Basic_B

Had a nice ride this morning. It was interesting because the temperature dropped noticeably from what it’s been for the past week or two. All of a sudden I had the vest and arm-warmers back out, and the knit cap under the helmet. The morning felt more like a cool fall morning than a late spring one. There was even something fall-like about the light.

Anyway, I rode 36 and a half miles. The average speed was only 15.7. I hate it that I didn’t ride into work any during the past week, and I felt like I was a little out of my rhythm. Really though the problem was the wind (when isn’t the wind the problem?). This time the ride home was mostly into a headwind and my average of 16.5 at the halfway point took a tumble as I turned back northwards into it.

Still, it was a beautiful morning. I didn’t see too much nature or wildlife: a dead snake, some cows, and a donkey. Nothing else to report.

Took a nice ride around Hagan Stone Park this morning. I left the house at about 9 AM, which was an hour later than I had originally planned, but I was letting things warm up a few extra degrees.

All total I did 34 miles with an average speed of 15.6 mph. The fastest speed I hit was 36.4 mph, and I climbed 1672 total feet.

All in all I felt pretty good. The weather warmed quickly while I was riding. The bike was in good working order, and everything went well. I did stop at the park itself for 10 minutes and took a look at the lake, which was very calm and placid looking. I did a few stretches and then kept going.

No particulars to report today. No wildlife sightings or any other discoveries of interest.

Nice bike ride this morning. Temperature was low 50’s when I began, but warmed up while I was out. I rode the new Fuji today, and managed almost 34 miles with an average of 15.2 mph.

The only glitch on the ride is that I felt like I was dodging worms and squirrels crossing the road. I don’t know what it was about the temperature or the humidity or what, but it seemed like the earthworms were out and all crossing the road. I’m sure I ran over a few, but I tried my best not to. The squirrels too, kept darting out right in front of me. It kept me on my toes.

I started the ride easy, but finished hard. Really attacking the hills in the last third of the ride, and I can feel it in my legs right now, and that’s a good thing. I think it also helps that I did my first bike commute into the office on Friday. I’ll get back up to speed pretty quickly if I keep up with the rides into the office.

With this ride counted that makes 210 miles logged on the new bike so far. A good start, I think.

I’ve got a few days of leave time accrued to me at work that I’m trying to burn off before the end of the fiscal year, so I took Friday off.

One of my cycling buddies (Scott N.) was talking about doing a fairly substantial ride on Saturday so I wanted to get a few miles in my legs on Friday so that I didn’t get caught off guard. Not precisely a warm-up, but I do find that a ride on the first day can lead to a better ride on the second. As long as you don’t burn out on the first.

Anyway, I did a windy 15 miles with a 14.8 mph average speed. Not too much, but enough to let my legs know they might get called upon to work.

On Saturday I met Scott at SouthWest Park, which I had not yet checked out. I guess it only opened late last summer sometime. I cycle all around those roads, but I usually ride right past the one that is the way to the park. It’s good to know it’s there. They’ve got a nice restroom facility and water-fountains and a vending machine and so forth…just in case I ever get caught out in that area…like in a thunderstorm or with a mechanical problem or something.

So, Scott and I hit the road at a little before 12:30. It was a very nice day—sunshine and temperature in the 50’s. There was a little bit of a gusty wind, which I hoped would die down, but no worries other than that. I was wearing some of my winter gear, but not the full kit. Boy I can’t wait for warmer weather to ditch all the extra articles of gear.

There’s not a whole lot to recount about the ride itself, I guess. After approximately 17 miles we made it to the bottom of Caraway mountain which was our goal. It’s not a huge mountain, but from a cycling standpoint it’s got a nice sustained uphill grade for a little over a mile which makes it a good early season test. There may be other roads that branch off from it where you could continue the climb even further, but our stopping point is about a mile and a quarter up, and then it plateaus for a time.

Scott had a specific training regimen in mind for himself that involved doing multiple trips up the mountain. I just wanted to get some miles in. So I only did two ascents, and he did three. My first trip up took about eight minutes (avg 9.2 mph), and the second trip took almost nine (avg 8.7 mph). These figures are according to my Garmin cycling computer. There could be a little fuzziness around the edges if I didn’t push the lap button at exactly the same spot.

After the second lap up, I knew I was done. There was still the ride home which would be plenty hilly enough for me, I knew. Plus I was concerned that the headwind would be a bigger factor on the return route. I waited at the top, and ate some fig newtons, while Scott did his third lap up the mountain.

On the return I saw a hawk, and what I think was an eagle perched atop a telephone pole. And yes, the headwind was worse on the return.

At the end of the ride I had a total distance just over 41 miles and an average of only 14.3 mph. The fastest speed I hit during the ride on a good long straight descent was 38.3 mph. That was fun.

Overall, while I can’t say the average speed of the ride makes me happy, it is still early in the season. Speed increases quickly as soon as it starts to get warmer, and my climbing legs will come back quickly as soon as I start riding my commuting bike into work again.

Today, the day I usually get my riding in, I rest. I feel good about the mileage I’ve gotten in the past two days.

Back from a short ride on the single-speed. My original plan for going out on my new Fuji were squashed when I realized I hadn’t dried all my cycling clothing from the washing. So I got to work on finishing that bit of laundry this morning, and then shifted gears to take a shorter ride on the fixie.

I only went out for about 12 miles, but it was harsh—not from temperature, although it was a little chilly too, but from wind. I discovered, to my chagrin, that the longest and steepest hill on the route I chose was also headed directly into a terrible headwind. I think it’s the first time that I ever seriously considered walking my bike up that hill. I didn’t though. I made it, with my head down and just focusing on turning the pedals over.

At the end of things, given the wind, it’s probably a good thing that I took a short and hard ride, as opposed to having tried to do a longer one. I might have found myself in a spot of bother out on the rode and far from home.