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Thread: february rides

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

    february rides

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    Did one of my favorite rides to start February…Figueroa Mountain Rd in the Los Padres National Forest. I started in and looped back on Happy Canyon Rd to Los Olivos. 53 miles total, 4500 elevation gain, some good climbs and descents and perfect low 70’s weather. Beautiful views of the Santa Ynez Valley, the San Rafael Wilderness and then the peaceful pastoral views of Happy Valley coming off the mountain and back into Los Olivos. Panoramic views and a good physical challenge is my lure to mountain routes like this one. It’s like a searching for something transcendent…..and finding it.

    I haven't ridden this route during spring blooming time (was told by a park ranger i really should) so i'm planning for it this year.
    ‘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. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Tucson, AZ
    Posts
    1,973
    So far, just two short rides- 16 miles on Sunday to Saguaro NP and about 15 miles after work today south and east, partly along the Pantano "river" bike path.

    Friday and Saturday it rained here - 2 inches in the valley and 4-7 inches in the mountains- that's a huge amount for Tucson! The Pantano was in full flood and running back to bank earlier in the day, but even by the time I got out (3 pm) on Sunday, it was still carrying a pretty good amount of water. Today- there was nothing but damp sand in the wash- almost no little puddles anywhere.
    2016 Specialized Ruby Comp disc - Ruby Expert ti 155
    2010 Surly Long Haul Trucker - Jett 143

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    northern Virginia
    Posts
    5,897
    I am envious. For weeks now I've been thinking: I really want to go for a long bike ride on a warm sunny day. I have been so cranky and stressed out lately and I know the lack of weekend bike rides is part of the problem. Spending quality time with Coach Troy is just not the same thing.

    We might get a sunny day with a high above 40 this Saturday. If that happens and it's not too windy I think I will go for a ride near the Chesapeake Bay. I need a water-view fix.

    - Gray 2010 carbon WSD road bike, Rivet Independence saddle
    - Red hardtail 26" aluminum mountain bike, Bontrager Evoke WSD saddle
    - Royal blue 2018 aluminum gravel bike, Rivet Pearl saddle

    Gone but not forgotten:
    - Silver 2003 aluminum road bike
    - Two awesome worn out Juliana saddles

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Columbus, IN
    Posts
    216
    Yesterday was just warm enough that I managed to get out for a short afternoon ride on our Monon trail. Only 13 miles, and not the best ride (there are lots of stops for cross streets) but happy to be out in the sunshine! January/February outdoor rides are far and few between for me so I enjoyed this one.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    northern Virginia
    Posts
    5,897
    Well we got a break from the cold yesterday, with sunshine and a high temp above 50. So instead of setting up the bike on the indoor trainer I went out for a ride after work. I didn't start until 7 pm, so it was dark but was still 50 degrees. I rode a somewhat hilly 16-mile route.

    I tried out a Sugoi Firewall jacket that I had bought late last winter and had worn for other activities (snow shoveling!) but had not yet worn for a bike ride. I had been worried that it really wasn't windproof, but it was actually quite comfortable. I also tested out the new Bontrager headlight that I bought last month. It's very bright and only cost $100.

    Toward the end of the ride I did start to feel a bit cold, possibly because the wind picked up or changed direction. By this morning it was cold and windy again.

    I'm looking forward to Saturday -- sunshine and less cold weather is on the way.

    - Gray 2010 carbon WSD road bike, Rivet Independence saddle
    - Red hardtail 26" aluminum mountain bike, Bontrager Evoke WSD saddle
    - Royal blue 2018 aluminum gravel bike, Rivet Pearl saddle

    Gone but not forgotten:
    - Silver 2003 aluminum road bike
    - Two awesome worn out Juliana saddles

  6. #6
    Jolt is offline Dodging the potholes...
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Southern Maine
    Posts
    1,668
    I was in Stowe, VT for a few days this week for a conference and decided to try out a fatbike since there is a shop there that rents them (I ended up renting a Pugsley). It was pretty good on the well-packed snowmobile trails, but on another trail with soft snow that was not as well packed all I did was spin the rear wheel and get stuck! There were quite a few places where I had to push it. Even on the hard packed snow, I don't think I was moving much if any faster than I would have been on XC skis...think I will stick to that and snowshoeing for winter sports. It would be interesting to try riding a fatbike on the beach or dirt trails though. For those who do a lot of snow riding on fatbikes, is it normal to be that slow, or was that just me being bad at it?
    2011 Surly LHT
    1995 Trek 830

