles, about half my Florida normal. With the hills and riding my Bike Friday, which is slower than my Trek, I still got a great workout. Glad to get out there, even though conditions are never ideal in this area for riding.

[north woods gal]

Good for you, Emily. As they say, where there's a will, there's a way. Can't always find a place that is bike, friendly.

When I lived in the Chicago area, my suburb was NOT bike friendly, other than a couple of short paved bike trails in a couple local parks and, of course, those had to be shared with people walking. No bike lanes in town, not a one, or even bike routes for dealing with traffic. Bicyclists were totally on their own for dealing with traffic. While it was technically illegal to ride on sidewalks, the cops actually encouraged me to do just that on some sections of roads for my own safety. These were road stretches where several bicyclists had been killed. Did get to do some mountain biking in the nearby Forest Preserve on gravel trails, but those same cops and some locals also warned me to be ever vigilant. Those were known hangouts for drug dealers (and, yes, I saw these people). Worse yet, more than one gal hiking or jogging on the trails while I was there disappeared without a trace. Pretty darn spooky. Still,those were some great bicycle years for me. Will never forget them.

[Crankin]

We've had beautiful weather, but today is cloudy, humid, and breezy, although not too hot. It's supposed to rain a bit this afternoon.
I rode to the gym Monday and did my class, which apparently set my recovery back, as I was really not feeling well for the whole day at work. Kind of sucked, since I had 8 clients until 7pm, as I am going away tomorrow. But, a night of sleep helped and yesterday I finally felt much better. Still not 100%, though, so I went out for a little ride of 13 miles this morning. At mile 5 I thought I was sweating a lot, but it was actually raindrops I was seeing. Along with that, there were a few nasty wind gusts. I started thinking that every time I am on the road I was on, going in this direction, it has been either sprinkling or foggy and I've had to shorten my ride. So, at that point I made my decision and was fine with it. The sprinkles were intermittent, but the head/crosswind was not, so I was surprised that my average was as good as it was, and not at "touring" pace. Not high, but about average for me when I am not really pushing it. In addition to the wind, there's one short, but steeper hill right before the final 3 miles home, which is flat.
Glad I went, but vacation for 3 days will give me enforced rest from the bike, although we may rent bikes and ride along the Chicago River. Hope to ride a lot next week on Wed, Thurs, and Fri, as we will have our granddaughter for the full weekend next weekend. I wish we had a bike trailer, but DH doesn't want to invest in one, and would rather wait until she can ride a tagalong or on her own bike. I will be able to do a shorter ride on my own, one of the days, but we most likely will hike with her in the carrier one of the days.
We get home at midnight Saturday, so I also hope to ride early Sunday, before Father's Day festivities. It's supposed to be 90.

[north woods gal]

I hate to add gloom to anyone's day - we all have enough in the way of negative news, these days - but I need to report that I had a major bike accident., yesterday, that will cancel all my bike riding for at least the next six to eight weeks or most of the summer.

I was riding the Log Lady, late yesterday, and lined up to climb over a large three foot high bolder that I had climbed over 100s of times. I remember getting the right line and the right speed and I remember climbing it. That's the last thing I remember until I found myself on the other side, me laying on my side, looking up in the air. Just laying there and gasping in pain. I did the proper inventory of the body parts before getting up. All seemed in tact. When I got up, though, my neck and adjacent shoulder area were screaming with pain. Fortunately, this took place on a section of trail only 30 yards from the house. Wheeled the bike inside the house and my husband and I were both shocked to learn that the left side on my face was torn and battered with two huge goose eggs growing fast. Tried to rest a bit, but the pain in my neck made it impossible. Off to the hospital emergency room we went.

After a long and very painful night in the trauma surgery unit at our local hospital, I was diagnosed as having a broken ring around my top cervical vertebra. In other words, I broke my neck. No paralysis, fortunately. but the potential is there if I have another accident will the mends. The specialist decided that surgery was not an option, so that means I would be wearing a neck brace for the next six to eight weeks with severe restrictions on physical activity. Absolutely NO bicycle riding of ay kind. The only thing I'll be doing, this summer, is walking. That is allowed.

I have only myself to blame and don't deserve any sympathy. I knew the risks of this kind of riding. Just that I rolled the dice and lost on this one. I feel a bit vindicated, though. The reason I built trails on our property was for just such a scenario. Had the crash occurred back, miles from any road, in some of the places I used to mountain bike, I might still be there.

When I do hop back in the saddle, there will be changes. No trick stuff or stunt stuff like rolling over big boulders. No kamikaze rides down long hills at "breakneck" speed. There will be more road biking and more conservative trail riding. And I will still post, here, to keep in touch with all my friends, here, when the pain allows.

[rebeccaC]

Good grief :eek::eek:……Hoping the healing process is quicker than you anticipate (remember you ARE Wonder Woman!!!) ….and that you find satisfying things to replace your wanting to be back on your trails in the meantime.
On my late ride home tonight from the office I lit some incense at the Buddhist temple here (covering that base for you :)) …with wishes for strength and seeing such obstacles as vehicles for learning about and strengthening the body, heart and mind...
…….you know…i know somehow we are related
((HUG))

[north woods gal]

Thank you so much, both. Love that you thought enough of me to light the incense, rebecca. I do feel we're all related, here. Can't tell you both how much your words mean to me, right now. I don't know which is worse, the pain or the depression. My whole lifestyle in the dumpster in a fraction of a second. I'm still in a state of shock. Not sure how I will deal with this, but I will find a way. I keep thinking of Emily and how she managed her accident and that's a real inspiration, right now.

My bicycling will never be the same, though, and that's a good thing. I have such a hard head, this is probably what I needed to make the necessary changes. I have a long time to think about it, for sure.

[north woods gal]

Just got to looking at the new helmet I bought last week because I was concerned my old 15 year old helmet wouldn't protect me. This explains why the left side of my face took such a beating, but the helmet is actually cracked, not just gouged. It even cracked the foam lining, inside. It saved my life. If the impact was enough to crack some bones in my neck, I shudder to think what would have happened without the helmet. Now it's got me crying, again. I am so very, very fortunate.
https://s8.postimg.cc/gd28un96d/P1100053.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[ny biker]

Holy cow! I'm glad you weren't hurt worse, NWG.

Hang in there, and just take it one day at a time. First allow yourself to process the shock of what happened and get through the initial pain. I'm sure it will be beautiful to take walks around your property as you start feeling better. Treat yourself to some nice new walking shoes.

I was sidelined for a couple of months last year, and was able to find other activities to keep me occupied. One was work related, learning new programming languages, but another was learning to crochet. Maybe there is something new and interesting that you can explore while you recover.

And of course we're here for you to vent as needed. But for now just try to rest and start to heal.

[north woods gal]

Thank you, NY. I did just that, this morning: went for a walk m the trails. I revisited the spot where I had the fall, trying to piece together what happened for peace of mind. Try as I might, however, I can't remember anything about the impact. Maybe that's a good thing. Went on my way and walked a full mile, but that was all I had in me, today. I will walk every day, now that I have that option. Star senses that I am hurt, so she stayed very close on our walk and was careful not to jump on me, the way she often does.

