Yes, after riding in Yellowstone, it's been all downhill from there (elevation-wise!)Quote:
Originally Posted by north woods gal
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Yes, after riding in Yellowstone, it's been all downhill from there (elevation-wise!)Quote:
Originally Posted by north woods gal
I'm in SLC. The weather is just perfect right now - glad you're having fun!Quote:
Originally Posted by emily_in_nc
Yesterday we did a beautiful ride in and outside of Dinosaur National Monument. We are in the Utah section, near Jensen. The climb out of the campground (Green River, by the river!) is steep and arduous, but once you get up higher, it's not so bad. Here are a few shots.
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Ended up with around 32 miles. Today was a hike, and tomorrow will be more cycling. :)
My rides have not been as exciting as some of yours, although Sunday's thunderstorm was exciting in a not good way!
Today, I rode exactly 20 miles, just some of my favorite local roads in my old town, and back along Rt. 117, which while busy, is flat. DH pushed the pace and I ended up with an average over 15. This is good for me, these days.
15 would be good for me any day. :)
Working frantically to get all my trail work done before freeze up, but take time at the end of each day to ride on my homemade trails. Work of love, though, and some of these trails will make terrific cross country ski trails.
Emily that looks wonderful. I am giddy as we are doing a backroads S24O this weekend to Atlanta, Id. - Hot Springs soak is on the list.
That sounds great, Sky King. Do enjoy!
I don't think I ever posted about our last ride in Dinosaur NM. It was actually a full day of bike-hike-bike-hike-bike. We took our mountain bikes since we knew part of the way was on an unpaved road. We rode down to Josie's cabin at the end of the road, a truly fascinating look back at a homesteader's environment. On the way we stopped to see some amazing petroglyphs. At Josie's Cabin, we parked the bikes and took a short hike into Box Canyon before heading back down the unpaved, then paved road to the visitor's center. There, we again locked the bikes and took a hike on the Fossil Discovery Trail up to the Dinosaur Quarry, where we were astonished to see and touch actual dinosaur bones. SO AMAZING!
Finally, we pedaled back to the campground. I think the ride was only about 22 miles (but on knobby tires felt a lot longer), and the hiking around 3.5 miles total, but we were totally spent. An awesome last day!
If you ever get a chance to go to Dinosaur National Monument, near Jensen, Utah, DO IT. There are other parts of the park in Colorado as well, but we only explored the Utah portion. That's the only part of the park where you can see dinosaur bones, btw. And the cycling is great!
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Emily, you are an inspiration for me to get back out west for a visit. I really don't know of anyone that has biked so many spots out there. You could write a book on it. Hmmm?
As for me, 31 miles, today, on the Salsa Warbird 700x35 gravel road bike. 12 miles were gravel and that was the destination. All the paved miles were getting there and back, though riding pavement with this bike is equally satisfying. The gravel was in excellent shape, thanks to recent wet weather, so actually had to work to find spots where I could have a little fun fishtailing and chugging though soft stuff. Guess that makes me a hard core gravel rider. Too easy, so did 4 more miles on my homegrown mountain bike trails on our property when I got home. What's happening to the cautious road bike girl that used to be me? :)
Heading to Florida for a week for a conference in St. Pete that my husband will attend. Not looking forward to it. Too many darn people for a country girl like me. Not my kind of place at all. Might as well be a different planet. My stress levels are way up there. Might survive if I can find a bike shop and rent a bike, though.
Absolutely no interest. Just writing a blog is enough for me -- I can hardly keep up as it is! But thank you; we have been very fortunate to travel to so many different spots and ride in so many gorgeous places!Quote:
Originally Posted by north woods gal
Your ride sounds great -- you are an animal! After 31 miles, I am quite sure I would have been happy to put up my feet and rest, but not you...tough singletrack! :eek:
I have to admit that I love Florida. Not the crazy busy spots, but there are plenty of less developed places that are still beautiful. We spent last winter in Winter Garden and enjoyed the paved bike paths there. We rode as often as we could. We will do the same this year. There are actually some decent hills in Lake County -- I had no idea. The path goes out into less developed areas and is very pretty. On weekdays, there are only a few other retired old farts like us riding, so it doesn't feel like busy, hectic Florida at all.
