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

Re: My Most Recent Ride - 2010

Gondoliers is my favorite restaurant too!!!!

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride - 2010

went on an early morning ride this morning...was awesome...started out on my trike and rode 5 miles to warm up...switched over to my Bacchetta for the next 15 miles...I forgot how much fun it was to ride in the dark...I left at 5:15 am and got back in around 7 am before the SUN even started to come up...the light from the almost full moon was awesome...I usually ride at dusk so this was a nice change...I went out again this evening at dusk and got caught in the rain...nothing like riding, or should I say playing in the rain...felt like a kid today...

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride - 2010

I know they have a hand-cycle division. But 'bents are so rare here I expect nobody has ever tried to enter one in a TT race. The TT race is typically held in July. I'll have to see around March/April what kind of shape I'm in. I participated in the event once as a DF rider in '04 after I'd completed a Transalp event and I was in excellent shape. I did do two high intensity rides a week for a couple of months before the TT. However I was too much of a climbing snob at the time and didn't buy any aero gear. I rode the whole TT in the drops but still managed a 38kph average. That's the mark I have to beat on the 'bent. You racing folks would say no problem right?

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride - 2010

25K at 38kph? Not too hard if flat. The more hills the harder it'll be though. Most TTs try to be relatively flat.

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride - 2010

I escaped!! Well, it was only for a 7 mile ride, but better than nothing and more than Loke and I have done in AGES. We've had a lot of colder days where I just couldn't talk myself out the door. I'm too paranoid of hypotherma. : today it hit 50 F and I decided laundry can wait a couple days. Loke was excited as I wrestled the trike out the door and off we went.

It was just the river loop with the field loop extension, but it was really nice to be out. Spent about 20 minutes talking with a woman who had a small norwegian breed dog. That little one decided to jump up and settle on my lap as we talked. That drove Loke NUTS. I got big muddy prints on my arm and shirt to show for it.

I'm kinda sad to see the winter come especially since I wasn't able to do much cycling this year.

Terii

 

After The Storm

All that rain and wind!
I'm calling it the GAS (Great American Storm) of '10.

During errands yesterday, we saw the aftermath of the tornado
that touched down around the Chicamauga dam area.

So, today I ventured out on dry streets for my fix: my bike ride.

Another local 'bent rider was out too: we passed each other....

That was nice.

Then:

On the return leg, I was passed by a big yellow school bus.
The school bus passed me on an uphill blind curve.
-Double yellow painted line, two-lane country road with no shoulders.-
The school bus stopped a tenth of a mile later and discharged a kid.
The kid lives in the house across the street where a deputy sheriff lives.

Good thing no one was speeding around that blind corner, eh?
Especially that kid who drives that (unregistered) fast Honda tuner,
the one with the hot motor and the open pipe.

(sarcasm)
Good thing no kid you know rides that bus, eh?
(/sarcasm)

AARRGGHHH.

The license plate of that bus was hidden behind a sort of grayish-red veil:
was that fury?
Indignation?

 

Re: After The Storm

We were lucky in that the GAS petered out over Morristown. Got much needed rain without the tornadic conditions you and many others saw.

School buses run the same route 5 days a week. They also must obey all the rules of the road and are held to a higher standard due to their precious cargo. If it were me I'd make a point to be near the kid's house same time, get the bus's number and tag number, and have a talk with the school system's transportation coordinator. There is no valid excuse for the driver's behaviour.

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride - 2010

I got in two 40-mile rides over the past weekend. There were 20+ mph winds on Saturday. Temps started at 42F and rose to around 50F. I wore three layers on top and two on the bottom, along with light gloves and dog earz. Being low to the ground sounded like True wisdom, so I rode the NoCom. Stayed pretty comfortable. Due to last week's big storm, most of the trees are bare now; maybe 20% color is left. It sure looked like winter!

At one point I had to take a 'cornfield break.' Only a few cornfields are left standing by now. The group got a good mile ahead. I cranked it up to 22-23 mph and caught back up within a few miles. I was breathing fairly hard, but it was sustainable. They were struggling as a group to do 16-17 mph. At the rest stop, one of them remarked that I was 'cheating.' I told him I couldn't be cheating because there were no rules! I behaved on the way back and stuck with them the whole way.

The Sunday ride was colder, starting at 37F and warming to about 42F, with a warm-up stop in the middle. It was a slightly faster group, but still a relatively easy pace.

