My Most Recent Ride 2010 (Part III of the series)

Re: My Most Recent Ride - 2010

Sounds like a plan to me. Sounds like fun too. Be sure to take lots of pictures.

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride - 2010

Speaking of which, Willie G and I went riding yesterday. It was an awesome ride. We're getting ready too. Going to be a good time.

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride - 2010

We rode out to the CAF (Commemorative Air Force) Fly-In at Lancaster, Texas on Saturday morning. It was a beautiful day for a ride with temps in the low 70's at start time and never getting out of the 80's all day. The Lancaster airport is about 16 miles from our house. They had a large display of vintage aircraft, many from WWII, as well as military vehicles, weaponry and memorabilia. They also had a classic car show. The ride out and back was fun, with just a little moderate climbing. We greatly enjoyed those nice downhills on the way back home. Here are some photos of the ride and event:

http://web.me.com/steveheric/Site/My_Albums/Pages/Bike_Ride_to_Lancaster.html

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride - 2010

A nice easy ride this morning. Still early enough for there to be fog on the water. I was mainly working on my light set-up so just took it real easy for a ride of about 20 miles at about 10 mph. Hope you like the pictures.

http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/578537662avzPKC

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride - 2010

I rode a couple days ago. The first 'real' ride since Loke's clean bill of health came back. Just 14 miles because we got such a late start. It was about 40 F when I woke up and I'm just too wimpy to ride in that kind of chill.

I think I was more than a little spoiled by the gorgeous scenery up north, but still enjoyed the ride, collecting churches, runestones and a castle along the way.

As always, blogged with photos : http://terii.wordpress.com/

Loke ran just fine. For once, he didn't drag at all. Except forward which is more acceptable than me dragging his furry tail.

Terii

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride - 2010

Ward,

Nice pictures. How is the gearing on your trike set up? That doesn't look like a standard crank.

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride - 2010

Freddy, the trike came with a compact double which didn't have the range I wanted. I got real lucky and a Schlumph HSD came up for sale used on BROL and I jumped on it. It has a 27t gear with planetary gear which produces the equivalent of a 67t when you shift. Makes the trike great for the steep short rollers we have around here. However, there is a gap around 15-17mph. I have a 11-28 cassette right now, one of my next upgrades might be to go to a 11-32 SRAM XX set-up.

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride - 2010

Willie G and I rode Sunday morning and the weather was just incredible. We did pretty good but not as good as we could have. Stayed up to late the night before (1am) and so we were slightly dragging. It was still beautiful to be out there though. Going to ride again tonight....

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride - 2010

Well my most recent ride DIDN'T happen today. I was running a little late but suited up by 12:30 PM ready to ride. I had not check tire pressure in a couple of weeks so I got out the bicycle pump and pumped the front tire to 100 PSI. Did the same to the back tire. However, when I pulled the tire pump off the stem, all I heard was a whoosh. The value that goes INSIDE the value stem was GONE!!! I have never had that happen before. Luckily I was at work, had all my tools there and took off the back wheel, replaced it with a new tube, put the wheel back on, got a new tire to put my bike bag and took off.

I went a total of 1/2 mile and whoosh again! Now what??? I got off the bike and my back tire AGAIN had a flat. GEEZZ!! I looked at the tire, did not see or feel any glass, nails or other sharp objects on the tire and I tried pumping up the tire to see where it had punctured, but I could not get ANY pressure in the tube with my portable bicycle pump. So I put ANOTHER NEW TIRE on the back wheel (I was sure glad I put the new tube in my bike bag before I left. Don't leave home without it!!!) and turned around and headed back to my office. Two flat tires in 1/2 mile was my clear signal that I shouldn't be riding today.

With my big bicycle pump at work, I pumped up the punctured tire and found out an inside seam had failed! What is the likelihood to have 2 mechanical tire failures in 1/2 mile???

The good news is I went to Greenlees Bicycle Shop, told them my sad story and they gave me two new inner tubes free!

