Rides May weekend of 13/14

[azfiddle]

How has the riding been in your neck of the woods?

It cooled down a little in Arizona this weekend, but I couldn't get out until today (Sunday). We rode up Mt. Lemmon. My DH and I started with a group, but as soon as the real climb started, there was only one person who rode even close to my slow speed. DH ended up doing a few intervals instead of riding with the fast members of the group.

There was also a time trial race being held on the mountain, so the road was just humming with cyclists- and everyone passed me except one really young kid who was struggling up the hill. Oh well- I get where I'm going eventually. We rode up to the Windy Point Vista, about 14 miles from the base, and 4200 feet of climbing. Our friends went up to the top- another 12 miles or so. I was game, but had to get back before the farmer's market closed. The view was grand at Windy Point - and the descent was (mostly) pure fun.

[Crankin]

On Friday, Hirakikubou and I rode 35 miles (for me) into the hills of Harvard. It was a great day, and probably the last sunny day we will be seeing here for a week or more. Quite depressing.
Yesterday DH and I led our annual "new members" ride for AMC. It's about 22.5 miles around Concord, Carlisle, and Acton. Of course, it was cool and cloudy. I was worried that my base layer, jersey, arm warmers, leg warmers, and vest wouldn't be enough. So we give our big speech about choosing the correct group. DH and I lead the "faster" group, usually averaging about 14-15. We have 2 other leaders who lead a ride that averages 10-12? Eyeballing the group, I can see most of them belong in the slower group. I am the sweep, so I end up with the people who overestimate their ability and then get pissed at me when I suggest they pull over and wait for the second group . Two people gladly went off on their own, as one is also a leader. But one guy was just hanging in there, speeding up, but slowing down to about 10 mph on the flats. I get behind him (by then I couldn't even see the others) and settle in. This was after he told me he was "staying with this group," rode down the wrong side of the road and proceeded to ride down the left side of a busy street and cross it, to get in the correct lane . I yelled at him to please follow the rules of the road, but he just growled at me. So he comes to a turn that a lot of group rides make, and I said "no, we are turning at the next street." He replied that he was "going that way," so I said OK, you're off the ride... and i sprinted at about 20-22 to catch the others. I did it, but it was hard. I later found out that this guy does this all of the time. He goes to a group ride, acts like a jerk, and does his own thing. The rest of the ride was pleasant, with me following and coaching 3 others up the hills. They were slow-ish, but we still had the others in sight. All of them, even the ones riding behind DH had difficulty on the small climbs, which is typical for those who only ride around Boston... they just have no experience on hills and typically have bikes with traditional doubles.
God knows when I'll get to ride again with the weather.

[ridenread]

I made it out this morning for a 22 mile ride. I was having a great ride, feeling good, moving along at a decent pace. I made it up a very short but steep hill and needed to stop for a stop sign at the top. Could not get unclipped at the top of the hill and over I went. Last year I fell around this time of year and broke two bones in my wrist so I was determined not to land on my wrists. Not sure how I did it but I landed on both feet on the side of the bike and the bike went down without me. There was a man in a truck laughing very loudly. When I looked up at him he said "Sorry for laughing, but thank you, I fell in the exact same place last week". Continued along on my way with nothing hurt but my pride. About 3 miles from home it started to rain, lightly at first, the came down heavy for just a few minutes. I hate riding in the rain. But I was close to home so not so bad. Took a nice hot shower and felt great.

[emily_in_nc]

Yesterday was just a 12 mile market ride with DH. Rain was in the forecast, so I didn't go back out for more after dropping off the bounty at the apt. since I knew I was doing a long ride today.

DH suggested I ride with him out to the our old post office (where we still get a little bit of mail) today for the first time. He rides out there almost every Sunday, but I hadn't built up my mileage enough to attempt it before now. I (somewhat nervously!) agreed, knowing it would be quite a bit longer than my "long" rides lately of 30-35 miles. Whew, it was a tough ride! It ended up being about 4-5 miles longer than I expected, and the hills are much longer out in the country than here in the neighborhoods where I normally do most of my miles, so I felt like I was in terrible shape riding with him (he's done over 3K miles for the year; I've done only 600 something). So, he did a lot of extra loops so I could go my own pace and not burn out. I ended up with over 46 miles -- my longest since Sept. '09. Whew! It was fun but definitely a challenge. I normally ride on Mondays since I work from home, but I think I'm going to take tomorrow off completely to let my body rest. Even my calves are a little sore after this one!

[7rider]

How has the riding been in your neck of the woods?

Welp....
Saturday, I did the Fort Ritchie Duathlon in Cascade, MD. A 5k run, 24k bike, and a second 5k run. It was a small race - only 27 finishers. Pro of that is that I can score high in my age group (like, yesterday, I was 1st! .... of 1 ). Con is that I usually run and bike alone.

Weather was crummy for the race....misty and very FOGGY for the run1. The bike was a 5 mile fast descent out of the fog into clear, but wet, roads, but then a 5 mile slog back up the mountain (we were in the Catoctins, very near Camp David, the Presidential retreat). It started to rain for real during my run2. I was soaked by the time I finished, so I loaded myself back into the car and left soon after finishing. Didn't stay to receive my lovely first place award.