I think the key to Florida is not to drive. :D Once our motorhome is parked and all we do is bike and walk, we can enjoy it almost as much as any other place. Good luck surviving your time there!
[QUOTE=north woods gal;714262]wnyrider, that's a Banjo Brothers bag. They're a small outfit out of Minneapolis. Very good bags at very affordable prices. Just happened to notice them at a local bike shop, this summer, and thought I would give one a try. Liked it so much went back and bought another. Amazing bag for just $30.QUOTE]
Late thanks for reply!
I swear I posted this earlier, but obviously, no I didn't.
We had a busy weekend, and i am now recovering. Cycling was a good part of it. Late Friday afternoon our friends came in from Amherst and off we went for our first night of theatre and dinner in Bston, this season. A brilliant late summer New England day, we walked about 1.5 miles to a Mexican restaurant, tucked away in an alley. It's not new and was outstanding and authentic. After eating outside, we hiked back to the theatre, amid people mostly looking 30 years younger than me! The play was "interesting," but we had an early wake up call. Our friends spent the night and we were up at 6:30 to eat and then head out for a ride in Little Compton and Tiverton, RI/Westport, MA This is a less traveled part of both states, often called the farm coast. DH and I were leading with another guy. We had a beautiful day. Of course, the usual characters, including 2 women who came on the ride, but didn't want to be on the ride, as they were slower than most. They were a bit rude to DH at the beginning when one made a left from the right side of the road (they told him they don't need his instructions), but after losing people (we were sweeping) who did not read the leaders' email and downloaded or printed an old route, we were all mellowed out by lunch. DH and the other leader switched positions and I was sweeping DH's faster group, of which I could barely keep up with. But, the end of this ride is a 2 mile false flat, and it did go by quickly, as did the climbing near the end. 42 miles of fun.
Then, the 4 of us changed in the car, while the others went off to eat at a seafood place, we went to a winery, where we drank a bottle of wine and had appetizers, outside. Perfect. We then hurried off to our luxurious Hampton Inn (there aren't many good options to stay around here), change, shower and head to dinner at one the most fabulous places I've been to recently. We came back this morning and i am wiped. Fast riding, good food and wine, great weather. One day of work, then off to CA to see grandchild #2 (who cares about her parents...)
As expected, our ride to Atlanta Idaho was beautiful. Overall we rode 100 miles - all on dirt roads- still tired :)~. Some of it was really wash boarded so sure glad I took the ECR with the 3" wide tires. We drove to a campground Friday night - full moon and the young people in the site next to us stayed up ALL NIGHT - OMG, we were all bleary eyed Sat. am. Atlanta has 1 bar/cafe and they serve Burgers - period. Even our mostly vegetarian buddy decided a burger and a brew was easier than firing up the alcohol stove (we can be so lazy) Plus the bar has Stone IPA - a great beer. Camp was about 2 miles from town but ended up being free and the hot springs were exactly what my tired body needed. We did have unexpected rain but was during the night. Continuing with our effort to support the local economy, the cafe/bar agreed to open and serve us breakfast - pretty nice folks in this small mining town. As the road follows the middle fork of the Boise river it is mostly a gradual climb to Atlanta and thus a lovely return trip on Sunday. The DH decided he was in the mood to pedal so he made it to Twin Springs (a developed hot springs spot) well ahead of most of us but we were all fine doing our own Private Idaho ride. Fall colors and the quiet more than made up for the noisy Friday night. Attachment 18177
Emily, by coincidence I find myself in Lake County, Florida, since my hubby has cousins, here.
Two days without riding to get here was driving me nuts, so found rental place at the beginning of a paved R-T, the West Orange Bike Trail and off I went in the 90 degree plus heat and humidity. WAY underestimated what I was up against. The trail was a breeze, but by the time I hit mile 12, the heat and humidity had me bonking.
Really a triple whammy. Had been eating light because of the heat and, as result, could feel the signs oh low blood sugar setting in. Being diabetic, l know how dangerous this could be. Also could feel dehydration setting in to the danger level. Had already finished the single bottle of water I had brought. Lastly, new area, so my allergies were going nuts. Honestly as close to crashing and shutting down on the trail as I've been in my life. VERY dangerous. Was all I could do not to pass out.
Thank the goddess that I managed to limp back three miles to another bike station. Guzzled down three quarts of water and gobbled down two candy bars, then waited half hour for my system to recover.
