July 29th Weekend Rides

[indysteel]

Happy birthday, Sharon! How was your event last night (or is it tonight).

@Catrin, where's the new MTB trail?

DH volunteered as a SAG wagon at a club ride yesterday. Today, we did 45 really hot miles. We (meaning DH) isn't very good at motivating early in the morning, so we didn't start until 10. We did okay until the last 10 miles. We used our Camelbaks, which we don't typically use on our road bikes, and our backs weren't too happy near the end. They're much more comfortable on our MTBs given our more upright position. All in all, it was still a good ride.

[tangentgirl]

Met a friend who I haven't seen for a while and did about 28 miles around the regular loop. It was really nice to get out, and fun to ride with a friend - I love the way it challenges me to go faster than I would on my own.

[goride]

Let me start by saying how much I enjoy reading about all of your weekend rides. Had a good riding weekend this week. Started on Friday morning early with a 35 mile ride. Most of the people in the group I ride with hadn't ridden since Tuesday morning due to rain, so we were kind of itching to get out. Everyone decided it would be okay if they were "just a little late for work today." One of the members of our group is training for a two-day MS ride, so we did a 56 mile loop on Saturday, a nice route with hills, but no monster hills. Today we did another 50 miles with no real plan and a more relaxed pace. We ride early-ish, starting around 5:30 a.m. The starting temps the last 3 days were in the upper 60s (nice) but finishing in the mid-80s with high humidity. Sadly, it won't be long before we have to start a little later if we want to ride in mostly daylight.

[wackyjacky1]

I did my usual Sunday ride through downtown S.A. to the Missions and back. Got a late start (after 8 a.m.) and it was already 80-something degrees and hella humid (yuck). LOTS of broken glass on the road today, so it was a good test for the new Nashbar tires I installed yesterday. No flats -- yay!

Turned around at Mission San Jose 'cause it was so muggy and warm that it was getting kind of unpleasant.

Stopped for my usual Sunday latte and scone at the CIA bakery about three miles from home. A chunk of scone fell down inside the front of my shirt, and seeing as how it woulda been kind of indecent to start digging around in my cleavage to fish it out, I had to ride the rest of the way home with scone bits in my bra. This, I don't recommend.

25 miles total.

[Crankin]

We scouted out our 50-ish mile ride to the fruit farm in Hollis/Nashua, NH, in preparation of leading it on Oct. 1. Actually, the farm may be in Pepperell, MA, but, it's right on the border.
We have totally revamped much of this ride, including about 36 of the 48.8 miles. I had only done the route this way once, and I am trying to get it in my head, because DH will be up front with the GPS and I will have a cue sheet, being the sweep. It's fine if the group can stay close together, but it seems like i always get stuck with one person who really shouldn't be on the ride, despite my screening, or is having mechanicals. This is a gorgeous ride, but very hilly, with the street leading up to the farm, about a 4 mile climb that has about 6 separate hills, 2 of them being quite steep, but short. There's one steep climb after lunch, that is new, and near the end of the ride, we go through the Lost Lake area of Groton, another climb. After that, we headed back to the start point, a totally different way, which necessitates climbing over a freeway overpass, not too bad, but then another hill that is torturous, and ends right when we turn into the lot where our cars were. I used to ride up this all of the time before we moved to Concord, and it brought back memories of struggling up this hill when I first started riding.
It was hot. Like 90 degrees. A lot of this ride is shaded, but I drank almost 3 bottles of Nuun/water, and more water with lunch. The view where we eat at the farm is fantastic, and makes up for the climbing. I never feel like leaving the lunch spot!
Tired.

[Koronin]

No riding this weekend. Mostly due to heat and then rain. I won't complain though because we really need the rain. We are in a very bad drought. I did get to take the mountain bike out on our street long enough to determine we finally have the reach between seat and handlebars much better to where I feel a lot better on the bike. Also it was long enough to determine the main issue now is to find a saddle for the mountain bike. Hubby did the same with his road bike. Basically had to make my mountain bike feel more like my road bike and had to make his road bike feel more like his mountain bike. Those two things are now more accomplished. Now the issue is finding me a mountain bike saddle and him a road bike saddle. The sad part is I borrowed the saddle that came on his mountain bike (he has a different one on it right now) and it's better than any other saddle I've tried so far, but not right. He borrowed my road bike saddle (which is a men's saddle, but I love for my road bike) and it's better than what he had tried before. I think we may be making a trip to Raleigh to look for saddle at some point in the future (possibly the weekend we go to Bristol. Since the NASCAR races there are night races we'll be driving home Sunday and can stop by a couple of shops, specifically Performance and see what might work).

[7rider]

This weekend was all about multi-sport training.
Saturday: 1500 m swim, followed by a 23 mile bike ride. My first swim-bike brick.
Sunday: 4.75 mile run, 26 mile bike, 2.25 mile run (mini duathlon, on the course where I'll be doing my duathlon next Sunday.

[azfiddle]

Indysteel- the event was fantastic! It was so cool because most of my new cycling friends had never seen me perform. I collected over $150 and almost 150 pounds of food for the food bank, all of my music friends joined in at various times.

