That was a busy weekend. From the time I climbed onto my bike Friday morning until late Sunday night, there weren’t many spare moments. Normally, I’d simply skip the ride report for Friday, but it was quite an interesting ride.
As I opened the front door of the house to get out and ride on Friday, I noticed dark and foreboding clouds. I immediately grabbed my smartphone and called up a radar map, which showed very few widely scattered mini-showers in the area. Knowing that I would be gone from home until at least 8 am, I went back inside and grabbed a rain jacket. It was 60° F and at that temperature, even a light rain can be pretty chilly. By the time I had ridden a quarter of a mile, the light rain started. I stopped and pulled on the jacket. By the time I got to the Rusty Bridge, the light rain was pretty steady. Almost to a person, the riders gathering had a story similar to mine. They stepped outside, saw the clouds, went back for a rain jacket that was not part of the original mix of gear.
The ride to Annapolis was wet. Our conversation was muted, punctuated often by, “where did this rain come from?” We dripped our way into The Hard Bean, glad to pull off the rain jackets. You see, rain jackets are designed to keep the rain out and the sweat in. It is warmer than not wearing one, but it is often just as wet. Seriously, all rain jackets seek to vent sweat away from the body, but they all do a pretty poor job of it unless it is about 40 degrees. At least we were not cold.
Breakfast and coffee was good. There was plenty of good-natured ribbing about food choices. And then it was time to don damp, clammy rain gear and head back out into the rain for the ride back home. Conversation was kept to a minimum as we simply put our heads down and headed home. About the time that the rain picked up in intensity, Mike C flatted. The collective groan wasn’t missed by Mike, who urged us to go on and leave him destitute by the side of the road to repair the flat himself. We would have none of that, and in short order repaired the flat in the persistent rain.
Some days it is fun to ride in the rain. This wasn’t one of those days.
This morning’s ride was very different. The sunrise was spectacular. Temperatures were pleasant. Even though it was Mosey Monday, we had a few sprints and a pretty quick pace on the day. In fact, I think we had 15 riders out, which usually means that someone is going to go fast. I did set a personal record speed on a nearly 1 mile segment. Average speed over that distance was 26.4 mph, and that was muted because of both an oncoming rider and one of our group who was not willing to kick the speed up and slowed us down as we passed.
It is fun to go fast.
So it is a good start to the week. I fully expect to be able to ride every day this week. I’m looking ahead to a 327k ride on Saturday, June 29th. That 200 mile ride will start at 4 am and will have a good group of guys riding.
These Rides: 45.9 miles
Malaria Campaign: 270.7 miles
Funds Pledged: $75.80
Contributed in support: $100
2013: 2806.6 miles
Total since 1/1/2010: 22,579.5 miles
If anyone was listening to the conversation in my head last evening, they would have wagered a small fortune that I would have stayed in bed this morning, and slept in instead of riding the bike. There were predictions of serious thunderstorms near our ride time. I was feeling exhausted and sleep-deprived. I got to bed late. My plate at work was very full and demanded some early work.
It all came down to my bladder.
I know, that’s not very nice to say, but I had to get up, and once I was up I noted that it was not thunderstorming (yet), I felt mostly refreshed, and I knew that a ride would prepare me well for the work that lay ahead.
There were five of us out. That’s pretty slim pickings for such a nice morning. We set a quick but comfortable pace. No one was interested in pushing it. We talked, we laughed, we each spent some time trying to keep up with the others. We had one of those nice rides that builds base miles and challenges no personal records. I call them bread & butter rides.
Other than the conversation and zoning out at times, the only other things I noticed this morning was that blackberries are starting to drop from the trees and I notice a lot of cardinals out in the pre-sunrise time. They seem to be some of the first birds out and about.
We did have one near miss with a car. As we were getting ready to cross Severn Way (a dangerous intersection mostly because of poor sight lines) we heard a car to our left before it came through the intersection at a speed that I would guess was higher than the posted limit. Dave swerved hard to the right, the car swerved into the oncoming lane, and the rest of us were able to stop short of the intersection … barely. This is reminiscent of what I wrote recently about cycling and traffic signals. Had we stopped at our stop sign before proceeding through the intersection as directed by the traffic signals, one of us would have likely been hit by this driver because of the excessive speed through the curve in the road at that point. No harm came to anyone this morning, but it was a great reminder how dangerous this can be. Flesh and bone are no match for a ton of steel.
