My keys are still lost! I spent several hours looking for keys, and cleaning/organizing my room as I looked.
The sun is shining and it is a beautiful Spring day, but here I am looking for keys. I ran out of time and finally took a disc grinder to the heavy chain locking the bikes in the pickup. I hopped on the fixed gear bike and made a quick dash to the local fast food joint and gulped down a quick lunch. I'm now heading north, and stopping in Portland on the way through to pick up some new wheels for the rain bike.
It sure would be nice to be out for a long bike ride in the beautiful weather!
...........road bike..........rollers........mtb.........lifecycle....total
Today..........3................0..............0...............0............3
Jan............710................0..............0...............0...........710
Feb........... 578...............0..............0...............0............578
March ...........701.............0..............0...............0............701
April..........315.................0..............0...............0..........315
Total..........2304...............0..............0...............0.........2304
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Day 9 of #30daysofbiking- Lost
I've been helping my mom with a patio project the last few days. I had staged all the bigger tools/supplies so that I could ride my bike there today. Alas, I've misplaced my keys. I can verify that I had them last night when I came home, and that I brought them into the house. From there on, it's a mystery. I've got a spare ignition key, and a spare key for one of the bike locks. What that meant is that I could get the fixie out, but the rain bike and power washer are going for rides until that key ring is found. I spent 5 hours looking for the keys this morning before finally running out of time and driving to mom's utilizing the spare key. I sealed the slate patio stones that I've been working on the last few days, then with day slipping away, hopped on the fixed gear bike and rode around a nearby neighborhood.
It was a nice evening, the sky was blue and temperature was in the high 60's, even at 6 PM. I would have enjoyed the ride more if I had commuted the 70 miles to mom's and back that I had planned on. I was also busy thinking about where those keys might be.
............road bike..........rollers........mtb.........lifecycle....total
Today..........8................0..............0...............0............8 Jan............710................0..............0...............0...........710
Feb........... 578...............0..............0...............0............578
March ...........701.............0..............0...............0............701
April..........312.................0..............0...............0..........312 Total..........2301...............0..............0...............0.........2301
 |
| I biked nearly every street in this view |
 |
| Is "Movember" over yet? |
Today..........8................0..............0...............0............8 Jan............710................0..............0...............0...........710
Feb........... 578...............0..............0...............0............578
March ...........701.............0..............0...............0............701
April..........312.................0..............0...............0..........312 Total..........2301...............0..............0...............0.........2301
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Day 8 of #30daysofbiking-Staying Dry
I had a full day of duties. I brought my fixed gear bike with me just in case I had some time between jobs to get a ride in. Around 4PM the opportunity came to go for a ride. My Seattle friends were getting rained on. All the more reason for me to get a ride in, as while we had some clouds around, it was still 69 degrees and dry.
I had less than an hour between commitments so I parked at the Fred Meyer store near Cornelius Pass Rd in Hillsboro, OR and biked out Evergreen Rd to Glencoe Rd, turned around and rode back. Only 11 miles, but enough to check the box for riding day 8 of #30daysofbiking, and still get cleaned up and get to a dinner meeting. Oh, and I didn't get rained on either!
............road bike..........rollers........mtb.........lifecycle....total
Today.........11................0..............0...............0...........11 Jan............710................0..............0...............0...........710
Feb........... 578...............0..............0...............0............578
March ...........701.............0..............0...............0............701
April..........304.................0..............0...............0..........304 Total..........2293...............0..............0...............0.........2293
 | |||||
| Location, location, location! |
............road bike..........rollers........mtb.........lifecycle....total
Today.........11................0..............0...............0...........11 Jan............710................0..............0...............0...........710
Feb........... 578...............0..............0...............0............578
March ...........701.............0..............0...............0............701
April..........304.................0..............0...............0..........304 Total..........2293...............0..............0...............0.........2293
Monday, April 7, 2014
Day 7 of #30daysofbiking-Going home
It was going to be a glorious day. Finally at 10:30 AM I had my other duties finished and hopped on the carbon bike for the 3rd time this year. I did not have a plan. As I rode out the driveway I turned left and headed for the Boone Bridge to cross the Willamette River.
