Sure glad that August has 31 days. It took the 31st day to get my thousand miles for the month in. I rode from Wilsonville out Tooze Road, then Graham's Ferry, then Bell Rd, then Ladd Hill. Rolled down into Tualatin where I had a Taco Bell pit stop, then pedaled back to Wilsonville via some residential neighborhoods for the most part. I hadn't planned to ride hills, but did end up with 1278 ft of climbing in this short little jaunt, and virtually all of it in the first 13-14 miles or so.
Despite threatening skies I dodged any raindrops.
............BIKE............LIFECYCLE.....ROLLERS....TOTAL
Today........22...............0...............0...........22
Jan........618...............0................0..........618
Feb........692...............0................0..........692
March......940...............0................5..........940
April......934...............0................0..........934
May........905...............0................0..........905
June......1152...............0................0.........1152
July......1020...............0................0.........1020
Aug.......1000...............0................0.........1000
_________________________________________
TOTAL.....7279...............0..............5.........7284
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Pete
I was to lead an afterwork ride for my bike club tonight. I only had one taker for what was to be what I called a "Pete and RePete" ride. It was to be a 29 mile ride with one climb up Pete's Mountain from Willamette, then loop around and make another climb up Pete's Mountain from Mountain Road. It was to have about 2700 feet of climbing in the 29 miles. My only guest tonight ran 30 minutes late so as we took off I changed the route to just one "Pete" (from Willamette) and a little more climbing to get to Willamette. We ended up with 21 miles and 2270 ft of climbing...... and more importantly finished before it was dark dark, though we both were running front and rear lights by the time we rolled back into Wilsonville.
I "pre rode" around a bit and rode some more while waiting for the other rider, gathering 25 extra miles.
............BIKE............LIFECYCLE.....ROLLERS....TOTAL
Today........46...............0...............0...........46
Jan........618...............0................0..........618
Feb........692...............0................0..........692
March......940...............0................5..........940
April......934...............0................0..........934
May........905...............0................0..........905
June......1152...............0................0.........1152
July......1020...............0................0.........1020
Aug........978...............0................0..........978
_________________________________________
TOTAL.....7257...............0..............5.........7262
I "pre rode" around a bit and rode some more while waiting for the other rider, gathering 25 extra miles.
............BIKE............LIFECYCLE.....ROLLERS....TOTAL
Today........46...............0...............0...........46
Jan........618...............0................0..........618
Feb........692...............0................0..........692
March......940...............0................5..........940
April......934...............0................0..........934
May........905...............0................0..........905
June......1152...............0................0.........1152
July......1020...............0................0.........1020
Aug........978...............0................0..........978
_________________________________________
TOTAL.....7257...............0..............5.........7262
Sunday, August 29, 2010
RAPSody, Day 2
You can see all 65 photos I took HERE
You can also read Lynne's account HERE She's done a much better job than I've done of this!
One of the first events of RAPSody day 2 to be of note happened just shortly after 2:30 AM when the sprinklers came on in the green grass that had become our tent city.
The sprinklers weren't the tick tick tick impulse type, but the kind that have a continuous stream that just moves slowly in an arc. Unfortunately one of the sprinkler heads was about 2 feet from my tent, meaning that it had an upward shot. The tent I was using was not designed for water coming in at 60psi in a stream from ground level. What that meant was that I awoke to a steady stream of water pouring through a screened window into the tent. I can attest that the floor is waterproof because before I could get a waterproof duffle bag on top of that offending sprinkler head I had over a half an inch of water on the floor. Bummer.
Breakfast was served at 6AM and the entire cafeteria was buzzing with the sprinkler fiasco story.
That aside it was a nice morning. It was about 10 degrees warmer than Saturday. A bit of a head wind for us as we pedaled southward towards Olympia. The route in the Olympia area transverses many miles of multi-use path. I am normally not a big fan of paths, always explaining that I have a road bike, not a path bike. These weren't all that bad for the most part. Non biking I-podded masses were few and far between, and with a few rare exceptions most was smooth pavement.
As we made it through Olympia we turned northward and our headwind became a tail wind as we pedaled towards Tacoma. The cloud cover was thicker than yesterday, hence the warmer temperatures. It got darker yet as I neared Yelm.
The weather forecast said there was an increasing chance of rain towards evening. I had memories of a past RAPSody where it just started pouring when I was a mile from the finish. I didn't want a repeat so from Yelm on I pushed it pretty hard with the benefit of a brisk tail wind.
There was some sort of event going on, maybe a boating regatta? At any rate, our bike route was changed at the last minute to avoid Steilacoom. From what I understand not only the big event and it's resultant traffic, but also road construction. What that amounted to is we avoided an area that in my opinion is one of the most scenic sections of the normal RAPSody route.
There was still plenty of nice scenery to see, but I'll be glad when we return to the normal route.
I finished up just after 1PM, had a frozen pineaapple fruit bar, listened to the band for a bit as other riders came in.
Then went out for a few more miles to reach 100 for the day.
............BIKE............LIFECYCLE.....ROLLERS....TOTAL
Today.......100...............0...............0..........100
Jan........618...............0................0..........618
Feb........692...............0................0..........692
March......940...............0................5..........940
April......934...............0................0..........934
May........905...............0................0..........905
June......1152...............0................0.........1152
July......1020...............0................0.........1020
Aug........932...............0................0..........932
_________________________________________
TOTAL.....7211...............0..............5.........7216
You can also read Lynne's account HERE She's done a much better job than I've done of this!
One of the first events of RAPSody day 2 to be of note happened just shortly after 2:30 AM when the sprinklers came on in the green grass that had become our tent city.
