Later.
Showing posts with label Bike Month. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bike Month. Show all posts
Saturday, June 01, 2019
Friday, May 31, 2019
Mayo
I ended up with 507 miles in May, barely eclipsing my goal of 500. This put me into the top ten at work for the first time ever, which isn't saying much because participation by "real cyclists" is way down. In the past we would have a few guys with over 2000 miles, but this year I think only one guy went over 1000.
Later.
Later.
Thursday, May 02, 2019
Failure
Well, Bike Month didn't start too well. Yesterday I had my first flat with a tubeless tire ever. I cut the tire on a rock and the hole was just too big to seal. She bled out and died right here:
I put in my spare tube, which has been in my seat bag for years, and it was no good. I had to stop and pump it up numerous times before it finally failed altogether.
I called the sag wagon and Jenn picked me up. Mileage total after day one: a whopping seven miles. It was a sticky, gooey, failure of an evening.
Later.
I called the sag wagon and Jenn picked me up. Mileage total after day one: a whopping seven miles. It was a sticky, gooey, failure of an evening.
Later.
Wednesday, May 01, 2019
Weigh In
Bike Month is here and it's time to weigh in. One year I lost almost 10 pounds in the course of riding 825 miles. I only pledged 500 miles this year, but it would be nice to drop a few pounds in the process. This is more than I should weigh.
Later.
Later.
Thursday, June 01, 2017
Adios Mayo
May is gone and that's just fine by me. I ended up with 522 miles, which I am OK with considering all my outside commitments. I fit rides in when I could and didn't kill myself in the process. I even made it through the month without getting sick for once.
Even though there were people who rode many more miles, I would wager that I may have worked harder than most to get mine.
Of the 18 rides, 15 were on a mountain bike. Only two rides were on the bike trail, and it's obvious which two due to the meager elevation gains. I doubt too many people registered over thirty thousand feet in elevation gain. The gain and loss disparity is due to two rides home from work; home is about 1500 feet higher than work.
Later.
Even though there were people who rode many more miles, I would wager that I may have worked harder than most to get mine.
Of the 18 rides, 15 were on a mountain bike. Only two rides were on the bike trail, and it's obvious which two due to the meager elevation gains. I doubt too many people registered over thirty thousand feet in elevation gain. The gain and loss disparity is due to two rides home from work; home is about 1500 feet higher than work.
Later.
Monday, May 08, 2017
Crazy Train
Today I decided to put in some miles on the bike trail after work. I started at Hazel Avenue and rode west towards Sacramento.
Although I chanced it today, I generally don't ride solo past CSUS because that's where things get a little sketchy on the trail. The Guy West Bridge is sort of the Mason-Dixon line for crazy. Go past it at your own risk. Case in point:
Yes, that's a guy in an overcoat and top hat roller blading.
If you are bold enough to go under Highway 80, which I did, it gets even worse.
Who the hell knows what is lurking in there.
Shortly after crossing under the highway I saw a guy sharpening a huge knife against a concrete picnic table. I opted not to take his picture due to the crazy eyes, huge weapon and a generally stabby vibe he had, but I found a reasonable facsimile on the internet:
Mmmmm-hmmmm.
I put in 41 miles and survived. Truthfully, it was a little disappointing to only see a couple crazy people. I guess Mondays are tough on everyone.
Oh, and a weight update: 171.6 pounds this morning. I lost almost four pounds in a week. Nice.
Later.
Although I chanced it today, I generally don't ride solo past CSUS because that's where things get a little sketchy on the trail. The Guy West Bridge is sort of the Mason-Dixon line for crazy. Go past it at your own risk. Case in point:
Yes, that's a guy in an overcoat and top hat roller blading.
If you are bold enough to go under Highway 80, which I did, it gets even worse.
Who the hell knows what is lurking in there.
Shortly after crossing under the highway I saw a guy sharpening a huge knife against a concrete picnic table. I opted not to take his picture due to the crazy eyes, huge weapon and a generally stabby vibe he had, but I found a reasonable facsimile on the internet:
Mmmmm-hmmmm.
I put in 41 miles and survived. Truthfully, it was a little disappointing to only see a couple crazy people. I guess Mondays are tough on everyone.
