July 3rd Ride Reports

[hibiscus09]

We did 12 miles this morning at a 15.8mph pace. When I got home, I looked at the clock and saw it was 7:54 a.m. I must be losing my mind. We're supposed to have a steamy day today -- 95 degrees and very high humidity. Yuck!

[DrBee]

Took a 21 mile ride this AM and maintained ~16mph pace. It was sunny, humid, and hot - normal for here. A lot of people were getting their lawns fertilized this morning. I saw the same guy fertilizing 4 or 5 lawns. In the middle of the ride, I commented to him that he was doing a lot of a lawns today. When I came in, he was doing my neighbor's lawn. During my passes through the park - I see lots of ducks. Mallards, muscovy, and tons of big white domestic ducks. One of them always sits right by the side of the road and quacks quietly at me when I pass him. I usually quack back It's a good laugh in the middle of my 5 mile loop.

[AuntieK]

Ended up doing about 15 miles this morning. I rode with DH to his work then back up to the pool for some swim laps, then back home in the headwind.
It's going to be one hot day today!

[SouthernBelle]

I had a fun ride. Leaving to the west, the state is widening the hwy from 2 to 4 lanes. Part of it is already open. On out they are building a bridge and clover leaf exits onto the intersecting hwy. I took a gamble that they wouldn't be working today and headed out that way. I ended up with about 5 miles of my own personal 2 lane hwy. Then I rode the unopened exit. The next hwy is not a safe ride but there is an old road that runs parallel. But when it ran out I checked out the hwy and decided against it. No shoulders, too much traffic. So I tooled around some backroads for a while. I concentrated on relaxing my upper body during a climb. I've finally figured out that a death grip on the bars does not help.

I saw a deer, some goats, rabbit and an orange tabby cat. Fortunately very little roadkill.

[iFKA]

It's raining in Croatia I was nearest to drivin' when I've read your reports

[uk elephant]

Finally got back out on a decent ride again. Have had a case of achy hip, then a case of sluggishness from the unusually hot weather we're having. But this evening I headed off for a little ride and ended up doing 20 miles. Felt great and kept my legs spinning the whole time. And after 8pm it had finally cooled down to bearable temperatures. Still 20C and I was still sweating buckets, but at least I wasn't keeling over from heat stroke. I don't think I will ever adjust to this weather. How will I survive AidsRide in CA?!

[Flatlander]

Okay, I took a short ride to the pool for my swim workout, so, technically, it isn't much of a ride report. Except...

I've had an uneasy relationship with the bike. I only started riding because I wanted to do a triathlon, and consider it my weakest link. Still, I've been trying to ride 3-4 times a week, slowly increasing my mileage, fiddling with the fit until nothing hurts or twinges...

Today when I got on the bike after my swim, I noticed that I felt like the bike was part of me. lt was really, really good. I may start to like this better than running an swimming...

[hirakukibou]

Did a 26 mile recovery ride, wondered half way if I should have ridden at all. Will ride with the club again tomorrow. Hopefully, my legs won't feel like jello.

[Lise]

Flatlander, welcome! This is my fourth year of doing tris--I only run and swim so I can bike in the middle! How fortunate for you that you consider your cycling the weak link. To me, it's the most enjoyable, and I'll bet you'll come to love it, too. Have you been over to the triathlon board?

I didn't know if I'd get to ride at all today. I finished a 24 hour call shift this morning, one of the quietest shifts I've had in 12 years as a midwife. WAHOO! But--it was pouring rain, with lightning and thunder when I left the house this morning to make rounds at the hospital. I threw my running stuff in the car and figured at least I'd run on the treadmill at the Y.

By the time I left work, it had stopped raining, so I went for a run outside, which I much prefer. Got back from the run, and it still was not raining...so I took a chance and went out on the bike. Yeah!!! I rode 20 miles, mostly as fast as I could. Got down into my new aero bars a couple of times. Rode along the lakefront, north branch. Not too bad--people are mostly off the path, getting ready for the fireworks. There were other serious runners and bikers on the path, and fewer goof-ball rollerbladers than usual.

The new tri seat/seatpost/aero bars felt good. Still not sure how the seat will do with my girly bits, but my legs felt much stronger than usual after 20 miles.