This Ride: 30.8 miles
Month: 30.8 miles
2011: 6,572.9 miles
Total since 1/1/2010: 12692.6 miles
This morning was a tough one getting out the door. No, it wasn’t partying from last night. I simply was slow, relatively unorganized, and once I got out the door, I noticed that it had rained so I found the fenders, put them on, and pushed out the door much later than usual. There was more traffic than usual on the roads, and when the roads are wet, the lights just don’t illuminate the surface well.
When I got to the Rusty Bridge, I needed to check on some small noises from the bike, but noticed Dennis and what appeared to be a ghost. There standing on the bridge next to Dennis was a white naked headless female manikin. You don’t see that every day on the bridge. Dennis took a photo. 
It was then that we noticed the arms were on the wrong side, so we fixed that and made sure everyone else on the ride came up on the bridge to see the sight.
Although it is now November and it was wet, about half of the group was feeling frisky this morning and rode ahead while the rest of us, yes me included, hung back . I didn’t seem to have much stamina this morning. It wasn’t long before I noticed my right Achilles tendon complaining again. Yes, I moved the cleats after yesterday’s ride. This one is puzzling me. I extended my ride a bit, continuing on after the ride up to Marley Station Mall and decided to circumnavigate the mall. I hadn’t done that before and it is not a bad option.
On my way to the mall and around the mall I noticed two fitness centers. The lights were very bright and there were a scattering of cars parked in the lots. I’m really glad I don’t have to drive to get to my morning workout, and I don’t mind the dark mornings, and in fact prefer the dim light to the stark brightness of those fitness centers.
As I headed back home, I noticed what I refer to in the title about how the world looks hung over. As it got light, I saw some smashed pumpkins, toilet paper in some trees, and very sad looking deflated “inflatable” decorations. In the early light and after the rain, it was all pretty depressing. I met mike on his commute north to work as I was headed south on the trail. By the time we recognized one another, we were able only to bark out a quick greeting and then we were past each other. It was nice while it lasted.
And so begins November.
This Ride: 22.4 miles
Month: 622.5 miles
2011: 6,542.2 miles
Total since 1/1/2010: 12661.9 miles
This was the coldest morning since March and it required a re-thinking about clothing for the morning ride. Decisions are made based on my clothing chart, and the planned effort for the ride. With this being Mosey Monday, a slower pace was anticipated which meant dressing a little warmer. Once I’m out the door, I can’t put on more, but I can cool down if needed. When I left home it was 34° F, and when I got home it was below freezing.
Nine riders were out this morning. I was a little surprised by that. We had good conversation and rode a reasonable, easy pace. I rode the fixie. I forgot I was going to adjust my cleats and suffered again for the procrastination. When I got home, I moved the rear cleat back to the stops. We had some water on the route, but luckily it was still of the liquid variety. We did negotiate frost on a wooden bridge. In once section, there was a fine frosty fog that almost tasted like dust.
Clint is starting to talk Fleche rides (April) and testing out whether or not there can be two SPP teams. I’ll consider it.
As we move into winter riding now, I’ve ordered chemical toe warmers and reviewing my clothing options.
I’m disappointed with my mileage for October. I had hoped for at least 800 miles on the month. But it was a month of accomplishments none the less.
October saw:
- My longest distance in 24 hours. (227 miles)
- Passing 2010’s total distance.
- Passing 1/2 circumference of the earth since 1/1/10.
- Longest distance covered in 7 days (338 miles)
These Rides: 70.9 miles
Month: 600.2 miles
2011: 6,519.8 miles
Total since 1/1/2010: 12639.5 miles
Wednesday: I rode the usual 22+ miles with the 5:45 group. It was much warmer than expected, and most of us overdressed, having become accustomed to 10 degrees cooler in recent weeks. We quickly divided into two groups. I was in the slower group. Now, two days later, I just don’t remember much else.
