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

With this nice, warm, late-Fall bubble of warm air over East Tennessee beckoning?
I donned my Summer bike-riding gear and went out for a spin.
You know, spinning my feet at a high cadence.

Twenty miles at an average speed of only 15.7mph.

There's still a lot of Fall colour left in the remaining leaves....

While trailing my brakes into a fast, downhill, blind corner
I had to squeeze the brake levers harder.
Slowing to allow a local cat, crossing my lane, to carry it's kill
(a squirrel) to the other side.
What made me smile was seeing a school bus speeding uphill
in the other lane, in the middle of the same corner...
and realizing that, had I reacted to the cat like the average local
driver would, -passing the cat in the wrong lane- the school bus
would have splattered me!

I passed a bike rider goin' the other way:
he was grinning as much as I was.

It really was a great day to be out riding.

 

While I absolutely adore the 19+ hours of daylight and milder temps during the summers here in Sweden, I rather miss those mild winters when I start feeling trike withdrawls.

Take an extra ride for me!!

 

Everybody is talking about snow and winter setting in. On my side of the globe we are having unseasonably warm weather. This morning was amazingly good for cycling with temps in low 70's, almost no wind and best of all exceptionally light traffic even for a Saturday.

I had planned to do an easy cruise around the Sea of Galilee with no extra sections added on. This past week I had pushed it a bit on the hills near my house and I wanted to give my knees a break.

The ride started well and I ate up the first rollers a little faster than I planned. I was thinking to myself that I hope I am not pushing it too much and end up paying for it on the other side of the lake. The ride is 61.7 kms or a bit more than 38 miles. I just felt great and kept up the pace.

I passed a couple casual riders but there were no roadies to be seen. Sometimes they lure me into going too hard so maybe it was for the better.

As I came around the lake and hit the risers on the east side I was still feeling good and cruised up in a gear harder than usual. About two thirds of the way through I started thinking that it was going to be a fast ride. With about a quarter of the ride left greyhound brain kicked in and I decided to try for a personal best.

From then on at every roller and riser I was pushing a gear higher than usual but still able to keep my spin up.

I got back to my car still feeling good and ready to check the verdict on my cyclo - computer. I'd done the 61.7kms in 1hr 55mins for an average 32.2 kph (20mph) and had beaten my best time yet on the 'bent. In English units I'd even broken the 20mph barrier!

But I was still off my best on a DF of 1hr 52mins. The DF time I'd done with a partner and we were doing some drafting. Still a record is a record. Better luck next time!

One of these days I'll take some pictures. In the mean time attached is a Polar graph...

 

Short post on 11/12 about trip. Chief Ladiga surface is about 10 ft. wide vs. 12 ft. on Silver Comet, asphalt vs. mostly concrete on SCT, and not quite so well kept up and clean as the SCT. But the CLT feels more rustic and away-from-civilization, esp. the remote (and newest) part between Rockmart and Cedartown. Any cyclist passing within 100 miles of these trails owes it to self to do at least some of the +95 miles of the advertised second longest paved rail trail in the country.

 

Freddy, count yourself lucky that snow isn't something you have to deal with for 3 months (or more) per year. I've been lucky so far, but it's coming. On the other side of Lake Michigan, Minneapolis is getting 6-8 inches today. Weather here in S. Michigan was unseasonably warm - about 45F (7C) so I went out with the group. I was the only recumbent out 8 bikes. I felt sorry for the uprights on the first half of the ride, which was mostly headwind. I tried to hang well off the back so I got a little workout, but every time they got to a climb I'd catch up and have to brake. I hate doing that on a climb!

We had one nice downhill, and through good planning I'd let the wedgies get well ahead before going over the lip. It was short but steep. I put it in a big gear and hit 39mph. That caught me up pretty quickly.

The designated stop was about 5 miles past the turn-around. When we turned, we got a bit of tailwind. By then I was tired of slowing so much for every hill, so when they hit the next climb, I refused to hit the brakes. In fact, I refused to downshift. Dropped them all like stones in a pond.

At the stop, a tandem rode out with me while the others took a prolonged break.

There was one hill of note on the return leg. Like the one on the outbound, it is short and steep, but after descending this one, you go out across a swampy area for 1/3 to 1/2 mile, then climb a short steep hill back out of the hollow. The hill is not only a speed-junkie's favorite fix, it's also a fitness test. If you can hold HIGH speed across the flat and hit the bottom of the little dip at the bottom of the climb doing at least 36 mph, you can COAST up and over the hill. I hit 43 mph across the flat, and was only down to 39 mph at the dip. My best performance there, ever! The tandem followed in kind, just slower.

When I got back to the parking lot, some doofus was putting fliers for exercise machines on our cars. "You gotta be ****ting me," I told him as I loaded my bike.

 

Riding in 7C temps is pretty much the dead of winter for me. We only get those temps in the early mornings of December - February. Near my house the altitudes range from 250 meters to 500 meters. If I drop down to the Sea of Galilee it is 200 meters below sea level and warmer even in the winter.

It would be interesting to hear how you folks maintain some sort of fitness during your winter months. We'll have around 20 days of really hard rain during the winter when it is better to find something other than cycling. I usually head for the nearby indoor swimming pool.

I suppose if there is enough snow, cross country skiing is an option for staying fit.

I read this article where the claim was that the best cross training sport for cycling is speed skating. They gave the example of Eric Hayden (Canadian or American?) who was both a speed skating and cycling champion.

 

I agree with everything you say, Dave, except... aren't Cedartown and Rockmart in Georgia? So aren't they on the SCT, not the CLT? That's quite a mountain between C'town and R'mart. That whole section between Cedartown and Piedmont in Alabama is rustic and pretty. I look forward to a full trip report.

