A good week to end the month

I've had a good week of riding. Tonight I managed to be just in time to join about 15 members of my social bike group on a ride from Troutdale up into the hills of the Columbia Gorge in the Corbett area. The planned route was 28 miles with about 3000 ft of climbing.

As I pulled in right at the posted "pedals spinning" time I noticed that my RAO partner was there also. :-) We all pedaled eastward to the Sandy River then made our way up the river until turning up towards Mershon Rd. There was some good climbing that tested some and challenged us all. We reached Larch Mtn Rd via Louden Rd. At this point we paused to regroup. I arrived first but within a few minutes Lauren arrived .......and asked if I'd like to join her on a ride up Larch Mtn rather than down the hill with the rest of the group. Can't refuse an offer of bonus miles and bonus climbing so up the hill we went!

It was a good ride up Larch Mtn Rd. Lauren had been off her bike for a month while she traveled in South America. She has been back for only a couple of weeks and is still working hard to get back to her peak performance level. She did well tonight. Neither one of us had planned on the bonus miles. I only had one water bottle with me, and neither of us brought a jacket or anything other than shorts and a short sleeved jersey. The descent was going to be chilly!

When it got to be 8:15 we turned around thinking that we'd get back to Troutdale before it got too dark.

As we streaked down the hill we couldn't help but notice the beauty around us. The sunset was glorious. We both pulled into Women's Forum State Park (Chanticleer Point) to take in the view. It was one of those picture postcard moments. The long shadows had darkened the hill side but the sun still illuminated the Vista House on Crown Point. I didn't have my camera with me and by the time I could dig the phone out of my pack and get it into picture mode the moment had passed. I snapped a picture anyway.
We continued our ride down the hill to Troutdale. We both stopped to turn on lights. It was dark enough under the trees that we figured it best. We'd catch glimpses of clouds illuminated orange by the setting sun from time to time. It really was a beautiful evening to be on a bike.

Before long we were back to Troutdale and Edgefield, the end of our ride today. I had biked 41 miles and the gps tallied just over 5400 ft of climbing. I rode reasonably well tonight.
No time for post ride festivities tonight.

Tonight's ride meant I've biked 7 of the last 8 days. It also gets me 1152 miles for the month of June, my first month over 1000 miles this year. :-)

............BIKE............LIFECYCLE.....ROLLERS....TOTAL
Today.......41................0.............0..........41
Jan........618...............0..............0.........618
Feb........692...............0..............0.........692
March......940...............0..............5.........940
April......934...............0..............0.........934
May........905...............0..............0.........905
June......1152...............0..............0........1152
_________________________________________
TOTAL.....5256...............0..............5.........5261

Getting lucky

Fellow social bike group member Carol called today to rub it in that she was out riding on a beautiful afternoon while I was working. After much verbal sparring it was decided that if she was still riding, and I got off early, that I would join her. She told me that if I rode with her I'd get lucky.

And so it was that I found myself at Butteville late today with my bike ready to join Carol for the final miles of her ~65 mile ride.



It was a good ride. We rode at a social pace and with the exception of where we were riding right into a rather brisk breeze it was just like a walk in the park.

I did manage to roll over the 1100 mile for the month mark which was my goal for the day. I may get another evening ride in before the end of the month but I never am quite sure of my time availability until the last minute. It's been a good week of riding for me, I've been on the bike 6 days in a row. Some short, some long. Some hilly, some flat. Each and every ride has been great! July, August, and September coming up. I'm not likely going to be able to log the miles like I did last year but do hope to get at least 1000 miles each month.

Oh, and just to clarify, I did get lucky. Carol tells me that anytime I can ride with her I am lucky! ;-)


............BIKE............LIFECYCLE.....ROLLERS....TOTAL
Today.......15................0.............0..........15
Jan........618...............0..............0.........618
Feb........692...............0..............0.........692
March......940...............0..............5.........940
April......934...............0..............0.........934
May........905...............0..............0.........905
June......1111...............0..............0........1111
_________________________________________
TOTAL.....5215...............0..............5.........5220

Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway

149 miles today on a gorgeous day with friends. Details to follow. (via cell phone)

UPDATE:
A rather fortuitous turn of events found 3 of us riding the Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway from Champoeg Park near Wilsonville to Armitage Park near Eugene. My sister and brother-in-law were moving their daughter out of one place and into another. They would have a small U-Haul truck coming back northward with room for bikes and asked if I'd like to bike to Eugene and then ride back with them. They added that they'd have room for several bikes and riders. I made a few quick emails to friends who I thought might be able and willing to do this. I had two others express interest in this short notice adventure.

