Memorial Day Weekend Rides

I will start with my ride this afternoon. Sadly I had to break out the tights yet again as it was a little cool, and my knee was acting up, so I just rode a relatively gentle 12-13 miles and called it good. I've noted that I tend to have more kneecap tracking problems with I am wearing tights, which is interesting - and nothing at all when I am not.

Tomorrow I will head down to Brown County State Park and help clean up the miles of mountain bike trails from the recent series of terrible storms, and am planning to ride about 35 miles Sunday and 25-30 Monday. More about those later this weekend, assuming the weather doesn't interfere.

I'm planning on heading out tomorrow morning for 15-20 miles, earlier than I got out last weekend. Maybe take the day off Sunday or do just a short ride, then Monday a pre-dawn, slightly longer ride, because it's supposed to get HOT.

Same here, 61 today & 90 both Sunday and Monday! I see quite early rides on those days...

I rode with 2 women from my new job after work today. We rode about 18 miles, with a stop at about mile 17 to sit and chat at a nearby pub. Heard some wicked thunder, and got drizzled on a little bit. But the skies seriously opened up just as we were putting our bikes on the car at the office. It's all about the timing. :)

I had to work today, plus it rained and rained. Flooded roads, lightning, thunder. 5" of rain in Chapel Hill! http://www.wral.com/weather/story/9653716/

Looking much better for the actual weekend. Will report back! :D

Today I did a nice, casual 32 miles with DH this morning AFTER I had put in a full 3.5 hour gym workout....whew! Saturday & Sunday we will head out at 6:30am for longer rides, provided the weather cooperates. Monday is supposed to be near 90, so we will likely be on the road by 6am...maybe even get in a century...so we'll see.

I rode 23 miles yesterday -- 9 during lunch break (an errand + lunch) and then a short 14 with the cycle club. That was short, even for our leisurely group, but it had a challenging hill in it, sort of a rite of passage for each new member. I'm a bit embarrassed because here in Alaska, summer has sprung big time, so I'm out all the time with various recreational activities, especially fishing, and also Memorial Day weekend is when you plant your garden. I have herbs and some little flowers, my partner is going to take care of vegetables in the bigger rows. But I do want to ride, maybe a long flat ride to the end of the valley. Getting one > 30 mile ride would be great, plus a shorter one.

Better late posting it than not at all. If you're in the Portland area this weekend, stop on by and say hi. I'll most likely be at the registration table both mornings and then trackside, counting laps, during the races. I might get to ride in one or two of them, but I'm not sure yet. Depends on how many helpers I have.
If I don't see you, have a wonderful, long weekend!
Edna

Oregon Human Powered Vehicles Presents:
The 12th Annual Human Power Challenge (HPC)

The event will be held on Memorial Day Weekend, May 28 & 29, 2011 at Portland International Raceway (PIR) in Portland, Oregon. This unique event has a large variety of racing formats. Rider skills and strengths will be challenged as they compete in any or all of the following:
Individual Time Trial
1/8 Mile Drag Race
Auto Cross Speed & Agility Course
200 Meter All Out Speed Test
Mass Start Road Race
Short Track Curvy Road Race
Come see regular human powered street vehicles racing, as well as the premier king of speed, the Streamliner. This vehicle holds the distinction of holding every world record for timed distances and ultimate speed. All this HPV (Human Powered Vehicle) racing nirvana takes place on a world class Indy car race track, the Portland International Raceway. This smooth surface course has two feet of elevation change over a two mile, multi cornered, racing loop. Coupled with a large infield area where other racing activities are conducted, the PIR facility is more than accommodating, it's unrivaled!
The Human Power Challenge is happily more than just a race filled weekend - it has culminated into being one of the most festive social gatherings for the recumbent and HPV clan. We do like to spend lots of time chatting, while gazing at the variety of vehicles present, while telling outrageous tales. That being said, folks bring (and are encouraged to do so!), all types and varieties of HPV steeds, be they professionally manufactured or home-built creations. Some of the concoctions dreamed up by those pioneers are simply awe inspiring. We can only say WOW and bring it on!
We also invite and host businesses that represent products and services conducive to the positive promotion of our community. Vendors are welcome to display their services. Please contact the HPC committee for details on attending the event.
HPV racing is not the only activity featured at the Human Power Challenge. In conjunction with our event, the Electrathon America folks hold an annual race that features small electric powered aerodynamic vehicles that demonstrate the skills and talents of high school and adult pioneers of alternative transportation. These vehicles are designed to optimize electric power, capturing engineering skills that must procure an end result of both endurance and speed. This event is exciting and inspirational, "at the flick of a switch."
Come and experience a degree of camaraderie and racing that few events have attained, or hope to. Admission is free for spectators, so come cheer your favorite racers to victory. We invite you to come and get "bent" with us, to be a part of theHUMAN POWER CHALLENGE!
More details concerning any of the exciting HPC events and general race information are available at the OHPV website http://ohpv.org/HPC/index.html then follow the links to the appropriate area of interest. Any persons or teams interested in participating in this exciting event can receive further information by sending an email to pirhumanpower@comcast.net

I'll be riding the WMRT today after I get off. I want to see the new section. Any Md ladies want to join me?

