May 20th ride report

[mimitabby]

didn't ANYONE ride?

[mimitabby]

Forecast for today 80% chance of rain all day. Thunderstorms (not like the ones you get on the eastern half of the country)

Sigh... got up.. no rain. got in the car and drove to DS's GF's house. no rain.
got on our bikes. RAIN. COLD! (wore wool teeshirt, padded warm longsleeve jersey, wool knickers & socks, fleece vest AND raincoat AND hat).
Went to breakfast.. got out. still raining. mopped my Brooks saddle dry so I didn't have to sit in a puddle..

got on. The ride was consisting of 2 young hotshots on single bikes; a very strong woman rider - she was bushed from climbing up Snoqualmie yesterday; YEAH RIGHT. she didn't even bother to wear a raincoat! and then a 70 year old guy who can ride forever and two strong tandems; one being Raleighdon and DS's GF and then bringing up the rear; ME.

it was miserable. The wind was nasty, it was cold, temps in the low 40's with wind and did I say it was raining? We were supposed to ride about 60 miles, but when we got to Seward Park (dangerouslly close to my house) I was done and wanted to go home. My feet hadn't gotten wet yet, and I wasn't really cold with all those layers, just unhappy about the wind and the rain in my face.
Raleighdon talked me into riding to Culon park (I don't know how to spell it)
another 8 or 10 miles. Sigh... So I did.
Twice I almost turned right and went up the hill to my home. The pack left me far behind. the 70 odd year old guy was on the horizon and Raleighdon and DS's GF on the tandem stayed closer to me now that they had decided to not to do the highspeed stuff in the rain.

When we got to Culomb park (I still don't know how to spell it) My FEET were wet. I didn't wear booties because i really didn't think it would be quite this miserable.
and we stopped and had hot chocolate there. it was good, but then i chilled and all my muscles constricted. OWCH it was hard getting started.
Fortunately upon turning around finally the wind was at my back so now I got the rooster tail of rain from the tandem ; the rear fender was askew so it wasn't doing any good, but we were going 15-19 mph most the time. Even at that speed and with uphills, My feet did not warm up, they just got colder as i was wet.. I decided that now it was a good thing that i got out of that ride because of that. my feet did not warm up on the hills to home.
32 miles. and i earned every stinkin' one of them.

[Jolt]

didn't ANYONE ride?

Nope, weather was rotten here. Actually, it cleared up for a bit and I almost did go for a ride, but the forecast was still not great so I didn't. Turns out that I would have gotten caught in a lovely downpour/thunderstorm if I had gone for that ride, so it was just as well that I skipped it!

[RolliePollie]

I did!

Rode with a great friend of mine who is nice enough to wait up for me. 20.3 miles, perfect weather, and did better than anticipated on the hills. New top speed of 34.3 mph!

Slight sunburn on shoulders and hoping that the sun is starting to blonde up my hair (hmmm...will I get blonde streaks from my helmet vents?).

[madscot13]

I went for a rainy ride today. About halfway, when the tire water was reachign my face I realized I had fenders in my closet. I headed over to an estate sale that pyxichick pointed out. No BWCA maps alas. But it was a nice ride anyways, probably because I packed coffee.

[madscot13]

But I s'pose that was not the ride you were mentioning now was it?

[makbike]

I too rode today, twice that is. I took my Giro out for a short spin (7.3 miles) and enjoyed the brief time I spent on it. I have not really riden it since October so it felt good to be on it even if my legs were talking to me.

My second ride was a club ride - a much loved club ride for the it ends at an ice cream shop and the club foots the bill! I got in 20 miles today and felt strong. I enjoyed the waffle cone with a scoop of cookie dough and a scoop of parlines and cream - very good. Somehow I don't think I burned at many calories but heck a girl has to have fun once in a while.

The weather was picture perfect here today. Temps in the upper 70's, a slight breeze, lots of sun (not a clould in the sky). The sailboats looked refreshing as they made their way up and down the Ohio River (the club ride today was from New Albany, IN to Utica, IN). It felt great to be out and beat the heck out of mowing the grass.

[cosc]

I got up early and rode 21 miles before sunday school. A gorgeous day, temps 58, and a haze just above the horizon.

[Pax]

Rode yesterday and today, we ran our errands yesterday on the bikes and today we took the road bikes out for a shakedown ride of 10 miles or so prior to next weekends Bike The Drive in Chicago!!

[Starfish]

hoping that the sun is starting to blonde up my hair (hmmm...will I get blonde streaks from my helmet vents?).

LOL, I just got this image of pulling sections of hair out your helmet vents like those old frosting bonnets...you could pull hair out the vents and squirt them with lemon juice!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Yes I rode a pleasant 18 miles today. It was supposed to be rainy but it wasn't- just windy and cool. (Not cold and wet like poor Mimi's ride! )

[RolliePollie]

Hey Starfish...ha ha HA...that's a really good idea! Too funny! But really, it would solve a dilemma for me. I depend on the summer sun to "re-blondify" my hair. Now that a lot of my time in the sun is spent with a helmet on my head, I'm worried that I'm going to end up with super light blonde ends and a darker "helmet" of hair where it's covered. So I can just randomly pull hair out of the helmet vents and abra cadabra! I'll have highlights! HA HA HA!!!

Can you imagine how funny that would look...you're flying down the road with hair sticking up through your helmet like you've stuck your finger in a light socket! My hair is kind of long so I'd have to be careful or I could get hung up on bushes or on passing cars!

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!

[Jolt]

Hey Starfish...ha ha HA...that's a really good idea! Too funny! But really, it would solve a dilemma for me. I depend on the summer sun to "re-blondify" my hair. Now that a lot of my time in the sun is spent with a helmet on my head, I'm worried that I'm going to end up with super light blonde ends and a darker "helmet" of hair where it's covered. So I can just randomly pull hair out of the helmet vents and abra cadabra! I'll have highlights! HA HA HA!!!

Can you imagine how funny that would look...you're flying down the road with hair sticking up through your helmet like you've stuck your finger in a light socket! My hair is kind of long so I'd have to be careful or I could get hung up on bushes or on passing cars!

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!

That is a wicked amusing mental image--I about fell off my chair!

[7rider]

Hmmm.
DH is...um..."shiny" on top - that is, lacking in the hair department. Before he started wearing a HeadSweat regularly, he'd get helmet tan lines on his noggin! Never gave a thought to hair highlights via helmet vent. Hey. It could be the new "in" thing!

I wanted to get an early a.m. ride before I brought Noah and Tasha (my furkids) to Alexandria, VA for a spa-day to support the House Rabbit Sanctuary and the Alexandria animal shelter. Spa day was thorough grooming, nail clipping, and a massage. Bunnies came back totally spent and spent the rest of the day sacked out! Spoiled buns.

But...oh.. the ride. It was raining in the a.m., so no ride. I did get out this evening for a nice solo 30 mile loop. Murphy's Law was in full effect. Seemed like I had a nasty headwind the whole way!! 15.8 mph average, and about 1500 feet of climbing.

[Starfish]

didn't ANYONE ride?

I have just about had it up to "here" with cold, dark, rainy riding. I rode yesterday in full winter clothes...booties over calientoes, several layers on top, two sets of gloves, hat under helmet, winter amfib tights, etc.

I confess if it had been 85 and sunny today, I would be out doing a recovery ride...but not in this rain and cold. Not in May. I know, I know. Pretty whiney.