Thursday: Wednesday evening I announced to the group that I would not be riding because I had an early morning appointment in Annapolis. As it turns out, it was raining pretty good at ride time and I later learned that only two riders were out.
Friday: Friendly Fixie Friday started with 11 riders with six continuing on into Annapolis and Jeff S. joining us by car. The forecasters missed the low, predicting that it would be colder than it was, and so we enjoyed a 42° F morning. I matched my best time across the Naval Academy Bridge (on the fixie) and was quite comfortable with my 32+ mph top speed with the Garmin saying I topped out at only 121 RPM. (Calculators indicate I had to be doing 150 RPM.) Following a sticky bun and coffee breakfast, I joined up with Mike B and rode north around the airport before picking up a car again at the hospital where Lori works. There were several times on that extended route I simply wanted to quit, but I’m glad I continued on.
Recently, I’ve noted that my right Achilles Tendon has been giving me fits and today was no different. I had a hard time walking once I was off the bike. A quick internet search suggests that maybe I have my right cleat too far forward. I’ll move it back some for my next ride, and see if that doesn’t help reduce the pain.
Evidently part of Wednesday's route is blocked for National Security reasons
This Ride: 22.2 miles
Month: 529.3 miles
2011: 6,448.9 miles
Total since 1/1/2010: 12568.6 miles
The Severna Park Peloton is still in the normal weekly routine even though it is now dark for our entire ride. That means that today was Terrible Tuesday, and while the speed is not quite as fast as when it is light out in the morning, the rides are still very fast for me.
We had seven riders out this morning (once we were all assembled) and it wasn’t long until we had split into three distinct yet varying groups. I was riding the Kona. I decided I would try to increase my best time on the Old County Road section, and pushed it hard, passing most people up the hill. My heart rate spiked to 178 and I kept pushing until I hit what I though was the end of the “course” (I’m still uncertain where it is). Unfortunately, when I got back home and compared my time on Strava to my previous best, it was lacking by 1.8 mph. I have no idea how I managed that speed earlier when I consider how I gave it my all this morning. Burned out now, I was alone in the middle of the pack occasionally seeing tail lights ahead and glimpses of headlights behind.
Brian R was waiting for me at the turn around, and we rode back, picking up Bryan N along the trail. We talked training, and Brian, who has training experience has promised to give me some decent numbers which he says will help me increase my speed. I’m anxious to get them from him. I still work too hard for the speed I am able to achieve.
I’m quite a ways from my monthly goal, and I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to pick up 270 miles by the end of the month. But the important thing is for me to keep going and logging the miles. Maybe Brian can help me focus on specific ride goals a little more often.
Yesterday I tentatively scheduled foot surgery for January 6th. I’ve been told that I need to stay off the bike for six weeks post surgery. I’m not looking forward to those six weeks.
This Ride: 22.1 miles
Month: 507.1 miles
2011: 6,426.7 miles
Total since 1/1/2010: 12546.4 miles
This was one of those ordinary morning rides. Temperatures were in the mid 40’s F. Six riders were out at the start. Dave flatted early in the ride and chose to abandon the ride. I rode the fixie. It was dark. Not much else to say.
This Ride: 33 miles
Month: 484.9 miles
2011: 6,404.6 miles
Total since 1/1/2010: 12524.3 miles
We may have seen the weather turn to fall now. Temperatures were in the upper 40° F range as we set out this morning for Friendly Fixie Friday. On the way to the Rusty Bridge, I encountered deer three times. First there was a trio of deer that crossed within a dozen feet ahead of me. Later a single buck crossed 20 yards ahead. Then minutes later, another buck crossed within 10 feet of me. It reminded me of the Wallops Island ride. I was solo and did not get to share this experience with anyone else.
