Great Ride on Saturday.

[FreshNewbie]

Hi Everyone
And I hope many of you had a chance to ride this weekend. The weather in New York is hot and humid, but that didn't stop me from having a great ride on Saturday. And thanks to all of you for great support and advice, which helped me to really improve my riding skills. Even my boyfriend said that I ride much better, and that I should read the forum more often We put in only 15 miles at an average of 15mph. And this is my second time only. I finally got rid of the problem with relaxing and just enjoyed my ride. I just kept saying to myself that all my power is in my legs and that helped me to not put so much pressure on my upper body. What a joy !!!!!!!!!! Thanx to you all

[Jo-n-NY]

Hi FreshNewbie....and welcome to the boards.

I live on Long Island and after a cold, damp, spring, I am not minding the heat. I am not available to ride every weekend, but I was this past one and I ended the weekend with your excitement. I rode both Saturday and Sunday with that same ole stupid grin on my face. I was just loving it. The only major mistake I made was not putting sunscreen on my back and wore a racer style cycling top. I did get sunburn. Nothing like nagging the kids and I didn't practice what I preach.

All that aside, I will take hot and humid over damp and cold any day. This was past weekend was great. This coming weekend I will only have Sunday. Wonder what the weather will be.

Happy Riding ~ JoAnn

[bikerchick68]

Hiya Fresh! way to go on that ride! A 15mph avg is pretty quick for someone only on their second ride! be proud My first ride was 10 miles at about 11mph and it took me 4 hours to recover... and I'm pretty sure I noticed the Grim Reaper outside the front window but I didn't have the strength to tell him to get off my lawn...

just you wait and see... you'll be posting about your first century in no time!

[KSH]

Happy to hear that you were more relaxed and that your ride was enjoyable! And... to what others said... 15 MPH is pretty quick for a "newbie". All the "newbies" I have ridden with, average around 10 MPH!

My ride on Saturday was *interesting*. I finally got to ride with a buddy (Technotart on the board), and her hubby (he was a little slower so we stuck together)... which was cool... BUT we rode about 20 miles of chip road... and OUCH... talking about shaking my body to death!

One highlight of the ride though the two of sprinting off on the smooth flat rode... we were going around 20-22 MPH! I think both of us were in "awe"! HA!

The other highlight was that I made it up this steep hill at the end... and it hurt... but I would NOT let myself walk it. And I didn't! Then, I found out that I wasn't even in my lowest gear! DUH!


Sunday was another great day of riding! Went out with a group and we toured downtown Dallas. I would never get that opportunity if I were riding alone!

The higlights of that ride were: 1) Cruising over this bridge, into the wind, and hauling pass the other riders, as I was spinning and going 22 MPH, 2) Having a couple of riders from 2 weeks before commenting on how much better I was going hanging with the group!

[FreshNewbie]

Great to hear you had a good ride KSH , I rode in the park and the roads there are not that great either, but there are a lot of newly put pavement so I was sprinting also. My sit bones were pretty bad after all these bumps and holes but then you enjoy these few miles of flat and smooth road and I think you appreciate it more I need to find some courage and come out riding on a real road with traffic, since where I live the pretties places are always where there are cars. I am scared a little though! Congruts on your improving!

[FreshNewbie]

Hey Jo-n-NY!
Great to see that there are girls here from NY. I live in Staten Island but on weekends i am actually on Long Island with my boyfriend. We ride together and he is teaching me. We live way far all the way in Bellport, but i love the area because you can ride in beautiful places. I am planning to come out riding to Syosset, i been there and it is awsome place to ride, I am just scared of the traffic, so as soon as i am ready i am going to be there. You are right about that nasty spring. I also wore a t-shirt without putting on sunscreen and now i am walking around Manhattan with what local fashion fans would call "farm tan", but ohhh well the most important thing is that we know how we got it and we are damn PROUD I hope you will have a chance to ride this weekend.

Happy rides to you too

[CorsairMac]

Fresh - I'm so glad to hear you worked out your riding tension - makes all the difference in the world doesn't it?? Sounds like you had a great ride!! Well Done!!

[KSH]

Great to hear you had a good ride KSH , I rode in the park and the roads there are not that great either, but there are a lot of newly put pavement so I was sprinting also. My sit bones were pretty bad after all these bumps and holes but then you enjoy these few miles of flat and smooth road and I think you appreciate it more I need to find some courage and come out riding on a real road with traffic, since where I live the pretties places are always where there are cars. I am scared a little though! Congruts on your improving!

Hee-hee... at the end of the ride, when we got off the chip seal and hit the flat pavement again... I was yelling and cheering.... and gosh I felt like I was riding like a pro!

