I've been struggling the last few months to keep from riding less than 500 miles in a month. To fall below 500 miles would be something I haven't done in quite some time, and I'm not sure I'm ready to fall below 500 quite yet.
As of last weekend I had 79 miles to go yet for my 500 mile March. I figured with the longer daylight I could pretty easily ride 15-20 miles each day after work and have it in the bag.
Then the week started.
I've been swamped at work. I have 40+ hours in already and it's only Thursday. I've got another full day plus tomorrow but that's NEXT month. On top of the earning the daily bread thing, I've been helping a friend out a bit a couple of the past evenings. Just because nobody claims you as a honey doesn't mean you don't get a list of honey-dos at times. ;-)
Needless to say the biking has suffered.
March has had only one rain free day this year, but after a few morning showers the afternoon turned out dry. After my 9 hour day I rushed home, put fresh batteries in the lights, and pedaled out in search of 80 miles beginning at 4PM.
I rode the Willamette Valley Bikeway. I chose this route because it's rural, low traffic, and pretty flat. I transported the bike across the Boone Bridge so I wouldn't have to ride on I-5 after dark, so began the ride from the Butteville Store.
I pedaled into a bit of a wind on the way south. Not bad because I knew that meant a tailwind on the way back. I turned around and put that wind to my back just before Independance.
I had my rear blinkies on for most of the ride and turned the front blinkie on around 6:30 PM. I had my Stella 300 LED headlight along but was really surprised by how long the days have become. With the mostly clear skies I didn't turn that bright light on until just after 8PM
I rolled back up to my pickup with 81 miles on the odometer and my 500 mile March on the books.
Talk about cutting it close. It could have just as well been dark and raining, it has been most of the month, but for a dry and warm evening I am most thankful.
So, now let's start April. Hopefully a bit more conducive to long miles on the bike.
..........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today........81..............0.............0..........0......... 81
Jan.........474..............0............21..........7.........502
Feb.........530..............0.............0..........0.........530
March.......502..............0.............0..........0.........502
YTD.......1516...............0............21..........7........1544
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
a dry start, a dry finish
the middle was a bit wet.
I picked up the "Ride the Ride Around Clark County 65 Mile Route backwards" from another social bike club leader who instigated the ride then found herself unable to attend.
4 of the 6 who RSVP'd showed up. The forecast was for 100% chance of rain and a chance of thunderstorms to boot.
The 4 of us shoved off this morning to gray, but dry, skies. We rode the first 20 miles with no rain.... then it began raining...... and kept raining at varying intensities for pretty much the rest of the ride. The last 5 miles were dry, even had a glimpse of sun from time to time, but the middle was very wet. Luckily it wasn't all that cold, we rode comfortably, within reason, the whole day.
When we got 30 miles into our planned 66 miles two of our entourage decided to take an alternate route back, shaving a few miles and avoiding a few hills.
Dave and I decided to pedal the planned route in it's entirety. It wasn't all that bad, the hills are highly overrated, and the ride along the lake was pretty even with the falling rain.
My low mileage and lack of bike effort the last few months is taking it's toll. My riding partners out rode me today... and yesterday...and last weekend. See a pattern here? I need to either start riding harder, or stop riding altogether. Let them remember me from when I could ride! Sort of. ;-)
Dave had a flat today, during some of the hardest rain of the day. It took a bit to get it changed. :-( We eventually got moving again.
As we got into Vancouver the rain stopped and the skies cleared a bit. We even had a few short glimmers of sunshine. We were glad to see the ride come to an end, though we both agreed that even with the rain it was a good way to spend the day. A good ride. We'll have to get back there and do it again sometime, preferably in nicer weather. :-)
..........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today........67..............0.............0..........0......... 67
Jan.........474..............0............21..........7.........502
Feb.........530..............0.............0..........0.........530
March.......421..............0.............0..........0.........421
YTD.......1435...............0............21..........7........1463
I picked up the "Ride the Ride Around Clark County 65 Mile Route backwards" from another social bike club leader who instigated the ride then found herself unable to attend.
4 of the 6 who RSVP'd showed up. The forecast was for 100% chance of rain and a chance of thunderstorms to boot.
The 4 of us shoved off this morning to gray, but dry, skies. We rode the first 20 miles with no rain.... then it began raining...... and kept raining at varying intensities for pretty much the rest of the ride. The last 5 miles were dry, even had a glimpse of sun from time to time, but the middle was very wet. Luckily it wasn't all that cold, we rode comfortably, within reason, the whole day.