This Ride: 22.2 miles
Malaria Campaign: 224.9 miles
Funds Pledged: $62.97
Contributed in support: $100
It is a rare Tuesday evening when I’ve got no church-related responsibilities. On those occasions, when I think of it, the Tuesday Evening Pizza Ride is a great chance to ride with people I don’t often ride with, and get a good fast ride in. When I discovered that all of those elements came together perfectly last evening, I planned the ride and invited Lori to join me after her work at Squizito’s.
About a dozen riders pushed off from the Rusty Bridge with only Marcus as a regular 5:45 rider. Two guys from this year’s Flèche team were riding and a couple of guys I’d never ridden with. We breezed south down the B&A Trail and headed out to St. Margaret’s Road. The Holly Drive Loop was a blast. We had high speeds despite a quite fractured pace line. It is always fun looking down at the speedometer and seeing speeds in excess of 25 mph on a bike on flat ground.
We had a great pace, a great ride, and half a dozen of us settled in for Italian food and drink at the end. As I pedaled home, I got to see the sun setting … which mean that I saw both the sunrise and sunset from a bike seat this day.
I was quite apprehensive about Wednesday morning’s 5:45 ride after that quick pace late yesterday. I took a very easy pace to the Rusty Bridge and even announced that I would probably be slow this morning. The speed of the group gradually came up over the ride, and by the last half, we were flying. I was curious about my overall speed and when I got home and plugged in the Garmin to download the details, I discovered that this was the fastest ride of the year. This has been a good month for setting personal or annual speed records. I am feeling much stronger and I notice that my heart rate recovers very fast these days. It will sometimes drop 40 beats per minute in the course of a minute or so.
So, two rides in the last 24 hours. That adds to the fun and the mileage.
(In a funny coincidence, I bumped into a Malaria Campaign donor at Squizito’s. He asked what I was doing there (dressed as I was in my cycling kit and sweating like no one else in the restaurant). I replied that I was attempting to extract money from his pocket. It took him a heartbeat or two before he caught on!
These Rides: 50.7 miles
Malaria Campaign: 202.7 miles
Funds Pledged: $56.75
Contributed in support: $100
More thunderstorms rumbled through last evening. It left the streets damp and the trail littered with some debris. Add to that the fact that some of our fast boys weren’t out today and we had the proper mix for some short fast segments and mostly a leisurely ride, although much quicker than yesterday. Not quite knowing what to expect, I pushed out of the house this morning and set a fast pace on my warm-up route to the Rusty Bridge, setting a personal record for the route.
It is an enjoyable start to the day to ride with friends and then stop for a cup of coffee and really catch up. We got going on stories from rides involving animals, especially dog encounters. Every one of us had stories where dogs changed the ride for us.
I got home just before Lori left for work. I realized that with no definite plans for the evening, I could possibly ride the Tuesday Evening Pizza Ride and made plans for Lori to join us at Squizito’s after she is done at work.
This Ride: 19.8 miles
Malaria Campaign: 152.1 miles
Funds Pledged: $42.59
Contributed in support: $100
I awoke this morning to sounds of car tires splashing through water on the highway. I sent an email to the group last night that I was riding “rain or shine” and so the early morning rain felt like a test. Without hesitation I locked into the routine and was out the door a little early, so I added a couple of miles to my route to the Rusty Bridge in a very light rain. I wore no rain gear. I did have a shower cap over my helmet but by the time I got to the bridge, I removed it. Not only was the rain starting to let up, but the limited airflow over my head was causing more sweat than rain to build up on my head.
We had three out this morning, and it was a very easy pace. Sometimes I looked down and noted a heart rate under 100. My average for the morning was 114. That’s really not even a cardio workout.
But it was an important morning for the legs. When I’m off the bike for 60 hours, my legs start to get very restless. That usually means that Sunday evening, my legs are causing me some misery. The Monday morning ride sets everything right in the world.
By the end of the ride, wet streets was all there was to show for the morning rain. There was more coming, but essentially the ride was dry.
