May 11 Rides

[Kano]

I DID IT!!!

I climbed my hill today!

Not that I haven't climbed it before, but I always have to stop and rest a time or five on the way, let my breathing settle down, my heart rate settle down, my quads settle down. My goal has been to get to the top without stopping.

Funny thing is, I didn't do it the first time I went up. I did it the second time.

First time, I stopped twice on the way up. And I KNEW I didn't REALLY need to stop when I did, I just couldn't make myself go anymore. Eventually, I got to the top, took pictures (see the riding in the hood thread) and then rode down again. My poor brakes.

All the while I was riding down, I was thinking about how I really hadn't NEEDED to stop, and that it wasn't my body "blowing up" it was my head, and I wondered what would happen if I tried again. Lots of rest happened just cruising around the parking lot at the top and then on the coast down (except for my braking muscles!)

So, I got to the bottom, and waited for a little traffic to clear, and turned around to go back up. Didn't expect to get all the way up, but kept talking to myself when the little pesky self talker started in: shut UP! I CAN do this! and looking at the ground, not how far to the top yet. When I DID glance up, and thought, oh, it's far, I looked back down at the wheel and the road right in front and said to myself, no it's not, pretty soon it's all gravy.

Lo and behold, next thing I knew, I found myself at the top!

Rode around the parking lot a couple of times, dug out my cell phone and called DH to tell him I did it! (and that it was my second time up the hill today!) Then came the ride down again. Once again, poor brakes!

At the bottom for the second time, I sat a moment, thinking, where shall I go next? Home? More distance? Decided on the road heading east instead of home, to ride a few little rollers, before going back home -- the road home has the nice straight shot downhill that I do NOT use my brakes on! I LOVE that stretch!

Not quite 20 miles this afternoon. I'm thinking about putting the saddle back on my comfort beast and seeing if I can talk DH into a little canal cruise, to see the rock chucks since I'm still in my bike stuff!


Karen in Boise

[cosc]

My 16 miles included a first for me. I stopped for a water break and realized I'd forgot my water. Good thing temps were only 80 and I was planning on a short ride. The water bottles were ready to go sitting in my freezer. My brakes got a good workout descending a hill and still maxed out at 37mph. Going down the hill the crosswind, traffic in back of me and trying to stay in control coming into town traffic makes my heart beat faster than going up the hill.

[Fredwina]

I DID IT!!!

I climbed my hill today!.... Eventually, I got to the top, took pictures (see the riding in the hood thread)
Karen in Boise

Yeah! I was also inspired by Pooks, and a did a a 23-mile Vuelta a' Barrio. Still need to upload my pics

[Kano]

Okay, now it's evening, and I've just returned from the "Drag DH Out For a Ride" excursion! This trip, I got my old comfort-beast out, and boy is that different! I suggested a circle we did early last year, along the canal road that runs behind us. It's a fun, short ride, but dirt, rocks, and goat-heads, so no place for my Roubaix!

We had to deal with geese -- moms, dads and babies. The adults stuck their tongues out at us, hissed and flapped a lot, and one even got airborn at DH. I don't know if he stuck his tongue out back or what, but the bugger backed down instead of pecking at Earl -- which prompted stories of how guys get attacked at work! Then we saw the rock chucks! They're fun. Must be like a hundred of them will go out in the field and when one gets shook up, you see all these pelts, glistening in the sun, as they go running for the rock piles alongside the banks of the canal! I don't know why, but people seem to like to shoot them -- and I don't mean with their cameras! If you google "rock chuck" you get a couple of links to guys who are telling hunting stories, but you can also search for "yellow bellied marmot" and get real information about them. This link at the Utah zoo has some pretty decent pictures: http://hoglezoo.org/animals/view.php?id=105

So back to riding -- my comfort-beast sure is a different ride than my road bike! Not bad, but very different. EXCEPT: platform pedals. I HATE platform pedals! DH said he hadn't noticed it until I said something, but FIRST thing I did "wrong" was to try to clip in on the right and pull that pedal up to take off. No go. Next thing I did "wrong" was to try to utilize the upstroke -- feet just leave the pedals. So, I'm riding along, hollering AAARGH! and DH is like, "What's wrong?" and so I told him. He laughed at me, and I said, so, what, you don't use the pedals that way? When we got to the canal road, where the riding is slow and easy, and we could chat, he said he hadn't realized just how much he DOES use them until I said that -- I knew I used them, but didn't know that I do, if that makes sense!

Fun ride! We'll have to do that one some more! (I wish I'd had the camera out and ready when that goose went after DH!)

[teigyr]

Kano - congrats!!! Sounds like you had a perfect day and conquering the hill is a milestone!!!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Kano- great!!!!!!!!!!!! I remember my own "Hill" that i tried so hard to conquer last year- the same feeling when I finally DID IT.
Good job!!!!

[Kano]

Thanks Teigyr! And Lisa too! It IS a milestone -- and a surprising one at that! I go out and practice it at least once a week, and always have to stop and rest, and I did the same thing the first time up, but had this silly idea to try it again (maybe cuz DH wasn't around, heading back to the barn as fast as he could?) and really didn't expect to do it, thinking I'd pooped myself out.

Surprise, surprise, surprise!