When we got 30 miles into our planned 66 miles two of our entourage decided to take an alternate route back, shaving a few miles and avoiding a few hills.
Dave and I decided to pedal the planned route in it's entirety. It wasn't all that bad, the hills are highly overrated, and the ride along the lake was pretty even with the falling rain.
My low mileage and lack of bike effort the last few months is taking it's toll. My riding partners out rode me today... and yesterday...and last weekend. See a pattern here? I need to either start riding harder, or stop riding altogether. Let them remember me from when I could ride! Sort of. ;-)
Dave had a flat today, during some of the hardest rain of the day. It took a bit to get it changed. :-( We eventually got moving again.
As we got into Vancouver the rain stopped and the skies cleared a bit. We even had a few short glimmers of sunshine. We were glad to see the ride come to an end, though we both agreed that even with the rain it was a good way to spend the day. A good ride. We'll have to get back there and do it again sometime, preferably in nicer weather. :-)
..........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today........67..............0.............0..........0......... 67
Jan.........474..............0............21..........7.........502
Feb.........530..............0.............0..........0.........530
March.......421..............0.............0..........0.........421
YTD.......1435...............0............21..........7........1463
Saturday, March 26, 2011
newbie shmewbie
My social bike club is trying to reach out to those who are "emerging cyclists" AKA newbies. Doing my part, I've decided to lead at least 1 newbie ride each month. Today was my third such offering. I've seen it happen too many times where a good rider starts leading newbie rides week after week and instead of the newbies improving the leader loses fitness and becomes a newbie. ;-I
In an effort to avoid that, and to entice those with more skills to join these rides (built in help!) I always add some additional miles/climbing outside of the newbie portion.
Today's ride began in Hillsboro and we commuted over the West Hills to Sauvie Island where we were to join 22 newbie riders for a lap of the island then we seasoned riders would ride back to Hillsboro via Rocky Point Road.
Well, it was raining overnight, a sure sign that we'd have a poor showing of newbies.
I checked the RSVP list just before leaving home and noted we still had a full list.
But as expected, not only do newbies not have biking skills yet, they don't have basic politeness down yet either. I had 4 folks show up at the island. 4 out of 22!
I don't care if a person doesn't want to ride if it is raining. If you don't ride in Oregon if "it might rain" you severely limit the days you can ride however. But really bothers me is if you say you are coming you had better be there. It's just being polite. (oh well, I'll get over it)
We didn't have so much as a drop of rain on the 12 mile commute to the island. We had a dry lap of the island with the newbies, saving about 2 minutes of hail right at the end of the 12 mile lap.
Once we said our good byes we three "commuters" headed northward on Hwy 30 to Rocky Point Rd and began our climb.
Our dry weather luck ran out as we made our way over the 1400ft summit. We had about 30 minutes of rain but it wasn't all that bad, all three of us were prepared for the weather.
By the time we got back to Hillsboro the rain had stopped and we had about 50% blue sky above us.
It was a good ride.
..........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today........51..............0.............0..........0......... 51
Jan.........474..............0............21..........7.........502
Feb.........530..............0.............0..........0.........530
March.......354..............0.............0..........0.........354
YTD.......1368...............0............21..........7........1396
In an effort to avoid that, and to entice those with more skills to join these rides (built in help!) I always add some additional miles/climbing outside of the newbie portion.
Today's ride began in Hillsboro and we commuted over the West Hills to Sauvie Island where we were to join 22 newbie riders for a lap of the island then we seasoned riders would ride back to Hillsboro via Rocky Point Road.
Well, it was raining overnight, a sure sign that we'd have a poor showing of newbies.
I checked the RSVP list just before leaving home and noted we still had a full list.
But as expected, not only do newbies not have biking skills yet, they don't have basic politeness down yet either. I had 4 folks show up at the island. 4 out of 22!
I don't care if a person doesn't want to ride if it is raining. If you don't ride in Oregon if "it might rain" you severely limit the days you can ride however. But really bothers me is if you say you are coming you had better be there. It's just being polite. (oh well, I'll get over it)
We didn't have so much as a drop of rain on the 12 mile commute to the island. We had a dry lap of the island with the newbies, saving about 2 minutes of hail right at the end of the 12 mile lap.
