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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Location
    San Francisco Bay Area
    Posts
    9,324

    Talking Clipless Pedals are DANGEROUS

    Thom and I set out to do our local loop today. It's about 40 miles, a nice ride to do and still have energy to do chores. We were on the road out to the Las Vaqueros Reservoir, which sees almost no traffic, and my cell phone rang. It was my sister Vicki, calling with the latest update on my sister Valerie who got diagnosed with tongue cancer on Thursday.

    I slowed down and rode one handed, talking with her. But this road is pretty far out and as I went around a corner, I lost the signal.

    We turned around and went back to where we had a signal and I stood on the side of the road and called her back. We'd been talking for about ten minutes and I heard riders coming up behind me. I turned to see who it was, lost my balance and because my right foot was still clipped in, toppled over. It was a pretty funny fall according to my husband.

    I have three, inch long gashes on my right knee. My left knee is banged up on the inside from hitting my bike. I rode the 12 miles home with my knee oozing blood and Thom drafting me.

    As I was falling, I was still talking to my sister and I was more worried about the bike hitting the ground then me.

    It's been a heck of a week.

    V.
    Last edited by Veronica; 04-01-2007 at 05:20 PM.
    Discipline is remembering what you want.


    TandemHearts.com

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Sierra Foothills, CA
    Posts
    800
    Today was my first ever solo ride on the road!

    Only 15 miles with a slow average of 13.5 mph (but in my defense, I'm still a newbie on platform pedals and it's really hilly here!). This was a big hurdle I needed to cross because I am really rather petrified of the traffic around here. No shoulders, curvy country roads, still sand and gravel all over the pavement from recent snow, and hills, hills, and more hills! I was literally shaking during quite a bit of the ride, but I did it and now I feel great!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Folsom CA
    Posts
    5,667
    Quote Originally Posted by sara View Post
    Only 15 miles with a slow average of 13.5 mph (but in my defense, I'm still a newbie on platform pedals and it's really hilly here!).
    Well, don't beat yourself up, this oldbie on clipless pedals did 13.5 mph as well (look 3 posts up).

    ma, she's callin' me slow!

    2009 Lynskey R230 Houseblend - Brooks Team Pro
    2007 Rivendell Bleriot - Rivet Pearl

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Utah, Gateway to Nevada, not to be confused with Idaho
    Posts
    1,872
    Quote Originally Posted by jobob View Post
    Well, don't beat yourself up, this oldbie on clipless pedals did 13.5 mph as well (look 3 posts up).

    ma, she's callin' me slow!
    Jo, this woman is riding where I used to live, you know, the area that SK had to educate me on what "rollers" were (I always thought "rollers" described rolling uphill terrain...go up a hill, flatten out a little, go up another hill, flatten out a little...you get the idea). I know better now. Sara is not riding on rollers.

    Sara: 13.5 mph average is not slow for that thar part of the world! I often had average speeds in the 13s or low 14s when I lived there (and that figures in the 40 mph downhills). You did a GREAT job!

    Oh, by the way, I rode 300 miles in a snowstorm, all on my 52x11 while talking on the cell phone and drinking lattes handed to me by Peter Reid.


    APRIL FOOL!

    (I can't believe someone else didn't do this before me.)
    Last edited by yellow; 04-01-2007 at 07:31 PM.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    Riding my Luna & Rivendell in the Hudson Valley, NY
    Posts
    8,411
    Quote Originally Posted by sara View Post
    Today was my first ever solo ride on the road!

    Only 15 miles with a slow average of 13.5 mph (but in my defense, I'm still a newbie on platform pedals and it's really hilly here!). This was a big hurdle I needed to cross because I am really rather petrified of the traffic around here. No shoulders, curvy country roads, still sand and gravel all over the pavement from recent snow, and hills, hills, and more hills! I was literally shaking during quite a bit of the ride, but I did it and now I feel great!
    Hey, CONGRATULATIONS on your first solo road ride!!!! You GO, girl!!!!