Oh, and a weight update: 171.6 pounds this morning. I lost almost four pounds in a week. Nice.
Later.
Sunday, May 07, 2017
Easy
Easy like a Sunday morning.
A funny thing happened when I went out for my ride today: I felt great.
Normally by the end of the first week of Bike Month I would be flirting with 250 miles and feeling completely miserable. This year, due to my son's baseball commitments, my riding time has been limited to an every-other-day schedule.
The forced recovery has left me fresh for the next ride. Instead of dreading my ride today, I took off in a positive frame of mind and actually had FUN. Imagine that.
Even with my modest mileage total, I am right outside the top ten.
I figure I will keep much the same schedule this week and hope to stay fresh for the latter part of the month.
Later.
A funny thing happened when I went out for my ride today: I felt great.
Normally by the end of the first week of Bike Month I would be flirting with 250 miles and feeling completely miserable. This year, due to my son's baseball commitments, my riding time has been limited to an every-other-day schedule.
The forced recovery has left me fresh for the next ride. Instead of dreading my ride today, I took off in a positive frame of mind and actually had FUN. Imagine that.
Even with my modest mileage total, I am right outside the top ten.
I figure I will keep much the same schedule this week and hope to stay fresh for the latter part of the month.
Later.
Friday, May 05, 2017
The Hard Way
Today my original plan was to take the road bike down to the bike trail and knock out an easy 40 miles. However, I really hate using a vehicle to drive somewhere to ride a bike. It seems counter-intuitive and wasteful when the only real goal right now is to rack up miles. I rode from home instead, doing a mixed surface ride on the mountain bike.
I still got my 40 miles, but instead of cruising on a road bike and gaining maybe 50 feet of total elevation on the pancake-flat bike trail, I rode the mountain bike and gained 3200 feet.
It's a much harder way to compete with the roadies at work.
It was a cool morning, which was nice considering the heat we had earlier this week.
I had a nice long nap after my ride. Not a bad way to spend a day off.
Later.
I still got my 40 miles, but instead of cruising on a road bike and gaining maybe 50 feet of total elevation on the pancake-flat bike trail, I rode the mountain bike and gained 3200 feet.
It's a much harder way to compete with the roadies at work.
It was a cool morning, which was nice considering the heat we had earlier this week.
I had a nice long nap after my ride. Not a bad way to spend a day off.
Later.
Wednesday, May 03, 2017
Sudden Impact
Today I rode home from work on the first hot day of the year. It's been a very mild spring with lots of rain, so the sudden jump to 94 degrees was shocking.
I rode pretty well for the first 25 miles, but the heat got to me in the last 12. Every hill became more and more difficult. The sweat was pouring off me as my body tried to adapt to the heat.
I rolled up the driveway very tired and glad it was over. The forecast is for lower temperatures later in the week, and I am fine with that.
Later.
I rode pretty well for the first 25 miles, but the heat got to me in the last 12. Every hill became more and more difficult. The sweat was pouring off me as my body tried to adapt to the heat.
I rolled up the driveway very tired and glad it was over. The forecast is for lower temperatures later in the week, and I am fine with that.
Later.
Monday, May 01, 2017
El Mes de Mayo
It's May, which means it is time to start riding more. I only pledged 500 miles this year, which should be an attainable goal, even with my busy schedule.
Just for grins I hopped on the scale this morning and I weighed in at a robust 175.4 pounds. Yikes. My all-time record was 180 pounds back in the early '90s when I "retired" from racing and quickly gained 45 pounds. I never thought I would ever get anywhere near 180 again. Bike month couldn't have arrived at a better time.
Today I liberated the road bike that has been sitting on the stationary trainer for at least two years. I have to admit, it was pretty fun to get in the drops and go fast. It's been a long time.
The river still has an unbelievable flow going. So much water.
It's finally warm enough for the rattlers to come out.
I put in a modest 30 miles, but the ride was made tougher due to the high winds.
Unlike previous years, when I rode too much early and either burned out or got sick, I am going to start slow with the hopes of finishing strong.
Later.
Just for grins I hopped on the scale this morning and I weighed in at a robust 175.4 pounds. Yikes. My all-time record was 180 pounds back in the early '90s when I "retired" from racing and quickly gained 45 pounds. I never thought I would ever get anywhere near 180 again. Bike month couldn't have arrived at a better time.