Once we said our good byes we three "commuters" headed northward on Hwy 30 to Rocky Point Rd and began our climb.
Our dry weather luck ran out as we made our way over the 1400ft summit. We had about 30 minutes of rain but it wasn't all that bad, all three of us were prepared for the weather.
By the time we got back to Hillsboro the rain had stopped and we had about 50% blue sky above us.
It was a good ride.
..........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today........51..............0.............0..........0......... 51
Jan.........474..............0............21..........7.........502
Feb.........530..............0.............0..........0.........530
March.......354..............0.............0..........0.........354
YTD.......1368...............0............21..........7........1396
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
The first mile
Today was the first time I rode the new bike. I was having some new tires put on my pickup today so I dropped it off on my way to work, and commuted by bike the rest of the way. I still have the 35mm cyclocross tires on it and flat pedals. The flat pedals were good today, allowing me to ride in work shoes and not having to deal with a shoe change. I noted a few tweaks in seat position that I'll need to do before riding too many miles but other than that it was a good trip....and the bike is new and shiny! ;-)
..........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today.........5..............0.............0..........0......... 5
Jan.........474..............0............21..........7.........502
Feb.........530..............0.............0..........0.........530
March.......303..............0.............0..........0.........303
YTD.......1317...............0............21..........7........1345
and an evening PS,
This is from BikePortland.org:
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Off-duty Portland cop allegedly assaulted while biking to work
Posted by Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor) on March 23rd, 2011 at 4:16 pm
A Portland Police Bureau Sergeant who was riding his bike into work yesterday morning was involved in an altercation with a man driving a car that has resulted in the driver being arrested for hit and run and attempted assault.
Here's how it played out according to a PPB press release (emphasis mine):
"Early Tuesday morning March 22, 2011, a Portland Police Sergeant was riding his bike to work eastbound on Northwest Cornell Road when a motorist drove along side of his bike within inches of hitting him while riding. The driver, later identified as 68-year-old Larry Fornshell, passed Sergeant Santos and continued on. When both came into town to a traffic control device, Sergeant Santos rode to the right of Mr. Fornshell's car. Fornshell turned right, into Santos.
Just prior to the intersection of Northwest 25th Avenue and Northwest Lovejoy Street, Mr. Fornshell stopped abruptly. Santos said he had to ride to the left of Fornshell's vehicle into the oncoming traffic lanes to avoid hitting Fornshell's car and slapped Fornshell's vehicle with his hand. When Santos and Fornshell came to the intersection, Fornshell put his vehicle in reverse and attempted to hit Santos on his bike. Santos jumped off of his bike and ran with his bike to the sidewalk. Fornshell then hit Santos' bike as he was holding onto it. Santos jumped out of the way to avoid being struck and Fornshell left the scene of the crash. Santos remembered the license plate number from the vehicle and called 911."
By yesterday evening, the police had found and arrested Fornshell for Hit and Run and Attempted Assault. Investigators are looking for witnesses who might have seen the incident at NW 25th and Lovejoy. If you saw anything, please contact Det. Kevin Warren at (503) 823-3761.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Wow. An off duty cop riding a bike slaps a menacing car with his hand and the driver then attempts to run the cop over and proceeds to flee the scene. The driver is charged with hit and run.
When I did something very similar I was charged with criminal mischief, and the driver who did more damage than the guy in the above story got away with it.
I guess I should have been a cop instead. Equal justice gets a bit of a leg up in some cases.
..........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today.........5..............0.............0..........0......... 5
Jan.........474..............0............21..........7.........502
Feb.........530..............0.............0..........0.........530
March.......303..............0.............0..........0.........303
YTD.......1317...............0............21..........7........1345
and an evening PS,
This is from BikePortland.org:
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Off-duty Portland cop allegedly assaulted while biking to work
Posted by Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor) on March 23rd, 2011 at 4:16 pm
A Portland Police Bureau Sergeant who was riding his bike into work yesterday morning was involved in an altercation with a man driving a car that has resulted in the driver being arrested for hit and run and attempted assault.
Here's how it played out according to a PPB press release (emphasis mine):
"Early Tuesday morning March 22, 2011, a Portland Police Sergeant was riding his bike to work eastbound on Northwest Cornell Road when a motorist drove along side of his bike within inches of hitting him while riding. The driver, later identified as 68-year-old Larry Fornshell, passed Sergeant Santos and continued on. When both came into town to a traffic control device, Sergeant Santos rode to the right of Mr. Fornshell's car. Fornshell turned right, into Santos.