Yesterday in church, one member stood up and challenged people to support the Malaria Campaign. I’ll put together some resources and invite pledges in ways other than online … at least for Our Shepherd.
This Ride: 22.5 miles
Malaria Campaign: 132.3 miles
Funds Pledged: $37.04
Contributed in support: $100
Overnight the rain was steady and came down pretty hard. I had resolved to ride and had 3 others who were committed to join me, so as the rain pounded down on the roof, I lay awake contemplating the clothing choices. It was all dependent upon the temperatures and the amount of rain falling.
When I awoke, the rain had slowed to a light steady rain, dropping off to a steady drizzle and it was 69°F. I opted for my Showers Pass rain jacket, even though I knew that would be hot. A shower cap covered my helmet, and I wore a cycling cap with a brim to keep the rain off my glasses. When Clint showed up with his rain jacket in his pocket, I stripped mine off, and Mike & Dan did likewise. We rode the entire morning without putting the rain gear back on.
We took a nice easy pace down the full length of the trail, splashing through puddles and dodging low-hanging branches soaked with water. Mike C showed up at breakfast in a car, and George the Crossing Guard sat with us while we ate breakfast and sipped on hot coffee. The ride was as uneventful as it was enjoyable. Yes, I said it. The ride was enjoyable even with a steady light rain.
I decided not to continue in the rain solo, so I proceeded home, stripped off as much wet clothing as decency on the front porch would allow, wrung out my socks, & dried off.
This is a low mileage week and there are no rides planned for the weekend. I will be attending a retirement ceremony today at the Naval Academy for one of my Flèche team members.
Pictured below is the radar display for the time of my arrival home.
This Ride: 25.1 miles
Malaria Campaign: 109.7 miles
Funds Pledged: $30.72
2013: 2620.6 miles
Total since 1/1/2010: 22,392.5 miles
This was a first for this year, and only accomplished twice last year. Two days in a row with an average speed of more than 18 mph! In fact, today was slightly faster than yesterday.
There are so many factors in a fast ride, especially fatigue, and it was the fatigue that I thought might doom this morning’s ride. I’m tired. I fell asleep 4 times yesterday while reading. They were short, 5 minute naps, but it is reflective of the fatigue I’m feeling. At the meet up at the Rusty Bridge I announced that I would not be pushing a fast pace, but then … when the speed gradually picked up, I was able to keep up. Then, in the 2nd quarter of the ride, I set a quick pace that was a little too fast for a couple of my colleagues.
It is a lot of fun to have this speed available to me.
A member of the congregation I serve is excited to tell the rest of the congregation about my cycling and the Malaria Project. Hopefully that will translate into some pledges. I get a lot of “atta-boy” comments, but those don’t always translate into bed nets and medicine.
Tomorrow’s ride is weather dependent. It will likely be only about 25 miles if the weather is bad. If it is fairly dry, then who knows?
This Ride: 21.7 miles
Malaria Campaign: 84.6 miles
Funds Pledged: $23.69
I’m a cautious driver. I adhere to the speed limit. I come to a full stop at stop signs. I use the passing lane for passing. I drive with my headlights on. I use my turn signals every time. I’m not very tolerant of aggressive drivers.
But most of that goes out the window when I’m cycling.
- Coming to a full stop at a stop sign and re-starting is hazardous to a cyclist. When coming to a complete stop the cyclist has to unclip, place a cleated foot on the ground (which often is pretty slippery with that cleat), push off and then clip in again. This entire process puts the cyclist in the intersection for a very long time. I’ve fallen performing this ballet of motion.
- The inductive coils at traffic lights frequently do not register a bicycle. This is particularly frustrating at times of very low traffic flow. Unless massive amounts of steel are present, the light will often not change for a cyclist.
Therefore, I ride with these rules in mind:
- A stop sign = a yield to all traffic. I will slow down. I will be hyper vigilant. I will stop if there is other traffic, even if they are going my same direction. But when there are no vehicles around and I approach a stop sign, I’m usually going through it unless visibility is poor.
- A Red Traffic Light = Stop. But after stopping, depending on the circumstances, I’ll move through the intersection against a red, particularly if it is a red left turn arrow and no vehicles are nearby to trigger the sensor in the road.
