June 24 rides

[tygab]

My ride report:

Just got back from a 30 mile club ride, on a gorgeous New England day - temps mid 70s, no humidity, and clear skies. There was a 3rd middle distance rider (rides were of 24, 30, or 40 miles) but he lost us really early on. We had done 25 miles yesterday on pretty hilly terrain in Pepperell/Hollis area and this was just our first back to back ride so we weren't pushing ourselves. We rode close to home (Westford, Dunstable, Tyngsboro and Groton) and got to see some new roads and areas we were unfamiliar with, with a nice mix of hilly vs flat cruiser terrain.

I'll add a link to a pic or two of our weekend rides in a minute. Now we are hungry! I am pleased I've gotten in decent mileage this week, after being behind in our training plans. Now we just need to build on this.

Here is the link (they are all the most recent ones basically):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/35435787@N00/

[7rider]

I did the sunday shop ride today. I was on the shop's new '08 Madone and lots of folks were interested to hear how it rode. It's a fun bike, but it's not for me, and I returned it to the shop after the ride.

I must have felt good enough today to attack the group on Old Angler's Hill. I rode my friend Trevor's wheel up to the the group, which had gotten away from us. The hill rises in a series of 3 or 4 "steps", and I would gear up and put on the gas to on the flatter sections and hopscotch my way from rider to rider. I passed the last group of 6 or so on the last step. I heard Pepper as I went by "Isn't anyone going to go get her??" So Howard, on a white Colnago, came charging up and the two of us dueled it out to the top. Alas, my bike stuttered as I shifted from the small ring to the big ring, and that moment of hesitation was all Howard needed to nip me at the end! But it was fun, and we chuckled about it for the rest of the ride.

30 miles at a 17.0 mph pace.

[Crankin]

Hi Tasha, nice pictures! What club did you ride with today? I'd love to do a ride in Westford, Groton, Tyngsboro. In fact, I am sort of mapping one out to get there by way of Carlisle, Rt. 225, over to Rt. 40. If you have a cue sheet, maybe I could take a look?

Today I did a 38.7 mile ride with Deb W. It was a perfect New England day, about 65 when we started and about 75 at the finish. I met Deb at Walden Pond and there were already tons of cyclists setting off from there at 9 AM. We rode through Lincoln, Sudbury, Wayland, Framingham and back to Sudbury, to the Wayside Inn area. Although I had been on almost all of these roads, it was from a different direction and I learned some nice short cuts from Deb. On the way back we took a different route and Deb realized her car keys were missing! When we got back to the parking lot, they were sitting on the seat of her car (thankfully). It was nice to ride with a TE person and even nicer, she drove me home!

[makbike]

I rode twice today. My first ride was around my parent's subdivision. They live on a big circle (just over a mile in length). I got in 10.47 miles before breakfast.

Upon arriving home, I pulled my bike out and off I went this time around the little circle I live on. I rode 10.17 thus giving me a grand total of 20.64 miles for the day.

I think I'm breaking free of recovery prison tomorrow. I have a short (15 miles) flat course I think I'll tackle. I'm not planning on setting any new records but I really want to see how my body responds. If it does okay I think I'll head into Louisville for the evening recovery ride. It is a nice slow pace over fairly flat roads.

It feels so good to be back on my bike.

[tygab]

Hey Robyn,

Sounds like you had a good ride too. Yes, I do have cue sheets and I've also been doing some riding around Westford after work so I am getting to know the area. One ride I did about 2 weeks ago was in fact down to Kimball's (others' destination choice, and I resisted [the goods, not the destination]!!) in Carlisle. You could definitely do this. Anyway there is lots of nice riding and it just gets better as you go to the north. Well, if you like quieter roads and hills that is. But I have discovered the loose running dog phenomenon and it is kind of freaky. At least so far there have been the owners nearby to quickly call the dogs back. Today's dog came up to me (I stopped, thinking I didn't want to hit it) and it sniffed then turned around. It approached much more friendly than the yesterday dog who ran at us in a territorial fashion and probably would bite us if he had the chance. Now I am left wondering what I "should" do when a dog is running at us. Since we are moving to an area even more out in the stix, this seems like it could be a recurring problem [no pun intended ]

I haven't had the issue of riding with dogs around last year. I don't know if it was just a luck thing, or where I rode last year...

back on topic I can make some good suggestions. There are also places to easily meet up and leave from if you want to do a ride starting here! Lemme know.. been meaning to catch up with you for a while anyway!

[Kalidurga]

Epic ride today

I know epic for many of you ladies means 60 or even 100 miles, but I've yet to crack the 40 mile mark. I'm getting closer, though, and today was just shy. I made up for it in other ways, though.

I've been doing so many road-type rides lately that I had really begun missing my favorite rural rail-trail, the Western Maryland Rail-Trail. Yeah, it's totally flat so not the same type of workout as a hilly road ride, but I get other benefits from this sort of ride. So, after fueling up with a good plate of Waffle House steak'n'eggs in Hagerstown, I headed on to Hancock, MD, to hit the WMRT.

