A change in the weather

Today was another beautiful day, tomorrow is supposed to be cool, windy and wet.  If I were concerned about monthly mileage, today would have been the day to accumulate miles.  Alas, I was working most of the day on timing and pace issues for Race Across the West.  Late in the afternoon I hopped on the fixie and followed the ladies on their daily 5 mile walk.

I've walked more miles than I've biked this week. :-(

It looks like I'll have to put on a raincoat and ride tomorrow if I'm going to get more than 200 miles this month. Pathetic.


...........road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total
Today.............5...............0..............0...............0..................5 Jan...............765...............0...............0...............0...............765
Feb................248...............0...............0...............0................248
March...........183.................0................0..............0................183
Total............1196...............0...............0...............0..............1196

Another dog walk

 The Fitbit was calling, and so was the sunshine.  I worked all day on Race Across the West data but by late afternoon I decided to join a few ladies and a dog as they strolled around the top of Queen Anne hill in Seattle.

The fixed gear bike was again pressed into duty, as it is my most maneuverable bike and I can ride it r...e...a...l...l....y   slow.  

Today marked the first day this year that the sun was up longer in Seattle than it was in Portland. The days here will continue to grow longer than the days in Portland until the Summer Solstice when the difference will begin to shrink.  It's all about being closer to the north pole.

It was a nice, albeit a slow pedal, around, as locals like to say, the crown of Queen Anne.

The iconic Space Needle and downtown

Alki Point

The Olympic Mtns across Magnolia

It looks like I won't be getting many miles this month either.  Such is the life a crew chief.

...........road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total
Today.............5...............0..............0...............0..................5 Jan...............765...............0...............0...............0...............765
Feb................248...............0...............0...............0................248
March...........178.................0................0..............0................178
Total............1191...............0...............0...............0..............1191

Wet

My friend Julie got a Fitbit a few weeks ago and has really got into the whole "log 10,000 steps every day" thing. In order to reach that goal she usually has to do about 3-4 miles of dedicated walking in addition to normal activities.

Today she was going to go for a 4 mile walk.  She invited me to join her, but she walks, I've evolved to the next step, I bike. (that, and I probably can't keep up with her walking pace comfortably)

I took the fixed gear bike because it is more maneuverable and can go slower.  The roads were dry as we started out.

I left the raincoat and just rode in blue jeans, a long sleeved t-shirt, and a light jacket.

It started raining before we had covered a half mile.

We thought it might be just a passing shower, but alas..........

By the time we had covered a mile, we were both wet to the skin.  Julie was working a bit harder than I and was warm, I was beginning to get cold.  4 mph is a fast walk, but a very slow bike ride.

We finished the loop in just a few minutes over an hour.  Julie still had a few more steps to go so she walked on, I had enough and parked the bike and started the process of drying clothes. 

...........road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total
Today.............4...............0..............0...............0..................4 Jan...............765...............0...............0...............0...............765
Feb................248...............0...............0...............0................248
March...........173.................0................0..............0................173
Total............1186...............0...............0...............0..............1186

No Biking Today

But it has been a busy day doing bike things!

My Race Across Oregon racer, John Henry Maurice was hit by a drunk driver while on a training ride in Central Oregon last weekend and will not be able to compete this year.  Thus that weekend became open for me, and was quickly snapped up by William Ironox Pruett who will be competing in the Oregon Double Anvil. The Oregon Double Anvil is a 4.8 mile swim, 224 mile bike, and 52.4 mile run double Ironman competition held at Henry Hagg Lake.

I am still on the books as Crew Chief for Barry Dickson at this June's Race Across the West, 860 miles from Oceanside, CA to Durango CO. Even though that event is still nearly 3 months away, as Crew Chief I've been busy with organizing the effort. I've been working all day on GPS data for the race and updating team documents.  The most tangible thing I did was the construction of an overhead warning sign that is fully adjustable for any vehicle.

