Weekend Rides?

[withm]

Biking at Blackwater Refuge (Cambridge, MD) was really beautiful. It's such a different experience than cycling around town all the time. I loved the birdwatching, wish I had taken binoculars with me. There were Baltimore Orioles, egrets, blue herons, and ospreys. We did the 7 mile main loop and it was easy and relaxing. I will definitely be going back.

I love riding at Blackwater and stopping along the way to watch the eagles, and other critters. As you become more experienced there's any number of rides you can do in that area - up to 60-100 mile loops depending on your preference. Of course if you stop a lot to birdwatch, those long rides can take all day!

[7rider]

I love riding at Blackwater and stopping along the way to watch the eagles, and other critters. As you become more experienced there's any number of rides you can do in that area - up to 60-100 mile loops depending on your preference. Of course if you stop a lot to birdwatch, those long rides can take all day!

The next two weekends will have lots of racing around Blackwater - so be careful if you are out for a casual jaunt.
On the 3rd is the Blackwater Duathlon - mostly contained to Egypt Road and Maple Dam Road (blech, boring out-and-back routes when there is SO much good riding to be had out there).
On June 10th is the Eagleman Triathlon.
These events will put lots of bike, running, and possibly detoured motor traffic in the area.

[Norse]

It was the weekend for turtles! I saved one yesterday at the tail end of my 21 mile recovery ride! I watched in horror as a truck nearly ran him/her over about 5' from reaching her goal of crossing the street. I went over and put her in the grass. We have several ponds in our neighborhood and someone has put up "Caution - Turtle Crossing" signs by each one.

Sunday was hot (90) and humid (dew point in the 70s). I led a small group of friends on a 51 mile training ride - we are preparing to do the MN AIDS ride known as the Red Ribbon Ride. It's the Ride's 10-year anniversary and my 5th straight year. We started at 8:30 am but still found ourselves quite wiped by the end. The ride featured lots of rolling hills with few small climbs thrown in. My gatorade was gone and I had downed 3 bottles of water.

Saturday was actually cool and rainy - how quickly the weather changes here - so I stayed inside with the Evil Coach Troy for the Hillacious work-out. The Red Ribbon Ride is filled with lots of rollers, several steeper climbs and one Day of Hills from Hell featuring southern MN's bluff country - the same bluffs that Greg Lemond trained on back when he prepared for the Le Tour.

[redrhodie]

I commuted fri, and was planning on doing the lbs ride sat, but they posted a hilly route, and I wasn't up for it. So, I commuted again, but a longer route which took me by the group ride going the other way. It was fun to hear a bunch of them yell my name as I passed. At least I got to see my friends.

Even though it's not the weekend anymore, I did a hilly ride today to make up for being a wimp on sat.

[Reesha]

Yesterday I managed 105 miles and I couldn't be prouder of myself for doing it all alone and fueling well. So well that I feel really good today aside from some unhappy chafing in those last 20 miles or so. I moved my cleats back a full cm to solve my hot foot issue and helped a lot though hot foot set in by mile 75 in my right foot. Hrmmm. Maybe need some special insoles?

I rode north from my house in St. Louis City along the Mississippi to Alton, Illinois starting at 5:30 am. Sunrise was spectacular as I descended down to the Missus and rode past the Arch:

The riverfront trail was quiet naturally and I stopped to take a picture of my favorite thistle flowers along the way:


This first northbound stretch was lovely, but I really wish I'd had the benefit of a tailwind. The winds hadn't picked up yet but were going to be Southerly for the day.
I did get some experience riding on the highway... not an interstate but Route 67, pretty much the only way across the rivers up there. Spent a lot of time dodging glass, tire shreds, and frog roadkill. No flats though... very pleased! HWY 67 crosses both the Missouri and the Missus:
Missouri

Mississippi bridge into Alton:


After that I rode south along the Mississippi and cut over to Edwardsville, IL and did a big circuitous route that took me through Maryville, Glen Carbon, and Collinsville. On the way from Collinsville to Granite City I passed Cahokia Mounds National Historic Site. Those are tiny people up top. Hard to believe people built these with buckets of dirt alone!


After that I was just scrambling back north to the Chain of Rocks bridge so I could get back to St. Louis. By 10 am it was hotter than satan's underpants... with a hot 30 mph sustained South wind which made riding south and west awful. It was the kind of wind that was blowing up dust and sending trash skittering all around. I spent a lot of time riding about 10 mph into its face. But the tailwind north to the Chain of Rocks bridge was pretty great. Nothing like an effortless 25 mph on a flat.

