May Rides

[Crankin]

It's almost 90 degrees here; humid, too. Stayed up a little late to go out early, so we did a quick 20 miles around to great Brook Farm and back. Hot, dry, windy. When I got back, I was so red in the face, I thought I had forgot to put on sun block, but it was just the heat. The ride was uneventful, glad I did it, but also glad it's over. Definitely need to do some more 40-60 mile rides over the next month, before I go on my tour, but this week, at least I did one 40 and one 50 miler. KHG, it's my little 10 mile commutes and short rides that generally keep me in shape and I don't worry about it!
Off to Harvard Square to meet DS and DIL for dinner.

[Catrin]

Looks like everyone is having fun, and Rebecca, I LOVE your photos!

Sounds like a fun, hot ride Crankin! I loved/hated riding in that combination of heat and humidity - but there is just something about riding in those conditions that is very satisfying, though I can't say why. At least for me.

[Crankin]

I think it's the fact that riding in the heat makes me feel like I worked really hard and it also makes me lose weight... don't really like it, and I swear it's from all of those years being in a climate controlled environment in AZ and FL, where I never went outside for 4-5 months out of the year, becaue it was just too hot.

[Helene2013]

OMGoodness....look at all those beautiful pics. Nothing to ride like this here. Nah...very standard! hihi

Today was our first ever ride (well the 2nd for husband - the 1st he had a bad crash with his club ride 3 weeks ago) of the season. We only did 31.6km but it was hot, sticky, muggy. I am so happy with all the training I did this past winter. I was really fast, stable and had so much fun today. My husband said he hurt the first 30 minutes into the ride but his thigh muscle (where he fell at 34km/h) was ok past that. He's still in physio twice a week (plus daily things to do at home). So overall, it was an excellent ride considering everything.

We also had pretty strong wind and I had no issues with it. Our bikes are such a dream to ride. Stable, fun, fast. Pure joy.

[azfiddle]

I feel like I've been cursed with flats this week! Last Saturday, I had a flat en route to Mt. Lemmon. Monday I picked up a nasty thorn and discovered right before I planned to ride to work. Yesterday, another thorn.

But today just half a mile or so from home, I heard a tremendous bang and the clink of metal as I was starting down a hill and felt like I was wrestling with the bike to keep it stable. When I was able to stop, I pulled out this nail:

My husband picked me up and I changed the tire. Hopefully, that's the end of it!

[rebeccaC]

I feel like I've been cursed with flats this week!

yeah thanks for passing that curse on I read your post last night and had one of those on my commute this morning....and I was blaming YOU for writing about that word

fixing it did give me a few minutes of zen mindfulness while sitting on grass and having the ocean in front of me though so I guess i should THANK YOU

“Be happy in the moment, that's enough. Each moment is all we need, not more.”
― Mother Teresa

eta isn't that an area with a lot of thorn's...

[Crankin]

I commuted yesterday... there seems to be an usual amount of traffic and I am not sure why. I commute on the outside edges of rush hour, and while it's not quiet, it doesn't feel crazy. Yesterday did. For the first time ever, another cyclist pulled up to the light with me, as I was waiting to cross Rt. 2, right outside my office.
One of my clients asked me if "bikes were allowed in the middle of the road?" I gave her a quick recap of the laws, and told her she had asked me some very good questions! I guess she had a run in with a group of 4 cyclists who were spread out across the road and wouldn't move.

[Owlie]

Took the road bike out for the first time in months. Even though I bike to work only occasionally (I don't know how long I'll be at work until I get there), I think it's done me some good in terms of keeping my fitness up. Despite the difference in gearing, the hill on the way home is so much easier on a bike that weighs less than 30 pounds (never mind the weight of the stuff in the pannier). 31 miles today. Still not acclimated to the heat, though...

[marni]

I actually got out on my bike for the second time this month. It has been a battle between constant wind, thunder, lightning and wind and riding. I opt for safety and trainer workouts. Our yard has become a swamplett of 3-5 inches of standing water. The frogs and toad are happy and the heron checks it out now and then, but the dogs (corgie, and mixed shitzu) have requested either stilts of a raft.

Today was hot and humid with a brisk little breeze but at least there was no rain. The humidity made up for that. Now starts the season of sweat rings on the floor of the garage. I took off my sweat band, held it out and watches the sweat run off it. Still I managed 34 miles at 15.2 which is very fast for me. Gues the trainer intervals or the adreniline surge from finally being outside helped. With any luck, tomorrow will stay dry long enough for me to ride again so I can do a back to back. Fingers crossed!