Not sure how I will handle this down time, but you're so right about filling my time and staying busy. Have always wanted to learn to crochet or knit, anyway. I think the first thing I crochet is a helmet. :) (Just one to hang on the wall, of course.)

[north woods gal]

No, no concussion. While in the hospital for about 20 hours with the trauma team, they checked every single hour for signs, did X rays and C scans, the works. That's how they caught the cracked collar on the vertebrae. I think they were surprised that the damage was all confined to my neck and face. Every check included an exam of my spine and vision, too. What is equally amazing is that I didn't break a nose or damage an eye, especially given that I have a cut at the bridge of my nose where the bridge on my glasses bit me and cuts just below the left eye and another near its edge. That eye was swollen partially shut, but is opening back up, now, as the swelling goes down. One inch, one way or the other, might have been a disaster. Really have to give credit to that new helmet. It fit, properly, good and secure. My old helmet was always sliding around on my head.

As soon as my husband saw what had happened to the new helmet and how it really didi its job, he drove to the bike shop and got one for himself to replace his poorly fitting cheapie. He's no biker, so he never understood how important a good helmet can be or why anyone would spend that much money for one (a Giant for only $90, nothing fancy), but he does now. By the way, these new helmets are set up to take a blinkie light in the back, so if you put on your helmet, you have a light. Great idea. Soon as I can bike, again, I'll get another helmet for the one I destroyed. Had my husband donate the wrecked helmet to the bike shop to use as a demo when someone balks at buying a helmet. Who knows, it might save someone else's life.

[emily_in_nc]

Thank you so much, both. Love that you thought enough of me to light the incense, rebecca. I do feel we're all related, here. Can't tell you both how much your words mean to me, right now. I don't know which is worse, the pain or the depression. My whole lifestyle in the dumpster in a fraction of a second. I'm still in a state of shock. Not sure how I will deal with this, but I will find a way. I keep thinking of Emily and how she managed her accident and that's a real inspiration, right now.

My bicycling will never be the same, though, and that's a good thing. I have such a hard head, this is probably what I needed to make the necessary changes. I have a long time to think about it, for sure.

NWG, I know you said you don't want sympathy, but how about empathy? I am shaking my head in disbelief right now, and my heart goes out to you! What terrible luck, and right after you just got your lovely Log Lady!

I know so well how it feels to have your entire cycling life ripped out from under you in the blink of an eye, and it sucks! I appreciate your kind words about how I have dealt with my crash last year (and I had an equally serious one in 2005, when I broke my pelvis in three places and was non weight-bearing on that side for 8 weeks; was off the bike for several months that time and still have pain to this day).

However, what makes your situation worse than either of mine in many ways is that you normally ride every. single. day. I have other significant interests and hobbies that are able to flow to the forefront when I have to take an enforced hiatus from the bike. I love cycling, and it is a very important part of my life, but not to quite the extent that it seems to be for you, so this will be all the more difficult for you. That sucks! :(

Since you don't remember the accident, I am assuming that means that you lost consciousness briefly. I was asked that many times after my crash by various doctors, but I don't think I did. If so, it was no more than for the blink of an eye. I guess the doctors' concerns there were for a possible concussion, and I hope that you didn't suffer one on top of your other injuries. ETA: In my hurry to respond, I missed your post right above stating that you didn't have a concussion. Thank goodness! That's a positive.

I will miss your frequent and interesting ride reports but do hope you'll keep posting as you recover. Just as I have changed some things about the way I cycle, you will obviously do so, as you intend. It kinda sucks, but sometimes you do have to make those adjustments. I just hope that when you do heal, you will have a minimum of lasting pain and impact. Both of my crashes have had long-term impacts that I expect to continue for many years to one extent or another, so my wishes for you are probably not realistic, but you are a warrior, so I know you will carry on the best you can! If you're not familiar with Pamela Blalock, you should check out her blog. She has been through a lot of serious bike injuries (as well as breast cancer) and manages to forge onward. She's one of my heroes, and my husband actually knew her from work years ago, when she lived in NC.

Here's her most recent post regarding her injuries:
https://blayleys.blogspot.com/2018/04/there-is-no-such-thing-as-fate-so-stop.html

I will be keeping you in my thoughts. I am still shaking my head in shock and disbelief! :(

Emily

[north woods gal]

Thank you so much, Emily. I'm thinking my mind just doesn't want to relive the collision. I'm good with that, because it was horrific enough. Went back to the accident scene and I think I found a big sharp-edged boulder that did me in. Still makes me sob out of gratitude when I think of how lucky I was. I'm in a pretty emotional state, right now.

I'll be fine, though. I'm too much of a doer to sit and mope for long. In fact, I walked a mile and half of my trails, yesterday, mostly to see where I was as far as my physical ability. Used a good walking stick I had as a precaution against taking a fall. Would walk, again, today, but we're in the midst of a heavy rain. Don't want to walk muddy trails and risk a fall. It's all part of a new mindset I have to develop, now. I'll just walk up and down the driveway or something.

This layoff also gives me time to do some upgrades on the bikes that I've been putting off. It also gives me time to do some serious thinking about changes I need to make in my bicycling - and there will be some major ones. That's a good thing, too. I'll turn this disaster into a learning experience.

Thank you for the link to the blog. Although I hate to think anyone would have to go through such an injury, it is good to know that others like you have and have continued with your bicycling.

I'll stick around, here. I'll let you guys do the riding for me. Reading the monthly rides thread will be great therapy. Get out and ride, everybody. :)

[Crankin]

Glad I decided to check in while on vacation. You have my empathy, NWG. Everyone is so right, about developing other interests. I have never had a serious crash (just minor ones), but I have had illness where I had to change my attitude about riding. I spent a whole summer riding to farm stands and doing easy rides. In fact, I have changed a lot of my attitude toward riding; it can’t always be about longer and faster. Try some meditation; you can use the CALM app for free, if you don’t already.
Emily, you know Pamela Blalock? She is from my area, though she lives in western MA now. She rides with many people I know, including my friend Jack, whom I often mention. Small world!
Chicago is awesome. We did a bike tour just after arriving. I dislike riding city type bikes with those high bars; don’t mind flat bars, but these, plus flat pedals were enough for me to feel scared to death in the beginning, when we were in real city traffic. DH and I were elected to be sweeps, as experienced riders, so I kept it to myself. But, we saw stuff we would have never seen.

[emily_in_nc]

Emily, you know Pamela Blalock? She is from my area, though she lives in western MA now. She rides with many people I know, including my friend Jack, whom I often mention. Small world!

I don't believe I ever met her. My husband knew her from work at Northern Telecom in RTP (NC) before I started working there. It's possible that some of our time there overlapped, in the '80s, but we were in different departments, and I don't know when she left -- I worked there for many years. She doesn't look familiar to me, but her name certainly was, as she was legendary for her cycling skills, even when back here in NC!