Just prior to the intersection of Northwest 25th Avenue and Northwest Lovejoy Street, Mr. Fornshell stopped abruptly. Santos said he had to ride to the left of Fornshell's vehicle into the oncoming traffic lanes to avoid hitting Fornshell's car and slapped Fornshell's vehicle with his hand. When Santos and Fornshell came to the intersection, Fornshell put his vehicle in reverse and attempted to hit Santos on his bike. Santos jumped off of his bike and ran with his bike to the sidewalk. Fornshell then hit Santos' bike as he was holding onto it. Santos jumped out of the way to avoid being struck and Fornshell left the scene of the crash. Santos remembered the license plate number from the vehicle and called 911."
By yesterday evening, the police had found and arrested Fornshell for Hit and Run and Attempted Assault. Investigators are looking for witnesses who might have seen the incident at NW 25th and Lovejoy. If you saw anything, please contact Det. Kevin Warren at (503) 823-3761.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Wow. An off duty cop riding a bike slaps a menacing car with his hand and the driver then attempts to run the cop over and proceeds to flee the scene. The driver is charged with hit and run.
When I did something very similar I was charged with criminal mischief, and the driver who did more damage than the guy in the above story got away with it.
I guess I should have been a cop instead. Equal justice gets a bit of a leg up in some cases.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Riding with the Big Dogs!
I had billed today's ride to my social bike group as Riding with the Big Dogs. There were going to be long hills, fast descents, long miles, and all ridden at race pace by very accomplished riders. I knew I was going to be struggling to keep up. I just haven't been riding hard enough or long enough this year. Lack of a biking goal will do that to a person!
We were to begin in Hood River, but the dry roads at 5AM gave way to wet roads and quite heavy rain by 6AM. It was still raining hard at 10AM, our scheduled starting time. What was to be a group of 17 ended up being a group of 7. The rest opted to wait for a drier day or go home and ride rollers. The hardy 7 decided to drive 20 miles east to The Dalles. The Dalles gets only about half the annual rainfall of Hood River.
It was a good call. We shoved off with wet roads but no falling rain at 11:30AM. The road dried a bit as we pedaled onward...and upward! Our instigator, Dave, knew the area well and took us on loops of a stage race that is held in the area.
We saw quite a few folks out for training rides today. Sorrella Forte women were out in force. Of course, we had our own women racers. Here is Cristina and Erin, members of Hammer Velo. They were a hammerin' away today!
As expected, the group hammered up these hills at a pace that was challenging to me. Compounding my lack of fitness was a light breakfast that was not enough to cover the energy expended. I had an Ensure about 20 miles into the ride and a couple of packets of honey shortly thereafter. It got me going again, but by that point the damage was done.
My weekend riding partner had bailed on the ride at about mile 22 because of a sore back and a few other issues. Despite my saying I knew the area well enough to not get lost and for the group not to keep waiting for me, they did anyway. I decided to quit holding the group back and decided to join my weekend bike buddy back in The Dalles. Our dry weather was coming to an end, it started raining lightly as I made my way down the road towards town on a route I had ridden many times on The Cherry Ride and about a half dozen rides each year in the area.
I had told my social bike group that if anyone wanted to ride today they should expect to ride with the Big Dogs or be left whimpering along the side of a desolate rural road sitting in a puddle of......
I guess that puppy on the side of the road would be me today. :-O
Here Cristina bids farewell, but obviously not toward me, I was never in front of her! ....in fact you can see me in the distance in my yellow raincoat.(our ride leader today, David M, snapped the photo)
Despite the shorter than planned route, it was a good workout.
I found my riding partner in the coffee shop near where we had started our ride. We enjoyed the relative warmth of the shop, along with some snacks and drinks. In about 45 minutes the rest of the group pedaled in. With the rain coming in, and the day that never quite warmed up, they had shortened their intended route too. They did however get about 10 more miles than I did.
I'll have to ride this route a bit more often.
