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Thread: April Rides

  1. #46
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    california
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    1,232

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    A great weekend of music and riding. Went with some friends and stayed in Palm Desert for Coachella. Saturday we went for a 65 mile ride in the Santa Rosa Mountains bordering the southern part of the Palm Springs area. Spent Sat night doing the craziness of Coachella. Did a short 25 mile ride late Sun. morning (had too much fun Sat. night) on the Dillon road part of the annual Tour de Palm Springs route to keep my 30 days of riding streak going and then spent the rest of Sun to the closing of the Coachella weekend with the music of Lana Del Rey and then Arcade Fire.













    Last edited by rebeccaC; 04-14-2014 at 08:22 AM.
    ‘The negative feelings we all have can be addictive…just as the positive…it’s up to
    us to decide which ones we want to choose and feed”… Pema Chodron

  2. #47
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    South Central Indiana
    Posts
    624
    Wow, I'm jealous! Sounds like you had a great weekend. Beautiful pics as always!
    ***proud Hoosier, statistics nerd, and mom to a headstrong toddler***
    ****one car family and loving it!****

    Owned by:
    Le Monstre Vert - 2013 Surly Cross-check
    Chessie, Scottish Terrier
    Bonzai, Catahoula Leopard Dog

  3. #48
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    Traveling Nomad
    Posts
    6,763
    Well, after riding the majority of days in Feb/March in Southern Arizona, I've certainly fallen off the pace since getting back to KC. It's been off and on cold, windy, and rainy. We even had snow yesterday morning! I have managed to ride seven times this month, which I guess isn't so bad (20-40 miles each time), but certainly nothing like what I was doing the two previous months. Tomorrow is supposed to be warmer but very windy, but I am riding no matter what, because the next day is going to be cold and rainy again.

    It's just really hard to get motivated to bundle up to ride after so many nice rides (in shorts and short sleeves many days) in southern AZ. I got spoiled!

    We did get to enjoy some beautiful spring-blooming trees on our Sunday ride over to Costco. That's DH in the photos, riding in front of me!

    Attachment 17033

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    Emily

    2011 Jamis Dakar XC "Toto" - Selle Italia Ldy Gel Flow
    2007 Trek Pilot 5.0 WSD "Gloria" - Selle Italia Diva Gel Flow
    2004 Bike Friday Petite Pocket Crusoe - Selle Italia Diva Gel Flow

  4. #49
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    South Central Indiana
    Posts
    624
    Heck, even I was annoyed with having to bundle up on Monday to go out. It was a great experience to ride in the sleet and snow and defy all that is logic with a bike but after riding an entire day in a pair of shorts and a tank top, less than 48 hours earlier, I was peeved! Yesterday was okay - only a sweatshirt and knickers but still annoying!
    ***proud Hoosier, statistics nerd, and mom to a headstrong toddler***
    ****one car family and loving it!****

    Owned by:
    Le Monstre Vert - 2013 Surly Cross-check
    Chessie, Scottish Terrier
    Bonzai, Catahoula Leopard Dog

  5. #50
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    Traveling Nomad
    Posts
    6,763
    Today was super windy, so I ended up bundling up and taking the MTB down to the Natural Grocer for some natural groceries. Most of the ride there was right into the wind (gusting into the 25+ mph range), but it sure was fun coming back! Even with my Tailrider trunk pack and backpack weighted down with food, climbing was effortless with that wind. But it was bad enough that that's all I did -- just a 10.3-mile ride. An hour after I got home, I saw a gust of 36.9 mph on wunderground, so I am glad I came in when I did!
    Emily

    2011 Jamis Dakar XC "Toto" - Selle Italia Ldy Gel Flow
    2007 Trek Pilot 5.0 WSD "Gloria" - Selle Italia Diva Gel Flow
    2004 Bike Friday Petite Pocket Crusoe - Selle Italia Diva Gel Flow

