Saturday, March 31, 2012

I am no longer a Oregon Randonneur

The Oregon Randonneurs were riding the Molalla Foothills 200k today. I was a member of the Oregon Randonneurs last year, but did not renew my membership. One of the main reasons I rode with them was that no matter if it is cold and raining, they will show up and ride. My social bike club not so much.

I've been riding too many social rides, this morning at 6AM it was dark, and raining hard. I had thought about riding with the Randos, but decided it was more comfortable to stay warm and dry. Finally it got light, but still raining hard. Light was a bit better, but by this time I would not be able to be to the start of the ride before they had left. However, their route allowed for a pretty easy modification to cut off miles.



I decided to cut out the Molalla River Canyon portion and see if I could catch up with them in the town of Molalla, 53 miles in for them, about 14 for me. They started at 7AM, I started at 9:30.

It was daylight, and perhaps just a bit warmer than it was for them when I started off. It was raining ....hard.

I arrived in Molalla about 10:15am. I was sure that the lead of the group must be ahead of me so I continued pedaling along. It was still raining as I left Silverton. I climbed up to Silver Falls State Park. Finally the sky started to lighten up a bit, the rain tapered off, and finally quit altogether. The roads dried out. I took off my raingear and stowed it in my backpack. What dampness had creeped into my clothes soon dried in the wind as I pedaled.

I arrived back in Canby at 3PM, decidedly more comfortable than I was earlier in the day when I started out. I never did see the Randonneurs but had a good ride.

I did see a facebook post where one of them finished just before 8PM,.... by then it was dark.... and raining again. I'm glad I was back home warm and dry.

.........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today........89..............0.............0..........0...........89
Jan.........105.............34.............0..........0..........139
Feb.........428............108.............0.........24..........536
March.......809..............0.............0.........22..........831
YTD........1342............142.............0.........46.........1530

Thursday, March 29, 2012

rain

100% chance of rain today..... and the weather gurus where right.

It was just pouring as I drove to Portland to ride Portland's 40 Mile Loop.
I decided to ride this route because I felt.... weak. The vast majority of the 40 miles is on dedicated bike paths. I didn't have to worry about low visibility on road sides filled with mist from passing vehicles, drivers with streaked windshields, etc.

I could just pedal.

I did, and it did rain.... non stop.


.........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today........41..............0.............0..........0...........41
Jan.........105.............34.............0..........0..........139
Feb.........428............108.............0.........24..........536
March.......720..............0.............0.........22..........742
YTD........1253............142.............0.........46.........1441

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

steady light rain

That's what we had tonight as a group of us went for an after work ride in the Helvetia area. 7 had said they were coming but as the day wore on the rain showers of the morning turned into a steady rain. I was surprised to see all 7 show up. It wasn't bad though, the weather was relatively warm......... and misery does love company!

The only issue tonight was yet another idiot on the road. I had dropped off the back of the group to unzip my gortex jacket. Before I could get going again a guy in a small black hatchback came toward me, slowing down as he got closer. He stuck his head out the window as he passed at less than 5 mph and yelled a profanity laced tirade about why I should stay off "his" road. I just smiled and said, "and have a nice day".

Other than that little situation the rest of the ride went well.


.........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today........22..............0.............0..........0...........22
Jan.........105.............34.............0..........0..........139
Feb.........428............108.............0.........24..........536
March.......679..............0.............0.........22..........701
YTD........1212............142.............0.........46.........1400

Sunday, March 25, 2012

slow and tired

Bagged out on a 50 mile ride in Portland's West Hills, in part because it involved a drive to the start, and instead rode from home and did a ride through Tigard, Gresham, Sandy, Eagle Creek, Estacade, Oregon City, Canby, and back to Wilsonville. I rode solo, I rode hills, I rode slow, but I rode.



.........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today.......100..............0.............0..........0..........100
Jan.........105.............34.............0..........0..........139
Feb.........428............108.............0.........24..........536
March.......657..............0.............0.........22..........679
YTD........1190............142.............0.........46.........1378

Saturday, March 24, 2012

the weather turned nice so............

It's back on the coast for me today!

After getting a weather update from the coast I made a late decision to go ride the Three Capes Scenic Tour from Tillamook. The route runs south along Tillamook Bay and the coast over Cape Meares, Cape Lookout, and Cape Kiwanda. The weather was indeed nice. There was a bit of overcast right on the coast, but any sojourn inland brought me into mostly clear sunny skies. The temperature was 55 as a prepared to start my ride.

When I got to Pacific City I stopped and had a bite to eat, and a short rest.







I have not been riding much this year, and the hills worked me. ....but I've got to start somewhere.

.........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today........81..............0.............0..........0...........81
Jan.........105.............34.............0..........0..........139
Feb.........428............108.............0.........24..........536
March.......557..............0.............0.........22..........579
YTD........1090............142.............0.........46.........1278

Friday, March 23, 2012

sunny!