There were four fixies, and 5 other riders this morning, with 6 riders and Jeff (driving in) for breakfast. We lingered, laughed, talked with George the crossing guard, got served complementary carrot cake, and pushed out of the Hard Bean pretty late. The sunrise was very pretty with deep, deep reds. On the way back, soon it was only three fixie riders on the trail after Severn Way. Once we got to the Rusty Bridge again, I continued on while Clint and Bryan turned for home. I rode up to the hospital to pick up the car Lori drove in to work since I’ll be picking her up later. It is quite a challenge finding a car in the parking lot/garage without knowing where it will be.
Looking for a car I didn't park ... and losing GPS in the parking garage.
It was a nice morning to be out. I still have quite some deep fatigue. I’ll miss the Ocean City Rides this weekend due to a wedding. Good luck to the many riders, most of whom have never ridden this route before.
These Rides: 63.7 miles
Month: 451.9 miles
2011: 6,371.6 miles
Total since 1/1/2010: 12491.3 miles
It has been attitude more than physical reasons that after my long ride Friday-Saturday I took something of a break. I’m glad I had a ride with a colleague scheduled for Monday, otherwise I might not have ridden.
The colleague who named my long ride “crazy fun” has been wanting to ride with me for months, and since we were going to be at a conference together, with some time Monday afternoon set aside for wellness activities, it seemed like the perfect thing to drag our bikes along and ride. I anticipated an easy 20 miles or so. Kristen wasn’t ready to turn around at 10 miles in. She set a landmark goal 15 miles in, and I convinced her to turn around at mile 22+ before we reached the landmark. We were riding on the Eastern Shore along the coastal highway north of Ocean City, and really didn’t notice that we had a pretty strong tailwind the last part of our trip north. When we turned around, the wind in our face was brutal … blowing about 20 mph. Our speed dropped rapidly. I asked what her longest ride had been before, and she told me that it was 25 miles. I knew we were in trouble. Neither of us had brought food, we had one water bottle each, and now we were pushing into a stiff wind. She is not confident enough to draft close enough to make a difference, so we slogged along, stopping every 5 miles or so to stretch. There were lots of encouraging words I pushed her way. Soon enough though, I deposited her at the condo she was staying at, and I turned back north, with a tail wind, for a nice fast and easy ride back to my motel. It actually turned out to be a good recovery ride for me.
And during this ride, I passed the distance mark that is the equivalent of riding halfway around the world.
Today (Thursday) I stopped making excuses and got back out with the 5:45 group … or should I say, 5:46? I rode the fixie since it is the cleanest bike, and I intend to ride it more during the next several weeks specifically to strengthen my legs for the next 200k. Quite a few of us were out. The trail surface was damp to wet and wet leaves littered the path. I decided to take it relatively slow, but soon found myself with Jeff S in the middle. A group of riders were out fast, another group was behind. When the group behind had a rider flat and stop to assist, Jeff and I became the tail of the group. He seemed content to ride with me, which was good, because pushing more than I did this morning was just not in the cards. I’m very fatigued. I didn’t have a good night’s sleep.
I’m looking forward to breakfast tomorrow. I’m disappointed that I’ll not be able to ride the SPP OC-13 rides this weekend. There are about 20 riders going. It would be a good time. I’ll be conducting a wedding and leading worship on Sunday.
Ride details are below.
This Ride: 227.4 miles
Month: 388.3 miles
2011: 6,307.9 miles
Total since 1/1/2010: 12427.6 miles
A colleague of mine, hearing that I had planned to ride 225 miles in 20 hours declared this to be “crazy fun”. She was right. I extended my longest ride ever by some 50% and entered a whole new realm of riding this weekend. First it was an overnight 200k, then the Seagull Century in Salisbury, MD. The 200 k ran from 7:20 pm to 4:15 am. The Seagull Century ran from 7:20 am to 3:45 pm.
