July 10 Steam Baths (Rides)

[Blueberry]

Didn't go that far today (12.3 miles; nearly 1000 feet of climbing)...but a couple of cool things are happening...

1) I rode the area where I crashed last year. I hadn't wanted to ride that road again, but it's on lots of the main cycling routes. I did it. They've re-paved the section where I crashed. I feel much better about it. I don't know what happened, and never will. In a way that's good.

2) I am finally starting to be able to manage my heart rate better - which is *finally* leading to improvement in my climbing (and I really like seeing noticeable improvements in my cardio - being able to track is a good thing for me).

3) I'm dealing better with hot weather and humidity. I just had to stop fighting it, appreciate the shade when/where it is, and let it go. It's an odd mental thing for me.

4) I think I can get in early AM rides with my new job. That means no more missed workouts because I was too drained/brain dead/something happened/the chore list got out of control/etc. that happen when I try to work out in the evenings. It also means it will be cooler (which I will appreciate).

5) My new bike ROCKS!

[OakLeaf]

Yay Blueberry!

No steam baths here. We had a cool front come through yesterday and today's high was only 82°. There wasn't a huge turnout for our club ride, for a number of reasons, but the roads were just ugly with cyclists. I don't think I've ever seen so many other riders on the road.

Then I went for a teeny little run, just to let my legs start to figure out what it feels like...

[Flybye]

Very clever title.
I rode the porch swing today. About 30 minutes. Nice, rolling cadence. Managed to ride some of the distance with my eyes closed and not fall off. Traffic was virtually non existent. Following up the ride with a tall glass of iced tea.

[Catrin]

Flybye, glad to hear that you did your recovery drink - that is very important when you ride the porch swing Sounds delightful!

I had a fantastic ride today - did 40.5 miles (my longest yet). Saw some quite unusual creatures for this part of the world and will post them in the adventure forum (what wildlife do you see on your rides) shortly.

Temps were a balmy 82 degrees, lots and lots of sunshine, lots of cyclists in the first part of my ride and - even better - my SI Diva Gel Flow saddle that I am testing worked just fine Earlier in the week I was worried that it wasn't for me - but apparently I just had to get used to it - and a little spot of lube in a very specific place seemed to help. Actually, as good as everything felt am unsure it was actually needed...

I paid more attention to nutrition today, paced myself, and finished feeling much stronger and better than the 34 miles I did last Saturday. I guess I need more on the bike than I wanted to accept - but there you go. AND my blood sugar stayed stable

[huffandpuff]

Hot and humid, riding with DH so pushing more than usual (I am a lazy rider). Have been having bad time in heat, getting all woozy, read Zen's comments on Nunn so gave them a try. Wow - I still hate hot and humid but I actually felt pretty decent before and after the ride. Trying hard not to cave in to drinking and eating a bunch of weird stuff (gels, etc) to ride but Nunn seems pretty basic salt and minerals. Found awesome recipe for homemade energy bars too if anyone's interested: http://www.nomeatathlete.com/homemade-energy-bars/
check out the vegan energy bars. Really stick with you but not in bad rock in your stomach way.

[emily_in_nc]

Nice little 11-mile ride to the farmer's market on bike paths and road, a bit of suburban, rural, and urban all mixed together, which I kind of enjoy (keeps me on my toes!). Hot and humid to be sure, but still a pleasant ride, especially coming home (almost all downhill...weeeeee!) Planning a longer ride for tomorrow. My mileage is really low this year due to moving, so I need to start increasing slowly to avoid injury.

[Blue_Fedora]

Not a distance ride today - just a short 20 miler with a group from a LBS. No "options", everyone rode the same route to the same place... The Rock Store and the mega hill climb up from there through Malibu Canyon. Once we got to The Rock Store, trust me, had there been a group heading back I would've joined them but after a short break everyone took off up the mountain... and so did I.