[Helene2013]

Isn't it a great feeling Marni when you realize all the hard work done on trainer is a real payoff when we get our bikes out?

This weekend we were in the Burlington (VT) area for camping and picking up my Crux frame. So of course we brought our road bikes along.

It was the 2nd but 1st real ride since my husband crashed in his club. He's improving but still in physio. He says only the 1st 30 minutes are rougher on the saddle but after he's good.

So we left Colchester and headed to Burlington using the bike path. It was soooo much fun that we asked for a late checkout yesterday to redo a bit of spinning the wheels. BUT!!! yesterday was so windy and so hot and so humid. HATED that. We left the campground and did about .5km, on a hill to start. Not even warmed up. I was already sweating just dressing up...imagine cycling. haha Did I tell you I hate heat. I'm such a lost case with the sun and the heat. lol Anyway, after cycling about 5km I was warmed-up enough and did no longer feel the burning/stinging in my thighs (from the ride the day before). I'm not used to a lot of hills so this weekend was all that. And to top it off, yesterday winds were gusting at about 45km/h. That is a lot for me. But I was never scared (like it I would have been with my ex-Kuota). We ended doing 30km and it was just enough for a 2nd day in a row in harder conditions than I'm used to.

So very happy that I've worked hard at intervalls and simulate hills during my winter training. Although it was hard, I never felt like quitting or getting off my bike to finish that climb. Maybe it is also a combination of having lost 8 pounds that helped too. Oh...and my knees never once cried for mercy while pushing to get to the top of the hills. They were tired, but that's about it. So my synvisc is working for sure. I would not have done that last year without icing them and taking Aleve once in the car. Life is good!

My speed Sunday was excellent. Yesterday I was a bit slower due to "pain", winds pushing me back.

But it was one of my best cycling weekends ever.

[marni]

I got out again for a second ride today. Not as long or as fast, definitely had some better tail winds than I thought yesterday as I can't believe that I am actually showing some improvement. I always sya I could go fast like Lance on a steep downhill with a good tailwind.

25 miles at 14.8 which is more like my average speed.

As hot as and if possible more humid than yesterday. I obviously need to move a basket of beach towels out to the garage to mop up with and the sweat circles on the floor are now turning into major large wet areas. sigh......

[Crankin]

I went out alone around 10:00 AM, with the idea of doing about 20-25 miles, combining some local roads in a new way.
Good thing I didn't. I sneezed a bunch of times before I went, took an allergy pill and nasal rinse. My eyes were hurting, but off I went. It is nice and cool out, around 60 when I left. I got up Strawberry Hill, feeling a little off, and my speed was just a little lower than usual. Then, I had a nice flat/downhill. OK. The next road is about half a mile of 4% uphill. Gradual. All of a sudden, I felt like I was choking, and I wished I had my inhaler! After a bit, I stopped and drank half of my bottle and blew my nose. I slowed down and regulated my breathing, but I was in a cold sweat. At a certain point, maybe mile 9, I turned right instead of left and headed home. Just when I started going up my street, up the hill, a group of about 8 cyclists were coming down the hill. Iknew almost all of them, and was slightly embarrassed about my leisurely pace of say, oh, about 5.5 mph. But, I felt bad enough to not really care. Came home, showered all of the pollen off of me and took my contacts out. Still not feeling great and I am planning to ride early early AM. Hopefully, it's gone by then. A grand total of just under 14 miles.
Glad I didn't drive 45 miles to do a metric today!

[Crankin]

Had a great ride in cool temperatures, with bright sun. Starting off, it was really cool, almost fall -like, but I so prefer this to 80+ degrees. This was a major hill ride for me, over 3,000 ft. of climbing in 50 miles. Other than my GPS totally freezing and needing to be rebooted, it was fun, although the hills were hard. We went through Acton, Boxborough, Harvard, Bolton, Clinton, and Lancaster, and then back to Acton. Did one hill I haven't done in 5-6 years (Vaughn Hill) and Old Bay Rd., which I did not do last year. Both of these roads are in Bolton and have 10-13% grades. Needless to say, my average was low, but it felt like we were riding in Vermont, except going through Clinton, which is a pretty depressed looking town. We also went up or down some hills we usually do in the other direction.
Feeling pretty good and getting ready to go out to the Dudley Chateau, ("the Chat"), one of the oldest and truest pubs around here. It's a secret, hidden place I went to on a group ride.