Glad you are having a lovely time in Chicago!

[north woods gal]

Thanks, Crankin. Not that first crash I've had and (shudder) probably not the last, but this one was the closest call, by far. One thing for sure, I have a lot of time on my hand to think about what I'll do this summer.

Yeah, Chicago is an interesting place. While it is definitely not my kind of place, I regard my seven years there as well-spent. Loved the diversity of cultures and all the things to do. Lots of great bicycling if you know where to go and a strong bike community, too. For sure, you WILL learn now to deal with aggressive drivers. :)

Interesting weather - again - for us. We're getting pounded with heavy rain and thunderstorms and back into the 90s for temps. Have flash flood warnings out for the entire weekend. Did my daily one mile walk, yesterday (I've set one mile as my goal, for now) on my bike trails. More flooded sections than I've ever seen and it's going to get worse. Should have worn waders. Caught myself trying to decide what fat bike to use on them. Of course, I'm still thinking of the trails in terms of my bicycling. :) Probably be safer, for the time being, to get out and do my walking on the pavement (if it ever stops raining).

My husband and I go out for breakfast at our favorite family restaurant every Sunday morning. Debating whether I should do that, tomorrow. My face still looks awful - not so swollen, now, but mostly black and blue and scabby. I look awful. Keep thinking it would be kind of rude for me to go out in public, right now. Don't want to spoil anyone's meal. It's Father's Day, though, so I don't want him to miss it. Did I mention how important it is to have a partner in your life when you go though something like this? I am so blessed.

[north woods gal]

Thanks, Sheila. All things considered, pretty good. The source of pain has been the severe neck strain and that's gradually diminishing each day as the muscles ease up. They put me on heavy pain meds, but I really hate those things, so I keep use to a minimum. The neck brace is a matter of learning how to deal with all those little things, now that I can't bend or twist my neck or reach for anything above my head. My spirits are good, though. Still kind of overwhelmed with gratitude it wasn't worse. That will never change. As for trying to figure out what I will do with my summer, well, that's just another challenge and I eat those for breakfast. :) I'm fine.

[Crankin]

You have a great attitude, NWG. I wouldn’t be taking the pain meds, either.
We are on our last leg of our trip, sitting in our hotel lobby, waiting for an early dinner and then to the airport. This morning, we ate breakfast at a great healthy food place by the hotel, as the hotel breakfast, though free, really was horrible. Then we checked out and stored our luggage and went off to meet a friend from my childhood. I saw her 5 years ago to the day, at a reunion for the first time in 40 years. I was friends with her, really in elementary school, not even right before I moved in gr 10. We had a great visit, at a lovely hotel outdoor patio.
We were going to go to the contemporary art museum because of the heat, but it was really breezy and didn’t feel that bad, so we walked to an outdoor art festival. Of course, it got hotter and some of the walk was not shady, and we have sandals on. A mistake, but ice cream for lunch helped. Then we walked to Navy Pier and back to the hotel.
Have an hour to go until dinner. We probably won’t get home until 1:30 am, but we can sleep tomorrow.
We walked 20 miles and rode 7 in 3 days.

[emily_in_nc]

So glad you are still able to take walks, NWG! When I fractured my jaw, I couldn't even take walks for awhile, as it caused the jaw to move about (painful). Once I got it wired shut, I could take short walks, and that was a blessing. I know what you mean about imagining riding on various trails/roads, though; something I always do. I enjoy hiking, but it isn't quite the same as riding, is it?

I also empathize with your not being sure about going out in public. I looked pretty horrific for awhile with my swollen face and then terrible bruising, so I pretty much hid inside our RV for awhile until I looked more human. When my face started looking a little better, I wrapped a scarf around my horribly bruised neck and just went for it. I am sure some people noticed, but ultimately, you have to live your life.

This was me, with most of the worst swelling down (still some remaining), but with horrible bruising that caused lots of nasty colors in my neck a couple of weeks after my crash. Pretty scary, but if I dressed appropriately, it didn't show too terribly much. I also switched to much smaller band-aids for my cuts when we went out in public. I had a stitch under my nose and one on my chin.

18339

I really do feel for you! This is not a fun time, but keep remembering "this too shall pass". It takes awhile, but things will get better. (Me now, for a comparison):

18340

[north woods gal]

Cranking, that is a lot of walking! Sounds like you're having fun. Made it down to Navy Pier a time or two, myself.

Emily, yes, that is very similar to how I look right now, except it's confined to the left side of my face, mostly, and concentrated around my eyes and forehead. I'll need to buy foundation by the gallon if I expect to cover it all. :) Thanks for sharing the pic. It helps give me courage.

Rain and storms, today, so only got in a half mile of walking before another storm cut it short. Did walk at high speed, though, to beat the storm back to the house. My walking was out on the road, though, and Star was not a happy camper for being left behind. Just can't risk putting her on a leash and having her make a sudden lunge. She's very welcome behaved on a leash, but still ... Will take her for a walk on the trails, tomorrow.

On a positive note and one more bike related, I am thrilled that my husband insists that he continue his daily road ride around the neighborhood for the sake of exercise, even if he has to ride without me, for now. His fat bike needs some work and tuning, but I can't bend over to do that kind of work, right now, so we'll have to take it in to the shop. He is addicted to that fat bike of his and I'm good with that. Rides it on the road, year round. Fat bikes are as safe and stable as a bicycle can get, not to mention super comfortable.

[Crankin]

It is a hard call to decide when to go out, when one’s injuries might gross people out. But, you will find your comfort zone. I was in a car accident in high school and had 3 scars, a broken nose, with considerable bruising and blood vessels broken in one eye. When I went back to school, the eye was still a bit weird and some people were freaked out. The ones who were stoned handled it better!
At the airport waiting for our flight. I am exhausted from the heat and the walking. I hope I have enough sleep to get in a little ride tomorrow morning, before it goes up to 90.

[north woods gal]

Covered up with as much make-up as I could stand (I rarely use, any, now) and gave it a try for our breakfast outing. I did fine. Only people who commented were people that knew me, anyway.

Must be a bad week for wipe-outs. A neighbor saw me walking on the road this morning and asked me what happened, of course. He then told me about a young gal who was pumping hard on a tri bike, going the other way on one of our neighborhood roads, when he passed her in his truck, just this week. She was heading down a long hill at high speed. At the bottom of the hill, the county is in the process of putting in a new culvert. It is marked with a caution sign. For now, it's just covered with rough gravel and yet to be paved over. I know the spot. Rode over it a couple of times just before my accident.

The gal apparently knew the hazard, too, but remembered it too late. She jammed on both brakes and went too heavy on the front. Yup, did a nasty endo. My neighbor saw it all in his rear view mirror. He reversed, quickly, and gave her first aid. He said her face now looks like mine, but she got beat up in a lot of other places, too. Nothing broke, though. Called an ambulance and that's the last he heard of her. She's in my thoughts, whoever she is. As we all know, accidents happen with any kind of biking. Please be careful, everyone.