So Dave, I am putting a claim on your "King of the Flats" title. I think this should give you a real run for your money!!!

Tomorrow I shall try riding again. But this time I ain't touching my tires!!!

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride - 2010

Wow that is wild, glad that you're ok. Although a "whoosh" on relatively flat ground is better to hear than a "POW" going down hill out of Cades Cove or off Foothills Parkway.

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride - 2010

I'm with you Jon, I have had two flats in the last three rides on my trike. I think I need to keep more air in the Schwalbe Stelvio's. I like 100psi but they were both pinch flats at that pressure. This has been my worst year for mechanical's ever!

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride - 2010

Or could it be the quality of tubes is going "down the tubes"??? :rolf2:

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride - 2010

That is cute Jon...it made me smile...

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride - 2010

Had a nice ride under gray skies yesterday! 20 miles. Loke was running very well, but it still took us a bit over 4 hours. Of course, stopping every few minutes to dig out my camera from podbag AND the camera case slowed me up as did walking around all of the churches to search for runestones or odd little details.

As always, blogged with photos as I picked up from the ending point of my ride last weekend.

Terii

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride - 2010

Yesterday was the Albany Nut Roll. The ride where I was part of a large wreck with the lead group. I decided to ride it with just a little trepidation after being pestered by Marshall, one of the team Bacchetta riders.

Nice clear morning but already starting to get hot and the gnats were horrible. A good crowd, about 300, including two highracers, a Ti-Rex (sweet)
a USS mid-racer that I didn't recognize and TWO Velomobiles. Yep two brothers that live in south Ga have the Quest Velomobile and man did they get a lot of attention.

A mass start and Marshall and I immediately grabbed the lead group. The were smoking, almost 3 mph faster than last year. At the 10 mile mark we had an average of 24 mph. I had decided to stay out of things so I was just riding at the back of the group (which at that speed was all I could do anyway). Marshall would ride up to the front on off the front and then come back to where I was for a bit.

The ride is very flat with only 1750 feet of climbing for the 103 miles. But around mile 24 we started hitting some long grades of 1-2%. The group leader is a Cat 1 rider and he was out of the saddle hammering on each and every climb and I was really starting to burn holding onto. Turns out that he was specifically trying to drop Marshall and I and he did drop me at around mile 35.

By that time the group had whittled down to about 8 DF riders (most racers on his team) and Marshall and I. Over the next 15 miles before the rest stop they would drop two more. I tried to get them to work with me but they didn't want to so I dropped them as well. When I arrived at the rest stop the front group was pulling out but only 4 of them. Marshall was waiting for me. I grabbed a banana and off we went. The other two of the lead group were still at the stop looking pretty bad.

A side note, while I was riding solo prior to the rest stop one of the Velomobile's passed me on a downhill. I was moving at about 36 mph and he was doing at least 45. COOL! A 65 year-old dude. He stayed a long time at the rest stop and would finish about 15 minutes behind Marshall and I.

The last half of the ride became brutal as I paid for hammering the first half. I had cramps in both legs on and off for the entire time. Marshall stayed with me and I shamlessly drafted as much as I could. The wind also picked up coming from the south at 10-15 and of course we were headed almost due south the entire time.

5:25 total time with a ride time of 5:11 and I finished 7th as one of the racers caught me at about mile 98. Marshall was 5th and I talked to the Cat 1 racer he said they finished 4:40.

The Cat 1 racer and his racer girlfriend were both in the wreck last year as well. She had to go to the hospital for stitches and his CF bike was broken as was mine. He admitted to Marshall that he thought I was dangerous and that was why he pushed the speed up so high. His girlfriend called him an A****** and reminded him that I had done nothing wrong last year at which point he then apologized to Marshall. He didn't mention anything to me and I didn't either. I just tried to play nice and stay out of their way on the back. Once when they split their group I went to the front and pulled the back group back up. I see now that the only way to work a paceline with DF riders is either on the back of on the front pulling.

A fun ride for the first 2 1/2 hours and a brutally hot, wind in your face, lots of leg cramps return home.