Crossing the Boone Bridge involves riding on the shoulder of Interstate 5. Heading southbound is the easier direction as the bridge slopes downward in that direction. It is easy to maintain 25+ mph for the 1100 ft of bridge and another similar distance before taking the first exit. The shoulder of the bridge can be quite debris littered, especially in winter, but today it was pretty good.
I still did not have a plan of where to pedal to, but thought I might head south to Salem. If I did that I'd end up with about 70 miles, and I wasn't sure I wanted to ride that much.
I hopped on Boone's Ferry Road, not that I planned to go any particular place, only that I had not pedaled it in quite some time. When I got to the southern end of it at Hwy 99E, I jogged left then right because I had pedaled that intersection a couple of years ago and knew it would take me south without having to be on the busier Hwy 99E.
I kept taking turns based on how much interest they generated. I ended up in Mt Angel, primarily because I was getting hungry and knew I could get food there. ;-) Mt Angel is noted for a big Octoberfest celebration, but this time of year church is what stands out.
It definitely felt like a Spring day. Temperature reached 74 and the countryside was alive in green. I left Mt Angel and headed toward Silverton.
As I neared Silverton I made my only intentional turn of the day. I took a small detour to share with my faithful readers the Gallon House Covered Bridge. I noted that the bridge was constructed in 1916, when my dad was 1 year old. I pondered what the countryside looked like then, and also how they crossed the river before the bridge was built.
In Silverton I turned onto Victor Point Road because I've biked it before and thought it might be fun.
It took me up into the foothills.
I only climbed about 3300 ft today, but most of that was in this area. I got to Sublimity. I started seeing directional signs for Stayton and Mill City. I probably would have pedaled that way, since I've biked there before and loved the scenery and route as it made it's way up the Santiam River Canyon. Today however I noted that with my late start, and over 50 miles on the odometer, it was time to start back northward, or at least stop going farther away!
In Sublimity I followed signs for Aumsville. I knew where Aumsville was, but am not entirely sure if I've ever actually been there. I can check that box now, for I did indeed get to Aumsville. From Aumsville I followed the road toward Turner, because I knew that it was near I-5 and south of Salem. At this point I was consciously making turns to get myself through Salem and out the other side in the Keizer area. From there I knew the best roads to get me back home.
All day I had my Garmin on, but with no route loaded. It was on only so that I could record today's wanderings. The Garmin must have had other plans. As I rode along Turner road I came across this. It was as if the Garmin was subliminally directing me to take it home.
I had no idea that Garmin had a local presence. I entered Salem and found that the Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway had been rerouted. I am leading a ride on the WVSB in late June and found it interesting that it had been rerouted so far from it's original location. I was following the new route as it directed me near the Oregon State Fairgrounds.
I got on River Road and passed through Keizer. As I was nearing the last vestiges of town I backtracked a couple hundred feet after thinking that some chocolate milk might just be the ticket to get me through the last 30 or so miles. Fortified by 400+ calories, and loads of potassium and sodium, I pedaled on with new vigor.
It was still scenic.
I pedaled along River Road until French Prairie Rd gave me another option. I took a right turn when I saw the sign for St Louis.
I kept making turns that would bring me in a northwesterly direction. I had to get back to Boone Bridge to get across the Willamette River, or ride 25-30 miles more to take alternate crossings either upstream or downstream. I jogged east on Feller Rd to get back on Boone's Ferry Rd. As I rode along Boones Ferry Rd the odometer rolled over 100 miles. I was not planning on a century today, but alas, the sun was shining!
Before long I was back at the Boone Bridge. I crossed back over, slightly uphill, but assisted by a slight tailwind.
I finished up the ride with the sun still well above the horizon.