The sprinklers weren't the tick tick tick impulse type, but the kind that have a continuous stream that just moves slowly in an arc. Unfortunately one of the sprinkler heads was about 2 feet from my tent, meaning that it had an upward shot. The tent I was using was not designed for water coming in at 60psi in a stream from ground level. What that meant was that I awoke to a steady stream of water pouring through a screened window into the tent. I can attest that the floor is waterproof because before I could get a waterproof duffle bag on top of that offending sprinkler head I had over a half an inch of water on the floor. Bummer.
Breakfast was served at 6AM and the entire cafeteria was buzzing with the sprinkler fiasco story.
That aside it was a nice morning. It was about 10 degrees warmer than Saturday. A bit of a head wind for us as we pedaled southward towards Olympia. The route in the Olympia area transverses many miles of multi-use path. I am normally not a big fan of paths, always explaining that I have a road bike, not a path bike. These weren't all that bad for the most part. Non biking I-podded masses were few and far between, and with a few rare exceptions most was smooth pavement.
As we made it through Olympia we turned northward and our headwind became a tail wind as we pedaled towards Tacoma. The cloud cover was thicker than yesterday, hence the warmer temperatures. It got darker yet as I neared Yelm.
The weather forecast said there was an increasing chance of rain towards evening. I had memories of a past RAPSody where it just started pouring when I was a mile from the finish. I didn't want a repeat so from Yelm on I pushed it pretty hard with the benefit of a brisk tail wind.
There was some sort of event going on, maybe a boating regatta? At any rate, our bike route was changed at the last minute to avoid Steilacoom. From what I understand not only the big event and it's resultant traffic, but also road construction. What that amounted to is we avoided an area that in my opinion is one of the most scenic sections of the normal RAPSody route.
There was still plenty of nice scenery to see, but I'll be glad when we return to the normal route.
I finished up just after 1PM, had a frozen pineaapple fruit bar, listened to the band for a bit as other riders came in.
Then went out for a few more miles to reach 100 for the day.
............BIKE............LIFECYCLE.....ROLLERS....TOTAL
Today.......100...............0...............0..........100
Jan........618...............0................0..........618
Feb........692...............0................0..........692
March......940...............0................5..........940
April......934...............0................0..........934
May........905...............0................0..........905
June......1152...............0................0.........1152
July......1020...............0................0.........1020
Aug........932...............0................0..........932
_________________________________________
TOTAL.....7211...............0..............5.........7216
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Day one of RAPSody
Day one of RAPSody, 89 miles, 4671 feet of climbing, 17.6 avg. Now enjoying a berry smoothie in Shelton (posted via cell phone)
UPDATE:
I drove up to Tacoma on Friday night and found room in the inn. Saturday morning I was at the start line of RAPSody by 6:30AM. I got my rider packet, affixed my rider number, checked my baggage, visited just a bit with folks then pedaled off.
The locals are quite proud of their bridge with it's 12ft wide bike lane.
But I get to ride across a lot of bridges, I was more enamored by the ferry crossing of years past. One of the nicest photos of a past RAPSody showed a ferry that was just filled with row after row of bicycles and not a car on board.
But it is a nice bridge. ;-)
RAPSody is a ride put on by 5 Puget Sound area bike clubs and it benefits the Bicycle Alliance of Washington. With all the awesome scenery and unbelievable rest stops it is surprising that only 400-450 people ride it. It's got some hills...okay by most people's standards a lot of hills... but still, I'd expect a lot more people to ride it.
Unlike Chilly Hilly, a 38 mile ride in early spring, that is noted for crowds that are not quite in shape to ride hills that early in the season. RAPSody has riders with pretty decent bike skills for the most part. Maybe it's that they've had most of the summer to get in shape? More likely just that the less fit might try a 38 mile ride but not even think of doing two ~85 mile days in a row.
Whatever the reason it was nice to not have to be continually on the lookout for a wobbly rider cutting in front or suddenly coming to a stop.
I rode well, though I took quite a few stops to take photos. The ride consisted of views across the water interspersed with rides through the trees.
I was making good time and didn't have anyone pass me. Those that did pass while I was taking a photo were soon in my rear view mirror when I'd start pedaling again. It is not a race but it was nice to have the legs to power up the hills without working too hard at it.
About 5 miles out of Manchester I spotted a West Sound Cycling jersey on a rider out in front of me. As I caught up my suspicion became true. I was soon chatting with Leo Stone. He and I "met" several years ago via the Cascade Bike Club message boards. I think I first met him in person at an STP
He's quite a character!.........and a really nice guy. :-)
He's a member of the West Sound Bicycle Club and his club was sponsoring the rest stop in Manchester. I was treated to some home made cookies served by the maker himself! (Leo makes some pretty good cookies!)
He was in his element, surrounded by his friends. I spent a little time and ate and drank sufficiently. I decided to leave Leo to continue holding court as I pedaled on.
RAPSody is such a scenic ride.
Before long another 30 miles had passed and I arrived at the second rest stop of the day, Allyn, noted for it's calazone!
The calazone was yummy, despite my trepidation on eating a lot of "real" food, I had 2 pieces! I was probably stopped here for 20 minutes, a long stop by my standards. I kept an eye open for folks I might know but finally decided to pedal onward.
I arrived at Shelton High School, our overnight stop, at 1PM. A root beer float and berry smoothie awaited cyclists as they arrived! Both were very tasty.
I was surprised to see an empty field where the tents were to be set up.
I would have my choice of location!
I set my tent up, showered, then visited with other cyclists as they arrived. As I milled around the cafeteria in anticipation of dinner the usual suspects arrived, along with some of the more unusual ones too!
Plans were soon hatched for a post dinner beer run. Leo (wouldn't you know it!) Shaun, and fellow Oregonian Lynne were in on it. In years past we took a shuttle bus that conveniently dropped us off at Ernie's Pine Cone Bar and Grill. This year there were no shuttles, and having less than a full selection of brew, we decided it just wasn't worth going to Ernie's so we walked across the athletic field to Fred Meyer and were soon confronted with shelf after shelf of choices.