As for me, I almost made it to 2.5 miles on my walk, today (which I now call my substitute bicycling :)). Hit 2.2 and called it good. Our neighborhood roads are all up and down, so very pleased. Very hot and humid, though. Bugs were bad and that was out on the road. Can't imagine how bad they would have been on my trails. Those are still too wet and slick for safe walking.

[Crankin]

I bet going out for breakfast was worth putting on the concealer! You are lucky your DH is also retired, so you have someone to talk to while you are recuperating.
Our flight was uneventful, but I read the whole flight, which woke me up a bit and then I could not fall asleep, despite being exhausted. It seemed like I fell asleep pretty close to dawn and woke up at 8:00. Couldn't get myself out to ride while it was still cool, though. I finally went out around noon and did a little 9 mile ride. Being it was 90 degrees and getting humid, I was surprised I could move at all. But, I achieved my goal of making myself feel better and more awake. My back, hip, and groin are screaming, though, because of all the walking, no foam roller and little stretching. I seriously need to get myself in better shape, as I am seeing changes in my body I do not like. It's not so much weight, though I could lose a couple of pounds, but rather gained inches in my hips, and some not so toned/muscular skin on my arms, abs, and back. It's not horrible, but if I don't do something now, I will pay. So, I told my DH I wanted a few months of personal training for my 65th birthday, which is in November. My instructor of my class is having a baby in August, so when she comes back, would be a good time to start. She gave up her business career to do full time training and teaching, and I trust her.

[north woods gal]

You're probably suffering from some jet lag, on top of everything else, Crankin. I really, really hate flying. It takes me several days to get back on track. Staying in shape for me is now a never ending battle. I'm in my 60s, too, and it does take longer to fight back and get in shape. I feel your pain. That's why being sidelined from biking biking, right now, has me a little nervous. Can't stand exercise for exercise sake, but the biking really isn't exercise for me. Just something I'd still do even if it wasn't good exercise. I'll figure out something, even if it's just vigorous walking. Only need something temporary till I can get back on the bike.

[Crankin]

I don't usually get jet lag from just a one hour difference in time, though I suffer terribly when flying to California or Europe.
I got into bed at 7:45, and again, despite complete exhaustion, I didn't fall asleep for a long time. My alarm woke me at 4:50, the normal time I get up for my boot camp class. I did go, but I did not ride there. I could have slept another 3 hours. Thankfully, the class was more weights/strength today, because cardio stuff may have killed me. The 3 sets of burpees almost did.
I am going to rest tomorrow and I have a 35 mile ride on Wednesday.

[emily_in_nc]

We had been planning to ride today but didn't end up doing so. We're still at my mom's in NC, not great cycling, but the reason for not going today was that my DH had several lesions taken off at his dermatologist a few days ago, and he still has scabs and sensitive spots on his nose (2). He didn't want to risk the sun, even with sunscreen. Secretly, I didn't mind, as it is so hot and humid right now, and by the time we could have had breakfast, gotten ready, driven to Mom's, and gotten our bikes out and hit the road, it would have been 10 am. That's just too late to ride in this heat and full sunshine. In Florida, though it's hot and humid as well, there is a lot more shade where we ride, and more clouds in the sky too. The roads we have to ride on around Mom's have zero shade, as they are newer neighborhoods with smaller trees.

So that's my story, and I'm sticking to it. We have so much to do here in the couple days before we start out on the road back to Florida on Thursday morning, that it looks like we won't get another ride in while we're here. So, a rather long hiatus as by the time we get to ride again, it will be two full weeks without riding. By then I'm hoping I'll be missing cycling so much that the heat and humidity won't sap my motivation!

NWG, that gal's crash (endo) sounds like mine (other than the reason for endo'ing). She is very lucky if she just got banged up but didn't break any bones -- or teeth. I hope she'll be okay. Glad you were able to get out and enjoy yourself a bit!

[north woods gal]

Looks like we're all in the same boat as far as doing what we can with the weather we have. Our recent heavy rains have pushed our lake level as high as I've ever seen it. My trails are still walkable, but lots of washouts and tree limbs, down. That will just have to wait, though, for any repair. For now, I'm content to just walk every day around the neighborhood out on the roads. Yeah, old trail warrior me is now very glad to have nice roads to walk and, eventually, bike, too. One thing in my favor is that I've never balked at riding my trail bikes, even my fat bikes, out on the road. Who says a road bike has to have skinny tires?

Been a crazy first month of summer, for sure.

[Crankin]

Well, I finally made it to the group ride, but I had to force myself! I rode to the start, 3.7 miles and off we went. This group uses human arrowing, so I volunteered at the third turn, unfortunately, right before 2 climbs, so I was playing catch up for awhile, as we had one really slow person with the sweep, and I had to wait. Thankfully, he stopped at the top of the second climb. Since we were still in Acton, I had to keep forcing myself not to turn around and go home, as my groin was killing me. But, I knew once we got to the next climb, it would be flatter after that, so I kept going. We stopped here, and someone went back a different way with the slow person. Then, we got a really nice road that its a scenic bikeway, which I don't ride too often anymore. We stopped at a pond to use the porta potty and I decided at this point, I would take the bike trail back to the point where I can quickly access roads to get me home, like I did a couple of weeks ago. I was not going to the lunch, it was getting hot and by this point my hamstrings were cramping. The trail is shady. Glad I made this choice, because otherwise the I would be riding through both town centers, totally unshaded, with added heat from cars at lunch time. I enjoyed the trail, although I had to slow a bit because of my hamstrings. When I got off of the trail and turned onto the first side street, I stopped and finished my Skratch Lab bottle, poured some water on my head, and then headed across the highway, which leads to a short, steep hill. When I got within about a mile of my house, after the last climb, I drank the last of the water. I never do that. It's only 80 out, but humid, and thankfully, partly cloudy.
I may need a massage! Enjoyed the ride, but I need to do more of these.
34.5 miles

[north woods gal]

Sounds like a hood workout, Crankin. Glad to hear you stuck it out and finished it the way you wanted.

My "substitute bicycling" (walking :)) is going well. One week out from my accident and I am averaging two miles a day of ever more brisk walking. Can't say that I'm falling in love with walking again. In fact, it's kind of blah compared to my bicycling. It is so very necessary for me to be doing, now, so it will continue. All my neighbors encourage me when they see me, so that's nice.

