April Showers bring... riding

[Helene2013]

What a nice week (weatherwise) we had. Weather was very warm for time of year. But lots of rain too. So I enjoyed a few rides outside trying to get ready for my 2 upcoming 100km+ challenges.

Friday afternoon I took time off and we rode 42km.... on strong winds. ouch. But I'm impressed by how well I did. The hard work of winter training paid off and it shows. It was not a long ride, but with the winds gusting at nearing 40km/h W, it was a good job of pushing against it. Today is so cold I think if it was raining, it would snow.

[ny biker]

I had a great ride yesterday. It was a charity ride that is the first big event of the year for me and many bike club friends. Many planned to ride together. I opted to play it by ear rather than decide in advance on the route distance I wanted. I ended up getting started 10 minutes after the last group of friends left, but figured I might catch up with someone I knew at some point. Sure enough, I caught three friends who were doing 35 miles at roughly my pace, maybe a bit slower, but I was not trying to break any speed records. I rode with them to the end, had a great ride, and as a bonus got a great tip on a local foot and ankle doctor to see for a second opinion. At the post-ride picnic I saw other friends, though not as many as expected. It was 90 and humid so I guess many opted to ride a shorter route and thus finished ahead of me. With no plans for the day I hung out at the picnic to see a few folks who did the longest route at a relatively slow pace. They finished just in time to get food before the picnic closed down. On the way home I stopped at a small independent grocery store that we often use as a reststop and bought some strawberries from a nearby farm. Also bought a smalll picture of a sailboat made by a company on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake. Supporting local businesses FTW.

Overall my ankle felt okay as long as I don't use too high a gear. There is a twinge of pain if I push too hard.

The only problem was saddle-related. I am experimenting with saddle position a bit to try to alleviate some chafing. But, yesterday before the ride I noticed a small lump below the skin in front of one sit bone. It felt like a bruise, with pain when I touched it. But no discoloration of the skin. After the ride I think it was a little bigger. I wasn't really uncomfortable for most of the ride, it basically felt like a normal early season thing where your butt is still adjusting. I'm declaring the saddle position experiment a failure and putting it back where it was before. I've iced the lump a few times but that didn't help. Not sure what to do next. It's on the right side, on the thin bone that's in front of the sit bone and to the left (closer to the crease).

[north woods gal]

I'm glad to hear that so many are out and riding and enjoying some warm weather. Emily, hang in, there. I'm praying that you will be there, soon.

As for me, we still have some snow showers in the forecast for the upcoming week, but, yup, still ride, no matter what. Some years it seems we just skip spring, altogether, and go from winter and right into summer. This could be one of those years. Been very wet, too. Looks like we'll be more than double our normal April precipitation. My trail conditions are holding up pretty well, though, with the exception of some boggy spots. Ever grateful for the fat bikes, though. They keep me riding, no matter what, and they don't chew up the trail the way skinny bikes do.

[emily_in_nc]

Emily, hang in, there. I'm praying that you will be there, soon.

Thanks so much, NWG! Very kind of you. It's going to be awhile. I think my thumb fracture is going to keep me off the bike longer than my jaw, even though the injury to my jaw is more significant. But I have to wait until I can shift. It's on the left hand, so not as bad as if it were on the right. If I do a ride in the middle chainring only, I should be fine. But we'd have to get a flatter area for that, first! We're back in NC, and even if I were in shape to ride, I'd need to be able to use all my chainrings with the hills here. I guess since I got to ride all winter, I really can't complain, other than the fact that I hate being injured! Bleh.

Glad others are able to get out, though! Leave it to me to mess myself up right before the best of the riding season. I fractured my pelvis 12 years ago almost to the day in April and messed up that riding season as well!

[Crankin]

Emily, keep focused on your recovery. You will be able to walk and do some light hiking before you can ride. Make sure you are eating to promote healing and get lots of sleep!
I predict you will be riding before the end of the summer. Your thumb will heal; you might be able to figure out a way to splint it, in a couple of weeks.

[emily_in_nc]

Thanks Crankin! Already doing short walks, though it kind of bothers my jaw, so I keep them short and not too fast. Originally they did splint my thumb, but it was so uncomfortable and awkward (I couldn't do anything, it seemed like, even type), I took it off. The ER doc actually said I could. I am keeping it protected, but like when my DH broke his collarbone, I think the small amount of movement it's getting is probably helpful to keep it from freezing up. That's one of the things I'll be talking to my doctor about on Wed. I hope I don't have to go back to a splint!

I'm eating well -- soft but healthy foods as much as possible, and sleeping as well as usual (i.e., not great but adequate). Taking it easy, reading, etc. Letting my body heal. It kills me not to be able to be more active, but I know this is not the time for that.

