My Most Recent Ride 2014 (Part VII in a series)

Rode 30 miles yesterday. Windy but really a pretty day

 

Second ride out on the B2 today - 36 miles and a little less shaky than before. Still find moving off a bit scary, but once the wheels are turning it's no so bad - I'm more or less managing to steer in a straight line !

 

yesterdays ride in the wind

Wind was 21 to 22 out 0f the northwest yesterday . I started my ride into the wind. After 18 miles of struggling to keep a speed of only 14 to 15, started my return home with the wind. Unbelievably I was able to maintain 30's thanks to the wind.

 

The wind was pretty strong here today as well still managed to get in 15 miles.

 

Good to see some new names posting here. I have been out riding instead of updating y'all. Today Betty and I rode 40+ miles. I rode the Venom trike and she was on her Serian. Now she still hasn't been able to calm her fears about clipping in so that was 40 miles in tennis shoes and platform pedals. Whew

The first and last 13 miles were almost perfectly flat. The middle 14 miles was loaded with about 1200 feet of elevation gain all in 4 climbs. Her Serian is geared nice and low with a 27t chainring on the front and a 32t cog on the back. She needed every bit of that low gear.

12.2 moving average even with the climbs, I think she did real well.

 

Decided to take the VKHi out for a quick time trial. Wind only 8 mph and 62 degrees, felt like a great day to push myself a bit.

Found a segment with lots of nasty steep little climbs to showcase the VKHi's abilities. 12.5 miles with 949 feet of climbing. The KOM on the segment had a 17.9 mph average so beating that was my goal.

The route begins with a short 4% grade followed by almost 4 miles of rollers that trend downward on a section we call Dragons Back, I hit this hard! Harder than I might should have. My rolling average was 21 mph and I was already feeling it. A mile or so at a 1-2% uphill grade! I used this section to try and catch my breath a hair. Trying to stay on the 18-19 mph range. A short steep downhill led to the steepest longest climb, Wildcat. This baby just hurts! 7% grade, it's only .4 miles long with 154 feet of elevation gain. The good news, just over the top was the halfway mark.

I took the climb on wildcat easy letting my lungs catch up and my heartrate slow a bit as my legs churned me towards the summit. Not exactly rested I made a quick turnaround and gave the highracer her head as we sped back down wildcat. I saw 43.4 on the way down and used my momentum to carry the next hill. Then it was back down that 1-2% grade! pushing a bit but trying to recoup before the uphill rollers of Dragonsback.

Turning the corner to start that nasty stretch (into the wind I might add) my average was still 20.6. At this point I knew I was going to get the KOM. But now I wanted to keep my average somewhere above 19 mph.

I pushed as hard as I have ever on a ride. KOM's have gotten hard to come by as more and more younger strong riders have started using Stava and I wanted this bad. Slowly I watched my average drop with each hill I climbed. I could feel the wind sucking the strength out of me on the flatter uphill section but I kept pushing for all I was worth.

Then it was over. I crested the last rise and sped down the hill to my car. 19.4 mph. I decided I had ridden enough for the day.

http://app.strava.com/activities/128261073

 

Way to go Ward! You are one strong rider.

 

I got out yesterday for a Greenway ride. (Meaning slow and hilly.) Did 18.3 miles in 1 1/2 hours on the V Rex. Haven't taken the Corsa out yet and won't for a while because of my travel schedule.

I am #10 on Bike Journal. Congrats to all the members who are doing so well riding this year. I can tell this is NOT going to be a record year for me!!! Weather and my work schedule are not cooperating. And this year I begin my working 4 days / week schedule. So why am I not biking???? Oh well...

 

Ah Jon, you're just in a slump for now. You probably got a lot on your plate right now and don't realize it yet. Take it easy, it will get better and you'll be piling on the miles before you know it.

 

Got 16.8 miles on the Strada yesterday. I ride a boulevard which has a center grassy and tree section. The road is barely wide enough for two cars abreast. But for riding a bicycle, there is plenty of room for cars to pass. That is why I like riding there. And it is a popular riding place so car drivers know to watch out for bicyclists.

Well today someone was having a BIG party. (And they didn't invite me. I'm hurt. ) But because there was no parking on the property, cars parked on the side of the road. I bet there was 100 cars parked in both directions. So once I came to the parked cars, I stayed in the open lane but cars piled up behind me until I could pull over. They were nice about it.

What really gets me was the 2 cars / vans that were in front of me going about 10 mile per hour. Geessh. I have enough trouble getting my average speed up without that type of help. It would be like riding with Buddy!

 

Wow, sounds like you were having trouble just getting your heart rate up.

 

10 mph

Last time I did 10 mph was down hill holding brakes. These things scare me.
Ask me about my new ICE........wonderful. Well I'll tell you any way. It's a
"Q", ICE Q. I'm riding it tomorrow with the group. I may be slow, but I'm a
few hundred miles ahead of Jon. I'm doing 10 miles a day or more. For you
MBA's and engine-ears, that's 70 miles a week or more.

 

ok I'll bite....did you really get a new trike? How many does that make for you now??? Why did you buy it? Or are you just joking?

 

What? Me joke!? I mean, they want to give it away, I go get it. Here it is:
ICE kept in back room for years, all original and no indication of use.
Rating would be a 10 out of 10. I had ridden an Adventure, but had
never even seen a Q. So went after it just based on a low price trike.
A low, low, low price. The seller promised to hold it for me so I was in
St Petersburg FL the next morning. Anyway the Q is nice and likely
the fastest trike of the four I now have. If it had not had indirect steering
and drum brakes, I would not have driven that far for it.

 

The ICE 'Q' predates even my Trice Q! Too cool!

Terii