just a quick 22 miles on the beach bike path to clear my mind from working all day and then a nice dinner out with some of Alex's colleagues.
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just a quick 22 miles on the beach bike path to clear my mind from working all day and then a nice dinner out with some of Alex's colleagues.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/893/3...cfeff339_c.jpg
I didn't take any pictures of my rides this weekend.
Today, we did 32 miles from Whately to Montague MA and back. It was still a little windy this morning, but it died down. Some climbing in the first half of the ride, most of it the kind I don't love, longer shallow grades. Since this is when it was windy, I just dug in. Then we had a steep, shorter climb, which was fine. We got on a bike path for about 3 miles, into Montague, where we stopped in a park at the end of the path. Just as we were leaving, we saw that the street we were headed on was closed and a peloton went by, very quickly. There was a criterium going on. Our alternate was another steep hill, but I was feeling good. Then, on to the Montague Book Mill/Café. It was mobbed, with tons of cyclists and others, so we decided not to wait for food. The ride, overall was beautiful, rural, farms, along the Connecticut and Deerfield Rivers, and a canal. Even a waterfall. We ended up stopping at a little pizza/Italian restaurant only open on the weekend, and ate our sandwiches outside. Then we had only 4 miles back to our friends' house.
I felt a shift in my attitude and strength in the second half of the ride. My speed wasn't fast, but it was a good ride. And, it was 64 degrees out.
That sounds like an excellent ride, Crankin! I like varied rides like that.
Today we made it back to our "home" RV park in Winter Garden, Florida and stayed ahead of the storms heading into Florida from the west -- Yay! No riding today, and probably not tomorrow either, as rain is in the forecast, and I have my orthodontist appointment. If it happens to hold off, we might get a ride in in the morning. After tomorrow, though, looks like great weather the rest of the week. Riding awaits! :)
Love hearing about all these great rides and pleased everyone is having nice weather, now. We are, too. Been one week of glorious sunny weather with highs in the 50s. Still been mostly riding our paved roads, but have no complaints whatsoever. Loving it. All our local MTB trails, mine included, are now in mud and slush season and while they could be ridden early in the morning after a night of freezing, just no reason to tear them up. I'm using this in between time to tune and get all the summer bikes ready to go. Will probably put the two fat bikes with studded tires in the shed for the summer, now. They served me well for my snow riding. My standard fat bikes will be ready to go by the time the trails are open for summer riding. My other MTBs already are. Come on summer!
We are back in our "home" area in central Florida and did a 28-mile ride this morning. It was a bit strange being on the road bike again after riding my MTB for a week, but it didn't take too long to adjust -- having the same saddle on all my bikes helps. Nice tailwind on the way out, plus clouds, though it was quite humid. Head to cross-winds on the way back were a bit tougher, but I still felt pretty good overall. The trail and even roads were light on traffic today, perhaps because it was Monday, or perhaps because so many snowbirds have left the area. :)
Would that be the Clermont area, Emily? That's the area we visited, last time in Florida.
Spring has sprung in our area. Went for a short 15 mile ride on the pavement with the ECR, late afternoon, yesterday. Temp was in the mid-60s. I've been so used to dressing for cold weather that it never occurred to me not to wear leggings. Got out in the sun and then wondered why I didn't wear shorts. Such an abrupt change in only one week. I'm still adjusting to it. Out of habit, I'm still bracing myself for that shock of cold air when I step outside the door. Next week, we may even hit 70.
Very pleased with the Surly ECR as a pavement bike. It's no feather light skinny carbon bike, for sure, but I actually hit an average speed of just over the 13 mph on a 10 mille stretch of gentle hills. That ties my best for average speed on that section with a standard road bike. Pretty amazing for a heavy steel 29 plus bike. Once you get it up to speed, it just wants to stay there with very little effort.
I did notice that the ECR rides stiffer than my Surly Krampus, which is essentially the trail bike version of the ECR. The ECR felt almost like a tri bike in this regard. Not harsh, but not as forgiving on pavement as my other steel bikes. This stiff frame may have helped with the speed, though. I was expecting this kind of ride, based on my research before buying, so no surprise. The ECR frame is designed, specifically, to carry heavy loads. Reports say that it's at its comfy best with a load. It is, after all, a gravel or offload camping bike that can pack enough gear to carry you across a continent. Not sure I'll ever do that, but stiffness notwithstanding, it is a bike I can ride all day. Fits me like a glove, now that I have my Terry Rosie on it. Way cool.