So I got in 80 miles for the weekend! That put me just over 3000 for the year. A normal year for me is 4000. Blame all the rain we had in the early summer, which seemed to keep me off the bike every weekend. As I enter my off-season, I'm going to be checking out what the neighboring states' 'state' rides do. Maybe an extra tour will help get my mileage up next year! Having done several BRATs, I'm sort of hoping that Gary moves that one out of the mountains for 2011.

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride - 2010

I think TN could save some serious coin:
shut down the entire Department of Motor Vehicle infrastructure...
and sell driver's licenses, all classes, as impulse-buy items
on check-out end-displays in K-Mart.

Why?

Well, I really want to post about an idyllic, incident-free bike ride.
I've wanted to do so for a few weeks now.
Not-gonna-happen, not today, I'm afraid.

Like this last ride, for example.
-A tractor-trailer rig passed me and, had I not slowed from
23 to 15MPH, I would have been squished.
-An SUV pulled a U-turn maneouver in front of me and,
since I expect this sort of thing, I avoided punching holes
in her sheet metal with my big chain ring.
-Two tailgaiting cars passed me in a blind corner... then braked
in the apex, forcing me to slow to avoid rear-ending the second car.
(my adrenal response fueled a new personal record speed run on that road).

Then there were the usual buzzing by me too close to be legal (< 3' clearance)....

Other than those threats to my life, today's ride was fun!
I averaged 17.3MPH over 22 hilly miles and lived to tell the tale!

 

...if only I'd waited to post. Just one more day!

Yesterday the mean loose dog stayed off the road
to do his job: barking his territorial warning while
confining his chasing to his lawn.

Yesterday, all vehicles shared the road.
Even my crazy neighbour.

Yesterday, I even had fun: just as much fun as usual.
Only safer-er!

 

I posted a club ride for yesterday evening. It started at 6:30, so lights were required. Temp at ride start was a balmy 40F with clear skies and calm air. But for some reason I was the only one to show up. Since conditions were so perfect, the only reason I can think of for nobody else riding was the elections. Yeah, must have been they were all off voting! My weapon of choice was my Trek hybrid, not a 'bent.

Anyway, the sun was just setting when I started out. I ran my lights the entire way, but they didn't do much good at first. The sunset was quite spectacular, all gold and purple. Most of the hardwood trees have lost their leaves, but the sunset painted everything gold - even the evergreens. As it got darker, the world got quiet. Even the cars seemed to disappear. I ran for about 5 miles without seeing any cars at all. I could feel the extra chill when I went through a low spot. A few flocks of canada geese were late getting to their bedding spots, and flew overhead, honking noisily.

There was an intended rest stop, about 5 miles from the end; a McDonalds where the group could have warmed up with coffee or hot chocolate; but since I was alone I just kept going. On the last stretch I was bothered by a few cars who left their high-beams on while approaching me, which blinded me to the point I had to stop and wait for them to pass. Halfway back was a hill that I usually use in the summer as a fitness test. Like most Michigan hills, it's short. On a good day with my lowracers, I can hit the top doing 24-26 mph, totally at my MHR. On my hybrid, I think I got 12 mph. Not quite MHR, but approaching 90% anyway. I rolled into the parking lot showing exactly 14.00 miles, and an hour elapsed. That's actually not a bad average for the bike. Hopefully next week I'll have more company.

One thing to remember for next week: Find my padded tights!

 

Two more reasons for riding a 'bent: comfort and no need to buy crotch 'n butt cream.

 

I got some rides in last week. 3 in four days actually though only on my old routes. Now we're having highs of 35 F or so which means unless I can find some form of clothing to hold hypothermia at bay, my riding is over until April or so. March if I'm very lucky.

Terii

 

Last night was a repeat of the previous week's dark ride. Again, I rode alone. Temps were almost comfortable, in the high 50s with no wind. The stars were just coming out as I left the parking lot. Along the way I was reminded that I wasn't the only critter out after dark. I heard some rustling in the ditch alongside me, and gave a gruff growly bark just in case it was a dog. Nope, I was rewarded with the pungent aroma of Peppi Le Pew. He didn't get me, but I could smell him for a half mile!

I like these rides, and may host them for next month too, even if nobody else ever shows up.

PS - I wore padded tights this time and my butt doesn't hurt near as much.

 

Finally got out to ride myself at lunch. BEAUTIFUL weather. High 60s, clear. Rode 18 miles mostly on greenway. I love this time of year.

I am wondering how Dave & Don are doing riding the Chief Ladiga Trail. I have twice tried to ride that trail and both times I was in the area but got washed out. My eye is still on it!