............road bike..........rollers........mtb.........lifecycle....total
Today........104................0..............0...............0..........104 Jan............710................0..............0...............0...........710
Feb........... 578...............0..............0...............0............578
March ...........701.............0..............0...............0............701
April..........293.................0..............0...............0..........293 Total..........2282...............0..............0...............0.........2282
Crossing the Boone Bridge involves riding on the shoulder of Interstate 5. Heading southbound is the easier direction as the bridge slopes downward in that direction. It is easy to maintain 25+ mph for the 1100 ft of bridge and another similar distance before taking the first exit. The shoulder of the bridge can be quite debris littered, especially in winter, but today it was pretty good.
I still did not have a plan of where to pedal to, but thought I might head south to Salem. If I did that I'd end up with about 70 miles, and I wasn't sure I wanted to ride that much.
I hopped on Boone's Ferry Road, not that I planned to go any particular place, only that I had not pedaled it in quite some time. When I got to the southern end of it at Hwy 99E, I jogged left then right because I had pedaled that intersection a couple of years ago and knew it would take me south without having to be on the busier Hwy 99E.
I kept taking turns based on how much interest they generated. I ended up in Mt Angel, primarily because I was getting hungry and knew I could get food there. ;-) Mt Angel is noted for a big Octoberfest celebration, but this time of year church is what stands out.
 |
| St Mary's Catholic Church |
It definitely felt like a Spring day. Temperature reached 74 and the countryside was alive in green. I left Mt Angel and headed toward Silverton.
 |
| Mt Hood in the distance |
As I neared Silverton I made my only intentional turn of the day. I took a small detour to share with my faithful readers the Gallon House Covered Bridge. I noted that the bridge was constructed in 1916, when my dad was 1 year old. I pondered what the countryside looked like then, and also how they crossed the river before the bridge was built.
 |
| Gallon House Bridge over Abiqua Creek |
In Silverton I turned onto Victor Point Road because I've biked it before and thought it might be fun.
It took me up into the foothills.
I only climbed about 3300 ft today, but most of that was in this area. I got to Sublimity. I started seeing directional signs for Stayton and Mill City. I probably would have pedaled that way, since I've biked there before and loved the scenery and route as it made it's way up the Santiam River Canyon. Today however I noted that with my late start, and over 50 miles on the odometer, it was time to start back northward, or at least stop going farther away!
In Sublimity I followed signs for Aumsville. I knew where Aumsville was, but am not entirely sure if I've ever actually been there. I can check that box now, for I did indeed get to Aumsville. From Aumsville I followed the road toward Turner, because I knew that it was near I-5 and south of Salem. At this point I was consciously making turns to get myself through Salem and out the other side in the Keizer area. From there I knew the best roads to get me back home.
All day I had my Garmin on, but with no route loaded. It was on only so that I could record today's wanderings. The Garmin must have had other plans. As I rode along Turner road I came across this. It was as if the Garmin was subliminally directing me to take it home.
I had no idea that Garmin had a local presence. I entered Salem and found that the Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway had been rerouted. I am leading a ride on the WVSB in late June and found it interesting that it had been rerouted so far from it's original location. I was following the new route as it directed me near the Oregon State Fairgrounds.
I got on River Road and passed through Keizer. As I was nearing the last vestiges of town I backtracked a couple hundred feet after thinking that some chocolate milk might just be the ticket to get me through the last 30 or so miles. Fortified by 400+ calories, and loads of potassium and sodium, I pedaled on with new vigor.
It was still scenic.
I pedaled along River Road until French Prairie Rd gave me another option. I took a right turn when I saw the sign for St Louis.
I kept making turns that would bring me in a northwesterly direction. I had to get back to Boone Bridge to get across the Willamette River, or ride 25-30 miles more to take alternate crossings either upstream or downstream. I jogged east on Feller Rd to get back on Boone's Ferry Rd. As I rode along Boones Ferry Rd the odometer rolled over 100 miles. I was not planning on a century today, but alas, the sun was shining!
Before long I was back at the Boone Bridge. I crossed back over, slightly uphill, but assisted by a slight tailwind.
I finished up the ride with the sun still well above the horizon.