    You think YOU are slow?? Boy we've got some major hills all around here- some of them are so steep I'm actually going 2.5 mph on the way up!! My ride averages which include the hills are usually 9 to 10 mph. You are totally Speedy Gonzales compared to me. Good thing I don't obsess about speed! I concentrate on slowly getting fitter and stronger and on enjoying the simple beautiful act of riding out in the country.
    Lisa
    My mountain dulcimer network...FOTMD.com...and my mountain dulcimer blog
    My personal blog:My blog
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Seattle
    Posts
    8,548
    Gee, yesterday i averaged 13mph and I thought that was fast!!
    Sara, you're doing great!
    Mimi Team TE BIANCHISTA
    for six tanks of gas you could have bought a bike.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Suburban MA and Western ME
    Posts
    1,815

    We were the fools...

    It all started out fine. DH and I headed out of the house on the trusty tandem to do an easy-ish ride (he is having some knee trouble). My post today was going to be about he won all of the town line sprints . Instead, our ride ended not so nicely...

    As we were coming home through Acton, we cut through the Colonial Spirits parking lot to head up Pope Road. Suddenly, I knew that we had a flat. Here is the sequenc of events from here:

    1. Run over small piece of glass.
    2. Glass embeds in rear tire, cutting the tube and causing a flat.
    3. Remove rear wheel, find glass, remove tube.
    4. Take spare out of seat back, and put on wheel.
    5. Spare is a 26" x 1.25 - we have 700 cc wheels...
    6. Look for patch kit.
    7. No patch kit in seat bag.
    8. Make spare tube fit (difficult, but workable).
    9. Pump up tire - doesn't hold air.
    10. Pump breaks.
    11. No cell phone either, and we are 10 miles from home.
    12. Ride tandem remaining 10 miles on rim, including along dirt bike path (cause it's shorter).


    This was NOT a fun way to end what had been a good ride.

    The lesson here (are you all listening?) is to CHECK your supplies and make sure that you have everything you need BEFORE you head out on a 50 mile ride. Also, I will ALWAYS ride with a cell phone from here on out.

    Foolish on April Fool's Day....

    SheFly
    "Well behaved women rarely make history." including me!
    http://twoadventures.blogspot.com

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Seattle
    Posts
    8,548
    eyewww!! what a bummer!
    Mimi Team TE BIANCHISTA
    for six tanks of gas you could have bought a bike.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Memphis, TN
    Posts
    1,933
    I did a 20 mile ride yesterday. Granted, not much for me, but the Sierra Club was having a a full moon hike in the San Gabriels, and I had a couple of chruch related things to do.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Houston, TX
    Posts
    65

    first organized ride!

    Well, we did not go with the TNT group training ride in Magnolia, TX on Saturday due to weather. Lots of bad thunderstorms with lightening. Did not want to chance it.

    So...hubby and I signed up for the "Space Race 2007" ride down south from us a bit in La Marque, TX. It was foggy to start, that cleared out. Rain came in...several times thru the ride. Most of it not bad, but for a while there it was that "ouchie" needle type rain. We met up with a fellow TNT-er and she rode with us.

    I gotta hand it to the folks that were working the rest stops. They were awesome!! They stayed perky thru the rain and mud for us to have a place to stop, rest, pee, and re-stock our water and food. Two of the stops were very muddy, bless their hearts! I thanked as many as I could for being there. And they were nice enough to thank me for riding. Awww, good people.

    This being our first organized ride, I was very impressed with the support that was given. Lots of SAG vehicles, one big Ryder moving truck for serious problems with bikes that had to go back, motorcycle marshalls patrolling and helping stranded cyclists as well as the multitude of Ride Marshalls that were every where. Oh yeah....and multiple pottys at every stop!

    I am told that the MS150 sanctioned rides are all that well supported. Well, this newbie was very impressed. There were many different mileage rides to take. We chose the 62 mile ride since that is about where we are in our TNT training. Successfully completed all of it; with no flats! Woo Hoo!

