April 17 ride

Had the most beautiful ride today. We drove down to Tucson for the last training ride before next weekend's tour of the tucson mountains. it was 57 miles, about 80+ degrees, no wind and a perfect group of about 7 of us in a very nice tempo paceline. about 17.6 mph avg on the day (depending on whose polar cyclometer you trust).

little background: I have battled weight gain for about 4 years, so I finally went back to the old standby -- low fat. i found out today I think the problem was my body needs the carbohydrates. all the diets I have tried recently were low-carb. anyway, after a week of low-fat diet I felt better on the bike today than I have in two years.

Bad part -- we got into tucson about 9 pm only to find I had forgot my helmet. Got to a Target 6 minutes before closing and got me a $16 helmet!

I did a group roadie ride,first one in ages. I guess I learnt to hate group roadie rides a couple of years ago because everyone just took off etc etc.. I also am not great at riding behind people. I wanted to but only with one person (my dear).

Turn the page a few years & someone I know (she posted here last year whilst hurt) encouraged me to join thier cycle shop group ride. I thought about it, read the shop site & thought since it's only a 5km ride from our house.. why not.

So yesterday I rocked up ready to join the C group (no d group anymore..!). People seemed very friendly & a wide range in ages. I didn't feel like i'd involved myself in something that was over my head! We set off & got myself looking ahead to the other person's hands and minute movements. We were on part of a bike path & then eventually onto roads. I was familiar with about 95% of the route.

So, only 60km (incl ride to & from shop) for me :o. I'll be back!

The rest of the day was go go go go.. We ventured to another bike shop to talk about parts for my new bike (it's still on the way...don't go there :rolleyes: Let's just say the Titus Aust rep is a twit...:mad:) and even got to see a Carbon Titus Racer X frame plus the Fox Fork in person! (Titus is now being introduced to Perth :D!!!!) Ooooo.....*drool*. Then to doggie beach and a few other small errands..Man I was zonked by about 7pm :o

Today..i get to read stats from the ABS regarding my suburb & do a few other assignments. Smidgen ride later dis aft.

It rained all day yesterday (17th) so I didn't ride. It was raining still today so I said "to heck with it" and rode anyway. Only managed 21 very wet, very cold miles before I called it quits. I have GOT to get some major mileage in for a week long tour in 2 months... between the constant winds of 30mph+ and the rain, training is not what it should be (and I just want to kill myself after 10 min. on the trainer so that's not a viable option).:p
Oh well- at least I got to ride and test out my rain jacket (not so waterproof). I'm thankful that wool keeps you warm when it's dry AND when it's wet. ;)

Kids were at a sleepover. On our morning off we got up at 5 AM to ride 20+ miles of single track in the below freezing temps. Brrrrr! But so worth it. I think I was attacked by a turkey, but I can't be certain. I didn't see the culprit. I just heard the thwapping of wings and felt a flurry of feathers, the next thing I knew I was on the ground.

Enjoyed a nice pot of coffee and gluten-free waffle topped with pecans afterwards. Yummmm.

Yesterday (17th) I put the very first 10 miles on my new Long Haul Trucker, and today put 20 miles on my Trek with a couple of friends! While I did have a tiny adventure today (see more in the New Riders section) both rides were great! Hopefully I won't have to wait until next weekend for my next ride!

No riding here :mad:. It rained all day yesterday and Friday. Today was cloudy and raw, with intermittent rain. It seemed to be spitting all day.
I went to the mall (something I never do) with my cycling friend. We also picked up her DH's bike at the shop, where it was being fixed after the crash that resulted in his broken hip. While there, I saw 2 pictures of my son, when he raced for their team. He looked like a little boy (it was 10 years ago)!
I couldn't do one more day on the treadmill, so I took a walk in my neighborhood and walked really quickly up the hill.
Been spoiled by all the early warm weather.

First ride in two months. After a host of ob/gyn problems and a hellacious flu I finally got on the trainer for a hour. Of course now that I'm healthy it's storming but I did 18.7 in an hour with a really good cadence. Finally back in training. Yeah! Nothing compared to y'all hammerheads but its a start!

Good ride yesterday (well race actually). It was only my 2nd road race ever as I just started racing this season. 75km with raging winds and a fair amount of gravel roads. This race was hard but fun! I finished 4th in my category so was happy with that!

Still recovering today :-)

Just got back in town from attending the Ocean to Bay Ride on Saturday in Bethany Beach, DE. The day started out overcast but eventually the sun came out, the temps got into the 60's and the wind kicked up something fierce. I rode the 50 mile option; fortunately the road directions changed up a lot so that we weren't always heading into the wind.

