Winter Riding Thread (December-February) Outside and Inside

[lauraelmore1033]

Yesterday I did the "trial" ride for the Cascade club's training series, just to see if I will be ready for the series come april, and if I can actually ride in traffic again without freaking out. I've done the training series for the past 6-7 years and that first ride had gotten to be no biggie. I've lost so much ground that I was barely able to hang onto the back of the group(the slowest goup, in theory) and finish the ride yesterday. So disgusted. The traffic was also terrible because of extensive construction in the area, and drivers were very impatient. Riding near the arboretum in a lane marked with "sharrows" a woman screamed, "Get on the sidewalk!" at our group. In another spot, on Lake Washinton Boulevard, which is a parkway, I believe, a guy in a truck passed the group, laying on the horn. It didn't feel safe, and I know I wouldn't have been able to do the ride without the group.

[emily_in_nc]

Riding near the arboretum in a lane marked with "sharrows" a woman screamed, "Get on the sidewalk!" at our group. In another spot, on Lake Washinton Boulevard, which is a parkway, I believe, a guy in a truck passed the group, laying on the horn. It didn't feel safe, and I know I wouldn't have been able to do the ride without the group.

How awful! I don't get how anyone thinks riding on the sidewalk is safe. In many places it isn't even legal. I am sorry you had that experience. People can be so mean!

[Crankin]

Keep going, Lauraelmore, it will get easier.
I went to spin class Friday and today I did a short, 18 mile ride with DH. We worked at the condo all morning, doing the hardest part of putting up the Swanstone walls in the bathrooms. A 2X4 kind of fell and grazed my forearm (I was holding it all together, while DH put up the wood for bracing, so the Swanstone adheres to the wall). I am not injured, but a little sore. DH is very sore from lifting these huge pieces and doing all of the other work. But, it's 55 degrees out. Was 52 when we started and cloudy and windy. The sun came out, and I was overdressed, so I ended up taking my headcover off, which cooled me immediately! I felt really good riding, but DH was toast, so we came home.
It feels like the end of March or April out there.

[ny biker]

So sorry you had a bad day, Laura. The construction delays probably did frazzle everyone's nerves. And you are not alone in feeling out of shape -- I rode for a bit more than an hour today around my neighborhood and had that total-lack-of-muscle feeling in my legs. I have my work cut out for me to get back into good condition.

I rode my mountain bike today, for the first time in a long time. The last few times I rode it my wrists were bothering me. I put a new saddle on it and had the saddle position adjusted, and that actually helped somewhat with the wrist problem but it still wasn't comfortable enough for any long or technical rides. I think I might need a narrower handlebar. And today I had a new problem -- my heels were hitting the cranks when I pedaled. This never happened before. And just for fun I had some problems with the left shifter so that needs maintenance. My budget is pretty tight right now so I will probably have to wait a couple of months before I address these issues. One good thing is the new rear fender that I picked up the other night -- it fits the bike perfectly and is easy to put on or take off.

http://www.sks-germany.com/en/produc...de-28-29-zoll/

And of course the weather was great, 60F degrees and sunny with no wind. Even though I only rode for an hour (about 11 miles), it really helped clear my head. The amazing healing power of a bike ride!