Did you ride today?

What a freek'n great weekend. The weather here is just unbelievable this winter (it is still winter, right)... Saturday, clear, about 68 F, and I moved up to the 18-20mph group. There were four groups that left at that pace, each with about a dozen riders. We did 42 miles with a section of about 10 miles with some good rollers, so 1300' verticle. Our group pulled through the two ahead of us, and we finished with an 18 mph average.

Sunday I went out with wifey, at start time it was 74F, clear, with no wind. We did 30 mostly flat miles with a 16mph average. My wife says she's getting her confidence back -- last year, what with the move and her new job, she only did three rides all year. She's done more already this year.

Spring is just beginning here, a lot of the early plants (forcithia, flowering plum) are blooming, and weeping willows and a few others are just beginning their lime-green leaf-out. With Mt. Hood visible from everywhere around here its just beautiful.

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Just a little more my east coast brothers, and you'll rolling into spring!
 
A 'normal' Pacific NW weekend this weekend, the sun could not have been expected to last. Mid 50s temp, almost 2 inches of rain over the last 18 hours. But I did sneak out Friday late afternoon with enough time for my 25mile loop, thanks to the long hours of daylight. (Watch your state representatives, there is a growing trend of some sphincters who think getting rid of daylight savings is a good idea.) Anyway, 25 miles, 2000' of verticle, finished right at 16mph avg. Short enough of a route to do late in the day, tough enough to make a serious workout. And right from home makes it really nice. I hope to boost that average a couple mph this summer, maybe getting to 19-20. Ugh!
 
Yup....almost 30 for me. Didn't feel like donning my "real bike outfit" so just went out in a T and shorts and used my Trek 7700. Gorgeous day...84, and severe clear.
 
Rode only 15 with a new group today just to shake out the rust. Very windy and colder than temp would suggest, but it was great to out for the first time since November.
 
Had a little downtime of about a week. I think I've been going at it a little too hard - knees aching, loss of interest. It felt good to take a week off, and the weather turned a little cooler. This weekend did a couple easy rides with my wife, 25 Saturday evening, 35 today. Her first back/back days and she suffered the last 10 miles today. Encouraged her to talk herself into finishing vs talking herself out of it. We had about 3 to go she was ready to stop and have me ride to the truck and come get her. She finished and of course was much happier for it.

Now I've to get back on-track, if I want to move up a group on the Saturday ride, I've got work to do. Averaging 20 over 40 miles a lot different than 18mph. Currently the 18 is not a huge strain, but I know working the paceline for 40 miles is serious work. And that means a few more months of serious training. The rides with wifey are a nice recovery.

Looking forward to hearing from y'all as you knock off winters' rust.
 
Bobvin said:
Had a little downtime of about a week. I think I've been going at it a little too hard - knees aching, loss of interest. It felt good to take a week off, and the weather turned a little cooler. This weekend did a couple easy rides with my wife, 25 Saturday evening, 35 today. Her first back/back days and she suffered the last 10 miles today. Encouraged her to talk herself into finishing vs talking herself out of it. We had about 3 to go she was ready to stop and have me ride to the truck and come get her. She finished and of course was much happier for it.

Now I've to get back on-track, if I want to move up a group on the Saturday ride, I've got work to do. Averaging 20 over 40 miles a lot different than 18mph. Currently the 18 is not a huge strain, but I know working the paceline for 40 miles is serious work. And that means a few more months of serious training. The rides with wifey are a nice recovery.

Looking forward to hearing from y'all as you knock off winters' rust.
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18 to 20 mph is fairly easy to keep if you stay off the front. Do small 20 sec pulling and pull off, on average pacelines will not bother you if you tell them you are holding on borderline and you put your nose to the wind, even if it is for a few seconds.

Reduce the pace and distance on your wife on back to back days, happy wife happy life!

:)
 
Bob, how did I miss your pic in post 421! Gorgeous!

Went riding this weekend with two new pieces of kit: new Castelli bibtights and a new saddle for my rear. A good combo I have to say! My rump isn't nearly as sore or painful as last year (or even the few earlier rides I took this year). While I am experiencing soreness down there, it's not the pain I had before. So I'm cautiously optimistic about having a halfway decent riding season this year!:P
 
socfan12 said:
Bob, how did I miss your pic in post 421! Gorgeous!

