June 24-26 rides

[Owlie]

Friday's kind of like a weekend, right?

I did 34 miles today. Started out with the intention of doing 30: 26 going south and back, and then another 4 going north and back. I got through maybe 6-7 miles going south when it started raining. (I guess the "scattered showers" were all scattered around the bike trail. ) I have never ridden in the rain before. I thought about turning back, then decided to finish my ride at a park (would have given me 23-24 miles) so I could wait out the rain under their picnic shelter. I got soaked on my way there. Wet jersey, wet shorts, wet socks, wet shoes. Yuck. (I'm glad I wore the mostly-black jersey today...)
Once it stopped raining (I spent 5 minutes under the shelter rearranging my bag so I could fit my phone in it) I decided to make it a 26-mile round trip and did the remaining mile or so going south*. I rode part of the way back with a group of people who were on a self-supported tour to California...from Akron. Wow. I took a little break once I got back to the parking lot...where it started raining again--heavily, this time. It looked like it was going to ease off, so I headed out for my remaining 4. I got very wet (and very cold) again, but the convenient turnaround turned out to be about 4 miles away, so I wound up doing another 8, for 34 miles. I had the heating on in the car on the way back!

I've never ridden in the rain before now, so I'm kind of surprised how much fun it is. I'm also surprised that my dry-only tires behaved so well, but if I make a habit of being caught in the rain , I need to get some new tires. They really don't shed water fast enough. A large sandwich, a hot shower, and some coffee later, and I'm much happier, if sore. Now I just have to go clean my filthy bike.


*Shannon--the curve and that bridge were interesting in the rain...

[Catrin]

Sounds wonderful Owlie! As for me, I only got 13 miles in I was in such a rush to get out of the door that I forgot my chamois cream I rode until my girly bits started complaining. At least I know how long I can ride without it - that stuff is expensive! Sadly there wasn't any rain so I could have continued my ride if I hadn't forgotten it... dagnabit grumble mumble grumble 13 miles is a LOT better than 0 miles!

Tomorrow I've a 33 mile ride planned. The weather hasn't allowed me to build my base like I did last year. That is going to change, if I need to start riding in the rain I will...but surely it has got to stop sometime? Doesn't it?

They say there is zero chance of rain until 10:00pm tomorrow - I sure hope they are right..

[amb]

I did not ride bc tomorrow is the Colorado MS 150 - woot woot!! My first charity/organized ride since I took up cycling in March. I'm nervous & excited. It's supposed to be HOT (90's) so I'm just hoping to finish in the early afternoon to beat as much heat as possible.

Enjoy your rides this weekend ladies. I hope I do!

[Owlie]

Good luck, amb! Have fun!

Sounds wonderful Owlie! As for me, I only got 13 miles in I was in such a rush to get out of the door that I forgot my chamois cream I rode until my girly bits started complaining. At least I know how long I can ride without it - that stuff is expensive! Sadly there wasn't any rain so I could have continued my ride if I hadn't forgotten it... dagnabit grumble mumble grumble 13 miles is a LOT better than 0 miles!

Tomorrow I've a 33 mile ride planned. The weather hasn't allowed me to build my base like I did last year. That is going to change, if I need to start riding in the rain I will...but surely it has got to stop sometime? Doesn't it?

They say there is zero chance of rain until 10:00pm tomorrow - I sure hope they are right..

It was actually pretty awesome, and would have been more so if I were actually dressed for it so I didn't freeze. Maybe a wool jersey? (Of course, then no one would let me into their establishment because I'd smell like a wet sheep...)
Depending on what you use for chamois cream, maybe keep a sample package in your seatbag? But you're right, 13 is better than 0!
They're still giving us a 20% chance of rain tomorrow. Hopefully it restricts itself to the afternoon! I've got a somewhat shorter "recovery" ride (15-20) planned for tomorrow, since I'm a little sore. This year's wet weather, combined with moving, means I got a late start. Of course, I'm doing better than last year mileage-wise, but I'm not really consistent.

[Catrin]

Good luck, amb! Have fun!


It was actually pretty awesome, and would have been more so if I were actually dressed for it so I didn't freeze. Maybe a wool jersey? (Of course, then no one would let me into their establishment because I'd smell like a wet sheep...)
Depending on what you use for chamois cream, maybe keep a sample package in your seatbag? But you're right, 13 is better than 0!
They're still giving us a 20% chance of rain tomorrow. Hopefully it restricts itself to the afternoon! I've got a somewhat shorter "recovery" ride (15-20) planned for tomorrow, since I'm a little sore. This year's wet weather, combined with moving, means I got a late start. Of course, I'm doing better than last year mileage-wise, but I'm not really consistent.

For some reason I had my smaller Camelbak with me, my normal one has all kinds of things in it, including a couple of small sample packages...Just another lesson to use the same one all of the time even if I don't really don't need the larger reservoir! Too many other things get forgotten.

Enjoy your ride tomorrow, I am going to check out a different route that goes into a county west of me rather than north. I've been a little nervous about my country roads since the dog attack and it is time to get over that. I think new roads will help with that and I am looking forward to exploring the new route tomorrow! Picking up some friends at the airport around midnight tonight, so I doubt I will get an early start tomorrow...

[smittykitty]

DH and I did 14.5 out and back a quiet country road. We were in a really beautiful NW Green valley. Very few cars, and Catrin, not one dog to be found! That was really unusual and nice.