- Speed limit signs = challenge. There is no greater thrill on a bike than to exceed speed limit signs of 25, 30, 35, 40, or 45 mph. This will usually not be sustained long. If there is a radar sign indicating speed, the bragging rights of exceeding the speed limit is doubled.
- Be visible. A flashing rear red light on the bike is a must. A headlight, steady or flashing when riding in traffic is important. Bright clothing. Eye contact with drivers. A rear view mirror used often. All these contribute to being visible and seeing the ever-evolving traffic patterns. I will take the lane if necessary in order to be seen. In low light conditions, plenty of reflective gear is added.
- In unfamiliar areas or where traffic is heavier, I’ll lean more toward following the letter of the traffic rules.
- I use arm signals for turns. Vehicle drivers understand those. They do not understand the signals for slowing or stopping.
- A predictable cyclist is a safer cyclist.
Vehicle drivers often forget that cyclists also drive cars. We know the rules of the road.
But this is the driving force between different “rules” for cyclists than for drivers of other vehicles … more than 2,000 lbs. In a bike vs. a motor vehicle collision, the cyclist will always be the loser and more often than not, carry the scars of that encounter for life. If that means that I have more momentum and options to avoid a collision in an intersection because I ran the stop sign, so be it.
I don’t break the rules because I’m arrogant, as many vehicle drivers think. I do it for safety.
Sleep eluded me last night. When the alarm rang at 4:45 I really wasn’t feeling it. I debated whether or not to ride this morning, but with the Malaria Campaign participants counting on me and fully expecting a good turn out for our morning ride, I was up and prepping in no time. My legs ached. I had a low grade headache. I wasn’t looking forward to what was billed as “Wicked Wednesday”, a fast midweek ride. I dressed more warmly than I needed to, fully expecting that I would be riding alone watching all the others speed off into the sunrise.
It was a pretty morning. I made my way to the Rusty Bridge and soon others were arriving. We started off at a quick, but reasonable pace, and it wasn’t until a couple of miles into the ride before a rider decided to pick up the pace. We all followed. On Old County Rd our group split, with three of us taking the shorter route and about 5 riders going to tackle the hill at Askewton. Our little band of three worked together to remain ahead of the other group and not get caught. That is only possible if we maintain average speeds above 20 mph. We formed a tight three person pace line, all sharing the lead at times, and then rotating to the back for a rest. We arrived at the turnaround point a full minute before the other group. As we headed back home, we all maintained the pace line together, and found our speeds increasing. Places where I routinely go about 30 mph we were now traveling 36. Places where I routinely ride 18-20 mph, we were doing 28 mph. When we work together, we were much more efficient.
I set 3 annual personal best speeds on segments I track, all of them very close to lifetime personal bests. That is only possible with teamwork.
Yes, the connections to the Malaria Campaign are obvious, so I’ll not go into detail about that.
At the end of the day, I was tired, but invigorated by the speed work and just riding on a beautiful morning.
We picked up one more pledge in the last day!
This Ride: 21.7 miles
Malaria Campaign: 62.9 miles
Funds Pledged: $17.61
What a difference a day makes! A cold front rumbled through last night bringing temperatures down 10 degrees, humidity way down, clear skies and simply gorgeous. Six or 8 riders were out for a quick day without it being an uncomfortable speed. We caught up on recent long rides, including Clint’s 600k over the weekend. The trail was busy with walkers and bikers, a real testament to how pleasant it is now in the early mornings, and the fact that for the next month or so it is the peak of daylight early.
Near the end of the ride we had a little sprint contest up a small hill. I kicked it from position 4 in line. Jeff S stayed on my wheel and Clint came along. I crested the hill in front but was quickly passed as I sat up and coasted. We were still breathing hard when we pulled into The Big Bean for Tuesday Coffee.
It is mornings like this that keep me riding.
Last evening I registered for a 600k (380 miles in 40 hours) in October. That will be in North Carolina with Mike B. There is plenty of time to train and focus on the details for this longest ride for me. Fair warning to those who are pledging. That one weekend might need to go into your budget planning ahead of time.
This Ride: 21.2 miles
Malaria Campaign: 41.2 miles
Funds Pledged: $11.12
Rev Rider 