August 5th Weekend Rides

[Catrin]

Went out on a club ride this morning, there were several loops available and had intended to ride two of them for a total of 45 miles. Wound up just doing one loop of 27 miles, and it felt great! For the very first time, I actually rode a full 15 miles in the first hour, which is a personal best I know that most of you are far faster than I, but I am quite proud of this and I wasn't even tired... apparently my goal this year of ramping things up much slower than last year is paying off!

Too much to do today to ride longer, and decided to not do the second loop even though I wanted to. I hope to get out on the mountain bike this evening for some drills - assuming the storms hold off they say are headed this way. I won't complain if they come, we got less than 1 inch of rain the entire month of July!

[azfiddle]

Nice job Catrin. It's easy to get focused on comparing one's self to others. Better to enjoy those personal best experiences!

Last night I had a lovely 15 mile ride, overcast but no rain, not broiling hot, and I found myself in a very zen state of mind where I was just in the moment.
Perfect!

This morning, a group ride for 38 miles. Humid for the desert- 50% to start, but clouds in the 2nd half of the ride kept it reasonably cool. I skipped the killer hill at the end because it was warming up and I don't do well pushing myself in the heat. It's 14 or 15%. The rest was good, and one of the faster guys stayed back and coaxed/encouraged a few of us to keep going, get in the paceline and not fall off. Above average speed for me- 15.5 overall

[Nick]

Congratulations, Ladies! I look forward to the days when those types of rides become routine for me. At this point -- about 10 miles plus some drills on skills is about my average per ride.

[indysteel]

Congratulations, Ladies! I look forward to the days when those types of rides become routine for me. At this point -- about 10 miles plus some drills on skills is about my average per ride.

If you're talking ten trail miles, they're definitely harder than ten road miles.

[pinsonp2]

I did my longest ride to date, 41.5 miles, at my fastest average speed, 14.2 mph this morning at the 2011 Mind Over Matter Ride. If I wasn't so tired, I would be really geeked out!

P2

[Catrin]

Nice job Catrin. It's easy to get focused on comparing one's self to others. Better to enjoy those personal best experiences!

Last night I had a lovely 15 mile ride, overcast but no rain, not broiling hot, and I found myself in a very zen state of mind where I was just in the moment.
Perfect!

This morning, a group ride for 38 miles. Humid for the desert- 50% to start, but clouds in the 2nd half of the ride kept it reasonably cool. I skipped the killer hill at the end because it was warming up and I don't do well pushing myself in the heat. It's 14 or 15%. The rest was good, and one of the faster guys stayed back and coaxed/encouraged a few of us to keep going, get in the paceline and not fall off. Above average speed for me- 15.5 overall

My riding position is FAR from aerodynamic, so I accepted long ago that I will never be speedy on the road compared with anyone else. I do much better than I once did, and as long as there isn't too strong a headwind it takes me far longer to fall off the end of the average club ride than it once did. Indeed I am no longer 45 minutes behind everyone else - which happened on a club ride at the end of July last year, and THIS year have been able to keep up with at least a section of the riders

I was perplexed by something on the ride this morning - a fast group passed me, and several people were using their aero bars (isn't this a no-no?) and one of the women had one of those aerodynamic fancy track helmets on. Perhaps something happened to her regular helmet and that was her only option, but it was a bit of a surprise. We must have had a tailwind, because I was actually pedaling 20mph at that minute & was able to sustain it for several minutes - and that has NEVER happened

Different riding patterns this year, my base hasn't broken 50 miles yet, but the metric isn't until October. Adding mountain biking to the mix appears to be changing how I do things this year. Having FAR too much fun to risk more over-use injuries!

Congratulations, Ladies! I look forward to the days when those types of rides become routine for me. At this point -- about 10 miles plus some drills on skills is about my average per ride.

Nick, if you are riding 10 miles on mountain bike trails then I am in awe of you I am just learning how to mountain bike and right now 3 miles on the trail is cause for celebration and great joy!

[indysteel]

My riding position is FAR from aerodynamic, so I accepted long ago that I will never be speedy on the road compared with anyone else. I do much better than I once did, and as long as there isn't too strong a headwind it takes me far longer to fall off the end of the average club ride than it once did. Indeed I am no longer 45 minutes behind everyone else - which happened on a club ride at the end of July last year, and THIS year have been able to keep up with at least a section of the riders

I was perplexed by something on the ride this morning - a fast group passed me, and several people were using their aero bars (isn't this a no-no?) and one of the women had one of those aerodynamic fancy track helmets on. Perhaps something happened to her regular helmet and that was her only option, but it was a bit of a surprise. We must have had a tailwind, because I was actually pedaling 20mph at that minute & was able to sustain it for several minutes - and that has NEVER happened

Different riding patterns this year, my base hasn't broken 50 miles yet, but the metric isn't until October. Adding mountain biking to the mix appears to be changing how I do things this year. Having FAR too much fun to risk more over-use injuries!



