Art leads a great CASUAL ride!

One of my social bike group's members was leading what was billed as "Art's Casual Blue Lake Park Ride". 8 folks showed up, a pretty good showing for a mid week after work ride. Art and Luis even showed up on mountain bikes figuring there would be no problem keeping up with the predicted casual pace.

Well, be sure to check the abilities of your casual riders on mountain bikes before signing up for one of Art's rides! LOL! Dave and I arrived a bit early and joined Mark and Art for a little pre-ride. We ended up with 10 miles.......at 19 mph average!

We arrived back at the 33rd and Marine Dr starting location in time to join the rest. Even though two were on mountain bikes the pace was quick. We were seeing 20-21 on the speedos more often than not. It was a good ride, we all joked about the "casual" pace and how we'd hate to ride with Art if he billed it as a training ride, or fast paced ride!






We ended the riding portion of the evening with 30 miles total, then 5 of us retired to the Sextant Bar and Grill for a post ride bite to eat and a cold beverage. The Garmin said we burned almost 2000 calories so I think we could afford to make the stop. ;-)

I think it might have been Art's way to insure that we'd agree that this was a "social ride". ;-)

It was a good evening ride with good friends.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today............30...............0.................30
Jan total.......501.....+.........30.......=.......531
Feb total.......614.....+.........0........=.......614
March total.....860.....+.........0........=.......860
April total.....790.....+.........0........=.......790
Year to date...2800.....+.........30.......=......2830
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

A cookie pig

Today was Salem Bicycle Club's Monster Cookie Metric Century. For the last several years I've not been content to ride just one Monster Cookie, this flat and fast course just begs to ridden a second time around, the famous, if unofficial, Double Cookie. Given my inability to lock my vehicle until new windows are installed on Monday I chose to commute to the ride from Wilsonville. While not actually riding the course twice, I'd at least get the mileage of a double cookie.

I shoved off from North Wilsonville at 6 AM, planning on getting to Salem and the start of the Monster Cookie by 8AM. The distance was longer than I expected and there was a slight headwind after about 7AM. I missed my planned start time by over 30 minutes. I ended up with a 38 mile commute to the ride. Being a bit late worked out OK though, I was able to join a group from my social bike club that was riding today.
Our little group didn't set the course on fire, but we pedaled along pretty consistently in the sea of cyclists (and a few "people on bikes")

Kris picked up a staple in her rear tire just a few miles from the first rest stop. Almost before she could come to a stop a support vehicle pulled off with the offer of a floor pump. Kris and I got the tube replaced and aired up in record time and were back on the road. The rest of our group had pedaled on so it was catch-up time for us. We hammered along in draft mode at 20-22mph trying to close the gap. We didn't quite catch them before reaching the first rest stop at Salem Bible College.
Since this ride is all about cookies it should come as no surprise that there was a wide range of cookies at the stop along with more traditional fare. We milled around enjoying the snacks and other cyclists' company for a long time (really too long!) but finally got back on the road.
We arrived at the main stop of the day, Champoeg Park, half way into our ride as well as box lunches.

As we got back on the bikes we were heading into the slight wind that had helped push us as we rode the first half. I got on my aerobars and pedaled. I was able with some effort to hold about 18 mph. Not bad for an old guy who already had 70 miles in for the day. Knowing I had many miles to go yet I didn't tarry. I soon dropped the folks I had been riding with.

I rode onto the Capital Mall and immediately turned around and headed back to Wilsonville. As luck would have it, the wind shifted a bit and before I got back to Wilsonville I was riding into the wind.........again.

I ended up with a respectable 136 miles for the day. I was more tired than I should have been for this distance, but blame it somewhat on being too warm. I should have taken off my windbreaker by mid morning or noon at the latest. I've always noted that my performance suffers when I'm a bit too warm.

Good day, no rain. Looked like a good turnout for the Salem Bicycle Club.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today...........136...............0................136
Jan total.......501.....+.........30.......=.......531
Feb total.......614.....+.........0........=.......614
March total.....860.....+.........0........=.......860
April total.....760.....+.........0........=.......760
Year to date...2770.....+.........30.......=......2800
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Brian's birthday ride

Brian had a birthday,
and a group of us joined in a ride to celebrate.

