December rides...

[ny biker]

Let's get this party started!

I haven't ridden yet this month, but posted a club ride for tomorrow because the weather forecast looked good, sunshine with temps in the high 40s. Then they added "windy" to the forecast. So not sure if it will be okay or too windy. Canceling and rescheduling for Sunday would be an option, though it will be cloudy so we won't have the warmth from the sun. We shall see...

[north woods gal]

Wow! December, already? I'm still a bit off balance with this strange weather of ours. Here it is, December, and no snow cover or even ice on the lakes. The good news is that I am still hitting the MTB trails for all they're worth before the snow comes. Will still ride the fatties in the snow when it comes, but that's a whole different kind of riding than technical trail riding. May even dust off the road bike and take it out.

[emily_in_nc]

I started the month yesterday with another excellent ride on the West Orange Trail. Had a great tail wind all the way out so felt great. The way back, the wind died for awhile, surprising but nice, since we'd expected a head wind. But it picked up again right in our face towards the end, lowering our speeds, as did hunting for an elusive upholstery shop downtown.

Anywho, a nice ride in shorts and short sleeves, right before a cold front blew in. 33 miles. Less than 100 left to reach my goal for the year of 3K, which I should be able to beat by a bit.

[ny biker]

I guess I should upload all the rides on the Garmin so I can see my total miles so far this year, in case I'm close to a milestone. I haven't uploaded anything since May.

I'm still trying to figure out my weekend. I really want to get the new saddle on the bike before I ride this weekend because I don't know how many chances I'll have to test ride it during the 30-day guarantee period. (Of course that's the main drawback with testing a saddle this time of year.) I was going to get the saddle tomorrow morning before my scheduled ride but the guy at the LBS won't be in tomorrow. I could move the ride to Sunday and get the saddle Sunday morning, but would probably have to start the ride a bit later in that case. And with the early sunset I would be risking getting home after dark if anyone on the ride has a mechanical that causes a delay.

Decisions, decisions.

[Crankin]

We had the exact weather that NY described above, today. It was very windy, not that cold (44) and partly cloudy. There was no sun when we left and some when we got home. So, just a little 16 mile ride, where we started out going uphill to warm up, which did achieve that objective, but generally is not good for me. The wind gusts were vicious at times, probably up to 25 mph, but it seemed like the frequency died down a bit when we were out.
Saw a few other lone cyclists, including 2 I know. Nothing eventful, except there always seems to be more traffic than I expect for a Saturday. Like all cold weather rides, I complain while I am riding, calm down nearer to the end, and I am glad I went when I finish. My attitude toward riding has sucked lately. I *want* to ride, but when I start, I often feel like crap; this is normal for me, I always need a long time to warm up. However, some of it is I have been riding straight through since March 2015. Usually, I take at least 1-2.5 months off from riding outside. Right now, I feel like as long as there is no snow on the road, I need to be out there, at least once a week. I seem to be motivated for the gym and hiking, but I really want it to snow!

[north woods gal]

In town to do stuff, all day, so didn't get to ride and feeling my usual guilty about it. Supposed to get 2" of snow, tomorrow, and that means my trails will be snow covered, again, so that just adds to the guilt. Silly, I know. Should actually be grateful for as much no snow trail riding I have been able to do this late in the year. The gloom is really getting me down, too. Haven't had a sunny day since well before Thanksgiving. Someone send some sunshine, up here, please!

[rebeccaC]

sending sunshine and an ocean NWG



For our first Dec ride Alex wanted to ride in the San Gabriel mountains so we left the warmth of the beach to ride a loop from Azusa to Mt. Baldy going up from the west on Glendora Mountain Road and back down on Mt Baldy road. An 18 mile 6-8% climb once in the mountains on GMR ending with a 5 mile 14-17% switchbacked final ascent. We stopped at the Mt Baldy Lodge on the way down to stretch, relax and fuel up with some homemade energy bars and hot chocolate from the lodge…..and we split a piece of really good cheesecake…..well Alex takes bigger bites so maybe 40-60.

The descent on MBR is on a well-paved and at times serpentine road with nicely banked corners so we had fun descending back to the valley floor. When we got back to the car it was a 49 mile ride so we decided to ride back up into the mountains on Hwy 39 into San Gabriel canyon. This was one of Alex’s favorite rides when she lived in the area and we’ve ridden it together a few times. It’s a gradually steeper climb with a hard 2 mile section at the end making the turnaround for the descent a welcome moment.

