How was your 5/7 ride?

[emily_in_nc]

Had a great -- well, 2 great rides today! Did a 16-mile errand ride in the morning with DH. Farmer's market, food co-op, and Trader Joe's. Fairly urban riding and a bit of traffic. Brought everything home in panniers, unloaded, had a snack, refilled the water bottle, and headed back out for another 16-mile ride (solo). This one was my usual suburban "neighborhood" loop, where I get to look at all the beautiful lush lawns and rose gardens in the lovely area near where I live. So, 32 miles total on a gorgeous day. Started in the low 60s, ended in the mid 70s. Light breeze, sunshine, blue skies, low humidity. Perfecto!

[hirakukibou]

Rode 47 miles with DH today. We made it home just before the rain started.

[Savra]

Showed up for a group ride this morning. The rain was supposed to have blown over and it was supposed to be sunny. However, still raining where we were supposed to meet. Only one other person showed up for the ride. We decided to drive to the sun and start from there. My partner rider ended up having a slower pace than the group usually does so we meandered for about 25 miles. It was great. Mostly sunny. Nice scenery. I'm glad I went out - even if it might have rained.

[owlice]

21 miles on my usual trails and just a little road this evening, with the ducks, the mutts, the gnats, the small children, the big children, the grandmothers, the clueless youth, the clued-in youths, the geese, the beavers, a few kamikaze robins (I swear one of these is going to end up snagged in my open, panting mouth one day), the bikers with no helmets/lights/reflective gear after dark, the stop signs, and a few, but only a few, raindrops.

A fabulous time!

[luv2climb]

Thanks to one of my YouTube subscribers, I found two more good steep, painful climbs to play on These are both in El Dorado Hills, CA. The first one, Hollow Oak Drive, has a maximum grade of 16%. I climbed both sides of it between Bass Lake Road and Spinning Wheel Court:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/84143204

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaaFCbwxCGE


view from top of Hollow Oak Drive climb by kittyz202, on Flickr


Hollow Oak Drive & Spinning Wheel Ct by kittyz202, on Flickr

The second climb was quite a bit shorter but it was steeper and more painful. This is Boulder Ridge Road. I measured a very quick 22%, but I tend to believe the more consistent 20% readings I got for a max grade:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWRVLM-pgUk


view from top of Boulder Ridge Road climb by kittyz202, on Flickr


my Specialized Sirrus at top of Boulder Ridge Road climb by kittyz202, on Flickr

I got chased by a dog near the top of a climb. As you will see, my usual tactic of making puppy sounds to calm barking dogs failed miserably:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JHqmrRUcJ0