It was a great event and look forward to riding it again next year.

45 beautiful sunny miles with some mom friends from my son's elementary school. it felt great, hills and all, and made me realize that i am going to do just fine next week at the Monster Cookie Metric Century. i had been worried 'cos i haven't really done rides longer than 35 miles yet this year, but they've all been hilly, and the metric is flat, and will have plenty of rest stops and food :)

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Originally Posted by kmehrzad

Just got back in town from attending the Ocean to Bay Ride on Saturday in Bethany Beach, DE. The day started out overcast but eventually the sun came out, the temps got into the 60's and the wind kicked up something fierce. I rode the 50 mile option; fortunately the road directions changed up a lot so that we weren't always heading into the wind.

It was a great event and look forward to riding it again next year.

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LOL - I did that ride yesterday. It was probably the best one ever, winds notwithstanding. In all, there were 899 riders registered - a huge jump from the 400 or so from years past. Now if only they could design a route that didn't have that silly leg running up and down Rt. 1. Most of the people in my group rejected that leg entirely, and substituted other roads instead.

The wind - gusts over 25 kt by the end of the ride - certainly made it interesting.

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Originally Posted by withm

LOL - I did that ride yesterday. It was probably the best one ever, winds notwithstanding. In all, there were 899 riders registered - a huge jump from the 400 or so from years past. Now if only they could design a route that didn't have that silly leg running up and down Rt. 1. Most of the people in my group rejected that leg entirely, and substituted other roads instead.

The wind - gusts over 25 kt by the end of the ride - certainly made it interesting.

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I wish I would have known you were riding on Saturday, it would have been nice to meet up. This was my third year of doing the event. The routes, in my opininon, were not that well marked and lots of people were lost. At one point I was in a nice pace line rolling along then we all turned together and I realized the road wasn't on my cue sheet (they must have been doing the 35 mi.). Several of us turned around and then I was on my own again.
The trip down Rt. 1 and back was a waste, just a mileage eater. It was boring and there were lots of small stones to avoid along the shoulder. I didn't even think about substituting those miles for something more interesting, but I'm not familiar with the area so just stuck with the original plan.
The winds at Holts Landing were pretty powerful. At times it felt like the bike and I were going to be picked up and blown sideways. Did you have an encounter with the dog on Burton Farm Road? The event organizer called the police to monitor the situation and have the owners pen the dog.
All in all, it was a great experience and a fine day. On Sunday I rode the Junction and Breakwater Trail from Rehoboth to Lewes. I always enjoy that ride.

SO and I took the RV, and the pooches, and drove down to Yuba City to do the Bike Around the Buttes 40 miler. Norcal peeps, check this one out for next year! It was a beautiful ride around the Sierra Buttes, through rolling, grassy hills and orchards. The rest stops were placed perfectly and the volunteers were a great bunch. Best of all, the money goes to the local juvenile diabetes association.

No ride on the 17th. We spent time un-winterizing the fresh water tank of the Airstream and took a 120 mile country drive in search of canned hams, mini-streams and vintage trailers. Had to stop at Heavy's BBQ in Crawfordville, GA, for some local flavor. DH and I split a pulled pork sandwich and each had a "sweet-tea". This place was like stepping into the past. It was a real road house. Tin roof...rusted.

Our ride was on the 18th. The Seventh Annual Best Dam Ride on Clark's Hill Lake (or Strom Thurmond Lake, but I still can't call it that. What right did SC have to rename a lake that it shares with GA?)
My goal was my first metric century (which I had planned to do last weekend but the roads around Lake Chatuge were too busy for my taste so I only did 31mi)
I made it this time with ease.
The hard part was around 50 miles when the route overlapped my "regular ride route" and it had me "heading back to the barn" for a stretch. I live in the country fairly close to the lake and the ride came within 5 miles of my house. Then I turned left onto a road that had me backtracking on another of my "regular routes". Wow, what a difference! I usually descend the hills that I was now climbing and they were really long and steeper than I expected. Plus, we had a strong headwind.
As I was in the final miles of my ride I was passed by the lead century group. I am pretty poky.
When I got to the finish I only had 60 miles on my odo so I rode past and turned around so that I would get in my whole 62.
We had catered pulled pork, fixins and more "sweet-tea" at the finish line. Plus, a majestic view of the dam.
Oh, and I made BBQ for dinner Friday night. Who knew I would be eating pulled pork all weekend?