............road bike..........rollers........mtb.........lifecycle....total
Today........104................0..............0...............0..........104 Jan............710................0..............0...............0...........710
Feb........... 578...............0..............0...............0............578
March ...........701.............0..............0...............0............701
April..........293.................0..............0...............0..........293 Total..........2282...............0..............0...............0.........2282
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Day 6 of #30daysofbiking- Southern Oregon Coast
I found myself on Oregon's South Coast this morning with dry weather, a few spare hours, and a bike.
I started pedaling just south of Cape Perpetua and headed north. There was just a bit of fog hugging the coastline as I started out.
My rain bike would have been the bike of choice when I left home Friday, but it is in Mike Olson's Bicycle Shop in Forest Grove getting some badly needed attention to it's bottom bracket, so I had the fixie along, just in case I found some time to ride.
Riding the Cape on a fixed gear bike presented a challenge, both on the UP, and on the DOWN. As I passed over the Cape the view cleared up a bit.
A friend was riding his birthday ride today. I was told that he'd be joined by about 25 others on a 50 mile ride today in the Bald Peak/Scholls area. I was unable to join in the fun, but I did hope to ride 50 miles in Paul's honor today.
I knew it would be pretty easy to get 50 miles because I was going to ride out and back. I rolled 25 miles over just as I got to Waldport. As I approached Waldport the bridge over the Alsea River came into view. It is a new bridge, but harkens back to the Conde McCullough bridge it replaced.
I turned around and pedaled back. The weather had improved a little as the morning had progressed, not that it was ever bad. It was now a bit warmer and less fog.
I was riding along Hwy 101, the main coastal highway in Oregon. In many places the shoulder was pretty much non existent, and that usually happened as the road wound it's way up or down a promontory. The motor vehicle drivers may be paying more attention to the ocean view than the presence of a bike near the shoulder, but the sight of a cyclist is not rare here. I saw a dozen other riders today on my little 50 mile ride. It would just be nice if there was a bit more space in where the sightlines were poor. Along flatter sections there were no issues, and really no issues in the skinny places either. I'd be a little more worried if it were summer with the higher traffic numbers, and the higher percentage of RV's and boats.
Today however, it was a good day to be out pedaling on the coast for my day 6 of #30daysof biking!
............road bike..........rollers........mtb.........lifecycle....total
Today.........50................0..............0...............0...........50 Jan............710................0..............0...............0...........710
Feb........... 578...............0..............0...............0............578
March ...........701.............0..............0...............0............701
April..........189.................0..............0...............0..........189
Total..........2178...............0..............0...............0.........2178
I started pedaling just south of Cape Perpetua and headed north. There was just a bit of fog hugging the coastline as I started out.
My rain bike would have been the bike of choice when I left home Friday, but it is in Mike Olson's Bicycle Shop in Forest Grove getting some badly needed attention to it's bottom bracket, so I had the fixie along, just in case I found some time to ride.
Riding the Cape on a fixed gear bike presented a challenge, both on the UP, and on the DOWN. As I passed over the Cape the view cleared up a bit.
 |
| Haceta Head Lighthouse. |
A friend was riding his birthday ride today. I was told that he'd be joined by about 25 others on a 50 mile ride today in the Bald Peak/Scholls area. I was unable to join in the fun, but I did hope to ride 50 miles in Paul's honor today.
I knew it would be pretty easy to get 50 miles because I was going to ride out and back. I rolled 25 miles over just as I got to Waldport. As I approached Waldport the bridge over the Alsea River came into view. It is a new bridge, but harkens back to the Conde McCullough bridge it replaced.
 |
| Hwy 101 bridge over the Alsea River in Waldport, OR |
I turned around and pedaled back. The weather had improved a little as the morning had progressed, not that it was ever bad. It was now a bit warmer and less fog.
I was riding along Hwy 101, the main coastal highway in Oregon. In many places the shoulder was pretty much non existent, and that usually happened as the road wound it's way up or down a promontory. The motor vehicle drivers may be paying more attention to the ocean view than the presence of a bike near the shoulder, but the sight of a cyclist is not rare here. I saw a dozen other riders today on my little 50 mile ride. It would just be nice if there was a bit more space in where the sightlines were poor. Along flatter sections there were no issues, and really no issues in the skinny places either. I'd be a little more worried if it were summer with the higher traffic numbers, and the higher percentage of RV's and boats.
