I made my way to Vancouver, WA tonight to ride the longest running ride series in our little bike club. The ride begins along the Columbia River and runs to the end of a road that leads generally northwest out of Vancouver. There were eight of us tonight.
It was dark when we left, and certainly wasn't getting any lighter as we rode. We rode a fairly casual pace, about 15-16 on the way out into a slight wind, and about 19-20 on the way back with the wind behind us. We all had lights, but some of us had a LOT of light. Those of us with bright lights teamed up with those running lesser lights in this dark area. I teamed up with Chris sharing my bright light.
I'm fighting off a cold so the slower pace was just fine by me.
Following the ride we went to a local Mexican restaurant for a post ride debriefing.
Then it got interesting.
I don't ride over the Interstate Bridge often. The bridge was no problem, but the access to and from wasn't real intuitive. I got across the Columbia River just fine but darned if I could find the route across the next body of water. I ended up calling my sister and had her get online and direct me out of my predicament.
By the time it was all over I had ridden about 4 extra miles just making loops around the highway interchange and shopping center parking lots.
All's well that ends well though. Dry night, good friends, good food, and made it home in one piece. ;-)
.........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today........30..............0.............0..........0..........30
Jan.........474..............0............21..........7.........502
Feb.........530..............0.............0..........0.........530
March.......502..............0.............0..........0.........502
April.......524..............0.............0..........0.........524
May........1003..............0.............0..........0........1003
June.......1016..............0............10..........0........1026
July.......1148..............0.............0..........0........1148
August.....1049..............0.............0..........0........1049
Sept.......1153..............0............50..........0........1213
Oct.........881..............0.............0.........20.........901
Nov........1012..............0.............0.........20........1032
YTD........9203..............0............87.........47........9337
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Hello Carbon Bike
It was a dry day. It was also a dry evening when I prepared to go for a ride. I hopped on the carbon bike for the first time in several hundred miles of riding. The rain bike hung from the hook with a look of despair as I had an ear to ear smile as I pedaled away.
My rain bike has a second set of brake levers on the bars near the stem. My carbon bike has traditional brake levers. I've been riding the rain bike so much lately that it caught me a bit by surprise as I rolled up to a stop sign with oncoming traffic and squeezed the non-existent levers. Oops! Hurriedly grabbed the only brake levers on the bike and came to a stop. Good thing the carbon bike has excellent brakes!
Other than that little issue the only other thing of note on tonight's ride was the sunset. It was spectacular. I did not have a camera with me, but take my word, it was awesome.
I rode my 25 mile night loop then did a few miles of meandering around the better lit side streets of Wilsonville as well as a few laps of big box stores' parking lots.
It was bit chilly, but dry. A good night for a ride.
.........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today........35..............0.............0..........0..........35
Jan.........474..............0............21..........7.........502
Feb.........530..............0.............0..........0.........530
March.......502..............0.............0..........0.........502
April.......524..............0.............0..........0.........524
May........1003..............0.............0..........0........1003
June.......1016..............0............10..........0........1026
July.......1148..............0.............0..........0........1148
August.....1049..............0.............0..........0........1049
Sept.......1153..............0............50..........0........1213
Oct.........881..............0.............0.........20.........901
Nov.........982..............0.............0.........20........1002
YTD........9203..............0............87.........47........9337
My rain bike has a second set of brake levers on the bars near the stem. My carbon bike has traditional brake levers. I've been riding the rain bike so much lately that it caught me a bit by surprise as I rolled up to a stop sign with oncoming traffic and squeezed the non-existent levers. Oops! Hurriedly grabbed the only brake levers on the bike and came to a stop. Good thing the carbon bike has excellent brakes!
Other than that little issue the only other thing of note on tonight's ride was the sunset. It was spectacular. I did not have a camera with me, but take my word, it was awesome.
I rode my 25 mile night loop then did a few miles of meandering around the better lit side streets of Wilsonville as well as a few laps of big box stores' parking lots.
It was bit chilly, but dry. A good night for a ride.
.........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today........35..............0.............0..........0..........35
Jan.........474..............0............21..........7.........502
Feb.........530..............0.............0..........0.........530
March.......502..............0.............0..........0.........502
April.......524..............0.............0..........0.........524
May........1003..............0.............0..........0........1003
June.......1016..............0............10..........0........1026
July.......1148..............0.............0..........0........1148
August.....1049..............0.............0..........0........1049
Sept.......1153..............0............50..........0........1213
Oct.........881..............0.............0.........20.........901
Nov.........982..............0.............0.........20........1002
YTD........9203..............0............87.........47........9337
Sunday, November 27, 2011
in a word............
WET!
I was invited to join a group today that was riding a 70 mile route from Forest Grove to Vernonia via roads, then take the Banks-Vernonia State Trail back to Banks then Thatcher Rd back to Forest Grove.
A few things had caused me concern, but hey, figured if these folks were going to ride on a day with predicted rain I'd join them.
The first concern was that the map that was sent out pre-ride came with the warning, "we can't figure out how to make the program allow bike paths so it's just approximate". They also said they were planning a lunch stop in Vernonia, yet the map didn't show going into Vernonia far enough to access lunch options. I am familiar with mapping programs so I took the liberty of recreating the route following their description and sending it to them. Was promptly "spanked" and told that there had been a lot of work done on this and paper cue sheets would be handed out at the start. Paper cue sheets and I don't get along at the best of times, let alone rainy days. I loaded my "corrected route" on my gps and went to the ride.
The ride wasn't supposed to start until 10AM, so looking for more miles, I rode to the ride from Hillsboro. The forecast called for significant rain beginning about noon, and since I started riding at 9AM it was dry. ;-) I rode with just a windbreaker over my jersey. As I crossed the city limits of Forest Grove a few drips began to fall, and I noted that the hills to the west were socked in with low clouds. As I arrived at the official start of the ride I took off my windbreaker and put on my rain jacket!
Another concern came when at 10:15 we still hadn't shoved off, in fact, people were still arriving. I decided to "take a chill pill" and just go with the flow. We finally began riding at 10:30 after getting a little pre-ride route overview. We were told "out Ritchey Rd, right on Stringtown, left on Gales Creek Rd". That wasn't what was mapped, but I knew the area and roads, this being my home turf, and noted the turns. There was also talk of this being a pretty flat route. We took off with a sizable group of 16 riders.
In just a matter of a few minutes we arrived at the Ritchey Rd turn only to see the group continue on Hwy 8/Gales Creek Rd. I dallied a bit and began to make the turn and calling attention to the others that this was our turn, only to be told that we were going to stay on Gales Creek Rd.
Okay. :-O
We get less than a mile down the road and the leaders pull off to the right at the Thatcher Rd/Gales Creek Rd junction. They were unsure which way to turn. :-O After some discussion the group pedaled on.
Despite a pace advertised at 17-18 the group pedaled along at 20-23 mph. I was dressed too warmly for that effort. The group was doing too much accordion action for my liking and after about 10 miles I dropped off the back and slowed down to about 16-17. A couple of other riders dropped back with me.
When we arrived at the Timber Junction a couple of guys were waiting for us to make sure we knew the turn. They jumped in front of us and my two fellow slow pokes jumped in their draft and soon disappeared out in front.
I knew some of the group, cat 2 and 3 bike racers, also a couple of Race Across Oregon 4x team record holders. Fast folks.
I decided to ride my ride.
As I pedaled over the nearly 1200 ft summit on the way to Timber I couldn't help but take a photo of this "flat" country we were riding through. ;-)
I made my way to Vernonia and rode through town passing the group's bikes parked outside as the group was at their lunch stop. I pedaled on, knowing that I would not deal so well with real food and that they would likely catch me anyway.