I will say that I DO NOT ride where there are cars... alone. In fact, if I am going to ride alone, I ride on a path around the lake. Otherwise, I always ride in a group on streets. Safety in numbers.

Maybe you can find a club or some peeps to ride with?

[Technotart]

Yeah the joy of getting OFF the chip seal was short lived when I rounded the corner and spotted the hill!

You know - this weekends ride seemed easier in terms of getting my body to cooperate than riding ever has! Yeah the chip seal sucked and I was sore for 3 days, but it was FUN and the effort expended was incredible, but not draining. I even managed to toss out a couple of Yeeeeeeeeeeeehaws on those nice downhills.

It was a GREAT ride! And I dunno - we might have to work on SPEED now!

[RoadRaven]

We only have chip seal here --- I have a friend whose husband is Israeli, and I chatted with him a couple of years ago about the roads in NZ which he really dislikes because apparently in Israel they are straight and smooth.

I only appredciate his commments now - to come across a small patch of smooth seal where a road repair has been made is such a treat - but these are only metres long...

[Jo-n-NY]

How cool FreshNewbie. Yes, Bellport is further out there. Do you ride on main roads. My husband and I want to ride out east along where the wineries are. I am also not comfortable in traffic. My husband has a back road route from your house to Bethpage Park trail. Your boyfriend might know of this trail. From my house and back it gives us a 24 mile ride which is what I do on the weekends. Otherwise from my house going a little past the trail will give me a 14mile ride. There is just one stretch of this route that I hate because of a narrow bridge over Wantagh Pkwy. and then crossing Wantagh Ave. Once I am over that, I am loving my ride.

I am live off of Southern State Pkwy where it is more flat. Syosset is the north shore and more hilly. Memorial Day weekend we road in Pt Washington, not too far from Syosset and yes in traffic. ugh

I will watch for your riding posts. Enjoy!!!

PS do you work in Manhattan? I do. Down on Hudson Street. Not a very exciting part of Manhattan.

~ JoAnn

[FreshNewbie]

Hi All, Seems like many of us face the problem with ugly and bumpy rides. You would think that at least parks would have nice smooth pavement, but no they are even worse. And what a difference does make that small new patch on the road especially for a newbie, at least I do feel less pressure.

Jo-n-NY I do work in the city, not in a good area either i am on 8 th avenue and 36 street. Lots of people with no manners here. What company are you working for??? I been interviewd by Bowne of NY on Hudson as a matter of fact i am doing final interview with them soon so maybe we can be neighboors :-) I do know all the areas you described because me and my boyfriend often take rides to look for a new place to live so we sort of explore LI. We been in Port Washington recently and we want to rent something there but its way too expensive probably.

KSH i read your recent posts about you getting clipless pedals, can you let me know what kind you got and what shoes you got for them, i am actually thinking of investing in them too :-) since i am starting to get better soon will be the time to switch from platforms and sneakers isn't it??? lol

Thank you all for your input, this forum is so much fun thanx to all of you. Highlight of the day on boring work day

[Jo-n-NY]

Hi FreshNewbie,

I work for Foundation Press a Thomson/West company. My building is 395 Hudson Street next to the Sachi & Sachi building. We publish law books for the academic market. I have been with Foundation Press for 13 years. Began on Long Island in 79, had my two children then came back 13 years later when the company was still on Long Island, just 10 minutes from my house.

Then West sold to good ole <sigh> Thomson and here I am. We just went through another major transition, half the people are gone leaving us with 7 employees, the acct mgrs and me the only admin person. That figures because I was one that wanted to be packaged out. Well, guess I will just have to wait longer, but hopefully not too long.

Funny, I use to send something to some lady in Bowne a couple of years ago. I forget what that company does.

Getting back to riding, did you ever ride the trail in Westcheser. It is wonderful. As my husband works weekends and has Thursdays off I take a vacation day I we did that ride once this year and plan on another. I forget the road it is off of, but it is near one of the Pace Univ. campuses. They extended it since we rode it a couple of years ago and going to the end and back you will get in a 50 mile ride. You can stop in Yorktown for something to eat. The people are really nice also. Oh, yes, there is a bike shop in Yorktown also in case of a bike emergency. That would be about 12 miles into the trail.

Sorry for rambleing...I get carried away with excitement.

Just about time for me to leave (early shift ) Talk to you again soon.

~ JoAnn

[FreshNewbie]

Hey JoAnn,

It's a small world isn't it? Today i actually went for the final interview for bowne, and as for your building 395 hudson at my current job as an electric biller we do your building :-) I never took that westchester route, since I only been riding for less then few weeks. But once i am off from school I will check it out.

Marina