Weekend Rides?

[Catrin]

Awesome 15 mile ride today! Wanted to ride further, but time wouldn't permit it, and am trying to nurse my neck along anyway.

I had a HARD time deciding what to wear! It was 57 when I started and I seem to stay colder longer than others I am around. I knew I would be cold - so tossed on toe covers, leg warmers, and also had on base wool layer and SS wool jersey with sleeveless wind breaker. 45 minutes later I took off the toe covers, leg warmers AND the SS wool jersey - thankfully all of this fit in my hydration pack

When I returned home I found the temps had jumped almost 10 degrees in less than 90 minutes - no wonder I got warm! I've just learned that my feet get cold at about 62...as well as my legs.

[Owlie]

Awesome 15 mile ride today! Wanted to ride further, but time wouldn't permit it, and am trying to nurse my neck along anyway.

I had a HARD time deciding what to wear! It was 57 when I started and I seem to stay colder longer than others I am around. I knew I would be cold - so tossed on toe covers, leg warmers, and also had on base wool layer and SS wool jersey with sleeveless wind breaker. 45 minutes later I took off the toe covers, leg warmers AND the SS wool jersey - thankfully all of this fit in my hydration pack

When I returned home I found the temps had jumped almost 10 degrees in less than 90 minutes - no wonder I got warm! I've just learned that my feet get cold at about 62...as well as my legs.

Catrin, at 62, I'm out in shorts and short sleeves (albeit with arm warmers)!

I went on an nice, relatively relaxing 26-mile ride...it was interesting. I got a face full of small flying insects on more than one occasion, my first confirmed "bug in mouth" experience (and it had to be a relatively big one too )...not all that long after something else relatively large bounced off my nose. I rescued a little snake from the trail;it decided to sunbathe, which was not good because it looked exactly like a stick. I nearly ran over the poor thing. I took a stick and picked it up (like one does with worms) and put it in the grass well away from the trail. Of course, now that I think about it, I think it may have been a baby copperhead! Luckily for me, copperheads aren't terribly aggressive.
And I got rained on, but not much. Good thing, considering I was wearing a sky-blue and white jersey!

[nscrbug]

Rode 68 miles today...longest of the season, so far. Slowly working up my mileage...would like to do our first 100-miler of the season sometime in May. Tomorrow, I'm shooting for 70-75 miles. Weather is ridiculously warm for this time of year...was 69 degrees at 7am start and 82 degrees when I pulled into my driveway just before noon. Unheard of for Chicago in March. We are on tap to hit a 7 day record-breaking streak with these temps. But I'm not complaining.

Linda

[Catrin]

We broke a record today that was set in something like 1892! Crazy weather...which is why I am being so careful with my bike clothes - but not complaining!

[Owlie]

We broke a record today that was set in something like 1892! Crazy weather...which is why I am being so careful with my bike clothes - but not complaining!

We were just shy of ours by something like 2 degrees. Crazy. Of course, it's also making the trees go crazy, which my eyes and sinuses do not appreciate.

[luv2climb]

Can I have some of that warm, sunny weather you Midwesterners are getting? We've had a week of garbage! Yeah "we really need it, blah, blah, blah". Give me a desert climate any day. I hate rain!

I did get to take a ride with my elderly neighbor who is learning his new clipless system. Thankfully the crap held off until we got home. Now it's 45 degrees and raining.

For those who are interested, I've been posting about our rides here. I feel this gentleman is a great role model. There aren't that many people in their 80s who are as determined as he is to keep cycling no matter what.

[Catrin]

Catrin, at 62, I'm out in shorts and short sleeves (albeit with arm warmers)!

It was 58 when I started I do need to dress warmer for that - but it was 66 just a little over an hour later! I didn't know it would warm that quickly

[Crankin]

I'm about to start a ride where it will be 45 at the start and about 60-62 at the end. Since I'm not going to be on the bike with the rack and pannier, I have to plan carefully. These are my favorite riding temperatures (50-60), but definitely the hardest to dress for. I could not be wearing shorts and a ss jersey at 60. I would also have leg warmers or knickers, arm warmers and a vest. Probably toe covers and light weight wool socks, too.
Yesterday I did a 24 mile ride with Hirakukibou. We both arrived at our meeting place at the exact same time, which was a first, I think. It was cloudy and 51, a little raw, but we had a good ride. We spend too much time talking to worry about speed, and I had run in the AM. I was fine until about half way through my legs just went dead on a small climb.
This morning DH and I are going to ride about 15 miles to a breakfast place/diner in Wayland. It's a direction I never ride in, and the one time I rode near there, it was a beautiful ride. It's going to be about 70 this afternoon, but our son wanted us to come with him and his wife for the inspection on the house they bought. I told him this was a huge sacrifice, to give up a warm sunny day in March, but for him, I would do it!