We bike commuted about 5 miles to the start from Wilsonville and added about 9 miles on the end to get to my niece's place and our ride back home. It was a great day to bike. Temperatures were warm but manageable, and the wind was more help than hindrance.

We began our trip just prior to 7:30 AM. The temperature was mild and we were all riding in shorts and short sleeved jerseys from the get go.





We made our first stop at a Safeway store in Keizer where we grabbed some fluids and snacks. We had averaged nearly 19 mph for these first 35 miles.


We skirted Salem and pretty much followed the Willamette River southward. We went to the very edge of Independence then made a last minute turn before crossing the bridge to continue our southward journey. A few miles later we had our only flat tire of the day. Doak flatted going up a hill.

We all commented on how rural this ride was. We were riding through one of the most populous portions of the state, most of the time within just a few miles of Interstate 5, but saw mostly rural countryside and experienced very low traffic roads. In fact we didn't have our first "car back" until nearly an hour into our ride.


We continued on our way until taking a second resupply stop in the town of Jefferson.

We had just passed through the hilliest part of today's route and the weather was beginning to heat up a bit. We had a 17.6 mph average to Jefferson, about 70 miles into our ride. The heat and hills were beginning to take a toll on my fellow riders. I know that today's 149 miles was nearly 50% longer than the previous personal best for one of my partners. It had to be pretty close to a personal best for the other.
The longer distances tend to be my element and today was no exception. I felt great and pedaled strongly. Heart rate was in the 120's-130's most of the day.

We continued our ride southward through some pretty scenic country.






We reached our 100 mile mark and Lauren commented that it was her fastest century ever. :-)

Just before the teaming metropolis of Shedd, we stopped in the shade of several large roadside oak trees and ate some energy bars and hydrated. Oh, and we rested a bit too!




We continued on into Shedd and refilled water supplies and even had ice cream!


We had very few miles left to go and we covered them quickly with the aid of an increasing wind at our backs.


Before long we arrived at Armitage Park in Eugene, the official end of the Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway.


Today however our ride was not quite finished yet. We made our way another few miles to my niece's near U of O where we were treated to hot showers. We then went out for a post ride meal and brew before loading our bikes and making the return trip home.


It was a great route and all the more enjoyable to be able to ride it with friends.

............BIKE............LIFECYCLE.....ROLLERS....TOTAL
Today......149................0.............0.........149
Jan........618...............0..............0.........618
Feb........692...............0..............0.........692
March......940...............0..............5.........940
April......934...............0..............0.........934
May........905...............0..............0.........905
June......1096...............0..............0........1096
_________________________________________
TOTAL.....5200...............0..............5.........5205

Oregon's Beauty

A last minute invitation had me in Salem this morning just prior to 6:30 AM to join my Furnace Creek 508 crew chief on a ride up McKenzie Pass from the west side. Tagging along was a member of this year's RAO crew. John Henry, Doak, and I began at the Ranger Station near the western end of Hwy 242 and were "pedals down" at 9:20 AM. We enjoyed a bit of mostly flat to start us off.






Before long we took the eastward turn onto Hwy 242, the McKenzie Pass Hwy. The road closes seasonally because of snow (and the fact that it is not a primary route) and won't be open to autos until Wednesday.....a perfect opportunity to bike it!






We were not the only folks on bikes to think it was good idea to ride McKenzie Pass. The weather was great and the lack of auto traffic was a huge bonus, bike riders were in abundance.


The climb up was relentless. As we climbed above 4000 ft there began to be snow along the road.



With the melting snow the lakes were all filled to the brim. Here's Craig Lake about 2 miles from the summit.


The Three Sisters were in their glory today. Fresh white snow, blue skies, and black lava all combined to make a beautiful day.


I ended up with 47 miles and 7070 ft of climbing, the vast majority of the climbing coming in the first 20 miles.

It was a great day. We commented that it's too bad that cars will be back in just a few days but even when open trucks and large vehicles are prohibited. Biking this road wouldn't be that bad. Maybe a ride from Blue River to Sisters for lunch and back???? :-)





............BIKE............LIFECYCLE.....ROLLERS....TOTAL
Today.......47................0.............0..........47
Jan........618...............0..............0.........618
Feb........692...............0..............0.........692
March......940...............0..............5.........940
April......934...............0..............0.........934
May........905...............0..............0.........905
June.......947...............0..............0.........947
_________________________________________
TOTAL.....5051...............0..............5.........5056

The long days of summer

I just love the long daylight of Oregon summers. Sunset tonight was 9:03. I went for a ride beginning shortly after 6PM. I pedaled out Boones Ferry Rd from the Willamette River until I ran out of Boones Ferry Rd just north of Gervais. I continued the mile or so into Gervais where I stopped and called a friend who lives there who just came back from crewing for Sandy Earl on RAAM. We talked for 20 minutes until I decided I best get pedaling before I ran out of daylight. I pedaled back via Butteville Rd until I got to Donald where I jumped back east and rejoined Boones Ferry Rd for the run back to the Boone Bridge over the Willamette River and back home.

