My Most Recent Ride 2013 (Part VI in a series)

Glad you got out. Exercise is good. In fact exercise always makes me feel a bit high when I do it. I guess the endorphins are really hitting it.

 

Detailed report of my last 2 rides posted on my blog. Not too many pictures though. I'd forgotten the memory card for my camera on the 4th. While real cameras love the light of the low SUN for pictures, the iPhone is less appreciative of it.

As for few pictures taken on yesterday's ride, well, there are only so many times I can photo the River Loop under gray murky skies and wintery conditions without it looking like the same 4 pictures.

There is a cute one of Loke at the bottom of the post though. Cuter than usual I think!

Terii

 

I am just DYING to get out and ride!!!! If you (Terii) can do it in Swedish winter, I sure should be able to in Tennessee mild winters.

Aughhhhh.....

 

If it helps ease your mind, Jon, if this were a proper Swedish winter, I doubt I'd be riding so much! All it would take is temps of 23 F or colder and I'd be tromping out with snow-shoes instead.

Woke this morning to barely freezing temps and a very dense snow fall. Actually had enough to hide the exposed grass of our back lawn again. While I wrote the post on the blog this morning, the snow quit and then around 10:30 am or so, I noticed the skies had cleared and we had sun!

*sigh* I'd meant to rest today, but having already wasted one sunny day recently, I pushed myself out the door. At least Loke was excited as we set out on the 10 miles I'd hoped to do yesterday before the knee jinxed me.

10.58 miles. Sadly, it took me almost 2 hours. A hefty 1.5 mile chunk of it is mostly what killed my average. A cycle way along side a very busy road. It hadn't been plowed or packed down since this morning's snow. With two fairly significant hills, my legs burning with lactic acid while still aching from yesterday, _and_ fighting that snow, I probably didn't go much faster than 3 mph. Probably less actually. I know had to stop a few times and pound on my thighs for a while to get them to work again.

The rest of the 10 miles went better, 5 of them beautiful countryside (the same as my Winter Wonderland GoPro vid) with a low mist rising from the blanket of white across fields and forest ground. Loke was happy to be out. We even had a German Wire Haired Pointer run with us for a few meters. The dog was pulling and jumping when we passed and then I heard the woman yell. The next thing I knew, there was the happy dog bounding along on my right side while trying to give me kisses and his leash flapping along behind him. He was so disappointed when I stopped to let his owner catch up. He wanted to run with the pack!

Not sure who was more startled. Me or Loke.

Somehow, I made it home and got everything back into the apartment on wobbly legs. I WILL rest tomorrow even if we have pure blue skies and temps shoot up into the 60's. I'm not sure I could push myself around the River Loop even with Loke's help if my legs don't get a chance to build up.

Terii

 

Say all you want Terii, but I just logged in my 15.6 miles in Bike Journal from today (will comment on that in a separate post) and noticed YOU are the leader of the RRI pack right now.

 

New Year's Resolution Ride

Well I got out today for my second ride of the year. Sunny 50 degrees. I pushed myself too hard the last time and cramped up. So today, I dug out my trusty V Rex and went riding on the Knoxville Greenways. I vowed to take it slow and steady.

The idea was good and I went really slow but not because I was pacing myself. I was riding slow because I was going through an OBSTACLE COURSE!!! I bet there were 30 or 40 people walking, running, riding their bikes or taking their dogs for a walk, walking a baby stroller today, ALL ON THE GREENWAYS!!!!! I felt like I was a bicycle messenger riding through Manhattan! It was a disaster!!! You can tell from the panting breaths and awkward running positions these were all "I'm going to get in better shape" resolution people. Now I have no problem with people wanting to get in better shape. BUT JUST PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR SURROUNDINGS!! Which they didn't.....

The prime piece of real estate for all these people was either in the middle of the trail, or they weren't sure where the best spot on the trail was so they wandered all around looking for it. Dogs too!

Consequently the muscle getting the most workout this ride was my thumb ringing my bike bell to get people to get out of the way. Of course they couldn't hear the bike bell because now it is unfashionable to be walking or running or riding your bike on a trail if you don't have an iPod blasting music through ear buds in your ears.