..........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today........29..............0.............0..........0......... 29
Jan.........474..............0............21..........7.........502
Feb.........530..............0.............0..........0.........530
March.......298..............0.............0..........0.........298
YTD.......1312...............0............21..........7........1340
We were to begin in Hood River, but the dry roads at 5AM gave way to wet roads and quite heavy rain by 6AM. It was still raining hard at 10AM, our scheduled starting time. What was to be a group of 17 ended up being a group of 7. The rest opted to wait for a drier day or go home and ride rollers. The hardy 7 decided to drive 20 miles east to The Dalles. The Dalles gets only about half the annual rainfall of Hood River.
It was a good call. We shoved off with wet roads but no falling rain at 11:30AM. The road dried a bit as we pedaled onward...and upward! Our instigator, Dave, knew the area well and took us on loops of a stage race that is held in the area.
We saw quite a few folks out for training rides today. Sorrella Forte women were out in force. Of course, we had our own women racers. Here is Cristina and Erin, members of Hammer Velo. They were a hammerin' away today!
As expected, the group hammered up these hills at a pace that was challenging to me. Compounding my lack of fitness was a light breakfast that was not enough to cover the energy expended. I had an Ensure about 20 miles into the ride and a couple of packets of honey shortly thereafter. It got me going again, but by that point the damage was done.
My weekend riding partner had bailed on the ride at about mile 22 because of a sore back and a few other issues. Despite my saying I knew the area well enough to not get lost and for the group not to keep waiting for me, they did anyway. I decided to quit holding the group back and decided to join my weekend bike buddy back in The Dalles. Our dry weather was coming to an end, it started raining lightly as I made my way down the road towards town on a route I had ridden many times on The Cherry Ride and about a half dozen rides each year in the area.
I had told my social bike group that if anyone wanted to ride today they should expect to ride with the Big Dogs or be left whimpering along the side of a desolate rural road sitting in a puddle of......
I guess that puppy on the side of the road would be me today. :-O
Here Cristina bids farewell, but obviously not toward me, I was never in front of her! ....in fact you can see me in the distance in my yellow raincoat.(our ride leader today, David M, snapped the photo)
Despite the shorter than planned route, it was a good workout.
I found my riding partner in the coffee shop near where we had started our ride. We enjoyed the relative warmth of the shop, along with some snacks and drinks. In about 45 minutes the rest of the group pedaled in. With the rain coming in, and the day that never quite warmed up, they had shortened their intended route too. They did however get about 10 more miles than I did.
I'll have to ride this route a bit more often.
..........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today........29..............0.............0..........0......... 29
Jan.........474..............0............21..........7.........502
Feb.........530..............0.............0..........0.........530
March.......298..............0.............0..........0.........298
YTD.......1312...............0............21..........7........1340
Saturday, March 19, 2011
the calm before the storm
I was supposed to lead a ride on the Oregon Coast today.
A couple of things changed that. First, I am joining a ride in the Hood River/The Dalles area on Sunday with a group of tough riders. We will be riding 100 miles with almost 9000 ft of climbing, and upon scanning the attendance list I know I'll be struggling to keep up. With the price of gas currently I didn't think it made much sense to drive to Tillamook on Saturday, then turn around and be in The Dalles on Sunday.
Secondly, Tillamook gets 90 inches of rain annually, The Dalles gets 12. If you are a gambler you've got to look at those odds.
So, I drove to Hood River this morning and rode on the dry side of the Cascades today, am staying in Hood River tonight, and will ride from here again in the morning.
The gamble today paid off. My riding partner and I rode over 50 miles today, we had dry weather with a bit of scattered clouds. We had sunshine with shadows for a good deal of the ride, but also had a few dozen rain drops around mile 45. Not enough rain to make anything wet, and today those infamous Gorge winds were calm.
Much to the chagrin of my bike partner, I rode today's ride slow. I wanted to take in the view and save some energy for the hammerfest tomorrow. Today was the calm before the storm!
Today we rode 56 miles with 4788 ft of climbing. We rode the western half of the upcoming Cherry Ride route.
..........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today........56..............0.............0..........0......... 56
Jan.........474..............0............21..........7.........502
Feb.........530..............0.............0..........0.........530
March.......269..............0.............0..........0.........269
YTD.......1283...............0............21..........7........1311
A couple of things changed that. First, I am joining a ride in the Hood River/The Dalles area on Sunday with a group of tough riders. We will be riding 100 miles with almost 9000 ft of climbing, and upon scanning the attendance list I know I'll be struggling to keep up. With the price of gas currently I didn't think it made much sense to drive to Tillamook on Saturday, then turn around and be in The Dalles on Sunday.
