April Rides

[emily_in_nc]

Sounds great Emily! I think you renamed my....errrrr....YOUR bike quite appropriately given the winds you've been dealing with!

Yes, I kind of named the Jamis "Toto" in honor of Kansas, since that is where I took it on its maiden voyage (as my bike, that is) and continue to ride it, including today's ride, a nice jaunt on mostly bike paths up to Walmart for all the important groceries: dark chocolate, coffee, and wine.

[Crankin]

Emily, you and I have so much in common, it's not funny.
Those are the three things I could never, ever give up.

[Catrin]

Emily, I am certainly with two of those three! I've started to get a bit more brave where wine is concerned, I do like a nice red wine. Not so much the others.

[emily_in_nc]

Emily, you and I have so much in common, it's not funny.
Those are the three things I could never, ever give up.

Heheh...it was funny since we didn't actually plan it to be a wine/chocolate/coffee run, but that just happened to be what was on the list. Normally we bike to Costco on Sundays since it's the one day when the traffic is not too high to ride downtown, but since Costco is closed on Easter, that changed our plans a bit. They are definitely three of the major food groups, right?!

[emily_in_nc]

Emily, I am certainly with two of those three! I've started to get a bit more brave where wine is concerned, I do like a nice red wine. Not so much the others.

I am no wine snob. I prefer white wines, but I know reds are the healthier choice. I do enjoy some reds as well, especially with certain foods, including dark chocolate!

[Crankin]

Emily, there's been some recent research about white wine and how it, too, has some of those health benefits. We joined a wine club, so I have become a bit more knowledgable (not snobby).
Back to cycling.
My ride today was an epic fail, but also a major win. I made plans to meet a guy from my club who is a strong rider, but about 5 years older than me and slowing down just a teeny bit. We arranged to meet at Ferns, in Carlisle, where all cyclists meet. About 1/4 a mile from our rendezvous, my rear derailleur/shifter cable snapped, forcing my rear cassette into the the hardest gear. After a loud string of expletives, mostly beginning with f, I rolled in. He suggested we ride to his house, about 4 miles and he would fix it. It was mostly flat, with some rollers, where I switched to the granny. OK, in order to get off a busier road, we turned off toward his neighborhood before I normally would. Then he says, oh, there's a steep short hill, you can do it. Well, I almost didn't, but it had to be the hardest damn thing I've done. Right when I was trying to figure out if I could unclip, or do 2 more pedal strokes up, he yelled out, "you might want to walk." Too late, I would have rather died than crash in front of this man, and I made it. My quads were trashed! Long story short, he couldn't fix it, so on we rode to the LBS (the one SheFly races for). No big hills, but the little ones were getting to me. At least I got a tour of the Bedford VA hospital ground, as he kept us off of the main roads. We rolled into the shop, where the mechanic couldn't do a thing, I need a new shift lever and cable. He put it in an easier cog, so then my friend and I rode the 8 miles back to my house, me mostly in the big ring in the front and the 25 on the back. I was able to use my granny with the 25 and get up my hill, but I did not attempt the driveway, at a 15% grade.
Thus, I didn't get to do the fun ride he planned, but I got in 25 miles, rode up a steep hill in a hard gear, and ended up with an average very close to my fastest all season.

[Sky King]

We got in some fantastic desert exploring on Easter Sunday - we hope we didn't see the Easter Bunny... okay I admit our group has a twisted sense of humor. Beautiful green, no snakes (yet)
This is the Owyhee area bordering Idaho and Oregon. Succor Creek Drainage. We rode 29 miles and I admit, even with my new Surly ECR I walked a bit on some of the climbs.

[emily_in_nc]

Crankin ~~ Good going under tough circumstances! Hope you get your bike back in full working order soon. I am sure you pushed hard riding with someone stronger than yourself, as I always do riding with DH.

I had planned to take today off since I'd ridden several days in a row, have a cranky saddle sore, and it was supposed to rain.

When we got up in the morning, it had sprinkled but appeared to be done raining for awhile. I did a combo light weight/abs/yoga workout in the morning (at home) and when it was still not raining after lunch (overcast and humid, but rain still far off on the radar) and temps hit 68 degrees, I knew I wanted to ride after all. I decided to keep it short but go pretty hard on the roadie with DH. Ended up with 23 miles at a good pace for me, working hard to keep up with DH, and feeling quite strong on the hills. This was the first day in awhile that winds were light, and that made a HUGE difference in how much fun I had on the bike. I am really, really OVER wind. It's loud, it's obnoxious, and unless it's behind you, it's a real PITA!

