My Most Recent Ride 2008 (Part I of series)

Re: My Most Recent Ride

Good thing you noticed that tire Darby. As you have found out, walking takes much longer than riding. I think with the tandem both riders need to stand to climb but that probably takes a bit of practice too.

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride

I am unfamiliar with the technique for standing to pedal a recumbent. Do you have a link to a video on how to do this?

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride

Darby, I wondered who would pick this up first. I've been laughing about it since posting and just waiting. Now you have it right that both still need to stand while climbing. The only problem is with the balance. Some have tried long ski poles but it doesn't seem to work too great once you get to moving faster. However, with diligent practice, most anything will work.

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride

Buddy and I had just been down the screamer couple of miles into Townsend, TN from Cades Cove in the Smokies. 48mph top speed. Death on wheels with the smallest of mistakes. Arrived safely at the truck. While letting my heart rate and adrenalin get back to normal, and simply sitting on the now-motionless Rocket, my front tire's entire valve stem blew off. The tire was flat in a second. If that had happened 10 minutes earlier I wouldn't be writing this now. Although not a tire problem, it pays to check before AND DURING a ride.

Also, Buddy says if you don't ride the hills both ways the miles don't count. But I think since you pushed it for 3-1/2 miles they all count.

Dave

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride

Wow Dave. Talk about timing! That's a waker upper for sure.

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride

Frankly, I think the 3 1/2 miles of pushing should count double. Since I had no expectation of doing that much walking I wasn't wearing my brace. Been paying for that all week. My daughter says I should just pack it and my walking shoes just BECAUSE on our next trip.

Now what I do need is some advise on how to improve our ability to climb. I liked Dennis's idea about the ski poles but we don't have them any more.

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride

Put a heavy-duty bumper on the back and ask for a push from the next driver that comes by that you trust.

Or hire an 18 year old weightlifter for the tandem's second seat.

Or stay off the hills.

Or (Heaven forbid) practice long-distance spinning. Nah, that's too much like work.

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride

The weather here is fantastic today. Blue skies, low humidity, sunny, but not too warm. Light breeze. Got in 10 miles after work just cruising around chapmansburo - or however they spell it around here. Looking forward to the Trace on saturday.

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride

Last Sunday I made it over the Warner Robins, Ga for a ride. About 85 miles from home so I left at 5:30 to make sure I was ready for the 8am start. Marshall, a bent Bacchetta Corsa rider lives near there and had sent out the invite. Weather looked to be beautiful, although hot with a high in the low 90's.

The ride was posted at a century with a fast group 18-19mph adv and a slow group 16-17 mph. Being put on by the local bike shop, the owner was going to follow along with his truck and provide SAG support. Right from the start things started looking a little iffy with many of us looking for a bailout metric if we couldn't hang.

I didn't count numbers but I would guess about 30 riders. A pretty mixed bag with some young guns all the way up to a fella I would put in his 60's. I saw several highend bikes, including the owner's bike a Trek Madone 6.9 with the Shimano electornic shifters.

Off we went, Marshall had a flat in the parking lot and would catch up pretty quick as we started out pretty easy keeping it 15-16mph. We really didn't get rolling faster than about 17-18 for the first 28 miles where we stopped at a store for a nature break. Following that break we began to spread out a little bit as we were turning into the wind and had some hills and chip seal road surface. 10 miles later we stopped at an intersection to regroup and the plan was for the centruy group to ride ahead and the metric group to split off. I planned on riding the century but while getting some ice from the back of the truck the pack took off.

I put the bladder back in my bag, jumped on and took off after them. There was one other guiy (the 60ish fella) in front of me but way behind them. As I passed him I told him to grab my wheel and I would pull him up to them. Well that didn't happen, the best I could do was 18 into the wind and I could tell it was all the other guy could do to hang on.

Marshall must have realized we were there and dropped back to help but again we couldn't pull the guy along any faster so I told him to go ahead that we would drop back into the metric group. And so we did, A couple of great little rollers later and we joined the lead group at another store stop around 52 miles.

Its after 12 now and getting hot and with everybody using the store's one toilet we were stopped a long time. When we pulled back out my plan was to hang with the big boys and finish the century. Well again that wasn't going to happen. We hit a climb or two and out pace was picking up. After a nasty little short steep 5 or 6% grade I had fallen about 10 or 15 feet off the back of the pack. It leveled off into a false flat straight into the head wind and with them running 24 or 25 mph I could'nt catch em. With my hear rate pegged in the upper 170's I backed off and watched them disappear rapidly.