It was a pretty fast pedal back with an average of almost 19 mph, but I did make it back over the Boone Bridge before the sun went down. :-)

Tomorrow I ride up McKenzie Pass from the west side. For those not familiar with Hwy 242 the climb up is a curvy steep 10 miles or so called "Dead Horse Grade". There is no mention of dead cyclists so we figure it's safe!

A side benefit...... the road closes for winter and won't be open for autos until Wednesday. The snow should be cleared by now. The weather is predicted to be great!

As if that's not enough, on Sunday I'm riding 140 miles via the Willamette Valley Scenic Bicycle Route from Champoeg Park near Wilsonville to Armitage Park in Eugene. The impetus for such a ride is that my niece is moving to Eugene and her folks are hauling her stuff down there and will be driving an empty Penske truck back Sunday evening. .........they've offerered to haul bike and I back northward!

............BIKE............LIFECYCLE.....ROLLERS....TOTAL
Today.......42................0.............0..........42
Jan........618...............0..............0.........618
Feb........692...............0..............0.........692
March......940...............0..............5.........940
April......934...............0..............0.........934
May........905...............0..............0.........905
June.......900...............0..............0.........900
_________________________________________
TOTAL.....5004...............0..............5.........5009

smiles

The plan tonight was to meet at Cornelius Pass Rd and Hwy 26 and ride up to Skyline via Moreland Rd, then down Rocky Point Rd to Hwy 30. What goes down must come back up and we were to climb back up to Skyline again via McNamee Rd.

Well, after yesterday's spirited ride a few were in recovery mode so after the first climb to Skyline the plan changed to a descent back to Hillsboro via Rock Creek Rd and Old Cornelius Pass.

I guess my bike fitness must be improving despite my doubts to the contrary. I wasn't the least bit tired today. I had to smile a bit at the end when one of my fellow riders asked if I weren't at least a little tired after yesterday's ride. Nope, and I shouldn't be either. If I were I'd be in serious trouble.

I know, I know, I probably should have biked down to Hwy 30 and done our planned route solo since the rest of the group decided on a shorter ride........... but I was in a "social mood" and had fun riding with my buddies.

It's beginning to look very likely that I'll finally break 1000 miles for a month. I only have 142 miles to go. It's about time!


............BIKE............LIFECYCLE.....ROLLERS....TOTAL
Today.......30................0.............0..........30
Jan........618...............0..............0.........618
Feb........692...............0..............0.........692
March......940...............0..............5.........940
April......934...............0..............0.........934
May........905...............0..............0.........905
June.......858...............0..............0.........858
_________________________________________
TOTAL.....4962...............0..............5.........4967

Summer

Today finally felt like summer. 80 degrees. Daylight from shortly after 4:30AM until nearly 10PM. Riding with friends. It doesn't get a whole lot better than this!

I managed to get to Troutdale in time tonight to join a few of the more spirited members of my social bike group on a 29 mile ride that would have about 2900 ft of climbing. It was one of those rides where you could tell by the look in your fellow rider's eyes that they were not about to let lowly little you beat them up any hill or out any flat. Everyone brought their "A" game. They worked my tail off but I did manage to stay out front at all the "important" points! Our first hill was a decently long one and I hammered it hard. I didn't have my heart rate monitor on, but had to have been at 175 plus. The climbing continued to Larch Mtn Rd, about half way into our ride. From there on I got to use my new "big gear" (56 tooth) and put some speed into the downhill. I powered down the Sandy River and into Troutdale. I had slowed just a bit thinking I was well ahead of my partners, but as I sat up and looked around I was surprised to see a paceline of 4 or 5 riders charging hard from about 100 yds behind me. Eeks! Where did THEY come from? I poured it on and managed to increase the 100 yds to a several minute gap by the time we got back to Edgefield.

We all agreed, it was a very good time on a bike!


............BIKE............LIFECYCLE.....ROLLERS....TOTAL
Today.......29................0.............0.........,29
Jan........618...............0..............0.........618
Feb........692...............0..............0.........692
March......940...............0..............5.........940
April......934...............0..............0.........934
May........905...............0..............0.........905
June.......828...............0..............0.........828
_________________________________________
TOTAL.....4932...............0..............5.........4937

Ridin' in the rain

It's June, we expect to get a little rain, a few rainy days from time to time, BUT NOT most every day for crying out loud!

