Saturday 28th rides

[sundial]

So how was everyone's ride today? Anyone get rained out?

We had rain in the forecast but I really wanted to get out and play. So I got out Old Faithful (my rainy day bike) and headed out for a 28 miler. On my way to the half-way point, hubby called and said he would meet me at the mom and pop diner for lunch. He came on his motorcycle so when we finished our lunch, he motorpaced me back to the car. It was a good thing as the winds were really getting gusty and the clouds looked threatening. I got back to the house just as the storm hit and we felt pretty good about our little adventure. Motorpacing is definitely fun and I look forward to doing more of it.

[HillSlugger]

I got out before 9am for a 21 mile ride and a 3.1 mile run. Good ride, bad run. It was stinkin' hot and humid already.

[KnottedYet]

I rode an *epic* 4 miles to take care of a friend's dog. Uphill both ways! In the sun, the heat, the miasma of having just awoken from a nap!

Gawd, I love my bike. I love being able to just jump on in whatever I'm wearing at the time and cruise off to run errands.

(I get a bigger thrill out of a 4 mile errand than out of a 40 mile zoom-zoom. I'm weird, I know. )

[Jiffer]

I haven't posted here in a LONG time. I went on a club ride today. It's sort of my first "real" club ride. I have done a couple of club rides with my husband on the tandem, another ride on my own bike where I was late, so it was really just me riding by myself and seeing the club on their way back. And then I did a ladies' club ride, but miraculously, most of the group went much slower than I like to go, so I never did that ride again.

Today I finally did the Saturday morning ride, guys and girls, which I have never been able to do because I'm always taking my daughters to their horse lesson. Plus, I figured I'd just get discouraged because I'd be the slowest one and end up riding by myself again, and/or kill myself trying to keep up. However, Dh offered to take our girls this week so I could go and, as it turned out, I was NOT the slowest one! Yay me!

There was a 33 mile ride (which I WOULD have been the slowest one on) ... and there was a 23 mile ride. The group that does that one is very much right at my level, so it was perfect. I loved it and plan to do it as often as hubby is willing and able to take the girls to their lesson. Which he said he would do. He's really glad I am excited about this.

[mudmucker]

Well, after I cleaned the house, mowed the lawn, raked debris from the past few thunderstorms, moved some branches that the thunderstorms brought down, trimmed the shrubs, cleaned out the gutters, drained the gas and changed the oil in the snowblower (I'm a little behind), added seed to the feeders (I have gorgeous rose-breasted and evening grosbeaks I want to keep happy), prepared some sugar water for the hummingbirds, and ripped some lumber to make 5 more tomato stakes - I treated myself to hill intervals. Ugh. Actually I enjoyed it in some strange way. I haven't done hill repeats in a while and I felt I really needed it. I've been commuting to work this season and I guess I feel satiated with my week riding and haven't been going out both weekend days. I'm on vacation now so I'll be able to focus on some hills and some longer rides, more core work and alotta stretching.

It was threatening storms all day but nothing hit my area. It's been really cool where I am. I don't ever use AC, don't like it - but I've still been wearing a flannel top and using a comforter at night it's been so cool. One week last month it was warm but not outrageous out here.

Yippee. Vacation. Bike bike bike.

[mimitabby]

started a series of Italian lessons in Northgate. And wanted to ride my bike there and back. This time I rode as far as downtown and took the bus!! (because I was afraid of being late, getting lost, etc) Then I rode home via my son's house and then I stopped at the library downtown. 5th avenue is a great way to transverse the city center.

21.5 miles in the blazing sun!! yeah!

[redrhodie]

I rode out in the hot sun, and when I turned around, "thick as pea soup" fog had rolled in. Got passed by a guy in a Polka dot jersey, then passed him back (on a hill ). He passed me again, so it was a fun game of "you're it" until he turned and I didn't.

Traffic was intense, but I managed to avoid all the darting out cars really well, even the chick who ran the stop sign. It's funny the way drivers look away so fast after they realize they cut you off.

[Geonz]

Yay Jiffer!!! Glad you're getting support at the home front and the bike ride front. IT's how a habit grows ...

I led my Saturday ride and alas, it was just me and the slowest rider, but she is not new and doesn't mind (tho' ironically I had made a point of asking them not to drop the slow riders before we wstarted... and they're not mean people... and I don't have it in me to pull the guilt trip on 'em, though if we have new people next week I just might - though of course if we have like four new people... that's a group of its own.)

One of the guys has taken a liking to my folder ... I do hope he goes and gets one. That would be the fifth one that they sold to people who ride with me, after I got mine which was the first one they sold

Then it was off to work to get in and use the computer but I wasn't productive enough to have time to do extra miles. I

[BabyBlueNTulsa]

I got rained out on my first attempt. I got about 3 miles from home when I saw lightning and heard thunder coming from the direction I was headed. I quickly turned tail and rode home faster than I ever have before. LOL
Anyway.. I waited about 3hrs and tried again.
It wasn't too hot, but it sure was muggy and thick. I did a hilly 65miler..but only 15mph avg. Decent for me. Pretty good ride.