 

The vinyl lettering is 4" tall red reflective lettering, as per RAAM/RAW/RAO rules and was supplied by signspecialist.com.  I applied the lettering to a piece of white polycarbonate that I picked up at TAP Plastics. I bolted the sign to an adjustable width metal framework, attached the required amber flashing lights, and prewired the unit so it is ready to go.   It is a good upgrade to the one I made for Race Across Oregon many years ago, and to the made-to-order ones I've made for other races. It will clear up a lot of valuable rear of vehicle real estate for other uses.

It has been a bit of a wet day, so it was not too challenging to spend the day mostly indoors instead of out on my bike.

KCK ride

Yesterday afternoon I rode with friends Monica and Paul, today Kay, Carol, and Kevin went for a ride.

Carol invited me to join her on a ride of Portland's 40 Mile Loop.   Kay also pedaled in to join us.

We took off counter-clockwise, Carol's favorite way to ride this route.

It was a nice day with temperatures in the upper 60's.  Wind was almost non existent.

When we had pedaled just a few miles we came across Cartlandia, and stopped for tacos and burritos.
We continued on our way and when we got to I-205 we turned north along the parallel path.

The girls were a bit slower than yesterday's group. The route is mostly on paths but there is a section of road riding that going counterclockwise comes in the last 5-7 miles. I was wishing we'd pick up the pace a bit to avoid rush hour traffic.  Not that I'm adverse to riding with traffic, but just playing the odds, I'd rather have fewer cars than more.  While wishing we were a bit faster it was a beautiful day for a ride. When we reached the Columbia River we turned west along the Marine Drive bike path. The river was as smooth as glass.

At 39th Ave we ran out of path and got on Marine Drive.  There were adequate shoulders, and busy traffic.  At one point as we approached I-5, we had the opportunity to ride on a parallel street with much lower traffic.

The girls took the opportunity to water and dewater at Subway just before we crossed I-5.

 

After crossing I-5 we continued a short distance on the Marine Drive path, then turned left skirting some industrial sites.  As we crossed the Columbia Slough we got a glimpse of Mt Hood.  Normally the best photos are from along Marine Drive, but Mt Hood was obscured by clouds as we pedaled along there. 

We continued on to the Peninsula Crossing Trail and left the Columbia River behind as we rode toward the Willamette River.  As we neared the Willamette River we turned left again, riding past the University of Portland and along the bluff.

Before long we were rolling down Greeley Avenue.  The traffic was heavy and I got to play vehicular cyclist as lanes would merge in and out.  At one point I was in the right lane of two my direction as a third lane merged in from the right.  As luck would have it, as I rolled along at about 30 mph, a semi-truck came in on the right.  I slipped into my 56x11 and pedaled up to speed.  The driver held back a bit as I reached 40 mph, I signaled and moved to the right, he moved left and we both waved as we made the dance. As I neared the Broadway Bridge there was a steady stream of motor vehicles coming up behind me, with most of them signaling intention to take the approaching right turn lane.  Works good for them, but for a bike going straight a lane change in traffic is necessary.  I was pedaling along at a good clip, I signaled my lane change intention and started moving over.  A car slowed, I accelerated through the gap.  A wave of the hand in thanks, and I was on my way.

We all made it safely to the Esplanade where we pedaled along the Willamette River going south.

Morrison Bridge

Tilikum Crossing, Bridge of the People, Portland's newest bridge

It was a slow, but enjoyable ride. It took 4 hours to complete 39 miles, but the weather was superb and the company outstanding.

...........road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total
Today............39...............0..............0...............0.................39 Jan...............765...............0...............0...............0...............765
Feb................248...............0...............0...............0................248
March...........169.................0................0..............0................169
Total............1182...............0...............0...............0..............1182

Reunion Ride

I started off in the morning under beautiful blue sky with the fixed gear bike, heading for a maple bar. (okay, okay, TWO maple bars!) I spent the late morning  modifying a bike rack and on Race Across the West preparations.  By early afternoon I got an invitation to join a hilly training ride, but I'm no longer a member of the group so I declined.