There were three guys behind me who had also dropped off on the last hill and we grouped up later joines by two others who didn't want to ride the whole 100. The guys were local so we were able to find a nice route back ending up with 76.8 miles in 4 hours 58 minutes.

Several of the guys I rode in with wanted to see the bike and asked lots of questions. Two actually sat on it.

Ward

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride

Well in like 2 days did like 60 miles not bad for a fat man. This is a picture of the marina at our local state park. It was taken from a look out and I feel it's one of my best pictures.
cheers
Shawn

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride

I met up with a group out of Atlanta Sat for what was going to be a double metric. It was slated to start at 6:30 and I was 5 minutes late. They were starting in Hiram on the SCT so I busted it over to Rockmart where they were meeting up with others. I stopped at the first trailhead and started riding backtowards the others. I passed them pretty quickly turned and met them in Rockmart.

Three Corsa's were lined up when I arrived. Kent and Tom from Atlanta and Marshall from Macon. I was really looking forward to riding another Bent paceline but it wasn't meant to be. right off the bat I was having what sounded like something rubbing on my back wheel. While trying to figure out that I must have run over some glass and flatted. A quick change thanks to using tubulars but the main field was now 5 or 6 minutes ahead. Three riders had stayed back with me so I rode with them to Cedartown about 30 miles Into The Ride. They were riding about 15-16 and I guessed the way the lead boys took off out of the gate that they were going to be long gone.

I never caught em. So much for the bent paceline.

So I rode 92 miles and a total time of 6 hours 15 minutes. the only wildlife I saw was a beaver who crossed a bridge right in front off me. I tried to get a picture of him but he waddled off into the brush. His Dam was only about 50 feet upstream from the bridge.

Ward

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride

Some days go like that Ward.

I had a bad day today. Headed out on the bike and suddenly the seat slid way back. Tried to tighten the clamp...and it is stripped. No ride today.

I had planned on one of my routes and it so happened that the group PALM, Pedal Across Lower Michigan was going through there today. After a while I got in the car and headed there because I had to go to a hardware anyway so though I'd check along the route. I saw many, probably 250 at least on the road. Not many bents. 4 or 6 LWB, 2 SWB, 1 USS, 1 Trike.

That is supposed to be a fun ride but by the looks of the riders, it did not appear they were having fun at all. Only 2 people I saw with a smile on their faces. I waved and even tooted at most of the riders. Would you believe only 6 people waved back at me?!!!! I even stopped when a group was stopped and it appeared they might have had a bike problem. I asked. Answer: No. Not one smile, not one thank you for checking.... Yep, it sure looked like a fun time.

To their defense though, it was awfully hot out there and basically no breeze. But....

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride

Karen and I were on the Chief Ladiga trail while you were on the Silver Comet, Ward.

I took a vacation day Friday and we drove down from Oak Ridge (TN) and rode about ten miles into Alabama and back starting from the Esom Hill trailhead about half a mile from the state line.

Saturday we did the other end, starting from Germania State Park and covering between mile marker 20.5 and the end of the trail.

Sunday we started in Piedmont and did the remaining ten miles, between mile markers 10.5 and 20.5. At one point, a mama deer and two fawns burst out of the Woods and just ahead of us and almost scared us to death.

About a half mile from our last turn-around at mile marker 10.5, I got a flat. I had thoughtlessly not brought the stuff I would've needed to fix it, so I wound up going back to Piedmont to fetch the truck. Karen graciously let me use her trike so I wouldn't have to walk in the hot SUN.

So that's the short version. If you really want all the gory details, I've written up the whole thing here. Start with Day 1.

Tom

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride

No T-barron. Can't stand details. I don't chew my cabbage twice.
Sorry you had to do all that. Bless you my friend. Good gracious!
Oops, I pressed that blue button. I'll be more careful next time.
You are a terrific writer. You must be an "A" student and politician
like Dave......hugh Dennis.

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride

Thanks for reading my composition, Buddy, and thanks for the passing grade. I enjoyed the ride and writing the story. It's just hard to get myself to sit down and write sometimes, when I'd rather be riding. (Those kids! So irresponsible these days. All they want to do is ride...)