[rubysoho]

50.2 miles yesterday with none of the leg cramps that I had last weekend. Thanks to the bloks I ate along the way, I think. Considering another short ride today. It is overcast and I think it'd be nice.

Yesterday's ride was in the upper 70's! It was great seeing *so many* cyclists, runners, families, etc... out and about.

Edited to add: I think I saw a TE member but didn't notice until it was too late to wave.

[redrhodie]

I was talked into the lbs ride yesterday, with the promise of a shortcut back if I wanted. I got dropped right away, more because I was waiting for my friend who had stopped to pick up someone's glasses. Once he got to me, we kept an easy pace, not trying to catch the group, who were soon little fluorescent blips. Another friend came back and asked if I wanted help getting back to the pack (he's a hand on the back when your struggling up a hill kind of guy) but I knew it would hurt and I'd just get dropped again. But instead of going back, he stayed with us, and when the shortcut turn came, we were unanimous in the decision to take it.

It ended up being the best ride I've had in a while. Lots of laughing, nothing hard. The three of us have ridden together before, on a ride when I was strong, and it was so cold and wet and no one else showed up. My other most favorite ride.

I have no idea how far we went, because none of us had a computer. We made it back to the shop just before the rest of the group, who had several miles on us. I wonder if I'll ever get back to where I was? But I'm not complaining. I still had fun.

Real friends push you uphill, and find the shortcuts back.

[Crankin]

We ended up doing a different ride, when we realized we would be pressed for time doing what we planned. I also ended up riding my Guru, which was good, because for the first time, I felt confident on it and strong (er).
We rode to some hills in west Concord I rarely ride on for about 12 miles, then we went out to breakfast back in west Concord center, picked up something at the drug store and took a long way home. Total ride was 23 miles. At the end I was wearing a short sleeved jersey, short sleeved base layer, arm warmers, and knickers, short fingered gloves. We probably saw at least 200 cyclists.
Glad I had my jacket for the beginning, though.

[shootingstar]

I think I did around 23-25 km.

Must have been around 28 degrees F. Most of snow melted off. But more may be forecasted later this week which is why I piled in some cycling.

There weren't many people out cycling. Saw more joggers than cyclists. Alot of joggers were dressed more lightly than I. But then as a cyclist, with the wind generated by cycling or wind just hitting harder, need to dress more warmly.

[AppleTree]

We started out to do an organized ride in this area called the McClinchy Mile. Nice scenic country ride, about 34 miles or so (my husband usually does the longer loop). We got to the start and despite our best hopes the rain would be magically gone 20 miles north, alas, it was still there and then some.

The rain itself might not have been SO bad, but most of the route is along 2 or 3 lane roads with mixed traffic, heavy in spots. Not so much what is coming down but what is being thrown up in our faces from the road that made us reconsider.

Well, on our way home it lightened up a little and we thought, well, since we are all geared up why not just take a ride along the rail trail instead, at least we'd get a ride in. So that's what we did! I got in only 17 miles, and actually it started raining harder AND snowing on us on the way back. Boy were we soaked. But we felt better having at least cycled...and made the hot soup and hot bath seem sooooooooo much more luxurious at home.

I did find out that Specialized shoe covers do diddly-squat in a heavy rain.

The upshot is that a few hours after we got home, the sun came out and it was a beautiful afternoon. That's the northwest for you.

[rubysoho]

Did another 20 miles today to bring my weekend total just above 70 miles.

Also, I didn't realize roller blades are coming back. I definitely saw 10 different people on roller blades between yesterday and today.

[Catrin]

I've been seeing people on blades with a partner on a bike, interesting!

I rode yesterday so couldn't ride today - but I DID go to the gym and tossed weights around for quite some time I've dinner plans tomorrow night, but if that falls through will ride tomorrow night. 80 degrees in March, gotta love it!