October Rides

[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. :-)

[emily_in_nc]

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.

OMG, you are so very lucky. I need to get back to Maine one of these days. We certainly don't have post-ride eats like that in NC or anywhere else I've lived. Congrats on making 70 miles in what sounds like tough conditions!

[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]

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. :-)

But I like the zen state I can get to while meticulously cleaning my bike
The few times I've wanted to ride with just a very very strong tailwind I/we would get someone to drive us to a start point that gave us the tailwind all the way back home. Did that once while visiting a friend in Springfield Illinois. On a nice reasonably straight rural road we were doing high 30's low 40's without much effort almost the entire ride back to her place. ....anyway my post was about my inner child not my pragmatic womanhood.

[Crankin]

Emily, there was not very good drainage in Miami, either. Of course, this was in the early 70s, but I suspect, it's not much different now.
Jolt, congrats on that ride! I have always wanted to do it, but I know how hilly it is and I would never attempt the century. I don't like rides with time cut offs! But, yes, the conditions yesterday must have been brutal, as it was windy and cold enough down here.

[Jolt]

Emily, there was not very good drainage in Miami, either. Of course, this was in the early 70s, but I suspect, it's not much different now.
Jolt, congrats on that ride! I have always wanted to do it, but I know how hilly it is and I would never attempt the century. I don't like rides with time cut offs! But, yes, the conditions yesterday must have been brutal, as it was windy and cold enough down here.

Yes, "brutal" pretty much covers it! I've decided I am not a fan of rides with time cutoffs either (after this ride and D2R2 this past summer)…maybe if I were faster I would feel differently, but since I'm not they kind of stress me out. You could always do the 50…I think that is what I will do next time. I would still like to try and do a century, but not sure if it is even realistic given how slow I am. Maybe I need to find one that isn't so hilly!

[rebeccaC]

Nice weekend away….went out into the desert to do some work on Friday then to the Searles valley to do some photography on Saturday and a ride today. Beautiful valley with some old towns in various degrees of decay and some interesting creative people. Today we rode a series of well paved side roads with very little Sunday traffic and with beautiful desert landscapes just thrown in. 76 not too strenuous miles....well, and a couple of interval challenges with both of us smiling before and after
nice overcast, very little wind and it was cooler in the desert than the beach so H60’s to L70’s was nice too.

[Crankin]

I commuted today, for the first time in quite awhile. It was 38 when I left, so I was decked out in all my gear, including a light balaclava under my beanie. Well, even though it was at least 5-8 degrees colder than the last time I rode, when I was freezing, the sun must have made the difference. I was warm even going down the hill. Knowing I would be building up sweat, i barely rode above a speed of 14. I did not want to stop, for a 5.3 mile ride.
I rarely wear my winter riding shoes for my Frog pedals. They are so toasty, I felt like I had chemical heaters on. I still have issues with the cleats kind of not engaging and my left foot often flies out. I finally got this set on my regular shoes. There was a lot of chatter about this a few years ago; you can hear a light click when it engages, but on these, Irarely hear the click, so I keep my heels in, just in case. Between that, and the packed pannier, I felt a bit off. The ride home was gorgeous, though. Fully dark, with a full moon.

[emily_in_nc]

Gorgeous photos, Rebecca!

Crankin, when I used to use Frog pedals on my MTB, I never heard a click. I just twisted my foot into position and they engaged. I do like the click I get with my Eggbeaters.

[Catrin]

Gorgeous photos, Rebecca!

Crankin, when I used to use Frog pedals on my MTB, I never heard a click. I just twisted my foot into position and they engaged. I do like the click I get with my Eggbeaters.

I used Frogs for my road rides and loved them, I never heard a click but I COULD feel them engage - sort of :-) Glad you like your Eggbeaters!

[Crankin]

The click is very "mild" sounding, nothing like the click in my Speedplay Xs, or even with spd pedals. My foot will slide in, but any bump or movement causes it to slide out. I know there were some years that this was a major issue, as I read about it on line. It seems to have been solved. DH says I am crazy, but when I showed him the threads, he saw the light. I think it has to do with the fact the cleats are just slightly off for fitting on the shoes. They are fine with my regular Shimano mtb shoes, I use with my Guru, but these winter shoes are Northwaves. It was really hard to find winter shoes in my size (37), for women. I was able to find Shimano winter shoes for the road pedals, and those are seamless, but I have avoided wearing the Northwaves because of this. Thing is, the shoes are super warm and better than the winter road shoes, but the pedal issue is driving me nuts. This is the bike I ride in the colder weather, or if there's a sunny/clear road day in the winter, and early season, so I would like to use the shoes, instead of dealing with booties, etc.

[azfiddle]

I commuted yesterday- October is the perfect month to ride in Arizona. Not quite 60 degrees and less of the prevailing headwind than usual to start and a short sleeved jersey was sufficient and the ride home was not too hot- 80 degrees or so. The weather here is getting ready to cool down a bit by the end of the week so the next time I commute I'll definitely need an outer layer or arm warmers.

[Crankin]

Rode this morning, in anticipation of the remnants of the hurricane coming through. I only have one word: windy. It didn't look that windy when I started out, though. But, since there was nothing else wrong, I am assuming that's the reason I was struggling! I did what I call my flat route, and while the 2 hills on the loop were fine, I found myself going at least 6 mph slower than normal on some parts of the flats. This is the ride that I've had my fastest average ever, and while I don't expect that will ever happen again, it was nowhere near the usual. However, finally, I got on the part of the route that was less of a crosswind, and maybe a teeny tailwind, and I was able to push it. I passed one guy who was moseying, and that gave me the oomph to just get done. Again, I was not dressed quite right. I wore my rain jacket, which was a mistake, and I should have had a lighter jersey on. Even my legs were sweating... it was 44 when I started and 52 when I got home. I did take my glove liners off and push my skull cap up over my ears, which helped.
A lot of work for 17 miles, but I am glad I went