Tuesday 9/01 rides

[DDH]

Hey girls, I rode my 11.5 mile ride today. It was easier today I only stopped to rest once when my feet started cramping again. It was cooler this morning and I was able to get started a little earlier before it got so hot.
I rode the normal route and part of that has a nice wide shoulder and then it turns into a 4 lane road with a medium between the opposing lanes. Can someone please tell me WHY oh WHY when I'm riding a two lane road with no shoulder does the car in my lane have to pass me so fast and close. The traffic is not heavy on the rode I ride, but every time I will have 1 stupid idiot that insist, even though he could move to the other lane, on passing me as close as he can without slowing down a lick. I just want to kick their car.
My husband said he could fix it for me. He said he could get a stick or PVC pipe about 2 1/2 feet long and put a board on the end of it with nails sticking out every which way and some barbed wire twisted around it and attach it to my rack that has my bag on it. He said, "I bet they will give you a wide birth that way". LOL

Needless to say, I had a good ride. I felt good today. Didn't feel so weak and didn't even mind the hills so much today. I'm still slow, but I measure progress more by how I feel and how much I struggle more so than I look at speed. I've got a lot of weight to hall, so I don't feel so bad about not going fast. I wish I could of course, but it's not in the cards right now and I'm okay with that.
I should say that for the most part, I don't have to many problems with traffic around here, most are very curtious and seem to try to be careful. It's always just that one bad apple.
Hope everyone else had a good ride today.

[tulip]

You are inspirational, Donna! Your consistency in getting out there nearly every day is highly admirable. I did not ride today, as I was struggling with cramps of a different sort .

Just keep in mind that it doesn't matter how fast you go, it's the journey that's important. Keep up the good work.

[emily_in_nc]

Good going, Donna! And don't feel bad...I am small, but I'm slow too. No shame in that. The important things for me are to have fun and get fit.

[andtckrtoo]

My commute is a whopping 2 miles each way, so I often ride my bike. Today I decided to take a detour on the way home and ride the hills a little. I ended up with 16 miles instead of 4. A nice little ride. Here's La Chatte Noir at a rest stop on my ride. I love her!

[DDH]

You are inspirational, Donna! Your consistency in getting out there nearly every day is highly admirable. I did not ride today, as I was struggling with cramps of a different sort .

Just keep in mind that it doesn't matter how fast you go, it's the journey that's important. Keep up the good work.

AWW shucks thanks!!! Posting my rides helps me stay motivated because I can look back and see progress, but seeing statments like this and the "way to go's" from others, well, they sure don't hurt my motivation none either.

I also love to read about everyone else's rides. I need to remember to take a camera some time. Although right now there is nothing but brown dry grass everywhere. I'm sure I could fin something to take pictures of.

I love the picture of your bike with your cute bags andtckrtoo.

[ccbloom]

Great work, Donna! I've only been coming to this forum for a few days now, but I definitely look forward to reading about your daily rides. And I may have my DH hit up your DH for directions on that little bike addition

andtckrtoo - love those bags! Where did you get them? I'm getting a rack for my bday in a few days, and I was bought the one to take side bags. Also, great work on adding in the hills to your commute.

ETA: I did my 7 miles again, same as yesterday. A little tougher because I was sore, and I thought I would only get about 2 miles in at the track instead of 4, but I pushed myself and felt the accomplishment at the end.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Can someone please tell me WHY oh WHY when I'm riding a two lane road with no shoulder does the car in my lane have to pass me so fast and close. The traffic is not heavy on the rode I ride, but every time I will have 1 stupid idiot that insist, even though he could move to the other lane, on passing me as close as he can without slowing down a lick. I just want to kick their car.

Hi Donna- here's a tip: when you ride really far to the right in a lane, most cars will try to squeeze by to pass you without crossing the middle line of the road. If you ride a foot or two further to the left, most cars will not have the room to pass you without at least dipping into the other lane. Once they make the move over the center line, they tend to give you plenty of room.
Of course this principal needs to be applied with good sense in various situations, but when they have plenty of visibilty and room, try making them have to go a bit into the other lane to pass you. that's how they pass other cars, after all, they do it all the time so it shouldn't be a huge deal for them.
I never have problems with this method. If i have big shoulder of course I stay on that....I'm no road hog unless it's for my own safety- then hell yeah!


I finally got in a good 18.5 mile ride yesterday in gorgeous weather.

[shootingstar]

Glad you're enjoying your ride DH.

Yesterday we rode off on bikes to train station at 5:30 am ..only a 10-min. ride to train station to take us into the U.S. In Portland had a couple hrs. where after an Italian dinner, we did a brisk 10 km. ride to and on waterfront before catching train to continue onto to Eugene, Oregon where we are now after riding through an unfamiliar university campus and construction at midnight to get to hotel. Only 16 kms. for a day mostly spent on an Amtrak train from Vancouver to Oregon.

[andtckrtoo]

andtckrtoo - love those bags! Where did you get them? I'm getting a rack for my bday in a few days, and I was bought the one to take side bags. Also, great work on adding in the hills to your commute.

Thanks! I got them off of Amazon.com - they are Basil bags. I love them. They are not waterproof, but as I have such a short commute, it's typically not an issue. And they do hold a lot. Happy Birthday! Riding the hills is such a nice way to de-stress after a tough day. I was in a great mood when I got home instead of my usually not-so-great one. I'm thinking of doing it again today.

[ccbloom]

Thanks! I got them off of Amazon.com - they are Basil bags. I love them. They are not waterproof, but as I have such a short commute, it's typically not an issue. And they do hold a lot. Happy Birthday! Riding the hills is such a nice way to de-stress after a tough day. I was in a great mood when I got home instead of my usually not-so-great one. I'm thinking of doing it again today.

Thanks, I'm going to look for them on Amazon. I love the pink, but unfortunately, it won't go with my orange/yellow/red bike. And thank you for the birthday wishes. It's not until Monday, but I like to claim a birthday weekend

And I think you should get out on those hills again today

[skinimini]

Well it looks like I'm going to be off the bike a few weeks. I had a major crash last night and broke both the fib/tib in my ankle and another two breaks in the fibula mid-calf. It was not a pretty sight! On the bright side, my bicycle came out with nary a scratch! And, all of my new bicycle friends here in Atlanta have been so kind to check up on me today.

I won't go into the details, because it was just one of those freaky things that happens on a group ride when there's not great communication. I'm so sad that I'll miss the best time of the year here in the south. I'll just have to live vicariously through all of your adventures through the TE postings. I'll have to have surgery, but not until next week because of the soft-tissue swelling. I don't think I'll ever forget this Sept 1.

[redrhodie]

Oh, no Skini! That's horrible! Take it easy.

[jesvetmed]

What an awful thing to happen, Skini! Heal quickly and take it easy (easier said than done, I know!). Best Wishes!

[DDH]

I'm so sorry this happened to you. I hope you heal quickly and are able to enjoy some of the cooler weather later. Please keep us updated and let us know about your surgery.

[shootingstar]

Sounds painful skinimini! Hope you mend well and climb back on bike soon.