  6. #51
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Concord, MA
    Posts
    13,394
    Did my first group ride in ages today. It was a small AMC group ride, on a route I designed. The leader was someone who is officially a co-leader, i.e., needs some experience under her belt and recommendations; one of the people on the bike committee was sweeping. I stayed behind her, and it was a good thing, as she had driven the route once and had not been on it on a bike. She was using a cue sheet and was not making the turns that well. DH helped sweep. But, it was a really nice day, the people were pleasant, and most of them had heard my presentation at the workshop a couple of weeks ago. We all went out to lunch after the ride. I could go to sleep now!
    2015 Trek Silque SSL
    Specialized Oura

    2011 Guru Praemio
    Specialized Oura
    2017 Specialized Ariel Sport

  7. #52
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Tucson, AZ
    Posts
    1,973
    An unusually cloudy day today- with a chance of rain but it never really materialized. The regular Saturday ride with our women's cycling group took us east of Tucson. Three of the riders turned around early to just get 25 miles. 5 of us went east to Marsh Station Road. I love the scenery, going through desert, across a canyon with cottonwoods and willows, and very little traffic, but the road surface on this route is just miserably bumpy. Heading east generally goes up in elevation with some rollers, but it was not a problem. Coming home, there was a constant headwind in the high with gusts to the 20's. It was brutal riding into that for about 25 miles. I split off from the group and took an alternate way home for the last 18 or so miles. I happily consumed a couple of small flour tortillas with beans, cheese, avocado and salsa for lunch. Now off for a shower and maybe even a nap.
    2016 Specialized Ruby Comp disc - Ruby Expert ti 155
    2010 Surly Long Haul Trucker - Jett 143

  8. #53
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Memphis, TN
    Posts
    1,933
    I did a club ride with the Memphis Hightailers today.
    The Bunny run:

    and a stop at the farmer's market:

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  9. #54
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Katy, Texas
    Posts
    1,811
    is it possible that your compression tights were part of the problem. like anything else, they probably take getting used to. Plus with the winter you all have had your are still building your base miles. Some weeks it's all I can do to get on the bike once let along do back to back days like I used to. Is there an option of commuting every other day for a while until things ease up?

    Trying to figure out layering in the spring is an exercise in strip tease.

    Give yourself a break and say hi to west Acton for me.
    marni
    Katy, Texas
    Trek Madone 6.5- "Red"
    Trek Pilot 5.2- " Bebe"


    "easily outrun by a chihuahua."

  10. #55
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Concord, MA
    Posts
    13,394
    Marni, are you replying to the post I made a couple of weeks ago?
    I don't commute every day, I only go to the office 3 days a week, and I target 2 for commuting. The other day I go to a high school and I don't work on Wednesdays. Last week I didn't commute at all... weather and other commitments. It's only 10.4 miles rt.
    I don't wear compression tights while I ride; they are for recovery and they work! I've used them every weekend since that one.
    I haven't done any rides over 30 miles yet, but I am pretty much back in the swing of things. Building a base is something I just never seem to get. I have about 2-3 weeks of suffering, slowly building up, with short rides, gradually up to about 20-25 miles and then one day, I feel OK. It's the same every year. I am pretty active over the winter, but it's just not the same.
    Lots of building going on in west Acton. I guess it might actually become more of a real village.
    2015 Trek Silque SSL
    Specialized Oura

    2011 Guru Praemio
    Specialized Oura
    2017 Specialized Ariel Sport

  11. #56
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    Traveling Nomad
    Posts
    6,763
    Got in a couple of good rides over the past two days with DH. Yesterday was a 32 mile ride on the MTBs primarily on bike paths (though it's 5 miles there and back on roads). Today I did 42 hilly miles on the roadie with quite a bit of wind -- gusts in the 20s from the south, so every time we had to turn that way, it was rough. Fortunately, the last 12 miles or so were all north and east, so it was fun at the end! We rode on some roads we hadn't tried before, so that was fun, though we had to stop a lot and look at the map on the way back to figure it out. I am soooooo tired of wind, though. Seems like every time we have a warm, sunny day, like today, it's super windy. The gusts at times felt like they were going to blow me off the road. Ugh!