I did a 27 mile ride yesterday on the first beautiful, warm, spring day I have seen this year. It was 81 degrees out by the end of the ride. Hope to get out again today!

Since I chose the wrong bike Thurs, riding the bike least suitable to rain, I decided to ride my commuter yesterday, since it looked about the same out the window as the morning before. Wrong choice again! It was quickly sunny, hot and very humid, and I was overdressed in a long sleeve jersey.

I met a nice woman riding a road bike, which isn't that common around here. She looked fresh as a daisy in her appropriate sleeveless jersey, and I was like a weed on the side of a puddle of mud. I had to laugh at myself when I got home, because one of my hair bands had fallen out, but my pig tail was still in place, all by itself, due to my sticky sweat. :D

21 miles.

I slept terribly last night and woke up late to boot. My usual route is the local rail-trail, and if you don't get back to the car by about 9, it is physically impossible to get out of the parking lot. Just as well, as I'm sort of sore from yesterday. I took the easy way out and did three or four relatively fast miles around the neighborhood, just to get out. Weather was perfect, of course. :rolleyes:
I'm hoping to go out pretty early tomorrow and get some miles in.

I'm going to go find something caffeinated and then clean my bike.

Tried to ride yesterday, but failed miserably. Went about 15 miles total, but it was 106 out with winds at 30mph. I couldn't take the headwind and my left leg fell asleep so we had to get off and rest halfway through. I was really upset about the whole thing because it made me feel really weak, but my cycling partner put it to me that even the professional riders have bad days where they do what they can and then go have a beer.

On a happier note, on the way back, we met some nice ladies on their road bikes training for the MS150 in July. We rode back with them slowly with that 30mph tailwind and it was kind of nice to decompress after getting upset about the trip out there.

This weekend we'll probably just ride when we can - supposed to be 108 today with 17mph winds. Memorial Day there is an early morning ride to the Vietnam Memorial with the bike club so I will probably do that since it's at 7 a.m. and should be relatively cool in the low 70s with little wind at that time of day.

Having a wonderful vacation, but I am missing good riding weather at home.
So, yesterday, we ditched DS, DIL, and my dad to do a 3 hour bike tour of La Jolla and Pacific Beach. Although I have never lived here, my parents moved to San Diego 30+ years ago. I've spent a lot of time here, so I figured I would see things from a bike that you never see in a car.
So, it started out a little on the wrong side, with one too many people for the van that brought us to the top of Mt. Soledad, where the tour started. I refused to not have a seatbelt, so some other woman sat on her DH's lap :eek:. Oy.
We got to the top, as DH and I lovingly looked at the incline going up. Very, very, steep and curvy, probably 20% at least in places. Got to the top, where they gave us our bikes.... beefy, old mountain bikes, which was fine. Right away, I noticed my front brake was like mush, so I told the leader and asked if he had a hex wrench. I might be a mechanical dunce, but I knew what he needed to do. He tried to tell me not to use the front brake, but after I talked to him, he was, like, OK...
We descended down a different road, not so curvy, not as steep, but still a real mountain type descent. Being on a mountain bike and not on dirt gave me confidence and I was the third one down the hill. There was an assortment of "regular" people on the tour, with one younger guy with good mountain biking experience who rode with DH and I and the leader. There was a young couple, about my kids' age who were very annoying. The woman kept getting in front of me in places where I couldn't pass her, so I couldn't talk to DH, like on the bike path, but also on the road. After a couple of times of me saying "on your left" and sprinting past her, she still kept trying to drop me. It was silly, this was a leisurely tour and she clearly was not going to win. When we turned back to La Jolla, there were a couple of teeny inclines and then she got it.
The only really unnerving thing was at one point he had us riding the against traffic, in a bike lane on a busy road, rather than have us make lefts... DH and i were mortified and our bike leader minds were going into over gear. He also didn't signal. But, he did verbally tell us and we stopped and regrouped frequently. At the end we went down to see the cave in La Jolla after climbing a pretty steep hill. The young girl was breathing pretty heavy going up the stairs up from the cave and looked like she was going to cry after that.
We learned a lot of interesting things, especially about the coastal ecology. So despite the lack of safety precautions, it was fun. The shop rents road bikes, but maybe next time. Riding around here does not seem like it would be that fun; lots of multi lane roads, clueless drivers, etc. I've seen lots of male roadies, but no women.
I've been walking for 45 minutes on the other mornings, and given the eating I am doing, there will be a lot of riding when I get home.

Crankin-

What a trip!

There are good spots to ride out there - not all multi lane roads. We took our Fridays on vacation a few years ago (well, vacation for me, conference for my DH) and had a blast! Coronado has a nice, fast bike path if you want completely separate from traffic....