Today I liberated the road bike that has been sitting on the stationary trainer for at least two years. I have to admit, it was pretty fun to get in the drops and go fast. It's been a long time.
The river still has an unbelievable flow going. So much water.
It's finally warm enough for the rattlers to come out.
I put in a modest 30 miles, but the ride was made tougher due to the high winds.
Unlike previous years, when I rode too much early and either burned out or got sick, I am going to start slow with the hopes of finishing strong.
Later.
Monday, June 02, 2014
May Wrap
Spare time was difficult to come by in May, so it was difficult to get any posts up. I had a number of unfinished drafts throughout the month, so I just decided to combine them all into one post.
As in years past, I participated in the May Is Bike Month competition at work. I pledged a conservative 700 miles, a little more than my personal best of 612 miles. However, my personal goal was really 900 miles, a number I figured I could reach by utilizing my road and cyclocross bikes when possible.
May 1 - I rolled out the door at 4 a.m. for my first commute to work. When riding all the way from home, I use a mountain bike. This allows me to utilize dirt trails and stay away from the busy roads all the way to the bike trail.
It's always exciting to gear up for the first commute of the year. I bought a NiteRider Lumina 700 to supplement my eight-year-old NiteRider Rage. I really like the Lumina cordless format, and being able to charge via USB is great. Having a good light on the helmet and the handlebars was awesome. It really improved the night riding experience.
I made it to work in one piece with 38 miles, a nice start.
May 2 - I rode 64 miles on the bike trail using my road bike, and it was a miserable experience. My fitness wasn't great, it was hot, and I struggled mightily at the end.
May 6 - I left home to a misty drizzle, but didn't think that much of it. We often have similar conditions on our hill only to find clear skies a few miles down the road. Not on this day.
The mist became a sprinkle, which became light rain, which became hard rain the farther I rode. The first section of dirt is a couple miles of gravel road, which handled the rain well.
The next section was rocky singletrack, and it was here that things started to get sketchy. I like a challenge as much as the next guy, but my low-tread tires, mud covered rocks and darkness weren't mixing well. I had a number of close calls, but no crashes. I made it to work wet and muddy, but alive.
May 8 - Rode the MTB to work again. It was less fun than the first few times, and I had picked up some poison oak. This would be the last commute using the dirt trails because of the proliferation of poison oak this year.
May 12 - I rode 57 miles on the road bike after work, and it was terribly boring. There was a time when I really loved road riding, but that time has passed. This would be the last ride on the road bike.
May 14 - I switched to the cross bike as my commute vehicle and started in Folsom, where I could ride a mostly car-free 22 miles each way. This gave me more miles, less gear, less hassle and no chance of any more poison oak.
May 15 - After another commute day, I am at 517 miles with 16 days to go.
May 17-19 - After three mixed terrain rides on the mountain bike totaling 120 miles and over 7000 feet of climbing, I am officially tired.
May 22 - Only a mile from my house on a planned 40 to 50 mile ride on my cross bike, I had a close encounter with a carload of idiot teenagers in a BMW. They barely missed hitting me and forced me into the ditch. I escaped unscathed, but their screeching-tired-near-miss put me in a foul mood, and I cut my ride short at 21 miles.
May 23 - Still angry about the incident with the car, and wondering why I am doing this, I take the day off.
May 24 - At this point I had pretty much quit pursuing miles. I decided to take the family out for a ride.
We started in Diamond Springs and took the El Dorado Trail up to Camino.
We rode on singletrack, dirt roads, bike trail and city streets.
It was the most climbing the boy had ever done, and he did great. He enjoyed the downhill ride back to the car.
I didn't ride the last two days of the month due to work, two kids graduating, little league, shopping, errands, etc. I was also coming down with a cold, which I am suffering from today.
I ended with 855 miles, far more than I have ever ridden before. In some ways I am very happy with that number, but also disappointed because I was on pace for well over a thousand.
It's tough to keep riding consistently for 31 days and still maintain some order with the rest of your life. The month of May is packed with the kids' school and sports activities. There were certainly evenings when the last thing I wanted to do was strap on the shin guards and catch my son's pitching in the backyard, my legs tired and aching, but I did it. In order to pull it all off I often had to get up as early as 3:30 a.m. A lot of sleep was sacrificed, which is essential for recovery and health. I spent an entire month tired and eventually it caught up with me.
Right now I have absolutely no interest in doing this again, but I'm sure in 11 months I will have forgotten what a grind it was. Surely I'll be right back at it, and likely complaining about it again, too.
Later.
As in years past, I participated in the May Is Bike Month competition at work. I pledged a conservative 700 miles, a little more than my personal best of 612 miles. However, my personal goal was really 900 miles, a number I figured I could reach by utilizing my road and cyclocross bikes when possible.
May 1 - I rolled out the door at 4 a.m. for my first commute to work. When riding all the way from home, I use a mountain bike. This allows me to utilize dirt trails and stay away from the busy roads all the way to the bike trail.
It's always exciting to gear up for the first commute of the year. I bought a NiteRider Lumina 700 to supplement my eight-year-old NiteRider Rage. I really like the Lumina cordless format, and being able to charge via USB is great. Having a good light on the helmet and the handlebars was awesome. It really improved the night riding experience.
I made it to work in one piece with 38 miles, a nice start.
May 2 - I rode 64 miles on the bike trail using my road bike, and it was a miserable experience. My fitness wasn't great, it was hot, and I struggled mightily at the end.
May 6 - I left home to a misty drizzle, but didn't think that much of it. We often have similar conditions on our hill only to find clear skies a few miles down the road. Not on this day.
The mist became a sprinkle, which became light rain, which became hard rain the farther I rode. The first section of dirt is a couple miles of gravel road, which handled the rain well.
The next section was rocky singletrack, and it was here that things started to get sketchy. I like a challenge as much as the next guy, but my low-tread tires, mud covered rocks and darkness weren't mixing well. I had a number of close calls, but no crashes. I made it to work wet and muddy, but alive.
May 8 - Rode the MTB to work again. It was less fun than the first few times, and I had picked up some poison oak. This would be the last commute using the dirt trails because of the proliferation of poison oak this year.
May 12 - I rode 57 miles on the road bike after work, and it was terribly boring. There was a time when I really loved road riding, but that time has passed. This would be the last ride on the road bike.
May 14 - I switched to the cross bike as my commute vehicle and started in Folsom, where I could ride a mostly car-free 22 miles each way. This gave me more miles, less gear, less hassle and no chance of any more poison oak.
May 15 - After another commute day, I am at 517 miles with 16 days to go.
May 17-19 - After three mixed terrain rides on the mountain bike totaling 120 miles and over 7000 feet of climbing, I am officially tired.
May 22 - Only a mile from my house on a planned 40 to 50 mile ride on my cross bike, I had a close encounter with a carload of idiot teenagers in a BMW. They barely missed hitting me and forced me into the ditch. I escaped unscathed, but their screeching-tired-near-miss put me in a foul mood, and I cut my ride short at 21 miles.
May 23 - Still angry about the incident with the car, and wondering why I am doing this, I take the day off.
May 24 - At this point I had pretty much quit pursuing miles. I decided to take the family out for a ride.
We started in Diamond Springs and took the El Dorado Trail up to Camino.
We rode on singletrack, dirt roads, bike trail and city streets.
It was the most climbing the boy had ever done, and he did great. He enjoyed the downhill ride back to the car.
I didn't ride the last two days of the month due to work, two kids graduating, little league, shopping, errands, etc. I was also coming down with a cold, which I am suffering from today.
I ended with 855 miles, far more than I have ever ridden before. In some ways I am very happy with that number, but also disappointed because I was on pace for well over a thousand.
It's tough to keep riding consistently for 31 days and still maintain some order with the rest of your life. The month of May is packed with the kids' school and sports activities. There were certainly evenings when the last thing I wanted to do was strap on the shin guards and catch my son's pitching in the backyard, my legs tired and aching, but I did it. In order to pull it all off I often had to get up as early as 3:30 a.m. A lot of sleep was sacrificed, which is essential for recovery and health. I spent an entire month tired and eventually it caught up with me.
Right now I have absolutely no interest in doing this again, but I'm sure in 11 months I will have forgotten what a grind it was. Surely I'll be right back at it, and likely complaining about it again, too.
Later.
Sunday, June 02, 2013
Knowing When to Shut Up
In my last post a week ago I said, "I will be happy when this month is over." A couple hours later, my wish came true. The month was indeed over, at least as far as riding a bicycle was concerned.
We had gone to the local baseball park in Incline Village to work on some fielding. I was showing the boy how to properly field a ground ball. My technique was pretty smooth and fundamentally sound for the first 15 grounders or so. The last grounder was thrown far to my right, and I ran hard in an effort to make the backhand stab. Unfortunately I was so focused on the ball that I tripped over the pitching mound and separated my shoulder.
I missed the last five days of May and ended up with 611 miles, well short of my 700-mile goal. I also fell out of the top five at work. Neither goal met.
I think my friend Miki pulled up short because he was only a handful of miles behind me last Sunday. If so, a noble "rider down" gesture for sure.
My boss Jim (James) beat me fair and square because there was no way I was going to top his 846, healthy shoulder or no. Next year.
Later.
We had gone to the local baseball park in Incline Village to work on some fielding. I was showing the boy how to properly field a ground ball. My technique was pretty smooth and fundamentally sound for the first 15 grounders or so. The last grounder was thrown far to my right, and I ran hard in an effort to make the backhand stab. Unfortunately I was so focused on the ball that I tripped over the pitching mound and separated my shoulder.
I missed the last five days of May and ended up with 611 miles, well short of my 700-mile goal. I also fell out of the top five at work. Neither goal met.
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| Click to enlarge. |
I think my friend Miki pulled up short because he was only a handful of miles behind me last Sunday. If so, a noble "rider down" gesture for sure.
My boss Jim (James) beat me fair and square because there was no way I was going to top his 846, healthy shoulder or no. Next year.
Later.
Sunday, May 26, 2013
May Update
I haven't been posting much lately because most of my free time has been dedicated to putting in miles. For most of my rides this month the goal has been to maximize my time, which meant leaving the camera at home and concentrating on turning the pedals. So far this month I have 611 miles, a little ahead of the pace necessary for the 700 I pledged for Bike Month.
With no Little League games scheduled because of Memorial Day, we decided to head for Tahoe for a little weekend getaway. Yesterday morning I started off with a mountain bike ride.
Knowing the family wanted to ride later in the day, I selected a short, 17-mile loop.
Conditions were bone dry with not a bit of snow to be found. There have been some years when I have waited until July for the snow to melt on these trails.
In the afternoon we headed for the bike trail. It was cool and windy, but not unpleasant.
We did an out-and-back to Squaw Valley, riding along the Truckee River, and finished up with 16 miles.
Today I did 25 miles with 2200 feet of climbing. Miles are much tougher to come by up here in Tahoe, especially on the mountain bike.
I must admit I am a bit worn out, and I will be happy when this month is over. I still have five more days to grind out some miles to see if I can solidify my goal of a top-five finish at work. We shall see.
Later.
With no Little League games scheduled because of Memorial Day, we decided to head for Tahoe for a little weekend getaway. Yesterday morning I started off with a mountain bike ride.
Knowing the family wanted to ride later in the day, I selected a short, 17-mile loop.
Conditions were bone dry with not a bit of snow to be found. There have been some years when I have waited until July for the snow to melt on these trails.
In the afternoon we headed for the bike trail. It was cool and windy, but not unpleasant.
We did an out-and-back to Squaw Valley, riding along the Truckee River, and finished up with 16 miles.
Today I did 25 miles with 2200 feet of climbing. Miles are much tougher to come by up here in Tahoe, especially on the mountain bike.
I must admit I am a bit worn out, and I will be happy when this month is over. I still have five more days to grind out some miles to see if I can solidify my goal of a top-five finish at work. We shall see.
Later.
Tuesday, May 07, 2013
Early Bird
Today I rolled out the door at the ridiculously early time of 4:30 a.m. This was the earliest I had ever started my commute to work.
If you have even been up at 4:30, you may have noticed that big fiery ball is missing from the sky. It's dark. Really dark. This is especially true in my town where the invention of the streetlight has yet to hit the newspapers. I have a good light, though, and the streets are completely empty at that hour, so who needs streetlights.
About halfway through the Brown's Ravine trail the sky began to lighten, which was welcomed relief. My speed picked up immediately.
Shortly after exiting the last of the dirt, I was on the bike trail. There isn't a whole lot of excitement there, but it continues my car-free route for another 18 miles.
I did see this guy strutting his stuff. The colors would have been much more vivid had the sun been up.
It took me 2:45 to ride the 39 miles. Kind of slow. Next time I would like to shave 15 minutes off that time so I hit the showers closer to 7:00.
Later.
If you have even been up at 4:30, you may have noticed that big fiery ball is missing from the sky. It's dark. Really dark. This is especially true in my town where the invention of the streetlight has yet to hit the newspapers. I have a good light, though, and the streets are completely empty at that hour, so who needs streetlights.
 |
| That's El Dorado Hills down there where they have electricity and lights. |
In previous years I always tried to time it so that I hit the dirt portion of the route as the sun was coming up. However, this strategy always made me a little late for work—a practice frowned upon by management everywhere—so today I left earlier.
The first stretch of dirt was the two-mile gravel road through Serrano, which wasn't tough to negotiate as long as I avoided the rabbits and hares that scurried everywhere. It started to rain a bit, but not enough to matter.
After that I hit the New York Creek singletrack, which is tight, rocky and rough. My speed dipped considerably here because I am not the greatest night rider. This fact became quite apparent during 24-hour races where my teammates were turning night laps only slightly slower than their day laps while mine were significantly slower. Maybe I didn't eat enough carrots as a kid.
The next trail was even rougher, with a number of steep, rocky dropoffs made slick from the increasing rain. I rode cautiously through here, and my speed suffered even more.
About halfway through the Brown's Ravine trail the sky began to lighten, which was welcomed relief. My speed picked up immediately.
Shortly after exiting the last of the dirt, I was on the bike trail. There isn't a whole lot of excitement there, but it continues my car-free route for another 18 miles.
I did see this guy strutting his stuff. The colors would have been much more vivid had the sun been up.
It took me 2:45 to ride the 39 miles. Kind of slow. Next time I would like to shave 15 minutes off that time so I hit the showers closer to 7:00.
Later.
Sunday, May 05, 2013
Miles in May
It's May again, so the time has come to get my lazy ass out and put in some miles. I pledged 700 miles this year, which I hope will get me a top-5 in the Technology Services Division at work. We shall see.
I swore I would ride my road bike this year so I could compete with the guys at work, but when push came to shove I still grabbed the mountain bike.
On Friday I did a 55-mile ride with 3,300 feet of climbing. It was a mix of dirt, gravel, road and bike trail.
Pissed off rattlesnake on the bike trail:
Saturday was a bit of a wasted day. We didn't get to bed until 2 a.m. after attending the Giants game Friday night. I was pretty much worthless all day and never did get on the bike.
Today I again grabbed a mountain bike and did a 42-mile mixed surface ride that felt just as hard as the Friday ride. After seeing the GPS output, I can see why: almost as much climbing as Friday in far fewer miles.
I am currently sitting in third place, but it's early yet. At some point I will have to ride the road bike if I hope to compete with the roadies.
Tomorrow my son has a baseball game and Tuesday he has a band recital, so I will have to get creative with my riding opportunities.
Later.
I swore I would ride my road bike this year so I could compete with the guys at work, but when push came to shove I still grabbed the mountain bike.
On Friday I did a 55-mile ride with 3,300 feet of climbing. It was a mix of dirt, gravel, road and bike trail.
Pissed off rattlesnake on the bike trail:
Saturday was a bit of a wasted day. We didn't get to bed until 2 a.m. after attending the Giants game Friday night. I was pretty much worthless all day and never did get on the bike.
Today I again grabbed a mountain bike and did a 42-mile mixed surface ride that felt just as hard as the Friday ride. After seeing the GPS output, I can see why: almost as much climbing as Friday in far fewer miles.
I am currently sitting in third place, but it's early yet. At some point I will have to ride the road bike if I hope to compete with the roadies.
Tomorrow my son has a baseball game and Tuesday he has a band recital, so I will have to get creative with my riding opportunities.
Later.
Friday, June 01, 2012
Done
I ended up getting sick and didn't ride the last two days of the month. I considered going out for a very short ride just to set my personal best, but I didn't want to risk making my cold any worse. So 604 is once again my total. Unfortunately, a couple guys passed me in the last week and put me down into sixth place.
I guess there's always next year.
Later.
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| Right-click and open in a new window to see full size. |
Later.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Rebound
After not getting many miles over the weekend, I need to ramp it up a bit for the last few days of the month.
With my pledge of 500 miles out of the way, my two remaining goals are a top five in my division and beating my previous best of 604 miles.
Tonight I rode 47 miles after work. When I entered the miles on the MayIsBikeMonth web site, my total came to 604 miles. Funny.
Unfortunately my throat feels a little sore after riding. I am hoping it's just allergies or riding in the dry, windy conditions.
Later.
With my pledge of 500 miles out of the way, my two remaining goals are a top five in my division and beating my previous best of 604 miles.
Tonight I rode 47 miles after work. When I entered the miles on the MayIsBikeMonth web site, my total came to 604 miles. Funny.
Unfortunately my throat feels a little sore after riding. I am hoping it's just allergies or riding in the dry, windy conditions.
Later.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Weekend Wrap
We finished up the weekend in Tahoe with a short Monday morning hike. My dad joined us, which was nice. The conditions were much better for riding than they were on Sunday, but unfortunately I didn't have the time.
After cleaning up, we headed back down the hill. I always hate leaving Tahoe, but school and work beckon.
I did make it out for a short evening ride at home. That 15 miles gave me a whole 32 miles for the three-day weekend. Not good.
Later.
I did make it out for a short evening ride at home. That 15 miles gave me a whole 32 miles for the three-day weekend. Not good.
Later.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Seventeen the Hard Way
On Friday morning when I saw the weather outlook for the weekend, I opted to leave my mountain bike at home. If I did get the chance to ride, I would use the Pugsley, which currently lives in Tahoe full-time. Turns out it was the right bike for the job.
I did my favorite short loop on the Diamond Peak Flume. Conditions ranged from snow . . .
to bone dry sand . . .
to more snow.
Today was the first time I have used the Pugs on this loop. I can't say the climb up the highway was fun, but once I hit the dirt all was forgotten. The bike excelled in the snow, sand, mud and rocks.
One change to the bike today was swapping the flat pedals for clipless. I liked it a lot better from a pure mountain biking standpoint. I had more control and security, especially when descending Tunnel Creek. The flat pedals are cool for goofing around on the beach, but for most conditions I want clipless.
The conditions made it a pretty tough 17-mile ride. My legs are currently burning a bit. In the same amount of time I could have clicked off 40 miles on a road bike, but I am OK with it. I can make up some miles when I get home.
Later.
I did my favorite short loop on the Diamond Peak Flume. Conditions ranged from snow . . .
Today was the first time I have used the Pugs on this loop. I can't say the climb up the highway was fun, but once I hit the dirt all was forgotten. The bike excelled in the snow, sand, mud and rocks.
One change to the bike today was swapping the flat pedals for clipless. I liked it a lot better from a pure mountain biking standpoint. I had more control and security, especially when descending Tunnel Creek. The flat pedals are cool for goofing around on the beach, but for most conditions I want clipless.
The conditions made it a pretty tough 17-mile ride. My legs are currently burning a bit. In the same amount of time I could have clicked off 40 miles on a road bike, but I am OK with it. I can make up some miles when I get home.
Later.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Weekend Outlook
Well, the hope was to head up to Tahoe this weekend and get some fun miles in, but so far that hasn't happened. It's been snowing the whole time.
Driving over the Brockway Summit on Highway 267 yesterday was a little sketchy. The snow was really coming down.
Unfortunately, the temperature is above freezing, and the snow is heavy and wet. I'm just not inclined to ride in the wet conditions. I would be soaked and freezing from falling snow and tire spray within minutes.
So while I am happy to be here, I am bummed out that my coworkers are likely putting in miles in Sacramento while I am watching the snow come down.
Later.
Unfortunately, the temperature is above freezing, and the snow is heavy and wet. I'm just not inclined to ride in the wet conditions. I would be soaked and freezing from falling snow and tire spray within minutes.
So while I am happy to be here, I am bummed out that my coworkers are likely putting in miles in Sacramento while I am watching the snow come down.
Later.
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