Sat/Sun rides 17–18 October

[Chile Pepper]

I had a great ride on Saturday! I wasn't feeling very motivated and I really didn't want to do my regular rides (too windy), so I decided to head up toward Campo Ahumada. It's a very steep climb up 9 km, starting with a steady climb for 2 km and then lots of switchbacks and long standing sections. I had only tried this ride once before, on my old steel bike with a standard double and seven cogs on the back, and I didn't even make it halfway up. But yesterday, I thought, hey, I'm nearly 15 pounds lighter than I was the last time, and my bike is lighter and has much better gearing. So up I went. And I made it to the end of the road! It took an hour and a quarter to climb 9 km, but I did it. Woohoo!

[redrhodie]

Way to go, CP!

I did 26 miles around the island. It was in the 30s and windy, but I felt really great.

[solobiker]

I have not been on my bike for close to 8 weeks for various reasons...back injury, then a lot of stress at work which put me in this funk where I did not want to do anything. Well yesterday the weather was beautiful (sunny and warm with temps in the 70s) so DH and I went mtn bike on some local trails. It was nice to get out. We got about 15 miles in.

[chicagogal]

I hadn't been on my bike in 10 days. That is a REALLY long time for me since I usually ride 4-5 times per week. The weather just really hasn't been on our side here in Chicago - until today. It was cold out this morning (38F) but sunny and quickly getting warmer. Most of my usual riding partners were busy or out of town, and I didn't really feel like riding alone (needed the motivation of a group) so I joined the shop ride that I had been avoiding all season because people had told me it was a group of really fast, competitive, guys. But it was my only choice for a group ride this morning, so I gave it a try. Yeah, it was a challenge, but definitely not killer. Good group of guys that works really well together. 50 mile ride with the group, plus 20mi additional to get too and from the ride start. So in the end, I got a challenging but fun 70miles in today in (finally) nice, sunny, weather. I truly hope we have more days like today before winter sweeps through Chicago.

[azfiddle]

We're in the middle of a heat wave in Arizona, so it still feels like summer again. It was my last morning of vacation- my dh and I rode 18 miles to Saguaro N. Park and back, celebrating a milestone on the way home: 1000 miles since I started riding in July.

[solobiker]

We're in the middle of a heat wave in Arizona, so it still feels like summer again. It was my last morning of vacation- my dh and I rode 18 miles to Saguaro N. Park and back, celebrating a milestone on the way home: 1000 miles since I started riding in July.

Way to go, that is great!! Keep it up. I need to get focused again to ride. It is so much fun.

[mudmucker]

About this time of year I slow it down a bit, take a break from the road bike a little and take to the woods with my mt. bike. For the last 20 years I have been riding a rigid mt. bike of late 80's vintage. They hadn't come out with front suspension back then yet. I took a ride on the rigid bike in August and said "that's it, this is the last ride on this bike". The bouncing around and impact to my shoulders, arms, and wrists were just getting to be too much. So I did something I didn't think I'd do in a real long while. After all, I want to be comfortable as I approach my happy golden years as I am turning 50 next year. I went to my favorite LBS and got a new mt. bike. It's a Specialized Myka Comp, a lower end hardtail, as I don't need an over the top mt. bike (not like the road bike). I got disk brakes which I never had so I can ride in the rain (which I won't do on the road) and I have front suspension. Both are amazing things and yes new and novel to me. I am having a total blast on this bike.

I go to Leominster State Forest which is 20 minutes from me. That has a combination of some pretty technical with moderately difficult to easy riding and has a NEMBA presence. I've also gone to Wendell State Forest. I've xc skied there for the last 33 years and in the last 4 years or so NEMBA has put in some single track. I've found WSF to be a bit difficult. It's not the obstacles but the relentless steep uphills with said obstacles on some of the single track. For me, I get real tired on that after a 1/4 to 1/2 mile of that stuff uphill. Downhills have alot of steep with dropoffs with steep ravines about a foot over. Too much for me.

I have found I have the best in my own back yard. I have 2000 acres of never to be developed land behind my house that has been the most fun. More of consistent rolling topography where I am able to rest. Some smoother riding patches that allow me to rest. Lots of fun rock gardens and downed trees to jump, and steep sections if I want them. There is no NEMBA presence there so there are no created obstacles. Best of all, the car stays in the yard.

The beauty is that I have never encountered anyone here in 6 years. Which obviously can be a bad thing too as I am out riding alone. People do go through though as I dodge a lot of horse droppings along the way. There is a barn that boards horses on my road. There are some pretty destinations within this area such as ponds and rivers.

I managed to get in 10 miles yesterday, as I am trying to finish up an addition to my shed before winter. Here are some pictures. These were taken over the last couple of weeks but is the same trail I've been riding in "my back yard".

http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2...02221940zLWAiQ

The photos and the leaves flatten out what it's really like, and the leaves cover up some of the tricky nuances. Nothing too technical but a lot of fun.