We stopped for a steam room, shower and massage before leaving Azusa, which was a perfect ending to a day of hard riding. 81 miles with sunny skies and temps in the 40’s to 50’s when in the mountains. We had a good tailwind going up San Gabriel canyon, which also made for a cooler descent. Very little traffic since people haven’t started using the Mt Baldy ski area yet. Feeling blessed to have so many beautiful scenic mountain roads for riding in this area and being able to do it with a wonderful wife.

[north woods gal]

Hey, I asked for sunshine and you sent it, if only in a pic. Thanks. Does help.

[emily_in_nc]

Another gorgeous photo, Rebecca. Your photos always make me smile and gasp at their beauty, and that looks like an idyllic spot.

We did our usual bike path ride today, made a bit more interesting by the very breezy conditions. I don't know what the speed was, but even DH felt that it was the windiest ride we've had since returning to Florida. Temp was perfect, in the 70s, sun was shining, and lots and lots of folks were out on the bike path. I guess last Sunday, which was relatively light, was an anomaly since many were certainly traveling from Thanksgiving.

Good ride, though I was reminded why the shorts I wore today should only be worn for short (an hour or less) rides. Owie!

32 miles.

[north woods gal]

New snowfall of 2", so trails now snow-covered, again. This snow was pretty decent, though. Definitely drier and less ice, so riding was actually pleasant. Was able to even do some of the milder climbs, but the aggressive steep stuff that requires one of those give it all you got sudden bursts of speed? Well, no. Even this light a snow is enough to cut my speed enough to cause a stall out. Those trail sections are now one way - downhill, only.

Serious cold, as in more typical December cold, headed our way, soon. That's a good thing, by the way. When we get enough ice on the lake, will be riding there, too.

Nice ride


Surly Pugsley, today.

[emily_in_nc]

That's gorgeous, NWG! Glad you enjoy it...I would be huddled up inside by the fire, drinking hot chocolate and looking at the snow out my window, I fear!

[north woods gal]

Thanks, Emily. Riding in this weather makes getting back inside with a hot latte' all the more enjoyable. Truth is, I begin to feel like an animal trapped in a cage when I sit inside for too long. Just me.

[Crankin]

Me, too.

[ny biker]

I rode 28 miles yesterday. It was supposed to be 30 miles, a ride I was leading for the bike club. But no one else showed up. This didn't surprise me, given the weather and the fact that there are only a handful other people in the club who ride at my pace. And I always assume no one will show up when I lead a ride, and have a backup plan just in case. So yesterday my backup plan was to shorten the ride slightly and bring extra food and water so I would not have to go into a store and leave my bike outside unattended at the rest stop.

It was gray and cloudy with temps in the high 40s-low 50s. On the one hand there was no wind to make it feel colder, but on the other hand the lack of sun made a real difference. I actually could see the sun, blurred behind the clouds, and for a while near the end I could see my shadow faintly. But it didn't help to warm things up. I wore my heavy Gore jacket, with the fleece linking and windstopper soft shell, which is only good when you have no reason to think you will warm up enough to want to remove layers during a ride. I thought it would be warm enough so I only had thin wool base layer underneath. However I brought a wind vest in case I felt cold, and did end up putting it on at the break. Otherwise I was dressed just right -- fleece-line Gore Windstopper gloves and booties, PI Amfib tights, wool socks, chemical toe warmer between my feet and the cold metal cleats, wool cap under my helmet. So all in all the gray chill kept it from being a great ride but still it was pretty good.

Also yesterday I tested out the new saddle, as noted in another thread.

When we lead rides for the club we write up a report and post it on the website. When I got home yesterday I ended writing a pretty long report, despite the fact that no one joined me for the ride. I thought about going back in and editing it, but it kinda made me laugh. Having no one show up is something that happens from time to time to everyone who leads rides often, and some people seem to get pretty upset about it even though it's not anything personal. I decided not to shorten my report so I could show that you can still have a nice ride even when you have no company.

Looking ahead, we're expecting that cold blast of air at the end of the week, so next weekend's high temps will be below my 40 degree threshold for riding outdoors. I might get the indoor trainer out of storage. Then again I might try bundling up and doing a short ride around my neighborhood. But that will depend on whether there's any sunshine and also on the wind. We'll see.

[north woods gal]

Yeah, it's headed your way. We will have a high of 30, tomorrow, but temperatures falling rapidly, come afternoon. Could be awhile before we get above freezing, again. Stay warm.