 

You are correct; both towns are in GA and part of the SCT. We've ridden both trails so much that they sometimes merge in my mind. The section east of Cedartown is the newest part of the SCT and very un-flat. It's affectionately called Surprise Hill. You climb one, scream down the next, and... surprise... there's another, and another. This part does not follow the former railroad bed and is the only part on either trail that has anything one would remotely call a hill. The side roads we used to take to get the last few miles west-bound into Cedartown were an easier ride with little traffic. The roads are still available; consider using them if one has a hill allergy. Unfortunately some riders have been scared away from the SCT because they started at Cedartown, rode east, and said "This is too difficult." I think the trail masters should post signs to the effect that "The next few miles do not represent typical grades or elevation changes for the other 90 miles of the SCT/CLT."

 

I went down to SE Georgia for the Altahama river ride. A fairly good crowd with a starting temp at 34 degree's but the weather channel said a high of around 70. We started out and I quickly settled into the lead group of three DF riders and three bents, myself Marshall and Neal on Bacchetta's. We worked a pretty good pace line and smoked through the first 44 miles with an average of 22.1.

The SAG's port-a-john wasn't placed very well, we actually had to ride out bikes down a sandy path to get to it. This and just talking with each other and 15 minutes passed before we knew it. My legs didn't like stopping that long, and were like wood when we picked back up. We know turned into the wind and over the next 50 or so miles and the road surfaces became extremely rough. We were treated with a nice long stretch where the road was canopied by the trees.

Marshall's legs wern't feeling that great after being off the bike for 5 weeks so he and I backed it off and just kept spinning until we finished. 5 hours 38 minutes total time for the 100.8 miles.

Six bents total, CA2.0 Aero, Corsa, Carbent Sea Dragon, Cabike Mushashi, Giro, and a delta trike.

 

I've got my trainer when I get winter bound. Just refuse to turn on the TV unless I'm pedalling. It's amazing how much time I can rack up that way. I also have the gym this year which is showing great returns even with my attendence of only once every 5 to 8 days. Imagine how much improvement I'd get if I went every 2 or 3 days. (*sigh* After I'm done with my driving classes)

When the snow and cold cooperate, I could in theory do the cross-country skiing or distance skating, but... I'm too worried about hurting my back in a tumble which would take me out of pretty much all exericse for a while.

Not to mention with the skating. *shudder* I'm still too much of the Southern US girl to be happy getting out on ice. It just creeps me out even if I see the plow truck out on it clearing the skate path with no problem.

Terii

 

Earlier this year, I decided a goal for the year would be to ride to work at least once a week on average. Today was my 52nd commute for the year, so I completed that goal. Woohoo!

It was chillier than I expected for the ride home, but nice and sunny.

I'm thinking about a goal of averaging 1.5 commutes/week in 2011. (No, that won't mean spending nights at work. It just means at least three round trips every two weeks. But you knew that.)

Karen pointed out what it actually will mean in practice when I mentioned it to her. She explained that it gets two cold and dark to ride to work in Dec, Jan, and Feb, so I loose a quarter of the year. That leaves 39 weeks to get in 78 (52 x 1.5) commutes, so I'll have to ride to work twice a week during those 39 weeks.

 

The rain finally quit in Knoxville so I took a 2 hour lunch and rode 26 miles. I came across to guys with brand new Terra Trikes on the Will Skelton greenway. They were grinning ear to ear.

Both men are newly retired. One guy was very over weight and had already had a heart attack and part of his lung removed. They said they didn't go fast, but love being outside and getting some exercise. That to me is the real advantage of recumbents trikes. Anyone can ride one at any physical level and still have a blast!!!

BTW I was grinning from ear to ear being back on my bent!!!

 

Hey Tom,

Looks like a good goal. If I could get in one ride to and from work each week, I'd have a 100 miles a week going on my RANS V2. A few years ago when I worked closer to home I did try to ride 3 - 5 times a week. Sure made weight control much easier!

How many miles, round trip, do you ride to and from work?

Curtis

 

...so, with the rain stopped and the SUN shining,
I prepped/checked the bike for a fix/ride.

-Hey, the rear tire was flat!
Dang... don't you hate that?
Better at home though, right?

(Oh great, it's holding air.
It's a slow leak.
No debris in the tire... except for that wee bit of wire...
still holding air with the wire pulled free...
I'm going riding!)

---

So, a lane was closed in a busy neighbourhood feeder street.
Good.
Those hideous potholes are finally being addressed.

Not so good?
An older woman was blocking the intersection, demandin'
a reason as to why she was being denied passage.
The highway workers were trying to talk some sense
to the irate woman.
(The big signs read, "Lane Closed" and, "Detour" with an arrow.)
Besides, her passage around the closed lane was blocked by
oncoming traffic.
She reversed out of the blockaded road, turned into the marked detour
and then, she stopped opposite me.
She leaned through her open window and
asked me, "Where does this road go?"
-Still blocking traffic-
I answered, "I dunno".
(True-ish: I really don't know the actual names of the roads.
Hey, I just live here.)
The woman cursed...
the highway workers were laughing at the womans' actions...
and I pedaled oughtta there.

The rear tire held air,
I lived to ride another day
and that silly driver may have learned something.
Or not.

 

You're a braver man that I to take off with a known hole of any size in a tube.

As for the old lady, she might've learned that trying to find a rathole in a loophole around the whole pothole and chuckhole mess became her own hellhole because she was such an a**hole. <g> Bless her little heart!

Dave