We began from Lakeside Bicycles in Lake Oswego and started by climbing a path that parallels Terwilliger Blvd.
Before long that path ended and we were on the scenic Terwilliger Blvd heading towards OHSU.The first of many planned stops to celebrate the birthday was at Saturday Market.Where Kris got a new pair of wool socks to help with her cold feet.......... While we all got a bite (or two or three!) of food. After doing all the damage we could do there we headed across the Willamette Riveron our way to our next stop, The Press Club
The folks at The Press Club treated our birthday boy to a complimentary shot.
After a bit we divided our group temporarily to those who wanted to ride to the top of Mt Tabor, and those that wanted to stay at The Press Club and enjoy another round.
Those of us who headed for the top of Mt Tabor are pleased to announce that we made it!We rode back down to The Press Club where we re-combined our group and rode back to Lake Oswego via Sellwood and a climb up through the Riverview Cemetery. After a fast dash down Terwilliger we arrived back in Lake Oswego where we had one more stop at the Gemini Tavern.
Dave and I had commuted to the ride from Wilsonville so we took honors today for riding the most miles with a total of 58 miles.

Tomorrow I repeat the "ride to the ride" and will ride to Salem for the Monster Cookie Metric Century from Wilsonville. (mostly since I don't have windows in my pickup yet and am not wild about leaving it parked in a lot "unlocked" while riding)
I should get at least 120 miles tomorrow.



+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today............58...............0.................58
Jan total.......501.....+.........30.......=.......531
Feb total.......614.....+.........0........=.......614
March total.....860.....+.........0........=.......860
April total.....624.....+.........0........=.......624
Year to date...2634.....+.........30.......=......2664
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

A good ride with a not so good ending

Luis, Carol, and I rode out from Cornelius Pass Roadhouse just after 6 PM tonight in quest of a decent workout. We chose to ride out to the Helvetia area and included a ride up Logie Trail Rd. We ended up with 1700 ft of climbing with our 24 miles. I felt strong this evening, able to pretty much ride at will. Had some pretty decent photos of the ride, but alas they are gone now. (NOT having a good day!)

When we finished the ride near 8PM we found two windows broken out of my pickup. I had my laptop along so I could log the ride when we had our post ride snacks but it was obscured from view under a coat and street clothes. No matter, the perpetrators found it. From what I've been able to determine this morning so far is that the laptop is gone ...and the last year's worth of photos/video that I hadn't burned to DVD yet :-(. I also am budget officer for our local fire district, my budget docs are all on there. That's a big deal, the deadline to have it completed is in 4 days.
Also taken was my bike duffel bag with a half dozen jerseys, and numerous bike shorts, socks, windbreakers, rainwear, and both of my helmet cams. (Tony Hawk and Oregon Scientific ATC2K) Most identifiable will be my Race Across Oregon finishers jersey. Not many of those around.

First bid on window replacement...........$1342
Looks like repairs and loss will total over $4000 :-(



+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today............24...............0.................24
Jan total.......501.....+.........30.......=.......531
Feb total.......614.....+.........0........=.......614
March total.....860.....+.........0........=.......860
April total.....566.....+.........0........=.......566
Year to date...2576.....+.........30.......=......2606
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

2 hills

I rode a 21 mile loop this afternoon from Forest Grove that included a climb of two hills. I rode out Fernhill until I had the opportunity to turn left (UPhill) on Blooming-Fernhill Rd. It's a steep pitch up for a thankfully short distance then a rolling descent to Golf Course Rd. From there it's a right turn and shortly begin the larger climb of the ride, Iowa Hill. The descent on Unger Rd is one of the best around these parts. You can hit 50+ on this arrow straight road with little opportunity for surprises. (no side streets or close by homes) A little uphill before the sharp turn means you don't even have to brake to make it.

From there on it's a flat ride back to the starting point via Hwy 219-Simpson Rd/Johnson School Rd-Golf Course Rd-LaFollet Rd-Fernhill Rd.

There's just over 1000 ft of climbing, and it's all in the first 8 miles! Not a bad workout for a short close to home ride.

Here's the route if you care to ride it:


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today............21...............0.................21
Jan total.......501.....+.........30.......=.......531
Feb total.......614.....+.........0........=.......614
March total.....860.....+.........0........=.......860
April total.....542.....+.........0........=.......542
Year to date...2552.....+.........30.......=......2582
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

An absolutely gorgeous day!