I rode the Banks-Vernonia State Trail into Banks and the group had still not caught me. I stopped under cover and ate some snacks from my pack then used the restroom.
As I came out I saw some of the group riding up. After a few minutes of chatting with them I decided to ride on so I wouldn't get cold, and they said they'd catch me. I didn't doubt that.
Surprisingly I never saw them again. I arrived in Forest Grove and kept right on going since darkness was closing in and I still had to ride back to East Hillsboro.
I had a rear blinkie on most of the day and turned the front blinkie on as I left Forest Grove. I arrived at my pickup with 90 miles for the day. I was already wet, had been for hours with the nonstop rain of the day, but not terribly cold. .... I turned on my bright headlight and pedaled on in search of a century.
Found it!
.........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today.......104..............0.............0..........0.........104
Jan.........474..............0............21..........7.........502
Feb.........530..............0.............0..........0.........530
March.......502..............0.............0..........0.........502
April.......524..............0.............0..........0.........524
May........1003..............0.............0..........0........1003
June.......1016..............0............10..........0........1026
July.......1148..............0.............0..........0........1148
August.....1049..............0.............0..........0........1049
Sept.......1153..............0............50..........0........1213
Oct.........881..............0.............0.........20.........901
Nov.........947..............0.............0.........20.........967
YTD........9203..............0............87.........47........9337
I was invited to join a group today that was riding a 70 mile route from Forest Grove to Vernonia via roads, then take the Banks-Vernonia State Trail back to Banks then Thatcher Rd back to Forest Grove.
A few things had caused me concern, but hey, figured if these folks were going to ride on a day with predicted rain I'd join them.
The first concern was that the map that was sent out pre-ride came with the warning, "we can't figure out how to make the program allow bike paths so it's just approximate". They also said they were planning a lunch stop in Vernonia, yet the map didn't show going into Vernonia far enough to access lunch options. I am familiar with mapping programs so I took the liberty of recreating the route following their description and sending it to them. Was promptly "spanked" and told that there had been a lot of work done on this and paper cue sheets would be handed out at the start. Paper cue sheets and I don't get along at the best of times, let alone rainy days. I loaded my "corrected route" on my gps and went to the ride.
The ride wasn't supposed to start until 10AM, so looking for more miles, I rode to the ride from Hillsboro. The forecast called for significant rain beginning about noon, and since I started riding at 9AM it was dry. ;-) I rode with just a windbreaker over my jersey. As I crossed the city limits of Forest Grove a few drips began to fall, and I noted that the hills to the west were socked in with low clouds. As I arrived at the official start of the ride I took off my windbreaker and put on my rain jacket!
Another concern came when at 10:15 we still hadn't shoved off, in fact, people were still arriving. I decided to "take a chill pill" and just go with the flow. We finally began riding at 10:30 after getting a little pre-ride route overview. We were told "out Ritchey Rd, right on Stringtown, left on Gales Creek Rd". That wasn't what was mapped, but I knew the area and roads, this being my home turf, and noted the turns. There was also talk of this being a pretty flat route. We took off with a sizable group of 16 riders.
In just a matter of a few minutes we arrived at the Ritchey Rd turn only to see the group continue on Hwy 8/Gales Creek Rd. I dallied a bit and began to make the turn and calling attention to the others that this was our turn, only to be told that we were going to stay on Gales Creek Rd.
Okay. :-O
We get less than a mile down the road and the leaders pull off to the right at the Thatcher Rd/Gales Creek Rd junction. They were unsure which way to turn. :-O After some discussion the group pedaled on.
Despite a pace advertised at 17-18 the group pedaled along at 20-23 mph. I was dressed too warmly for that effort. The group was doing too much accordion action for my liking and after about 10 miles I dropped off the back and slowed down to about 16-17. A couple of other riders dropped back with me.
When we arrived at the Timber Junction a couple of guys were waiting for us to make sure we knew the turn. They jumped in front of us and my two fellow slow pokes jumped in their draft and soon disappeared out in front.
I knew some of the group, cat 2 and 3 bike racers, also a couple of Race Across Oregon 4x team record holders. Fast folks.
I decided to ride my ride.
As I pedaled over the nearly 1200 ft summit on the way to Timber I couldn't help but take a photo of this "flat" country we were riding through. ;-)
I made my way to Vernonia and rode through town passing the group's bikes parked outside as the group was at their lunch stop. I pedaled on, knowing that I would not deal so well with real food and that they would likely catch me anyway.
I rode the Banks-Vernonia State Trail into Banks and the group had still not caught me. I stopped under cover and ate some snacks from my pack then used the restroom.
As I came out I saw some of the group riding up. After a few minutes of chatting with them I decided to ride on so I wouldn't get cold, and they said they'd catch me. I didn't doubt that.
Surprisingly I never saw them again. I arrived in Forest Grove and kept right on going since darkness was closing in and I still had to ride back to East Hillsboro.
I had a rear blinkie on most of the day and turned the front blinkie on as I left Forest Grove. I arrived at my pickup with 90 miles for the day. I was already wet, had been for hours with the nonstop rain of the day, but not terribly cold. .... I turned on my bright headlight and pedaled on in search of a century.
Found it!
.........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today.......104..............0.............0..........0.........104
Jan.........474..............0............21..........7.........502
Feb.........530..............0.............0..........0.........530
March.......502..............0.............0..........0.........502
April.......524..............0.............0..........0.........524
May........1003..............0.............0..........0........1003
June.......1016..............0............10..........0........1026
July.......1148..............0.............0..........0........1148
August.....1049..............0.............0..........0........1049
Sept.......1153..............0............50..........0........1213
Oct.........881..............0.............0.........20.........901
Nov.........947..............0.............0.........20.........967
YTD........9203..............0............87.........47........9337
Friday, November 25, 2011
A gorgeous day!
Days in NW Oregon in late November don't get any better than today. Clear skies, but no frost this morning, very light breeze, comfortable temperatures all made for a great day. Dave and I took off for a century ride, plus a little.
We started off at 8:30 AM. We knew that with the short daylight this time of year that we were likely to end up riding in the dark so we brought good lights along. We pedaled southward. We had perfect blue skies, and a sun that was tracking low in the sky. We picked up a very slight headwind about half way to Salem. We smiled, figuring that the wind would increase as the day progressed, and by the time it was an issue it would be at our back.
Dave is a strong rider and we pushed a pretty good pace...me at 150bpm heart rate or more most of the time... until we got to the Union Street Bridge in Salem and made our first stop.
From there we turned west toward Independence. Before leaving West Salem we made a brief stop at a grocery store to stock up on some junk food..er, supplies!
We made it to Independence then crossed the bridge on followed the Willamette Valley Scenic Bike Route for a few miles before turning up Skyline Rd. Neither of us had been up this road before and we got a bit of a surprise when the GPS showed we were at times climbing 27%! As we neared the top, and I was working hard to keep up with Dave, I found out what my Garmin does when I reach 177bpm.... it chirps like a little birdie and displays "maximum heart rate". ;-O
Once on top we had a nice run down Liberty Street into Salem. Things went well but we noted that the expected tailwind hadn't materialized. In fact what wind we had was a cross wind. Before too long we noted that smoke from backyard leaf fires indicated that there was a very slight headwind. Some days that happens!
About 95 miles into the ride we stopped to put on lights. We continued on northward. As we neared Aurora Dave and I talked about just riding across the Boone Bridge rather than taking the Canby Ferry as we had originally planned. It would save a few miles and some climbing.
Never dangle a shortcut in front of a cyclist who's already ridden 100 miles.
The northbound crossing of the Boone Bridge is really not safe right now as there is construction on the interchange that has taken the shoulder. We decided that if we were going to take the Boone Bridge we would find a way to get on a surface street before the Wilsonville exit. We went for it!