Went riding this weekend with two new pieces of kit: new Castelli bibtights and a new saddle for my rear. A good combo I have to say! My rump isn't nearly as sore or painful as last year (or even the few earlier rides I took this year). While I am experiencing soreness down there, it's not the pain I had before. So I'm cautiously optimistic about having a halfway decent riding season this year!:P
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Allen, what's that new seat of yours? Happy to see your touche is happy. Nothing worse than an unhappy butt on a ride.



Dan
 
Selle Italia SMP. Was the one I was looking for but could not find one online. Talked to my bike fitter and that's the first one he handed to me to demo. Went for a short 20mile ride this weekend, so we'll see how longer rides feel. I'm hopeful...
 
socfan12 said:
Selle Italia SMP. Was the one I was looking for but could not find one online. Talked to my bike fitter and that's the first one he handed to me to demo. Went for a short 20mile ride this weekend, so we'll see how longer rides feel. I'm hopeful...
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A friend of mine loves them too, I always felt they looked like the Concorde on the ground. Apparently very comfortable though .

Didn't know they were owned by Selle Italia, always thought they were independent, but what so I know.

Hopefully they will satisfy you, enjoy!
 
Dan, I think you're right! Maybe that's way I couldn't find them online, LOL!:rolleyes::blush:
 
socfan12 said:
Selle Italia SMP. Was the one I was looking for but could not find one online. Talked to my bike fitter and that's the first one he handed to me to demo. Went for a short 20mile ride this weekend, so we'll see how longer rides feel. I'm hopeful...
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That saddle is available in a couple widths isn't it Allen? I know one guy who said he ended up more sore after riding that saddle for a long day, but I think he might have gotten one too wide so the cutout was too big and his sit-bones were at the edges of the cutout. I ride a WTB mountain saddle (their lightest) and while I often look to save some weight I'm chicken to try something new as the WTB works well for me.

I hope it works out for you and you get to spend more time on two wheels.

(And re the mountain pic... I have a tree guy coming to the house next week to discuss cutting some on the property. We'll have a view nearly as spectacular once I clear a channel through the forest behind the house. Then we'll have a two volcano view (Mt. Adams is the second.)
 
RedSectorA said:
18 to 20 mph is fairly easy to keep if you stay off the front. Do small 20 sec pulling and pull off, on average pacelines will not bother you if you tell them you are holding on borderline and you put your nose to the wind, even if it is for a few seconds.

Reduce the pace and distance on your wife on back to back days, happy wife happy life!

:)
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18-20 I can do comfortably. The group that rides that pace tends to paceline at 23-24 on the flats so after 40 miles and ~1200' climbing our average is 18+. The next group up though, 20-23, means the speed on the flats will kick up to 25+ in the paceline. I'm not there yet, just couldn't hang in for 40 miles. As I get my legs under me I'll start going out with that group for increasing lengths, dropping back to the slower group to finish. There is an 'open' group for the hard-core racers—oh to be young again!

That said, a well formed paceline is a great ride. I'm a little rusty, and don't know the crew well yet, so there's some unpredictability that makes me extra cautious.
 
Hey, where's my fellow cycling brothers ride reports? Surely y'all have been getting out for some early season work? I got in 45 on Saturday with the 18-20 group. 2000 verticle, several reasonably steep climbs, and some mild headwinds. We finished at 18.4 avg. Today was a glorious cruize along a local river, about 20 miles up a gentle grade for 2000' verticle again, 20 miles return trip. I was with my sweet wife so took it as a recovery day, we had a great time.
 
Where are my cycling brothers? Are your tires all flat? Has the inertia of winter still got its teeth into y'all?

I've been getting in some miles—did a hard and fast 46 miles Saturday, and got scolded for being off the front too much. It was my understanding the group speed normally crept up on the flats, so the "18-20" crowd would be 23 or so on the flats. As noted above, we finished a strong day a couple weeks back with 18.4 average. So this Saturday I was pulling the train along a little too quickly—at the end of the ride I was told I should join the next faster group. Well, I took it as a compliment, I think to his dismay. I'll roll out with the 20-23 group next time the ride is a little shorter, with a little less climbing.

Yesterday went with my wife and four others on a trail, one of those converted rail corridors. Two of the others were very strong riders, so my wife and one of the other gals rode the out-back on the trail, the others and myself took another road that added more miles and climbing. My work developing more power is paying dividends and I'm climbing much better this year, though I don't have the same smooth stroke climbing as rolling the flats. Gotta work on that. So yesterday added another 54 challenging miles, for 100 on the weekend. And, thankfully, my knees, while a little tender at the end of yesterday's ride, feel fine today.
 