By mid afternoon I had some errands to run, but loaded up my carbon bike hoping to get some time to ride.  The weather was still quite nice though there were a few clouds beginning to form.   Monica texted again, saying that she and Paul were going to preride the route beginning at 4:30 and could I join them, since it was now not a club ride.  I said sure, but noted that it was now pouring rain outside and I didn't have a raincoat, or the rainbike. 

As I was driving to the starting location the rain quit, but the roads were still wet. I put on a clip on rear fender and a windbreaker and joined in.   Both of them are good riders and I was going to have my work cut out for me.  Paul commutes ~25 miles round trip each weekday, and rides considerable miles each weekend.  He's a strong rider.  Monica can certainly hold her own. We started up the first hill, and as we did the sky opened up.  It just poured.  It was 58 degrees so cold wasn't an issue, but it was certainly wet.  I was working hard to keep up with Paul.  We dropped down a short hill, then began another climb, this one longer.  I settled into a mid range gear and just pedaled up.  As we crested the hill we were treated to a nice rolling descent.  I was on my aerobars and moving along pretty quickly.  I hit 42 mph and put some distance on my friends.   We regrouped at the bottom then rode back into Sherwood closing our loop.  Paul's club ride started at 6PM, and we had made it back with about 15 minutes to spare.  No problem, of the 12 or so RSVPs, only 1 person was there as they shoved off at 6:01.   3 more came in after the group shoved off. "Wow, did Paul already take off?"   Well, the ride description said shoving off at 6PM, you show up at 6:15, and still have to get set up.  That's one of the reason's I don't participate in the group anymore.

The ride was only 11 miles long, but was a good workout.  It was nice to see these two, whom I haven't seen in quite some time. 

Closed the evening out with corned beef, cabbage, and a bottle of Guinness.

...........road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total
Today............14...............0..............0...............0.................14 Jan...............765...............0...............0...............0...............765
Feb................248...............0...............0...............0................248
March...........130.................0................0..............0................130
Total............1143...............0...............0...............0..............1143

A short post stormy weekend ride

After several weeks of nice weather this last weekend was horrific.  Wind (up to 50 mph) and rain (1.5"/24hr) were the norm west of the Cascade Mountains.  Even the arid east side of the state got some rain, and was not spared high winds.  On top of all this, a friend was hit while cycling by a drunk driver, who fled the scene.  Luckily the perpetrator has likely been apprehended.

I had some business to attend to from morning until late afternoon, but the sun was shining, and I haven't been on the bike much lately and really wanted to get out for at least a few miles.  I took off on the fixed gear just a bit before 6PM. 

Signs of the stormy weekend weren't hard to find.

But signs of Spring were abundant as well.

I figured that with the weekend rain that there was likely a fresh coating of snow on Mt Hood and I pedaled to a favorite overlook.

As I arrived I noted that the mountain did indeed have some new white snow on it.

The photo is better when the foreground trees are in shadow, and I knew if I waited for the sun to get low in the sky that Mt Hood would still be illuminated while the sun would have set on the lowlands.

As I waited for sundown suddenly some shadows of wispy clouds to the west began to somewhat obscure Mt Hood. I thought it might be the end of my photo opportunity.

Luckily just as the sun set the shadows lifted and I was able to get my photo.

It was a short, but fun ride.

...........road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total
Today.............8...............0..............0...............0..................8 Jan...............765...............0...............0...............0...............765
Feb................248...............0...............0...............0................248
March...........116.................0................0..............0................116
Total............1129...............0...............0...............0..............1129

Hardware Store run

Along with working on my crew chief duties, I was working on bike rack modifications.  I needed a few things from the hardware store.  The temperature was 70 degrees as I pedaled out in late afternoon.  It was a nice day for a ride, unfortunately I waited to nearly the end of the day before getting on the bike. It is really beginning to look like Spring has sprung.

Even the Azaleas are getting into the act! (under the trees)

I might just have to go for a longer ride tomorrow.