As soon as we crossed the bridge we started looking for ways to get off the freeway. We ended up using cyclocross skills and hopped over a guardrail, made our way down an embankment, the lifted our bikes over a fence, while we crawled underneath it.
We survived and finished up the ride on low traffic residential streets.
Days don't get any better that this in late November!
........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.......502..............0.............0..........0.........502
April.......524..............0.............0..........0.........524
May........1003..............0.............0..........0........1003
June.......1016..............0............10..........0........1026
July.......1148..............0.............0..........0........1148
August.....1049..............0.............0..........0........1049
Sept.......1153..............0............50..........0........1213
Oct.........881..............0.............0.........20.........901
Nov.........843..............0.............0.........20.........863
YTD........9099..............0............87.........47........9233
We started off at 8:30 AM. We knew that with the short daylight this time of year that we were likely to end up riding in the dark so we brought good lights along. We pedaled southward. We had perfect blue skies, and a sun that was tracking low in the sky. We picked up a very slight headwind about half way to Salem. We smiled, figuring that the wind would increase as the day progressed, and by the time it was an issue it would be at our back.
Dave is a strong rider and we pushed a pretty good pace...me at 150bpm heart rate or more most of the time... until we got to the Union Street Bridge in Salem and made our first stop.
From there we turned west toward Independence. Before leaving West Salem we made a brief stop at a grocery store to stock up on some junk food..er, supplies!
We made it to Independence then crossed the bridge on followed the Willamette Valley Scenic Bike Route for a few miles before turning up Skyline Rd. Neither of us had been up this road before and we got a bit of a surprise when the GPS showed we were at times climbing 27%! As we neared the top, and I was working hard to keep up with Dave, I found out what my Garmin does when I reach 177bpm.... it chirps like a little birdie and displays "maximum heart rate". ;-O
Once on top we had a nice run down Liberty Street into Salem. Things went well but we noted that the expected tailwind hadn't materialized. In fact what wind we had was a cross wind. Before too long we noted that smoke from backyard leaf fires indicated that there was a very slight headwind. Some days that happens!
About 95 miles into the ride we stopped to put on lights. We continued on northward. As we neared Aurora Dave and I talked about just riding across the Boone Bridge rather than taking the Canby Ferry as we had originally planned. It would save a few miles and some climbing.
Never dangle a shortcut in front of a cyclist who's already ridden 100 miles.
The northbound crossing of the Boone Bridge is really not safe right now as there is construction on the interchange that has taken the shoulder. We decided that if we were going to take the Boone Bridge we would find a way to get on a surface street before the Wilsonville exit. We went for it!
As soon as we crossed the bridge we started looking for ways to get off the freeway. We ended up using cyclocross skills and hopped over a guardrail, made our way down an embankment, the lifted our bikes over a fence, while we crawled underneath it.
We survived and finished up the ride on low traffic residential streets.
Days don't get any better that this in late November!
........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.......502..............0.............0..........0.........502
April.......524..............0.............0..........0.........524
May........1003..............0.............0..........0........1003
June.......1016..............0............10..........0........1026
July.......1148..............0.............0..........0........1148
August.....1049..............0.............0..........0........1049
Sept.......1153..............0............50..........0........1213
Oct.........881..............0.............0.........20.........901
Nov.........843..............0.............0.........20.........863
YTD........9099..............0............87.........47........9233
Monday, November 21, 2011
wet and wild
That's the weather outside for the next several days.
What's a bike person to do?
Well, join the League of American Cyclists of course!
In my opinion you won't find a bike organization that does more for cyclist education and advocacy.
I urge you to JOIN THEM today.
And tonight I decided it was time to get back on a "pretend bike" and remind myself why I really like to ride roads on real bikes. I went to 24 Hour Fitness and pedaled a Lifecycle for 20 pretend miles. It was warm, I watched TV, and there was a spa waiting for me as soon as I was finished. ;-)
........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today.........0..............0.............0.........20..........79
Jan.........474..............0............21..........7.........502
Feb.........530..............0.............0..........0.........530
March.......502..............0.............0..........0.........502
April.......524..............0.............0..........0.........524
May........1003..............0.............0..........0........1003
June.......1016..............0............10..........0........1026
July.......1148..............0.............0..........0........1148
August.....1049..............0.............0..........0........1049
Sept.......1153..............0............50..........0........1213
Oct.........881..............0.............0.........20.........901
Nov.........737..............0.............0.........20.........737
YTD........8993..............0............87.........47........9127
What's a bike person to do?
Well, join the League of American Cyclists of course!
In my opinion you won't find a bike organization that does more for cyclist education and advocacy.
I urge you to JOIN THEM today.
And tonight I decided it was time to get back on a "pretend bike" and remind myself why I really like to ride roads on real bikes. I went to 24 Hour Fitness and pedaled a Lifecycle for 20 pretend miles. It was warm, I watched TV, and there was a spa waiting for me as soon as I was finished. ;-)
........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today.........0..............0.............0.........20..........79
Jan.........474..............0............21..........7.........502
Feb.........530..............0.............0..........0.........530
March.......502..............0.............0..........0.........502
April.......524..............0.............0..........0.........524
May........1003..............0.............0..........0........1003
June.......1016..............0............10..........0........1026
July.......1148..............0.............0..........0........1148
August.....1049..............0.............0..........0........1049
Sept.......1153..............0............50..........0........1213
Oct.........881..............0.............0.........20.........901
Nov.........737..............0.............0.........20.........737
YTD........8993..............0............87.........47........9127
Sunday, November 20, 2011
A tale of two cities
I ride in the Seattle area from time to time and belong to several Facebook bike groups based in the Puget Sound area. Over the years I've met many good folks up that way. Today I met another rider whom I had previously only known by name. John H from the West Sound Cycling Club came down to Portland, lured in part by stories he's heard about the Springwater Corridor trail and Portland's Bike Boulevards. He's been having some knee issues and figured he'd be ok with about a 25 mile ride. I obliged by mapping a 26 mile route that took in some of Portland's bike highlights. We rode the East Bank Esplanade, Springwater Corridor, and made a stop at Cartlandia for lunch.
We then continued to the I-205 bike path, then on designated bikeways and Bike Boulevards back to the Willamette River where we crossed the Hawthorne Bridge famous for it's volume of bicyclists.
We then followed the Waterfront Park bike path back to the Steel Bridge and our start/finish point. There were 5 of us total, and we had a beautiful cloudless blue sky. Not bad for a November day.
Following the ride I went for bonus miles. It was dry weather and daylight, who needs more of an excuse to ride a bike? I didn't have my bright light along, but did have a good blinkie on the front of the bike along with my standard two Planet Bike Super Flashes on the back. I headed back out to the Springwater Corridor and I-205 path and put the hammer down, adding another 53 miles to today's total. ...and yes, it was just a bit chilly, but still darn nice to be pedaling in dry weather. If the forecasters are correct it may be the last dry day for awhile.
........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.......502..............0.............0..........0.........502
April.......524..............0.............0..........0.........524
May........1003..............0.............0..........0........1003
June.......1016..............0............10..........0........1026
July.......1148..............0.............0..........0........1148
August.....1049..............0.............0..........0........1049
Sept.......1153..............0............50..........0........1213
Oct.........881..............0.............0.........20.........901
Nov.........737..............0.............0..........0.........737
YTD........8993..............0............87.........27........9107
We then continued to the I-205 bike path, then on designated bikeways and Bike Boulevards back to the Willamette River where we crossed the Hawthorne Bridge famous for it's volume of bicyclists.