Back to normal, now, and made good time the last 9 miles to the trail head.
For sure, will do more biking while down, here - lovely country - but lesson learned.
Doing an organized International Peace Day ride today that ends at the beach sunset and a concert in Santa Monica. For us only 3 miles of the 10 mile ride but a good 3 miles of being with kindred spirits.
"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other." - Mother Teresa
I'm glad it ended well -- too bad it was such an uncomfortable lesson!Quote:
Originally Posted by north woods gal
Enjoy the ride and concert, Rebecca, it sounds lovely.
Glad it turned out OK, Northwoods. I think we all learn lessons like this at least once!
I am in CA, no riding for me. Going to be posting in the hiking thread.
So many interesting rides and stories this month.
I've been riding but have been pretty busy and distracted with work, so I haven't been on the forum lately.
I've done way more bike commuting this month than I ever did in the past. I'm averaging at least 3 times a week. The weather has been reasonable- that is to say pleasant in the morning and not too hot in the afternoons. So a lot of my miles have been from the commute, which is currently 19 miles round trip. When they finished a three mile section of path that cuts through the desert between Davis Monthan AFB and the mountain bike park, Fantasy Island, it made the commute a bit shorter (previously 22 miles round trip) and meant that about 80% of the commute has no cars to worry about. Also, since it includes 2 1/2 miles along a dry river bed, a half mile of little mini-ranches and three miles of open desert, it's interesting watching for birds along the route. I'm up to about 58 species seen while commuting over the last 5 years.
I've gotten inspired to work on "birding by bike" and got a new pair of Zeiss Terra Ed 10x25 binoculars to carry in my jersey pocket. So some of my rides have been focused on adding to my "birding by bike" list.
Aside from that, I've been getting ready for a short bike tour with my son this weekend, so I've been ride the Surly a bit more. I am hoping that sticking with the Brooks saddle is not a mistake. Sit bones are okay but sometimes I have pressure in the front of the saddle. I've been literally pounding it with rock or hammer to try to reshape it! There are a few compromises with riding the Surly because of my height and short torso and it's so heavy compared to the Ruby that I call it the tank. Anyway- I am almost packed. We are driving to Williams, AZ, then riding to the Grand Canyon, staying two days and riding back. My husband put in for the days off to go too but they weren't approved. :(
I'll post pictures and a report when we get back.
That's a pretty long commute, AZ, but it sounds like a nice ride! Reminds me of a friend who's retired now but says that she didn't used to commute by bike -- she did a bike ride every morning that ended at her job. Have fun on your trip!
I did my hill ride last night, about 17 miles. I was out of town last weekend so it was my first ride in 8 days. To be honest, I am tired of slowly struggling up the steep hills and wish there was a flatter alternative that is safe after dark. So I thought about that while I rode, and I think the real problem is that it's harder to haul my butt up those hills with the 10 extra pounds that I have gained in the last year. And I am frustrated by that weight gain. I don't know if it's just the looming specter of menopause or if I need to have my thyroid checked, but it seems that one day of over-indulging -- like a piece of cake and a couple of pina coladas at a 90th birthday party -- leads to a 2-3 pound gain that won't go away regardless of how many days I don't overeat. And exercise or lack thereof seems to have no effect either. So yeah, frustrating. And if I don't figure out how to lose at least 5 of those pounds I will have to buy new clothes next summer in a larger size, because only two pairs of summer pants fit me right now.
Meanwhile I am thinking ahead to the weekend and the last few days of warm weather that we will enjoy this year. It will probably be my last bike ride of the year in a sleeveless jersey...
[QUOTE=ny biker;714437]To be honest, I am tired of slowly struggling up the steep hills and wish there was a flatter alternative that is safe after dark. So I thought about that while I rode, and I think the real problem is that it's harder to haul my butt up those hills with the 10 extra pounds that I have gained in the last year. And I am frustrated by that weight gain. I don't know if it's just the looming specter of menopause or if I need to have my thyroid checked, but it seems that one day of over-indulging -- like a piece of cake and a couple of pina coladas at a 90th birthday party -- leads to a 2-3 pound gain that won't go away regardless of how many days I don't overeat. And exercise or lack thereof seems to have no effect either. So yeah, frustrating. And if I don't figure out how to lose at least 5 of those pounds I will have to buy new clothes next summer in a larger size, because only two pairs of summer pants fit me right now.
