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  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    north woods of Wisconsin
    Posts
    1,110

    October rides: put a little color in it.

    Well, it is October and, for us, the leaf colors are coming on strong. Have already had to clean off the leaf litter on my trails and lots more that to come.

    Been doing my usual everyday ride routine of 5 miles on our lovely neighborhood roads with the hubby, then following that up with some trail riding and/or more road riding on my own. Then, too, I sometimes put an hour or two into doing trail maintenance or improvement work. Oh, yeah, this gal is pretty tired at the end of the day, but a good kind of tired.

    As always, lots of wildlife. Interesting incident, today. Around dinner, the dogs were raising a ruckus around the wood pile, trying to tear it down. They had something cornered. We finally got them away from the woodpile to see what they had trapped. Turns out to be an Ermine (used to be called the Short-tailed Weasel). These are the ones that turn white in the winter and are common, up here in the north woods. Unfortunately, the little guy was in bad shape. I think a log fell on it. Nevertheless, we took him out in the woods, away from the house with the hopes he might survive. Not looking good, but we tried.
    Last edited by north woods gal; 10-02-2018 at 04:53 PM.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Concord, MA
    Posts
    13,394
    Starting to see some colors here, mostly the bright red sugar maples. Quite late this year. But, our peak is not until near the end of October.
    Had rain and raw drizzle all day. I forced myself to get up and go to spin class this morning before work. So humid out, it just seeps in that room, even with the AC and fans. It's the first one hour spin class I've done since last April. When I've gone to that class on Wednesdays if it's raining, it's only 30 minutes. I feel so bored, but I certainly feel like I've worked.
    Tomorrow I plan to go on a group ride that starts at a Bonsai place and goes on roads I have not ridden in awhile. I've driven by the Bonsai place, oh, like 5,000 times in the past 28 years, and I have been wanting to do this ride for at least 5 years, because afterwards we eat lunch there and get a tour.
    2015 Trek Silque SSL
    Specialized Oura

    2011 Guru Praemio
    Specialized Oura
    2017 Specialized Ariel Sport

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    north woods of Wisconsin
    Posts
    1,110
    We had thunderstorms, all night and are forecast to get strong storms all day, today, and tonight. Not sure what I'll get done as far as riding, but for sure, I won't head out far from home. Don't mind riding in the rain - up to a point - but heavy rain and, especially, lightning scares the heck out of me. Have had to do it out of necessity, but no way will I do it when I have a choice. May just settle for some trail work or a short trail ride. I can't stand spending the whole day, inside. Yuk!

    Crankin, that sounds interesting, for sure. Love our very rural setting, here, and all our roads are beautiful, but not much in the way of places to stop and eat or get coffee or shop and so on. That's the part I do miss from my Chicago and Portland days.

    Whoa! That's a tough one, Sheila, but I do understand about taking down trees around the house for the sake of safety and damage to the house. We had to do the same when we first moved in, up here, but time to remove a few more, now that they're getting old.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Concord, MA
    Posts
    13,394
    Sigh, another ride thwarted, mainly by weather. At 7:30 we got an email from the leader giving the encouraging forecast, 61 at 10 am, with .1% chance of rain. It had rained all night, the roads were wet and it was 51 degrees at that time. I got ready, put air in my tires and loaded my bike in my car. The start was about 8-9 miles away. When I went outside at 8:15, I felt freezing. I had my knickers on, a LS regular jersey, and my vest. Wool socks. Came back in and put on a sleeveless base layer, as I am sick of feeling overheated on rides! Since we needed money to pay for the lunch ahead of time, I had to leave early. So, at 9, I went to my bank branch ATM, that is maybe 5 miles from my house. On the way over, I noticed my windshield getting wet, thinking it was road spray. Had to put my wipers on. Got out of my car and said "Oh sh!t." It was raining. Lightly, but raining, and 53 degrees. I got my $, hung out for about 5 minutes, and said that's it. I went home.
    I think I made the right choice for me. It clearly was raining more west of my house, but it continued drizzling until about 11 am even here, and the ride started at 10. If I had had my rain jacket, I would have gone, but it felt raw and cold, and that, mixed with wet, is a recipe for hypothermia. Also did not have a head cover. Truthfully, I had a ton of work to do and felt relieved. I did my work, ate lunch, and went out for a very short 35 minute ride at 12:45. My legs felt dead from yesterday's spin, and my average was a good deal lower than my last rides. It was hilly, so despite being short, I felt like I worked hard. I went out and went food shopping afterwards, did a bunch of other chores, as we have a really busy weekend. I don't have work Monday (Columbus Day). Granddaughter coming Friday, sleeping over, and as soon as she get s picked up at 9 am, we head to our friends in western MA for 2 days of riding and maybe a hike. Monday, we are celebrating my son's 36th birthday, at dinner, so I have to make him a cake, but I will probably be able to do a longer ride in the morning. Weather is going to be summer-fall-summer for the next few days. I would prefer to keep the fall!
    2015 Trek Silque SSL
    Specialized Oura