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Glad you felt the warmish air on your face!
So, we've had 3 days of 60+ degree temps. Today may possibly hit 70. But, it's so dry and clear, that it has been in the 30s at night. Yesterday, when I went to the gym, it was 32. Yet, when I went out for a walk at 2, it was 65. Today, I planned to ride in the early AM. I made myself go, despite being 38 degrees and me being in full winter gear, including heated gloves. The only part of me that was cold was my face, though. So, I went out at 5:20 and the sun was already coming up. It was a gorgeous sunrise, but too cold to stop and snap a picture. I only was out for 7.25 miles, about 33 minutes, but that was enough. I could make myself get out, but not stay out to do 13 miles.
The forecast for our ride Saturday is driving me nuts. Right now, looks good, but last night it was 50% chance of rain in the morning (the ride is at 10), with a chance of rain all day. Now it's just a chance spot showers.
Yes, close. We are in Winter Garden, just to the east.Quote:
Originally Posted by north woods gal
Haven't been able to ride much since we returned because our dog has been sick. We spent hours at an excellent vet here yesterday and found out that she has congestive heart failure. The vet did several things and started her on several meds, and she is much, much better today. We have to go in today for a follow-up check and to get the results of her blood panel.
Bonus: Since we don't have a car, we took her to the vet in a basket on the rear rack of DH's Bike Friday. I rode along on my Trek. She did great! So we'll be doing that again today. It's only 1.7 miles each way door to door, so not much of a ride, but sometimes other things take precedence. I did get a gym workout in yesterday and a couple of walks.
We'll start back on our normal riding schedule tomorrow.
Crankin, hope your weather cooperates for the weekend. They were talking about rain in New England this morning on the Weather Channel.
Yes, it's raining today, but this will be gone by tomorrow morning. Still looking good for Saturday, with just a chance of a shower in the AM. The ride is at 10, but I am not worried. Hope your dog is OK!
I went to spin/core class, where I am the only person who actually rides outside. I like the instructor, so I ignore the stupid questions I get asked. Class was good, but since it's so humid out, the room was horribly humid, despite the AC and fans. The core part of the class, thankfully, is in the fitness room, where it was better. And, I got to work on standing from a seated position, no hands. I can actually do it about 90% of the time.
After two days of very short utilitarian rides (taking Paisley to the vet -- and yes, she is much better -- meds are amazing!) we finally got back to our usual route today and rode 35.6 miles. Felt good, no aches and pains, perhaps because I hadn't done any long rides for awhile and gave my body a bit of a rest. More tomorrow. Weather is really nice right now: low 60s at night and low 80s during the day. Humidity not bad yet, so it's very tolerable since we're riding in the 70s, my favorite temp for a ride.
good to hear paisley is better!!!!
It’s been a while since I’ve ridden my fixie, so this week I’ve commuted everyday with it. The different technique and thinking came back quickly and i even pulled off an awesome backwards dismount off the saddle and the back of bike into holding the saddle and walking :) ……anyway it’s fun to switch it up now and then…and this getting later light ftw!!!!!
Rode the bike path south and back for 15 miles total to let the ocean clear my mind and do some good intervals…..
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I decided to keep the riding light today, as we are leading tomorrow. So, since I woke up at 4:30, I rode to my boot camp class at the gym and back home, a Total of 2.6 miles. The sky is now getting light in the east at 5:15, so beautiful.
I was going to ride to work, but, I decided to rest my legs. After work/lunch, going over to my son's to babysit, so he can go to "parents' night" at the Montessori School where my granddaughter is doing a Saturday class for toddlers. I feel old just saying my son is going to parents' night.
Glad to hear you dog is on the mend, Emily. My husband and I would be lost without our two dogs.
Rebecca, I've often toyed with the idea of getting a fixie or single speed. Not that I need another bike, of course, but the idea of the simplicity and durability appeals to me. Would love to hear more about these bikes if anyone cares to share their experiences.
As for me, I've been on ice patrol on our trails for the last three days, breaking up ice with a sledgehammer, then shoveling it off the trails. Fortunately, my trails are about 90% dirt, now, but back in the shade on sections where I packed the snow down hard with my winter riding, very thick 3-4" ice formed when the melting began. Would take another two weeks of warm weather to melt those ice sections, so I decided to take matter into my own hands. Crazy, for sure, as it is very hard labor, but all the trails I rode in the winter are now ice free and, even though muddy, I have been riding them.
