Sept 16th rides

Well, I took the new bike out this morning with my computer now working, and knowing how to change gears properally so I don't drop the chain and we rode 21 miles. I had an avg speed of 11.2 which is not any better than the mountain bike, but I think it is because the gears are bigger and I am having to muscle it a little more up the hills instead of spinning so fast. I don't know, I just know I love the bike and I don't care. I will get use to it and speed up once my legs build up to those gears.

Rode about 12 miles to the Farmers Market and and came back with 3 pie pumpkins, goat cheese, sweet potatos and bread from the whole foods market. Lovely weather, lovely ride.

No clue about average speed as my flight deck computer got in a funny state, had to be re-set and I haven't had time to re-program it (no small job).

Ah...fall in NC!

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Originally Posted by DDH

Well, I took the new bike out this morning with my computer now working, and knowing how to change gears properally so I don't drop the chain and we rode 21 miles. I had an avg speed of 11.2 which is not any better than the mountain bike, but I think it is because the gears are bigger and I am having to muscle it a little more up the hills instead of spinning so fast. I don't know, I just know I love the bike and I don't care. I will get use to it and speed up once my legs build up to those gears.

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Donna,
I'm sure your body needs to adapt to the new body position, AND build different muscles that will eventually take advantage of your new different bike. You're probably riding it like your mountain bike too, out of normal habit. As you get used to it, your balance, your body position and your muscles will start to change slowly. Does your new bike have 700c size wheels? If you ever decide to get lower additional gears, you can probably easily swap the rear cassette too.
Nothing like the feeling of a new bike! For me, it's not so much about speed anyway- it's the pure enjoyment of being a kid again and it being GOOD for me at the same time! :D

DH and I did a modest 19 miler this morning. It felt so GOOD after 3 days of not biking because of constant rain!
We are going on a longer ride tomorrow, morning after Sunday breakfast.

I have to go to the store but I must enclose these two photos from our first TE Seattle ride. We did 28 miles together and had a nice lunch.http://www.sersale.org/bike/teride.jpg
The first one is everyone except me at the start of the ride..


http://www.sersale.org/bike/teride2.jpg

The second is those of us that made it all the way to Red Hook Brewery where we ate.
Knotted Yet, her friend from work (a great rider), Quillfred, Me and Salsabike.
I'll let one of the others fill you in...
be back later.

Sunny today after a few miserable days; did a short 26km ride with the Greater Victoria Cycling Coalition around Shawnigan Lake and up the Trans-Canada Trail to the Kinsol Trestle. The TCT is a rail-to-trail multiuse trail, and the Kinsol is an amazing old rail trestle built around 1921 to service the King Solomon copper mines nearby. www.kinsoltrestle.ca
It's one of the tallest and longest wooden trestles left in the world, and our present provincial government wants to tear it down. Despite appearances, engineers say it can be rebuilt to carry cycle, equestrian, and pedestrian traffic with more than adequate safety, so today's ride was to show the colours and sign a petition to save the regal old trestle.
I have very fond memories of the Kinsol. The church camp I went to for several summers when I was little is just a few km from the trestle; we hiked there often. Wish us luck that we can save it, for future generations to enjoy.
~Sherry.

wow, what a cool trestle! I hope you succeed in saving it.

Okay, the ride.
Seven of us met up at 9am, it was quite blustery and cold. We were all wearing full body gear (see photos two posts back) because at any moment it might have started raining sideways. Once we started riding, Salsabike led the pace at a brisk 14-15 mph.. We sighted 2 blue herons, lots of canadian geese, chickens, ducks,seagulls and crows. The bike trail (Burke Gilman Trail) was not as busy as usual due to the cool weather and threat of rain. We made stops every 5 miles or so, for Bathroom and just gathering. At one point a guy churned by us (Salsabike
and I were in the lead) As he passed her she decided it just wasn't right; so she passed HIM. I tried but could not keep up.. It was great to see her pass him like that.
We stopped at RedHook, an actual brewery with a restaurant attached where we ate a great lunch. Salsabike had enough food to take some of it home for dinner.