Secondly, Tillamook gets 90 inches of rain annually, The Dalles gets 12. If you are a gambler you've got to look at those odds.
So, I drove to Hood River this morning and rode on the dry side of the Cascades today, am staying in Hood River tonight, and will ride from here again in the morning.
The gamble today paid off. My riding partner and I rode over 50 miles today, we had dry weather with a bit of scattered clouds. We had sunshine with shadows for a good deal of the ride, but also had a few dozen rain drops around mile 45. Not enough rain to make anything wet, and today those infamous Gorge winds were calm.
Much to the chagrin of my bike partner, I rode today's ride slow. I wanted to take in the view and save some energy for the hammerfest tomorrow. Today was the calm before the storm!
Today we rode 56 miles with 4788 ft of climbing. We rode the western half of the upcoming Cherry Ride route.
..........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today........56..............0.............0..........0......... 56
Jan.........474..............0............21..........7.........502
Feb.........530..............0.............0..........0.........530
March.......269..............0.............0..........0.........269
YTD.......1283...............0............21..........7........1311
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Raining in Oregon, you gotta have a rain bike!
I love my carbon bike, except that with that expensive to replace running gear and clearances too tight to accept "real" fenders I hate to ride it through all that grit during Oregon's winter road conditions. The option?
Well, a dedicated rain bike of course!
My local bike shop, Olson's Bicycles in Forest Grove, made me a deal I couldn't refuse. OK, so it's a 2009 model. OK, so it's described as an "entry level" cross bike. But it accepts full fenders, and has a Tiagra 9spd drivetrain so my wheels from my Marin (alternate) road bike will swap in perfectly, and the price was right!
I'll get the fenders on tonight, maybe even have time to install lights and speedometer. Add some reflectivity and buddy flaps and it should be ready to go for a ride!
Want to own a piece of history? The bike I rode as part of the record setting Race Across Oregon team Old Goats 4 will be for sale. Seriously, if you are interested in a decent 55cm road bike email me.
Well, a dedicated rain bike of course!
My local bike shop, Olson's Bicycles in Forest Grove, made me a deal I couldn't refuse. OK, so it's a 2009 model. OK, so it's described as an "entry level" cross bike. But it accepts full fenders, and has a Tiagra 9spd drivetrain so my wheels from my Marin (alternate) road bike will swap in perfectly, and the price was right!
I'll get the fenders on tonight, maybe even have time to install lights and speedometer. Add some reflectivity and buddy flaps and it should be ready to go for a ride!
Want to own a piece of history? The bike I rode as part of the record setting Race Across Oregon team Old Goats 4 will be for sale. Seriously, if you are interested in a decent 55cm road bike email me.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
53 miles, 5.2k climbing, 3 hills, and a lake!
I posted a ride to our social bike club's calendar. I originally had 4 of us going but a last minute injury to one rider and illness to the other meant that only two of us pedaled off today.
It was raining as we began our journey. It wouldn't have taken much to not ride today. I've got this new riding mantra, I don't ride if it's not fun, and this was getting close to that line!
Mark however shamed me into riding!
We began in Tualatin and began by making our way to Council Crest. It was a nice route that kept us off the main roads.
We climbed our way to Council Crest rather easily today, but because of low clouds and rain we were robbed of any view. We descended carefully to Terwilliger Blvd. (the roads were a bit slick because of the rain) Along the way we noted fresh Lion of Flanders pavement markers. I came home to note that the De Ronde Van Oeste Portlandia is tomorrow! That ride is a "non event" that is quite challenging and a lot of fun that is beginning to draw a bit of attention. unfortunately I've got other plans so I'll miss it this year for the first time.
We turned back uphill and ascended through the OHSU campus. The weather was beginning to improve and we got a bit of a view as we climbed. It was still dripping a bit with some low clouds and fog so I left the camera packaged up.
Before long we summited again and began a descent to the downtown Portland area.
We stopped at Starbucks so Mark could get a warm drink then began our biggest climb of the day, Cornell Road to Skyline.
We had a bit of fun while up on that hill. Ever say "I'm going to make it up that hill even if it kills me"?