I threw away an old pair of stretched-out shorts yesterday after feeling miserable in them on the ride (and feeling the chammy bunching all over the place). I then promptly got online and ordered two new pairs of Sugoi shorts from TE (of course! And they were on sale!) When they arrive, three more OLD pairs of shorts are going bye-bye. The shorts are incredibly long-lived and good quality Performance Ultra shorts, and the chamois is still comfortable, but they are a bit too big and too short in the inseam so creep up badly during rides -- and they're TEN years old, so it's time. I can't believe I have ten-year old shorts...sheesh! Can you tell I have a hard time letting go of stuff?! As much as I ride, I have been getting by on shorts that are doing my butt NO favors. Once I get the new shorts and get rid of the other old ones, I'll have six new to middle-aged pairs of shorts left, which is perfect for the amount I ride (5-6 times per week).

Whew! Didn't mean to write a novel. I guess I should have started a new thread entitled "How Old Are Your Shorts?!"

[Catrin]

LOL Emily, I've a few pair like that. I paid so much for them that I am resistant about disposing them!

Crankin...youch that was a hard ride, but it sounds like you were able to walk away with some positives out of the entire situation.

My vacation starts this weekend. One of my many plans is to take my bike to the park at a low traffic period and put her, and me through my paces. If I still am having neurological symptoms after a 20-30 minute ride then I will have to sell her.

Really hoping that won't happen! Amazing what I CAN do off of the bike. Not saying that there aren't other activities I have to be cautious/avoid for the same reason. Very thankful for what I can do! Hopefully I can add riding back in the mix after, basically, taking last year off.

The neck injury from the mountain bike crash happened in fall of 2011, so if there are still issues of the same magnitude then it is time to focus on those many things I can do.

[Crankin]

I hope you don't have to sell your bike, Catrin. It makes me sad, but I understand why you might have to.
We found the the no longer made short reach shifters on E Bay. They are ordered, will be here in a week. Ordered some red cables, too, to match the bike.
This bike is starting to show its age. The frame is from 2007, some of the parts from 2006, when I switched them over from the original too big frame. There's some dings, and I admit I don't clean my bike all that well. Mechanically, it's perfect. Maybe, when I am 65, I'll get a new carbon bike.

[ny biker]

I think I've done three rides since I last posted here. I've had two consecutive cold Wednesday post-work rides. I've actually worn my AmFib tights for both of them. Air temps were in the 50s, but since I don't start until almost 7 pm and ride after dark, I can't count on any sunshine to help me stay warm. And this week we had gusty north winds to make things colder. The forecast for next Wednesday is even worse. On the positive side, I moved the ride start in order to reduce the amount of time I spend sitting in traffic trying to get there, and that's working out well.

I also led a 42-mile club ride back on April 12. The other riders who joined me were all faster than me. A few dropped back to keep me company, but their slow pace was still fast for me. I was exhausted and almost didn't make it up one of the steep hills near the end. I appreciate the thoughtfulness of the guys who rode with me, but I think I might have been better off riding alone at my own pace. Anyway it was a nice, warm day and when I looked up at the tall trees I could see the pale green haze of new buds. Spring, finally.

Tomorrow is a charity ride that I like to do every year. They say it will be warm with winds from the south. It should be fun.

[Crankin]

I rode with Hirakukibou this afternoon for the first time this season. It's really nice out and I had my arm warmers off for the last 7 miles. We just rode from Concord center, where we met, to Great Brook Farm, and then retraced part of our route and went to Ferns, where we sat on the porch, drank coffee, and gabbed for quite a long time. I think it was about 23 miles for me; I reset my Garmin without checking.
Weather this weekend looks iffy. Tomorrow is supposed to be raw and rainy, but there's some hope for Sunday. I'd like to get a 40 miler in, but not sure if I'll have the time.

[Jolt]

First ride on the LHT today...only 20 minutes b/c that's all I had time for between work and another commitment, but better than not getting out at all. This bike is going to be a lot of fun, but the stock saddle is not going to work for me so I will be swapping that out. Tomorrow's weather looks yucky so I will probably just go to the gym instead of riding...hopefully there will be a nice day soon where I have some time!

[Fredwina]

We have a several Fiberglass tigers(University of Memphis mascot) that have been decorated. I rode by this Monday.

and on Thursday.

I had to ride by the Liberty Bowl, UofM's stadium:

And I went by the Pink Palace. Mr. Saunders founded Piggly Wiggly:

[azfiddle]

Jolt- I don't know if my LHT had the stock saddle or not- a plain white one- but it was awful! I replaced it with my pretty old and nearly falling apart Jett, but need to figure out what I will use on permanently. Hope you find a good one.

No ride for me today- I played a dance in Phoenix last night, got home at 1 am and today's weather forecast was wind, wind, wind (up to 40 mph gusts). Good day to take a break and I'll pedal tomorrow.