June rides....hopefully a pleasant month of weather and rides for all

[Jolt]

About a 12.5 mile ride today since I was short on time. I picked a route with some good hills since I am working on climbing...the total amount of climbing was only 674 feet according to MapMyRide but it is ALL in the first half of the loop, the second half is a long gradual downhill. The first climb starts about 1/2 mile in and goes on for about 2 miles with a couple of steep sections...that section was brutal since I was in no way, shape or form warmed up yet when I started the climb. The second big hill was better but still hard because it also had a really steep section. I do OK with the longer more gradual uphills (can sometimes even shift into a higher gear after a while), but throw a steep section in and it's painful! Seems to be much more of a leg strength issue than a cardio issue. On the second half of the ride, I happened to get mixed up in a group that was doing a training ride for the Trek Across Maine next weekend and was able to stay with them for a few miles...some impromptu speedwork of sorts. Today was also the first ride with my new cycle computer...it was interesting to see my speed on different sections (average 13 mph, hit 37.4 mph going down the other side of one of the big hills!).

[azfiddle]

Nice ride up Mt. Lemmon this morning- almost 37 miles total, starting from home, 10 miles to the base and up to about mile 11.5 at Middle Bear Canyon (cool, shady, 5500 feet). I always need to make a few stops and let my heart rate come down- I think I stopped 5 times once we started up the mountain. That's the furthest I've gone this season- the climb tops out at over 8000 feet and there's no water available at all right now, so that means carrying a LOT of water.

[emily_in_nc]

We've been visiting relatives in NC and Ohio but did manage to get quite a bit of riding in, and I summarized the Ohio rides in a blog post -- the rides described therein were mostly done in late May into early June. We were lucky to get some wonderful weather and found some excellent roads for riding.

http://travelingtwosome.weebly.com/t...to-see-and-eat

Since leaving DH's parents' home in Dover, OH, we've been to Xenia, OH to ride part of the Little Miami Scenic Trail and to Richmond, IN to ride the Cardinal Greenway. In both cases I got my longest rides in of the year -- 71 and 75.8 miles. Blog posts on those will be coming soon!

[emily_in_nc]

Just got the Little Miami Scenic Trail blog post published. Definitely check out this great trail if you are in southwestern Ohio!

http://travelingtwosome.weebly.com/t...i-scenic-trail

[Crankin]

Led our bike club rally 30 mile ride today. It was hot! 80-85 degrees. We had the largest group, but we broke into 2 groups, with DH and I leading/sweeping the faster group. Unlike most AMC rides, we had some really fast people, and I spent my time at the back with 3-4 of them. I was pissed at DH for not slowing a bit, but after talking to the couple that were behind him, they kinda had an edge and I can see why he didn't. Everyone was happy, we had no mechanicals, but I had a couple of incidents where the group right in front of me just weren't taking the lane on some of the more difficult left turns. They were timid and i had to yell at them to get over. Near the end of the ride, they told me to get in front of them, and I did, leading them back to the start.
DH and I went home, showered, changed, and then went back to Verill Farm for happy hour, a speaker about the history of cycling in Boston, and dinner. Food was great, and the speaker was good. Afterwards, we went with our friends to get ice cream. A really nice day.
And a funny thing was we were talking to someone in the line for dinner, and he told me his name and that he was the president of another local bike club. I knew right away that he was the dad of one of my former students. This kid was 12 and had the same bike I did and always wrote in his journal about his average on rides! He ended up being a very successful scientist. It's always nice to hear this stuff, and it doesn't happen very often.

[SheFly]

I met Larry at the Harvard Road Race last week, and then again before and after the Pioneers Ride from Ride Studio Cafe yesterday. He is very entertaining, and quite nice to chat with!

My rides this week were eclectic! After being away on business with no bike from Mon through Weds, I was itching to get back out on Thurs, but the weather was miserable - rain, and cool temps. That didn't deter us from an MTB ride out the rail trail to Estabrook, despite the rain, and all of the mud it left in its wake. By the time we were done, the sun was shining, but I still had to stand in the shower with my bike clothes on to get the mud out BEFORE putting the kit in the laundry.

Friday I had planned to head out on the trails with local pro and friend, Mo Bruno Roy. What I neglected to take into account was the toll that 40 miles of MTB at a fairly fast pace was going to take on my legs. With my competitive side, I wasn't smart enough to go at an easier pace, plus I wanted to show Mo all of the good stuff. Lesson learned.

Yesterday was the launch of a new Ride Studio Cafe team - the Expedition team. This is a team of 6 women who will ride/ race together wherever the road/dirt takes us. Our kickoff ride was at the shop's Pioneer Ride, and was 111 miles with about 5700 feet of climbing on both paved and dirt roads. This normally wouldn't be an issue for me, but the two days of riding leading into it, the heat, and the frequent prolonged stops did me an, and had me suffering later in the ride. The route was spectacular, however, and the day ended up being a great amount of fun.

Today was about resting and recovery. My biggest accomplishment was vacuuming the house and walking to the supermarket for lemonade

SheFly

[Crankin]

Because we were busy all day yesterday, I spent the AM, grocery shopping and lounging around the house, while DH did yard work. We went for a shorter, 21 mile ride around Concord, mostly Carlisle, took pictures and enjoyed the day. It was humid, not quite as hot as yesterday, but still up there, around 80-82. There were clouds, so that saved me. However, I drank 2 bottles, which is odd for me, for a shorter ride.
I probably will ride to work tomorrow, after the gym, as Tuesday looks like a rain out, with thunder.