Our weather kept improving. The rain had stopped, the sky was brightening enough that we now had shadows. A bit of wind developed that would be in our faces the remainder of our trip, but hey, we can ride in headwind. ;-)
We made our way to Lake Oswego and made a lap of it. The lake doesn't look like much of a lake right now. It is drained while they do some work on sewer lines under the lake.
We finished up our ride today back in Tualatin. I noted that we finished today's ride at the same location that I begin my night route. The weather was nicer than when we began this morning, the route was flatter, a coincidence? I think not. I grabbed a quick bite to eat and took off again in search of 100 miles.
I finished up just as it was getting dark. It was a good day to be on the bike. Mark and I got to ride quite a few "new to us" roads on a course that we will likely ride again and I got my March century in the bag! I ended up with 106 miles with just over 8000 ft of climbing.
Next week I've got two good rides planned (here and here) so March is off to a good start.
..........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today.......106..............0.............0..........0.........106
Jan.........474..............0............21..........7.........502
Feb.........530..............0.............0..........0.........530
March.......213..............0.............0..........0.........213
YTD.......1227...............0............21..........7........1255
It was raining as we began our journey. It wouldn't have taken much to not ride today. I've got this new riding mantra, I don't ride if it's not fun, and this was getting close to that line!
Mark however shamed me into riding!
We began in Tualatin and began by making our way to Council Crest. It was a nice route that kept us off the main roads.
We climbed our way to Council Crest rather easily today, but because of low clouds and rain we were robbed of any view. We descended carefully to Terwilliger Blvd. (the roads were a bit slick because of the rain) Along the way we noted fresh Lion of Flanders pavement markers. I came home to note that the De Ronde Van Oeste Portlandia is tomorrow! That ride is a "non event" that is quite challenging and a lot of fun that is beginning to draw a bit of attention. unfortunately I've got other plans so I'll miss it this year for the first time.
We turned back uphill and ascended through the OHSU campus. The weather was beginning to improve and we got a bit of a view as we climbed. It was still dripping a bit with some low clouds and fog so I left the camera packaged up.
Before long we summited again and began a descent to the downtown Portland area.
We stopped at Starbucks so Mark could get a warm drink then began our biggest climb of the day, Cornell Road to Skyline.
We had a bit of fun while up on that hill. Ever say "I'm going to make it up that hill even if it kills me"?
Our weather kept improving. The rain had stopped, the sky was brightening enough that we now had shadows. A bit of wind developed that would be in our faces the remainder of our trip, but hey, we can ride in headwind. ;-)
We made our way to Lake Oswego and made a lap of it. The lake doesn't look like much of a lake right now. It is drained while they do some work on sewer lines under the lake.
We finished up our ride today back in Tualatin. I noted that we finished today's ride at the same location that I begin my night route. The weather was nicer than when we began this morning, the route was flatter, a coincidence? I think not. I grabbed a quick bite to eat and took off again in search of 100 miles.
I finished up just as it was getting dark. It was a good day to be on the bike. Mark and I got to ride quite a few "new to us" roads on a course that we will likely ride again and I got my March century in the bag! I ended up with 106 miles with just over 8000 ft of climbing.
Next week I've got two good rides planned (here and here) so March is off to a good start.
..........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today.......106..............0.............0..........0.........106
Jan.........474..............0............21..........7.........502
Feb.........530..............0.............0..........0.........530
March.......213..............0.............0..........0.........213
YTD.......1227...............0............21..........7........1255
Sunday, March 6, 2011
loss of focus
I had planned to ride a birthday ride with a member of the social bike group, and about 20 others. A last minute issue came up and I wished the birthday boy a happy birthday and took my bike out to OMSI with a plan to re-ride yesterday's 79 mile hilly ride. As I pedaled out the Springwater Corridor my bike pansy took over. I just didn't have it mentally to ride that today. I rode out 14 miles to Linneman Station and turned around. It was an absolutely gorgeous day to ride, I just couldn't seem to get my head around doing it.
I guess I'll have to ride in the rain later this month to get my century for March. :-(
..........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today........28..............0.............0..........0..........28
Jan.........474..............0............21..........7.........502
Feb.........530..............0.............0..........0.........530
March.......107..............0.............0..........0.........107
YTD.......1121...............0............21..........7........1149
I guess I'll have to ride in the rain later this month to get my century for March. :-(
..........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today........28..............0.............0..........0..........28
Jan.........474..............0............21..........7.........502
Feb.........530..............0.............0..........0.........530
March.......107..............0.............0..........0.........107
YTD.......1121...............0............21..........7........1149
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Chilly Hilly x2.................