We then followed the Waterfront Park bike path back to the Steel Bridge and our start/finish point. There were 5 of us total, and we had a beautiful cloudless blue sky. Not bad for a November day.
Following the ride I went for bonus miles. It was dry weather and daylight, who needs more of an excuse to ride a bike? I didn't have my bright light along, but did have a good blinkie on the front of the bike along with my standard two Planet Bike Super Flashes on the back. I headed back out to the Springwater Corridor and I-205 path and put the hammer down, adding another 53 miles to today's total. ...and yes, it was just a bit chilly, but still darn nice to be pedaling in dry weather. If the forecasters are correct it may be the last dry day for awhile.
........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.......502..............0.............0..........0.........502
April.......524..............0.............0..........0.........524
May........1003..............0.............0..........0........1003
June.......1016..............0............10..........0........1026
July.......1148..............0.............0..........0........1148
August.....1049..............0.............0..........0........1049
Sept.......1153..............0............50..........0........1213
Oct.........881..............0.............0.........20.........901
Nov.........737..............0.............0..........0.........737
YTD........8993..............0............87.........27........9107
Saturday, November 19, 2011
New territory
I played with my Garmin mapping program, selected a few points and told it to find me a bike friendly route between them. It was going to be a fun adventure, sending us over many roads I had never cycled before, as well as finding bike paths where I never knew they existed!
The concern this morning was the weather. Last night a black ice warning was issued for the area, and there was supposed to be snow accumulation to quite low elevations and possible freezing temperatures.
As it ended up the morning came with lows in the high 30's so we dodged the black ice bullet, at least on the valley floor. Our route was to take us up to Sandy, about 1000 ft in elevation.
Ken and I started from Tigard today. I drove to the start since I was running too late to bike there, Ken rode about 25 miles from his home in east Portland.
We rode up to Garden Home and over a bit of a hill before dropping down to the Willamette River and crossing the Selwood Bridge. We pedaled along the Springwater Corridor to Gresham then dropped into the Sandy River canyon and crossed the river at Dodge Park.
I guess I cursed our ride today, because as we began the climb away from Dodge Park we experienced a rain shower. It wasn't real hard, but hard enough that I put on my goretex jacket. I rode with it on for just under 10 miles.
After climbing a significant grade to get out of the canyon we dropped right back into it to cross Revenue Bridge. It began to rain lightly again as we neared Sandy. We stopped for lunch at Subway.
From Sandy we turned toward Estacada. After 50 miles of nice cycling roads and paths we were now on a road that had no real shoulder. Not that it made a whole lot of difference, because of the copious leaf debris following a few days of blustery wet weather we were in the lane most of the day. It just wasn't safe to ride on those wet leaves.
Once we got to Estacada our road improved. Ken outrode today, as he usually does. He was 200 hundred feet ahead of me climbing a hill and missed a turn. I waited a bit for him, but knowing we were going to need all the daylight we had today I pedaled on, figured when he called me we'd figure out how to meet back up. I had figured that we were probably riding a parallel route heading toward Oregon City.
He ended up backtracking and coming into Beavercreek the same way I did. It was probably shorter for him to continue on the way he was going and cut over to the "official route" farther down the hill. We ended up meeting in Beavercreek just as it was getting dark.
We lit up and pedaled on. Between New Era and Canby I heard a loud "BANG" behind me. Ken had blown a tubular tire. It was beyond fixing with a can of sealant so we set about changing it. My duties were pretty much holding the light. It took a long time to get the old tire off the rim, probably 20 minutes or more. That Ken sure does a fine job of gluing those tires on! Along with the darkness issue, it was raining. Never a fun time to be standing along the side of a dark rural road changing a tire in the rain.
We made our way to Canby via Territorial Rd and crossed the Canby Ferry. We climbed away from the Willamette River on that short steep hill then rode over the big rollers of Advance Rd. By now neither of us had much spring in our legs, but we did manage to keep forward momentum.
We arrived in Wilsonville then turned toward Tualatin and hopped on another bike path, this one leading us to Cook Park and Tigard.
It was getting late, we finished at nearly 7:30PM. Ken had family plans that were pressing so I offered to drive him home instead of him having to ride another 20+ miles on top of the 120 he'd already pedaled. He eagerly accepted the offer.
It was a good ride, some new country, or at least new roads in old country, always a bonus. No snow or ice, though at Sandy there were white trees not too far above us. The biggest issues were the huge amount of wet leaves on the shoulders, but even those weren't enough to make me wish I hadn't biked today.
I finally rolled over 9000 miles on the bike this year today. :-)
........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today.......102..............0.............0..........0.........102
Jan.........474..............0............21..........7.........502
Feb.........530..............0.............0..........0.........530
March.......502..............0.............0..........0.........502
April.......524..............0.............0..........0.........524
May........1003..............0.............0..........0........1003
June.......1016..............0............10..........0........1026
July.......1148..............0.............0..........0........1148
August.....1049..............0.............0..........0........1049
Sept.......1153..............0............50..........0........1213
Oct.........881..............0.............0.........20.........901
Nov.........658..............0.............0..........0.........658
YTD........8914..............0............87.........27........9028
The concern this morning was the weather. Last night a black ice warning was issued for the area, and there was supposed to be snow accumulation to quite low elevations and possible freezing temperatures.
As it ended up the morning came with lows in the high 30's so we dodged the black ice bullet, at least on the valley floor. Our route was to take us up to Sandy, about 1000 ft in elevation.
Ken and I started from Tigard today. I drove to the start since I was running too late to bike there, Ken rode about 25 miles from his home in east Portland.
We rode up to Garden Home and over a bit of a hill before dropping down to the Willamette River and crossing the Selwood Bridge. We pedaled along the Springwater Corridor to Gresham then dropped into the Sandy River canyon and crossed the river at Dodge Park.
I guess I cursed our ride today, because as we began the climb away from Dodge Park we experienced a rain shower. It wasn't real hard, but hard enough that I put on my goretex jacket. I rode with it on for just under 10 miles.
After climbing a significant grade to get out of the canyon we dropped right back into it to cross Revenue Bridge. It began to rain lightly again as we neared Sandy. We stopped for lunch at Subway.
From Sandy we turned toward Estacada. After 50 miles of nice cycling roads and paths we were now on a road that had no real shoulder. Not that it made a whole lot of difference, because of the copious leaf debris following a few days of blustery wet weather we were in the lane most of the day. It just wasn't safe to ride on those wet leaves.
Once we got to Estacada our road improved. Ken outrode today, as he usually does. He was 200 hundred feet ahead of me climbing a hill and missed a turn. I waited a bit for him, but knowing we were going to need all the daylight we had today I pedaled on, figured when he called me we'd figure out how to meet back up. I had figured that we were probably riding a parallel route heading toward Oregon City.
He ended up backtracking and coming into Beavercreek the same way I did. It was probably shorter for him to continue on the way he was going and cut over to the "official route" farther down the hill. We ended up meeting in Beavercreek just as it was getting dark.
We lit up and pedaled on. Between New Era and Canby I heard a loud "BANG" behind me. Ken had blown a tubular tire. It was beyond fixing with a can of sealant so we set about changing it. My duties were pretty much holding the light. It took a long time to get the old tire off the rim, probably 20 minutes or more. That Ken sure does a fine job of gluing those tires on! Along with the darkness issue, it was raining. Never a fun time to be standing along the side of a dark rural road changing a tire in the rain.
We made our way to Canby via Territorial Rd and crossed the Canby Ferry. We climbed away from the Willamette River on that short steep hill then rode over the big rollers of Advance Rd. By now neither of us had much spring in our legs, but we did manage to keep forward momentum.
We arrived in Wilsonville then turned toward Tualatin and hopped on another bike path, this one leading us to Cook Park and Tigard.
