24 May rides!!?!

[Kimmyt]

OK a bit 'whee' here from me but just got back from my after-work ride (well, an hour ago or so) and am just extremely extremely psyched! Did the usual trail ride to the nearby (and hilly) park for our Wednesday HILLS ride and Oh My God I didn't have to stop and rest on either of the major hills or any of the other countless minor (but not so minor, for me anyway) hills. I grunted and huffed my way up the 1 mile long relief-less Mt. Misery and then grunted and huffed my way up the steep and switchbacky Mt. Joy (yes those are really their names!!). This was the first time I'd done either hill without stopping to stand and stretch out calves (never walked my bike though, after the very first time when I realized walking was as much effort when in road shoes as riding) and I did them BOTH.... wooooooooT! Not to mention the weather was just absolutely gorgeous and a young buck was maybe a few feet away from me as I chugged up one hill. He looked like he was thinking about darting in front of me, but thought better... I was so close I could see the velvet on his little stubby antlers!



Anyone else have a great ride today?

[yellow]

I got on my mtn bike this morning after only riding the road bike for a couple of weeks. I'm lucky enough to have a couple of trailheads for the Bonneville Shoreline Trail in my neighborhood.

Sure was fun. I love mountain biking! Nice & cool in the am, not many other folks on the trails, birds singing, flowers blooming, clear air (!), nice views, buffed singletrack. Nothin' wrong with that!

[mimitabby]

my work commute ride is not spectacular in any way or form except today is the first time that I went to work on my bike in the rain. and it rained good and hard all the way. Coming home (which is uphill) I was chased by a big black cloud and in the home stretch it started to rain on me.

I feel like i have joined the dark side.

[makbike]

I got a late start this morning and almost didn't get to commute to work. However, given it is only 2 miles I decided to push it and arrived just as our weekly morning meeting was beginning. As soon as my after school duty concluded I changed and was off on my bike to explore a possible new route. I've passed this road several times but had never ventured down it. I am so glad I rode it today for it is a beautiful rural road and it will fit in perfectly to the route I've slowly been putting together for the past month. I think I'll ride the entire route on Sunday and if all works out I should have a nice 35 mile loop. Today's afternoon ride allowed me to get in a brisk 29 miles (I averaged 15.8 mph ) The sun felt great and my only wish would have been that the wind would have disappeared for the time I was out and about. It looks like it will be Saturday before I can ride again (rain is forecast for tomorrow and Friday my nephew graduates from 8th grade so I've got to do the family thing.) My legs felt strong today after the 130 miles I logged Saturday and Sunday and I'm looking forward to my first century of the season on 6/11.

[tprevost]

I had a pretty good ride today! I did 37.6 miles and it was gorgeous outside! I rode through the Temecula wine country and through the foothills. I did take a couple of pics (I'm posting one) as it was a perfect day. As some of you may have read elsewhere, I am a downhill wienie... however, I am starting to see improvement on the downhills which makes me SO happy!

I meant to do 40 but my hand was really hurting and my right foot was really hot! Normally, I would've taken another run around the block or something to get to 40 but it was starting to get pretty hot so I figured I'd just have to be happy with the 37.6!

Overall it was a fabulous day for riding!!!

Tracy

[mtkitchn]

I got up at 5am (ouch) to beat the heat and ride this morning. Rode up South Mountain....lots of other bikes, but only one car I saw. Pleasant temps, good ride....after I did the mountain I rode down a closed road for a few miles. Got in 22.8 miles total for a great morning ride!

[J-hawk biker]

I took my new Trek 7300 hybrid out for it's first long ride after picking it up Monday. Had to stop three times to get the seat adjusted right. Rode 25.5 miles, previous personal best was 20. Beautiful day and a new bike, is life great or what!

[Trekhawk]

Went for a short ride this afternoon and as I was nearing a stop sign I hear a cyclist behind me. When I stop I realize its not one but five very fine looking male cyclists. They all say hi and we proceed across the intersection and down the road. Just watching the guys riding ahead of me put a smile on my face. I love riding and I love watching others ride and these guys looked like they were having a blast. I rarely see other riders and if I do its usually only one or two so this was a treat.

[tprevost]

Heya Trekhawk!

Does your DH know you're out oogling the cute boy cyclists???? Ummmm, I'm tellin'

sorry, couldn't resist!

I'd so love to be up riding where you are... just jealous!

Trac'

[Trekhawk]

Heya Trekhawk!

Does your DH know you're out oogling the cute boy cyclists???? Ummmm, I'm tellin'

sorry, couldn't resist!

I'd so love to be up riding where you are... just jealous!

Trac'

LOL - he is in Hawaii (with work) probably oogling bikini clad babes so I think its only fair that I oogle too.

[salsabike]

30 miles on the Burke-Gilman/Sammamish River Trail today, half in sun, half in rain. Tailwind on the way home! I LOVE that. Great ride, got dirty, wet, and happy. Ate no bugs this time but probably inhaled a fair amount of cottonwood fluff. Roughage. Wiped my bike off per Denise Goldberg's advice, lubed chain too. Going again tomorrow! And in 10 days, doing a 54-mile tandem ride around Anglesey island, north of Wales. Okay, I'm a little excited about that.

[KSH]

My ride was a beat down.

1) It was 91F and the wind was gusting up to 25 mph.

2) My legs were sore from working with my running coach the day before. My hamstrings hurt so much, it hurt to walk and sit. I also found out that it hurt to pedal into headwind.

3) I just felt drained.

4) We got stuck on a road waiting for a train as it backed up and pulled forward... for about 15 minutes.

5) We got caught at every freaking red light.

6) My average for this ride is typically 17 mph. My average this time was 14 mph... yes, you can SEE how HORRIBLE it was.

7) 8 miles into the ride I seriously contemplated turning around. In the end though, I took a short cut and took 3 miles off the ride. Which worked out nicely for this poor lost soul from our group. He lost the main group and was wandering around. If we hadn't gone that route, who knows how long he would have been out there.


So, not a great ride. I should have read what my legs were telling me and just gone home to rest.

Oh well, one bad ride is not the end of the world. It will be better this weekend.

[Geonz]

Commuted to work, then rode to the Staff Picnic where I realized my bar-end light that I'd stuck in there that mornign was gone. I didn't have time to retrace my route (it had fallen out once before... I k new I shoulda hit it with the ductape!)
Then I had to do some driving (so, of course, it rained, as it is allowed to do if I am not riding). At least I haven't forgotten how...

[bikerz]

(a little late posting this but...)

Wed I rode a 20 mile loop affectionately called "the three bears" with a friend - started right away up one hill ("teddy bear"), then long very gentle climb, then mama bear (ouch), some downs and ups (baby bear?), then papa bear (ouch ouch), a wonderful descent, then one nasty short hill called Goldilocks, then five miles of headwind home. In fact, it felt like headwinds all the way around the loop - how can that be? Leaves were tumbling and blowing downhill much faster than I was going up!

But I felt like I was working hard, and it turned out I had the best average speed ever on this ride (10.4 mph). And I didn't cross-chain at all!

It was an incredibly beautiful evening - low bright sun, green hills, cows and horses in the meadows, redwing blackbirds on the fence posts, vultures circling...

I've started this little mental game with myself on the last 5 miles or so of a ride - I switch my computer overto the average speed read-out, and then work as hard as I can to increase that speed, or at least not let it fall, by the end of the ride. I can't always do it, depending on terrain, but it keeps me focussed so I don't poop out at the end.