We did stop at one of our local shops, the one where we get most work done on our bikes. I discussed some projects and builds I want to do during my recovery period. It will be a good way to keep me busy and, hopefully, remove any temptation to get on a bike and ride before getting cleared by my doctor. Really is hard for me, though. Been riding so long it's almost like breathing. My husband, though, says he will get a huge chain and lock up my bikes if I try any riding before the doc says its okay. :)

A few days before my accident I had traded in a couple of aluminum bikes to finance a new steel bike. Was going to get a Salsa Marrakesh which is a very traditional 700x35 touring bike, but that same premonition that prompted me to get a new helmet for the sake of safety before my accident also prompted me to avoid going with a skinny tire bike for the same reason. This is what I got instead. Came in a few days after my accident, so all I get to do is drool on it for now. Doesn't get safer or more stable than a fat bike. This is the new edition of the Pugsley. This edition has been redesigned to now be more of a heavy duty, off road touring bike. Love the color.
https://s8.postimg.cc/4xyxau4n9/P1100057.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Crankin]

That is a cool looking bike, NWG.
I saw an article about the ultimate commuter bike, a custom 7. Just for fun, I read it. Sure, it's everything I want, but it costs just slightly less than my Silque, so that won't be happening!
I did my annual early AM summer solstice ride. I left at about 5:20 (not exactly sure). It was only 57, so I was wearing arm and knee warmers and a vest. Could have taken the knee warmers off near the end, though.
I did a different early morning ride than usual, as although I woke up feeling pretty good, I didn't want to stress my back/groin/hamstring by climbing, so I rode over to Concord Center and back, trying to recreate the rides I used to do, before I moved to my condo. This necessitated crossing the highway twice, and on the way there, I had to wait awhile for the light, as there were not too many cars to trigger it. But, the ride was fine and I was almost back home at the actual time of the solstice at 6:07. The ride was just over 10 miles, which is perfect for a ride this early in the AM.

[north woods gal]

Thanks for the reminder. Yes, Happy Solstice, everyone!

Sheila, I got the medium on the new Pugs. The new Pugs is a bit longer and taller than the original Pugs. A medium on the new Pugs is right between a medium and a large on the old Pugs. A large in the new Pugs is definitely larger than the large in the old Pugs.

My original Pugs is a large. Wouldn't have ordered it in that size, but I bought it used from a guy who had just gotten the bike and discovered he needed a medium. Got a great price on it and it was practically brand new. Couldn't pass it up. Anyway, I made the large work on the original Pugs by going to a shorter stem to get the correct reach, but my seat post is down about as far as it can go and the standover height is just doable on this original large Pugs. A large in the new Pugs would have been too large, in other words.

Fat bikes do make fabulous utility bikes, by the way. The ride is so stable and comfy, too. No such thing as a road you can't ride on a fattie. My husband discovered this, yesterday. His Specialized fat bike (which he rides every single day) started having issues with mis-shifts. Since I can't do any bending over to work on a bike, right now, we just loaded it up and took it into the bike shop for a complete tune. it needed it, anyway. That left him with his old 26" MTB with its skinny 2.2" tires to ride. He came back after half his usual ride and was not happy with it. Said it felt too twitchy and finicky about steering and not at all stable to ride. I'm going to set him up on my old Pugs to ride, today.

[Crankin]

I finally got to the Friday ride I sometimes help lead, meaning, I sweep. I really don't like to ride, other than utility riding, on a day I go to the gym and do boot camp, but it is so gorgeous out, I decided to just go. It was 72 when I got to the ride start, dry and clear blue skies. Of course, only, Jack, the other leader showed, and I knew this would work in my favor. Jack is a fast and strong rider, but is perfectly happy to ride at different speeds. So, off we went. I knew my legs were kind of dead, so as we approached a very hard and steep climb, I told him "no." We altered the route, so it was 25 miles, instead of 30, but there was enough climbing for me, even with this. We actually came back on the same road we went out on, and it is flat, with a bit of a false flat, near the last couple of miles, and we really pushed it, so my average was not that bad.
I am glad I went, but I am really tired. Somehow, I managed to get all my shopping done this afternoon, and am now awaiting the arrival of my granddaughter for the weekend. The weather is going to be kind of crappy, so I hope we get our hike in.

[ny biker]

Catching up... my parents were in town for a visit earlier this month, which meant I missed a ride that I had done every year since 2004 -- the Patuxent River Rural Legacy ride, which is a metric in southern Maryland with rest stops along the river. But I have gotten in a couple of good night rides after work in the past couple of weeks. There was a chance of rain for both of them, so I was prepared to take short cuts if needed. But I got lucky and was able to get in 20 miles last week and 19 miles last night.

Last weekend I did a bit of exploring. I joined a ride with a different club than the one I usually ride with, for a 30-mile ride around the Maryland-Pennsylvania border. I've ridden around that general area before but this particular route was new to me. I had really wanted to do a longer ride, especially since the ride start is quite far from my house, so I went up early and did a quick 13-mile loop on my own before the club ride began. Of course I was running late so I had to motor on my pre-ride to make sure I finished in time. It was the first time in a while that I really pushed myself on the bike. The weather was great, sunny and in the 80s but with reasonable humidity and no wind. Afterwards I drove around exploring some other roads that I will try to incorporate on future rides.

This weekend if the forecast holds I will ride on Sunday.

[Crankin]

We bought a Burley trailer for our granddaughter! We won't have it for a few days, but I think DH finally saw the light, in that if she is going to be here for the whole weekend, we want to be able to share some riding with her.
Taking her to the LBS today, for a cool helmet. Now, she just has to grow, so she can use the balance bike we have waiting. She tried to get on it last time, but, it's going to be a few months, or a year, she is so little.

[north woods gal]

Thank you all for posting about your rides. It does help. Gives me hope. Each passing day, now, brings me closer to the day when I can ride, again.

Yesterday, I set up the new Pugsley with all the add on stuff I wanted, namely, saddle, pedals, grips and then did all the fit adjustment stuff. It's ready to ride, even though I am not. I really, really wanted to take it for a short test ride up and down the driveway, but my husband let me know, in no uncertain terms, that just wasn't going to happen. :( Just sitting on then bike in the house, though, I can tell it will be a very comfy ride, as all Pugsleys are.

I am scheduled for a follow up X ray on July 12th. That will tell how the healing is going and if it's a good report, I may get cleared for some limited riding. If so, it will be all fat bikes for awhile, both for safety and comfort. I am 99% certain the accident wouldn't have happened if I had been riding one of my fat bikes.

[ny biker]

Thank you all for posting about your rides. It does help. Gives me hope. Each passing day, now, brings me closer to the day when I can ride, again.

Yesterday, I set up the new Pugsley with all the add on stuff I wanted, namely, saddle, pedals, grips and then did all the fit adjustment stuff. It's ready to ride, even though I am not. I really, really wanted to take it for a short test ride up and down the driveway, but my husband let me know, in no uncertain terms, that just wasn't going to happen. :( Just sitting on then bike in the house, though, I can tell it will be a very comfy ride, as all Pugsleys are.

I am scheduled for a follow up X ray on July 12th. That will tell how the healing is going and if it's a good report, I may get cleared for some limited riding. If so, it will be all fat bikes for awhile, both for safety and comfort. I am 99% certain the accident wouldn't have happened if I had been riding one of my fat bikes.

Listen to your husband. And your doctor. Doing too much too soon, or doing rehab wrong, can lead to more injuries.