    2011 Guru Praemio
    Specialized Oura
    2017 Specialized Ariel Sport

  5. #5
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    north woods of Wisconsin
    Posts
    1,110
    Drizzle or even light rain I can take - if i dress for it and if I'm in the mood. Of course, I have the luxury of staying close to home and doing all the biking I want, so I can deal with rain a bit easier than most. Today was a good example. Woke up to a light rain, mist and fog, but it stopped mid-morning, so hubby and I did our neighborhood ride, then I did a full 5 miles of laps on our wet trails, then followed that up with a couple hours of hard work on the trails, clearing roots and rocks off the trails that might be a safety issue when riding the standard tire MTBs. Grueling work, but I get a smoother and safer trail doing it.

    With our wet trails the last couple days, I've been riding the Krampus with its "low fat" (3") tires. Have rekindled an appreciation for this bike, now that I've put those wider tires to good use on our wet trails (now covered with wet leaves in places). The Krampus is no race bike, but it is solid, stable and, especially, safe when conditions aren't the best. I did get the gearing right on this one, too, for my trails. It can be a little tricky matching the gear combo on a single speed to where you plan to ride the bike. All in all, the Krampus is a very useful single speed in my growing collection of single sped bikes.

    Nasty storms with heavy rain and a lot of lightning moved in, this afternoon, just as I finished with the trail work. More to come, tonight and tomorrow, so the Krampus will probably be put to work, again. Could ride one of the regular fat bikes, too, but I'm kind of hooked on riding single speed.
    Last edited by north woods gal; 10-03-2018 at 04:32 PM.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    northern Virginia
    Posts
    5,897
    It's been summerlike all week and I love it.

    I rode last night after work, about 18 miles. My speed was very slow and I'm not sure why. I was in a bad mood all day and had to stop several times because the chain was making a weird noise. I couldn't figure out why. I have had problems ever since the bike shop guy replaced it a few months ago. Anyway it seemed to shift okay last night, it just didn't sound right. There was more traffic than usual which did not help my mood, and one driver in particular was a total jerk, honking and passing close while I was making a left turn. Overall not the best ride.

    I'm planning to lead a ride on Sunday. It's supposed to be sunny and in the 80s. No complaints from me!

    - 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

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Illinois
    Posts
    3,151
    FALL got here yesterday after weeks in the 80's... it feels so good even if it's just commuting and running errands. 51 now so time for a quick ride!

  8. #8
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    northern Virginia
    Posts
    5,897
    30 degrees colder today than my last two rides. We planned a 58 mile ride, a variation on the annual Gettysburg tour that my friend leads. The sun is still fairly strong so it was not bad with temps in the 50s.