All four of us belong to several bike clubs each, but the one club common to all of us was Cascade Bicycle Club. We are blaming them for the fact that we ended up sitting on a curb in a WalMart parking lot drinking beverages from brown bags!
By the time we returned from our little adventure the athletic field had filled up with tents!
We finished off the evening listening to a band that was playing oldies for us oldsters.
(not sure why the sound doesn't come through on the blog, the base file plays fine)
But like old folks, we didn't stay up too long. The band quit playing around 8:30PM and I was tucked in my sleeping bag shortly there after
I was planning on a good night sleep, tomorrow would bring another ~85 miles with, surprise, a few hills!
............BIKE............LIFECYCLE.....ROLLERS....TOTAL
Today.......101...............0...............0..........101
Jan........618...............0................0..........618
Feb........692...............0................0..........692
March......940...............0................5..........940
April......934...............0................0..........934
May........905...............0................0..........905
June......1152...............0................0.........1152
July......1020...............0................0.........1020
Aug........832...............0................0..........832
_________________________________________
TOTAL.....7111...............0..............5.........7116
UPDATE:
I drove up to Tacoma on Friday night and found room in the inn. Saturday morning I was at the start line of RAPSody by 6:30AM. I got my rider packet, affixed my rider number, checked my baggage, visited just a bit with folks then pedaled off.
The locals are quite proud of their bridge with it's 12ft wide bike lane.
But I get to ride across a lot of bridges, I was more enamored by the ferry crossing of years past. One of the nicest photos of a past RAPSody showed a ferry that was just filled with row after row of bicycles and not a car on board.
But it is a nice bridge. ;-)
RAPSody is a ride put on by 5 Puget Sound area bike clubs and it benefits the Bicycle Alliance of Washington. With all the awesome scenery and unbelievable rest stops it is surprising that only 400-450 people ride it. It's got some hills...okay by most people's standards a lot of hills... but still, I'd expect a lot more people to ride it.
Unlike Chilly Hilly, a 38 mile ride in early spring, that is noted for crowds that are not quite in shape to ride hills that early in the season. RAPSody has riders with pretty decent bike skills for the most part. Maybe it's that they've had most of the summer to get in shape? More likely just that the less fit might try a 38 mile ride but not even think of doing two ~85 mile days in a row.
Whatever the reason it was nice to not have to be continually on the lookout for a wobbly rider cutting in front or suddenly coming to a stop.
I rode well, though I took quite a few stops to take photos. The ride consisted of views across the water interspersed with rides through the trees.
I was making good time and didn't have anyone pass me. Those that did pass while I was taking a photo were soon in my rear view mirror when I'd start pedaling again. It is not a race but it was nice to have the legs to power up the hills without working too hard at it.
About 5 miles out of Manchester I spotted a West Sound Cycling jersey on a rider out in front of me. As I caught up my suspicion became true. I was soon chatting with Leo Stone. He and I "met" several years ago via the Cascade Bike Club message boards. I think I first met him in person at an STP
He's quite a character!.........and a really nice guy. :-)
He's a member of the West Sound Bicycle Club and his club was sponsoring the rest stop in Manchester. I was treated to some home made cookies served by the maker himself! (Leo makes some pretty good cookies!)
He was in his element, surrounded by his friends. I spent a little time and ate and drank sufficiently. I decided to leave Leo to continue holding court as I pedaled on.
RAPSody is such a scenic ride.
Before long another 30 miles had passed and I arrived at the second rest stop of the day, Allyn, noted for it's calazone!
The calazone was yummy, despite my trepidation on eating a lot of "real" food, I had 2 pieces! I was probably stopped here for 20 minutes, a long stop by my standards. I kept an eye open for folks I might know but finally decided to pedal onward.
I arrived at Shelton High School, our overnight stop, at 1PM. A root beer float and berry smoothie awaited cyclists as they arrived! Both were very tasty.
I was surprised to see an empty field where the tents were to be set up.
I would have my choice of location!
I set my tent up, showered, then visited with other cyclists as they arrived. As I milled around the cafeteria in anticipation of dinner the usual suspects arrived, along with some of the more unusual ones too!
Plans were soon hatched for a post dinner beer run. Leo (wouldn't you know it!) Shaun, and fellow Oregonian Lynne were in on it. In years past we took a shuttle bus that conveniently dropped us off at Ernie's Pine Cone Bar and Grill. This year there were no shuttles, and having less than a full selection of brew, we decided it just wasn't worth going to Ernie's so we walked across the athletic field to Fred Meyer and were soon confronted with shelf after shelf of choices.
All four of us belong to several bike clubs each, but the one club common to all of us was Cascade Bicycle Club. We are blaming them for the fact that we ended up sitting on a curb in a WalMart parking lot drinking beverages from brown bags!
By the time we returned from our little adventure the athletic field had filled up with tents!
We finished off the evening listening to a band that was playing oldies for us oldsters.
(not sure why the sound doesn't come through on the blog, the base file plays fine)
But like old folks, we didn't stay up too long. The band quit playing around 8:30PM and I was tucked in my sleeping bag shortly there after
I was planning on a good night sleep, tomorrow would bring another ~85 miles with, surprise, a few hills!
............BIKE............LIFECYCLE.....ROLLERS....TOTAL
Today.......101...............0...............0..........101
Jan........618...............0................0..........618
Feb........692...............0................0..........692
March......940...............0................5..........940
April......934...............0................0..........934
May........905...............0................0..........905
June......1152...............0................0.........1152
July......1020...............0................0.........1020
Aug........832...............0................0..........832
_________________________________________
TOTAL.....7111...............0..............5.........7116
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Pete's RePete abbreviated
I led a last minute after work offering for my social bike group this evening. The plan was to ride 29 miles with 2700 ft of climbing.
It would involve two ascents of Pete's Mountain in the West Linn/Wilsonville area.......from two different routes.
Given it was short notice, and there was already an after work ride scheduled for the west side there were only two of us. My partner was unsure of his hill abilities and was upfront about that.
I knew that to finish before dark we'd have to ride a pretty quick pace even with the significant climbing. I decided that rather than end up in the dark (though both of us had lights) that we'd take one ascent then evaluate the remaining time available.
We didn't quite make it that far. I was just toodling along, not hammering, but at 6 miles in with only a few rollers under our belts my partner decided that it was just too much for him. He knew the area so he was okay with riding back solo. I continued on and rode the second half our our planned route. I ended up with a paltry 19 miles with 1600 ft of climbing. Not much, but better than sitting home.
HERE is the route we planned on. A pretty good route for a good workout when time is short.
............BIKE............LIFECYCLE.....ROLLERS....TOTAL
Today........19...............0...............0...........19
Jan........618...............0................0..........618
Feb........692...............0................0..........692
March......940...............0................5..........940
April......934...............0................0..........934
May........905...............0................0..........905
June......1152...............0................0.........1152
July......1020...............0................0.........1020
Aug........731...............0................0..........731
_________________________________________
TOTAL.....7010...............0..............5.........7015
It would involve two ascents of Pete's Mountain in the West Linn/Wilsonville area.......from two different routes.
Given it was short notice, and there was already an after work ride scheduled for the west side there were only two of us. My partner was unsure of his hill abilities and was upfront about that.
I knew that to finish before dark we'd have to ride a pretty quick pace even with the significant climbing. I decided that rather than end up in the dark (though both of us had lights) that we'd take one ascent then evaluate the remaining time available.
We didn't quite make it that far. I was just toodling along, not hammering, but at 6 miles in with only a few rollers under our belts my partner decided that it was just too much for him. He knew the area so he was okay with riding back solo. I continued on and rode the second half our our planned route. I ended up with a paltry 19 miles with 1600 ft of climbing. Not much, but better than sitting home.
HERE is the route we planned on. A pretty good route for a good workout when time is short.
............BIKE............LIFECYCLE.....ROLLERS....TOTAL
Today........19...............0...............0...........19
Jan........618...............0................0..........618
Feb........692...............0................0..........692
March......940...............0................5..........940
April......934...............0................0..........934
May........905...............0................0..........905
June......1152...............0................0.........1152
July......1020...............0................0.........1020
Aug........731...............0................0..........731
_________________________________________
TOTAL.....7010...............0..............5.........7015
Sunday, August 22, 2010
A Portland Century and then some
I did not officially ride the Portland Century today for many reasons. I had a lot of friends who did however. I commuted to the event and started a couple of hours after most had shoved off. I did happen to catch up with 3 of the gals from the social bike group as they were leaving the Blue Lake rest stop. We rode more or less together for the rest of their ride. "More or less" because I couldn't resist chasing down a pair of fast young bucks who flew past us at one point. I did indeed catch them. They were riding about 24 mph side by side. I pulled up to be three wide and held with them for a bit. They did what anybody would do.........they sped up in an attempt to drop me. I kept right up with them for several miles as they bumped the speed up to 28 mph. They stayed on Marine Drive while the official route dropped onto the bike path. (a lot of bike path riding on this route!) I took the opportunity to turn around and ride back to my partners. I don't know how much longer I could have held that pace, but I don't know how much longer they could either! It was a fun run while it lasted.
I logged 132 miles today, about half of it on the Portland Century route. I guess you could say I did A Portland Century, just not THE Portland Century. ;-)
............BIKE............LIFECYCLE.....ROLLERS....TOTAL
Today.......132...............0...............0..........132
Jan........618...............0................0..........618
Feb........692...............0................0..........692
March......940...............0................5..........940
April......934...............0................0..........934
May........905...............0................0..........905
June......1152...............0................0.........1152
July......1020...............0................0.........1020
Aug........712...............0................0..........712
_________________________________________
TOTAL.....6991...............0..............5.........6996
I logged 132 miles today, about half of it on the Portland Century route. I guess you could say I did A Portland Century, just not THE Portland Century. ;-)
............BIKE............LIFECYCLE.....ROLLERS....TOTAL
Today.......132...............0...............0..........132
Jan........618...............0................0..........618
Feb........692...............0................0..........692
March......940...............0................5..........940
April......934...............0................0..........934
May........905...............0................0..........905
June......1152...............0................0.........1152
July......1020...............0................0.........1020
Aug........712...............0................0..........712
_________________________________________
TOTAL.....6991...............0..............5.........6996
Saturday, August 21, 2010
First bike ride in a week
I rode long, but that hardly makes up for a week where I did ZERO riding.
I started off this morning on the Willamette Valley Bike Route heading south. It was a bit chilly, hints of Fall in the air! There was a very light breeze from time to time from the north and a light whispy cloud cover.
I stopped for a snack when I got to Salem but other than that it was a nice, but uneventful, ride to Albany. With my little detour in Salem I added a couple of miles so I was at 77 miles when I turned around. I retraced my route back to Salem, then jumped across the Willamette River on the Union Street Bridge (a former RR bridge now pressed into pedestrian/bike use)
/>
There was even a blimp making it's rounds today!
Folks who know me know I don't care much for out and back rides so today was in the norm for me as I opted to ride out of West Salem on Wallace Rd instead of retracing the outbound route through Keizer. The wind had picked up a bit and I was riding into it as I was heading north. That's okay.........today was supposed to be training!
I followed Wallace Rd until I got to Maud Williamson State Park where I turned eastward to cross the Wheatland Ferry.
I continued on these familiar roads back to Champoeg Park then over to the Boone Bridge and a fast dash back across the Willamette River before jumping off the bike for the day.
More riding on tap tomorrow, likely a ride up and around Silver Falls State Park.
............BIKE............LIFECYCLE.....ROLLERS....TOTAL
Today.......153...............0...............0..........153
Jan........618...............0................0..........618
Feb........692...............0................0..........692
March......940...............0................5..........940
April......934...............0................0..........934
May........905...............0................0..........905
June......1152...............0................0.........1152
July......1020...............0................0.........1020
Aug........580...............0................0..........580
_________________________________________
TOTAL.....6859...............0..............5.........6864
I started off this morning on the Willamette Valley Bike Route heading south. It was a bit chilly, hints of Fall in the air! There was a very light breeze from time to time from the north and a light whispy cloud cover.
I stopped for a snack when I got to Salem but other than that it was a nice, but uneventful, ride to Albany. With my little detour in Salem I added a couple of miles so I was at 77 miles when I turned around. I retraced my route back to Salem, then jumped across the Willamette River on the Union Street Bridge (a former RR bridge now pressed into pedestrian/bike use)
/>
There was even a blimp making it's rounds today!
Folks who know me know I don't care much for out and back rides so today was in the norm for me as I opted to ride out of West Salem on Wallace Rd instead of retracing the outbound route through Keizer. The wind had picked up a bit and I was riding into it as I was heading north. That's okay.........today was supposed to be training!
I followed Wallace Rd until I got to Maud Williamson State Park where I turned eastward to cross the Wheatland Ferry.
I continued on these familiar roads back to Champoeg Park then over to the Boone Bridge and a fast dash back across the Willamette River before jumping off the bike for the day.
More riding on tap tomorrow, likely a ride up and around Silver Falls State Park.
............BIKE............LIFECYCLE.....ROLLERS....TOTAL
Today.......153...............0...............0..........153
Jan........618...............0................0..........618
Feb........692...............0................0..........692
March......940...............0................5..........940
April......934...............0................0..........934
May........905...............0................0..........905
June......1152...............0................0.........1152
July......1020...............0................0.........1020
Aug........580...............0................0..........580
_________________________________________
TOTAL.....6859...............0..............5.........6864
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Random Ride Sunday
I was to lead a ride of the Three Capes Scenic Loop for my social bike group today. It would have been ~80 miles with some hills and temperatures predicted to be in the low 70's. That would have been a welcome respite from the triple digits of the Willamette Valley. Alas, nobody signed up. I drove 3 hours round trip for a ride yesterday and figured I just didn't need to drive all the way to the coast to ride. I canceled the club ride and decided to go for my own ride instead.
I didn't have a plan for any particular route or destination this morning, I just pedaled off. I ended up crossing the Boone Bridge on I-5 then getting on Boones Ferry Rd and heading south. When I got to Whiskey Hill Rd I turned.... just because.
I followed it until it crossed a road and turned into Barnards Rd. I pedaled that into Molalla. There I took the turn towards Dickey Prairie, (because a friend used to teach there) then to Glen Avon (because I used to raft there!) then rode along the Molalla River until the road turned to gravel near the boundary of the Table Rock Wilderness.
The road was surprisingly good. Smooth pavement, gentle grades, and even on this hot day not a whole lot of traffic.
Speaking of traffic, the area around Dickey Prairie must have something in the water. I've never had such a slew of rude and dangerous drivers. I lost count but there had to have been 8-10 drivers who honked, flipped me off, swerved over the fog line as they passed, yelled expletives out the window, etc. We've all had this kind of incident, I've just never had so many in one day.
Other than those issues it was a good ride. Though it was a warm day there was plenty of shade as I rode along the river and the climbing was gentle.
On the way back down I stopped at the Dickey Prairie Store to have a couple of fudgesicles and a cold drink. The proprietor told me that it was 95. It really didn't feel that warm.
I was even more surprised to see 101 degrees on the time/temp at the Whiskey Hill School as I passed through that area around 4PM. Though at that point there wasn't a lot of shade and it did feel warm. I kept well hydrated and there were no issues.
In keeping with the random nature of today's ride, I took a bit of a detour through Gervais on the way home..... just because it was such a nice day to be riding.
All tolled, I finished up with 136 miles. I was surprised to see a 14.7 mph average because I didn't feel like I was riding hard at all, just putting in saddle time today. In fact my average heart rate was 99 bpm, about 30-40 bpm less than when I'm pedaling hard.
Maybe come October I should just plan on putting in saddle time.........about 47.9 hours worth of it!
............BIKE............LIFECYCLE.....ROLLERS....TOTAL
Today.......136...............0...............0..........136
Jan........618...............0................0..........618
Feb........692...............0................0..........692
March......940...............0................5..........940
April......934...............0................0..........934
May........905...............0................0..........905
June......1152...............0................0.........1152
July......1020...............0................0.........1020
Aug........427...............0................0..........427
_________________________________________
TOTAL.....6706...............0..............5.........6711
I didn't have a plan for any particular route or destination this morning, I just pedaled off. I ended up crossing the Boone Bridge on I-5 then getting on Boones Ferry Rd and heading south. When I got to Whiskey Hill Rd I turned.... just because.
I followed it until it crossed a road and turned into Barnards Rd. I pedaled that into Molalla. There I took the turn towards Dickey Prairie, (because a friend used to teach there) then to Glen Avon (because I used to raft there!) then rode along the Molalla River until the road turned to gravel near the boundary of the Table Rock Wilderness.
The road was surprisingly good. Smooth pavement, gentle grades, and even on this hot day not a whole lot of traffic.
Speaking of traffic, the area around Dickey Prairie must have something in the water. I've never had such a slew of rude and dangerous drivers. I lost count but there had to have been 8-10 drivers who honked, flipped me off, swerved over the fog line as they passed, yelled expletives out the window, etc. We've all had this kind of incident, I've just never had so many in one day.
Other than those issues it was a good ride. Though it was a warm day there was plenty of shade as I rode along the river and the climbing was gentle.
On the way back down I stopped at the Dickey Prairie Store to have a couple of fudgesicles and a cold drink. The proprietor told me that it was 95. It really didn't feel that warm.
I was even more surprised to see 101 degrees on the time/temp at the Whiskey Hill School as I passed through that area around 4PM. Though at that point there wasn't a lot of shade and it did feel warm. I kept well hydrated and there were no issues.
In keeping with the random nature of today's ride, I took a bit of a detour through Gervais on the way home..... just because it was such a nice day to be riding.
All tolled, I finished up with 136 miles. I was surprised to see a 14.7 mph average because I didn't feel like I was riding hard at all, just putting in saddle time today. In fact my average heart rate was 99 bpm, about 30-40 bpm less than when I'm pedaling hard.
Maybe come October I should just plan on putting in saddle time.........about 47.9 hours worth of it!
............BIKE............LIFECYCLE.....ROLLERS....TOTAL
Today.......136...............0...............0..........136
Jan........618...............0................0..........618
Feb........692...............0................0..........692
March......940...............0................5..........940
April......934...............0................0..........934
May........905...............0................0..........905
June......1152...............0................0.........1152
July......1020...............0................0.........1020
Aug........427...............0................0..........427
_________________________________________
TOTAL.....6706...............0..............5.........6711
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Tour de Blast.....part deux
8 of us rode from Toutle to Johnston Ridge at the end of SR 504 today. That's the same route that Tour de Blast takes up Mt Saint Helens. It's a nice ride with 5431 ft of climbing in the 41 miles up. The descent back to Toutle is "almost" free. "Almost" in that there is a climb back up to Elk Rock that provides the lion's share of the 1702 feet of climbing on the return trip.
We started from Toutle at 7AM to beat the predicted heat. We reached Johnston Ridge with it's stupendous view of Mt St Helens, just a bit after noon. My Garmin showed that I had an 11.7 average for the trip up. I goofed around a bit and my 11.7 average was only good enough for a 5th place today on the climb up.....but I did get quite a few photos!
We had a brisk headwind, but it helped cool us on the long climb. The temperature at Johnston Ridge was tempered by the altitude so it was quite bearable. A couple of us took in the short movie at the visitor center, the others looked at displays and took in the view.
The descent back to Toutle was just made for me. My bike gearing is set up to take advantage of downhills and tailwinds.........and that's just what we had.
Well, the wind did shift a bit to a bit of crosswind, but still a good run.
I was running my stock wheels today which give me a 12-27 cogset. Coupled with my 56x42x30 triple I have a pretty broad range. I pedaled most of the way down the hill today, thinking I was trying to catch two of my riding buddies. As it ended up they had bonked and pulled off at Elk Rock to recharge and regroup. I kept the power on just amazed that I couldn't seem to catch them.
My heart rate averaged 131 bpm on the ascent and 136 on the descent. Maximum heart rate was 167 going up, and 170 on the return. I was pedaling when I reached my maximum speed today, 50.3 mph. I had a 19.6 mph average on the return, including some sight seeing slow poking around Coldwater Lake.
I rolled into Toutle still thinking I was behind Gary and Ken. When I didn't see them I thought that perhaps they had tight schedules and had already loaded up and left. I was quite surprised when 15 minutes later the second rider came in and said he had passed them quite a way back. He said they had bonked climbing the back side of Elk Rock. Another 15 minutes passed before they rode in.
We went to a nearby convenience store and got cold drinks (and popsicles!)while we waited for the 4 remaining riders. After another 30 minutes (1 hour after my finish) we drove back up the course to see if there was a problem.
As it ended up, mostly just bonking and heat issues but there was a wheel tangling incident just before we got to them.
We tended to the wounds and loaded the bike and "patient". The others rode the remaining mile and a half back to our end point. It was 95 degrees when I finished the ride at 2:30PM, we saw 100.2 on the return drive down I-5 in the Kalama area.
We were lucky in that we did our climbing when it was cooler and by the time the temperature began to climb we were coming down the hill.
A good ride today!
............BIKE............LIFECYCLE.....ROLLERS....TOTAL
Today........84...............0...............0...........84
Jan........618...............0................0..........618
Feb........692...............0................0..........692
March......940...............0................5..........940
April......934...............0................0..........934
May........905...............0................0..........905
June......1152...............0................0.........1152
July......1020...............0................0.........1020
Aug........291...............0................0..........291
_________________________________________
TOTAL.....6570...............0..............5.........6575
We started from Toutle at 7AM to beat the predicted heat. We reached Johnston Ridge with it's stupendous view of Mt St Helens, just a bit after noon. My Garmin showed that I had an 11.7 average for the trip up. I goofed around a bit and my 11.7 average was only good enough for a 5th place today on the climb up.....but I did get quite a few photos!
We had a brisk headwind, but it helped cool us on the long climb. The temperature at Johnston Ridge was tempered by the altitude so it was quite bearable. A couple of us took in the short movie at the visitor center, the others looked at displays and took in the view.
The descent back to Toutle was just made for me. My bike gearing is set up to take advantage of downhills and tailwinds.........and that's just what we had.
Well, the wind did shift a bit to a bit of crosswind, but still a good run.
I was running my stock wheels today which give me a 12-27 cogset. Coupled with my 56x42x30 triple I have a pretty broad range. I pedaled most of the way down the hill today, thinking I was trying to catch two of my riding buddies. As it ended up they had bonked and pulled off at Elk Rock to recharge and regroup. I kept the power on just amazed that I couldn't seem to catch them.
My heart rate averaged 131 bpm on the ascent and 136 on the descent. Maximum heart rate was 167 going up, and 170 on the return. I was pedaling when I reached my maximum speed today, 50.3 mph. I had a 19.6 mph average on the return, including some sight seeing slow poking around Coldwater Lake.