It was getting late, we finished at nearly 7:30PM. Ken had family plans that were pressing so I offered to drive him home instead of him having to ride another 20+ miles on top of the 120 he'd already pedaled. He eagerly accepted the offer.
It was a good ride, some new country, or at least new roads in old country, always a bonus. No snow or ice, though at Sandy there were white trees not too far above us. The biggest issues were the huge amount of wet leaves on the shoulders, but even those weren't enough to make me wish I hadn't biked today.
I finally rolled over 9000 miles on the bike this year today. :-)
........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today.......102..............0.............0..........0.........102
Jan.........474..............0............21..........7.........502
Feb.........530..............0.............0..........0.........530
March.......502..............0.............0..........0.........502
April.......524..............0.............0..........0.........524
May........1003..............0.............0..........0........1003
June.......1016..............0............10..........0........1026
July.......1148..............0.............0..........0........1148
August.....1049..............0.............0..........0........1049
Sept.......1153..............0............50..........0........1213
Oct.........881..............0.............0.........20.........901
Nov.........658..............0.............0..........0.........658
YTD........8914..............0............87.........27........9028
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
what was I thinking?
The morning started out frosty and foggy, it warmed slightly as the day wore on, but the fog stayed around......... until about 3:30PM when it dissolved away leaving beautiful blue skies. I knew I had to ride. I was thinking that I had about 25 miles to go to reach 9000 miles for the year so figured I had that in the bag and posted as much to Facebook. Alas, I should read my own blog! I was ONE HUNDRED and 25 miles short of 9000!
I started off in the blue sky, but knew it would be dark before I could finish so had good lights along. I rode my 25 mile "night loop" that is well lit with good shoulders. As the sun went down immediately fog began to reform. I was afraid that it would get thick and force me to quit but I was lucky in that visibility was never less than a few hundred feet. I put my faith in my dual Planet Bike Superflashes on the back and the 1 Watt Planet Bike white blinkie on front as well as my Light and Motion Stella 300 LED. Along with boat loads of reflectivity I felt save out there.
My night loop is not quite 25 miles so when I came in with two laps I was just short of 50 miles. A lap around the block fixed that!
.........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today........50..............0.............0..........0..........50
Jan.........474..............0............21..........7.........502
Feb.........530..............0.............0..........0.........530
March.......502..............0.............0..........0.........502
April.......524..............0.............0..........0.........524
May........1003..............0.............0..........0........1003
June.......1016..............0............10..........0........1026
July.......1148..............0.............0..........0........1148
August.....1049..............0.............0..........0........1049
Sept.......1153..............0............50..........0........1213
Oct.........881..............0.............0.........20.........901
Nov.........556..............0.............0..........0.........556
YTD........8812..............0............87.........27........8926
I started off in the blue sky, but knew it would be dark before I could finish so had good lights along. I rode my 25 mile "night loop" that is well lit with good shoulders. As the sun went down immediately fog began to reform. I was afraid that it would get thick and force me to quit but I was lucky in that visibility was never less than a few hundred feet. I put my faith in my dual Planet Bike Superflashes on the back and the 1 Watt Planet Bike white blinkie on front as well as my Light and Motion Stella 300 LED. Along with boat loads of reflectivity I felt save out there.
My night loop is not quite 25 miles so when I came in with two laps I was just short of 50 miles. A lap around the block fixed that!
.........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today........50..............0.............0..........0..........50
Jan.........474..............0............21..........7.........502
Feb.........530..............0.............0..........0.........530
March.......502..............0.............0..........0.........502
April.......524..............0.............0..........0.........524
May........1003..............0.............0..........0........1003
June.......1016..............0............10..........0........1026
July.......1148..............0.............0..........0........1148
August.....1049..............0.............0..........0........1049
Sept.......1153..............0............50..........0........1213
Oct.........881..............0.............0.........20.........901
Nov.........556..............0.............0..........0.........556
YTD........8812..............0............87.........27........8926
Sunday, November 13, 2011
5 inches
There is a saying among ultracycling competitors, "It's not the (x) miles, it's the 5 inches" (between your ears) meaning it's not so much bike fitness but mental attitude that gets you across the finish line.
Call it OCD, call it crazy, but that's what got me across the "finish line" today.
I came in from yesterday's ride with wind blowing hard and rain falling harder. The forecast was for that to continue today.
I was pleasantly surprised this morning when it wasn't raining, and it was reasonably calm. It was a bit cool, and I expected rain so I started out in a goretex jacket and pants, plus booties and full fingered gloves. I was dressed for 40 degrees and rain.
What I got was low 60's and dry.
That's a good thing unless being overheated causes performance issues. :-(
Ken and I were riding from Newberg today with a plan to get 100 miles via Dayton, West Salem, Independence, Liberty Rd, Salem, Keizer, Windsor Island, St Paul, and back to Newberg with a little loop around part of Newberg to get that magic 100 miles in.
The expected head winds did not materialize right away, and that lack of wind movement kept the roads wet until we got to Lincoln, about 5 miles north of West Salem, where we picked up a headwind that made our work a bit harder and dried the roads off.
I was not pushing too hard for fear of really over heating. What I should have done was take my rain jacket off, but by the time I ascertained the problem I couldn't take it off because I was soaked and no protection from the wind would have had me shivering within a mile.
Ken was waiting for me at every rise in the road, at the end of every stretch into the wind, heck, he was waiting for me all day!
It was a tough pedal for me. I should know better, I always have issues when I'm warm. Not warm like hot weather, I can deal with that. Warm like the sauna inside rain gear when it's not cold, and not raining!
I had long pants on under the rain pants, and they had a windproof front panel. When we got to Independence I had an epiphany.... take off the rain pants at least!
That helped quite a bit.
Ken and I continued south through Independence then took a left over the bridge and crossed the Willamette River.
Our route today was relatively flat, but we did have to climb about 1000 ft within a few miles on Liberty Rd. I stopped to take a photo of a rather scenic well groomed farm. (no small feat since the camera was inside a zip lock bag inside my pack, in anticipation of a day of nonstop rain!)
We got to the top of the hill, Ken kindly waited for me. I'd like to say it was all heat related, but it might just be old, out of shape, and slow. :-(
We enjoyed the gentle down slope into downtown Salem.,,.aided by a tailwind now!
We continued on through Salem, and through Keizer. We were supposed to take a bit of a detour to add miles and make a side trip to Windsor Island, but my slow pace had made getting back before dark questionable. We both had good lights along, but still, I don't like to be on roads at night if I can help it, especially this route that had us on busier roads.
We stopped in St Paul to put our lights on, in my case they were in my pack so I had to put them on the bike/helmet.
I turned my front and rear blinkies on as the light began to fade. I wasn't going to turn my bright "driving light" on until I needed it as I had not charged it up after the last use and wasn't sure how much battery life it had remaining.
We got back to Newberg after sundown, but before dark. Our planned route had us making a bit of a circuitous entry to Newberg to add the necessary miles. Both Ken and I decided it just wasn't that important. With the bypass of Windsor Island and the blow off of the loop around Newberg we finished up with 90 miles.
Most of you know me, I just can't stand being that close to 100 and not doing what it takes to get a century ride in.
When I got back home I hopped on this road.
Well lit, low traffic, 2.5 miles per lap, 4 laps. OCD! But the 100 mile day is in the books and on the blog! :-)
.........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today.......100..............0.............0..........0.........100
Jan.........474..............0............21..........7.........502
Feb.........530..............0.............0..........0.........530
March.......502..............0.............0..........0.........502
April.......524..............0.............0..........0.........524
May........1003..............0.............0..........0........1003
June.......1016..............0............10..........0........1026
July.......1148..............0.............0..........0........1148
August.....1049..............0.............0..........0........1049
Sept.......1153..............0............50..........0........1213
Oct.........881..............0.............0.........20.........901
Nov.........506..............0.............0..........0.........506
YTD........8762..............0............87.........27........8876
Call it OCD, call it crazy, but that's what got me across the "finish line" today.
I came in from yesterday's ride with wind blowing hard and rain falling harder. The forecast was for that to continue today.
I was pleasantly surprised this morning when it wasn't raining, and it was reasonably calm. It was a bit cool, and I expected rain so I started out in a goretex jacket and pants, plus booties and full fingered gloves. I was dressed for 40 degrees and rain.
What I got was low 60's and dry.
That's a good thing unless being overheated causes performance issues. :-(
Ken and I were riding from Newberg today with a plan to get 100 miles via Dayton, West Salem, Independence, Liberty Rd, Salem, Keizer, Windsor Island, St Paul, and back to Newberg with a little loop around part of Newberg to get that magic 100 miles in.
The expected head winds did not materialize right away, and that lack of wind movement kept the roads wet until we got to Lincoln, about 5 miles north of West Salem, where we picked up a headwind that made our work a bit harder and dried the roads off.
I was not pushing too hard for fear of really over heating. What I should have done was take my rain jacket off, but by the time I ascertained the problem I couldn't take it off because I was soaked and no protection from the wind would have had me shivering within a mile.
Ken was waiting for me at every rise in the road, at the end of every stretch into the wind, heck, he was waiting for me all day!
It was a tough pedal for me. I should know better, I always have issues when I'm warm. Not warm like hot weather, I can deal with that. Warm like the sauna inside rain gear when it's not cold, and not raining!
I had long pants on under the rain pants, and they had a windproof front panel. When we got to Independence I had an epiphany.... take off the rain pants at least!
That helped quite a bit.
Ken and I continued south through Independence then took a left over the bridge and crossed the Willamette River.
Our route today was relatively flat, but we did have to climb about 1000 ft within a few miles on Liberty Rd. I stopped to take a photo of a rather scenic well groomed farm. (no small feat since the camera was inside a zip lock bag inside my pack, in anticipation of a day of nonstop rain!)
We got to the top of the hill, Ken kindly waited for me. I'd like to say it was all heat related, but it might just be old, out of shape, and slow. :-(
We enjoyed the gentle down slope into downtown Salem.,,.aided by a tailwind now!
We continued on through Salem, and through Keizer. We were supposed to take a bit of a detour to add miles and make a side trip to Windsor Island, but my slow pace had made getting back before dark questionable. We both had good lights along, but still, I don't like to be on roads at night if I can help it, especially this route that had us on busier roads.
We stopped in St Paul to put our lights on, in my case they were in my pack so I had to put them on the bike/helmet.
I turned my front and rear blinkies on as the light began to fade. I wasn't going to turn my bright "driving light" on until I needed it as I had not charged it up after the last use and wasn't sure how much battery life it had remaining.
We got back to Newberg after sundown, but before dark. Our planned route had us making a bit of a circuitous entry to Newberg to add the necessary miles. Both Ken and I decided it just wasn't that important. With the bypass of Windsor Island and the blow off of the loop around Newberg we finished up with 90 miles.
Most of you know me, I just can't stand being that close to 100 and not doing what it takes to get a century ride in.
When I got back home I hopped on this road.
Well lit, low traffic, 2.5 miles per lap, 4 laps. OCD! But the 100 mile day is in the books and on the blog! :-)
.........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today.......100..............0.............0..........0.........100
Jan.........474..............0............21..........7.........502
Feb.........530..............0.............0..........0.........530
March.......502..............0.............0..........0.........502
April.......524..............0.............0..........0.........524
May........1003..............0.............0..........0........1003
June.......1016..............0............10..........0........1026
July.......1148..............0.............0..........0........1148
August.....1049..............0.............0..........0........1049
Sept.......1153..............0............50..........0........1213
Oct.........881..............0.............0.........20.........901
Nov.........506..............0.............0..........0.........506
YTD........8762..............0............87.........27........8876
Saturday, November 12, 2011
a change of venue
I got the email yesterday, the Santiam Spokes would be riding the Helmick Park short loop. I remember Helmick Park from my college days, but had no idea what the "Helmick Park short loop" was. I did note that the ride started from Albany at 10AM. "Aha" I say, "I have time to ride to the ride!"
Upon closer inspection I really didn't have time to ride to the ride as it would be nearly 65 miles one way. That would be nearly 4 hours of pedaling, and it's pretty darn dark yet shortly after 7AM.
I decided to go for the 100 mile option and started from Salem, which would give me a 32 mile commute. I didn't know how long the Santiam Spokes ride would be but figured I could add more miles if I needed them.
I pedaled from Salem, near the Union Street bridge and headed west on Hwy 22 then turned south through Independence. I turned onto Buena Vista Rd and followed that through the little town of Buena Vista. This was rural country and had all the markings of flood plain. I would presume that in pre-dam days that this land was under water every Spring, now probably only during extraordinary high water events.
It was new country for me to be riding in. It was fun seeing new roads, almost so much fun that I didn't notice the significant headwind I was riding into. Almost.
I arrived in Albany with about 15 minutes to spare. I met up with 16 other riders. I thought this was a pretty good turnout for a day that was supposed to be raining.
Our group pedaled along at a relaxed pace and after a brief stop at a friend of theirs who was home recuperating, eventually made our way to Helmick Park.
Our little group made the turn on our loop route and headed back south. Now the group got to enjoy the headwind I had experienced on the way to meet them this morning! ;-) The wind slowed our pace but did not break our spirit.
We arrived back in Albany, the end of the ride for my new found friends, and 65 miles into my planned 100 for me. We had a bite to eat at a bike friendly Asian restaurant then each went our own way, they home, me back north toward Salem... with a pretty decent wind at my back!
We did not have any rain on our group ride today, but there were a few drops falling as I started out. It was not enough to get me wet and quit pretty quickly. That process of dripping followed by dry continued as I rode back.
I made it to my pickup with 97 miles. I did what anyone would do, I pedaled on past in search of 3 more miles.
By the time I dealt with one way streets I bagged a bonus mile. I'll take it!
I'm off on another century ride tomorrow, I suspect it will be much wetter than today's ride.
.........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today.......101..............0.............0..........0.........101
Jan.........474..............0............21..........7.........502
Feb.........530..............0.............0..........0.........530
March.......502..............0.............0..........0.........502
April.......524..............0.............0..........0.........524
May........1003..............0.............0..........0........1003
June.......1016..............0............10..........0........1026
July.......1148..............0.............0..........0........1148
August.....1049..............0.............0..........0........1049
Sept.......1153..............0............50..........0........1213
Oct.........881..............0.............0.........20.........901
Nov.........406..............0.............0..........0.........406
YTD........8662..............0............87.........27........8776
Upon closer inspection I really didn't have time to ride to the ride as it would be nearly 65 miles one way. That would be nearly 4 hours of pedaling, and it's pretty darn dark yet shortly after 7AM.
I decided to go for the 100 mile option and started from Salem, which would give me a 32 mile commute. I didn't know how long the Santiam Spokes ride would be but figured I could add more miles if I needed them.
I pedaled from Salem, near the Union Street bridge and headed west on Hwy 22 then turned south through Independence. I turned onto Buena Vista Rd and followed that through the little town of Buena Vista. This was rural country and had all the markings of flood plain. I would presume that in pre-dam days that this land was under water every Spring, now probably only during extraordinary high water events.
It was new country for me to be riding in. It was fun seeing new roads, almost so much fun that I didn't notice the significant headwind I was riding into. Almost.