[rebeccaC]

Listen to your husband. And your doctor. Doing too much too soon, or doing rehab wrong, can lead to more injuries.
+1 cuz I wish your riding to be in a healed and healthy body. Patience is a virtue!!! :)

Since Alex has been in her second trimester she’s doing more riding than in her first. I so appreciate even being able to do just safe bike path rides with her. We are doing a casual ride this afternoon going south on the beach path….and to get her some salted, malted fudge swirled cookie dough ice cream at Salt & Straw…her main craving at the moment.

[north woods gal]

You're right about following the doctor's orders, of course. Just my nature to push things. Not to worry, though, my husband is a stickler for following the rules. He'll keep me in line. :)

Speaking of the hubby, he did help me tear down my newly installed jump I had built just prior to the accident. It wasn't a very steep platform - just enough to get both wheels off the ground - but it's gone, now. Getting both wheels off the ground in mountain biking is one measure of expertise. It's kind of the entry level for an expert rating. Now that I've done it, I'll call it quits and just say I'm retired from doing the trick stuff. No more boulder riding or log hoping or kamikaze downhill runs, either. Both wheels on the ground at all times from now on and speeds kept under control. Doing the trick stuff is fun, but I still find trail riding to be fun and challenging with out the tricks, not to mention jumps and hops are hard on the bikes. Did trail riding for years without doing trick riding. It's still risky enough without the tricks. Just too damn old, now, to have another accident like this one. If I expect to keep riding into my last years, I'm going to have to make changes.

To that end, I am closing my trails to bikes with tires less than 3" in width for the sake of safety. Most of my bikes are 3" or fatter, so why ride the trails with the skinny stuff, anyway? My two new single sped bikes are the only skinny tire bikes I have, now (if you can call 2.2" tires, skinny). These will continue to see lots of road work, especially gravel road work. That's the way I was using them mostly, anyway, before the accident. They'll also be nice bikes for riding rails-to-trails, cruising in town and so on. They won't collect dust.

[Crankin]

It takes strength to recognize that it's best to stop. Personally, for me, the goal is just to keep riding, in any form, until I drop dead.
So, we went to the LBS. Clueless teen worker brings out the pinkest toddler sized helmet for my granddaughter. Both DH and I said, at the same time, "NO PINK." There were several other options, but, she is so little, her head is just a bit too small for the smallest toddler size. We got home and ordered an infant large, online. It's a cool blue color, with lots of illustrations.
She went nuts in the LBS, running around, saying "bicycle" about every 2 seconds.

[north woods gal]

Wish I could have seen her having fun in the LBS. :)

[ny biker]

I love seeing little kids at an LBS, especially when they are allowed to ride a bike around the store.

[emily_in_nc]

nwg, glad you are following your husband's advice. The bikes will be there, and you need time to heal. If you get really desperate, as I did after my jaw fractures, you could ride on the trainer before you're allowed to ride outdoors. I did so because I felt my fitness slipping away. It wasn't fun, and I could only tolerate it about twice a week because of the boredom factor, but it was something. Walking was okay too, but it was super hot during the NC summer so better to ride the trainer indoors in the a/c.

Crankin, pretty amazing that those helmets only came in pink. Not every little girl loves pink! My favorite color as a child was yellow, and it is still a fave. Glad you found a good alternative.

I have not ridden for two weeks today! Our trip to NC really set me back. Yesterday we had many errands to run back here in Florida, and today is my usual gym day, so I went ahead and did that, since I felt I needed that as much as a bike ride -- and there is a/c! I would normally ride tomorrow but have my orthodontist appt. in the morning, so it will be Tuesday. It is so warm and humid here now, I am not chomping at the bit, but I know I need the cardio so will make myself do it. If I didn't have DH, it would be much harder to get motivated.

Will report back once I finally get back out there on two wheels!

[north woods gal]

Thanks, Emily. Hope you get out and ride, despite the heat and humidity. Yeah, that kind of weather can make it hard to get motivated, but even a short ride qualifies as a ride and that always beats no ride.

I feel the same about the trainer. I really hate the things. My two surgeons gave me a mixed verdict on using a trainer. One did not like the idea at all and the other was lukewarm on using one, mostly concerned about staying in an upright position while pedaling. Still an option I might explore, but, for now, I'm doing very well with the walking to keep up my strength. Now doing 3 miles every day alternating each day between a walk on the pavement and a walk on the trails. The trail walking is really more hiking and a bit trickier, not to mention more climbing, but I use a good hiking stick for all my walking for the sake of safety.

At first, I did not enjoy the walking. Was still in a sour mood for not being able to ride. I'm enjoying it, now, though. Just needed time to adjust and relax and enjoy the walking on its own merits, instead of trying to compare it to my bicycling. Kind of nice, too, to re-discover I have walking as another option to stay fit. And the walking has kept me fit. I'm finishing my 3 miles much stronger, now. The first week was pretty brutal trying to get into walking shape. The first few days even finishing 2 miles was tough. For sure, walking is different than bicycling.

[Crankin]

Glad you are doing well, increasing your walking, NWG. Yeah, I hate the trainer, too. So much so, that they have not been used since we moved 2 years ago. I'd rather walk outside in the freezing cold, snow shoe, nordic ski or even go to spin class, before the trainer.
I have a weird schedule today, so I worked from 9-11 and then came home. Did one of my short 9 mile rides and just finished lunch, will be heading back to the office at 2:30. It is a perfect quintessential New England day, 77 degrees and no humidity. My legs felt strong, but I am still having groin/back/thigh issues. I am just too lazy to start up PT again, but I may have to. This time, I will see one of the therapists at the hospital sports med center; my prior PT is a nice guy, but the office is awful, won't go into all of it. My trip to the Berkshires (big hills) is in 2 weeks, so I have to see what happens. It's going to be nice again tomorrow, on my day off, so I really want to ride 25 miles. Hopefully, the stretching and icing will help.
We are going down the Cape early Friday, for the weekend, to stay with friends. They ride, slowly, and this time of year, not such a great place to ride. I think we will skip bringing the bikes, as we have hiking planned. Last time, DH and I went out at 6 AM, and there were already horrible 90 year old drivers out!

[north woods gal]

Don't blame you about the traffic. That's one thing I DO NOT miss at all. We have our own set of challenges, up here, when it comes to biking, but traffic is never one of them.

I overdid my walking, yesterday, with a full 4 miles. I made the mistake of wearing my neck brace too loose and that meant too much neck movement. My muscles just weren't ready for all that pounding. The muscles locked up, bad, overnight and despite the pain pills, had a miserable night. The good news is that I went back out, today, with the neck brace properly tight, slowed down and cut back to my usual 3 miles and feel much better. The muscles are finally relaxed.

The depression, though, does wear me down a bit, but I've anticipated it and just keep going, dreaming of the day when I can finally get back and ride.

We're in for another couple of 90 degree days over the weekend. If so, that would give us more 90 degree days in one summer than we've had in the entire 9 years since we've lived, up here. Our biologists are a bit concerned about the heat, because we do have some northern species of plants that are heat sensitive. Our forest experts tell us that our north woods are slowly, but surely, receding north with each passing year, now, and becoming more hardwood forest than conifer forest, thanks to global warming (and they do have the data to back it up).