[azfiddle]

I had two medium rides on the weekend- Saturday I went out on Tucson's east side to preview some places we're going next weekend- doing the Tucson Audubon Birdathon to raise money for conservation & habitat- but by bike. I ran into someone I knew at one of the spots- he owns a birding tour company. Then I ran into two women with 7 miniature horses - (2 pulling little carts and the others just tethered to run along behind. They were looking for treats and I shared a carrot cake Clif bar with all the horses (with permission from the owners). By the time I headed home the wind had come up once again!

These aren't great pictures but the horses were pretty cute.

Untitled by Sharon Goldwasser, on Flickr

Untitled by Sharon Goldwasser, on Flickr

Untitled by Sharon Goldwasser, on Flickr

[azfiddle]

Sunday I did a short ride by myself, came home and met up with a friend for another 20 miles. We hadn't see each other for a month- she recently went back to work (by choice) after quite a while of not working (by choice). We stopped for coffee mid-way. My road bike is in the shop so we didn't go very fast- I was on the Surly. It was a nice day and not as windy as the earlier part of the week.

[north woods gal]

Thanks so much, NWG! Very kind of you. It's going to be awhile. I think my thumb fracture is going to keep me off the bike longer than my jaw, even though the injury to my jaw is more significant. But I have to wait until I can shift. It's on the left hand, so not as bad as if it were on the right.

Interesting how the smaller injury turns out to be the more serious one for biking. Definitely is, though, in your situation. Don't know if the 1x drive systems (meaning only one chain ring and one shifter on the right) that are no so popular on trail bikes, now, will ever cross over to road bikes, but I love them on the three bikes I have with them. Have always found left hand shifting to be more difficult than right hand shifting. The 1x is a must have for any new bike I buy.

[rebeccaC]

Letting my body heal. It kills me not to be able to be more active, but I know this is not the time for that.

excellent approach!!!!!!......good moments in the healing process ftw

nwg..1x would also be good for city/commute riding, especially on waking up morning rides with its no front shifting and tight spaced jumps on the freewheel. Fixie attention ftw though

Alex needed some hard exercise so I was support for her and a friend on a santa monica mountain ride. I set up a mid ride nutrition/rest break at the top of a long climb in latigo canyon with this view

At the end of the ride she gave me this smile she does (that makes me want to happy hug)...and just that and with the look in her eyes told me she had a great days ride.

After her ride we did ride together on the flat section of my favorite Carly road ride for my first time in over 4 months. The wild geraniums are in full bloom!

[emily_in_nc]

Those Wild Geraniums are amazing, Rebecca! Not sure I've ever seen them.

NWG, totally agree on 1X system I think a lot of we right-handed folks have weaker left hands, so shifting on the right is always gonna be easier. Plus, the jump between cogs is much smaller than the jump between chainrings.

Someone needs to start a May thread. Happy May Day!

[Helene2013]

I hate you I hate you I hate you... hahahaha Lucky you to be able to ride in such beautiful areas, all the time. Although we have beautiful places, they never come close to where you ride. Thanks for sharing your pics.

Today..we're enjoying a good 50mm of rain. Feels like a dull November day ... Not May 1st.

[Crankin]

I had a great ride today, with an ending that could have been awful, but ended up OK.
We rode from Belchertown, MA (thankfully, we drove to a parking lot and did not start from our friends' house, this was important later) through a couple of other towns, to one of the entrances to the Quabbin Reservoir. Although there is an entrance quite near our friends' home, we took the long route. Sometimes I cannot believe this is the same state I live in. Beautiful rural, roads, a couple of steep climbs, farms, ramshackle trailers and log homes, then RT. 9 and the entrance to the reservoir. Our goal was to climb to the tower, about 1.8 miles, almost 3/4 of it a 5-6% grade climb. I usually don't do these types of climbs, more like steep and short. So, the day started out, about 52 and sunny. I was dressed appropriately, knickers, a sleeveless base layer, vest and arm warmers. Wool socks. However, I was the only who seemed to be a bit concerned there was rain predicted anytime after 1. We got to the climb around 12? I did the climb at about 6 mph, no stress. Turned the corner to the parking area, and up again to the tower. As we sat on a bench overlooking the view, DH's phone went off. Oh, oh weather alert.. rain to begin in 20 minutes. We descended, with no rain, and as soon as we turned onto Rt. 9, it began. We had 4 miles left... first mile, not so bad. The rest, cold rain, picking up, but not torrential. There was a decent shoulder and some downhills, but at least 2 ups. I fell behind DH a little, and I was working hard. Glad I had my base layer and wool socks on. I thought we had longer, and then our friend came up behind me and said, turn here, and voila, we were back at the car. If we had started from their house, it would have been 5 miles of serious climbs in cold, heavy rain.
No hypothermia, I didn't even feel that wet for some reason.
Came back, showered and left to go home around 2:45. A really nice and relaxing weekend.
Here's a pic from the top of the climb: