Took off today with the intention to visit a friend in Keizer who's recuperating from a broken leg. We missed the connection so while down that direction I continued riding southward the remaining few miles to Salem where I went to the OFDDA office (Oregon Fire District Directors Association) where they had a little gift for me recognizing service rendered. I stowed the gift in my backpack and rode back northward. It was a nice day for a ride. Not as nice as yesterday but certainly better than should be expected in November in Oregon!
Inching ever closer to the big 10k for the year. Trying to decide if I want to reach that milestone during the social ride I lead this weekend, or if I can hold off to do it the following weekend when the ride I lead has a shorter option and would be more welcoming to those not prepared to ride 70+ miles..........or wondering if it really makes any difference at all!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles Today
.................71...............0.................71
Jan total.......501.....+.........30.......=.......531
Feb total.......614.....+.........0........=.......614
March total.....860.....+.........0........=.......860
April total.....790.....+.........0........=.......790
May total.......901.....+.........0........=.......901
June total......543.....+.........0........=.......543
July total.....1322.....+.........0........=......1322
August total...1603.....+.........0........=......1603
Sept total.....1403.....+.........0........=......1403
October.........503.....+.........0........=.......503
November........664.....+.........0........=.......664
Year to date...9776.....+.........30.......=......9806 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Monday, November 30, 2009
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Wow! 2 Ferries AND sunshine!
I led a ride today for my social bike group. We planned on riding from Wilsonville down the west side of the Willamette River to cross the Wheatland Ferry then ride northward to cross the Canby Ferry before finishing back at Wilsonville with 70 miles.
Here's our ROUTE
Regular readers will remember my comments about Meetup group rides. It seems that about a 2/3 attendance rate is the most that can be expected. I had 5 affirmative RSVP's last evening, and had another member email a request to join after RSVP's had closed. All 6 showed up! We rode faster than I expected, especially since some admitted not riding much in the last month or so. Heck, I haven't ridden much either! One of our riders had a flat front tire just a mile or so into our ride. Her brand new tire had a bad sidewall gash and was toast. Once again my folding spare tire that I almost always carry saved the day. We changed tire and tube and were back on the road. I pushed the pace up a bit hoping to get back on schedule in case that we had more problems that we'd still be finished up by dark. I did feel a bit better in that all riders had lights along as I had requested so if we got late we wouldn't be SOL on the side of the road.
Even though I pushed a 20 mph pace the group kept together. I was quite surprised. We stopped in Lafayette for snacks and sand box for those that needed it then continued on to the Wheatland Ferry.
It was an absolutely gorgeous day. Sunny, and climbed into the 50's by early afternoon.
We stopped again at the store in Gervais for snacks, aka energy replenishment! We then pedaled on to the Canby Ferry.
After exiting the Canby Ferry we had only ~5 miles to go, but it presented us with the biggest hills of the day. The miles had taken a bit of a toll on my riding partners, they slowed considerably on these hills, but kept pedaling. We arrived back in Wilsonville before 3PM, earlier than planned. 4 of us "debriefed" at a local watering hole post ride.
With a relatively late start of 9AM I had the chance to do a little pre-ride and had a few bonus miles logged before our official ride began.
It was a great day to be on a bike!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles Today
.................78...............0.................78
Jan total.......501.....+.........30.......=.......531
Feb total.......614.....+.........0........=.......614
March total.....860.....+.........0........=.......860
April total.....790.....+.........0........=.......790
May total.......901.....+.........0........=.......901
June total......543.....+.........0........=.......543
July total.....1322.....+.........0........=......1322
August total...1603.....+.........0........=......1603
Sept total.....1403.....+.........0........=......1403
October.........503.....+.........0........=.......503
November........593.....+.........0........=.......593
Year to date...9705.....+.........30.......=......9735 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Here's our ROUTE
Regular readers will remember my comments about Meetup group rides. It seems that about a 2/3 attendance rate is the most that can be expected. I had 5 affirmative RSVP's last evening, and had another member email a request to join after RSVP's had closed. All 6 showed up! We rode faster than I expected, especially since some admitted not riding much in the last month or so. Heck, I haven't ridden much either! One of our riders had a flat front tire just a mile or so into our ride. Her brand new tire had a bad sidewall gash and was toast. Once again my folding spare tire that I almost always carry saved the day. We changed tire and tube and were back on the road. I pushed the pace up a bit hoping to get back on schedule in case that we had more problems that we'd still be finished up by dark. I did feel a bit better in that all riders had lights along as I had requested so if we got late we wouldn't be SOL on the side of the road.
Even though I pushed a 20 mph pace the group kept together. I was quite surprised. We stopped in Lafayette for snacks and sand box for those that needed it then continued on to the Wheatland Ferry.
It was an absolutely gorgeous day. Sunny, and climbed into the 50's by early afternoon.