After a week of cold, rain, even SNOW! today finally cleared up after a frosty morning. After work I hopped on the bike and rode a little, not a lot, but enough given the time I had available. Threw a Pete's Mountain ascent into it just to earn my keep. ;-)

.........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today........22..............0.............0..........0...........22
Jan.........105.............34.............0..........0..........139
Feb.........428............108.............0.........24..........536
March.......476..............0.............0.........22..........498
YTD........1009............142.............0.........46.........1197

Sunday, March 18, 2012

escaping rain

I once again made the trip east of the Cascade Mountains to take advantage of the drier weather. It was raining lightly as I left Portland but the brighter sky to the east held promise.


Before long I arrived in Lyle, Washington, the starting point for today's ride.
I started up the road, literally. The route starts right off with a 1500 ft climb in the first 5 miles.



About 2/3 the way up I came across a flock of wild turkey. I saw some the last time I rode here also. After reaching the top of the climb the route goes over a few rollers, then breaks out into a treeless plateau.



There were a few snow showers working around the hills. It was fascinating to watch a dark cloud work it's way along, brown hill in front, dark cloud and precipitation obscuring the hill, followed by a white hill! At least the showers stayed in the hills, I had dry roads all day.



I followed my route through Goldendale then down to the Klickitat River. It was colder today than it was last week and the descent was chilly. I followed the river back to Lyle. I wanted a few more miles and had time to ride them so I repeated that 1500 ft climb that I started the ride with.

On the way home I hit snow at Cascade Locks that lasted for several miles west of Multnomah Falls before turning to rain. By the time I got to Portland the rain turned to pea sized hail.

I was glad I rode on the dry side today!


.........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today........79..............0.............0..........0...........79
Jan.........105.............34.............0..........0..........139
Feb.........428............108.............0.........24..........536
March.......454..............0.............0.........22..........476
YTD.........987............142.............0.........46.........1175

Saturday, March 17, 2012

maybe riding later today..........

but for now I'm tuning up my bike, and working on RAAM preparations. Here's a bit of bleed over from my other blog for your entertainment.

Friday, March 16, 2012

Riding through France



I went to JoyRide Cycling Studio tonight and joined them for a virtual wine ride. Virtual, in that we were riding stationary bikes while watching a video taken while riding some of the Tour de France route. But the wine part was real! After a solid workout (60 minutes, 22 miles, 700 calories) we were treated to cheese, fruit, crackers, and wine!





.........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today.........0..............0.............0.........22...........22
Jan.........105.............34.............0..........0..........139
Feb.........428............108.............0.........24..........536
March.......375..............0.............0.........22..........375
YTD.........908............142.............0.........46.........1086

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Wet, cold, windy

AKA, perfect weather for building character. :-O

I attended a meeting of my social bike club to help teach potential ride leaders "the way". Following the meeting there was supposed to be a social paced ride. Given that it was windy, cold, and raining, and this IS a social bike club, nobody wanted to ride.

I had lunch with a view of the Willamette River rolling by. The rain slowed.
I had my rain bike along. I stepped into the nearest phone booth, (ok, the men's restroom!) and came out in bike gear. I hopped on Portland's 40 Mile Loop and rode a lap.

Finished up wet and cold.

Found the spa at 24 Hr Fitness to be the perfect way to thaw out. :-)


.........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today........41..............0.............0..........0...........41
Jan.........105.............34.............0..........0..........139
Feb.........428............108.............0.........24..........536
March.......375..............0.............0..........0..........375
YTD.........908............142.............0.........24.........1064

Saturday, March 10, 2012

In search of a dry place to ride.......

.......and found it!


My brother-in-law Dave and I traveled to Lyle, Washington today to do a little scouting of an area I am to lead a club ride on in a few weeks. We choose to do that today because there was a 90% chance of rain in Portland... and there is a reason that the east side of the Cascade Mountains is a desert. :-)

We drove through the Columbia Gorge with the windshield wipers on the whole way.


As we traveled eastward we began to see a few signs of drier times ahead.


By the time we reached Lyle, the sky above was mostly blue with just a few clouds, and dry roads!

We unloaded bikes and started off. The first 5 miles toward Centerville climbed 1500 ft.
here we look over the Klickitat River back to the Columbia River

After a bit of climbing we reached the top.



It was nice to be in new country. The roads were low traffic, and just like Eastern Oregon the vast majority of drivers waved at us as they passed. (with all their fingers, and smiles on their faces!)

We were in arid country, we pedaled across this high treeless plain heading toward Hwy 97.



We began to see power generation windmills and knew what that meant.


As the morning progressed we picked up a tailwind. We were riding along in the low to mid 20's mph with just about zero effort. We smiled, but knew it meant we'd be pushing against that wind on the way back.

We saw a lot of wildlife today, redtailed hawks, osprey, mule deer, wild turkeys, and countless squirrels and smaller creatures.