Today however, it was a good day to be out pedaling on the coast for my day 6 of #30daysof biking!
............road bike..........rollers........mtb.........lifecycle....total
Today.........50................0..............0...............0...........50 Jan............710................0..............0...............0...........710
Feb........... 578...............0..............0...............0............578
March ...........701.............0..............0...............0............701
April..........189.................0..............0...............0..........189
Total..........2178...............0..............0...............0.........2178
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Day 5 of #30daysofbiking
Randonneurs participate in randonneuring. When they are just riding to Starbucks for fun they call it coffeenneuring. I don't drink coffee, but I do love maple bars, and I am participating in this year's 30daysofbiking challenge. This morning I rode the fixed gear bike into town for a maple bar so I guess you could call it "maple baranneuring". I have a busy day involving travel to Oregon's south coast so this may be the only biking I get today, but it is enough to keep the streak alive.
............road bike..........rollers........mtb.........lifecycle....total
Today..........7................0..............0...............0............7
Jan............710................0..............0...............0...........710
Feb........... 578...............0..............0...............0............578
March ...........701.............0..............0...............0............701
April..........139.................0..............0...............0..........139
Total..........2128...............0..............0...............0.........2128
............road bike..........rollers........mtb.........lifecycle....total
Today..........7................0..............0...............0............7
Jan............710................0..............0...............0...........710
Feb........... 578...............0..............0...............0............578
March ...........701.............0..............0...............0............701
April..........139.................0..............0...............0..........139
Total..........2128...............0..............0...............0.........2128
Friday, April 4, 2014
Day 4 of #30daysofbiking, WOU to Wilsonville
Joe T planned to drop a vehicle off for his daughter at Western Oregon University in Monmouth, then ride back. He invited me to join him. I rode around a bit while waiting for our rendezvous and found that 3 laps around the Fry's parking lot makes 1 mile. ;-)
Joe arrived and we hauled bikes to Monmouth then began pedaling back via our "western option" that brought us up through Amity and Dayton. It was raining yesterday and through the night, but turned out pretty decent this morning. We had a gentle tailwind. Life was good.
I had allowed ridewithgps.com to map our route and was surprised when we got to Dayton and bypassed my usual left turn and instead went straight ahead (past a "no outlet" sign). We arrived at a pedestrian bridge over the Yamhill River that I did not know existed.
As we exited the bridge it started looking a bit dicey. Grass and mud met us initially for the first 30 feet or so, then we got on a dirt road with some gravel. We followed that for about 100 feet then it turned to very rough asphalt. We picked our way through that for a mile or so. Finally that road was turning away from where we needed to go, my Garmin mapped us straight ahead despite the fact that the road did not go that way. No problem, Joe and I practiced cyclocross skills and got back on route.
From that point on it was just a pedal. We kept up a pretty good pace, assisted at times by a tailwind.
We were on busier roads during much of this ride but didn't have too much trouble. We arrived back in Wilsonville and stopped for teriyaki. I guided Joe to a road that would get him easily to Oregon City so he could cross the Willamette River. From there he'd continue back to his home in eastern Multnomah County. As for me, I was done!
Despite the forecast, it was a great day to be on the bike!
Day 4 of #30daysofbiking
Thanks Joe!
............road bike..........rollers........mtb.........lifecycle....total
Today.........60................0..............0...............0............60
Jan............710................0..............0...............0...........710
Feb........... 578...............0..............0...............0............578
March ...........701.............0..............0...............0............701
April..........132.................0..............0...............0..........132
Total..........2121...............0..............0...............0.........2121
Joe arrived and we hauled bikes to Monmouth then began pedaling back via our "western option" that brought us up through Amity and Dayton. It was raining yesterday and through the night, but turned out pretty decent this morning. We had a gentle tailwind. Life was good.