I rolled into Toutle still thinking I was behind Gary and Ken. When I didn't see them I thought that perhaps they had tight schedules and had already loaded up and left. I was quite surprised when 15 minutes later the second rider came in and said he had passed them quite a way back. He said they had bonked climbing the back side of Elk Rock. Another 15 minutes passed before they rode in.
We went to a nearby convenience store and got cold drinks (and popsicles!)while we waited for the 4 remaining riders. After another 30 minutes (1 hour after my finish) we drove back up the course to see if there was a problem.
As it ended up, mostly just bonking and heat issues but there was a wheel tangling incident just before we got to them.
We tended to the wounds and loaded the bike and "patient". The others rode the remaining mile and a half back to our end point. It was 95 degrees when I finished the ride at 2:30PM, we saw 100.2 on the return drive down I-5 in the Kalama area.
We were lucky in that we did our climbing when it was cooler and by the time the temperature began to climb we were coming down the hill.
A good ride today!
............BIKE............LIFECYCLE.....ROLLERS....TOTAL
Today........84...............0...............0...........84
Jan........618...............0................0..........618
Feb........692...............0................0..........692
March......940...............0................5..........940
April......934...............0................0..........934
May........905...............0................0..........905
June......1152...............0................0.........1152
July......1020...............0................0.........1020
Aug........291...............0................0..........291
_________________________________________
TOTAL.....6570...............0..............5.........6575
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Corbett Hills Revisited
My social bike club has what's turned into a weekly Wednesday evening ride from Troutdale up a few hills and topping out at the Louden Rd/Larch Mtn Rd intersection. I joined them tonight. The ride climbs 2297 ft in it's 28 miles.
The ride was a good one, and afterward I joined 3 pretty ladies for a drink and snacks at Edgefield. Beats sitting home any day! ;-)
............BIKE............LIFECYCLE.....ROLLERS....TOTAL
Today........28...............0...............0...........28
Jan........618...............0................0..........618
Feb........692...............0................0..........692
March......940...............0................5..........940
April......934...............0................0..........934
May........905...............0................0..........905
June......1152...............0................0.........1152
July......1020...............0................0.........1020
Aug........207...............0................0..........207
_________________________________________
TOTAL.....6486...............0..............5.........6491
The ride was a good one, and afterward I joined 3 pretty ladies for a drink and snacks at Edgefield. Beats sitting home any day! ;-)
............BIKE............LIFECYCLE.....ROLLERS....TOTAL
Today........28...............0...............0...........28
Jan........618...............0................0..........618
Feb........692...............0................0..........692
March......940...............0................5..........940
April......934...............0................0..........934
May........905...............0................0..........905
June......1152...............0................0.........1152
July......1020...............0................0.........1020
Aug........207...............0................0..........207
_________________________________________
TOTAL.....6486...............0..............5.........6491
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Covered Bridges
For the last 4 years I've avoided the crush of unskilled/unsafe riders participating in Bride Pedal by attending MWVBC's Covered Bridge Ride instead.
Today started out a bit damp. Not really rain, just mist. It was warm however, 61 degrees as we arrived at the start. I tied a tyvek jacket around my waist just in case the rain picked up a bit.
Dave and I got our registration materials and pedaled off about 8:20.........in the wrong direction! There was some road construction in the first few blocks and a lot of white markings on the road...........the same color as the Dan Henry's we were to follow. We, and a few others, missed the 2nd turn and added 5 miles to the day's ride before we got straightened out.
There were 5 covered bridges to be crossed today, and we got them all.
This event offers a full lunch including deli sandwiches at the half way mark. I knew that for me it probably wasn't wise to have that much "real" food but it looked so good. I had a turkey sandwich and a soda..........and payed for it the next 25 miles!
Things eventually got back in shape and I finished the ride and earned my rootbeer float. ;-)
I ended up with a 15.4 mph on bike average, Dave bettered that by nearly 2 mph!
............BIKE............LIFECYCLE.....ROLLERS....TOTAL
Today.......105...............0...............0..........105
Jan........618...............0................0..........618
Feb........692...............0................0..........692
March......940...............0................5..........940
April......934...............0................0..........934
May........905...............0................0..........905
June......1152...............0................0.........1152
July......1020...............0................0.........1020
Aug........179...............0................0..........179
_________________________________________
TOTAL.....6458...............0..............5.........6463
Today started out a bit damp. Not really rain, just mist. It was warm however, 61 degrees as we arrived at the start. I tied a tyvek jacket around my waist just in case the rain picked up a bit.
Dave and I got our registration materials and pedaled off about 8:20.........in the wrong direction! There was some road construction in the first few blocks and a lot of white markings on the road...........the same color as the Dan Henry's we were to follow. We, and a few others, missed the 2nd turn and added 5 miles to the day's ride before we got straightened out.
There were 5 covered bridges to be crossed today, and we got them all.
This event offers a full lunch including deli sandwiches at the half way mark. I knew that for me it probably wasn't wise to have that much "real" food but it looked so good. I had a turkey sandwich and a soda..........and payed for it the next 25 miles!
Things eventually got back in shape and I finished the ride and earned my rootbeer float. ;-)
I ended up with a 15.4 mph on bike average, Dave bettered that by nearly 2 mph!
............BIKE............LIFECYCLE.....ROLLERS....TOTAL
Today.......105...............0...............0..........105
Jan........618...............0................0..........618
Feb........692...............0................0..........692
March......940...............0................5..........940
April......934...............0................0..........934
May........905...............0................0..........905
June......1152...............0................0.........1152
July......1020...............0................0.........1020
Aug........179...............0................0..........179
_________________________________________
TOTAL.....6458...............0..............5.........6463
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Larch Mountain
Rode 63 miles today....Troutdale to Multnomah Falls to the top of Larch Mtn and back. Good long climb and good company. (posted via cell phone)
Update:
5 of us met at Glenn Otto Park in Troutdale this morning to ride to Multnomah Falls then on up to Larch Mountain before returning to Troutdale. Max was taking the picture so he's not in the photo above.