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Location
    Tampa Bay area
    Posts
    27
    32 miles today in sunny flat Fla (don't hate - just come on down!), and another 32 planned for tomorrow. But it's time to wander back over and re-read the posts on different saddles - ow-ow-ow!
    Livin the life!
    2014 Trek Domane 4.7

  8. #8
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    northern Virginia
    Posts
    5,897
    I led a 39-mile club ride today. It was colder than I had hoped it would be, apparently due to some clouds that wedged between the Chesapeake Bay and the Blue Ridge. It was especially chilly by the bay, which was our destination. The views were nice anyway, though, and temps were above 40 for the entire ride. Overall it was a nice winter ride.

    My legs were tired by the end and I have tons of stuff I should do around the house tomorrow. But one of the friends on today's ride asked me to join her tomorrow up in Frederick County. I've been told that when I'm an old lady I will not look back fondly on memories of cleaning the house -- so I'm going for another ride. I just hope my legs are up to the task.

    - Gray 2010 carbon WSD road bike, Rivet Independence saddle
    - Red hardtail 26" aluminum mountain bike, Bontrager Evoke WSD saddle
    - Royal blue 2018 aluminum gravel bike, Rivet Pearl saddle

    Gone but not forgotten:
    - Silver 2003 aluminum road bike
    - Two awesome worn out Juliana saddles

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Concord, MA
    Posts
    13,394
    Jolt, go skiing! Some of the best x country skiing around in Stowe.
    2015 Trek Silque SSL
    Specialized Oura

    2011 Guru Praemio
    Specialized Oura
    2017 Specialized Ariel Sport

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Tucson, AZ
    Posts
    1,973
    Good riding weather continues in southern Arizona. I got in after-work rides on Mon, Weds and Friday, a 45 mile ride Sat and an 18 mile ride today. Total: over 113 miles for the week (Mon- Sunday)
    2016 Specialized Ruby Comp disc - Ruby Expert ti 155
    2010 Surly Long Haul Trucker - Jett 143

  11. #11
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Suburban MA and Western ME
    Posts
    1,815
    Jolt - this is normal. The snow right now is not the right consistency to make it easy going on the fat bikes. It needs to be harder packed than what is possible given the cold temps and fluffy consistency. That said, you CAN ride right now - early in the morning before the temps rise and a lot of traffic has hit the trails is best. The other trick is to keep a STEADY, EVEN pedal stroke with low power to help avoid spinning the rear tire. The sides of the trails are also typically harder pack than the middle - the groomers hit there while sleds tend to run the middle of the trails, leaving the sides harder pack. Skiing is faster, but there is NOTHING like being out on the fat bikes in the snow for 3-4 hours! I would suggest not totally giving up on it, and giving it another go.

    Up in Bethel, ME, and here in Bedford, MA, we have been riding outside a lot. I did 3.5 hours (ride time - overall duration was closer to 4.5 hours) on Friday, and 2.5 on Saturday. Add to that close to 2 hours Thursday and another 2 on a coffee ride on the Minuteman and through Arlington's Great Meadow yesterday, and that puts me at 10 hours this week, not counting the ride I did last Monday. Yup - it's snowing, but I still haven't ridden indoors in over a year and a half! Yay fat bikes!

    SheFly
    "Well behaved women rarely make history." including me!
    http://twoadventures.blogspot.com

  12. #12
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    northern Virginia
    Posts
    5,897
    Quote Originally Posted by ny biker View Post
    I led a 39-mile club ride today. It was colder than I had hoped it would be, apparently due to some clouds that wedged between the Chesapeake Bay and the Blue Ridge. It was especially chilly by the bay, which was our destination. The views were nice anyway, though, and temps were above 40 for the entire ride. Overall it was a nice winter ride.