.........except that it wasn't chilly at all!
It was raining hard last evening, but predicted to morph into showers by today. We were pleasantly surprised to ride 79 miles today with no real rain. We did have just a few drips at our 60 mile mark but not enough to make the road wet, or require us to put on our rain gear. Temperatures were comfortable and there was no wind, not even at Crown Point in the Gorge!
7 of us took off from OMSI on the Willamette River in Portland today with plans to ride out to Multnomah Falls and back.
We started off a bit weakly, Steve had a flat just a few miles into our ride today. He repaired it and we pedaled on, only for him to have another flat in another 7 miles!
Once we got that out of the way we pedaled along on our quest to reach Multnomah Falls. It was a beautiful day to be on a bike.
We eventually reached Multnomah Falls and took a break to eat and drink a bit. Mark was the center of attention with his bamboo bike. Folks were wondering if it was real wood or just painted to look like wood. It is indeed real wood, though technically bamboo is a grass.
I guess I should have taken a photo of his bike, but didn't think I'd be writing about it today as we were riding! ;-)
I missed the turn onto Mershon Rd, thinking it was a side loop we had taken earlier, and instead followed the Sandy River to Troutdale. It saved us just a small amount of planned climbing but added 2 miles to our ride today.
We had a few personal records today, it was Tom's longest ride ever. It was Mark's longest ride since Cycle Oregon last summer, and Kay too found herself riding her longest ride since Cycle Oregon, and just over twice the distance as well as over twice the climbing she did last week at Chilly Hilly. Congratulations to all of them!
My Garmin 305 is in for repairs so I was riding with my Garmin 205, which is not as accurate when it comes to measuring elevation gains. The 205 measured todays cumulative elevation at 7221 ft, the mapping program reports the ride at just under 6200 ft. With total climbing anywhere in that range it means we had a lot of "up" today.
Couldn't have a better group of folks to ride with!
..........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today........79..............0.............0..........0..........79
Jan.........474..............0............21..........7.........502
Feb.........530..............0.............0..........0.........530
March........79..............0.............0..........0..........79
YTD.......1093...............0............21..........7........1121
It was raining hard last evening, but predicted to morph into showers by today. We were pleasantly surprised to ride 79 miles today with no real rain. We did have just a few drips at our 60 mile mark but not enough to make the road wet, or require us to put on our rain gear. Temperatures were comfortable and there was no wind, not even at Crown Point in the Gorge!
7 of us took off from OMSI on the Willamette River in Portland today with plans to ride out to Multnomah Falls and back.
We started off a bit weakly, Steve had a flat just a few miles into our ride today. He repaired it and we pedaled on, only for him to have another flat in another 7 miles!
Once we got that out of the way we pedaled along on our quest to reach Multnomah Falls. It was a beautiful day to be on a bike.
We eventually reached Multnomah Falls and took a break to eat and drink a bit. Mark was the center of attention with his bamboo bike. Folks were wondering if it was real wood or just painted to look like wood. It is indeed real wood, though technically bamboo is a grass.
I guess I should have taken a photo of his bike, but didn't think I'd be writing about it today as we were riding! ;-)
I missed the turn onto Mershon Rd, thinking it was a side loop we had taken earlier, and instead followed the Sandy River to Troutdale. It saved us just a small amount of planned climbing but added 2 miles to our ride today.
We had a few personal records today, it was Tom's longest ride ever. It was Mark's longest ride since Cycle Oregon last summer, and Kay too found herself riding her longest ride since Cycle Oregon, and just over twice the distance as well as over twice the climbing she did last week at Chilly Hilly. Congratulations to all of them!
My Garmin 305 is in for repairs so I was riding with my Garmin 205, which is not as accurate when it comes to measuring elevation gains. The 205 measured todays cumulative elevation at 7221 ft, the mapping program reports the ride at just under 6200 ft. With total climbing anywhere in that range it means we had a lot of "up" today.
Couldn't have a better group of folks to ride with!
..........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today........79..............0.............0..........0..........79
Jan.........474..............0............21..........7.........502
Feb.........530..............0.............0..........0.........530
March........79..............0.............0..........0..........79
YTD.......1093...............0............21..........7........1121
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