    I went over 1700 miles YTD today, my best year since my accident in '05. Being retired helps a LOT, obviously!
    Emily

    2011 Jamis Dakar XC "Toto" - Selle Italia Ldy Gel Flow
    2007 Trek Pilot 5.0 WSD "Gloria" - Selle Italia Diva Gel Flow
    2004 Bike Friday Petite Pocket Crusoe - Selle Italia Diva Gel Flow

  12. #57
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Posts
    10,889
    Sounds great Emily! I think you renamed my....errrrr....YOUR bike quite appropriately given the winds you've been dealing with!

  13. #58
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    california
    Posts
    1,232
    Been doing some hard climbing routes lately to get ready for todays ride on Little Tujunga Canyon road in the western part of the Angeles National Forest. The route has a very steep at times 6 mile climb and an even steeper 4 miler among shorter ones...a couple of great descents though on nicely banked switchbacks and all on a well-paved road with very little traffic. Perfect weather too. Started in the low 60’s and ended in the low 70’s. I rode a route in the eastern part of the Angeles last April that had some good climbs but Tujunga is steeper and gives a better sense of isolation with incredible views. It was only a 40 minute drive to our start point, which was nice too. There are a couple of other canyon roads on the western side of the Angeles that we are thinking about riding now.

    The roadside memorial is for Sarah Alarid. She was 19 when her car went off the road and into a deep steep ravine at the site of the memorial. A park ranger who stopped for a moment told us she and her car weren’t found until spotted by a passing helicopter a few weeks after she went missing. I sat there for about 20 minutes looking at what has been left for her by friends and family and thinking of her being so young and the accident itself. That led me to a moment of crying. Those thoughts also made me thankful of just being alive in that moment and made me appreciate even more my ability to be enjoying a ride in such a beautiful and peaceful area. Sarah was with me the rest of the ride....



















    Last edited by rebeccaC; 04-19-2014 at 09:14 PM.
    ‘The negative feelings we all have can be addictive…just as the positive…it’s up to
    us to decide which ones we want to choose and feed”… Pema Chodron

  14. #59
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Utah
    Posts
    532
    Salt Lake City Marathon Bike Tour today. 6 a.m. start (yawn!), luckily we only live about 2.5 miles from the start so we could ride there. They changed the course this year, it's no longer all downhill and goes more through the city. It's a much prettier route although some parts were a little iffy on bikes in the dark. I had to work harder to make it by the cut-off time but we had a blast. And the weather was so, so, so much better than last year! No ride photos, but this year's medal was pretty cool.


    Salt Lake City Marathon Bike Tour by DutchRosie, on Flickr

    ETA: rebeccaC, gorgeous photos! And yes, how great to be alive and able to ride.

  15. #60
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Concord, MA
    Posts
    13,394
    Did my first ride up Oak Hill for the year, and I am trashed. 24.5 miles, 1551 feet of climbing. We were going to do closer to 40, but none of us were feeling it. It was a gorgeous, sunny day, with hardly any traffic, thanks to those celebrating Easter. After the climb, there's still climbing, if you know what I mean. I rode my Guru today, for the first time in about 2 weeks, so it felt good.
    Going to ride with a guy from my club tomorrow, since I am off for Patriot's Day. He rides everywhere, hardly ever drives, and just retired last summer. I told him I'm a bit tired, so hopefully, he'll have a little mercy on me. I debated on whether to ask someone fast to ride with me, or go out with my friend who is *very* slow. I want to push myself, but now I a questioning my judgment! It will be pleasant, as we'll be away from all of the hoopla going on in my town tomorrow for the holiday. I do feel a little guilty about not marching in the parade with the military families group, but since my son is not active duty anymore, I don't do mcuh with them.
    2015 Trek Silque SSL
    Specialized Oura

    2011 Guru Praemio
    Specialized Oura
    2017 Specialized Ariel Sport

 

 

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