Bob, you're a machine! Sounds like you've been hitting it pretty hard to get booted out and up to the next group of riders. So what is this secret training that you've been doing to develop more power?

As for myself, I've been getting out at least twice a week on 30 mile rides to get some miles in for now. I tried to keep busy through the winter so my fitness level wouldn't fall off too much. I must have done something right because my times are similar to those I had back in July, which is pretty much the middle of cycling season around here.
 
Doug, I had read C. Carmichael say weight training for leg strength pretty much useless for improvement on the bike, so go for power. So I have been doing this: take a 15(+) pound sand ball or medicine ball and grasp at chest level, then lower into a deep squat - now fire straight up with legs and arms launching the ball as high as possible. Repeat until you can't. That, along with tabata type (20 second max effort, 10 seconds rest, repeat) intervals on the road, and a couple other power excercises and resistance band work has me in pretty good early season form.

I mentioned before the hares and hounds game we play one night a week. When I was young Tuesday/Thusday were fast nights but the folks I'm with now don't have that in them. So at a few points on a short 20 mile route some riders go off the front, and we hounds then chase trying to catch before the turn/milepost/etc. So after that longish sprint, while the others are catching their breath, I'll do a couple tabatas, turn around, and do a couple more back to the group. It has made a big impact on my climbing. Now with short hills I can just attack and blast over the top. Seems to be one place those less fit fall off the back, and I remember cursing folks who did that to me - roll into a hill and attack. I'm sure when I move up a group I'll be gasping on the hills I hear that group really climbs fast. Ugh! Damn hills really tap the glycogen reserves.
 
Thanks for the tips Bob. I usually ride alone but did have a riding partner for an entire summer a couple of years ago. It was really great having someone to push me and compete against. He was a number of years younger than me but never let on that I was holding him back. :) It's definitely harder to do the things you mentioned by yourself. Not impossible of course but it's better to have someone pushing you, and vice-versa.

Maybe I need a faster bike. :P
 
Doug, try "meetup.org", there's bound to be some cyclists nearby you can hook up with. Or post your own meetup. I did that up in Seattle a couple years back, ended up riding with a mathematician visiting from Italy. He was doing a gig at Microsoft, and we were very evenly matched on the road, putting each other in the pain cave regularly. A pleasant and unexpected pairing for the summer. I'm still recruiting someone at/near my level for a weekly assault on my hill loop.

There are several groups in Portland area, with many rides to choose from. I have the Saturday morning hammerfest with Portland Velo, most of my other rides are with NW Ridabouts - with a focus on rural low traffic routes around Oregon/Washington. You do have to be cautious until you learn the groups abilities.
 
Update from my front as I have been quiet recently.

I'm back on the bike since last week after a seven week hiatus and it feels good!

Was on a 70k cyclocross training ride with a friend on March 14th while training for our Battenkill race due mid April when I got some chest pain, felt like gastric reflux so a stopped for a moment then went on. Had no power and was out of breath with that pain lagging, rode the last 7k's but got home safely. Long story short I went to the hospital were I was diagnosed as having a heart attack. The clot was still there 2 days later and they blasted it off, a total of 3 arteries were clogged between 75-80% and two of them were stented. Little if any heart damage was done and they don't expect to do anything to the non stented artery as I aced my stress test last week. I'm now feeling much better although I'm being fed with a cocktail of meds that have altered my sense, one of which Beta Blockers has reduced max heart rate and all the good things that go with it. Naturally I can't really push right now but I can feel my altered state. Current rides are around 30k's which I do at an average 28kph (max) which I find to be very good considering (I'm putting no pressure considering).

The reason for mentioning my story is that the body age and we have to listen to it, I'm not looking for any pity but if my story can save/alter one life I'll be happy. Being in great shape does not guarantee immunisation to heart attacks, so if you get what feels like heart burns while on a ride or anytime other than after eating you should at least consult a doctor immediately. I eat very well, do not smoke and drink about 1.5-2 liters of wine weekly, I do have some family history with heart problems.

Prognostic from now on: exercise for life :) , only issues is that the cardiologist would prefer I don't race anymore and the Beta Blockers which I was told they would stop giving me in a year. Oh and I can't fall off the bike as they are giving be anti-coagulating agents.

Ride on!
 
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