    My legs were tired by the end and I have tons of stuff I should do around the house tomorrow. But one of the friends on today's ride asked me to join her tomorrow up in Frederick County. I've been told that when I'm an old lady I will not look back fondly on memories of cleaning the house -- so I'm going for another ride. I just hope my legs are up to the task.
    So we rode 42 miles on Sunday. The planned route was 40, but we added a couple of detours for the sake of scenery. But here's the thing -- it was springlike around DC on Sunday, sunny and in the 60s. And our ride was in northern Maryland between Frederick and Taneytown -- where it was cloudy and cold with temps in the low 40s and enough snow on the ground to make it feel a good 10 degrees colder. The route was really nice, with lots of quiet rural roads and plenty of creek and river crossings. For our rest stop we chose a nice little bakery with tasty food. And it was a great chance to explore some roads that I've never been on before. It was just so cold, on a day when it was warm and sunny in our backyards. When we got back home we saw cyclists wearing shorts.

    Despite the chill, we had a fun time. We were disappointed with the weather but did not regret going.

    I will try to ride the same route again on a warmer day. In the meantime I've ordered new booties (from TE, of course) because the ones I bought last year are just not warm enough to keep my feet warm when temps are in the low 40s or lower.

    So I rode more than 80 miles last weekend, which is way more than I've ridden since last October. My legs are a bit sore but overall they don't feel too bad. Of course now we're expecting two arctic blasts over the next few days and below-average temps beyond that. I'm just glad we're not buried in snow and hoping things stay that way.

    - Gray 2010 carbon WSD road bike, Rivet Independence saddle
    - Red hardtail 26" aluminum mountain bike, Bontrager Evoke WSD saddle
    - Royal blue 2018 aluminum gravel bike, Rivet Pearl saddle

    Gone but not forgotten:
    - Silver 2003 aluminum road bike
    - Two awesome worn out Juliana saddles

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
    Location
    Seattle, WA
    Posts
    129
    I had a bit of fun riding on Saturday. We were having wild weather--big wind out of the south, rain showers, sun, dark ominous clouds (and sometimes all three at once)--the kind of day you feel kind of awesome for venturing out in at all. I had my usual Saturday commute, then went over to a friend's house, taking a detour to add miles--and these were miles that went straight into the wind, right on the water where there was nothing to shelter you.

    Normally I find headwinds really demoralizing, but something about the wildness of the weather, the constant drama and change of the sky, and the waves on the water flipped a switch, and I found myself enjoying the struggle to pedal a tiny gear on flat ground while hunched over in my drops as low as I could be... It was such a stupid thing to do to literally go out of my way to pedal extra miles into the wind that I just had to laugh at myself and the craziness of the situation. When the rain started really coming down, I unzipped my rain jacket further because it felt so refreshing. I had about 32 miles on the day by the time it was all over, and I felt like I could claim victory in an epic ride--when really, on any other day, it wouldn't have been hardly anything to take note of. And it really was gorgeous out, in a storm-tossed drama kind of way.
    1980-something Colnago
    2010 Jamis Quest
    2013 Wabi Classic

    mebikedolomitesoneday.wordpress.com

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Pacific Northwest
    Posts
    3,436
    Yep, khg! Know the feeling. Sometimes I just truly love those days. I often talk out loud to the headwind and the rain--put my head down and bull on in.
    "My predominant feeling is one of gratitude. I have loved and been loved;I have been given much and I have given something in return...Above all, I have been a sentient being, a thinking animal, on this beautiful planet, and that in itself has been an enormous privilege and an adventure." O. Sacks

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Pacific Northwest
    Posts
    3,436
    We did MarieV's favorite Maltby-Granite Falls 100k last weekend to complete our third year of tandem P-12. I'm pleased about that, but the real reason I'm posting is to show you all this.

    Seen on a lovely little back road called Woods Creek Road: Somebody is in the midst of doing an extraordinary eagle-and-salmon wood carving out of a tree trunk. It looks like it's still in process because the wood chips are fresh. The first picture shows Google Earth's view of this house in 2009; the second shows what we saw last week. Please click on the second one so you can see the detail in the carving. Boy! So much talent. I wanted to leave a thank you note.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    "My predominant feeling is one of gratitude. I have loved and been loved;I have been given much and I have given something in return...Above all, I have been a sentient being, a thinking animal, on this beautiful planet, and that in itself has been an enormous privilege and an adventure." O. Sacks

 

 

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