Dave, Luis, and I met at the Rock Creek Tavern this morning to ride up Old Cornelius Pass Rd to Skyline then turned right and made our way to Newberry Rd for a fun descent to Hwy 30 and over the Sauvie Island bridge and onto the island to join a group of about 20 for a couple of laps.


After our laps we went back out to Hwy 30 and rode just over 6 miles out to Rocky Point Rd for a little hill climbing exercise back up to Skyline Rd. We even managed to talk Debra and Carol into joining us for this hill climbing adventure. We made our way to Rock Creek Rd for a nice downhill run to Old Cornelius Pass Rd and back to Rock Creek Tavern. It had been a warm day, and cold beers awaited!


We all had a good time!


tech question... does anyone know why this video doesn't include it's associated audio? The raw clip has audio and it plays on my computer just fine. When I upload it to the blog (or to YouTube) the audio disappears. I get audio on other people's posted clips just fine so I know my computer settings must be OK. YouTube help doesn't. :-(


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today............53...............0.................53
Jan total.......501.....+.........30.......=.......531
Feb total.......614.....+.........0........=.......614
March total.....860.....+.........0........=.......860
April total.....521.....+.........0........=.......521
Year to date...2531.....+.........30.......=......2561
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The dry side of the Cascades

I am in Deschutes County for a meeting and came over a bit early to take advantage of the altitude........and the drier climate. I brought the bike with me and tried this route that I had looked up on Bicycling.com:



It was a nice ride with beautiful blue sky overhead!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today............32...............0.................32
Jan total.......501.....+.........30.......=.......531
Feb total.......614.....+.........0........=.......614
March total.....860.....+.........0........=.......860
April total.....468.....+.........0........=.......468
Year to date...2478.....+.........30.......=......2508
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Riding with Mike Olson and friends

I joined a small group from my LBS (local bike shop) this morning. The group rides faster than my normal bike buddies and it was good for me to ride with them.......and nice that they put up with this slow old guy tagging along!


We had a couple of hours so decided on taking a ride out to Woodland Loop, a two hour and change ride. We began by riding out Fernhill Rd. There was a very slight but noticable headwind.



After a few miles we took a left on Springhill Rd and followed it to Laughlin Rd where we made a right. We followed Laughlin Rd as it went through a narrow valley past wineries and farms.



When we reached Hwy 240 we turned left then took another left onto Woodland Loop. We immediately began a gentle climb.



The road continued to climb moderately and at times really resembled a woodland loop!



The climb continued long enough that we got a bit of elevation under us.



After a cautious but fun descent we backtracked to Forest Grove, this time slightly downhill with a bit of tailwind. I can DO downhill with tailwind! :-) This was the only part of the ride where I managed to stay in front of the group for any appreciable amount of time.






I ended up with 35 miles, but more noteworthy is the 17.2 average I held with the 1857 ft of climbing!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today............35...............0.................35
Jan total.......501.....+.........30.......=.......531
Feb total.......614.....+.........0........=.......614
March total.....860.....+.........0........=.......860
April total.....436.....+.........0........=.......436
Year to date...2446.....+.........30.......=......2476
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Bike education

I attended noted bike attorney Ray Thomas' presentation this evening on bicyclist's rights and responsibilities under the law. Mr Thomas donated his time to educate us on how to stay safe and legal while riding. He pointed out many common pitfalls that cyclists fall into. If you ever get a chance to attend one of his presentations I highly recommend them. Check the Bicycle Transportation Alliance's website for scheduled presentations.

I did a mixed mode commute, MAX and bike.

Hardly worth tracking but I did get 6 miles and every mile counts!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today.............6...............0..................6
Jan total.......501.....+.........30.......=.......531
Feb total.......614.....+.........0........=.......614
March total.....860.....+.........0........=.......860
April total.....401.....+.........0........=.......401
Year to date...2411.....+.........30.......=......2441
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

A little tour of Oregon's agricultural variety

I took my bike with me to my meeting in Salem today. Post meeting the weather was reasonably nice, it looked like a perfect opportunity to ride. I didn't have time for a ride to Silver Creek Falls (and the long climb that entails!) but figured a ride to the Oregon Garden might be a nice trip.