After we ate, we went out into the back lot and tried out each other's bikes.
Quillfred had a gorgeous green finesse brooks. Knotted thinks she wants one too. Salsa isn't sold on the brooks saddles, but i sure enjoyed riding her bianchi donna.

Then we all went home; well, Salsa and Quillfred and Knotted continued riding; and i got to my car whose headlights had been on all day; so it wasn't going to start. Some nice people came and jumpstarted it for me. hehehe.

And now I await a nice warm bath and an easy evening before my big ride tomorrow.
It was great to meet everyone and get to know them a little.
Forgive me, I don't have the names of the other two ladies who rode with us and left before we got to Marymoor.. more will be revealed..

Like Carrie Anne (hi CA!), DH and I rode to/from the farmer's market and food co-op on our Bike Fridays. We each had all four panniers and a rack pack with a full load of groceries to take home. It was a gorgeous day here in central NC! Breezy (we caught some great tailwinds), lower humidity, and only in the 70s! Lots of other cyclists out, no rude drivers, no loose dogs. Doesn't get much better than that!

30.6 miles, 13.5 avg speed

Emily

62 miles at avg speed of 16.7 mph. Trying to train for century next weekend, but not sure how the 3 hour stop in the middle factors in. Spent most of the 3 hours playing Brio trains with nephew. The riding was very nice, except hot the first hour. One hour nap after dinner. Maybe a short (1-2 hour) ride tomorrow morning.

Exciting weather ride.

After work I went to the store to pick up a few commuting essentials. It was hot and I was working my way into a gusty headwind.

Coming home there were a few rain sprinkles and I was treated to a lively lightning display (all cloud to cloud) and a very nice tailwind. Still hot, though, the bank clock said 88.

Oh, did I mention the severe weather watch we were under? I rather like riding in nasty weather. I have the bike paths all to myself.

Seattle TE ride!

Oh, suuuuuuch fun! Fabulous riding weather, excellent company, gorgeous scenery!

52 miles. Lunch and beer at Red Hook. Dinner and Margaritas at Agua Verde.

There was a football game at UW, and ravening hordes on the BG through there. Pretty fun slaloming through the revellers! Hung out at Recycled Cycles for a bit, too.

Sunset over the lake and St. Edwards park was so beautiful.

I'm tired, and I stink. Off to bed in a few minutes, but I had to bounce through TE first.

Lisa, you are soooo right. It will take some getting use to. It does have the 700c wheels and the gearing is higher than the mountain bike.

I am not quite as sure on this bike either so I think I am a little stiffer for now.
I went around the corners yesterday really wide and almost wiped out twice because I went off the road. I don't feel comfortable yet turning the corners very quickly, feels like I need to slow way down.
I guess the skinner tires make me feel like they are going to come out from under me. LOL
I will get use to her. DH was making remarks about how I was slower and I told him that I was probably going to be until I get use to the gears and the bike itself. I'm not worried about it for now. I know I will have to build up strenght more on this bike to get the speeds up because the gearing is different.

On September 16, 2006 I rode in my first organized ride the Oxford Odyssey and while I only did 35 miles I am still very proud of myself! Even though none of my friends or relatives remember my ride or said that 35 miles was nothing and that I am a pansy, I still think it is cool! So here it is I went 35.0 miles in 2:33 and avg. 13.6 mph! I loved the ride, it rocked the house!!!:D