We stopped again at the store in Gervais for snacks, aka energy replenishment! We then pedaled on to the Canby Ferry.
After exiting the Canby Ferry we had only ~5 miles to go, but it presented us with the biggest hills of the day. The miles had taken a bit of a toll on my riding partners, they slowed considerably on these hills, but kept pedaling. We arrived back in Wilsonville before 3PM, earlier than planned. 4 of us "debriefed" at a local watering hole post ride.
With a relatively late start of 9AM I had the chance to do a little pre-ride and had a few bonus miles logged before our official ride began.
It was a great day to be on a bike!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles Today
.................78...............0.................78
Jan total.......501.....+.........30.......=.......531
Feb total.......614.....+.........0........=.......614
March total.....860.....+.........0........=.......860
April total.....790.....+.........0........=.......790
May total.......901.....+.........0........=.......901
June total......543.....+.........0........=.......543
July total.....1322.....+.........0........=......1322
August total...1603.....+.........0........=......1603
Sept total.....1403.....+.........0........=......1403
October.........503.....+.........0........=.......503
November........593.....+.........0........=.......593
Year to date...9705.....+.........30.......=......9735 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Short and sweet
Nah, not a new love interest, better than that, A BIKE RIDE!
Mark sent out an email this morning looking for company on an afternoon ride. I bit.
We met in Beaverton and rode up to Skyline then along Skyline to Old Cornelius Pass Rd and back down to the valley....via a hot chocolate rest stop at Frank's house!
Our ROUTE
Only 26 miles but with 1952 feet of climbing, virtually all of it in the first 8 miles. The weather was awesome, beautiful blue sky, moderate temperatures, pretty much dead calm. The views from Skyline were pretty darn good. The roads were dry so we both brought out "the good bike".
(as usual, clicking on the photos will bring you to a full sized version)
Mark was on his really neat Renovo bamboo bike. A work of art!
I finally crossed the 500mi/month mark. A week ago it looked like that would not be likely but a pretty decent spell of good weather helped turn that around.
A friend, Joanne, tells me that she just turned 10,500 for the year. Even if she were to stop riding the rest of the year I'd be hard pressed to catch her. I guess I'll have to concede the "battered saddle award" to her!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............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.....790.....+.........0........=.......790
May total.......901.....+.........0........=.......901
June total......543.....+.........0........=.......543
July total.....1322.....+.........0........=......1322
August total...1603.....+.........0........=......1603
Sept total.....1403.....+.........0........=......1403
October.........503.....+.........0........=.......503
November........515.....+.........0........=.......515
Year to date...9627.....+.........30.......=......9657 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Mark sent out an email this morning looking for company on an afternoon ride. I bit.
We met in Beaverton and rode up to Skyline then along Skyline to Old Cornelius Pass Rd and back down to the valley....via a hot chocolate rest stop at Frank's house!
Our ROUTE
Only 26 miles but with 1952 feet of climbing, virtually all of it in the first 8 miles. The weather was awesome, beautiful blue sky, moderate temperatures, pretty much dead calm. The views from Skyline were pretty darn good. The roads were dry so we both brought out "the good bike".
(as usual, clicking on the photos will bring you to a full sized version)
Mark was on his really neat Renovo bamboo bike. A work of art!
I finally crossed the 500mi/month mark. A week ago it looked like that would not be likely but a pretty decent spell of good weather helped turn that around.
A friend, Joanne, tells me that she just turned 10,500 for the year. Even if she were to stop riding the rest of the year I'd be hard pressed to catch her. I guess I'll have to concede the "battered saddle award" to her!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............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.....790.....+.........0........=.......790
May total.......901.....+.........0........=.......901
June total......543.....+.........0........=.......543
July total.....1322.....+.........0........=......1322
August total...1603.....+.........0........=......1603
Sept total.....1403.....+.........0........=......1403
October.........503.....+.........0........=.......503
November........515.....+.........0........=.......515
Year to date...9627.....+.........30.......=......9657 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
An absolutely great day!
Today was picture perfect with blue sky, just a light breeze from time to time, and comfortable temperatures. I hopped on my bike and went for a ride for the third day in a row! The second day in a row on my carbon Elite. :-) The only thing that might have made it better would have been to have company.
I re-rode the route I did a few months back with Dave and Art. The weather was just about the same too, except a bit cooler. Can't complain about that for November in Oregon!
Finished up in plenty of time to take advantage of the nice day and put up my mom's holiday lights. Just trying to earn my way to heaven.........or at least a plate of cookies! ;-)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles Today
.................43...............0.................43
Jan total.......501.....+.........30.......=.......531
Feb total.......614.....+.........0........=.......614
March total.....860.....+.........0........=.......860
April total.....790.....+.........0........=.......790
May total.......901.....+.........0........=.......901
June total......543.....+.........0........=.......543
July total.....1322.....+.........0........=......1322
August total...1603.....+.........0........=......1603
Sept total.....1403.....+.........0........=......1403
October.........503.....+.........0........=.......503
November........489.....+.........0........=.......489
Year to date...9601.....+.........30.......=......9631 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I re-rode the route I did a few months back with Dave and Art. The weather was just about the same too, except a bit cooler. Can't complain about that for November in Oregon!
Finished up in plenty of time to take advantage of the nice day and put up my mom's holiday lights. Just trying to earn my way to heaven.........or at least a plate of cookies! ;-)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles Today
.................43...............0.................43
Jan total.......501.....+.........30.......=.......531
Feb total.......614.....+.........0........=.......614
March total.....860.....+.........0........=.......860
April total.....790.....+.........0........=.......790
May total.......901.....+.........0........=.......901
June total......543.....+.........0........=.......543
July total.....1322.....+.........0........=......1322
August total...1603.....+.........0........=......1603
Sept total.....1403.....+.........0........=......1403
October.........503.....+.........0........=.......503
November........489.....+.........0........=.......489
Year to date...9601.....+.........30.......=......9631 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Monday, November 23, 2009
Springwater, T&A, Marine Drive, and I-205
Late this morning bike buddy Carol called and twisted my arm (not very hard!) and talked me into joining her and Bob on a ride of Springwater Corridor. We started just before noon and headed east on the Springwater Corridor to Gresham. 
The weather was gorgeous so we decided to do a little exploring. We rode up a decent little climb then turned northward on Hogan Rd planning on getting on the Marine Drive bike path. As we got near Troutdale Carol thought a lunch stop was in order. She had heard that the T&A Truck Center had good food so we looped around, crossed a few curbs and parking lots filled with idling 18 wheelers and found ourselves at a table at the restaurant there.
We all ordered a bowl of chili. As it ended up everything on their menu is "all you can eat", not that we could take full advantage of that having to ride bike a fair distance yet.
From Troutdale we made our way to the bike path that runs along the Columbia River. I stayed on Marine Drive wanting to make the best possible time so that I would be off the roads before our rapidly fading daylight was gone. I arrived at the bike path that parallels I-205 11 minutes before Bob and Carol arrived.
From there on we were on bike paths and out of reach of distracted motorists. The daylight left as we made our way along I-205 but the many streetlights along this path made up for the fact that NONE OF US had headlights!
Good lesson, even if you are only planning a short ride out Springwater Corridor this time of year, bring your lights! I had 4 tail lights, (1 superflash on the seat post, 2 bar end lights, 1 blinkie on the helmet) but nothing on the front, the others had no lights at all. By the time we rejoined the Springwater Corridor trail it was quite dark. Lighting along this path is pretty much non existent except where it crosses streets. We made our way carefully so as not to have a close encounter with a bollard. (those posts at road crossings to keep cars off bike paths)
We made it back to Oaks Park where we had started from without incident. It was a great ride! 53 miles, sunny at the beginning with increasing clouds as the day progressed. Very light wind that was really only noticeable as a tailwind along Marine Drive, and good friends to share it with!
(you can click on this for a full size map)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............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.....790.....+.........0........=.......790
May total.......901.....+.........0........=.......901
June total......543.....+.........0........=.......543
July total.....1322.....+.........0........=......1322
August total...1603.....+.........0........=......1603
Sept total.....1403.....+.........0........=......1403
October.........503.....+.........0........=.......503
November........446.....+.........0........=.......446
Year to date...9558.....+.........30.......=......9588 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The weather was gorgeous so we decided to do a little exploring. We rode up a decent little climb then turned northward on Hogan Rd planning on getting on the Marine Drive bike path. As we got near Troutdale Carol thought a lunch stop was in order. She had heard that the T&A Truck Center had good food so we looped around, crossed a few curbs and parking lots filled with idling 18 wheelers and found ourselves at a table at the restaurant there.
We all ordered a bowl of chili. As it ended up everything on their menu is "all you can eat", not that we could take full advantage of that having to ride bike a fair distance yet.
From Troutdale we made our way to the bike path that runs along the Columbia River. I stayed on Marine Drive wanting to make the best possible time so that I would be off the roads before our rapidly fading daylight was gone. I arrived at the bike path that parallels I-205 11 minutes before Bob and Carol arrived.
From there on we were on bike paths and out of reach of distracted motorists. The daylight left as we made our way along I-205 but the many streetlights along this path made up for the fact that NONE OF US had headlights!
Good lesson, even if you are only planning a short ride out Springwater Corridor this time of year, bring your lights! I had 4 tail lights, (1 superflash on the seat post, 2 bar end lights, 1 blinkie on the helmet) but nothing on the front, the others had no lights at all. By the time we rejoined the Springwater Corridor trail it was quite dark. Lighting along this path is pretty much non existent except where it crosses streets. We made our way carefully so as not to have a close encounter with a bollard. (those posts at road crossings to keep cars off bike paths)
We made it back to Oaks Park where we had started from without incident. It was a great ride! 53 miles, sunny at the beginning with increasing clouds as the day progressed. Very light wind that was really only noticeable as a tailwind along Marine Drive, and good friends to share it with!
(you can click on this for a full size map)+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............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.....790.....+.........0........=.......790
May total.......901.....+.........0........=.......901
June total......543.....+.........0........=.......543
July total.....1322.....+.........0........=......1322
August total...1603.....+.........0........=......1603
Sept total.....1403.....+.........0........=......1403
October.........503.....+.........0........=.......503
November........446.....+.........0........=.......446
Year to date...9558.....+.........30.......=......9588 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Sunday, November 22, 2009
a wine ride, but not a whine ride
My social bike group held true to form. Today 15 had said they were coming, 7 showed up. We presume the predicted wet weather had scared them away......... but come on folks, if you say you are coming show up!
The plan today was to help one of our assistant ride organizers celebrate his birthday with a 42 mile ride interspersed with visiting area wineries and a sakery.
We had a slight headwind as we pedaled south and a couple of brief light rain showers. Really not bad at all for November in Oregon.
By our half way point we had far more blue sky than clouds. We were looking for sunscreen!
We enjoyed a nice tailwind after our first wine stop as we rode to our second. However while sampling the wines at stop 2 the wind shifted. For the remainder of the ride we had a quartering headwind. Not exactly a headwind both directions, but not the tailwind blowing us home we had hoped for.
It was a good ride, a good group of riders who could ride a decent pace, and better weather than expected.
With 31 miles of commuting to the ride I ended up with 73 miles today. I may make 500 miles this month yet!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles Today
.................73...............0.................73
Jan total.......501.....+.........30.......=.......531
Feb total.......614.....+.........0........=.......614
March total.....860.....+.........0........=.......860
April total.....790.....+.........0........=.......790
May total.......901.....+.........0........=.......901
June total......543.....+.........0........=.......543
July total.....1322.....+.........0........=......1322
August total...1603.....+.........0........=......1603
Sept total.....1403.....+.........0........=......1403
October.........503.....+.........0........=.......503
November........393.....+.........0........=.......393
Year to date...9505.....+.........30.......=......9535 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The plan today was to help one of our assistant ride organizers celebrate his birthday with a 42 mile ride interspersed with visiting area wineries and a sakery.
We had a slight headwind as we pedaled south and a couple of brief light rain showers. Really not bad at all for November in Oregon.
By our half way point we had far more blue sky than clouds. We were looking for sunscreen!
We enjoyed a nice tailwind after our first wine stop as we rode to our second. However while sampling the wines at stop 2 the wind shifted. For the remainder of the ride we had a quartering headwind. Not exactly a headwind both directions, but not the tailwind blowing us home we had hoped for.
It was a good ride, a good group of riders who could ride a decent pace, and better weather than expected.
With 31 miles of commuting to the ride I ended up with 73 miles today. I may make 500 miles this month yet!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles Today
.................73...............0.................73
Jan total.......501.....+.........30.......=.......531
Feb total.......614.....+.........0........=.......614
March total.....860.....+.........0........=.......860
April total.....790.....+.........0........=.......790
May total.......901.....+.........0........=.......901
June total......543.....+.........0........=.......543
July total.....1322.....+.........0........=......1322
August total...1603.....+.........0........=......1603
Sept total.....1403.....+.........0........=......1403
October.........503.....+.........0........=.......503
November........393.....+.........0........=.......393
Year to date...9505.....+.........30.......=......9535 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Saturday, November 21, 2009
how slow can you go?
I rode with my social bike group today. We actually had two rides scheduled, a group on mtn bikes met at the same location before heading up to the Tillamook State Forest for some fat tired riding, the group I joined was planning on about 25 miles or so to shake down some "new to them" bikes. The weather forecast was saying 90% chance of rain throughout the day. Surprisingly 4 of the 6 who RSVP'd affirmative showed up despite the forecast.
One of the more active members of our group was signed up for neither ride but did stop by to say howdy on his way to spin class.
(Frank on his way to a guaranteed dry and warm bike ride)
As it ended up we had absolutely no rain while riding today! The planned route ended up having a gravel road that we opted to avoid, missing the gravel, but adding miles. It was a nice day to add miles though. Toward the end of our already slow ride one rider dropped off the back. We stopped to regroup and waited.........and waited.............and waited. I finally rode back to find our lost rider because we recalled that he had no flat repair supplies. If he flatted he was out of luck if he was solo. I backtracked about 3 miles before finding him. Luckily no flat, just slower. Having regrouped we finished up. I ended up with 37 miles..........in 4 hours. Less than a 10 mph average.
That's not even maintenance pace! I need to start pushing it a bit. That won't be tomorrow however as I and a few others are helping another social group rider celebrate his 42nd birthday with a bike tour of 4 area wineries. I think there will be more touring than riding!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles Today
.................37...............0.................37
Jan total.......501.....+.........30.......=.......531
Feb total.......614.....+.........0........=.......614
March total.....860.....+.........0........=.......860
April total.....790.....+.........0........=.......790
May total.......901.....+.........0........=.......901
June total......543.....+.........0........=.......543
July total.....1322.....+.........0........=......1322
August total...1603.....+.........0........=......1603
Sept total.....1403.....+.........0........=......1403
October.........503.....+.........0........=.......503
November........320.....+.........0........=.......320
Year to date...9432.....+.........30.......=......9462 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
One of the more active members of our group was signed up for neither ride but did stop by to say howdy on his way to spin class.
(Frank on his way to a guaranteed dry and warm bike ride)
As it ended up we had absolutely no rain while riding today! The planned route ended up having a gravel road that we opted to avoid, missing the gravel, but adding miles. It was a nice day to add miles though. Toward the end of our already slow ride one rider dropped off the back. We stopped to regroup and waited.........and waited.............and waited. I finally rode back to find our lost rider because we recalled that he had no flat repair supplies. If he flatted he was out of luck if he was solo. I backtracked about 3 miles before finding him. Luckily no flat, just slower. Having regrouped we finished up. I ended up with 37 miles..........in 4 hours. Less than a 10 mph average.
That's not even maintenance pace! I need to start pushing it a bit. That won't be tomorrow however as I and a few others are helping another social group rider celebrate his 42nd birthday with a bike tour of 4 area wineries. I think there will be more touring than riding!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles Today
.................37...............0.................37
Jan total.......501.....+.........30.......=.......531
Feb total.......614.....+.........0........=.......614
March total.....860.....+.........0........=.......860
April total.....790.....+.........0........=.......790
May total.......901.....+.........0........=.......901
June total......543.....+.........0........=.......543
July total.....1322.....+.........0........=......1322
August total...1603.....+.........0........=......1603
Sept total.....1403.....+.........0........=......1403
October.........503.....+.........0........=.......503
November........320.....+.........0........=.......320
Year to date...9432.....+.........30.......=......9462 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
one ferry
It was, considering the recent spell of weather, a glorious day. I jumped on the Marin and went for a ride. As I pedaled out I hadn't planned any particular route but before I got a mile I decided on a ride across the Wheatland Ferry. I made my way down the west side of the Willamette River and crossed over the ferry then came back northward mostly via French Prairie Rd. A bit of a headwind going down Wallace Rd, a bit more of a tailwind as I came back north. No rain! Not a bad ride at all for November.
Fellow Oregon Randonneur Cecil (actually a far better randonneur ...randonneuse?.... than I'll ever be) has posted a blog entry on the little ride where John Henry, one of my Furnace Creek crew members, had his accident. Even a short video interview of John Henry as he was being prepared to load into the ambulance! Check her blog out HERE
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles Today
.................63...............0.................63
Jan total.......501.....+.........30.......=.......531
Feb total.......614.....+.........0........=.......614
March total.....860.....+.........0........=.......860
April total.....790.....+.........0........=.......790
May total.......901.....+.........0........=.......901
June total......543.....+.........0........=.......543
July total.....1322.....+.........0........=......1322
August total...1603.....+.........0........=......1603
Sept total.....1403.....+.........0........=......1403
October.........503.....+.........0........=.......503
November........283.....+.........0........=.......283
Year to date...9395.....+.........30.......=......9425 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Fellow Oregon Randonneur Cecil (actually a far better randonneur ...randonneuse?.... than I'll ever be) has posted a blog entry on the little ride where John Henry, one of my Furnace Creek crew members, had his accident. Even a short video interview of John Henry as he was being prepared to load into the ambulance! Check her blog out HERE
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles Today
.................63...............0.................63
Jan total.......501.....+.........30.......=.......531
Feb total.......614.....+.........0........=.......614
March total.....860.....+.........0........=.......860
April total.....790.....+.........0........=.......790
May total.......901.....+.........0........=.......901
June total......543.....+.........0........=.......543
July total.....1322.....+.........0........=......1322
August total...1603.....+.........0........=......1603
Sept total.....1403.....+.........0........=......1403
October.........503.....+.........0........=.......503
November........283.....+.........0........=.......283
Year to date...9395.....+.........30.......=......9425 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Saturday, November 14, 2009
A modified ride
The plan today was to have a few members of my social bike group join me on a ride of "The Wilsonville Century". As is normal for the social group, half found other things to do besides ride bike.
The one who did show up arrived about 20 minutes late. I was still there waiting as it was frosty and I figured if I was riding by myself I'd wait for the ice to melt before rolling down the twisty road to the Canby Ferry since I could just ride a bit harder and still finish 100 miles before dark.