I arrived in Albany with about 15 minutes to spare. I met up with 16 other riders. I thought this was a pretty good turnout for a day that was supposed to be raining.
Our group pedaled along at a relaxed pace and after a brief stop at a friend of theirs who was home recuperating, eventually made our way to Helmick Park.
Our little group made the turn on our loop route and headed back south. Now the group got to enjoy the headwind I had experienced on the way to meet them this morning! ;-) The wind slowed our pace but did not break our spirit.
We arrived back in Albany, the end of the ride for my new found friends, and 65 miles into my planned 100 for me. We had a bite to eat at a bike friendly Asian restaurant then each went our own way, they home, me back north toward Salem... with a pretty decent wind at my back!
We did not have any rain on our group ride today, but there were a few drops falling as I started out. It was not enough to get me wet and quit pretty quickly. That process of dripping followed by dry continued as I rode back.
I made it to my pickup with 97 miles. I did what anyone would do, I pedaled on past in search of 3 more miles.
By the time I dealt with one way streets I bagged a bonus mile. I'll take it!
I'm off on another century ride tomorrow, I suspect it will be much wetter than today's ride.
.........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today.......101..............0.............0..........0.........101
Jan.........474..............0............21..........7.........502
Feb.........530..............0.............0..........0.........530
March.......502..............0.............0..........0.........502
April.......524..............0.............0..........0.........524
May........1003..............0.............0..........0........1003
June.......1016..............0............10..........0........1026
July.......1148..............0.............0..........0........1148
August.....1049..............0.............0..........0........1049
Sept.......1153..............0............50..........0........1213
Oct.........881..............0.............0.........20.........901
Nov.........406..............0.............0..........0.........406
YTD........8662..............0............87.........27........8776
Thursday, November 10, 2011
short ride
but at least I was spinning pedals for a change!
It was a sunny day, frost in the morning, but became reasonable as the day progressed.
I was looking longingly at the blue sky and wishing I were on my bike. I finally had the opportunity to go for a ride with about 1 1/2 hour of daylight left. I made sure I had my lights and went for a ride.
After several days of wishing it was nice to back out pedaling. I stayed pretty close to home, a series of loops and out and backs. I did manage to get a few miles in, not many, but as I posted on facebook, better than sitting at home with a bag of chips and a beer.
.........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today........31..............0.............0..........0..........31
Jan.........474..............0............21..........7.........502
Feb.........530..............0.............0..........0.........530
March.......502..............0.............0..........0.........502
April.......524..............0.............0..........0.........524
May........1003..............0.............0..........0........1003
June.......1016..............0............10..........0........1026
July.......1148..............0.............0..........0........1148
August.....1049..............0.............0..........0........1049
Sept.......1153..............0............50..........0........1213
Oct.........881..............0.............0.........20.........901
Nov.........305..............0.............0..........0.........305
YTD........8561..............0............87.........27........8675
It was a sunny day, frost in the morning, but became reasonable as the day progressed.
I was looking longingly at the blue sky and wishing I were on my bike. I finally had the opportunity to go for a ride with about 1 1/2 hour of daylight left. I made sure I had my lights and went for a ride.
After several days of wishing it was nice to back out pedaling. I stayed pretty close to home, a series of loops and out and backs. I did manage to get a few miles in, not many, but as I posted on facebook, better than sitting at home with a bag of chips and a beer.
.........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today........31..............0.............0..........0..........31
Jan.........474..............0............21..........7.........502
Feb.........530..............0.............0..........0.........530
March.......502..............0.............0..........0.........502
April.......524..............0.............0..........0.........524
May........1003..............0.............0..........0........1003
June.......1016..............0............10..........0........1026
July.......1148..............0.............0..........0........1148
August.....1049..............0.............0..........0........1049
Sept.......1153..............0............50..........0........1213
Oct.........881..............0.............0.........20.........901
Nov.........305..............0.............0..........0.........305
YTD........8561..............0............87.........27........8675
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
sitting down while standing up
Tonight I attended a meeting at the Skyline Grange organized by the Skyline Ridge Neighbors. On their website the meeting was advertised thusly:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Getting By, Getting Along: Bikes and Cars on Skyline Roads
Who owns the roads? Can you pass a bike when a double yellow line is present? Drivers and bikers come together to air concerns and find common ground. Bike law expert Mark Ginsburg and Sgt. Timothy Lichatowich of the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office will address questions and issues. The meeting will be facilitated by Stan Sitnick, faculty member in PSU's Graduate Program in Conflict Resolution.
Skyline Grange, 11275 NW Skyline Boulevard, Portland 97231
Wednesday, November 9, 7-9 p.m.
Presented by Skyline Ridge Neighbors, your neighborhood association.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
I attended just to be counted.... I wanted to make a stand for bikes even if that meant just sitting in a chair.
The meeting was precipitated by a rather high profile resident of the area who feels that bikes don't belong in his neighborhood.
There was a good turnout. I counted over 145 people in attendance.
For the most part the group was polite and listened to each other. Mr Wheeler was the exception. He couldn't quite follow the rules set forth by the moderator and left early.
I think it's fair enough to say that progress was made and that the different factions found more in common than we expected. The president of the Skyline Ridge Neighbors wanted us to know that Mr Wheeler did not represent the mindset of the majority of the folks out that way, and that was a good thing to know!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Getting By, Getting Along: Bikes and Cars on Skyline Roads
Who owns the roads? Can you pass a bike when a double yellow line is present? Drivers and bikers come together to air concerns and find common ground. Bike law expert Mark Ginsburg and Sgt. Timothy Lichatowich of the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office will address questions and issues. The meeting will be facilitated by Stan Sitnick, faculty member in PSU's Graduate Program in Conflict Resolution.
Skyline Grange, 11275 NW Skyline Boulevard, Portland 97231
Wednesday, November 9, 7-9 p.m.
Presented by Skyline Ridge Neighbors, your neighborhood association.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
I attended just to be counted.... I wanted to make a stand for bikes even if that meant just sitting in a chair.
The meeting was precipitated by a rather high profile resident of the area who feels that bikes don't belong in his neighborhood.
There was a good turnout. I counted over 145 people in attendance.
For the most part the group was polite and listened to each other. Mr Wheeler was the exception. He couldn't quite follow the rules set forth by the moderator and left early. I think it's fair enough to say that progress was made and that the different factions found more in common than we expected. The president of the Skyline Ridge Neighbors wanted us to know that Mr Wheeler did not represent the mindset of the majority of the folks out that way, and that was a good thing to know!
Sunday, November 6, 2011
November on the Oregon Coast
I extended my stay in Seaside one day to be able to ride some different roads. I had anticipated rain and brought my rain bike as well as rain gear. As it ended up I didn't need either. :-)
I took off from Seaside just a bit before 7:30AM and rode the same road as yesterday, the Lewis and Clark Hwy to Astoria. Despite a forecast for rain there wasn't a cloud in the sky.
From there I got on Hwy 101 and headed south.
By the time I got to Tillamook I began to see a few clouds. I wasn't sure if it was because the clouds were moving in, or perhaps it had always been cloudy here. I was about 50 miles south of where I began this morning.
Once I got through Tillamook I turned onto the Three Capes Scenic Loop and skirted Tillamook Bay.
I had entertained the idea of riding to Pacific City for lunch at the Pelican Brew Pub but changed my mind when I remembered that with the time change today that darkness would arrive just a bit after 5pm. I turned off the Three Capes Scenic Loop after only one cape, Cape Meares, and just south of Oceanside.
From there I short cutted over to Hwy 101 and rode back northward. I arrived back in Seaside with 156 miles, and about 30 minutes after I had turned my lights on.
