november rides....outside and inside

[emily_in_nc]

Sounds lovely, NY! How nice about the bench dedication. :-)

Crankin, I agree -- going slower is just a lot more pleasant at times. No suffering can be very nice.

We had to skip our usual Sunday morning ride as it was raining off and on, and even during the not-raining minutes, the puddles and wet roads put us off. And by the time we thought "Gee, maybe we should have ridden after all", it would start raining again, thus proving that we made the right decision. It's been a rainy six weeks or so here in Playa, I guess because July through Sept. was dry as the desert.

[Blueberry]

I've been getting in a few quick trainer rides. Another exam tomorrow and a bad combination of "it's cold and I'm feeling wimpy"-itis. At least it's been more regular. Now to keep that up!

[Crankin]

Got in a little 11 mile ride around noon, after doing a new "yoga and weights" class. Jury is still out on that, though it gives me choices on a day off, when it's too cold or snowy to ride, and I don't want to go to spin or ski.
Bright, bright sun, really gorgeous out, around 45. I was a bit overdressed, really just the mid-layer, so I unzipped and that helped. Saw just 2 other cyclists. Glad I went, but I can tell it's getting to be the end of the season for me. Every ride will be a gift and I will force myself out there at least once a week, until it snows or is under 25 degrees. I am at 2,601 miles for the year, and that's OK, considering I haven't done many 50+ mile rides.

[ny biker]

Just finished a 19.5 mile hill ride. A few weeks ago unexpected rain messed with my weekly post-work ride. Tonight there was a chance of light rain in the forecast but it came through early and west of where I planned to ride. There was a cool breeze but it was from the SE, so it was humid with temps in the low 60s. I started the ride wearing arm warmers and a vest, ended up taking them off and was comfortable with just a short-sleeved jersey over a lightweight long-sleeved wool base layer. Unusual for mid-November but I'm not complaining!! The humidity or lack thereof makes a huge difference this time of year.

There was one part of the ride where the roads had been milled down with manhole covers and some unmilled patches higher than the surrounding surface. It was challenging in the dark. Urban cyclocross.

[Crankin]

We had torrential rain forecasted for last night and into around mid morning. So, I signed up for spin class. Woke up, the rain was tapering off by 7:00. By 9, when I left, the sun was out! It was too late to cancel (you get charged a fee), so I went, in a bad mood the whole way. I mean, it's 60 degrees on November 20th! The class was good, but the roads were dry when I left the club. Did not think it was a good idea to ride outside after that, since I am planning to ride and go to tabatta tomorrow.
Going out for a little walk now, before a week of eating commences by dinner and theatre in Boston.

[Crankin]

Did a 16 mile ride today, one i haven't done in awhile. Nothing special, but it was nice out, albeit cool, but sunny, with a slight breeze at 45 degrees. There's one smaller hill in the middle of the ride, that goes through Hanscom AFB, and then, the climb back up to my house. I keep thinking my last ride of the year will be my last ride where I have to go up that fricking hill to get home... while moving has been delayed a bit, we'll be out of here by the end of the year.
Lots of riders out, and after an initial period of my legs hurting since i had already been to the gym, I felt really good when I got home. It's supposed to rain in the AM, so we signed up for spin. I won't complain though, if it's dry when we go, as the forecast is iffy for the whole day. I am trying to up my exercise over the next week, and I am feeling it!

[ny biker]

I've ridden more in the past couple of weeks than I have in a while, while also trying to get back to a normal gym routine, and I have definitely been feeling it. Though today I felt okay, probably because I was going kind of slow for much of it.

I did a 46 mile club ride in northern Maryland today, probably our last chance to ride in that area this year since they often get more snow and ice than we do closer to DC. The weather was pretty perfect. It was in the mid 40s when we started but felt warmer thanks to the sunshine and practically cloudless skies. And there was not much wind, which was an added bonus. The route was great, lots of familiar favorite roads with some exploration on a few that I haven't been on before. I will plan to ride it again at some point. The only problem was that we had hoped to stop at a nice cafe in Emmitsburg, but found it has closed and been replaced by a tattoo parlor. The people there were really friendly, so we'll miss them.

It was almost 4 pm by the time we finished and we could feel it getting colder as we rode the last few miles. For the next couple of months we'll be doing shorter rides.