[ny biker]

I led a club ride on Sunday, 49 miles. It was very humid and the pavement was still wet in the shady areas when when we finished even though there been no rain for hours. High clouds kept the sun from warming things up too much until the end of the ride. There were only three of us; although we were in an area that is one of my favorites and is generally popular for cycling year-round, very few people in my bike club are interested in riding there. Not sure if they think it's too far away from where they live or what. Anyway, most of the people who are willing to ride there are out of town now doing Bike Virginia or recovering from injuries. So I actually expected no one to show up, and was pleased to have two companions. We stayed together the whole time and had a very nice ride. Two of us have birthdays this month, and the third treated us to birthday ice cream at our second rest stop.

Today the weather is about perfect for summer, warm but with low humidity. Tomorrow the rain returns. So I am going out to ride tonight. I expect my legs to feel tired because we rode faster than my usual pace for most of the ride two days ago. But that's okay.

[emily_in_nc]

I got out for my first ride in two weeks today! Our usual ride on the West Orange Trail, 35+ miles. More people out in the heat and humidity than I anticipated, but it was nice to see others suffering as well. :D

I actually felt pretty good for having such a long layoff, and managed my usual average speed. I suspect my legs might be a little sore tomorrow, but we have a long list of chores and errands, so it will be a day off the bike. Then riding again Thurs. and Friday.

[north woods gal]

Good for you, Emily. That's he same trail I rode on a rented bike when I was in Florida. Of course, it's also the same trail where I bonked for not being acclimated to the heat and humidity. Really enjoyed the trail, itself, though. We have no such long distance bike trails, up here. The more populated areas of Wisconsin to the south do, though. Still, it would be great to have one, up here.

I'm holding up, well enough, but throwing a leg over a bike and taking off for a ride has become such an ingrained reflex for me that I actually have to concentrate NOT to do it, now. Just nuts. Not being able to go for a ride sometimes leaves me with a weird stranded, cut-off sort of feeling, like something is very wrong. Kind of crazy the way bicycling can get into one's blood that way.

[ny biker]

I rode last night, 21 miles. When I started out I felt like doing the hilliest version of my weeknight hill ride, but as I rode I decided my legs were not up for it. But I still did one of the more challenging versions, and then added some loops around flat neighborhoods at the end. It was a good ride.

It was in the high 70s and I actually felt cool at the start. It was much more like spring than summer. Also much more like spring -- with the low humidity, there was all kinds of pollen (and/or dust) in the air, and it stuck to my contact lenses and made my eyes hurt a lot. Pollen levels are officially "low/moderate" right now, but I guess that's enough to cause problems for me. I think the best thing would have been to wear my Rx glasses rather than contacts. I removed the contacts and put saline in my eyes as soon as I got home, and used the antihistamine eye drops last night and this morning, so now the itching has mostly subsided but my eyes are still puffy and I look terrible.

Despite the eye problems, it was a very good ride. I was able to ride a slightly faster pace and felt stronger than I've felt on the bike in a long time, despite my on-again off-again schedule of late.

[Crankin]

We don't have any longer trails, either, NWG. The one by me has taken so long to start being built, because each town has its own set of rules, etc, that the guy who it is named after died (he was the one who started the push for it). But still, even now, it's only about 12 miles one way. In the end, it should be about 20. Even the Minuteman, which is well known is only 11 miles. It's just busy as hell.
I am being thwarted by the cycling gods and my own laziness. Got all dressed in my cycling clothes, prepared my bottles and set up my bike for a longer ride. Went to put on my shoes and I found the strap that you push into the ratchet was on the floor! These cycling shoes are only 6 weeks old, and the ratchet/strap is backwards from other shoes I've had, in that the strap is attached to the outside of the shoe and the thing you push it into is on the body/top of the shoe. These shoes were the closest to the old ones I had, which are no longer made. I did find a small screw on the floor next to my shoes, so who knows. And yes, I have another bike, with other shoes/pedals, but I don't have a bag on that bike; DH set up an attachment to move my bag from bike to bike, but I am not quite sure how it works. And I didn't want to tempt fate by riding 20-30 miles without flat stuff and food. I am totally useless when it comes to this mechanical stuff (moving the bag), that I will have DH show me, but that doesn't guarantee I will remember the steps.
So, I changed clothes and did a 4+ mile walk/hike involving neighborhood streets, a dirt road, and a trail. Didn't see a soul and I do feel like I got a good workout, but I want to ride.

[emily_in_nc]

Sorry Crankin, what a pain. Sometimes it just seems that we aren't meant to ride that day, but there will be another one!

Today we had some errands to run and had planned on walking, but it was just so darn hot and humid that we took our cruiser bikes instead, and I am so glad that we did. First to the bank to do some business, then to the vet for some dog food. While there, I remembered that we didn't get cash at the ATM while at the bank doing other business (cancelling a wire transfer order we used while in Playa del Carmen), so we had to ride back to the bank. It was too bad, as that was a much busier route back than we'd planned. All in all, just around 4.5 miles -- I don't have a computer on that bike so am just guessing. I sure am glad we didn't walk it, with the extra trip to the bank. We would have melted!

My trapezius muscles are sore today from the ride yesterday after the longish layoff. Just one of many reasons I don't like layoffs! We'll be doing our usual ride tomorrow.

[north woods gal]

Sorry to hear about the equipment snafus, Crankin. That's makes a good case (excuse :)) for having another bike and another and another. Yup crazy me. Seriously, though, I've learned to do the basic mechanical stuff on my bikes out of necessity, over the years, since there have been times when a bike was my only vehicle. It was fix the bike or walk time. I have a bit of a phobia about mechanical things, too, but I can do basics like adjust brakes and shifters and do bolt on things, now. Not my idea of fun, but I can do it. Don't let it scare you. Give it a try. We girls can do. I still need help on things that require special tools and, especially, things that require strength to loosen up, though. Then I head to the bike shop.

Good point on the heat and walking, Emily. We're in the 80s and humid, now, and while that is not hot by everyone else's standards, I am noticing it on my walks. I do feel the heat more while walking, compared to bicycling, since I am moving so much slower through the air (especially with my walking, now). Nothing like a long downhill run on the bike to cool off.

[Crankin]

The part where my shoe strap fell off actually looks like a cleat plate; when I sent the picture to DH, he said, "What your cleat fell off?" But, after I described it to him, he got it. The little screw I found on the floor looks stripped to me, I don't see how it could screw into the hole. For about 3 weeks, when I went to put this shoe on, the strap would be pointed backwards, sort of dangling, away from the body of the shoe and ratchet. I seriously don't know why they changed this. It still feels un-intuitive when I put the shoes on.
I am sure DH can fix it.
NWG, I can barely tie my shoes (not really exaggerating here), so I leave the mechanics to others. I simply cannot remember the steps of anything that is spatially mediated. That includes most types of higher level math, too. Learning to use a computer was hell for me. In reality, if I could carry a verbally mediated, written list of every mechanical/visual function, I'd be OK, but I can't have a list for everything! I am very analytical when it comes to human behavior and literature, but other than that, I have all the traits of a non-verbal learning disability, with the exception of poor social skills. Just glad I didn't grow up in more current times, where I probably would have not achieved too much, since everything requires math now, even being a teacher.