I had allowed ridewithgps.com to map our route and was surprised when we got to Dayton and bypassed my usual left turn and instead went straight ahead (past a "no outlet" sign). We arrived at a pedestrian bridge over the Yamhill River that I did not know existed.
 |
| Joe T photo |
As we exited the bridge it started looking a bit dicey. Grass and mud met us initially for the first 30 feet or so, then we got on a dirt road with some gravel. We followed that for about 100 feet then it turned to very rough asphalt. We picked our way through that for a mile or so. Finally that road was turning away from where we needed to go, my Garmin mapped us straight ahead despite the fact that the road did not go that way. No problem, Joe and I practiced cyclocross skills and got back on route.
 |
| Joe T photo |
From that point on it was just a pedal. We kept up a pretty good pace, assisted at times by a tailwind.
We were on busier roads during much of this ride but didn't have too much trouble. We arrived back in Wilsonville and stopped for teriyaki. I guided Joe to a road that would get him easily to Oregon City so he could cross the Willamette River. From there he'd continue back to his home in eastern Multnomah County. As for me, I was done!
Despite the forecast, it was a great day to be on the bike!
Day 4 of #30daysofbiking
Thanks Joe!
............road bike..........rollers........mtb.........lifecycle....total
Today.........60................0..............0...............0............60
Jan............710................0..............0...............0...........710
Feb........... 578...............0..............0...............0............578
March ...........701.............0..............0...............0............701
April..........132.................0..............0...............0..........132
Total..........2121...............0..............0...............0.........2121
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Day 3 of #30daysofbiking-Unexpected Hill Repeats
Day 3 of #30daysofbiking
http://30daysofbiking.com/
My friend Monica was leading Rocky Butte Hill Repeats for the social bike club I used to belong to tonight. She wanted to borrow a DVD and we both thought that meeting at the Rocky Butte would be a good place to transfer the disc. I decided to take the fixed gear bike and do a little preride for miles, since I had no plans to try to grunt that thing up Rocky Butte.
I started from Sellwood and rode the Springwater Corridor Trail toward Boring. It started raining lightly just as I arrived at Cartlandia.
I proceeded to the end of the Springwater Corridor Trail in Boring then turned around retraced my route as far as I-205 where I turned north toward Rocky Butte on the I-205 Path. As predicted, the rain increased as the afternoon progressed.
I arrived at Rocky Butte and saw Monica waiting inside her car. Nobody from the social bike group showed up. (one of the reasons that it is my FORMER social bike club). She was going to ride anyway, and I thought I should keep her company. I was concerned because I did not think I'd be able to ride up Rocky Butte, and I was certain that I would not be able to ride down Rocky Butte. There are two ways up, one being slightly easier than the other. Monica had pity on me and we started up the easier route. I was surprised that I was able to ride up. It was tough, I resorted to a few "paperboy weaves" and a turn into a driveway to catch my breath, but never put a foot down.
I made it to the top, took a lap around the summit, then braved the descent. As anyone who has ever ridden fixed gear will attest, it is harder to come down a hill than it is to go up. I did manage to make it all the way down without using my brakes, but I was putting a lot of back pressure on the cranks.
Monica was waiting for me at the bottom. She was wondering if I was up for another lap. I responded that it wouldn't be hill repeats if I didn't repeat! Up we went again. I actually did a bit better on lap two. No weaves, just one duck into a driveway to give the legs a rest. Again, no foot down.
We took our lap around the top, then back down we went.
Monica wanted to go up the harder way. I figured I'd give it a shot, knowing I could just turn around when it got too tough. I was surprised to find I could get up it, without stopping, without weaving. It was slow and ugly, but I got to the top! I decided to go back down the less extreme side.
Monica went back down the way we went up. We met at the bottom. It had taken me 80 minutes to do 3 repeats. Back when I was leading this ride I got up to 8 repeats in 90 minutes. I'm not sure which is harder, 8 repeats on the carbon bike, or 3 on the fixie!
Monica went for one more repeat, I waited for her. I had enough hill climbing for tonight! After she came back down we said our goodbyes. She loaded her bike and drove off. I put on lights and pedaled back to Sellwood.