This was a scouting trip and we found that our planned route was on gravel roads, so we stayed on Centerville Hwy all the way to Hwy 97. Hwy 97 had more traffic as we expected, but also has wide shoulders and good sightlines. We never felt unsafe as we made our way to Goldendale.

We stopped in Goldendale for a bite to eat and a chance to top off our water bottles. We then turned into the wind and rode toward the town of Klickitat. We dropped of the plateau on a fun 4 mile descent and then followed the Klickitat River as it made it's way toward the Columbia River. At one stretch the river squeezed through a narrow slot in the lava flow in a very spectacular fashion.


We arrived back in Lyle, completing our loop with 70.68 miles. With the early climbing and the later headwinds it was tougher than it should have been, but we had dry roads all day, while our Willamette Valley friends were getting soaked.

We stopped in Bingen for pizza then continued west toward Portland. There was little question what we were heading back into.


It was a good ride today, made even better by riding through a new area, and staying dry!


.........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today........71..............0.............0..........0...........71
Jan.........105.............34.............0..........0..........139
Feb.........428............108.............0.........24..........536
March.......334..............0.............0..........0..........334
YTD.........867............142.............0.........24.........1023

Friday, March 9, 2012

Over the river and through the woods

and up and over a few hills!

I was off work early today, and despite a 50% chance of rain, the sky was blue and the weather warm. After a few text messages I found a riding partner to join me, though she couldn't start until 4:30PM. I did a little preride out to Multnomah Falls and back before having to meet up.

We rode to Rocky Butte and did 4 hill repeats on a course that we rode twice weekly up until a few months ago. After playing yo yo for a while (up, down, up, down) I accompanied her to her home since I had lights along and she didn't. Once there, she grabbed lights and we rode to a nearby BBQ ribs place and grabbed a bite to eat. (finger lickin' good!)

Following the rib feast I pedaled back to the Gateway Shopping Center where my pickup was waiting. I wasn't wearing warm clothes, just light weight gear, and was just a bit cold on the return ride. Other than that, it was a great afternoon and evening on a bike.

.........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today........86..............0.............0..........0...........86
Jan.........105.............34.............0..........0..........139
Feb.........428............108.............0.........24..........536
March.......263..............0.............0..........0..........263
YTD.........796............142.............0.........24..........952

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Pete, but no repeat.

It was a nice day, 63 degrees and sunny when I got off work. After some dilly dallying around I finally hopped on the bike and went for a ride in the hills. I got to the top of Pete's Mountain and took a picture with my phone of Mt Hood in the distance.

Too bad I didn't have my camera with me, there's a reason it's a camera and not a phone.

All it took was riding for 26 miles in hills to show me just how far out of shape I've become. My work is cut out for me. :-(

.........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today........26..............0.............0..........0...........26
Jan.........105.............34.............0..........0..........139
Feb.........428............108.............0.........24..........536
March.......177..............0.............0..........0..........177
YTD.........710............142.............0.........24..........866

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Happy Birthday

Adam invited us to go on a 37 mile bike ride today in honor of his birthday. When confronted with the fact that he is well beyond 37 he smiled and responded that he loved the metric system. ;-)



19 of us joined him today under a cold fog to start with on a somewhat hilly course starting from Vancouver, WA. The day improved as we rolled along. Adam is famous for leading "true intermediate" rides. Today's ride fit right into that description, with a 9.2 mph on bike average at the end of the day.

The weather was perfect by the end of the ride, nearly cloudless blue skies, no noticeable wind. I decided to go for a few bonus miles. I rode just far enough out and back to bring me up to 50 miles for the day.

Still not much, but at least better.


.........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today........50..............0.............0..........0...........50
Jan.........105.............34.............0..........0..........139
Feb.........428............108.............0.........24..........536
March.......151..............0.............0..........0..........151
YTD.........684............142.............0.........24..........840

Saturday, March 3, 2012

A tale of two rides

It was a nice day. I dilly dallied around a bit before finally taking off on my bike at 10:30AM. I rode a Pete's Mountain loop then across the Canby Ferry on just a random ride day. I ended up out through Lone Elder, Mulino, Beavercreek, New Era, and back through Canby. I then made my way over I-5 and up to Tualatin where I stopped for ice cream, then made my way back to Wilsonville. It was a nice 88 mile trip on a nice day.

Tonight I led another of our famous Waffle Rides. A friend was down from Seattle and had requested this, and she lucked out with the weather. It stayed in the low 50's all night as we pedaled around in search of waffles and a good time. In the process we found 13 miles. We had a small group, only 5 of us rode tonight. But it was fun none the less.


.........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today.......101..............0.............0..........0..........101
Jan.........105.............34.............0..........0..........139
Feb.........428............108.............0.........24..........536
March.......101..............0.............0..........0..........101
YTD.........634............142.............0.........24..........790