...........road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total
Today..............6...............0..............0...............0...................6 Jan...............765...............0...............0...............0...............765
Feb................248...............0...............0...............0................248
March...........108.................0................0..............0................108
Total............1121...............0...............0...............0..............1121

It's not the pace

I was invited to join some Meetup folks on a "relaxed pace" 20 mile bike ride. I figured I could ride a relaxed pace, so off I went to join them. The ride was to start at 10AM sharp.  I arrived with 15 minutes to spare.

photo by Alan

We rolled out with about 20 people at 10:10, not bad for Meetup.

It was a nice day for a ride.

photo by Alan

It didn't take long for me to realize that it wasn't the pace that was going to be the problem. It seems that people who ride 10-12mph don't have the best safe riding skills. I cringed as people rode within a foot of parked cars.

If there weren't cars coming, I was the only one who actually stopped at stop signs. Everyone else would call out "slowing" or "clear".

Riders would filter up along the right side of cars stopped at signals.

The group rode straight across intersections from the right turn only lanes.

I didn't figure it was my place to preach.

I'll save preaching for here. ;-)

1) Don't ride within 5 ft of parked cars. Dooring is not anything you want to have happen to you.



2) Stop at stop signs.  a) it's the law   b) it sets good example  c) it shows others that not all cyclists are scofflaws d) it is the safest thing to do. e) and if you don't you run the risk of being on YouTube.



Would you like your mother to see you blatantly disregarding the law?

3) Don't ever ride to the right side of a vehicle that may turn right. Cell phone distracted, non mirror checking, non signaling drivers will run over you........every time.

4) Make all turns from the appropriate lane positions. Motor vehicle drivers expect you proceed in the direction appropriate to your position.  Going straight when in a right turn lane puts you at risk of a "left cross" collision.

Be safe, live to ride another day.

Today's course was a nice mixture of bike boulevards, quiet residential streets, and wide shouldered city arterials.

...........road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total
Today.............20...............0..............0...............0..................20 Jan...............765...............0...............0...............0...............765
Feb................248...............0...............0...............0................248
March...........102.................0................0..............0................102
Total............1115...............0...............0...............0..............1115

Two days in a row!

It was another beautiful warm blue sky day. Carol called and invited me to go for the ride that we did not do yesterday.  We met in Butteville with a plan for about 30 miles.

Yesterday I noted that the back tire on my carbon bike was toast, so I made sure that I had a good spare along. I knew that if I had a flat that I would not be putting the existing tire back on.  I made the 40+ mile trip with no issues, but this morning as I went to load the bike up, the back tire was flat.  I grabbed the fixie.

Carol and I started out from the Butteville Store and headed toward Champoeg Park.  We took the park's bike path along the river to get there, thinking that the forested river view would be worth the effort.

Once we got to Champoeg Park we took French Prairie Rd south.  We had no route planned other than hoping to get about 30 miles before Carol had to get to work.  The weather was warm, and there was no wind to speak of.  We were having a great time!

 

When we got to Mahoney Road we turned west.  I'm not sure if I've ever been through Mahoney Rd before.  I probably have been, but I just don't remember. When we reached River Rd we turned back north.  

 

 

We cut back to the east on Davidson Rd then retraced our outbound route on French Prairie to Champoeg Park.  Carol didn't want to repeat the trail to Butteville preferring to ride the road. It was a faster option, but would be a lot more work on the fixed gear bike.  The route had been mostly flat, but there is a lot of up and down on the road between Champoeg Park and Butteville as we cross creeks and skirt hills.  Both the ups and downs are challenging when riding fixed.  The last few miles are especially hilly and Carol dropped me like a hot potato.

We arrived back at Butteville with 28 miles.  Coincidentally, a woman who was preparing to give her dog a walk as we were leaving to begin our ride was just coming back as we finished.   She had walked 6 miles with the dog.  We visited a bit, then Carol noted that she still had some time before she had to head home.  We unloaded the bikes, put our helmets back on, and rode nearly to the Boone's Ferry landing,  We made a brief stop at a river access point, that was closed for winter, but we managed to get a view of the river.

 We continued another couple of miles before deciding it was time to turn around.

We got back to Butteville, the woman and her dog were gone, and so soon would we be!

It was a nice day for a bike ride.