He was an inexperienced rider and arrived without full fingered gloves, long pants, glasses, water bottle, warm headwear. When I asked he responded that he'd warm up when he rode.
It took about 500 yds for him to realize that when the temperature is 30 degrees that a few different clothing options were in order.
We returned to Wilsonville and waited for RiteAid to open.
After a brief shopping spree he was ready to go.
By the time this was all done, and beginning to wonder about his readyness to ride 100 miles, I thought it best to suggest a shorter ride. We also avoided the twisty, shaded, surely to be icy descent of Advance Road.
There was a bit of fog around so I had front and rear lights on as we made our way across the Boone Bridge and out towards Donald.
It soon cleared up and we made our way to Gervaise, Duck Inn Rd, then over to Hopemere. We continued over the Wheatland Ferry then northward to Lafayette then into Dundee and Newberg. We finished up by taking Wilsonville Rd along the Willamette River to Wilsonville.
We ended up with 67 miles, a record for my riding partner today, and just under a 12 mph average, a record for me! (riding average, actual would have been MUCH slower)
It was a nice day to ride, beautiful weather for November!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles Today
.................67...............0.................67
Jan total.......501.....+.........30.......=.......531
Feb total.......614.....+.........0........=.......614
March total.....860.....+.........0........=.......860
April total.....790.....+.........0........=.......790
May total.......901.....+.........0........=.......901
June total......543.....+.........0........=.......543
July total.....1322.....+.........0........=......1322
August total...1603.....+.........0........=......1603
Sept total.....1403.....+.........0........=......1403
October.........503.....+.........0........=.......503
November........220.....+.........0........=.......220
Year to date...9332.....+.........30.......=......9362 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The one who did show up arrived about 20 minutes late. I was still there waiting as it was frosty and I figured if I was riding by myself I'd wait for the ice to melt before rolling down the twisty road to the Canby Ferry since I could just ride a bit harder and still finish 100 miles before dark.
He was an inexperienced rider and arrived without full fingered gloves, long pants, glasses, water bottle, warm headwear. When I asked he responded that he'd warm up when he rode.
It took about 500 yds for him to realize that when the temperature is 30 degrees that a few different clothing options were in order.
We returned to Wilsonville and waited for RiteAid to open.
After a brief shopping spree he was ready to go.
By the time this was all done, and beginning to wonder about his readyness to ride 100 miles, I thought it best to suggest a shorter ride. We also avoided the twisty, shaded, surely to be icy descent of Advance Road.
There was a bit of fog around so I had front and rear lights on as we made our way across the Boone Bridge and out towards Donald.
It soon cleared up and we made our way to Gervaise, Duck Inn Rd, then over to Hopemere. We continued over the Wheatland Ferry then northward to Lafayette then into Dundee and Newberg. We finished up by taking Wilsonville Rd along the Willamette River to Wilsonville.
We ended up with 67 miles, a record for my riding partner today, and just under a 12 mph average, a record for me! (riding average, actual would have been MUCH slower)
It was a nice day to ride, beautiful weather for November!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles Today
.................67...............0.................67
Jan total.......501.....+.........30.......=.......531
Feb total.......614.....+.........0........=.......614
March total.....860.....+.........0........=.......860
April total.....790.....+.........0........=.......790
May total.......901.....+.........0........=.......901
June total......543.....+.........0........=.......543
July total.....1322.....+.........0........=......1322
August total...1603.....+.........0........=......1603
Sept total.....1403.....+.........0........=......1403
October.........503.....+.........0........=.......503
November........220.....+.........0........=.......220
Year to date...9332.....+.........30.......=......9362 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Friday, November 13, 2009
rain, rain, ride, rain
The weather has been a bit, shall we say, "drippy", but mostly I've been a combination of lazy and busy. Early tomorrow morning I lead a century ride with about 5000 ft of climbing in the first 50 miles. As luck would have it, it is predicted to be the only dry day in the last 10 or so.
I've spent the last few days getting ready for bike rides but not actually riding. I've been putting together details for a 400 mile ride I will joining the end of December in the San Diego area.
Looks to be a lot of fun. (and much drier than NW Oregon this time of year!)
If this looks fun to you register for the ride and join us! If you put me down as referrer I'll split the referral fee with you.
I also picked up some new winter cycling clothes. I found a good buy on a waterproof helmet cover, long cycling pants, and thermal skull cap with ear coverings. Now looking for a Showers Pass jacket..... on recommendation of my Oregon Randonneur friends. I used to have a nice set of neoprene shoe covers...until some scum broke into my pickup and took them along with a LOT of other stuff. My replacement shoe covers have never worked as well and aren't holding up either so I'm probably going to put those on my wishlist too!
I've been working on some vexing problems with this blog too. Seems that only about half the stuff on the right hand side is showing up. Where's my blog archive? Where's the list of followers? Where's the listing of organized rides for about 4 of the missing months? I'll keep muddling through it and see if I can figure it out.
