Magnificent or Mundane May Rides!

[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!

[ny biker]

I did this metric yesterday:

http://ohbike.memberlodge.org/events...e=EventDetails

It's one of my favorite rides every year. I rode with several friends and saw others at the rest stops and picnic, since I'm a member of the club that organizes it. The weather was nearly perfect, with just a bit of a headwind towards the end. It was my first ride longer than 60 miles so far this year, so my legs feel a bit tired today, especially when walking up stairs.

I just dropped my bike off at the LBS so they can put on my new, narrower handlebars. I also picked out new bar tape. Bontrager calls the color "plum" but it looks more of a cherry red to me. If all goes as planned I should have the bike back on Tuesday. My neck and shoulders get pretty sore on long rides and I'm hoping the narrower bars will help.