Readers will know that I'm planning to celebrate my 10th One Day STP by riding it on the fixie. I feared I wouldn't be able to ride the bigger hills on this remarkably flat event. Tonight's Rocky Butte ride will make me reconsider that assessment.
Tonight's route can best be viewed HERE.
............road bike..........rollers........mtb.........lifecycle....total
Today.........58................0..............0...............0............58
Jan............710................0..............0...............0...........710
Feb........... 578...............0..............0...............0............578
March ...........701.............0..............0...............0............701
April........72.................0..............0...............0............72
Total..........2061...............0..............0...............0.........2061
http://30daysofbiking.com/
My friend Monica was leading Rocky Butte Hill Repeats for the social bike club I used to belong to tonight. She wanted to borrow a DVD and we both thought that meeting at the Rocky Butte would be a good place to transfer the disc. I decided to take the fixed gear bike and do a little preride for miles, since I had no plans to try to grunt that thing up Rocky Butte.
I started from Sellwood and rode the Springwater Corridor Trail toward Boring. It started raining lightly just as I arrived at Cartlandia.
I proceeded to the end of the Springwater Corridor Trail in Boring then turned around retraced my route as far as I-205 where I turned north toward Rocky Butte on the I-205 Path. As predicted, the rain increased as the afternoon progressed.
I arrived at Rocky Butte and saw Monica waiting inside her car. Nobody from the social bike group showed up. (one of the reasons that it is my FORMER social bike club). She was going to ride anyway, and I thought I should keep her company. I was concerned because I did not think I'd be able to ride up Rocky Butte, and I was certain that I would not be able to ride down Rocky Butte. There are two ways up, one being slightly easier than the other. Monica had pity on me and we started up the easier route. I was surprised that I was able to ride up. It was tough, I resorted to a few "paperboy weaves" and a turn into a driveway to catch my breath, but never put a foot down.
I made it to the top, took a lap around the summit, then braved the descent. As anyone who has ever ridden fixed gear will attest, it is harder to come down a hill than it is to go up. I did manage to make it all the way down without using my brakes, but I was putting a lot of back pressure on the cranks.
Monica was waiting for me at the bottom. She was wondering if I was up for another lap. I responded that it wouldn't be hill repeats if I didn't repeat! Up we went again. I actually did a bit better on lap two. No weaves, just one duck into a driveway to give the legs a rest. Again, no foot down.
We took our lap around the top, then back down we went.
Monica wanted to go up the harder way. I figured I'd give it a shot, knowing I could just turn around when it got too tough. I was surprised to find I could get up it, without stopping, without weaving. It was slow and ugly, but I got to the top! I decided to go back down the less extreme side.
Monica went back down the way we went up. We met at the bottom. It had taken me 80 minutes to do 3 repeats. Back when I was leading this ride I got up to 8 repeats in 90 minutes. I'm not sure which is harder, 8 repeats on the carbon bike, or 3 on the fixie!
Monica went for one more repeat, I waited for her. I had enough hill climbing for tonight! After she came back down we said our goodbyes. She loaded her bike and drove off. I put on lights and pedaled back to Sellwood.
Readers will know that I'm planning to celebrate my 10th One Day STP by riding it on the fixie. I feared I wouldn't be able to ride the bigger hills on this remarkably flat event. Tonight's Rocky Butte ride will make me reconsider that assessment.
Tonight's route can best be viewed HERE.
............road bike..........rollers........mtb.........lifecycle....total
Today.........58................0..............0...............0............58
Jan............710................0..............0...............0...........710
Feb........... 578...............0..............0...............0............578
March ...........701.............0..............0...............0............701
April........72.................0..............0...............0............72
Total..........2061...............0..............0...............0.........2061
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Day 2 of #30daysofbiking- around Mom's neighborhood
I had another busy day. Despite new snow falling in the mountain passes, I took the studded tires off my pickup and put my summer tires back on. During that process I found one of the summer tires had failed, and had to get a new one.
That put me late to my mom's to replace a damaged piece of slate in her patio.