I took off looking for 100 miles minimum today. It was raining very lightly but not all that cold when I began my ride this morning. I had my tyvek STP jacket on, arm and leg warmers, but no rain gear, no booties or wool socks. I rode into Portland then turned east towards the Gorge. The farther east I got the more rain I experienced. I wished I had put on my goretex socks or taken my booties along, but other than that I was dressed about right. In full rain gear I would have heated up on the climbs and been wet from the inside, so a little dampness was a fair trade off.

My ride from Portland was out Division to Gresham then northward to Stark then up the Historic Hwy to Hurlburt, then Louden, then Larch Mtn. After getting back to Portland it was a bit drier than it had been in the Gorge so I opted to meander a bit on the balance of my return to get a few more miles in. I ended up going through New Era then Canby, over the ferry, then out to Grahams Ferry Rd.

I ended up with 121 miles. Pretty easily too, a slower pace helped in that regard. Now if we could just get some sunshine!

............BIKE............LIFECYCLE.....ROLLERS....TOTAL
Today......121................0.............0.........121
Jan........618...............0..............0.........618
Feb........692...............0..............0.........692
March......940...............0..............5.........940
April......934...............0..............0.........934
May........905...............0..............0.........905
June.......799...............0..............0.........799
_________________________________________
TOTAL.....4903...............0..............5.........4908

A bike commuter am I

I had a fire district director meeting in Salem this morning. It was scheduled late enough that I had time to bike commute to it! I had a bit of light rain for the first ten miles of my ride down that way.

After a few hours of doing my civic duty I began my trip back. The weather had dried up a bit. There were some patches of blue sky, but also a few threatening dark clouds.
I took a longer way back wanting to get 100 miles in today. As I pedaled through St Louis I saw this sign that gave me a bit of a chuckle.


I also managed to get a crossing of the Wheatland Ferry. There was a veritable traffic jam there today. A full boat with several cars left on the ramp for several crossings. Not sure why all the traffic was there today.

I did manage to get my meeting attended, my 100 miles logged, and my niece's college grad reception attended.

Tomorrow looking for another 100 or more. Perhaps a ride out to the Gorge is in order. :-)

............BIKE............LIFECYCLE.....ROLLERS....TOTAL
Today......101................0.............0.........101
Jan........618...............0..............0.........618
Feb........692...............0..............0.........692
March......940...............0..............5.........940
April......934...............0..............0.........934
May........905...............0..............0.........905
June.......678...............0..............0.........678
_________________________________________
TOTAL.....4782...............0..............5.........4787

test ride

I got a couple of new chainrings and mounted them last evening. Late this afternoon I got a chance to road test them. Why road test you ask? Well, the new chainrings are a bit larger than the original ones and required moving the deraileur up a bit to clear. I had it pretty close, only required one small tweek to get it all functioning.

Now if I'm behind you on a downhill run, or in a good tailwind, watch out! I've got a 56x43x30 triple with an 11-28 10spd rear cog set. What that calculates out to is that I can pedal just over 49 mph without exceeding 120rpm. 41 mph at a more mundane 100 rpm.

I rode out Tooze Rd to Ladd Hill, up and over Ladd Hill to Wilsonville Rd then back to Wilsonville via Grahams Ferry and a few other meanderings.

Tomorrow I bike commute to Salem for a meeting. I have a graduation party to attend late afternoon so I'm not sure how many miles I'll get but hope to get 100 in. Sunday my recently returned South American wanderer Race Across Oregon partner and I will be searching for 100 miles in the hills around Corbett and Columbia River Gorge.

5 weeks left before Race Across Oregon. Neither one of us feel ready, and at this late date there isn't a whole lot that can be done about it. That's okay, goal 1 is to finish, goal 2 is to have fun. We should be able to accomplish both of those.

And finally, after 9 days and nights of riding, RAAM riders are beginning to roll across the finish line in Annapolis MD. Jure Robic came in as the first solo rider at 9 days, 1 hour, and 1 minute. Congratulations to him on a great race.

One sobering note, of the 6 solo riders in what would be my bracket if I were participating,(male, 50-59) 5 have dnf'd. The one remaining rider in the bracket is on a recumbent, all the others on traditional bikes. Probably good numbers to remember if I ever entertain thoughts of putting myself through this.



............BIKE............LIFECYCLE.....ROLLERS....TOTAL
Today.......21................0.............0..........21
Jan........618...............0..............0.........618
Feb........692...............0..............0.........692
March......940...............0..............5.........940
April......934...............0..............0.........934
May........905...............0..............0.........905
June.......577...............0..............0.........577
_________________________________________
TOTAL.....4681...............0..............5.........4686