The trail was surprisingly not as busy as it would usually be on a gorgeous summer Sunday afternoon, and I quickly settled into a smooth rythm at a pace that was a good bit higher than normal for me. Obviously, the two recent road rides that I thought were going to kill me must have made me stronger (at least a little ) Right away, I ended up in exactly the state I've been missing lately: Not having to think about cars or when the next hill was coming up, or "What gear am I in? What gear should I be in??", put me into a zen-like mode. I shifted back and forth between two gears just to keep my legs fresh, but other than that I just pedaled. Of their own accord, my feet began spinning out nice, big, fat, round circles, leaving my mind free to absorb the beautiful scenery with not a care in the world. We're talking serious endorphin high

The WMRT runs parallel to the C&O Canal towpath, so at the end of the rail-trail I hopped over to the towpath and did a more rugged handful of miles up to just beyond Little Orleans and back. By that time, the sky had clouded over and was threatening rain, so I got back on the WMRT and fought the onset of fatigue to crank out as high a pace as I could for the last 12 miles.

Ended up with just over 37 sweaty, exhausting, glorious miles, with an avg speed of 17 on the rail-trail and 13 on the towpath. Next time, I'm stretchin' it to 40 miles

[Triskeliongirl]

I was leading the club ride today, which was supposed to be 52 miles. I head out with my riding buddy, and he proposes adding an extra loop. He said it would only add ~1 mile but '1 mile' turned out to be 10 miles of incredibly hilly climbing. It was both exhausting and exhilirating, since I hadn't planned to go that long in such hilly terrain. It was also a great ride cuz I finally got a handle on how to eat with impaired glucose tolerance. I thought I needed carbs to keep from bonking, but my endo thought it was reactive hypoglycemia from too much carbs causing the problem (i.e. too rapid a drop in blood sugar from starting the ride with my blood sugar too high from pre-ride carbs), so this weekend I experimented with not eating any carbs, just protein, and monitoring my blood sugars. The idea is that protein is more slowly metabolized to glucose via gluconeogenesis. It worked yesterday, but the ride was shorter. Today I rode with a type I diabetic who I trusted to keep an eye on me, and didn't mind my stopping to monitor my blood sugars. I've also been training myself to utilize a higher percentage of body fat to fuel a ride. I am really happy to know I can ride 100 km with normal blood sugars and feel good!

[Zen]

Ended up with just over 37 sweaty, exhausting, glorious miles, with an avg speed of 17 on the rail-trail and 13 on the towpath. Next time, I'm stretchin' it to 40 miles

Next time, call me.

Meanwhile, enjoy Bad Video Playhouse

[Dr. Liz]

Epic ride today

So, after fueling up with a good plate of Waffle House steak'n'eggs in Hagerstown, I headed on to Hancock, MD, to hit the WMRT.

Hagerstown. Wow. Brings me back to my high school days; I went to Mercersburg Academy (about 50-ish miles north-something-or-other) from Hagerstown. Haven't been back since (no family there, etc., etc.), but I don't think I've heard 'Hagerstown' in years. Now I'm feeling all nostalgic!

And today's ride? 25 miles in Heber. A 'recovery' ride. Maybe for DH. For me, given that I'm still beat up from Wednesday's crash, it was tough. Great ride, though. And after the ride, DH played 9 holes of golf (it's out of the question this season, what with recovering from the broken arm and all), and then we headed home. A good day, even if my legs are killing me (the bruising and swelling more than anything).

And, we stopped by to see our buddy who crashed and suffered serious trauma on the Tuesday night crit. He's doing much better and will probably recover completely (or close to it). But he's still a mess. He'll be okay in the end, but if he hadn't had a helmet on, we'd be planning his wake.

[7rider]

Nostalgic for Hagerstown?????
Hmmmmmm
Now THAT's a feeling I'd never pondered.

Glad your buddy is recovering. That was quite a crash. I hope he continues to improve.

[Kalidurga]

Next time, call me.

1) I figured you'd still be up near Gettysburg
2) Sometimes, I just gotta ride alone

Pick a Sunday, Zen, and let's plan a C&O ride. Ice cream in Harper's Ferry is definitely more fun with a buddy. I'll even carry your bike up the steps to the bridge, if ya want (What was up with that video?)

Triskeliongirl, your experiment with carbs vs protein is interesting. That could possibly explain why I ride better with a stomach full of greasy steak'n'eggs. Too bad there's not a Waffle House in Poolesville...

[Zen]

1) I figured you'd still be up near Gettysburg
2) Sometimes, I just gotta ride alone
(What was up with that video?)

I warned you it was bad I forgot my camera could do that and that was the first time I used it.

Don't worry, if you're riding with me you'll have plenty of time to ride alone
When you ride on the canal does it ever occur to you that one false move and you're swimming with the snapping turtles?

I think of everything.

[bikerz]

Yesterday was my first time back on the bike since my slow-speed wipe-out 3 weeks ago. It was great to be back out there, and my ankle felt OK- it is generally stiff, and unclipping is still uncomfortable, but definitely do-able. I am still totally loving my new bike!

Melissam, Ace and I did the Bay Trail- 20 miles - and it was gorgeous, clear, breezy - perfect riding weather. We had our share of "slow-speed cycling skills" practice, dodging kids, dogs, etc. We had several stops so I could tweak my saddle height, and I think it is pretty well dialed in now.

And what a surprise as we got to the Richmond turn-around - who was there with her BF but the long-lost Windance! Her BF was on his brand new Specialized Roubaix, and it was his FIRST RIDE EVER! Get this - he was clipless! What a champ! No falls at all, and only one near fall, with a great save! So the 5 of us rode back to Emeryville together and had a grand time.