It's August! Riding through the heat.

[emily_in_nc]

As you say, nwg, you're riding different kinds of bikes on different sources (and with many more hills!) than we are. A 28-mile ride for me on a good day is just around two hours, with only gentle climbs. DH did 30 miles in the same time (while I took a break in the middle), so really not that long a ride on road bikes. We had a great tailwind on the way out so were able to maintain a pretty brisk pace. Coming back with a headwind (not too strong but noticeable) was a bit slower, but still faster than on your fatties.

So glad you're able to ride again, and that you're letting discomfort guide how long you should ride while rebuilding. My DH's crash was much less serious than yours, and he has healed up really fast. I'm so relieved about that as I'd initially thought he might be out of commission for weeks. He gets pretty cranky when he can't ride, so I wasn't looking forward to that! Riding keeps him sane.

[rebeccaC]

So glad you're able to ride again, and that you're letting discomfort guide how long you should ride while rebuilding.

+1 i can't find better words than those

He gets pretty cranky when he can't ride, so I wasn't looking forward to that! Riding keeps him sane.

[north woods gal]

Sheila, you're right to take it slow in that kind of heat and humidity. You'll get there, though. That, and fall is just around the corner, right?

Had a big day, today. I broke 20 miles of pavement in a single ride for the first time since my accident. Did 21.4 miles, to be exact and did it on the Gunnar single speed, to boot. Even included two of what I call my "killer leg burner hills" to make it challenging. My average speed was pathetic, but this was more about being able to go the distance than performance. Real confidence booster for me. Much needed.

My neck did okay. A bit stiff and just a twinge or soreness towards the end, but doable. One thing that helped was tweaking both single speeds, this week, to put me in a more upright riding position for riding on pavement. Just a matter of going to shorter stems, adjusting seat and handlebar positions. Have also noticed how sitting more upright allows me to turn my neck much easier and that's a big plus for safety. Really liking these single speed MTBs with their 2.25" wide tires as my road road bikes. Very practical in my area for that use. We get a lot of sand and gravel washing over our roads when it rains and the wide tires are a plus for safety. Also noticed some recent logging activity along the route, this morning, so the wider tires also let me bail out and ride the shoulder when I hear a log truck coming up from behind. And, of course, standard MTBs like these make great gravel road bikes and I love riding gravel.

Been a good couple of days for wildlife spotting, too. Came around a curve and surprised two hen turkey and their young ones, yesterday. Today, stopped and helped two small turtles cross the road. Lots of deer, as always.

[north woods gal]

Yeah, just visited their website. My Krampus is the rather ho hum red color they had last year. Kind of like that purple.

Oh, I've been doing some road work with the Pugsley, but still not quite strong enough to push those big tires 20 miles down the road, yet. Have done 10, but that's about all I can handle, right now with a fat bike. It's been interesting to ride with my hubby on our daily neighborhood pavement rides. He only rides his Specialized fat bike with 4.6" tires. Hates anything else. Since I'm still recovering, I have a hard time keeping up with him when I ride one of my fat bikes. That will change in time. On the other hand, when riding the Gunnar with its custom built 29x2.25 wheels and custom frame, I beat him up pretty bad, especially up hills and riling down hills, too. I'm usually still coasting on the Gunnar and passing him while he's pedaling. Love those big fat bike tires, but out on pavement, they are at a big disadvantage for performance.

Actually hit 29 plus mph for a max speed on the Gunnar, today, coasting down one of my leg burner hills. The Gunnar had no problem at all at that speed. Have never been able to get any of the fat bikes to even come close to that speed coasting down that particular hill. They usually max out at about 20 or 21 mph coasting down that same hill. Two very different kinds of bikes, of course, but a good example of how easily different kinds of bikes can be to pedal and how easily they roll.

[Crankin]

Had our first full day in Wellington, on Lake Ontario. Got here yesterday around 4. This is a wonderful summer vacation area... Prince Edward County, Canada (not Prince Exward Island). No riding today, just beach, wine, eating, and walking. Doing a 40 mile loop tomorrow.

[Crankin]

Just got back from a 38 mile ride and I am exhausted. This is a ride DH planned, so he really was not sure of the elevation. We ended up doing 1,000 ft of climbing in a flat place. Basically rural farmland and at one point, we were seeing glimpses of another bay, not the lake. Not that beautiful, but nice. We stopped at an apple orchard for lunch and had soup and a muffin. After that, I realized my azz was hurting, but that’s because the saddle on the Guru is not broken in as much as on my Silque. About 20 miles to go, my chain fell off and I could not get it to go back by shifting it into the big ring. DH had to work for awhile to get it on and I had to stay in the small ring. That was ok, because the wind was relentless and so were the gradual climbs. DH will work on it later. After we drink the cider he stopped to buy one mile from our inn.
Going to stretch and shower and drink that cider. I earned my dinner tonight.

[emily_in_nc]

We rode again today, and once again cut it a little short. I think DH was up for doing our usual distance, but there were a lot of storm clouds looming, so we headed back. Ended up with just a bit over 28 miles. A good ride, though!

Crankin, sounds like a pretty tough ride. Enjoy your vacay and your dinner! I bet the area is gorgeous.

nwg, my max speed on our route is in almost always in the 19-21 mile range due to the flatter terrain here in Florida, so 29 mph sounds like fun!