The observation: The mostly uphill, with the 19 mph wind in my face going out was much harder than the wind on my back going mostly down hill back!

Turns out, I liked the trip back the Best! Go Figure! Oh, and my time back was much faster too!

After about mile 25, the stock Lithia saddle turned hard as a rock. Just couldn't get comfortable. About time to address that issue, I'm a thinkin.

We are also fighting the weather in the NW. Chilly, windy and somehow missed the daily showers. Actually wore yoga capris over my shorts. Was able to zip sleeves off my jacket after a couple of miles though.

Took my toe covers off June 1 (cuz its summer). Come July, I refuse to wear the capris!

Hoping the weather lets us back out again tomorrow.

[Crankin]

I didn't ride yesterday... it was drizzly and awful in the AM and I worked in the afternoon. I could have ridden, but I am so sick of this weather. I went for a trail run instead.
It's raining and thundering now, but I am hoping to even just do an errand ride this afternoon. I also have a big on line training to do, so it's probably good. I am hoping I get to do a long ride tomorrow, but now the weather doesn't seem as if it will be as good as first predicted.

[Roadtrip]

I'm also surprised that my dry-only tires behaved so well, but if I make a habit of being caught in the rain , I need to get some new tires.

if "someone" (not pointing at the slime trails) would return my txt, it might help

[chryss]

I'm going on my first organised, timed ride, with a number and all that, which is terribly exciting. It's the Chena Hot Springs Bike Classic (PDF), which basically takes place on a single road, Chena Hot Springs road, which starts a few miles outside Fairbanks and ends at mile 56 or thereabouts at Chena Hot Springs Resort.

The full version is about a metric century, but I'll do the 33 mile version, for a number of reasons. The first is that I live off CHSR myself, close to mile 21 and the start of the 33 mile version is at the local general store 2 miles from my house: I can cycle there, which is terribly convenient. The second is that I *am* slightly chickening out. CHSR is very hilly between Fairbanks and where I live, and then flat essentially for the rest. From previous years, the biggest starter group is at mile 33, and I'm sure many of my speed and ability will be there, whereas the fast people start in Fairbanks. I'd surely be one of the last to arrive from there... so I prefer leaving the full ride for next year. My goals are to have a fun, safe ride and to see how close I can get to a 2h time.

[Owlie]

That's pretty convenient, Chryss! Have fun!

if "someone" (not pointing at the slime trails) would return my txt, it might help

Sorry! My phone has been dead for the last few days. (Apparently it died quietly without my noticing. )

18 leisurely miles today in an easy gear. Didn't go over 15 mph, hovered closer to 12-13. I treated this as a sort of recovery ride, and was extra gentle with myself considering I'd only gotten about four hours of sleep. Weather was just about perfect. I had a nasty encounter with some kind of spiny plant stem, but other than that, it was pretty good.

[Catrin]

Didn't get much sleep last night due to picking up friends at the airport at midnight...but did head out for my Sat morning long ride - fantastic sunshine and no worse a headwind than usual

I've a couple of appointments in the afternoon, so I cut it short at 20 miles to have time for shower and travel time. If there is time this afternoon or this evening will take the Jamis out and toodle around in the grass at my favorite park and do tree loop-de-loops. It is supposed to rain, again, tonight - so road riding only tomorrow.

While riding with a couple of friends last Sunday, one of them pointed out that I never use the big ring when it would serve me well to do so. I consciously made use of it today when I was on flat ground with little to no grade and my average speed picked up considerable! Speed picked up, and my cadence dropped a bit. Legs felt pretty good! For the first half of my ride, where most of the flat stuff was, my avg speed was 14.6 - and it has NEVER been that high My avg speed for the entire ride was 13.4, and for me that is still pretty darn good.

[Catrin]

Chryss - have an awesome time, sounds great!

[tulip]

Today was my first ride in a month due to some crazy deadlines that had me working 14+ hour days withno days off for over a month. That's over now, thankfully.

I only rode 14 miles, but I prefer to go by time ... So I rode for an hour and felt really good. It's hot and humid, but I like it that way. So glad my work schedule is back to normal so I can ride regularly again.

[chryss]

Chryss - have an awesome time, sounds great!

It was indeed great. My computer says I rode a bit over 36 miles with getting to the starting line. The headwind was fierce -- we often have easterly wind here, and the road may bend a bit in the end but is overall going eastwards. I fell in with a 2-4 people that were beginners at riding pacelines, like myself, and just pushed me a little beyond my comfort zone. It was sunny, we were trucking along just fine, were polite and not competitive with each other, and in the end caught some of my riding partners who I thought I would ride with, but who'd gone out like a fire engine and gotten attached to a very fast group until they ran out.

We got bananas and cookies at rest stops, and a picnic at the end -- and I must say, I have barely had any sweetened drinks in months (maybe occasionally 1 tsp of sugar in my coffee), but today I had a can of Dr Pepper, two glases of sweetened ice tea, one of pink lemonade and three of sweetened coffee. Holy cow. Plus a rather fatty lunch -- what I thought was mashed potatoes turned out to be potato salad. My food diary is looking askance back at me .

We also got free entrance to the hot springs pool at the resort at the end of the ride, which was surprisingly hot. I think my numerous mosquito bites liked the sulfur-y hot water.