It was a typical spring day in Oregon, a few showers around, a bit breezy from time to time, .........but daffodils blooming, trees blooming, deciduous plants pushing to leaf out, fresh air, snow on the distant mountains.....beautiful!



This was a route that flirts a bit with the Silverton Hills, but never quite gets there. There was just over 800 ft of total climbing in the ride that was just shy of 26 miles. That climbing was enough however to afford a reasonable view from time to time.





I didn't take the time or have the inclination to visit the Oregon Garden today but did note that in ten days they will be again hosting the Oregon Garden Brewfest. Last year a few of us cycled there to enjoy the event.

Today I just pedaled on by and continued to Silverton where I took the turn onto Silverton Rd and made my way back to Salem.

I dodged the showers that were playing around having only a few scattered drops fall on me. It was a good ride!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today............26...............0.................26
Jan total.......501.....+.........30.......=.......531
Feb total.......614.....+.........0........=.......614
March total.....860.....+.........0........=.......860
April total.....395.....+.........0........=.......395
Year to date...2405.....+.........30.......=......2435
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Wilsonville Century, official ride

Today was Easter, and what better way to pay homage than to be out riding! The weather was predicted to be less than optimal, winds to 15mph and an 80% chance of rain, with 1/2 inch accumulation likely.

5 Folks had said they were going to ride today, last night one canceled out. This morning 4 brave souls gathered in Wilsonville to begin our ride. The rain was falling moderately with a brisk south wind.

We pedaled out Advance Rd then turned into the wind on Mountain Rd and rode to the Canby Ferry.



At ten miles into our ride at the convenience store at Lone Elder two decided that today wasn't going to be as much fun as they had hoped and bailed on us.

Kris said she still wanted to ride and I always like to ride so we said our goodbye's to our riding compadres and pedaled on towards our goal of a full century.

It was a slower pace than Dave and I rode on Friday, but with the headwind it was just fine. The rain quit by the time we reached Union Mills and with the wind the road dried quickly. Before long we arrived 25 miles in at the town of Molalla. We grabbed some snacks and took the opportunity to talk some smack about those who bailed out on the ride. ;-)



The first half of this ride has some climbing and it begins with some gentle uphill riding on Wilhoit Rd. As we turned right on Bird Rd the climbing became more serious. Kris had failed to ride this the last time she tried it. This year she has been more serious about riding and the work has paid off, she pedaled all the way up!

We had a bit more directly into the wind riding as we turned towards Silverton.


From Silverton to Keizer we had a very stiff cross wind. The gusts made it very hard to hold a line as we were blown around several feet from side to side.
At Keizer, just over 50 miles in, we took a pretty long break and had some V8 juice, refilled our water, and snacked on some of our supplies we had been carrying.

From Keizer on we had good stretches of a very brisk tailwind. We found the wind to be right near 20 mph. That made for some very fast riding. As we pedaled along Matheny Rd it began to rain lightly. By the time we got within a few miles of Champoeg Park the rain began falling very hard and we had turned with the wind now to our side. We both were finally getting wet, but were warm so all was reasonably well. Sunshine and 65 might have been nicer, but I've been riding in worse weather, and today was nicer than predicted.

As we reached I-5 we noted that it was very slow with very heavy traffic. We have to ride on the shoulder of the freeway for .7 mile (to get across the Willamette River) and with the strong tailwind and mostly downhill run we were passing the cars!

We took the turn into Wilsonville and made our way to our finishing point. Literally within 30 seconds of pulling into the parking lot it began raining HARD and even turned to hail for a bit. It was good to be finished.

Kris was very happy to have reached her goal of a century in mid April.

(102.97 miles--click on photo to enlarge)

It was nice to have her company today.



+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today...........103...............0................103
Jan total.......501.....+.........30.......=.......531
Feb total.......614.....+.........0........=.......614
March total.....860.....+.........0........=.......860
April total.....369.....+.........0........=.......369
Year to date...2379.....+.........30.......=......2409
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Wilsonville Century, preride

Dave, Paul, and I pre-road this weekend's Wilsonville Century route. It was Good Friday, and a good friday to ride. There was a predicted 30% chance of rain, but it was predicted to be the best day of the next 5.