    Don't know what it is about the rain...but there were flats absolutely *everywhere*!
    Have a great week everyone!
    I just keep telling myself..."I am the Tortise; slow and steady finishes the race." I am the Tortise, coo coo ca choo.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Troutdale, OR
    Posts
    2,600
    no kiddin about fools day for a ride!!!

    lets see... went for a short 20+ mile ride. 5 miles or so is on a road marked with bike path lane.

    several idiots were weaving their bike on the bike path. going the wrong way. They could see that I was going the right way. I ended up slamming my brake and locked up my rear wheel. I figured the idots would stop weaving when they got near me. NADA!! Only one guy in the group smirked and said, "Oh, sorry"

    second set of idots riding on a bike lane big enough to drive a semi. 4 or 5 people riding abreast. At least they were going the right way. And they are riding really slow. I was still doing around 32Km/hr and yelled plenty loud, "On your left!" So they did the sensible thing and all moved to the left. I ended up swerving into the car lane. Luckily their weren't any cars.

    Third set of idots, people were ready to jay walk across the street, not in the cross walk but right across anyway. They look right, they look left, I think they saw me coming pretty fast. Some hesitation, and now I'm really close. Then they all decided it was a good time to cross and stepped off the curve.
    Locked up my wheels again.

    Maybe I should have completely given up cycling.

    yes its April fools but do they really have to be fools? GRRRR!!!!

    Shawn

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Seattle
    Posts
    8,548
    Quote Originally Posted by Veronica View Post
    I slowed down and rode one handed, talking with her. But this road is pretty far out and as I went around a corner, I lost the signal.

    We turned around and went back to where we had a signal and I stood on the side of the road and called her back. We'd been talking for about ten minutes and I heard riders coming up behind me. I turned to see who it was, lost my balance and because my right foot was still clipped in, toppled over. It was a pretty funny fall according to my husband.

    I have three, inch long gashes on my right knee. My left knee is banged up on the inside from hitting my bike. I rode the 12 miles home with my knee oozing blood and Thom drafting me.

    As I was falling, I was still talking to my sister and I was more worried about the bike hitting the ground then me.

    It's been a heck of a week.

    V.
    uh, don't you mean CELL PHONES are dangerous??
    Mimi Team TE BIANCHISTA
    for six tanks of gas you could have bought a bike.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Folsom CA
    Posts
    5,667
    I'm thinking Veronica is dangerous.

    Really sorry about your sis! Yep, this has been a heckofaweek for you!



    I have to ask ... do all of your siblings have names beginning with V ?

    2009 Lynskey R230 Houseblend - Brooks Team Pro
    2007 Rivendell Bleriot - Rivet Pearl

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Location
    San Francisco Bay Area
    Posts
    9,324
    Quote Originally Posted by jobob View Post

    I have to ask ... do all of your siblings have names beginning with V ?
    4 girls with V's. 3 boys with H's.

    V.
    Discipline is remembering what you want.


    TandemHearts.com

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    Trondheim, Norway
    Posts
    1,469
    Quote Originally Posted by Veronica View Post
    Thom and I set out to do our local loop today. It's about 40 miles, a nice ride to do and still have energy to do chores. We were on the road out to the Las Vaqueros Reservoir, which sees almost no traffic, and my cell phone rang. It was my sister Vicki, calling with the latest update on my sister Valerie who got diagnosed with tongue cancer on Thursday.

    I slowed down and rode one handed, talking with her. But this road is pretty far out and as I went around a corner, I lost the signal.

    We turned around and went back to where we had a signal and I stood on the side of the road and called her back. We'd been talking for about ten minutes and I heard riders coming up behind me. I turned to see who it was, lost my balance and because my right foot was still clipped in, toppled over. It was a pretty funny fall according to my husband.

    I have three, inch long gashes on my right knee. My left knee is banged up on the inside from hitting my bike. I rode the 12 miles home with my knee oozing blood and Thom drafting me.

    As I was falling, I was still talking to my sister and I was more worried about the bike hitting the ground then me.

    It's been a heck of a week.

    V.
    Sociologist Ann Oakley wrote a book (I think it was: Taking it Like a Woman), in part about being treated for tongue cancer (successfully!). It's also got some very hot sex scenes involving a guy I once shared an office with (I never thought of him as the least bit sexy ... my loss, apparently). Anyway, maybe your sister would enjoy the book if you can find it.
    Last edited by Duck on Wheels; 04-02-2007 at 04:30 AM.
    Half-marathon over. Sabbatical year over. It's back to "sacking shirt and oat cakes" as they say here.

 

 

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