Magnificent or Mundane May Rides!

[colorisnt]

Crankin, yeah, I know the feeling. It's better to get some mileage in than none always!

[Crankin]

15 of some the most torturous miles I've done. The last couple times I've ridden my Kuota, it seemed like the brakes got stuck after I put it away, or in the process, I banged something. DH checked, fixed something, but today I didn't spin the wheel before we left. I really thought I had lost all power, on every little climb. I could maintain a pretty good speed on the flats, but no flat roads until the second half of the loop. We sat on the porch at Ferns so I could rest. Seriously, I was ready to throw in the towel on this ride and even if I feel like this in the beginning of a ride, by the middle of this loop, I'm usually fine. There was a headwind, too. So, I got home and checked, and sure enough, brakes rubbing. Not totally stuck, but enough that I notice. On this loop, I know exactly how fast I usually go on good days, bad days, and in between, so I am not going crazy. We figured out this has happened since we replaced the brake/shifters and cables about a month ago. DH tightened something again, but said this should not be happening every time I ride. Will go to the bike shop if necessary, but this is rarely necessary in this house.

[Catrin]

Glad you figured it out Crankin, and hope the two of you can figure out why it is happening again.

[Fredwina]

I had a nice big blister, so I took a few days off riding. I did 42 miles today.
The American Queen in port:

Tom Lee (http://www.tomleeamemphishero.webs.com/history.htm ) Park:


Looking Upriver:

[Jolt]

No ride for me today...getting ready for tomorrow's big (for me) ride...50 miles. Will be sure to post a ride report!

[Crankin]

Did a 46.7 very hilly ride to Bolton Orchards for lunch and back. It's supposed to be 50, but because of road construction and tiredness, we took a bit of a shorter way home.
It's the first real summer like day of riding; really nice, about 75-78 and not too humid. That's good, because ofter lunch, we have a 5 mile climb, which isn't steep, but feels relentless, because of the lack of shade. All of yesterday's issues with my brakes rubbing are fixed and I made myself take this bike, even though I'd normally take the other one, with 2 lower gears on this kind of ride. I feel really wiped, and several "parts" are hurting, but my speed was the normal for this kind of ride and the heat didn't get to me. I had 2 bottles of Skratch Lab lemon-lime, and a bottle of water, and two Shot Blocks, as well as a nice chicken wrap and baked chips for lunch. I guess it took me this long to realize I need to eat more on these kinds of rides.
We'll see if I commute tomorrow, especially since I will go to boot camp before work.

[Jolt]

50 mile ride done! It went well considering I had only gotten up to doing 25 or so at a time before today. The ride was very well organized and lots of people did it, so it was a fun atmosphere. It was interesting to look at what kinds of bikes everyone else was riding; mostly light, fast road bikes but there were a few other touring-type bikes and a few hybrids too. However, I surprisingly did not see any other Surlys (Truckers or otherwise). We couldn't have asked for nicer weather for the ride, and the roads were generally in good condition. I did learn a few things this ride: 1) Hanging around too long at rest stops, whether because of lines for the porta-potties or getting into a conversation with someone and wanting to be polite, is counterproductive--I found that particularly after the last rest stop, where I had someone talking my ear off and stayed longer than I should have, it was hard to get into a good groove again. 2) Chamois cream is helpful for long rides...I tried some "Hoo Ha Ride Glide" (still think this brand name is hilarious) and I think it prevented some discomfort. 3) Despite being small and lightweight, I am not very good at climbing...got passed by a ton of people while going uphill. Something to work on I guess. 4) I am not speedy and probably never will be, but I can go for quite a while at my slow pace. I might even try for a century later in the season. 5) How to pay attention to a cue sheet while riding...it helped that I got a map holder that attaches to my handlebars and stem so I could just open it up when I needed to see what was coming up. All in all, a good experience!

ETA: Oooops...this should go in a June rides thread!