I made rosemary chicken linguine for dinner... YUMMMMMM

[Fredwina]

Miles 126.48
Time 10:15
elevation gain 8,153 feet
did the double metric at the La Wheelmen's Grand tour (yes i'm not insane, I could have done the quadruple century)
More to come...
Jifferr - good for you! There's also a medium group that does 30, but avoids Baldy road

[JLMitchell]

I went on a group ride this morning. As soon as we got ready to take off, it started raining, but we knew it was coming. It wasn't raining very hard, so it was nice to be cooled down while conquering those rolling hills. I'm out of shape, so it felt nice. Any other time I'd be hotter than hot and dripping with sweat. We went a little over thirty miles, the last half of which most of the group left me in the dust. I rode with a very nice guy and I think he was holding back for me, even though he insisted he wasn't. We were passed by a few team riders on their own morning workout and ogled their lean legs for the thirty seconds we saw them.
The ride was so fun that, after a short break, I rode fifteen more miles at my own pace. By that time the rain had thoroughly washed my sunscreen off, so the sun came out and baked me pretty well.

[OakLeaf]

Yesterday was the "deluxe budget tour" our club puts on every year. Normally the ride is the club's main fundraiser. This year, the weather forecast wasn't cooperative and not too many people showed up to ride, so I think the club just broke even on the expenses

First thing yesterday morning the weather report looked a little bit better than what they'd been forecasting, so I decided to ride. I'd spent a whole day last week marking routes, so I was off the hook for ride-day volunteering

I chose the metric route. I'd dawdled a bit getting out of bed and deciding on the weather, and then once I arrived at the start I hung out with the other club members for a little bit, so I didn't get on the road until after 8:30 and almost everyone had already left. One other guy was starting out at the same time. He asked about my pace, and told me it would be okay to drop him - I figured I'd hang with him to begin with, anyhow, because he didn't seem to be riding that much slower than I was.

The first 10 miles or so of the ride went out of town on the bike trail. We caught a couple of families (probably doing the 29-miler) and were passed by a couple of faster riders. The guy I was with asked about The Hill on the route. I told him how soon to expect it, and that yes it is long (for Ohio - almost a mile), but it's not super-steep and it's mostly mental - just don't look at where it flattens out before the next curve and think that's the top of the hill , and he would be fine.

I was taking my time warming up, but I was starting to see that my pace was probably not going to be compatible with his. As soon as we left the bike path, there's a weetie little grade (literally 2%) and he slowed WAY down from the 15-16 mph we'd been doing on the trail. Sorry, that just wasn't going to work for me. I said goodbye and was down the road. Because of the late hour and the fact that so few riders had showed up to begin with, the rest of the ride was mostly on my own, which I was okay with.

Darn it, as I crested the hill, a Dish Network van passed me, but he was looking for a house on the other side of the slope, so as soon as I got going nice and fast on the descent, he pulled up and I had to put the brakes on. Not hard - he didn't cut me off or anything - I was just enjoying the descent, and I hate losing momentum!

I got the best of the weather, such as it was, I think. I never got more than spit on by rain, although there was about an 8-10 mile stretch of road that was pretty wet. I was glad to have worn my clear lenses, because the sun never came out enough to want sunglasses. The riders on the 29-mile route got drenched, apparently - which is really too bad since obviously the riders on the shorter route tend to be the ones least likely to take a soaking in stride. I hope they came through with their love of cycling intact! Early and/or faster riders on the century route should've been completely dry, but any stragglers were at risk of the severe thunderstorms that blew through the county around 4:00. There were two men and two women I met at the 35-mile rest stop, which was where the 62 and 100 mile routes split. I hope they didn't get caught out.

Anyway, I made it back - 7 minutes faster and with a lower average HR than I'd done it last year, even though I was just cruising for a lot of the ride. Once I got home, as badly as I needed a shower, there was one more thing I just had to do - pick 5 pints of black raspberries along my lane before the storm hit Yummy, had some with my cereal this morning.

The storm brought another tree down in my front yard. That's two now that will have to be cut up before we can cut the grass - which is going to be a while, because right now when you even walk on my grass, 1/2" of water comes up around your feet, forget about driving the tractor. And there's more rain forecast for the next two days


... Fredwina, are you sure you're not insane? great job, looking forward to your report!

[oneskineejosie]

Hi All! Rode about 20 miles of hill intervals with my tri training group. We started out at 7am, and it was already hot and super-humid (gotta love summer in New England!)

We did a loop through a beautiful neighborhood 5 times. Gorgeous scenery from the top of the hill, and absolutely no traffic, but killer to get up there (at points it is a 13% grade, which for me, a newbie, is ). My quads were BURNIN!!! It was difficult, but I felt very accomplished afterwards and I think I'm going to start doing this same workout once a week since it's only a 3 mile ride from my house. And the downhills are fun

[7rider]

I did 30 miles thru Rock Creek Park in D.C. yesterday. I didn't do the group ride, as I was still on west coast time and opted to sleep in. Since it was a hot, sticky morning, Rock Creek park is usually the best option (it's often just sticky, and usually significantly less hot in there). Had a bit of an accident that resulted in a hurt hand (don't ask) so I'm on the DL for a bit. I hope to be riding again later this week.....

[Susan126]

Crazy me . . . I started my ride at 2:30 in the heat of the day on Saturday! I wasn't thinking very clearly; I have a new bike and I just wanted to ride. I initially was going to do an early morning ride but life happened. Anyway, I got 30 miles in and payed for it. I did hydrate but that sun just wiped me out. I had leg cramps all night long. I feel much better this morning. Did I learn my lesson? Probably not!

Another hot day in store for us here in the pacific northwest. Joe, Jackie, and I will be going for a ride this morning. We hope to finish before noon. Hopefully we will stick to the plan today!