Phoenix area riders?

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Originally Posted by JanT

The hills at the end about did me in, but I enjoyed the scenery in Scottsdale.

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I think you did great! That McDowell Moutain hill is deceiving, I think the backside is much harder than the front side. I hope you had a big diet Pepsi when you got home, you earned it!

Thank YOU for coming all the way to my house! I promise next time, I'm putting the shoes in the car! ;)

I get back from Florida on the 31st, so let me know if you think you want to join the ride on the 2nd with the racelab group, and maybe we can ride the 4th?

Thanks again, Jan, it was really great to meet you!

Let's plan on the 2nd. If you give me the starting location and times, I'll see you there.

Hi.
It's getting quite toastie in AZ. You two should check out some rides here in Prescott. www.prescottcycling.org
We have a great group of riders (men and women) and some awesome rides. Weekend rides are typically posted one week prior. If you don't see anything feel free to message me. I'm out nearly every weekend.

Cathy

Thanks, Cathy! I love Prescott, and the hills and altitude would be make a fun challenge. I'll keep it in mind if we get up that way.
Jan

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JanT

Let's plan on the 2nd. If you give me the starting location and times, I'll see you there.

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Hey, Jan! I am sure you're swamped getting ready for the last week of school. My kids are out Thursday and they are SO excited!

We meet at the A.J.'s Grocery Store on 100th Street and Via Linda. The easiest way to come would be to take Loop 101 all the way to Shea Blvd. Turn left on Shea so you're heading East. Turn right on 96th Street (its a stoplight), then left on Mountain View (its also a stoplight). You will intersect with Via Linda and A.J.'s is on the Southeast corner. We meet in front of the store around 5:25 and we head out about 5:30.

I think you have my cell number, so just give me a ring if you get lost.

See you then! Have a great couple of weeks! We're off to Disneyworld...
Melisa

Thanks for the directions. Should be pretty quick off the loop at that hour of the day. I will see you then. Hope you have a safe and fun-filled adventure at Disneyworld!
Jan

Jan! Thanks for joining us for our ride today and for coffee afterwards. It was good to see you! I'm off to Boston next week, but let's try to ride sometime after I get back. GREAT job up that hill! :-)

Melisa,
Thanks for the ride! It was fun riding with a group for a change. I was happy to find that the pace was tolerable, and was pleasantly surprise that everybody was waiting at the top of the hill. Don't know how long you guys waited, but I thought that was kind. I hope to get in lots of riding, and maybe a little running, before your return to the desert, so maybe I'll be in a little better shape. If you keep training the way you are, you'll have to save me for recovery rides! Good luck with your workouts and your travels.
Jan

Hey, Jan! Just wanted to drop in and say hi. I'm off to Toronto today, then Iowa on Wednesday and I'll be back on the 20th. Maybe next week we can ride some morning if you're around. Anyway, hope all is well and that you are enjoying the summer break.
Melisa

Hi, Melisa! Hope your travels go well, and also your medical appointments. I'm usually always up for a ride, so just let me know. I've been alternating workouts, one day a short run, next day a ride. Without running much this past year, I'm basically starting over. That means it's a struggle, but I'm always glad I did it when I'm done! Hopefully it will help me maximize the lungs so that I will be able to do better on the hills. Also have been getting in a little mountain biking, which has some good hill workouts. I may not ever be fast again, but I know I can do better than what I'm doing now. My goal is to improve enough that I won't be embarrassed if I join group rides.

Hey, Jan! I wanted to check in and see how things are going with you and if you're enjoying your summer break. We're in Coronado now until the first week of August. The weather here is so great, you can go out at any time of day to ride. I met up with the local bike group for a couple of rides and MAN are these guys fast. They've been riding together for 25 years or so. The first ride we went from Coronado to a place called Otay Mesa (about 40 miles rt). It was a great ride, but I was in a little over my head. On the hairy parts, they always made sure someone rode with me, which was really nice. I made it through, though, and at one point we were doing 27.8 mph on a flat patch!! I didn't know my legs could pedal that fast! Their Saturday rides are a LOT more tame with an A, a B and a C group. I rode with them yesterday and it was a lot of fun. They call it the donut ride because after the ride, everyone stops at the bike club President's house and has donuts and coffee. :p

I hear it is really hot at home. Are you getting out of the valley at all for any relief this summer? How's the running/riding going? I don't think you need to be embarrassed about joining group rides at all. I was a little nervous too, but now I realize there are people of all levels and abilities and if you find the right group, everyone is just there to have fun and ride. Plus, you're a great rider!