And finally, take a look at THIS VIDEO of a guy who rides with helmet cams on all the time........and why you may wish to do so also.
I've spent the last few days getting ready for bike rides but not actually riding. I've been putting together details for a 400 mile ride I will joining the end of December in the San Diego area.
Looks to be a lot of fun. (and much drier than NW Oregon this time of year!)
If this looks fun to you register for the ride and join us! If you put me down as referrer I'll split the referral fee with you.
I also picked up some new winter cycling clothes. I found a good buy on a waterproof helmet cover, long cycling pants, and thermal skull cap with ear coverings. Now looking for a Showers Pass jacket..... on recommendation of my Oregon Randonneur friends. I used to have a nice set of neoprene shoe covers...until some scum broke into my pickup and took them along with a LOT of other stuff. My replacement shoe covers have never worked as well and aren't holding up either so I'm probably going to put those on my wishlist too!
I've been working on some vexing problems with this blog too. Seems that only about half the stuff on the right hand side is showing up. Where's my blog archive? Where's the list of followers? Where's the listing of organized rides for about 4 of the missing months? I'll keep muddling through it and see if I can figure it out.
And finally, take a look at THIS VIDEO of a guy who rides with helmet cams on all the time........and why you may wish to do so also.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
another rainy day....another "quickshade" day!
Today I'll be bringing the same quickshades that I had set up yesterday and a couple of tables to the Cyclocross event at PIR. Figured it was already wet, why not? ;-)
A few members of my social bike group are racing there and we plan a little potluck to help cheer them on.
No biking for me today....... saw enough misery on the rider's faces yesterday!
A few members of my social bike group are racing there and we plan a little potluck to help cheer them on.
No biking for me today....... saw enough misery on the rider's faces yesterday!
Saturday, November 7, 2009
helping fellow bike riders..........
.............In two ways today.
Today I am manning supervised bike parking at the Verboort Sausage and Kraut dinner.
Stop by and say howdy!
and just noticed this video, designed to refresh Portland Police on bike related laws. Good for us to be refreshed too, and to know the areas that are enforced more rigorously.
">
Today I am manning supervised bike parking at the Verboort Sausage and Kraut dinner.
Stop by and say howdy!
and just noticed this video, designed to refresh Portland Police on bike related laws. Good for us to be refreshed too, and to know the areas that are enforced more rigorously.
">
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Sunny day in Oregon...in November!
Time was short but couldn't pass up the opportunity!
I rode a quick 26 miles. Not enough time for long scenic rides, epic adventures, utilitarian ramblings..... just a quick little dash around the neighborhood.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............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.....790.....+.........0........=.......790
May total.......901.....+.........0........=.......901
June total......543.....+.........0........=.......543
July total.....1322.....+.........0........=......1322
August total...1603.....+.........0........=......1603
Sept total.....1403.....+.........0........=......1403
October.........503.....+.........0........=.......503
November........153.....+.........0........=.......153
Year to date...9265.....+.........30.......=......9295 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I rode a quick 26 miles. Not enough time for long scenic rides, epic adventures, utilitarian ramblings..... just a quick little dash around the neighborhood.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............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.....790.....+.........0........=.......790
May total.......901.....+.........0........=.......901
June total......543.....+.........0........=.......543
July total.....1322.....+.........0........=......1322
August total...1603.....+.........0........=......1603
Sept total.....1403.....+.........0........=......1403
October.........503.....+.........0........=.......503
November........153.....+.........0........=.......153
Year to date...9265.....+.........30.......=......9295 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Sunday, November 1, 2009
The good, the bad, and the ugly
7 of us met this AM with plans to ride an Oregon Randonneur "Permanent". The good is that all 7 who said they were coming did so. Three randonneurs,(Cecil Anne, John Henry, Joanne) two social bike club members, (Peter and Doak) and two of us with "dual citizenship". (Elise and myself) The other good news is that the weather was gorgeous! A bit of a headwind developed beginning in the early afternoon but after riding Furnace Creek my idea of bad winds has been altered a bit. Probably a 10+ mph wind, enough to be bothersome but that's about it. It disappeared by late afternoon.
As we took off from Hillsboro this morning there was patchy fog so we had our lights on, front and rear for several hours. I was in the lead and managed to get through a traffic signal before it turned red but it caught the others. I pedaled on slowly figuring the others would catch up. I kept checking my mirror but still had not seen them by the time I got to Forest Grove, our first open control, about 10 miles in. I pedaled a bit beyond our mapped turn to collect my proof of passage receipt.
(McD..small OJ) While there it dawned on me that the others might have stopped at the 7-11 a few block before the turn and might now be ahead of me. I downed the OJ and hopped on the bike and started pedaling.