By the time I got that job done I had about an hour before dark to get a ride in. At 6:30 PM I started off on the fixed gear bike for........... Day 2 of #30daysofbiking.
I rode around mom's neighborhood a bit heading generally east. I came to one abrupt dead end as I found myself on the airport perimeter.
I eventually popped out onto the spacious Evergreen Blvd. I continued my easterly movement on the shoulder of the road, protected by the magic paint.
The sun was rapidly sinking, so I stopped riding east and started my turn back by following Brookwood St south for a short distance before looping around on side streets and getting back onto Evergreen Blvd. It was a nice evening and I was riding in short sleeves for the first time this year.
I turned back into residential streets and finished the short ride up. I got 10 miles, not a lot, but better than nothing.
Tomorrow is supposed to be wet, but I've got plans to ride at least 20 miles out and back to Rocky Butte.
............road bike..........rollers........mtb.........lifecycle....total
Today.........10................0..............0...............0............10 Jan.............710................0..............0...............0...........710
Feb........... 578...............0..............0...............0............578
March ...........701.............0..............0...............0............701
April.............14.................0..............0...............0............14
Total..........2003...............0..............0...............0.........2003
That put me late to my mom's to replace a damaged piece of slate in her patio.
 |
| Broken slate removed, ready to install new one |
I rode around mom's neighborhood a bit heading generally east. I came to one abrupt dead end as I found myself on the airport perimeter.
I eventually popped out onto the spacious Evergreen Blvd. I continued my easterly movement on the shoulder of the road, protected by the magic paint.
The sun was rapidly sinking, so I stopped riding east and started my turn back by following Brookwood St south for a short distance before looping around on side streets and getting back onto Evergreen Blvd. It was a nice evening and I was riding in short sleeves for the first time this year.
I turned back into residential streets and finished the short ride up. I got 10 miles, not a lot, but better than nothing.
............road bike..........rollers........mtb.........lifecycle....total
Today.........10................0..............0...............0............10 Jan.............710................0..............0...............0...........710
Feb........... 578...............0..............0...............0............578
March ...........701.............0..............0...............0............701
April.............14.................0..............0...............0............14
Total..........2003...............0..............0...............0.........2003
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Day 1 of #30daysofbiking-April 1st, but no fooling
April 1st is notable for several things. 1) It is April Fools Day 2) Today was my Uncle Norm's funeral. He was a good man. 3) It was day 1 of the Ride 30 Days in April Challenge. Though it is hosted by Washington Bikes, and I'm in Oregon, it seemed like a fun challenge.
\
The rules say that even a ride around the block counts. I didn't plan on doing that, but after 15 hours of other duties, it's about all I had time for. It was dry in Seattle when I left there this morning and was raining by the time I was just a few miles south of Olympia.
I put on rain gear tonight for a fixed gear ride to the local teryaki establishment for a late dinner. I guess the program was a success tonight, it got me on the bike when I probably would have normally just bagged it for today and gone for a ride tomorrow.
Day 1 of #30daysofbiking
............road bike..........rollers........mtb.........lifecycle....total
Today..........4................0..............0...............0.............4 Jan.............710................0..............0...............0...........710
Feb........... 578...............0..............0...............0............578
March ...........701.............0..............0...............0............701
April..............4.................0..............0...............0.............4
Total..........1993...............0..............0...............0.........1993
The rules say that even a ride around the block counts. I didn't plan on doing that, but after 15 hours of other duties, it's about all I had time for. It was dry in Seattle when I left there this morning and was raining by the time I was just a few miles south of Olympia.
I put on rain gear tonight for a fixed gear ride to the local teryaki establishment for a late dinner. I guess the program was a success tonight, it got me on the bike when I probably would have normally just bagged it for today and gone for a ride tomorrow.
Day 1 of #30daysofbiking
............road bike..........rollers........mtb.........lifecycle....total
Today..........4................0..............0...............0.............4 Jan.............710................0..............0...............0...........710
Feb........... 578...............0..............0...............0............578
March ...........701.............0..............0...............0............701
April..............4.................0..............0...............0.............4
Total..........1993...............0..............0...............0.........1993
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