I pet sat for my sister, who lives in Cambria, yesterday. Woke up to a gorgeous day. The ocean was all a-shimmer and glassy and the sky was clear blue. Wow! Can't wait to get on my bike which I had brought with me....but WHAT?? Dang, I forgot my cycling shoes!! Not enough time to drive back to San Luis and back to ride and then to get to work on time.... Dang, dang, dang. Oh well, change of plans...I'll ride in the evening with the wind! Decide not to take my bike off the car just in case I decide to ride in SLO. That is not happening either. Head back up to Cambria, (got my shoes!), and WHAT??? My front tire is completely flat...and nothing with me to fix it. Maybe I am not suppose to ride my bike today???? But there is a bike shop in this small commnity and its open! Take my wheel in and come to find out that I had placed my bike on the rack in such a way that the front tire was to close to the exhaust pipe. The intense heat caused the tire and tube to burn through and it also had melted the tire lining a little! The rim was OK, thank God!! One hour later I had a new tire and tube and labor for less than 25$$...the tire was 1/2 off and the nice gentleman wouldn't charge me for labor even though I told him he really should, he did the work....So let me put in a good word here for Cambria Bicycle Outfitters or CBO!! Yeah! They do quite a mail order business, so the clerk told me.
So I get back to my sisters and its later now, but not to late really to get a quicky in...but after this day (the bike thing wasn't the only thing to go awry) should I really ride? Yes, most definitely! A wonderful ride, absolutely! Rode into the wind for 10 miles and then had that wind at my back for the return!! The wind in my face, the sun on my back, a lovely feast of browns and greens and blues....cows, grass, ocean, trees...all for my eyes to see, and the freah air. What a great way to end this kind of day....or any day for that matter!


Happy riding everyone!
Clare

I did my second group ride on Saturday with our local club. There were two routes offered--one a fifty-mile out and back and the other a 100-mile loop of the entire city. I opted for the 50 since I'm still working up to a century.

Getting up and out of the house by 7:00 a.m. was less than a challenge than I thought it was be. I made it to the ride well in time and got to see a beautiful sunrise en route. The weather forecast called for sunny and a high of 82. It looked to be (and was) a perfect day for a ride.

On a personal note: After I signed in, I saw my ex for the first time since we (amicably) broke up a month ago. Given that he's an avid cyclist, I knew it was just a matter of time before I saw him at a ride, but I was rather nervous about how it would go. Thankfully, we had a very pleasant exchange. When we first split, we talked about preserving a friendship--after allowing ourselves time to regroup. I don't normally go for that, but I truly value him as a person and really hope so. He's the one that inspired me to start cycling in the first place and, if nothing else, I miss sharing my cycling stories with him. Anyway, it was good (but a little sad) to see him.
Once the ride started, however, I thankfully had other things to think about!

I went to the ride by myself, but quickly found a group that didn't seem to mind having someone else tag along. I was glad to have the company. We were dealing with a fair amount of traffic, and there was definitely strength in numbers. Having ridden most of the last month or so exclusively in the country, I wasn't lovin' the traffic. The last five miles or so before the SAG, however, got better. Less traffic and prettier scenery.

I got a chance to introduce myself to the group at the SAG. Everyone was so friendly; I really appreciated their "open arms." Unfortunately, most of the them was doing the century and our routes diverged from there.

Thankfully, though, one of the guys in the group (Jeff) was doing the 50, too, We were soon joined at the SAG by his girlfriend Tracy (they'd accidentally gotten separated during the ride) and the three of us agreed ot ride the rest of the route together. After chatting for a bit and getting refueled, we started back.

The return route included a 7-mile loop along the perimeter of Eagle Creek Park. We encountered a few hills and then took a detour for more. All three of us are doing the Hilly Hundred in October and needed the practice--although the "hills" in Indy aren't exactly challenging. Nevertheless, I worked on my technique (most of which I "learned" by reading TE posts). I found that scooting my butt back in the saddle really helped. I was able to stay in the middle ring the whole time. Knowing that I still have my granny gears makes me feel a lot better about the Hilly.

The three of us stayed together the whole way back, chatting here and there. We weren't much of a paceline since Tracy and I are both nervous about "sucking" someone's wheel, but we each took turns pulling and Jeff coached us a bit on drafting. They were both impressed at how well I was doing, given how little time I've been riding. That made me feel really good!

By the time we finished, I'd done just about 55 miles. That's my longest ride to date. I was tired, but I still had some energy left. I think it's just a matter of time before I tackle my first century! I really appreciated Jeff and Tracy's kindness. They made the ride a lot more fun and since I'm sure to see them at other rides, it would appear that I've made some new friends.