Picked this one cuz I think it's a pretty good hill for learning to not hate hills, and hasn't got the problem of traffic, so I can ride just about any time without being too concerned about having to hold my line, or whatever.

I don't know if I'll ever feel like a mountain goat, happily climbing hills, but I'm learning!

Karen in Boise

[divingbiker]

Today was my short day at work, so I had time to take the long way home--18 miles mostly on a trail, with a few miles on-road. I got about a mile from the end of the trail, and it was closed for repair...and I didn't know any other way to get home! None of the streets parallel the trail, and they all zig zag throughout the neighborhoods. So I went down a residential side street asking everybody I saw how to get to where I needed to go, and nobody knew.

I ended up getting on a very busy main road (East West Highway, for those who know this area) and rode up a half-mile-long hill to reach a road that would connect to a road that would lead to where I needed to go.

Not sure how many extra miles were added to the commute, but I was hot and tired and needed a beer by the time I got home. No more long way home until the trail repairs are completed!

[Kalidurga]

Ouch, Janice! I would not want to ride on any stretch of E-W Highway.

I actually rode yesterday but I didn't see a thread for May 10th, so... I had an excess of spring fever yesterday, so I headed out towards Shepherdstown, WV, and got on the C&O Canal towpatch on the MD side of the river with the intention to ride as fast and long as I could. Headed downstream pedaling between 13-16mph, but soon realized that I didn't have the stamina to maintain that, especially since that stretch of the C&O has a lot of rocks and tree roots. So, I ended up pedaling hard but taking lots of "coasting breaks". When I got to Harper's Ferry, I hauled the bike up the steps and across the train bridge for a short "noodle" ride through the historic part of town. The view of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers from the train bridge was really fantastic. Ended up doing 25 miles with an average speed of 13.5mph. Not as fast or long as I would have liked but, overall, a good sweaty, dusty ride in freaking gorgeous spring weather

[RolliePollie]

I rode for about an hour tonight after work, but it was on a mower tractor, not the bike

I am a single woman living on 11 acres (long story)...WAY too much freaking yard/farm work! It frustrates me because I want to ride more often, but this property takes so much time...

Anyway, over the next two days, my goal is to ride 65 miles. I'm planning 20 miles tomorrow and 45 on Sunday. This will be a lot of mileage for me!

[teigyr]

Sara, I would love to hear your story sometime! Sounds fascinating and wow, a LOT of work for you!

[Crankin]

I did a 20 mile recovery ride, with my friend Janine. My legs and back felt shot from commuting 2 days this week in 85 degree temperatures on the way home. In fact, they were screaming on Wednesday when I rode about 6 round trip miles up to the North Bridge to introduce myself to SheFly at the time trial. I don't know why all my body parts are hurting so much this season, but today I am resting. Going out for Mother's day lunch with my son a day early (so we can do a long ride tomorrow) and then perhaps a canoe trip up the Concord River or to Walden Pond in the late PM. Anyway, my ride yesterday was very pleasant. Janine rides quite a bit slower than me, but we have a system of staying with each other that works (she zooms downhill and I pass her going up). I made myself stay behind her for the first 10 miles. Then we did a bigger climb where I passed her and waited at the top. We rode together until we got to a smaller 2 part hill about half a mile from my old house. This is a hill I know every curve on (Old Harvard Rd) and the last time I was there a couple of weeks ago, I felt really slow. So I decided to see if I was back to my regular speed here and I ended up pushing it up the hill at 11-12. I was thinking about that the first time my husband got me out riding on what is now my commuter bike, he had to actually put his hand on my back and push me up this hill! And I thought I was in shape from aerobics! Then I felt a pain in my right hip/back. I slowed and stopped a bit and then pushed it up on a flat section for about 2 miles. Janine and I rode together through some rush hour traffic in West Acton and then I took off and booked it back to her house, arriving about 5 minutes before she got back.
Going to go do my stretch and strengthen DVD... big hills tomorrow.

[Deja Vu]

Wow, Karen, congrats!

I, too, am working on a specific hill. I do a part of it every night I am out riding. I am easily up 3/4 of it now. I have actually been starting at the top, descending and turning back around, so I am going up the hill (without a great deal of momentum). I am just realizing this may not be the easiest way to do this; however, it is the order in which the hill appears in my ride. I am at the top of the hill when I first encounter it.

Congrats to all hill-conquering riders!

My DH and I we both out working on mostly skills on the 11th. I was on my road bike and on the pavement. He was taking advantage of all of the hilly trailed landscape in this area and was "fine tuning" various adjustments on his new MTB. We could do both of these things in the same area of our town. (We would be this diverse in our training, while still within one another's sight, if either of us needed assistance.)

So..mostly a skills night. A recovery ride and "skills" for me!

Sara, Sorry you were stuck mowing. That is a lot of mowing! Hopefully, that will also pay off somehow!

~Inner Peace~

[CycleChic06]

Rode my first longish ride of the year (not counting the 42 mile 5 boro tour from last weekend). Did 32 miles up to Concord. Felt great heading out there, got a bit tired coming back.

Saw some weird things:

1. Got sprayed with pesticide (yum)
2. Saw a guy on the bike path riding his bike with his dog in his backpack
3. Noticed for the first time that Buttricks Road is immediately followed by Balls Road. Coincidence? I think not.