[north woods gal]

Crankin, too bad you don't live closer. I'd be more than happy to do all your bike work for you. That's gotta be rough for you. Take care, girl.

Did my three mile walk, today, but upped the pace a bit, so a decent workout and about all I can handle, right now. This darn recovery stuff sure screws around with a girl's routine, not to mention energy level. Two weeks, down, four more to go. I'll get there. Big local mountain bike race coming up early in July. I may go watch some of the action.

[Crankin]

Actually, not so rough. You'd be surprised how many people who ride *a lot* don't even know the parts of their bikes, or how to shift correctly. It's quite easy for me to focus on my strengths, especially when I am surrounded by plenty of Luddite New Englanders who live for their books. I ignore the tech bros entirely, despite them having taken over a large part of Cambridge and Boston. I chose my 2 careers appropriately, managed to get 2 masters degrees and was in a doctoral program for awhile. And, I married someone who can fix anything. Had to learn bike mechanics when my son was racing, as he broke stuff every week!
This is why I like riding. I could never do traditional ball sports, at least the ones with eye hand coordination. I loved field hockey, and was good at it, but when I moved to Florida in HS, they didn't play it there. I rode everywhere until I got my license, and rode in the 80s, too. Then, I got obsessed with aerobics, became certified to teach; I could do the athletic oriented classes, but the dance-ey style stuff was beyond my ability. So, riding, hiking, nordic skiing are all good fits for me. Mountain biking, not so much! Not good for those with no spatial skills and bad depth perception.

[north woods gal]

Very impressive, Crankin, very impressive. I married one of those fix anything guys, too, but that was after I learned to fix my bikes. He does fully support my passion for riding and now he rides, too, though his riding is much more sane than mine. :)

Speaking of fully supporting my need to ride, I have GREAT news. We stopped at our local bike shop and I got a bike to ride on my indoor trainer that is doctor approved. After my accident, my surgeon said I could ride a trainer if two requirements were met. One, it had to be a bike I could get on and off without bending or twisting my neck and without the danger of me possibly tripping and falling. Two, it had to be a bike that kept me in an upright position with NO bowing of the head and weight forward.

So, here it is. It's a cheapo comfort bike called the Specialized Low-Entry Roll. As basic as it gets with 7 speeds and rim brakes, but it does have up to date 27.5" wheels and wide 27.5 x 2.3" tires. It's on a trainer, so who cares as long as it works, right? Hubby helped me get it down the basement (where the temp is always cooler) and mounted on the trainer. Did my first 30 minutes of pedaling since my accident. Oh, yeah, I was tired, but so happy to be pedaling.
https://s8.postimg.cc/oxxjq86dx/P1100066.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

In a sense, this may actually be a safer way to exercise than walking. No tripping or stumbling which is a very real danger on my trails. Not as much pounding transmitted to the neck as when I walk. No shin splints, for sure. No bugs or heat or risk of rain, either. Oh, I will still alternate trainer workouts with walking, but, hey, I'm pedaling. Yippeee!

[emily_in_nc]

That's great, nwg! Glad you found an upright bike to use on the trainer. Depending on outdoor conditions, sometimes it's preferable (but not often!)

We did our usual ride today, and I think it was the most miserable I've been on a bike in a long time due to the combination of sun, heat, and humidity. The first hour was not too bad, second hour was meh, but the third was brutal. If I could have caught a sag wagon, I would have! Fortunately, I survived it, and the pool after felt really good, though it's a few degrees warmer than ideal. Still, cooler than the air, by a few degrees. :D

[north woods gal]

A pool to cool off after a ride like that is truly heaven. Glad you didn't overdo it with the het and humidity. Have a LOT more respect for that weather after my experience biking where you are. Upper 80s and very humid, here, today and I really felt it, too. Be careful, down there.

Have to chuckle when I think that, only a few short weeks, ago, the thought of me owning a bike like that would have been disgusting to fancy mountain biker, me. Talk about an accident to make me see how stuck up I had been. I'm sure grateful for such a bike, now. Good lesson.

[Crankin]

Your bike is super cool looking, does not matter why you bought it!
So, we have been on Cape Cod since early Friday morning. It is even 90 degrees here, but that varies with location. Yesterday, we went out for an early am walk and I had to take my inhaler for the first time in ages. There’s an air quality alert, apparently ozone travels up the coast from NY and NJ and hits the Cape, but not Boston. We spent all day on 2 different beaches yesterday, Friday, we went to Ptown. Glad I don’t have my bike! Weather looks frightful at home all week! We are leaving our friends’ house around noon and going to visit other friends for the rest of today.
Not sure if I will be riding on the 4th; predicted 95 degrees.

[emily_in_nc]

Wow Crankin, hard to believe it is so hot up there! I am sitting here in the Orlando area, and it's certainly hot -- 89 at 5:45 pm -- but no worse than where you are.

No riding this weekend but plenty of walking, grocery stores, chores, and gym today. Back on the bike tomorrow morning and hoping for a few more clouds than Thurs. and Friday. Those were two tough rides, and part of me wonders why I am crazy enough to ride in Florida in the summer, but riding allows me to eat a lot more, and I love my food! So...I ride. :D

nwg, hope your recovery is continuing along. Glad you at least have some options until you can get back to riding outdoors!

[Crankin]

Back to reality...
Spent late morning to mid afternoon at our former neighbors' summer house, just about 15 minutes away from where we were staying on Friday and Saturday. They live about half a block from the ocean, and it was horribly hot, even there. They did not have their AC on (first I thought they didn't have it), sort of old New England suffering, but we had lunch on their deck, under an umbrella, and then we went into a room cooled by a ceiling fan. He's a chef level cook, and we had way too much to eat and drink, but I thoroughly enjoyed the visit. Since most people are at the Cape for the week, there was not the usual weekend Sunday afternoon traffic to leave, so we got home around 4:30. Usually, we wait until after dinner to leave.
The heat wave isn't going to break until Friday. DH and I are going to do the group ride on the 4th, and I hope I survive. I nam going to ride to the gym tomorrow, but otherwise, stay indoors.

[north woods gal]

I feel your pain with the heat, Crankin. We're having the same heat wave. Had two days of heat warnings with temps in the mid 90s, something I've never seen, here. Walked the trails, early, but even so, called it quits after a mile and a half. Humidity was terrible. A bit cooler in the mid 80s, today, but rain just adding to the humidity. The only good thing about walking the trails versus walking the roads is the shade with the trails, but then you get all the bugs. Whew! At least with the bike I could outrun the bugs. :)

Looks like that indoor bike is paying for itself with this awful heat. Our basement is always nice and cool. No bugs, either. So glad I bought this bike even if it's nothing fancy. It works for a trainer and that's good enough. Might even find a use for it out on the road, at some point.