november rides....outside and inside

[rebeccaC]

outside for us who have mild weather or commute/ride regardless of the weather and inside trainer miles/experiences for those who don't want to venture outside

[ny biker]

Where is this rain coming from??????????????? Every weather forecast for days has said clear skies and seasonably warm all the way until the weekend. Now all of a sudden as I'm about to change and go for a bike ride, there's rain all over the place. And more rain tomorrow.

I could have gone for a ride last night if I'd known. But no, they kept it a secret.

I am not riding in the dark when it's raining and the temperature is dropping from the low 60s and there are leaves all over the ground.

Dammit.

[Crankin]

I wonder why I didn't notice the November thread...
That is weird, NY. No rain here, and clear skies, warm weather. I think there may be rain predicted for late tomorrow night, though.
Riding on wet leaves, no!

[ny biker]

It's coming up from the south. I'm hoping it's done in time to get out and ride tomorrow night. At least it will still be warm.

Why is it that long-range forecasts of terrible weather are always accurate, but forecasts of great weather are often overly optimistic?

[shootingstar]

Just doing small rides to work and back, plus minor food shopping using bike. Temp. is 0 degrees C or abit higher.

Whereas in Vancouver it will be over 50 mm of rain in 1 day..will be there eventually. We'll be in Seattle and may not even bring our bikes onto train.

[ny biker]

Wow Shootingstar, that is cold for November, at least compared to what I'm used to. I was not made for colder climates.

I did get out and ride after work last night. It was in the mid 60s and humid, the kind of weather where you warm up going uphill and then feel a bit of a chill going downhill. The rain had cleared out early in the day but the clouds lingered which limited the sunshine, so the road varied from totally dry to quite wet with everything in between. I took it slow on the turns in case of wet leaves. About a third of the way through the route I started to encounter fog in the low areas -- I think it was my first time riding in fog, definitely the first time after dark. Fortunately I was only riding through it for a couple of seconds at a time; if it had been constant I think I would have cut the ride short. When I finished the ride and took off my helmet, it was wet on the outside, so I guess conditions really were pretty damp.

I tried out a new pair of knee warmers on the ride. I got them for 50% off at the LBS. They were comfortable, but I really do not have the legs for that elastic at the top. Fine for riding, not so much if you're going to be walking around off the bike.

Next up for me will be a ride on Sunday afternoon. Current forecast calls for sunshine -- fingers crossed it doesn't change.

[Crankin]

It's currently 73 degrees. Creepy, but nice.
I rode to Bedford to meet my friend, Jack, for a ride. We listed it as an AMC ride, but no one showed up. Instead 2 of his other riding friends showed. Knew I was in trouble with them. Off we went, and just about the time we got to my street, and my average was over 16, I told Jack I was going to go home, if he didn't slow. He was fine with that, and so were the others, but the woman just had to let me know this was her recovery ride, so she needed to slow, as she had already done 4 rides this week. Ha, I just wanted to not get dropped, and we were heading up Strawberry Hill. I also knew another very steep, short climb was coming. So, we slowed a little to a nice pace, and enjoyed the beautiful day. I know this is a sign of climate change, but it's nice for cyclists. Anyway, I did not want to go back to Bedford with them, so I peeled off at a certain point and headed home, retracing some of what I had already ridden. I ended up with 29.5 miles, so I am happy, and I didn't suffer too much! Doing a ride out to Bolton and Harvard tomorrow, so trying to keep my legs ready.

[Blueberry]

I finally got back on my bike after the block from hell! Did just over 10 miles on an unusually warm day (mid-upper 70's) with gusty winds and some spitting rain. I love riding through crunchy leaves - they're past their peak here, but still nice. Thankfully they weren't wet enough to be slick. I'm amazed at how much fitness I lost in a week and a half. Sigh. Back to it!

[Pax]

Rode 2.5 miles today, the longest I've gone since the knee replacement. I'm contemplating adding an electric assist to my bike just so I can go further than the little island we live on!

[ny biker]

Rode 2.5 miles today, the longest I've gone since the knee replacement. I'm contemplating adding an electric assist to my bike just so I can go further than the little island we live on!

Yay!!

And welcome back, Blueberry!!

[Pax]

I know it's totally lame, but I rode 2.5 again today and I feel so good about it! Watch me go!!

[ny biker]

Not lame at all!!! It's progress!! Woo hoo!!

[Crankin]

I did a 37 mile very hilly ride. It was 61 and windy/cloudy when we left our friends' and house. I should have had my light long fingered gloves and toe covers. I rode my Guru today and it just felt heavy on the back end. We got to Bolton Farms to eat lunch and it was 5 degrees colder and we realized not fun to eat outside. I got chilled, but thankfully, we had a climb a after that. DH was really suffering today, in a way I rarely see.
Got back to our friends' and had tea and good conversation. I am exhausted. Glad I did it, but hoping I feel revived tomorrow.

[Crankin]

I decided I would ride to yoga this morning. It's at 9:30, so I figured I'd leave at 8:30, give myself plenty of time to get there, do a bit of clothing re-arranging, and relax. Well, I had a moment of wavering if I was going to ride, but decided I would. Didn't realize it was later than I thought. The real feel temperature was 37, despite it being 42 out, so I put my heavy tights on, over my commuter capris, that look like any other yoga pants. Wore my yoga top, a winter jersey, and my winter riding jacket. Didn't leave until 8:45, felt pressured, as the class fills up and people run in to get a spot. Somehow, the ride that felt so easy and fast a few weeks ago, felt tiring. The club is about a mile past my new condo, and the road to it is a hill (of course). Got there at 9:20, ran in with my bike, which I stored in a closet, and got to class with time to spare. However, it was crowded. And, I was sweaty. But class was good. On the way home, I did not wear the tights, and stopped at the condo, where DH was doing work, and left my jacket in the car. It was already 52 or so. Looked goofy with my winter shoes, Woolie-Bullys, etc with my capris, but it was not a fashion show. And, did I mention my heated gloves. I needed the highest setting for the ride there, but didn't need even the lowest for the way back.
I actually looked at my Garmin for my mileage totals. I've been keeping track in writing in my journal, but, apparently, I made my least acceptable riding goal of 2,500 miles, probably last week. Pretty close to 2,600 today. Now I don't feel so badly. I won't make 3K, but maybe 2,700.

[emily_in_nc]

Sounds like you may just have been tired from the tough ride the day before, Crankin. That sounded like a doozy!

We just did our regular Sunday ride -- 21 miles including urban to/from the bike path, two loops on the path, and Sam's Club for a few items on the way back. It was hot, humid, and sunny. Still, I would rather have this than cold and blustery! But I must say that riding here is not that much fun. There are very few routes, so it gets boring. And the urban part is stressful for me because there are these strange speedbumps they have here that consist of a series of round metal humps (half spheres). There are two rows of them, one row offset from the other, and in order for a bike to go through, you have to angle so that you go in between on a diagonal. DH thinks nothing of them, but I am always so worried about hitting the humps as I'm not as good a bike handler, and my depth perception is not the best. I have managed to go over a hump a couple of times, and it's quite jarring, though I didn't fall like I thought I might. There are at least 6 of these that we have to traverse during this ride, and I dread them.