As for my summer, only, trails - trails that I could not practically keep open with a snowblower (about a fourth of my trails) - they are still buried under the snow, but parts of them are peeking through. Can't wait to ride them, again, since thy are the trickiest to ride.
Temps got into the 50s, the other day and I rode with shorts. Yipee! First time since last fall. Felt great, after a long winter of wearing heavy leggings. Of course, 50s would feel horribly cold wearing shorts after a summer of riding, but I'm still very winter acclimated, so it it was very comfy.
Thank you, Sheila! I didn't know anything about this disease until this week. I have learned a lot. Paisley is "only" 10 (in Feb), so we hope that with meds, she'll still have a good life ahead. She is so so so much better; we can hardly believe it. Miracle meds!Quote:
Originally Posted by Muirenn
Bike-related content: Since we are car-free, though you all might like to see Paisley's transport taxi to and from the vet (only 1.5 miles from the RV park). She is the best little rider...
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Got in another 35+ miler today before our weekend off (walking, markets, gym, etc, and staying off the busy bike path). Rebecca, that bike path looks like a blast!
Thanks, nwg! Since we couldn't have kids, the dogs we have had over the course of our almost 33-year marriage have been like our children. We feel the same as you -- although after Paisley is gone, we are going to take a dog break to facilitate traveling. We've had 1-2 dogs for all but about 2 years of our time together, and they do take a lot of time and money, as you know. We love them dearly, tho.Quote:
Originally Posted by north woods gal
I know exactly what you mean about the first warm days up north. The one winter we lived in Wisconsin (near Richland Center), the winter was so cold that the first time it hit 50, we were outside in shorts and t-shirts! What a change now that we are acclimated to a Florida climate. We won't even ride until the temps hit upper 50s, and even then, we are bundled up. :D
Love the dog carrier! Cute.
Dogs really are like kids. My hubby and I have both had children from previous marriages and because we are so isolated, up here, we don't get visits very often.
Speaking of dogs, Star, our Border Collie, is in doggie heaven with all this snow melting. It's allowed her to find an unending supply of sticks for me to throw while working on the trail this week. I have to stop my work, frequently, to throw all her new found sticks, but i don't mind a bit. She's my constant companion on trails, whether riding or working on the trails. Wish I could take her on my road riding, but just won't risk it, even with our very light traffic.
"Summer-ized" my two, winter-only fat bikes, yesterday (clean, inspect, lube as needed) and then put them in summer storage. Now turn my attention to my two other Norco fat bikes that I ride mostly in the summer. They'll get the same treatment, but will get ridden, immediately. All the other bikes are already tuned and ready to go. Come on, summer!
We had a wonderful 21 mile ride with our group today. The weather was perfect. Only 3 people elected to come with DH and I, the "faster," group; with an average of 13.5, you can imagine what our other 2 leaders had to deal with. But, they were all happy, as we waited the extra half hour for the slower group to come back. There were about 12-13 in the slower group. Unfortunately, one woman should not have been on the ride, but the co-leader of that group(someone who's taken the training class, but hasn't fulfilled the leading requirements) stayed with her until the end. The ride is show and go, unlike the others, where I screen people, so unless we change the format, it's a risk. At least she'll have a good impression of AMC.
It was 70 when we finished. And I felt much better than when I pre-rode most of this ride 2 weeks ago.
Getting ready to meet friends in Boston, for an event at the Museum of Fine Arts and dinner. A good day!
Good day for this gal, too. All trail riding, today, on the fat bike and, best of all, all riding on dirt. No snow! First full ride of the season on nothing but dirt. Okay, some of it was mud and even some of the drier sections are still pretty soft. Made for some hard peddling, but I couldn't be happier. As I rode, smelling the thawing soil and my north woods surroundings of pine, fir and spruce, I was serenaded by a loon calling out on the lake. My wonderful north woods at their best.
Glad you both had good rides, Crankin and NWG!
I ended up doing a few miles on my cruiser bike yesterday to downtown and back, and it reinforced my usual ban on riding here on Saturdays. Cars, bikes, people walking everywhere. The downtown farmer's market and other things going on seemingly every Saturday makes it just crazy. And there were a couple of yard sales along the way that brought extra traffic. Looking forward to our usual calm weekday ride tomorrow morning!