I forgot.
The Best Dam Ride is for the Medical College of Georgia Burn Center.
After years of saying we need to be a sponsor of this ride, my DH finally didn't let it slip by. So our company was a major sponsor this year. Another T-shirt with our name on it. As usual, I gave mine to my youngest son.

Now, I am looking for an 80 mile ride to get me closer to my 50th birthday century.

Did the Sea Otter Classic on Saturday. We signed up for the 45 mile ride, but DH messed something up in his headset, so we spent an hour in Monterey waiting for the bike shop to open so he could get it fixed, turned out to be a missing compression ring from when he put it back together (in the dark) at the hotel out of the bike case. We caught up to the end of the pack at the bottom of the hideous climb back up to Laguna Seca. It was a truly hideous climb...but happy to say that we both made it up...he hammered it up and would stop to wait for me, I would slog on past.
At one point I gasped, "Thank God. A little downhill. But why am I still pedaling?" He says, "That's not downhill. Its just less uphill." THAT is a hard day.
Day off yesterday, today we are doing 17 mile drive.

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Originally Posted by kmehrzad

Did you have an encounter with the dog on Burton Farm Road? The event organizer called the police to monitor the situation and have the owners pen the dog.

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That ride is in my back yard so I am fortunate to know the roads, and the pitfalls of some of them.

I had heard about a dog problem at one of the rest stops, but had forgotten about it by the time we got to that part of the ride. But, since a couple of us had time constraints, we skipped that littled loop, stayed on Burbage another 1/2 mile or so, and picked up the route again at Blackwater.

There is a house on Burton Farm with a big kennel out back where the dogs always bark, but from the confines of the kennel. I've never encountered the dogs outside the kennel when I ride in that area, but I do have a friend that will never go down that road again because she once had a dog running free over there.

I thought about soliciting TE people to come join this ride, but there were so many complaints about last year's ride I was afraid to suggest anyone venture across the bridge for this one. I already had houseguests for the ride, and a full weekend planned with unrelated events, so would have been a poor hostess. Maybe next year we can pull together a biking and kayaking weekend a little later in the spring.

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Originally Posted by withm

I thought about soliciting TE people to come join this ride, but there were so many complaints about last year's ride I was afraid to suggest anyone venture across the bridge for this one. I already had houseguests for the ride, and a full weekend planned with unrelated events, so would have been a poor hostess. Maybe next year we can pull together a biking and kayaking weekend a little later in the spring.

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Hmmm, what were the complaints you heard from last year's ride? I thought it went fairly well. I know there was a new route due to road construction, but thought they did a nice job going around it. I did have two BIG dogs chase me last year somewhere about 3/4 into the 50 mile ride. One was at my heels and I pedaled my heart out to get away (reminded me of my childhood days when I had to outride the dogs in my rural neighborhood).

Pulling together a biking and kayaking weekend sometime next year (or in fact, later this year) would be awesome. Several of us are talking about doing just that during the weekend of the Wild Goose Chase ride in October. Have you registered for that ride out of Cambridge, MD?

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Originally Posted by kmehrzad

Hmmm, what were the complaints you heard from last year's ride? I thought it went fairly well. I know there was a new route due to road construction, but thought they did a nice job going around it. I did have two BIG dogs chase me last year somewhere about 3/4 into the 50 mile ride. One was at my heels and I pedaled my heart out to get away (reminded me of my childhood days when I had to outride the dogs in my rural neighborhood).

Pulling together a biking and kayaking weekend sometime next year (or in fact, later this year) would be awesome. Several of us are talking about doing just that during the weekend of the Wild Goose Chase ride in October. Have you registered for that ride out of Cambridge, MD?

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Last year there were MANY complaints about the poor road conditions & road choice, to handle 700+ riders . The food seemed to consist of white bread and peanut butter only. And the biggest complaint was not enough porta potties leading to lines of 30 riders or more at each potty. They did much better on all counts this year, save for the junk miles on Rt. 1. I can't remember if it was last year or the year before that the potties at one rest stop were delivered 2 blocks away from the actual rest stop at Selbyville. Talk about confusion!

I'll be at Wild Goose again this year, with kayak. Last year I missed the paddling due to a funeral, but did make it in time for the ride. Paddling over there is lovely.

We did 30 miles, DH was sweet and came along to keep me company before hammering off to do intervals. The rain and thunderstorms flirted with us but never materialized. It was sticky humid though. I kept myself sane but looking at the pretty wildflowers and baby animals on the ranches.