    But I fell a couple of miles into the ride. I was riding next to a friend, chatting, got too close to the edge of the pavement, went off the edge onto the grass next to it, foolishly tried to get back onto the pavement and fell on my left side. My left palm and wrist took most of the impact, followed by my elbow and knee.

    Of course I did the whole ride (probably not smart but we did stop several times to evaluate and the pain was not getting worse). It was a slow touring ride with numerous stops, a long day in the saddle ( and a really nice route). I had full range of motion in my wrist but it hurt, and by the end some bruises had appeared and it felt stiff. No visible swelling. After we finished I bought an elastic and neoprene brace for compression and immobilization. Iced it once I got home. Consulted with a nurse (family member) who said to see how it is in the morning -- no need for urgent care tonight. I don't think anything is broken but there is definitely soft tissue damage. By the end of the ride I felt a twinge in my back/shoulder back beneath my neck, no doubt from the impact going up my arm.

    The elbow is okay as long as I don't touch the tip of the bone -- that is sore. I scraped my knee but it's not serious. All the extra layers of clothes prevented serious road rash. (So yay colder weather, I guess.) My left bootie is torn but I needed new ones anyway. Most importantly, although I hit my friend's bike as I fell she stayed upright. This is important because her bones are way less dense than mine.

    The bike is okay I think. The shifter got knocked crooked. We fixed that, but it made a slight noise when I braked and felt wrong. As it happens I already planned to go to the LBS tomorrow, to pick up my new gravel bike. I still have not test ridden it so tomorrow I planned to take it for a spin on the rail trail next to the shop. First I was going to put the pedals on myself because it seemed like something I could handle myself and is worth learning (and saving some labor costs).

    So now I will have them look at the shifter on the old bike, and I will pay for the new one and take it home. Hopefully in a few days I will be able to ride it.

    - 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
    So sorry your crashed, NY. Your injuries sound a lot like what I have experienced, both in bike crashes and now, with the fall I had last weekend, hiking. Get some Arnica gel. Put it on the bruises, and anywhere that feels stiff or swollen. You can use it 4X a day. It really helps healing, along with icing.
    2015 Trek Silque SSL
    Specialized Oura

    2011 Guru Praemio
    Specialized Oura
    2017 Specialized Ariel Sport

  10. #10
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    north woods of Wisconsin
    Posts
    1,110
    Hang in, there, N.Y. We've all taken a spill and, as we all know, I'm still doing it. Hope you recover, soon.

    One of the things that you might check on the shifting is the derailleur. With MTB crashes, bending a derailleur arm is very common occurrence and that will give you fits with the shifting. Easy enough fix by bending it back. On the other hand, if you actually damaged the brifter on a road bike, that gets very pricey. Very expensive part on a road bike. Hope it isn't that.

    Light snow, as I write this, this morning. Ugh! Oh, I'll still go out with a fat bike on the trails so Star and I can get some exercise, but not a great day for biking. Oh, well, Florida this is not and I know it.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    northern Virginia
    Posts
    5,897
    Thanks ladies. All in all it could have been worse. There is a bit of swelling today on the back (not palm side) of my wrist, but it feels better today than last night. My elbow is a bit puffy too. I probably could test ride the new bike today but it would be better not to.

    I realized when cleaning the cut on my knee that I landed on a scar, a spot I have cut twice before. The first time I was 4 or 5, walking my bike (I think with training wheels still) and somehow managed to trip and fall. My knee hit a small sharp rock, which hurt a lot and left the scar. Then back in 2003 I was riding my then-new road bike on a paved trail through some woods. There were puddles from recent rain. I went through a muddy curve too fast and fell, right on that scar. So yesterday was my third time cutting the same spot. Third time's a charm?

    I learned several lessons yesterday. First, it you go off the edge of the road, keep going straight and stop rather than trying to ride back onto the pavement. Two, pay more attention when chatting while cycling!! (c) Keep an ace bandage in your bike bag along with the regular and large Band-Aids.

    - 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

 

 

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