And the cake... mmmmmmm.... giant chocolate strawberries topped a fabulous chocolate cake with raspberry filling.

[maggie's sister]

The BF and I did 24 fast miles on Friday before work and 65 miles with 7000 feet of climbing on Saturday. Both were great. My only complaint is that PA thinks that oil and chips are the best way to avoid costly repaving, so portions of the long ride were on new chips (a.k.a. loose gravel). I think that loose gravel is the one thing that I fear the most.

[rubysoho]

Was hoping to break 60 miles yesterday but ended up only getting through 40 before I was not feeling "right." Still, I am pretty happy because I doubled the distance I've ever done alone (so I wasn't drafting! ) and while I stayed on track keeping my mph low the first 10 miles I ended up setting a good time for my 40 (I ended up getting bored staying under 15 mph and kicked it up to a range between 17 and 21 mph).

I learned two things:

1. I need to pace myself if I want to go further and not give into my "I wanna go fast"/Ricky Bobby self. I think I could have at least gone 50 on my own, and probably 60 had I not increased my speed. (Also, I needed a bigger breakfast.)

2. I love that cycling allows me to shut my brain off. The constant chatter going on in my head about work and other stressful items gets annoying! There was a good 20 miles of "quiet" which I really needed.

Thankfully I planned my ride so that the first 40 put be back at my car in case I needed to bale and not complete the last twenty. Was able to chat with a few cyclists at a watering hole, always good meeting new people. I was a bit in awe of a guy who had a Ironman Finisher jersey on.

It was a good ride. The temperature did jump nearly 20 degrees from when I started to when I finished. And I think I need to increase the amount of water bottle holders I have (only 2, I want the attachment so I can put two more behind my seat) because I was feeling dehydrated the remainder of the day.

[indysteel]

Indysteel- the event was fantastic! It was so cool because most of my new cycling friends had never seen me perform. I collected over $150 and almost 150 pounds of food for the food bank, all of my music friends joined in at various times.

And the cake... mmmmmmm.... giant chocolate strawberries topped a fabulous chocolate cake with raspberry filling.

I'm glad it went well. Good on you for raising food and money for a good cause!

[Norse]

Shortest ride of the season, quite sticky hot, but quite enjoyable: we took our 12 year old niece out on one of the trails along Lake Minnetonka. 8 miles - a new mileage "high" for her so she was thrilled. I am so glad that at least one of my nieces has a real interest in biking.

[MojoGrrl]

Rode again yesterday, only 26 miles and about 700+ feet of climbing....then after I was done, went and got a deluxe pedicure with foot and leg massage and hot stone massage. Must do that more often!!!

[Catrin]

Happy birthday, Sharon! How was your event last night (or is it tonight).

@Catrin, where's the new MTB trail?

DH volunteered as a SAG wagon at a club ride yesterday. Today, we did 45 really hot miles. We (meaning DH) isn't very good at motivating early in the morning, so we didn't start until 10. We did okay until the last 10 miles. We used our Camelbaks, which we don't typically use on our road bikes, and our backs weren't too happy near the end. They're much more comfortable on our MTBs given our more upright position. All in all, it was still a good ride.

Hope the ride went well yesterday!

The new trail is at Ft. Harrison, and it is only unofficially open - though it is "officially" unofficially open, there is information on the HMBA website.

The trail is fun and very mixed terrain. Parts of it is pure beginner, parts of it are far from it. The first half of the trail has a LOT of exposure, and there is no where to go - I actually got a little nervous walking part of it as the trail was so narrow. Not many hairpin turns at all, lots of gentle swooping single-track. Some impressive obstacles, though of course one can walk those.

After my camping trip I will likely go in from the exit and try riding the back half of the trail, far less exposure there and lots of trail that would be fun to ride even at my level. The first half...is more advanced.

As the trail is not "officially" open yet there are no signs, and I got turned around. Not saying the "lost" word, but I revisited a good part of it Nice 2.5 hour hike though, and it was good for my legs to do something different for a change.

[AppleTree]

DH and I did the Seattle Century ride yesterday - the 50 mile route. Once again, SO lucky with weather here for a major ride! 70's, clear blue sky all day long. Nice crisp start to the day, maybe in the low 60s, didn't even need a jacket to start. We've done this ride three times now and enjoy the scenic route around the Seattle-Bellevue area. I really love the section over the I-90bridge bike trail over Lake Washington and through Mercer Island. To look out over the water at the city skyline (when I dared take my eyes off the path) is just stunning.

I loved it so much I took a wrong turn in Bellevue and ended up on the "scenic" route thereby adding another hour or so to my ride. From what I heard at the finish line, I wasn't the only one. They could have used better markings on the roadway at some intersections.

Nice salmon BBQ at the finish line party, they have some wonderful food. Oh, and strawberry shortcake at the Mercer Island rest stop.

After much consternation over our weather this past spring, I am SO glad we aren't somewhere having temps in the 90s and 100s... I don't think I could do it. I'll put up with a little rain, thankyouverymuch.