Dave and I took a cue from the Oregon Randonneurs and rode to the ride, adding about 3 miles to the mapped 101 we were to ride.

Once again I recorded this on the Garmin and the data, map, and photos are here.

There was just over 4500 ft of total climbing. That surprised both Dave and I as we only noted one real climb. It was about 3 miles long located in the mid 30 mile section of our ride. The climb up Bird Rd was especially noticeable.

We didn't get a drop of rain on us today and the wind was almost nonexistent.
I averaged 15.4, acceptable for me this time of year.

When we finished up I immediately loaded the bike and headed north to Vancouver, WA where I joined a dozen folks to ride bikes and celebrate Kris' birthday. There as a short pre-ride that I did not arrive in time for, but I was in time for the pub pedal! 3 pubs and a total of 12 additional miles.




+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today...........116...............0................116
Jan total.......501.....+.........30.......=.......531
Feb total.......614.....+.........0........=.......614
March total.....860.....+.........0........=.......860
April total.....266.....+.........0........=.......266
Year to date...2276.....+.........30.......=......2306
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Short ride, good hill training.....

....and maybe a gps mapped ride.
I'm on my second Garmin GPS. This one is thanks to the folks at Bicycling Magazine who want me to log some rides for them. I've been having issues getting this one (and the previous one!) to communicate with my computer using the provided Training Center software. Garmin's tech NON support isn't much help. I think they read the first sentence of my email then send a canned response. After talking with the folks at Bicycling Magazine today I am using an alternative way to work with this. I don't have all the functionality of a "working" Training Center, but at least I can upload ride data now.

Today I went out for a short ride mid afternoon because I have an evening meeting and have to miss the hill interval ride with my social bike group, and because I wanted some data to test the upload process. I chose to ride Iowa Hill from our Sunday ride. I rode a loop from Cornelius out to Iowa Hill,(Mt Hood and a fun descent straight ahead!)
down Unger Rd ......where I set another speed record on my road bike... 50.8 mph!


Then back on Simpson Rd/Johnson School Rd.
(farm workers in a grass seed field with Mt Saint Helens in the distance)

I ended up with 18 miles, 977 ft of climbing, and a 16.4 mph average. Progress is coming slowly but surely. Furnace Creek 508 is 6 months away.

If all goes well, today's route and ride data is here.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today............18...............0.................18
Jan total.......501.....+.........30.......=.......531
Feb total.......614.....+.........0........=.......614
March total.....860.....+.........0........=.......860
April total.....150.....+.........0........=.......150
Year to date...2160.....+.........30.......=......2190
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I am your leader, wait for me!

A dozen of us met today at Scholls Heights Elementary for a nearly 80 mile ride out to Hagg Lake, and back over Iowa Hill and Beef Bend.

I felt fine after yesterday's 8300 ft of climbing, but as we began today's ride I felt like I was just beginning the second hundred miles of STP. I could pedal the flats, just didn't have a lot of leg power for the hills. My fall on Brynwood St yesterday must have tweaked my rear deraileur, I was having major issues with shifting the middle of the rear cogset. I stopped within the first 500 yds to take a quick look, but as hard as I tried I could not catch back up with the group. I was holding a steady 21-22 mph but just barely gaining, and finally could no longer hold the pace. Between being tired and the shifting issues I spent most of the day off the back, sometimes close, sometimes WAY OFF the back!

We didn't stop and regroup until we arrived at the Lake Stop Store, about 25 miles into our ride.



Art had a shift cable come undone from his front deraileur, we had the tools to affect a field repair and did so, but not before the two ladies in our contingent today made a comment about "how many men does it take to fix a bike?".

Hope they have the tools and skills the next time their bike needs a fixin'. ;-)



I need to work on my helmet cam skills. It seems I wiggle my head around too much, and have no clue which way it's pointing! At least Kris brought her still camera so we have a few pictures worth looking at.



The weather was nice and the ride around the lake was scenic. It was in the mid 70's by mid afternoon.



