June Riding

[Crankin]

Another exhausting ride, mostly because it was 84 degrees. But, no rain, thunder, or lightning. This is good!
We had a large group of over 20 people for the "faster" group on the 30 mile ride. DH and I had agreed that due to the hotter temperatures, we would keep the speed at around 13-14 average. That lasted until we got to the rest stop, about halfway through the ride. A couple of riders stopped and waited for the slower paced group to pick them up. As soon as we left the rest stop, one woman told me she was losing it. I stayed with her as the sweep, but the rest of the group was gone. I was still at the upper end of the agreed upon speed (13.8 average), and feeling pretty tired myself. This woman was getting slower and slower, so finally, about 7 miles from the end, she decided to wait for the other group.
I rode the last 7 miles by myself, almost just going straight home, as i was a mile from my house. But, I made back to Verrill Farm and I was pissed. My DH said they had a tailwind and the riders were on his azz. Yeah, his average was a mile faster than mine. I followed our plan and even got back 5 minutes before our estimated time. Usually, I have 5-6 riders at the back with me, but this year, we had a very different group, and I didn't know any of them. So, we raced home in the car, and showered, and returned for the happy hour and dinner. Food was good, and then DH and I went out for ice cream... we were home at 6:30 and DH is now sleeping on the couch.
I am not slow enough for the slower group, so I think this speaks to the lack of riding I have done so far this year and the heat. I might take a slow recovery ride early tomorrow, as it's going to be 92 later in the day. My car is in the shop, but I am going to commute to work Monday.

[north woods gal]

Yeah, watch the heat, at least until you get acclimated to it. I was out, yesterday, working on the trails, doing some heavy labor - digging and fitting some plank bridges over muddy spots. Temp was 89, which is way above normal for us this time of year. Started getting dizzy from lack of water. Barely made it the short walk back to the house. Hubby sat me down and made me drink lots of water. Was better in no time. Should have known, better, but I figured I wasn't that far from the house ...

Head out on the fat bike, this morning, with a temp in the 70s and no problem at all as far as my conditioning. 70s work for me. Need to ease into the upper 80s. Just beat some serious storms. Glad I got out for an early ride.

[Crankin]

Up to about 75 no problem for me. Above that, if it's blazing sun, but dry out, OK, Add in humidity, above 75, not good. Problem is, in New England, it's hard to acclimate, as you can have days with highs around 60-65 and then a day of 85. We usually never have more than 3-4 days in a row of high 80s or 90s.
We did go for a ride to eat breakfast, a whopping 8.1 miles round trip. We ate at a place popular with cyclists, and it was overrun! It was early and everyone was out to beat the heat. I will be glad when the end of July comes and all the PMC riders are not training on the roads around where I live.
After showering and reading the paper, we headed into Boston, where we walked the Greenway, the waterfront, and into the North End. It was definitely hot and humid, but we tried to stay in the shade and when we couldn't stand it any longer, we ducked into a small and quiet trattoria/bar in the North End, on a side street, far away from tourists. Had a glass of rosé and shared an appetizer, before walking back to the car. So, a few more calories burned.
Now safely in my air conditioned home and tired. Preparing for at least one, maybe 3 car free days.

[Catrin]

It's hard acclimating to higher temps/humidity, but there is an odd pleasure with that as well when it is all working and our bodies have had a chance to acclimate to the higher temps. Of course, it gets much hotter in Indiana than in New England. Frankly, your temps sound delightful! Be careful and enjoy!

We're in the 90's this week, which we haven't seen since Sept 2015 (summer of 2016 was MUCH cooler than normal for us).

[Crankin]

Rode to the gym at 5:25 and it was already 70 degrees, but felt delightful.
Of course, now I am getting ready to leave to ride to work, and it should be in the high 70s in 45 minutes, and OK (the route I take there is shady), but probably still 90 when I leave at 6 PM. I take a more direct route home, which is less shaded and more heat from cars. Of course, I can stand anything for 2.3 miles.
Best thing, my Terry cycling dress fits perfectly and looks very stylish. I hope they make this in other colors/patterns. Perfectly acceptable for a hot day at work and for going out at night on my trip to Spain.

[north woods gal]

Severe storms rolled through the area on Sunday with wind gusts of 70 mph, plus and almost 4 inches of rain. Trees down all over the place. We lost power on noon Sunday and just got it back, last night, so 30 plus hours of roughing it with no electricity.

My trails got off fairy easy. Had one tree top that fell on the trail, but I was able to cut it up and move it. Huge old spruce, though, toppled across another section of trail. Too big to cut, so just re-routed the trail around it. Some parts of the trail remain under water, but plenty of dry trail to work, so got in decent rides. Fat bikes, only, of course when the trails are so soft - deer leave a much deeper footprint in the soft stuff than the fatties.

Good workout, but missed not having a shower to finish with (well pump is electric), so just doused myself with a couple of buckets of cold lake water.

Did NOT miss the daily dose of sickening political news without the internet or TV, but did miss posting and seeing what my friends, here, have been doing. Nice to be back.

[ny biker]

I am not able to acclimate to the heat because I spend 5 days/week wearing a sweater and wool wrap in an over-air-conditioned office. It's even worse this year since I can't go outside for a walk at lunch or after work. Soon I'll be heading out to a sedentary vacation that includes a week in Massachusetts. When I get back in early July I will definitely struggle with the heat.

But for now... we had a great bike ride on Saturday. It was one of the two big rides that my club organizes every year, with routes ranging from 22 to 63 miles. Last year it was very hot but this year it was pleasant, though just after finishing when I was out in the sun putting the bike in the car it did seem very hot. So I guess I finished just in time. I had planned to ride 45 miles but got a late start (too much pre-ride chit chat) and after about 8 miles stopped to help the SAG driver. Yes you read that right, the SAG driver needed assistance. When I rode up and found him parked on the side of the road, he had just finished helping a rider with a flat tire (and a brand new bike with no supplies or know-how to fix a flat), and had cut his forearm in the process. He had a first-aid kit (because SAG driver) but needed another set of hands to put adhesive bandages on the cuts (because forearm). So I assisted. When I reached the first rest stop I saw some friends who had helped with registration and then started late, so were doing the 35-mile route. I decided to finish the ride with them, and ended up with 39 miles in all. Then I hung out at the picnic (more chit-chat -- the best thing about these rides is the chance to see people who normally ride in other categories). All in all, a good day.

One of the people I rode with after the rest stop had just come back from the Wisconsin bike trip that I asked about a week or so ago. She said they had fun. It was a great area for cycling, with very small towns and almost no car traffic, plenty of steep hills and an occasional unpaved section.

The saddle problem I had earlier -- a lump on the right side -- has come back. It had come back after the previous weekend's ride and receded over the course of the week, but it hurt as soon as I started riding on Saturday and bothered me for the first 20 miles. After that it didn't hurt but the lump is definitely back. I've been icing it and it's going away again, for now. I've spent a fair amount of time reading old saddle threads -- thanks to Muirenn, Knotted Yet and everyone else for such a treasure trove of excellent information. My conclusion is that the saddle I've been using for years has always been a tad too pear-shaped, as I've always had minor issues with chafing, and for some reason now the problem is worse and is causing something under the skin (probably a tendon) to become bruised and inflamed. I am very close to trying a leather saddle, probably a Rivet Independence. In the meantime I will ride the recumbent stationary bike instead of my weekly post-work hill ride (the ankle can't handle the hills, anyway) and will sit on an ice pack as needed to get through the ride I have planned this coming weekend.