[QUOTE]
Right there with you. I used to be able to maintain weight by being moderate during the week, without worrying at all about what I ate on the weekends. Then it turned into just being able to freely eat/indulge on one weekend day. Now it seems that it takes months and months to lose only a few pounds, and one bad meal undoes it all. (FWIW, I'm 43, so it probably is looming menopause)
I tell myself that hauling this extra weight up hills is making me stronger. If I ever manage to lose the weight I'm going to be a rockstar with this new strength. But I am sad and don't want to give up my favorite jerseys which are just a tad too tight.
Az, another lifelong birder, here! Always adds to a ride and gives me a reason (and excuse) to ride a bit slower. :)
Now in St. Pete, Fl for a few days, so went looking for a bike to rent close to the resort. No one had a road bike, but I did find an old 8 speed cassette Giant MTB with grip shift to rent, instead of all the usual tourist bikes. That old warhorse and I have been getting along, fine, though. Lovely area. Found a nice state park a 5 mile ride from the resort and a coffee shop, so I'm happy. Only 15 miles, today, but pleased to report that this northern girl has been able to handle this Florida heat and humidity, now that I know what it takes to ride in it, safely.
Wow, NWG, glad you were okay in the end! I can't believe it is still so stinkin' hot there. We were there last winter from early January to mid-March, and we had everything from chilly rides requiring tights and vests to tanktops and shorts, of course. The hills were what caught me by surprise. We'd been in Playa del Carmen, Mexico for the previous 6 months so had ridden nothing but dead flats. I expected the same in Florida but did not get it. The west Orange trail beat my azz for awhile until I got used to the hills!Quote:
Originally Posted by north woods gal
And I couldn't get anyone to believe that there were hills in Florida! Wind, of course, but hills? No one buying it! Hope the rest of your time there was less eventful than this ride....
Have only managed two short rides since I last posted due to traveling, hiking, weather, etc, but they were both good ones!
1. Rode part of "Trail 1101" aka the Continental Divide Trail from our campground (Dumont Lake) high in Colorado. SO gorgeous and very challenging, as the part we rode climbed about 1000' starting from 9500' elevation, so the air was thin, and I was gasping on even the slightest climb. Parts were so steep and technical (by my standards, which are pretty dismal) that I walked both up and down, but the easier parts were SO. MUCH. FUN.
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2. Short road ride from our RV park near Grand Lake, CO at the border of the Rocky Mtn Nat'l Park down into Grand Lake (down down down), stopping to see elk along the way. Glorious aspens at peak color, beautiful lake, and a good climb back to the park from town.
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Beautiful country, Emily, so I could live with some walking and I'm sure I would have done some, too. :)
The Lake County section of Fl does, indeed, have some nice rollers, even a few good challenging hills. Geologically, it's a ridge that forms the spine of the state. Who knew?
Actually, I have found some hills in this very flat coastal section of Florida I'm visiting, now. Strangely enough, the bridges that cross all the canals and inland waterways are built in steep, tall arcs to let tall boats pass underneath. Some of these have given me a good workout, all the more with this heat and humidity. Heat indexes have been over 100, every day.
Not really my kind of place, but I do appreciate it's beauty and charm, but, then, that's the fun of seeing new places, as you well know.
Yes, in most parts of Florida and in many other coastal areas, the overpasses are the best hill work you'll get. ;-)
I am not a big fan of riding in intense heat or humidity either, tho' I've certainly done a lot of it over the years, living mostly in NC, so I totally get what you're saying, NWG.
We took out the road bikes yesterday and headed out from our campground in the Pawnee Nat'l Grassland in NE Colorado for a ride. We figured a county road would be lightly traveled, but unfortunately it is harvest season, and consequently there were many big rigs out on the road. No shoulder and a 65 mph speed limit made for less than optimum conditions. It was also quite windy, so every time a truck would pass in either direction, I'd have to stop pedaling and just try to stay upright.
We ended up cutting the ride a bit short because of this, and good thing, as this was an out-and-back, and when we turned around to come back, the wind had really kicked up, and we had a head wind all the way. My average speed went down 1.2 mph from the first half because of this, not that I care, but it does illustrate how windy it was. Ended up with 37 miles -- wanted 40, but just couldn't handle any more trucks or wind.
