4/18 rides

[OakLeaf]

Did the usual Friday ride with the boys this morning. It was a perfect day - temperature in the mid to high 60s and almost no wind. My knees felt decent, and now that I'm home they still do. So, that's good news.

We cut the ride slightly short because one of the guys had to get to an appointment. I got home, started putting my things away, then I started looking at the rental car that had to go back this afternoon. I was hoping to be able to haul a bike to the rental car place - I'm already in my riding clothes and all sweaty - why take a shower and then ride some more later?

I could tell at least one of the rear seats folded down, but couldn't quite tell how. Consulted the owner's manual, got them both folded. The trunk was pretty shallow, but folding the seats gave me enough room to work with. Now, which bike to take? I settled on the road bike, loaded it into the car, topped up a water bottle and got myself re-combobulated.

Naturally I felt like a total idiot pumping 1.9 gallons of gas wearing my hi-viz jersey and cleated shoes (never mind the sunglasses with rear-view mirror attached ). But the best moment was when the rental car clerk asked me if I needed a ride someplace. Um, no.

Unfortunately the wind had come up a bit by then, but nothing too bad.

43 miles total.

[divingbiker]

It's a glorious almost-summer day in the DC area, so I took the dogs for a nice walk in the park and then rode the Xtracycle 10 miles up the trail to get a haircut. Then I stopped at the Asian market and loaded up with tons of fruit and vegetables and tofu and rode the trail back home...and I even made it fully loaded up the huge hill at the end!

Now it's off to the LBS to get a new helmet, since mine is being held together with zip ties after a near-disastrous fall off my front steps a couple of days ago, which resulted in a critical part of the helmet getting lost in the weeds. Note to self: clean the weeds out of the flower bed.

(Oh, and I'm so excited. This morning I got a ticket to see Bill Maher at the end of May. 13 rows back, right in the middle. Score!)

[sundial]

I woke up to a windy and rainy day. Wah!

[redrhodie]

I've been exploring new roads off my regular loop, new hills--fun! It was a gorgeous day here in New England. The ocean was spectacular, with surfers out in droves, warm temps and a coastal breeze that I wouldn't know how to ride without . You gotta love a headwind.

I tried engaging different muscles than I usually do, tried tightening my gluts a little more. Interested to see how it changes things if I remember to keep it up. Realize I'm more comfortable using muscles in the front than back.

I rode no hands for a bit, long enough to know for sure I'm out of alignment. Time to visit the chiropractor. When I feel like I have to tilt to the right to stay balanced, my pelvis is out.

Had good vibes with cars today. A trucker said hi at a stoplight, said he was glad I looked back, so he knew I knew he was there. I apologized for taking the lane for so long, and he laughed. It was nice to see each other as human.

Then I ate yummy Thai lunch with my brother. I had delicious Papaya Salad and Sticky rice. Now I need a nap. What a life!

[Geonz]

windy windy windy and rain on the radar... but not here, yet.

Commute and trip to LBS to drop off fliers for Pedal Power ride. There's supposed to be an "art bike ride/ parade" and tho' I didn't have any time to do anything artistic I figure my bike is performance art ... I'll put on my rainbow jersey, polkadot shorts, pigsnout helmet and go.

[Crankin]

Did one of my regular loops with my husband... it was 75 out, my first warm weather ride. He really pushed me.
15.3 miles, 15.6 av, which was 16.4 before the climb at the end.
Feeling a little shaky now, gotta eat!

[OakLeaf]

Diving - good thing you were wearing the helmet when you fell off the porch !

[chicago]

let's see... did a 6 mile run, then came home and hopped on my bike for 10 miles. Just wanted to test ride the Zero saddle... not crazy about it. So I think I'm going with the Butterfly.

Hoping to get big miles in tomorrow and Sunday

...now the bf is on his way over, and we'll be off for some yummy dinner and beerz

[motochick]

Well, after two days of hellacious wind, I got perfect weather for a great ride. I did 61.5 miles into Sedona and stopped for my usual pulled pork sandwich at the local BBQ. I felt really good today, my hubby will be proud of me! Now for the next two days, more hellacious wind.

Brenda

[divingbiker]

Diving - good thing you were wearing the helmet when you fell off the porch !

Oh, I wasn't. I was loading up to head to work, and my cleat caught on the brick step and I was headed for a fall. Somehow I managed to stay upright (but a bit shaken up) but apparently I yanked the wrong way on the helmet and some little plastic gizmo that holds the back together went flying.

I have a new ugly white helmet now. Apparently there are no red helmets in women's/small sizes any more.

[7rider]

Oh, DB!
And white! Talk about adding insult to injury. Not even a teensy bit of red??
Glad you didn't hurt yourself, at any rate.

My ride today was a commute. Was mindlessly riding up a hill this a.m. Head down, staring at the road 10 feet in front of my wheel, per usual. Heard <<rustle, rustle>> from the woods beside me. Ignored it. Usually, it's squirrels foraging for nuts. Saw something BIG jump up out of the corner of my eye. YIKES!! Look up. It's deer, jumping up and away from me. And in the process...she spooked two more deer right beside her! Good thing they ran INTO the woods and not out into the street (and into me!).

[divingbiker]

Not even a teensy bit of red??

It's deer, jumping up and away from me. And in the process...she spooked two more deer right beside her!

Nope, all white dangit. I hate it.

I saw two deer on the Sligo Creek Trail today, too! Wonder if they were the same ones? They just stood and stared at me, not 10 feet away.

[7rider]

I saw two deer on the Sligo Creek Trail today, too! Wonder if they were the same ones? They just stood and stared at me, not 10 feet away.

Unlikely...these were up by Wheaton Regional. No doubt, they were pondering crossing Kemp Mill Road to see if my day lillies or azaleas started blooming yet!

[Geonz]

Decals! Stickers! Turn a white helmet red!

I had fun on the last stretch home - we had an "art ride/ parade" with decorated bicycles. I'm sort of pre-decorated performance art on my worst day (a.k.a. no fashioin sense) and I stuck my pigsnout helmet cover on with my rainbow jersey and circled skorts... and put a penguin and a jester in my saddlebags and a lantern on the snapdeck... there were other glorious specimens like a doubledecker bike and one guy with a kite and folks with tinsel and flags and it was just plain fun to cruise through town past all the people OUT ON THE PATIOS for the FIRST DAY THIS YEAR. It hasn't hit seventy since OCTOBER, good people (okay, not counting I think yesterday).

Oh, and I successfully held off the rain for them

[applegum]

Wow haven't posted on here in a while. I just got back around 3 this afternoon from a little bike tour around southern Ontario. We covered the 80 k from Toronto to Barrie on Wednesday, did 50 k yesterday around Lake Simcoe to Bradford, then the last 60 k from Bradford to Toronto this morning. It was a great ride, although neither the three people I somehow talked into going with me nor I had trained at all this season. It was interesting, especially with our extremely odd assortment of bikes (I had an old mongoose hybrid of my mom's, one person had a 15 year old basso, one had a 20 year old schwinn in terrible shape, and the last unfortunate person had a mid-weight mountain bike. It was windy and a whole lot hillier than we expected, but an insane amount of fun. This summer will definitely be dedicated to some serious training so when we all get back to school in the fall we can try it again with some speed!