As bad as the climb was on the way up (and for me it was tough... someone said it was 2mi @ 8% but I haven't a clue) it was just as bad on the descent. I'm a big ol wussy-wuss fraidy-cat on descents! I feel like I can't brake hard enough if I stay on the hoods and my forearms cramp pretty badly. So I opted for riding in the drops where at least I felt better control of the brakes. One of the ladies told me I should have the LBS put wedges in for me so I could brake and pedal at the same time which would increase my stability and boost my confidence. Guess I have some research to do

[sundial]

I rode the porch swing today. About 30 minutes. Nice, rolling cadence.

Fly, LOL!

I took Frank the Fargo out for a ride. I did it as a tribute to the fallen Frank Schleck.

[Biciclista]

Today i finished my first brevet, a 100km ride complete with controls like a real randonneur ride. I hadn't ridden more than 25 miles all year so far, so i was extremely worried, but now I am just extremely tired. We spent less than 1/2 hour off our bikes on a 5 hour ride and because of that I was able to keep up with much stronger riders. Lovely gorgeous weather - 62 miles in the area near Olympia washington...

[indysteel]

Kudos to all, but I gotta give a shout out to Catrin for her 40 miler and to Bicilista for her first brevet! Great job!!!

I did my longest ride (50 miles) since Memorial Day weekend. It was a great day on the bike. It was a club ride, so I got to ride with some friends I haven't seen a lot of lately. I felt pretty strong the entire ride. I've been trying to dial in the fit on my bike, and I was really comfortable today after lowering my saddle by about 2 mm. The smallest of changes can make a big difference. The onlu downside is we got chased by a number of dogs.

[ZooZoo]

Did 20 miles in Snohomish, riding with my sister. She's a little bit faster than me, so it was a nice 'push' for me. Kept up pretty well.

[crazycanuck]

Can I have some warm/dry weather?

I have made friends with a warm blanket & a beanbag chair for this past week. I'm not enjoying "winter" at the moment...Stupid inner ear bubbles

[tzvia]

Just Ventura up to Ojai and back.

Started out really cool in Ventura; lots of moisture pumping in from the Pacific, but as I climbed, it got hotter and hotter, and sticky. Yuck. I had found a good Tamale fast food restaurant last time and was planning to stop there, but the humidity stole my hunger. So I had a banana and Clif bar and went back down to Ventura. Been trying out the Luna electrolyte powder, and found it was a lifesaver in my second water bottle. I usually don't take to electrolyte drinks as they kinda feel like spit, but the Luna really took the thirst away without making me feel like a sloshing water bag.

I felt a strange jab on my backside about 5 miles in, right at the back of the thigh/butt junction. I stopped because it felt like a plant thorn was jabbing me but there was nothing there. After a few minutes, I got involved in the ride and forgot about it. However, it's a big red welt now-maybe 2 inches across- sooo... something stung me and it hurts every time I move my leg as it's right at the crease.

[Aggie_Ama]

WTG Catrin, Blueberry, Bicilista! And everyone else for braving the elements.

My husband took me on a torture ride, a lot of climbing but don't have the new Garmin charged so I don't know how much. Several of the climbs were so steep I had to walk. We ran out of daylight so DH time-trialed to the truck as the sunset and then came to collect me.

[Catrin]

Kudos to all, but I gotta give a shout out to Catrin for her 40 miler and to Bicilista for her first brevet! Great job!!!

I did my longest ride (50 miles) since Memorial Day weekend. It was a great day on the bike. It was a club ride, so I got to ride with some friends I haven't seen a lot of lately. I felt pretty strong the entire ride. I've been trying to dial in the fit on my bike, and I was really comfortable today after lowering my saddle by about 2 mm. The smallest of changes can make a big difference. The onlu downside is we got chased by a number of dogs.

Dogs Sorry to hear about that...glad to hear the ride was a good one though - outside of the dogs. I did find the route for the ride and was thinking about doing it on my own - but not if there are that many dogs along the way...for some reason that doesn't surprise me considering it was Morgan county. Very glad to hear that you were able to finish dialing in your fit!

Congrats Bicilisita! I hear the 100k brevets are how they start the randonneuring addiction

Blueberry - the climbing sounds great