It was beautiful countryside, though, with lots of pronghorns, meadowlarks, etc. along the way. And my aging but still in good shape "Save the Grasslands" socks I ordered right here on TE during a half-price promotion years ago fit right in! :D
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Yeah, welcome to life in the great wide open. When living in Nebraska, we used to joke about the 4 or 5 days a year we would get with no wind and how it would scare everyone. Actually some truth to it, given that it would amaze people. :)
For bike riding, AWAYS a factor.
I rode 62 miles yesterday in St Mary's County, Maryland. It was cloudy and humid but cool. At one point we did have a strong headwind near the river, but mostly the breeze wasn't bad. There were 6 of us. Some of the roads were new to me. One of our stops was at a plantation that dates back to 1702; I'd like to visit there again and see more of it. My legs felt tired on every hill but it was fun.
LOL! Today we were on the road, driving from NE Colorado into Nebraska, and the local news here reported 32 mph gusts this afternoon. I believe it -- we were getting blown all over the road; rather disconcerting in a 32' motorhome, especially for DH, the driver! We were really glad to pull into the campground and get off the road at 2:30 pm.Quote:
Originally Posted by north woods gal
No riding today.
Not making this up, Emily, but when we lived in western Nebraska for a time, we actually had to dodge tumbleweeds getting blown across the road on windy days. Those things can flat out move when the wind gets them rolling.
Back home, tonight, to our north woods. Highs in the 50s, tomorrow with showers. After a week of sun and the humid 90s in Florida, not sure how I will adapt. I was actually adapting to the Florida weather, getting better each day. Ended up with 100 miles over four days. No great tally on the miles, but enough to tell me I could live down, there, and still bike on a regular basis. Kind of a confidence builder for me. The only thing I missed was some gravel roads and single track. Almost all of the roads had bike lanes and all the bike trails were paved. Very nice, but maybe just a bit too civilized for a country gal like me. :)
P.S. Lots of great birds and even saw some dolphins. No alligators or snakes, though. (I'm okay with that.)
Good luck re-adapting to the chilly weather, NWG! We too have dodged a few tumbleweeds over the past few years while traveling in various spots! They're still kind of cool to me, growing up in NC and never seeing one until a few years ago!
I think I could live in Florida half the year; not sure about the other half. To me the ideal would be Florida or Arizona for a third of the year (winter) and somewhere north (probably Oregon, Washington, or Minnesota) for a third (summer), then traveling the other third (shoulder seasons). We may well evolve to something like that in our RV rather than racing around quite as much as we have this first year. It's been fun, but I doubt we'll keep up this pace forever!
I understand, Emily. I think it would be fun to do all that traveling, day after day, but not sure I could keep up the pace. Sooner or later, my nesting instinct would get the best of me and I'd want to to settle in to an area a bit.
Woke up, this morning, to high winds, temps in the upper 40s and a very cold rain - Florida, this ain't. :) Looks like indoor riding on the trainer, today, but after traveling all day, yesterday via plane and car with no riding, I really NEED to ride. I find that riding helps me to regain my balance, so to speak, anytime I've had a break in my routine. Just one of many, many benefits of riding, of course.
Tumbleweeds... Last year the DH got a flat tire when the tumbleweed caught in his spoke actually stabbed through the hole in the rabbit rims on his Surly Troll. Over labor day weekend we fought them for several stretches in the Jabridge desert but thankfully no flats.
This past weekend we finally had our first Owyhee Pedal Patrol trip. The Wilderness Ranger at the BLM office is a customer of the shop and he put together this great program of volunteers. We are all Leave no Trace certified and have up to date First Aid and CPR. This trip there was only 4 of us. We camped together Friday night and rode about 6 miles as a group on Saturday then we split into 2 groups to check out specific areas of the Owyhee Wilderness. The DH and I had an awesome camp site overlooking the river. We hiked down to filter water and even saw a fish. Happy to say we didn't see any people besides the two other riders we went with. Sunday we met up about 1:30 and then had the "joy" of climbing back up to the truck - about 4,000 foot elevation gain. We were really pooped. Had to laugh at the Ranger as he learned the valuable lesson of never passing up the opportunity to filter water and top off your supply. We all shared water and we knew there was a spring about 2 miles before we ended the ride. By the time we got there everyone was out of water. We saw Antelope, Deer, coyote and a rattlesnake and the other team saw some elk. Super fun but I am really tired today!