After our lap we regrouped at the Lake Stop Store again. Outdoor potties and liquid refreshment for those in need, what else could cyclists desire? ;-)

We pedaled to the edge of Forest Grove then out to Forest Hills Golf Course before turning up Iowa Hill. It was just under 3 miles of uphill, probably 8-10% in places. A few of our group peeled off just prior to the climb. It would be a fact of life throughout the day. One of the problems of having the climbing in the last half of our ride, and plenty of shortcuts available.

As I planned this ride I was thinking it might be nice to have water at the top of the Iowa Hill climb. It would be just over 50 miles into our ride, and after a pretty hard workout. If I do say so myself, it was a good call to stash 3 gallons of water behind some trees at the top of the climb.



I had originally planned to bring the group down Firdale Rd, but on a scouting drive noted that the top mile or so was deep, loose gravel. We opted instead to run straight down Unger Rd. Prior to the 15mph corners I hit a new record on my road bike, 48.7 mph. The mountain bike still holds the overall record, but lets not go there!

Would have been nice if the camera had been aimed a bit higher, but without a head's up display it's pretty hard to know which way it's pointing.



By the time we got to our steepest climb of the day our original dozen riders had shrunk to 5. Mark H., Mark K., Dave, Steve, and I struggled our way up about 8 blocks that reached a 14% grade



The biggest climbs of the day we over but we still worked against some minor inclines. With less than two miles to go Mark K. had a tire pop out of the wheel bead, and of course the tube won't tolerate that. Dave and I stopped while he replaced the tube and re-inflated.

The three of us finished up at Scholls Heights Elementary just as Mark H and Steve were leaving the parking lot.

We met up with some who had cut a few miles and ALL the big hills off the ride for a little post ride debriefing. We of course flipped them some ca ca over not riding the full ride and being pansies about the hills. (oh quit being so self righteous, you'd do the same thing!) ;-)



Again, Kris had the better pictures of this.
(Art, Keith, Tonya)

(Kevin and Dave)



I finished up better keeping up with the group, not that I got faster, but I didn't slow down as much as they did. I was pretty religious about taking in a steady stream of nutrition. Perpetuem, Accelerade, Powerbars where all on my diet today. I kept to my plan of ~250 calories per hour and it seemed to pay off. I rode better today than I should have given hard ride yesterday.

I managed a 16.2 average to the first stop at Lake Stop Store. The last half of the ride we had significant climbing but I still finished up with a 15.8 average.


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today............79...............0.................79
Jan total.......501.....+.........30.......=.......531
Feb total.......614.....+.........0........=.......614
March total.....860.....+.........0........=.......860
April total.....150.....+.........0........=.......150
Year to date...2142.....+.........30.......=......2172
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Tour de Blue Sky and Sunshine

(photo by Jonathan Maus)

Actually the Tour de van Oeste Portlandia, but what a beautiful day for a bike ride!
After the first two years of this event being wet...and cold, today was very nice indeed. The nice weather brought a good turnout (600+!) for this little hill fest. (8300 ft of climbing according to a friend's Garmin)



We got a good warm up on the run out Hwy 30 before starting our first climb. All went well until I got to the first "biggy" of the day, Brynwood Street. It looked like well over half walked their bikes up this steep little hill. With my 30x27 I was able to pedal up. About 2/3 the way up a female rider zigged a bit to the right, forcing me into some wet fir needles. My slick road tire slipped about a half revolution and my forward momentum stopped. Down I went. She felt terrible, I felt a little sore on the left knee. We both pedaled on. Post ride I verified what I had suspected, scraped up knee. At the top of Brynwood a crew from OPB interviewed me, "hey let's go talk to that OLD guy" ;-) I understand they are putting together a piece for Oregon Field Guide. Maybe I'll be lucky and end up on the cutting room floor. A gasping for air old man is not a pretty sight!

We continued to ride the West Hills like yo-yo's, up and down, up and down.



With most of the climbs we were rewarded with great views.



I pedaled all the hills today, with the exception of the top 50 ft or so of College. I had a cyclist stall out in front of me. I unclipped and stopped. Starting on a 20+% hill just wasn't my idea of fun with the top so close, so I walked it to the stop sign. At the bottom of College I stopped for a bit to chat with Jonathan Maus of BikePortland fame. We talked about the SOB SUV.

After teasing us with close passes of Council Crest several times today, we finally made the turn into the park. Unlike the last several years when it was wet and cold and folks topped and left, today there was a lot of visiting and congratulating.