I finally got to a long straight stretch where I had good visibility for a couple of miles. I didn't see them. I still thought they might be ahead of me so I kept pushing to the second control. They weren't there, so I waited for a bit. After a bit I reminded myself that I avoid riding in the dark if I can help it. Daylight is getting short this time of year, and 120+ miles is just as long as it always is. I pedaled on.
The "bad" was that they didn't catch up with me and I didn't see them even when I got to Dallas. The route as an "out and back" so on my way back, perhaps 5 miles out of Dallas, I saw Cecil and Peter heading south. We waved but no words exchanged. Cecil Anne is normally one of the speedier riders so I expected to see the rest soon. That didn't happen. At that point I thought perhaps that the two I saw might have had mechanical issues and the rest might have been ahead and passed me in Dallas on the one way streets without being noticed.
I kept pedaling wanting to finish up before dark. Just before I got to Forest Grove, about 115 miles in, I get a text message from Doak to my cell phone. The "ugly": I returned a call and found out that just 5 miles in this morning John Henry went down and broke both bones in one leg. John Henry was transported to the hospital via ambulance and his wife Joanne cycled back for the vehicle and called it a day on the ride. Elise had ride shared from Keizer to Hillsboro with them so she was out for the day as well. There was plenty of stuff to keep them occupied at the hospital.
John Henry's description of the day is HERE
Some of my social riders didn't take the explanation of what Randonneuring is and it's expectations to heart. No cue sheet, no tire flat repair supplies, etc. I took a bit of heat for the actions (or lack thereof) of my guests....as I well deserved.
Hopefully the next ride goes a lot better.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles Today
................127...............0................127
Jan total.......501.....+.........30.......=.......531
Feb total.......614.....+.........0........=.......614
March total.....860.....+.........0........=.......860
April total.....790.....+.........0........=.......790
May total.......901.....+.........0........=.......901
June total......543.....+.........0........=.......543
July total.....1322.....+.........0........=......1322
August total...1603.....+.........0........=......1603
Sept total.....1403.....+.........0........=......1403
October.........503.....+.........0........=.......503
November........127.....+.........0........=.......127
Year to date...9239.....+.........30.......=......9269 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
As we took off from Hillsboro this morning there was patchy fog so we had our lights on, front and rear for several hours. I was in the lead and managed to get through a traffic signal before it turned red but it caught the others. I pedaled on slowly figuring the others would catch up. I kept checking my mirror but still had not seen them by the time I got to Forest Grove, our first open control, about 10 miles in. I pedaled a bit beyond our mapped turn to collect my proof of passage receipt.
(McD..small OJ) While there it dawned on me that the others might have stopped at the 7-11 a few block before the turn and might now be ahead of me. I downed the OJ and hopped on the bike and started pedaling.
I finally got to a long straight stretch where I had good visibility for a couple of miles. I didn't see them. I still thought they might be ahead of me so I kept pushing to the second control. They weren't there, so I waited for a bit. After a bit I reminded myself that I avoid riding in the dark if I can help it. Daylight is getting short this time of year, and 120+ miles is just as long as it always is. I pedaled on.
The "bad" was that they didn't catch up with me and I didn't see them even when I got to Dallas. The route as an "out and back" so on my way back, perhaps 5 miles out of Dallas, I saw Cecil and Peter heading south. We waved but no words exchanged. Cecil Anne is normally one of the speedier riders so I expected to see the rest soon. That didn't happen. At that point I thought perhaps that the two I saw might have had mechanical issues and the rest might have been ahead and passed me in Dallas on the one way streets without being noticed.
I kept pedaling wanting to finish up before dark. Just before I got to Forest Grove, about 115 miles in, I get a text message from Doak to my cell phone. The "ugly": I returned a call and found out that just 5 miles in this morning John Henry went down and broke both bones in one leg. John Henry was transported to the hospital via ambulance and his wife Joanne cycled back for the vehicle and called it a day on the ride. Elise had ride shared from Keizer to Hillsboro with them so she was out for the day as well. There was plenty of stuff to keep them occupied at the hospital.
John Henry's description of the day is HERE
Some of my social riders didn't take the explanation of what Randonneuring is and it's expectations to heart. No cue sheet, no tire flat repair supplies, etc. I took a bit of heat for the actions (or lack thereof) of my guests....as I well deserved.
Hopefully the next ride goes a lot better.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
...............Road Bike.....LifeCycle.....Total Miles Today
................127...............0................127
Jan total.......501.....+.........30.......=.......531
Feb total.......614.....+.........0........=.......614
March total.....860.....+.........0........=.......860
April total.....790.....+.........0........=.......790
May total.......901.....+.........0........=.......901
June total......543.....+.........0........=.......543
July total.....1322.....+.........0........=......1322
August total...1603.....+.........0........=......1603
Sept total.....1403.....+.........0........=......1403
October.........503.....+.........0........=.......503
November........127.....+.........0........=.......127
Year to date...9239.....+.........30.......=......9269 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
