Rides weekend Oct 29/30

[azfiddle]

I didn't see a ride thread for this weekend- was everyone rained or snowed out?

Yesterday I did 60 miles- it was supposed to be longer, like 85, to get ready for El Tour de Tucson, but they miscalculated the distance, and then it was really windy on the way "out". I'm always slower than this group, so I was riding alone into a headwind (15-20 mph) for about 10 miles or so. They all thought I had turned around. Surprise! I got 1 mile from the turn-around spot and joined back up with them as they had started back.

Tailwinds and downhill for 10 miles made up a lot for the effort on the slow outbound section. When the choice came to turn back into the wind and go uphill to get some of those extra miles, or to continue back home on flat / slightly downhill route, with the continued tailwinds, I took the easy way. I was cruising above 20 mph for quite a few miles!


Today was the El Tour training ride with the Carmichael coaches. 47 miles, and the advantage of a more helpful paceline organization boosted my speed to an average of 16.1 mph for the full ride. We rode a section of the El Tour course last week, and another section of it today. I think I have been just about all of it at one point or another.

Beautiful temps both days, and much calmer this morning.

[rubysoho]

I had a lovely ride this evening. Just did some easy mileage since I haven't been riding consistently over the past two months (darn work schedule!) and I was a little nervous because my last ride had me dizzy and nauseated by mile five and I wasn't sure why other than I was getting over a cold. But none of those problems today! Even did some sprint work for fun.

It just felt sooooooo good today.

On the downside, while I managed to keep my core warm my legs were FREEZING and my feet were numb. I need to figure out a solution for that.

[Owlie]

I did about 5-6 fast miles around the neighborhood, after much hemming and hawing about going out.

Azfiddle, can I come out there? :P

[Catrin]

Azfiddle, sounds like an awesome ride!

I am just so blasted busy right now, but I got in close to 20 windy miles yesterday and 15 today. There was a time I wouldn't settled for less than 35 miles at one time, but have so much going on right now. I will take what I can get and hope that I will have more time once I return from my trip.

[westtexas]

It's been beautiful here lately - no snow or rain (ever I think and certainly not in the near future). My first experiences with "cold" weather riding (40s and 50s in the a.m. and 60s by afternoon). Definitely loving the shoe covers with wool socks and invaluable fleecy knickers. Trying to figure out when to wear a jacket right now because even though I'm always freezing cold, the jackets just make me sweat more and then I'm cold inside my jacket (but they do block the crazy wind we have, which is nice).

Just 20 miles yesterday and 25 today. Had to work this weekend and I have a couple of intensive care patients in hospital. I had to put one to sleep yesterday and that was hard, so I just rode a little bit to find my happy place again. Today I was constricted by time because I had to be back at the clinic to check on everyone. But I did ride a new route which is nice. My colleague with whom I have been riding is trying to get me into racing so I might be in some discussions this week with potential training partners (can't be him, even though he's a great coach, because he's on a trike due to a broken hip last year). Kind of exciting!

Also mostly just happy because I have finally found the source of my last 10+ years of bad stomach issues. I've got celiac disease apparently and I think I also cross-react with dairy. This is week 4 for me being gluten free and I've lost 6 pounds and couldn't feel better. Very very happy.

[ivorygorgon]

I completed the Death Valley Ultra Century (144 mile route). It was absolutely stark and beautiful. On the way down from Hell's gate we saw a shooting star. We stopped for a minute just to look at the stars. Gorgeous!

[zoom-zoom]

Raced my 4th ever cyclocross race. Didn't finish in the front of the pack, but each time there seems to be more people finishing behind me than before. Last week I think I was 6/7 women and had 3 people behind me in the C field, this week I was 6/9 women and had at least 10 people behind me. I also managed to navigate (on all 3 laps, even) a hairy s-curve downhill section that was taking out people far more experienced and skilled than I. This is the top of the hill, I think on the 2nd lap:


I totally friggin' love cyclocross and it's something I wish I had discovered in my 20s (instead of my late 30s). It's so friggin' painful and hard and awesome and fun. I'm bummed that our season only has 2 more races (though I think I will have to try snowcross, this Winter).

Can you see the love? This is what my friend Patti refers to as "BikeFace":