Needless to say I can't wait for this month to be over. By next month, these people will be off the trail and back in front of their TVs or computer games where they belong and leave the trails to "serious" riders.

I'm getting older and crankier :rant2: (just like my hero Buddy!) :rant2:

 

What?? Me? Surely you're mistaken! I've never led a pack of anything! Unless you count herds of cows running along a fence line behind Loke an I. Occasionally horses and once a flock of sheep.

Congrats on getting out for your own ride. Sounds more nightmarish than my snow outings though. I think the 'oblivious' walker is the bane of all bike riders. I give many of them a scare as I scoot by on their left, putting Loke right next to their legs. Some of them scream like little girls... even men. Pity it won't make them either pick a SIDE of the path or pay attention to their surroundings in the future.

Oh! My blog has apparently caught the attention of another trike rider in the Uppsala area. We've been flinging comments to and fro since yesterday!

Terii

 

Check it out Terii!!! You are the Queen of RRI right now!!!

 

Noo! I can't take the pressure! Quick! Someone knock me from the throne with a couple of centuries!

Terii

 

Another ride, but it was cut very short. 3 miles short. The bane of my biking hobby reared it's ugly head. The gears started acting up. The rear derailleur more specifically. From shifting flawlessly on the 8th to ticking me off today. No in between.

It worked fine for the first mile and then suddenly it was stubborn about going into the smaller cogs. The line would just go slack and the chain guide stayed in place. At least the few times it would shift into a higher gear, it would easily go into a lower one or I could have been in difficulty coming out of the underpasses. We've had a bit more snow that seems to have turned into instant ice on the roads and paved paths. Probably would have killed myself trying to walk on that with a lump of ice around my SPD cleat.

I'm half wondering if moisture got into the cable tubes and froze enough to keep the line from sliding freely, preventing the derailleur from dropping into the smaller cogs. Didn't seem resistant at all going the other way though.

Or maybe all the tooth-rattling vibration from riding on very lumpy ice has shaken something loose.

Either way, it ruined the ride. If Jens had been home, I might have pushed on, but I was too wary of the gears crapping out entirely and leaving me stranded 3 miles from home with an insane husky, lethal shoes, and a trike to drag.

Excuse me now. I'm going to go scream the more colorful parts of language I learned from my sailor father into a pillow while the trike thaws.

Terii

 

I bet that is exactly your problem. All the wet then cold will ice up those cables. Don't have a good solution for it either.

Bummer!

 

It's what it was. I finally calmed down enough put the trike on the trainer with the fly wheel pushed back to use it as a stand. It shifted flawlessly.

I'll call the bike shop in Stockholm for advice or maybe pedal the trike to the cycling workshop that's held not far from here every Tuesday to see if anyone has some workable ideas. The workshop is apparently free with parts (if available received via donation) and tools for anyone to use as well as advice from anyone knowledgeable. Handy tip by the fellow Uppsala tricyclist who found my blog.

Terii

 

Getting a late start in 2013. Worked 24 of last 25 days. But got out late afternoon yesterday for 20 miles. 10 days into year but gotta start somewhere. Up to 70 deg. for next two days then couple days of monsoons so we'll see.

 

Go, Dave! Go!

I too went out today and put another 4.87 (or is it 4.89?) miles under the wheels. I did it with just 3 gears once the cable to my back derailleur again froze, but I'm glad I could still change the front or I'd have been stuck with just 1 speed which would have killed me no matter if it was too high or too low.

Loke helped a lot, pulling like the husky he is and loved it. With all the running and pulling the past few weeks, he's starting to look a bit muscle-y in the haunches. Wish I were toning up as fast.

Snow is blowing around like sand with temps of 28 F before accounting for windchill. Some places have been scoured right down to the ground with dusty little drifts piled in others. The cycle paths were a narrow strip of ice with the wind piled mounds to either side, reminding me of windy summer days along the beach in Biloxi when sand would do the same thing on the roads.

Now, I'm going to call the cycle shop and see if they can help me with something Neil at ICE recommended to help with the freezing issue!

Terii

 

My suggestion.... move South!