I put a bunch of photos on our facebook page so won't go wild here.
Thanks, Sky. Have always liked that area for its stark, rugged beauty and, of course, its isolation. I could be happy, there, rattlesnakes and all.
As for my riding, had planned to sit out the cold and rain, yesterday, my first day back from sunny Florida, but being trapped in a house always drives me nuts, so bundled up, put on the rain gear and just hit the trails around the house for an hour with the fat bike. Had to hose down the big Salsa to remove all the mud when I was done, but that's all part of the game when you ride in dirt on a rainy day. Yeah, send me some of that Owyhee dryness my way.
Ewww, that sounds like a messy and chilly ride, NWG. I am sure I would have ridden the trainer. I hate mud -- walking in it, riding in it, hiking in it. Just don't like the mess of it nor how it feels underfoot. Ugh.
We are in Kansas now and had a really nice ride today. The campground is HUGE and along a beautiful reservoir, so riding around that a few times plus the road in and out netted me 27 miles. Temps were 65-75 with a light breeze and sunshine. Almost no one here this time of year, so I got passed by maybe 2 cars in 2 hours. Really nice! And I'm breathing much easier being down in the lower elevations again. The mountains are gorgeous, but the elevation made even a little bit of climbing tough for me.
Meant to add that I just published a blog post on cycling in Dinosaur National Monument, Utah. It was just lovely! This was a couple of weeks ago.
http://travelingtwosome.weebly.com/t...ional-monument
Know what you mean about the elevation thing, Emily. Really is a factor, especially when you don't live in a high elevation, year round.
As for the mud thing, well, it's all part of the mountain bike image, I suppose. As they say, a clean mountain bike is a mountain bike that is not being used. :) For sure, I HATE indoor riding and will be doing enough of that this winter when temps fall well below zero. Would rather ride in the rain or even snow, any day. An indoor girl, I have never been.
That Florida heat and sunshine was nice, though, now that I'm back to my north woods. The memory should helpto keep me warm on my upcoming winter rides in the snow with the fat bike.
PS Really enjoying your blogs!
True, but there is such a thing as riding in dry areas! That's for me. :D I think the younger MTBers like to get as muddy as they possibly can as this shows how hard they rode, or some such. I am certainly not in that subculture, and I have nothing to prove. I think anyone 50+ who is on a MTB should be commended anyway. :rolleyes: We are certainly in a distinct minority.Quote:
Originally Posted by north woods gal
Thank you! It's nice when someone besides my mom reads 'em! :DQuote:
Originally Posted by north woods gal
So, it looks like I won't have anymore miles in September. Pathetic. It's going to be raining through Friday, except tomorrow, when I am working from 9-7. I will go to the gym, but unless I ride to work, no more. And the weekend looks even worse.
Yes my weekly hill ride is rained out, and I'll be out of town this weekend.
Continuing this year's trend of working hard to get in shape then being off the bike just long enough to lose it.
Looks like you girls are getting that rain that has been hanging on, here, in northern Wisconsin for three days. Supposed to have sunshine, tomorrow, though. Hang in, there.
Picked up a cold, this week, but said the heck with it and just did a little mountain biking around the house. Might not be the smartest thing to do, but, hey, at least I did some riding.
I think our rain has actually been coming up from the south. Though I was expecting to get hit with the same storms that have been hitting the midwest -- maybe they stayed farther north and that is what's hitting Massachusetts. We've had showers on and off since yesterday with very heavy rain overnight, more than 4" in Winchester VA which is west of DC, near the WV border, but also very heavy rains yesterday and overnight in southern Maryland, on either side of the Chesapeake Bay -- up to 7". Showers and gray skies and flash flooding expected to continue through tomorrow, and now they're saying rain will linger into the weekend.
It occurred to me this morning that I will be driving home from my weekend trip on Sunday through an area where I love to ride. But I'm already frazzled trying to get packed and all the errands run before I leave tomorrow night, and trying to pack up the bike and all the related gear on top of that would be too much. If I get home early enough and it's not raining (and if 'm not too hungover!) I will try to do a short local ride on Sunday afternoon/evening. I can't go mountain biking around my house but I can do loops on the roads in my 'hood, up and down the hills.