The Garmin showed 5639 total feet of climbing in the 63.08 miles. We climbed from Troutdale up to Chanticleer Point before dropping down to Multnomah Falls, then climbed from Multnomah Falls to the end of the road on top of Larch Mountain. Max was having some knee problems and I was just slow and lazy. Max and I pedaled up the grade and eventually reached the top.
Paul, our leader today, was getting cold as he waited for Max and I so he began his descent before the photo was taken.
It was a good run down Larch Mountain Rd. We turned on Louden Rd and it was on Louden that I attained my maximum speed today. I topped out at 48.6 mph...pedaling in my big gear (56x11) and just leaving the fast boys in my dust as they looked helplessly on, having spun out in their compact doubles! ;-)
It was a nice run back to Troutdale.
I am continuing to work on the Race Across Oregon data and photos. I haven't forgotten! I'll let you know when I get it updated.
Tomorrow I ride the Mid Willamette Valley Bicycle Club's Covered Bridge Ride, a nice century with 5 covered bridges!
............BIKE............LIFECYCLE.....ROLLERS....TOTAL
Today........63...............0...............0...........63
Jan........618...............0................0..........618
Feb........692...............0................0..........692
March......940...............0................5..........940
April......934...............0................0..........934
May........905...............0................0..........905
June......1152...............0................0.........1152
July......1020...............0................0.........1020
Aug.........74...............0................0...........74
_________________________________________
TOTAL.....6353...............0..............5.........6358
Update:
5 of us met at Glenn Otto Park in Troutdale this morning to ride to Multnomah Falls then on up to Larch Mountain before returning to Troutdale. Max was taking the picture so he's not in the photo above.
The Garmin showed 5639 total feet of climbing in the 63.08 miles. We climbed from Troutdale up to Chanticleer Point before dropping down to Multnomah Falls, then climbed from Multnomah Falls to the end of the road on top of Larch Mountain. Max was having some knee problems and I was just slow and lazy. Max and I pedaled up the grade and eventually reached the top.
Paul, our leader today, was getting cold as he waited for Max and I so he began his descent before the photo was taken.
It was a good run down Larch Mountain Rd. We turned on Louden Rd and it was on Louden that I attained my maximum speed today. I topped out at 48.6 mph...pedaling in my big gear (56x11) and just leaving the fast boys in my dust as they looked helplessly on, having spun out in their compact doubles! ;-)
It was a nice run back to Troutdale.
I am continuing to work on the Race Across Oregon data and photos. I haven't forgotten! I'll let you know when I get it updated.
Tomorrow I ride the Mid Willamette Valley Bicycle Club's Covered Bridge Ride, a nice century with 5 covered bridges!
............BIKE............LIFECYCLE.....ROLLERS....TOTAL
Today........63...............0...............0...........63
Jan........618...............0................0..........618
Feb........692...............0................0..........692
March......940...............0................5..........940
April......934...............0................0..........934
May........905...............0................0..........905
June......1152...............0................0.........1152
July......1020...............0................0.........1020
Aug.........74...............0................0...........74
_________________________________________
TOTAL.....6353...............0..............5.........6358
Monday, August 2, 2010
A new month
I rode a very easy 11 miles today. My riding buddies don't rise as early in the morning as I do so I took the opportunity to go for an exploratory ride around Diamond Lake to see if the path was paved the entire way. It was!
Diamond Lake sits at a mile high and it can get chilly. This morning it was 34 degrees as I pedaled off on this August 1st morning! I didn't bring gear for riding in such cold temperatures and before long my fingers were numb. I stopped at the Diamond Lake resort and milled around in the small store there to visit with the proprietor and to warm up a bit!
Once the sun cleared the ridge to the east it began to warm up. I took off on my trip around the lake.
There were some nice views and I took a few photos. I'll get them posted here sometime this week yet........ promise!
In the mean time, you can go back two weeks to my STP posting where I've finally got more details added. My Race Across Oregon entry will take a bit longer. I don't have all the photos that the crew took yet. I've already got over 100 photos to sort through!
............BIKE............LIFECYCLE.....ROLLERS....TOTAL
Today........11...............0...............0...........11
Jan........618...............0................0..........618
Feb........692...............0................0..........692
March......940...............0................5..........940
April......934...............0................0..........934
May........905...............0................0..........905
June......1152...............0................0.........1152
July......1020...............0................0.........1020
Aug.........11...............0................0...........11
_________________________________________
TOTAL.....6290...............0..............5.........6295
Diamond Lake sits at a mile high and it can get chilly. This morning it was 34 degrees as I pedaled off on this August 1st morning! I didn't bring gear for riding in such cold temperatures and before long my fingers were numb. I stopped at the Diamond Lake resort and milled around in the small store there to visit with the proprietor and to warm up a bit!
Once the sun cleared the ridge to the east it began to warm up. I took off on my trip around the lake.
There were some nice views and I took a few photos. I'll get them posted here sometime this week yet........ promise!
In the mean time, you can go back two weeks to my STP posting where I've finally got more details added. My Race Across Oregon entry will take a bit longer. I don't have all the photos that the crew took yet. I've already got over 100 photos to sort through!
............BIKE............LIFECYCLE.....ROLLERS....TOTAL
Today........11...............0...............0...........11
Jan........618...............0................0..........618
Feb........692...............0................0..........692
March......940...............0................5..........940
April......934...............0................0..........934
May........905...............0................0..........905
June......1152...............0................0.........1152
July......1020...............0................0.........1020
Aug.........11...............0................0...........11
_________________________________________
TOTAL.....6290...............0..............5.........6295
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