Frankie and I are going to Mother/Daughter camp the week after next. I am really excited, I get to try Mountain Biking for the first time! I'll let you know how it goes!

Anyway - let me know how things are going. btw - thanks for asking about the testing. ALL is well!
Talk to you soon!
- Melisa

Hi, Melisa,
I've been thinking about you there in Coronado, and believe it or not, I'm not really too jealous at this point. Yes, it's been blistering hot, and we've arrived at the time of year where the mornings are hot even at sunrise. But we've been blessed by a late start to the monsoon, and I really don't mind the dry heat in the early morning hours. I've only been running a couple days a week, focusing on getting more riding in. My speed has actually increased a bit, which makes me feel more able to keep up with a group. Think I'll check out a "local" (westside) group next weekend. I've been watching your posts, and it looks like your training is really going well. I would imagine it's pretty hilly where you are, so I'll bet the running and riding there are making your legs mighty strong! (27.8 on the flats! Sheesh! You are getting good!) Do you swim in the ocean, or do you have access to a pool?

The mother-daughter camp sounds like fun--great bonding opportunity. You'll have to let me know how the mountain biking goes. I love the thrills and challenges of mountain biking, but I also like the speed and distances of the road, and being able to ride right from my garage. So, I guess I'm a bi-cyclist. :rolleyes:

I will be in class all day, every day, next week, and then I'll be moving into my new classroom and getting ready for the new year. However, I'm on my own schedule until August 9th, so I'll still be out riding/running in the mornings. Depending on when you get back, maybe we can sneak in a ride before the official school year starts. Otherwise, there is always the weekend! I'll probably continue my plan of a long road ride Saturday, mountain bike Sunday. However, you'll want to ride with me for a recovery ride! No way I'm riding 27 mph, unless it's downhill!

Thanks for checking in. Wish you continued good training in beautiful southern California, and have a great time at camp!
Jan

Hi, Jan! I've been thinking about you! Did you check out that bike group you mentioned? How'd it go?

I went to camp with Frankie and it was absolutely amazing. They'd rented Mountain Bikes for us and the first day we set out on a ride. There were two groups and I kinda fell between the ones that had done it before and the ones that hadn't (I guess because I've been riding my roadbike) so I joined the group that had done it before. About 30 minutes into it, I thought I'd made a HUGE mistake. The altitude in Colorado and the climbs up were kicking my butt, but oh, my gosh, what an awesome feeling to be out there, actually running OVER stuff vs. trying to avoid it! It was a blast! We were out about 3 hours the first day and 3 the second day. The second day it was a lot of single track stuff and although I had to push my bike a few times, I felt so empowered! One of the trails we were riding was called the "ditch trail". On one side was a small ditch and then the side of the mountain, and on the other side, BIG DROP. I was doing ok until out of nowhere came this teeny bridge! I panicked and plowed my bike into the ditch and the side of the mountain. I have a beauty of a bruise around my entire knee, but I am so proud of it! Isn't that funny? I got back up and got back on the bike and refused to be beaten by it, no matter how scared I was. :-)

I'm heading back to AZ on Tuesday of next week. I'll probably ride with the Thursday morning group and then I need to do long on Saturday, most likely 3+ hours. Any weekend is great with me, maybe I'll try to beg a mtn bike out of my husband and ride with you all on Sunday! lol!

Talk to you soon!
Melisa

Hi, Melisa!
I'd been thinking about you and wondering how the mountain bike adventure went. You sound like a closet mountain biker--about to come out of the closet! Did your daughter enjoy her ride, too? I like road riding, especially in the summer when you create a cooling breeze. But there is nothing quite like the thrill of whizzing through some twisty-turny singletrack. There's a trail out at Pima and Dynamite that to me is a better ride than anything Disneyland has to offer. I used to have an extra mountain bike to use as a loaner, but I sold it because I felt guilty having 4 bikes. (Not to mention hogging all the space in the garage!) But if you can scrounge up a trail-worthy mountain bike, we could show you some great rides.

I'm back at work daily, but on my own schedule at this time. My first full official day back is the 9th. Until then, I can ride any morning. I'd be open to a 3 hour ride on that Saturday if you don't mind my slower pace. Are you talking about the first Saturday in August? Let me know when you're back and what you're up for.