Sunday, after waiting out a wet morning, DH and I took a 24-mile ride through Rock Creek Park in D.C. so I could try out a tri bike I've borrowed for a time to see if I like it and want to buy it. It is a 2003 Fuji Aloha and it's best described as it "fair" condition. It could benefit from a lot of TLC. Nothing major wrong with it, although the dated 1" headset and quill stem may be problematic. The saddle was downright painful (stock Fuji) and the ride was squirrelly. It was hard to keep that bike going in a straight line. Was that me and my newbie status on the bike, or is that something "off"? DH thinks I should hold off on buying this one and try other bikes to see if this ride is "normal" or if I could find something that fits me better and has a more agreeable ride (not that this was awful...I just have nothing to compare it to). Another option is re-building my old road bike with aerobars and new handlebars. Oh, so many options. What we really need to do is build that detached 2-car garage we've been talking about so we have a place to store all the bikes!

[Velocivixen]

@ Crankin, that guy sounds like a nimrod! Those kinds of people just suck in my opinion.

Someone posted here yesterday that they did their errands by bike. My blow dryer died and instead of driving to get a new one, I rode my bike. There & back about 7.5 miles. Nothing huge, but I took the opportunity to ride. They had no bike parking whatsoever at this spread out "strip mall". The women at Sally Beauty supply just looked at me incredulously as I fit that hugely packaged blow dryer into my pannier!

I wanted to go on the free beginner recreational ride that a LBS started 3 weeks ago, every Sunday, but it was pouring this morning, so I didn't go. It rained hard last Sunday too. I guess I'm more of a fair weather rider than I thought.

You all rock with your long & fast rides. It inspires me.

[crazycanuck]

I did diiirrrt all weeekend! Weeeeeeeee

Sat we went out & did some practice laps for the 6hr at the end of de month. I busted me arse on each one & was stoked with the times. Way coolio & am only 5 min behind de man man! Personal training sess's are paying off Now if could arrange myself properly before one log over that i now have the speed to get over, it would be great.

YEsterday I ventured out with a heap of dudes n chickas for a longish ride on technical trails. Awesome but the dang trail attacked me & have some nice bruises on my ankle. By the end of it, i had giggle visions of a tow rope in my head pulling me along. Tons o fun but remind me not to do thrash laps before a big ride the next day Ended up doing 55km.

Weeeeeeeehar!

[Trek-chick]

It got to only highs in the 40's here and has been raining all weekend so, I didn't get out at all. I'm pretty bummed about that too. Plus, this is bike to work week and it is supposed to rain every day except Friday. Ugh!! Where is that sun?

[Norse]

We have been having a cold, wet, yucko spring mixed with snow flurries. Saturday was another such day but Sunday was sunny! Temp around 60! Nasty N/NE wind blowing steady at 20-25 and gusting to over 30 -40 mph!! Plus, I just picked up my new bike Sat (pics hopefully soon, but it has the wrong colored stem on for now...) and just had to get out. I usually like to head out West somewhere but that would have meant a horrid headwind coming home, so I looked at some bike maps and tried something new and I am so glad I did! I did some big hills into the headwind for starters, went around a lake and then found that the Luce line (rails to trails) had finally been extended all the way to Theodore Wirth Parkway - yea! Headwind all the way, only averaging a little over 13 mph until I turned south then picked up the Cedar Lake trail heading west - and going about 22 mph - that's more like it! In the end, it was 30 miles total and I felt whipped but happy.

[andiewest]

Did a few rides this weekend. Unfortunately, here in British Columbia, we have had very cold, wet weather. On Thursday, I did a 40 km (25 mile) loop out to the bird sanctuary. It is very flat and almost always windy around my house. My three rides in the past few days were the windiest I've ever had. I try to tell myself that the wind makes me stronger and that I should embrace it. Unfortunately, this weekend I was cursing the wind constantly. I did a ride with our local LBS on Saturday. It was just me and two men. The leader of the ride likes to go fast. He was going over 18 mph into a strong headwind. I could not keep up. I was very happy when we caught a tailwind and blasted out at 25 mph. I have visions of riding wearing only a short sleeved jersey and a pair of shorts. We haven't had any days like that yet.

Dreaming of a still, sunny day.

Andrea

[Susan Otcenas]

Saturday - rode 36 miles (in just a skosh over 2 hours!) with a friend's race team. I rarely ride that kind of pace, so it was good fun for me.

Sunday - I rode a 210K (132 mil) rando permanent with a friend. It rained for dang near the entire thing. Pavement dried up for maybe the last 20 miles. It was an absolutely beautiful route - loop out of Newberg, Oregon. Twice over the Coast Range - once over the Sourgrass Summit to Hebo, and the other from Beaver up and over the Nestucca River Road to Carlton. 6000 feet of climbing for the day.

Here's a link to the ride profile from my friend's flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lynnefitz/5726689246/?v=1 (Had to laugh at the "climb time" and "distance uphill" estimate from her computer, though. I wish! Funny that the profile is right, but the climb time and distance uphill are so very underestimated.)