It was a nice day, temperature was in the 60's, no rain, no wind. Not like November on the Oregon Coast at all, but I'll take it!
.........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today.......156..............0.............0..........0.........156
Jan.........474..............0............21..........7.........502
Feb.........530..............0.............0..........0.........530
March.......502..............0.............0..........0.........502
April.......524..............0.............0..........0.........524
May........1003..............0.............0..........0........1003
June.......1016..............0............10..........0........1026
July.......1148..............0.............0..........0........1148
August.....1049..............0.............0..........0........1049
Sept.......1153..............0............50..........0........1213
Oct.........881..............0.............0.........20.........901
Nov.........274..............0.............0..........0.........274
YTD........8530..............0............87.........27........8644
I took off from Seaside just a bit before 7:30AM and rode the same road as yesterday, the Lewis and Clark Hwy to Astoria. Despite a forecast for rain there wasn't a cloud in the sky.
From there I got on Hwy 101 and headed south.
By the time I got to Tillamook I began to see a few clouds. I wasn't sure if it was because the clouds were moving in, or perhaps it had always been cloudy here. I was about 50 miles south of where I began this morning.
Once I got through Tillamook I turned onto the Three Capes Scenic Loop and skirted Tillamook Bay.
I had entertained the idea of riding to Pacific City for lunch at the Pelican Brew Pub but changed my mind when I remembered that with the time change today that darkness would arrive just a bit after 5pm. I turned off the Three Capes Scenic Loop after only one cape, Cape Meares, and just south of Oceanside.
From there I short cutted over to Hwy 101 and rode back northward. I arrived back in Seaside with 156 miles, and about 30 minutes after I had turned my lights on.
It was a nice day, temperature was in the 60's, no rain, no wind. Not like November on the Oregon Coast at all, but I'll take it!
.........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today.......156..............0.............0..........0.........156
Jan.........474..............0............21..........7.........502
Feb.........530..............0.............0..........0.........530
March.......502..............0.............0..........0.........502
April.......524..............0.............0..........0.........524
May........1003..............0.............0..........0........1003
June.......1016..............0............10..........0........1026
July.......1148..............0.............0..........0........1148
August.....1049..............0.............0..........0........1049
Sept.......1153..............0............50..........0........1213
Oct.........881..............0.............0.........20.........901
Nov.........274..............0.............0..........0.........274
YTD........8530..............0............87.........27........8644
Saturday, November 5, 2011
A short little ride
I was in Seaside, on Oregon's north coast, this weekend for a conference. The conference was wrapped up by mid-afternoon today. I was fortunate enough to have brought my rain bike along and so by late afternoon I was pedaling toward Astoria. I made it there, had a bite to eat, then rode back to Seaside. Given the early sunset this time of year it was just about right. ...oh, and despite having the rain bike, it really didn't rain much, just a few sprinkles from time to time.
Tomorrow I'll ride something a bit longer!
.........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today........34..............0.............0..........0..........34
Jan.........474..............0............21..........7.........502
Feb.........530..............0.............0..........0.........530
March.......502..............0.............0..........0.........502
April.......524..............0.............0..........0.........524
May........1003..............0.............0..........0........1003
June.......1016..............0............10..........0........1026
July.......1148..............0.............0..........0........1148
August.....1049..............0.............0..........0........1049
Sept.......1153..............0............50..........0........1213
Oct.........881..............0.............0.........20.........901
Nov.........118..............0.............0..........0.........118
YTD........8374..............0............87.........27........8488
Tomorrow I'll ride something a bit longer!
.........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today........34..............0.............0..........0..........34
Jan.........474..............0............21..........7.........502
Feb.........530..............0.............0..........0.........530
March.......502..............0.............0..........0.........502
April.......524..............0.............0..........0.........524
May........1003..............0.............0..........0........1003
June.......1016..............0............10..........0........1026
July.......1148..............0.............0..........0........1148
August.....1049..............0.............0..........0........1049
Sept.......1153..............0............50..........0........1213
Oct.........881..............0.............0.........20.........901
Nov.........118..............0.............0..........0.........118
YTD........8374..............0............87.........27........8488
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Riding is good for what ails ya
The day started out foggy and cool, then cleared up to a nice afternoon. I got off work a bit early and couldn't wait to get out and ride hard. Just something I needed to do tonight. I pedaled off toward Salem wanting to get hard fast miles in, rather than hard hills! ;-)
I brought good lights along and a windbreaker, planning on being out past sunset.
I made it down to Keizer, lighted up, and turned around.
A bit of a tailwind helped push me back.
About 10 miles from home rain began to fall.
Dark, wet.... a perfect end to a less than perfect day.
.........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today........62..............0.............0..........0..........62
Jan.........474..............0............21..........7.........502
Feb.........530..............0.............0..........0.........530
March.......502..............0.............0..........0.........502
April.......524..............0.............0..........0.........524
May........1003..............0.............0..........0........1003
June.......1016..............0............10..........0........1026
July.......1148..............0.............0..........0........1148
August.....1049..............0.............0..........0........1049
Sept.......1153..............0............50..........0........1213
Oct.........881..............0.............0.........20.........901
Nov..........84..............0.............0..........0..........84
YTD........8340..............0............87.........27........8454
I brought good lights along and a windbreaker, planning on being out past sunset.
I made it down to Keizer, lighted up, and turned around.
A bit of a tailwind helped push me back.
About 10 miles from home rain began to fall.
Dark, wet.... a perfect end to a less than perfect day.
.........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today........62..............0.............0..........0..........62
Jan.........474..............0............21..........7.........502
Feb.........530..............0.............0..........0.........530
March.......502..............0.............0..........0.........502
April.......524..............0.............0..........0.........524
May........1003..............0.............0..........0........1003
June.......1016..............0............10..........0........1026
July.......1148..............0.............0..........0........1148
August.....1049..............0.............0..........0........1049
Sept.......1153..............0............50..........0........1213
Oct.........881..............0.............0.........20.........901
Nov..........84..............0.............0..........0..........84
YTD........8340..............0............87.........27........8454
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Couldn't pass this up!
The first day of November, a month in NW Oregon marked by the onset of serious rainfall and the first of the winter storms. Today however was marked by an icy and foggy morning followed by a glorious blue sky afternoon. I have an evening meeting a fair distance away so couldn't ride a long ride but did have time for a brief sprint distance workout. I rode a quick 22 miles, including a climb of Pete's Mountain. Wish I could have ridden farther, but 22 in the sunshine is better than sitting at home whining about not riding.
.........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today........22..............0.............0..........0..........22
Jan.........474..............0............21..........7.........502
Feb.........530..............0.............0..........0.........530
March.......502..............0.............0..........0.........502
April.......524..............0.............0..........0.........524
May........1003..............0.............0..........0........1003
June.......1016..............0............10..........0........1026
July.......1148..............0.............0..........0........1148
August.....1049..............0.............0..........0........1049
Sept.......1153..............0............50..........0........1213
Oct.........881..............0.............0.........20.........901
Nov..........22..............0.............0..........0..........22
YTD........8278..............0............87.........27........8392
.........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today........22..............0.............0..........0..........22
Jan.........474..............0............21..........7.........502
Feb.........530..............0.............0..........0.........530
March.......502..............0.............0..........0.........502
April.......524..............0.............0..........0.........524
May........1003..............0.............0..........0........1003
June.......1016..............0............10..........0........1026
July.......1148..............0.............0..........0........1148
August.....1049..............0.............0..........0........1049
Sept.......1153..............0............50..........0........1213
Oct.........881..............0.............0.........20.........901
Nov..........22..............0.............0..........0..........22
YTD........8278..............0............87.........27........8392
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