Nick, if you are riding 10 miles on mountain bike trails then I am in awe of you I am just learning how to mountain bike and right now 3 miles on the trail is cause for celebration and great joy!

Aerobars in group riding are generally a no-no, but there are people in my cycling group who are so steady and experienced on them that it doesn't bother me when they use them at the front of the pack. So, I would say that it really depends on the group and the riders.

I've done 10 miles or so the last few times out at BCSP and, let me tell you, I'm positively spent by the end of the ride.

[azfiddle]

The group with aero bars may have been triathletes or cyclists training for a time trial. Aero bars are disallowed in events (like our local Tour de Tucson), but they are not illegal or anything.

I imagine 10 miles on a mountain bike would definitely be an accomplishment. I have only ridden one once, and we rode about 14 miles on pretty easy trails. I was definitely worn out!

I'd love to be able to ride 1-2 mph faster than I do, but I am happy to appreciate all of these things: I'm not struggling with any major physical obstacles and I was able to ride over 50 miles in the last two days and I enjoyed beautiful desert scenery, appreciated the monsoon season clouds and the greenery they have produced on the hills, watched a sunset and a sunrise and experienced both solitude and socializing. I can't complain.

[redrhodie]

I did the shop ride today. After climbing the only hill, I ended up with a saddle issue. My mechanic stopped with me, and added some tension, then he and I chased for the rest of the ride. I definitely got a workout this week!

[Catrin]

Aerobars in group riding are generally a no-no, but there are people in my cycling group who are so steady and experienced on them that it doesn't bother me when they use them at the front of the pack. So, I would say that it really depends on the group and the riders.

I've done 10 miles or so the last few times out at BCSP and, let me tell you, I'm positively spent by the end of the ride.

I just hadn't seen that before, and they were in the middle of their pack.

So far the longest I've done at BCSP was 4-5 miles, and was quite tired. That is going to change soon - and I am considering how to do it so I don't wear myself out.

BTW, I do have someone to text periodically who knows people who can find me if something should happen

[Becky]

No ride today. Today was our annual firewood delivery party with the neighbors. We get three cords of split firewood delivered and divide it between our two homes. Makes for a good arms and core workout

We'll see what tomorrow's weather turns into....maybe it will stay dry enough to ride.

[Owlie]

Well, I did 26 miles on Thursday, but nothing today because I had errands to run. I may or may not be going to the zoo with my sister tomorrow, so unless I get up insanely early, no riding.

AZfiddle, I must say, I occasionally find it a little hard to read your posts--in a good way. You make the desert sound so awesome. (And had certain people had money, I'd be out there myself. )

[nscrbug]

Today we rode 60 miles, ALL in the rain. We left our house at 6am and it was cloudy, damp, and very muggy. A bit over 2 miles into the ride and it started to drizzle...no big deal, it was warm and muggy so it actually felt good. Then about a mile later, the rain got a bit heavier and steadier. After about an hour into the ride, I had had enough and was ready to head back home. We started to head towards home and the rain lightened up significantly...almost to the point where I was nearly dry. So we decided to stay out a bit longer since the skies looked as though they would clear up in the direction we were heading into. Well, that was a big mistake...as we continued our ride into a steady, moderate rain with poor visibility. So, 4 hours later I was so glad to finally arrive home...completely soaked from head to toe. Promptly walked into our air-conditioned house and YOWZA!!!....froze my @ss off. Of course, within 5 minutes of being home, the rain stopped and the sun came out. Sometimes you just can't win.

Linda

[jlnc]

I was supposed to go for a group ride this morning, but some major storms rolled through the area. The only good thing about the storms (aside from helping out our drought situation) is that I when I woke up, I could hear the thunder and rain, and didn't even have to bother getting out of bed to check the weather I did 30 boring minutes on the treadmill, which gave me new appreciation for how much fun riding is as opposed to the gym.

[Nick]

If you're talking ten trail miles, they're definitely harder than ten road miles.

Not quite full trails yet! It's mixed terrain -- some multi-use wide paths, then some trails. About 1/2 'n 1/2, at a beginner to intermediate level. I'm definitely not ready for advanced trails yet (eek!). We'll see how far I get after my next coaching session in September... I might be ready to hit the serious local trails (very rocky, rooty, and scary) next season.