July 13 rides

[Miranda]

I don't know if we only post this thread on the w/e here at TE? Or not?

Anyrate... wore one of my "lucky TE" logo jerseys today on my ride (yellow). Think it helped.

Training route for my first century. And the furthest I've ever rode since cycling. Went like this...

50.2mi total... route w/climbing...

1) morning road rage driver hurls change coins out car window while passing... nails me & the carbon hard (hurt)--was far over as possible to right & crankin my heart out fast as I could on an incline to boot

2) loose barking unhappy dogs, but no chase... whew...

3) then, yucky dog attack /chase on climbing section... fast sprinting aggressive mixed breed something size of my lab... my max HR is projected at 180 bpm... hit 177 bpm--thought I was going to stroke

4) steepest climb immediately following dog incident--of course, perfect timing...

5) one known pre-planned local for H2O & toliet stop--needed it after dog... nice store people

6) somehow miss a turn, get lost... about mile 30.... end up on busy highway w/cars flying by 65+mph to re-find route

7) blessing... conv store.. posted "no public restroom"... nice peeps otherwise... help me get back on route & total stranger lady offers to put me & bike in car to take back home ...got more water luckily...

8) back to highway again & pray hard w/traffic... then on route--yippiee!

9) have my first ever "road-side squat & pee" since taking up cycling...weeds in chamois upon return home--ugh

10) watch bike pc flip over 50mi & think... hey, that's half a century--woo hoo!

Btw... thx for the lucky jersey help, TE... OH... brownie points for nice pockets too.

[Tri Girl]

#9 made me laugh. I've been there...

Sounds like your day was eventful to say the least. I would have stopped and picked up every bit of that money. Heck- you're getting paid to ride apparently. Maybe they were just rewarding you by showering you money to assist you on your ride.

[Crankin]

Today was one of those rides that makes me love cycling. My friend who has been riding since last summer came over and we set out for the farmer's market. She just got clipless pedals and is definitely faster. I went on my Jamis, so we could load up my pannier with goodies.
I knew right away she was a little leery of riding on roads with a little more traffic than she is used to, but it is flat, except for my street and there's a nice shoulder most of the way. It's a breezy, mostly sunny day and it's really nice out.
I ended up buying a focaccia, lettuce, summer squash, and a raspberry plum whole wheat scone (which I just ate half of). My friend bought a huge challah and 2 scones, so my pannier was packed full.
17 miles of fun!

[TrekTheKaty]

20 mile recovery ride after a long, hilly route yesterday. Sometimes it's nice to ride alone at my own pace! Beautiful 73 degrees and low humidity for a change

[lattae]

Cunninghamair-- did you do the trailnet Big bottle ride yesterday? Those hills were challenging to say the least. My quads were pretty sore last eve... I was happy that I didn't have to walk any of the hills this year. Made it back in time before the rain moved in also...

[TrekTheKaty]

Lattae--Oops, didn't have that one on the calendar. We went up to St. Paul, Mo out here is west county. VERY hilly, but very satisfying--I made it up all the hills, too! Glad you made it in before that downpour

[7rider]

Commute. Ho hum
Rode to work in the morning.
DH joined me for the ride home in the afternoon. A woman in an Explorer pulled up beside us at a light and rolled down the window. She was asking DH something about helmets, but I couldn't hear over road noise (I was a bit ahead of DH). I finally roll back a bit, as the back window is rolled down and there was a young boy, about 4, in a booster seat. He's yelling something out the window about bicycles. I go back to him. "I got 2 bicycles!" he yells. "Two??" I exclaim. "Lucky you!" He continued going on about his two bikes....I think he said something about 1 being at Grandma's. His mom was laughing. But the light changed, and off we went. I'm sure he was continuing is bicycle discussion long after we were gone.

[AnnieBikes]

I took my last ride today before having my bike packed to ship to Portland for my Northwest Loop 1500 mile ride. I rode up S. Holston Mt., 9+ miles of 5-9% grades. I had my personal best time for the climb and then descended into Shady Valley, TN for the most beautiful morning. I stopped for a chocolate milk and then climbed back up and had a screaming descent back to the bottom. I even outran a car coming down the mountain. There are lots of switchbacks so I could go faster around the curves than the car. Awesome ride!

So the bike got packed and will ship tomorrow. I am off to see family in Baltimore for 5 days and then the last 8 days push to get ready for the flight to Oregon. I am SOOOO excited.

[pfunk12]

I had a regular, non-eventful commute to work. On the way home, a woman passed me on a busy street in Washington, DC. She looked fierce. When drivers were doing stupid things, she would glare at them. She was making me laugh because she reminded me of me. I got behind her on the bike path. She was really moving. At first, I was about 4 bike lengths behind her...then 3...then 2. I didn't want her to think I was drafting. After all, I'm commuting...it's a bikepath...and I'm certainly not racing. I pulled up along side her and said, "Let me pull you along a little. If I slow you down, just pass me." She laughed and said something like she was starting to feel it (we were going slightly uphill). I told her that I got a lot of joy riding behind her while she was flying past men. When they realized it was a woman passing them at such a quick pace, their heads were swiveling! She cracked up. I swear - every guy she passed did a double-take. And then I passed them. Double whammy!

[mudmucker]

I recently discovered a group out of Lancaster that ride on Monday nights so I went for the first time. Tonight's ride was very fun, and the turnout was quite large. We did about 32 miles through Lancaster, Lunenburg, Harvard, Shirley, and Ayer. The ride leader suggested I try the B ride next time. No way am I ready to do 19 mph avg and at longer distances. I need to get stronger. I may not be able to make these rides regularly as they begin at 6pm and I'm not sure I can get out of work in time for them. I'd have to bring my bike to the office to catch the ride on the way home. I made this one because I'm still on vacation. Another good group of people so I will try to make a few more.