...........road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total
Today.............36...............0..............0...............0..................36 Jan...............765...............0...............0...............0...............765
Feb................248...............0...............0...............0................248
March............82.................0................0..............0.................82
Total............1095...............0...............0...............0..............1095

A week

It has been a very busy week for me, a memorial service, fire district meetings, putting a back-up camera in my pickup, and other jobs kept me off the bike,  Today was predicted to be 70 degrees and I could stand it no longer, I had to get on my bike!  I took the carbon bike out for the first time in months.  It is my oldest bike, but after today I remember why I still like it the best!

I rode a couple of miles to breakfast, then loaded the bike up on my new Kuat rack and drove to Riverside Park in Sellwood. I thought it would be a good day to ride the Springwater Trail to Gresham.  The views of Mt Hood would be superb.

On the drive out there I noted that I was not the only one thinking that a bike ride would be a good thing.  There were bikes everywhere. The parking log at Riverside Park was full with cars equipped with bike racks, and the neighboring parking lot (reserved for business M-F) had only 3 spaces still open.  I took one of them!

I pedaled out east on the Springwater.  As I approached I-205 I made a last minute course adjustment.  I turned north along the I-205 path.  I thought that the view of Mt Hood over the Columbia River would be worth the route modification.

As I neared the Columbia River I caught my first glimpse of Mt Hood.  It happened to be across the Home Depot parking lot, the same parking lot that my 50th birthday ride started from all those years ago.  Who would have known at the time that a guy who only rode a few miles a year with his kids would end up riding 10,000 miles in a year, or finishing the Furnace Creek 508, or setting a course record at Race Across Oregon!

I was carrying my camera today, but at this stop I found out that while I had the camera, I did not have the memory card!  So all photos today would be taken with the cell phone. In a very short distance I was on the shores of the Columbia River taking a photo of Mt Hood.

I had thought I might turn upstream and ride to Troutdale, or maybe even on out to Multnomah Falls, but instead I turned downstream and set my sights on riding Portland's 40 mile Loop.  I used to ride the 40 Mile Loop often when I was training.  There is no real elevation gain but I could always try to better my time, and if I went clockwise, the last 30 miles were off street and quite safe after dark.  I could start with the sun low in the sky and still get 40 miles in.  Today I was not in that kind of hurry.
I believe it was the first time that I've done the entire route counterclockwise.

I followed the Columbia River until I accessed the Penninsula Crossing Trail.  I left the Columbia River and crossed over the Columbia Slough.

I proceeded along the Penninsula Crossing Trail until I came to the Willamette River near the University of Portland. The weather was gorgeous, and the trees and flowers were blooming.  The photo on the home page of U of P has a photo looking like it could have been taken today.

I continued around the bluff and dropped down to near river level as I approached the Memorial Coliseum. Within a few hundred yards I was at river level, pedaling along the Eastbank Esplanade.

I stopped near OMSI to take a photo and was invited by a 3rd grader and her chaperone to be interviewed as part of her school project about bridges. With Portland's newest bridge, Tilikum Crossing, Bridge of the People, in the background. After a brief question and answer session filmed by the chaperone (with the 3rd grade girl doing remarkably well holding a mic and asking the questions) I rode a short distance then stopped for two photos of the new bridge.

I didn't have far to go from here, and within 15 minutes I was back at Riverside Park.  I met friend Carol there and we decided to go for a post ride brew.  Carol was out test riding new bikes today.
We made a few calls to invite folks to join us. As it ended up I was surrounded by women!

After about an hour of visiting, we suddenly realized that Suzanne (wearing the black shirt..(blouse?) is something like a second cousin once removed of mine!  Small world.

Cousins! (well, distant cousins)

It was nice to be on the carbon bike. Tonight as I am typing this I realize it's been a week since I last was on my bike.  Unbelievable.


...........road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total
Today.............42...............0..............0...............0..................42 Jan...............765...............0...............0...............0...............765
Feb................248...............0...............0...............0................248
March............46.................0................0..............0.................46
Total............1059...............0...............0...............0..............1059