By mile 80 or so the chafing set in. I rarely do rides longer than 80 miles and have never used chamois butter. Should have picked some up, but instead I applied Body Glide to my chamois. It was awesome feeling for the first 50 miles but really needed a reapplication. Lucky for me I have A+D ointment at home!

I stopped often, ate all kinds of random things and learned I could eat a half of a deep dish pizza w/ chicken, roast garlic, and roasted red peppers readily and not worry about the extra calories. They aren't extra anymore!

Best of all, I feel really good today. My knees are a little tired, but my muscles are ready for more. I should have reapplied sunblock as well. Ah well... this is the first of many centuries this summer and I learned a lot of valuable lessons yesterday!

[lovelygamer]

The next two weekends will have lots of racing around Blackwater - so be careful if you are out for a casual jaunt.
On the 3rd is the Blackwater Duathlon - mostly contained to Egypt Road and Maple Dam Road (blech, boring out-and-back routes when there is SO much good riding to be had out there).
On June 10th is the Eagleman Triathlon.
These events will put lots of bike, running, and possibly detoured motor traffic in the area.

Thanks for the advice about upcoming events in the area. I can't wait to try some longer trails! Also, the visitors/education center there is so nice.

REESHA-those thistle flowers (and the picture composition) are awesome!

[Reesha]

Thanks LG! My crappy camera phone doesn't do the flowers justice though Time for an upgrade!

[Jo-n-NY]

3 days off & 3 great rides. None were long. Sunday should have been a 65 mile day but because we had morning showers and began late it had to be cut in half. I have an organized ride planned for the weekend so I should get in my first long ride this season of 50 miles then a century a few weeks later.

Reesha, those were awesome pics and good for you to just going out and doing a century ride solo. I have enough problems creating a 30 mile route let along 100!!

[Fredwina]

Good pic, Reesha, and congrats on the mileage

[Fredwina]

Saturday:
Canal full of Blooms:

Break Time:

Lawerence the Indian:

Cute Mailbox:

Ghost Bike:

[Reesha]

Is that.... is that the Stockade!?! (in Schenectady?) I used to live there with my ex bf

[lovelygamer]

Beautiful Pictures Fredwina!

7rider, I find the Blackwater cycling map very confusing. I think I need to go down and drive the roads so I understand the various patterns. They list a 5, 20, and 25 mile loop. I think we turned the 5 into 7 by adding a road and circling back.

[Fredwina]

Yep, That's Larry in th Stockade. He just got back from being refurbished.

[Catrin]

I wanted to do my long ride today - but haven't ridden since Monday so I will do that tomorrow afternoon after church - it will be warmer and less windy anyway. Today I chose to do a short (20 mile) ride, windy but fun! I am trying to remember to start out easy for the first mile or so, and to cool down at the end. I am very bad for not doing either...and my legs do appreciate that.

It was so hard to know how to dress, temps were in the windy high 50's at the start and while it is reaching 69 today (92 last Saturday), it was a mite nippy at the start. Since the sun is shining I went with regular shorts and a SS jersey and just dealt with being cool at the start. I warmed up

On my way home I cut through a park in which there was a Crit - I didn't know there was one today so took a short break to watch for a bit. It was fun! Amazing to me how close together they ride

[Crankin]

It's pouring today, but yesterday was one of the best riding days we've had, in terms of weather. I was supposed to meet Hiakukabou after my one client in the AM, which put me on a limited time schedule. Miraculously, the client called and cancelled and I couldn't really see them later, as I had an eye doctor appt. in the afternoon. So, we met at 9:30 and ended up doing a 38.5 mile ride. We did a ride I do fairly often, but last year, Hirakukibou and I had to walk part of the route, due to repaving, and the road being down to very deep gravel with open sewer grates, etc. There's enough moderate hill climbing to give you a workout and it's pretty. On the way home, we stopped for coffee in west Concord.
I got a taste of city riding near the end, when the Concord Academy graduation festivities were shutting down. The families were also loading all the kid's dorm stuff into their cars, backing the traffic up for about 3/4 of a mile. I did OK going in between the cars and the parked cars for awhile, but then it got a little narrow for me, so I got in the lane, where a huge septic truck was behind me, but he stayed FAR away. I was glad to get through that in one piece.