October Rides

[rebeccaC]

lots of wind according to those palm trees....i'd be thinking about a great tail wind ride ...even with a good rain

Did a ride to the watts community action center in south central L.A. for a coordination meeting in preparation of the start of sex trafficking prevention and intervention programs at the center. A strong and positive interaction with community based people with hearts of understanding and compassion. 52 miles total and a happy soul the entire ride/day

Statue of the ‘Mother of Humanity’ at the center. Working to heal, promote peace, speak truth and having the heart and courage to take strong fearless action with reverence and respect.....a fitting symbol for the center

[salsabike]

rebeccaC, your ride, its purpose, and this picture all made my day. Thanks.

[rebeccaC]

....

[Crankin]

Today's ride truly felt like a November ride. High is 44 degrees. It was sunny when we left home to go to the condo to measure some closets. Sunny, with a breeze. Had on heated gloves, mid weight tights, winter Assos jacket with a thermal jersey, and a short sleeved base layer. Wore my winter shoes, too. It was just about right. My core was heating up, just as we arrived; since this is the first day in weeks my sinuses don't hurt (meds are working), I did not want to feel chilled. Did our work, and rode right home. Nice and flat, except for the climb up to my house. I swear, on the way back, the sky looked like snow is coming. We actually might have some flurries tonight, it's going to be 25. My legs felt good, but I didn't try too hard. Only 15.5 miles.

[emily_in_nc]

Crankin, a Facebook friend of mine in Vermont posted snow photos this morning. It was so strange to this NC gal to see snow in the same photos with fall foliage. Normally in NC, the trees (other than pines) are bare by the time snow falls.

Rebecca, I know, I love a good tailwind too, but there were deep puddles everywhere (Mexican roads have terrible drainage), and we could see on the radar that it was about to pour again. About 30 mins. after I took these photos, it was coming down in sheets. If you would have ridden in those conditions, you are much tougher than I!

Here's an example of a street just down from us:

Attachment 17832

[Crankin]

Emily, that looks like the roads in Miami, during a rain. Maybe this is something particular to tropical locations?
Yes, I had a few pics from friends in VT, with a dusting of snow. One from SheFly! Also, a couple of pics from x country ski centers that had a funny juxtaposition of foliage and trails with a tiny bit of snow. I think what happened is the foliage season started very late, because of the drought, then rain. The cold air this weekend is a blip, supposed to be back in the 60s by mid week. I am supposed to do a metric next Sunday, so we will see.

[emily_in_nc]

Emily, that looks like the roads in Miami, during a rain. Maybe this is something particular to tropical locations?

Yes, because the rain tends to come down so fast and heavy, even places with good gutter systems can't always handle the inflow. And we don't have good gutter systems here. Some of the roads do have drains, but they always seem to be placed wrong, like on a high point where the water can't flow. Not the best road engineering here, I'd say.

[rebeccaC]

Rebecca, I know, I love a good tailwind too, but there were deep puddles everywhere (Mexican roads have terrible drainage), and we could see on the radar that it was about to pour again. About 30 mins. after I took these photos, it was coming down in sheets. If you would have ridden in those conditions, you are much tougher than I!

i wouldn't say tougher.....with seldom getting rain here means i can recall the inner child when it does and just enjoy riding in it and through puddles with my legs up ...a strong tailwind would just make it even better

but then only on a road that doesn't have large potholes hidden by surface water

[Jolt]

I did the Dempsey Challenge (charity ride in central Maine) yesterday…had signed up for the 100-mile ride but only did the 70 b/c I was not going to make the time cutoff and got rerouted at the point where the two courses split. Actually, I probably would have decided on my own to just do the 70 given the conditions yesterday…it was pretty cold (below freezing at the beginning) and WINDY. There was a headwind for most of the ride, making it extra tough (and it's already a fairly hilly ride…one hill is known as "puke hill" and is long and gets steeper as you go up). I was pretty wiped out by the end of it and was glad to have finished! Next time I may just do the 50 miler, to keep it enjoyable and not stressful. It was interesting seeing what bikes everyone else had…I did not see one other Surly (maybe they were all on the shorter rides) and some people were riding what looked like triathlon type bikes. The ride is really well organized and there is a variety of good stuff at the rest stops, including hot apple cider and hot chocolate, which were really welcome on the chilly ride yesterday. There is also a lobster dinner and beer from a local brewery at the end which is a nice way to top off the day. I think more people might have stayed around for the post-ride festivities if it had been a little warmer! Today I am being a lazy bum before heading into work this afternoon.

[emily_in_nc]

i wouldn't say tougher.....with seldom getting rain here means i can recall the inner child when it does and just enjoy riding in it and through puddles with my legs up ...a strong tailwind would just make it even better

but then only on a road that doesn't have large potholes hidden by surface water

Yes, we used to ride our beach cruisers through huge puddles in Belize all the time, some quite deep, but I hate to do that with my Bike Friday. I am not fond of cleaning my bike after riding in the rain, especially when in a dirty city. I am also leery of strong tailwinds as that means at some point during the ride, I'll be battling an equally strong headwind! There will be plenty of other days to ride. :-)