I was supposed to meet up with 3 of my social bike group here today but did not see them. I did however see fellow Oregon Randonneur Bill A. Of all things, he was on what Cecil Ann would call a "plastic bike", very unRando like. Hey, we all do what we have to do!



I didn't push real hard today, just hard enough. I finished just before 3PM with a 10.2 mph average. I'm guessing that may have put me just in the top half of finishers, not that it's a race.

After the ride ended and I visited around a bit I pointed the bike downhill and went back to McTarnahan's Tap room. That's where the day's fun began and where I had parked.

Tomorrow I lead an 80 mile ride for the social bike group, part of our "training series". We'll have significant climbing on that one too. Just not as much as today!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today............51...............0.................51
Jan total.......501.....+.........30.......=.......531
Feb total.......614.....+.........0........=.......614
March total.....860.....+.........0........=.......860
April total......71.....+.........0........=........71
Year to date...2063.....+.........30.......=......2093
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Spring in Oregon

Fresh snow quite low in the hills to the west this morning, blue sky and highs in the upper 60's by tomorrow in the valley. Welcome to Spring in Oregon! I swapped out my wheels this morning for my lighter and lower geared wheels in anticipation of tomorrow's Tour de van Oeste Portlandia.
My stock gearing is 12-25 9spd (w/ 56-43-30 triple crank) so going to an 11-27 is hardly a big move but I just as well have my lowest available option on the bike when climbing Brynwood Street! I've heard that sections reach 29%. I know it's steep enough that either the back wheel slips with each pedal stroke or the front wheel rises up.

The sky is starting to clear up. I'm hoping to get out for a short ride this afternoon. I'll update later.

Update:

I didn't get as long a ride as I had hoped for but did manage to get time to re-ride yesterday's hill workout. Sort of a primer for tomorrow! :-O

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today............20...............0.................20
Jan total.......501.....+.........30.......=.......531
Feb total.......614.....+.........0........=.......614
March total.....860.....+.........0........=.......860
April total......20.....+.........0........=........40
Year to date...2012.....+.........30.......=......2042
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

A little bikey work in the background

I'm going to ride some hills later this afternoon with some friends. While I'm waiting for the clock to tick I put a new chain on my bike. The original had nearly 20k miles on it. My wear gauge said it was nearing 1% wear so I spent a little time putting the new one on. I also put new brake shoes on, with the Tour de van Oeste Portlandia coming up this Saturday I'll be thankful for the new chain AND the new brakes!

I was looking at my bike calendar and noted that once again the Providence Bridge Pedal is on the same day as Mid Valley Bicycle Club's Covered Bridge Bicycle Tour.
Unlike my decision over whether to ride STP or RAO, this is an easy choice. I've ridden the Providence Bridge Pedal 5 times, and last year decided to skip the crowds of unskilled people on bikes and ride some covered bridges and 100 miles instead. It was a great ride, well supported, and not a single bike stalling on a hill or turning right in front of me without looking. I had a blast. I'll be riding with that group of folks again!

RE: blue suv incident:
I've decided to post the police report. I've edited out personal identifiers so that I don't get in trouble. I post it so that you as a cyclist can see what issues we face. I had no idea that a driver would even think about filing a police report with so many lies. I'd guess that 90% or more is absolutely false. His statement, coupled with my whacking his mirror with my hand muddied this up. What should have been a slam dunk became much more complicated. It was not helped by what I consider a less than objective police response. The driver's false statements never had to be proven or even see the light of day. All it had to do was give the "non cycling" cop the idea that there were two sides to the story.

It all boils down to that if some driver takes exception to you riding on "his" road you'd better have a video camera running. Even with multiple witnesses I just couldn't get traction with this.

Update:

3 of us met tonight to do our hill workout. We did okay, managed to finish the loop before the light got too dim. A brisk wind but with the direction it wasn't a real issue, the into the wind section was in a sheltered area and climbing besides.


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles
Today............20...............0.................20
Jan total.......501.....+.........30.......=.......531
Feb total.......614.....+.........0........=.......614
March total.....860.....+.........0........=.......860
April total......20.....+.........0........=........20
Year to date...1992.....+.........30.......=......2022
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++