Some rocks gardens


Sure nice to have front suspension now


Pond. A nice destination


River


Peaceful. Just me and the animals


This was challenging. They are logging here.


Normal stuff. Fun downed trees to jump.

[shootingstar]

Except for the baby ride in jeans yesterday during a non-rain weather break, no cycling yesterday. http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=34449

Today was 36 kms. No jeans....: there are several hills in this ride 5-10% grades each. I sit in my saddle and spin up hills, that's my style of doing ascents. Started off warmer and ended damper, colder since no sun today. Nevertheless cloudy days do increase fall leaf colour brilliance. Just gorgeous.

[kimikaw]

Hubby and I were in Chicago this weekend celebrating our 10th anniversary...and brought the bikes. So this weekend's ride was 32.5 miles along the shores of Lake Michigan using their Lakeshore trail. Beautiful sunny weather, great ride.

Doesn't she look nice in the hotel


And here's me along the route, funny how I needed a new purple fleece top to match my bike


Even wrote a little blog post about the ride (well, sorta)

[radacrider]

Did two rides today (Sunday), 1) sort of a recon ride to check out an area where I can take my son; 2) an errand.

The check the trail out ride was out near Hood River, OR (about an hour's drive) where they paved and cleaned up a section of the Old Columbia River Hwy, including constructing some tunnels. Great morning/noon ride, sun peaked out from the clouds and, except for the time getting there, will be a great place to ride with my son.

Very nice "path", wide, smooth:


The views are always so incredible and had me reminiscing about all the adventures I have had in the Columbia River gorge (hiking, skiing, biking, traveling).


Just me:


The 2nd ride I took some things to my son, who is at the ex' this weekend.

Total miles, about 18 miles or so. Nice fall day.

[pinkbikes]

I am riding in a team in a triathlon in two weeks. It is at Noosa and has a beastly switchback hill at about the 10km (out of 40km). So I have been giving the hills a good go in the last two weeks. This was my last weekend for going hard on the hills, to be followed by some speed work and some short and sweet stuff in the final week. So I was out getting me some hills in.

I decided on Saturday to do my "Nemesis Road" that I have not tried to ride in somewhere between fifteen and twenty years! I last rode it on my old roadie with horrid gearing and I vaguely remember getting only 100m up the worst hill and turning back, only to find the hill I'd just come down even worse! And then I rode home exhausted to the verge of crying and never went back!

This time it was different. Maybe I was faster back then. But I'm a lot stronger now, have better endurance, and I'm not too proud to ride a sensible set of gears now (and having 10speed cassettes these days helps there).

I headed out and rolled through the early hills on the road and then rolled down through the dipper to the really big sucker. Might not be a really big sucker to those of you who live in mountainous regions, but 12% for over 1km is big enough to get my attention. To my utter surprise I just slogged on up it in low gear, standing up for a count of 8 now and again just to change muscles, and never even *looked* like failing! Yay!!

I then rang DH to let him know I had managed to climb my Nemesis Hill, only for him to remind me the one coming back is even worse! So I turned around and hit it up. I did think about halfway up that he was kidding, because at 10% and a little bit shorter before it eased off it didn't seem so bad. That was before it kicked back up again and went for another nice long climb! It really was worse, but again I had no problems with it. Yay again!!!

So I have slain my dragons and nothing this tri can throw at me hill-wise is going to kill me. It will all just be a matter of "how fast?"

Sunday I was a bit tired in the legs after all the hills the day before, but I went out with a friend to do his favourite Sunday morning loop of 68km. The weather was a glorious and sunny 28degrees C. We took in Lake Kurwongbah and a lovely bit of shoreline around the Redcliffe Peninsula. The only hassle was the sprightly SE wind that was in our faces for much of the second half of the ride.

Got my first flat tyre in ages only 2km from home (picked up a nasty piece of wire) and to my shame, I was too lazy to sit in the sun and change it, too lazy to walk home in cleats, so called DH to come and pick me up!

A nice weekend on a bike!

[annielynn]

Yesterday was my very first official group ride at a relaxed B pace. I was so freaking excited. It was cold for us Floridians though. It was a brisk 50 degrees when we started out a 8am yesterday morning. I don't have ANY warm weather riding gear either. So i threw on a long sleeve t-shirt and my cycling kit and away we went. My hands were numb as were my ears and butt. LOL I rode 18 miles and was able to keep up with everyone. I felt so damn proud of myself. I have to thank my hubby for being a great coach and Robin (ride lead) for give me the push to keep up with the group. I cannot WAIT to ride again next weekend in a group. It is a lot of fun. Thankfully it will be a lot warmer next weekend.