Last year, two Severna Park Peloton members rode “Eastern Shore Reversed” 200 k before doing the Seagull Century ride. At that time, I thought they were absolutely crazy. As I’ve ridden more and more, I began to think it might be possible for me, and shortly after signing up for the 2011 Seagull Century in the spring of this year, I decided to try the same stunt. I announced it early, then had many second thoughts. The really crazy thing was, that after I announced my intention to do this long combination ride, others joined in and said they were considering it too. By the time October dawned, seven riders had committed to the overnight ride, and four of those planned to ride the Seagull Century. The excitement built to a fever pitch so that in the days leading up to the ride, it was all we could talk about. What follows the break, if you choose to read it, is a rather lengthy description of this 20 hour journey.
It has been a week since I last posted. It has not been a week since I last rode. I went to the Doctor on Monday morning (after my ride) and received a prescription for antibiotics. I had developed bronchitis, and since the big weekend was coming up I wanted to be as well as possible. Time and medicine has done the trick.
My numbers for the 4 days ridden this week:
This Week: 86.6 miles
Month: 160.9 miles
2011:6,080.6 miles
Total since 1/1/2010: 12200.3 miles
Not a strong week on the surface, but you gotta give a guy a break. Not only was I recovering from bronchitis, but there was weather and some significant accomplishments this week.
The rides included:
Mosey Monday – an enjoyable easy pace on the fixie
Terrible Tuesday – where I intended to ride easy, but averaged 17.7 mph for the entire ride and had my best average time yet up my little sprint hill, doing 25.5 mph. When I told Lori, she said, “Up hill?” Yes.
Wet Wednesday – Only 3 of us turned out for a ride in light rain which improved to simply wet surfaces. We didn’t push the pace. I rode the fixie.
Tepid Thursday – After calling out the other members of the peloton for not riding on Wednesday, we had 8 riders out Thursday in a steady drizzle to light rain. I rode the fixie again, and although it was an easy pace, my legs were sore after the ride.
Which brings us to today. This will be a prep day for me. The original forecast for the day was clear and comfortable, but now rain is forecast off an on all day. I got up early, took Lori to work, then immediately went to work cleaning the Kona’s frame and drive train (in the dark) for tonight’s ride. I’ll change at least the front tire (5500 miles on it), get the drive chain lubed, and otherwise prepare the bike for this weekend’s rides.
As a recap, we start at 7:00 pm for our 200k ride, expecting to finish in the wee hours of the morning. Half of us will then drive 45 minutes to Salisbury for the Seagull Century and ride 102 miles starting at 7:00 am. I’ve done this distance before in two days. This time, it will be less than one day. I’m excited and doing everything I can to pack only what I anticipate needing for the conditions. I’ve got the lights figured out as our 200k will be entirely in the dark. I’ll try to get a nap in today and bank a little rest.
And so I begin. I’ll let you know on the other side how it went.
This Ride: 27.9 miles
Month: 74.3 miles
2011: 5,993.9 miles
Total since 1/1/2010: 12113.6 miles
It looks like the worst of the cold is over, and there are few reasons to skip out on a Friday Breakfast Ride, so I drug myself out of bed (after having been awake from 1:00 – 3:30 am), climbed on the newly outfitted fixie, and joined 8 others for the morning ride.
Yesterday the fixie went back into Light Street Cycles for a new rear wheel. I made some other observations when I took it in, and really got a nice upgrade. The new wheel that was ordered didn’t match, so I got a whole new wheelset (including no free hub, both sides are fixed now), a new front tire, shorter stem, new cranks/front ring, new 17 tooth cog, and maintenance done on the bearings in the headset. I wasn’t expecting all that, and much of it comped. This was the first ride with the new gearing and I’m noticing the change. Hills are a little tougher (or is that because I have no wind because of some lung congestion?). My speed at 90 RPM is about 1 mph faster than the 18 tooth cog. I see that in my average speed this morning, 0.8 mph faster than any other fixie ride. I also was able to set a personal record over the Naval Academy Bridge, averaging just over 20 mph, and I wasn’t trying.
Seven of us went into Annapolis for breakfast and had a good time. The harbor is full of sailboats for the National Sailboat Show this weekend. We had some good conversation, lots of laughter and good-natured ribbing. These breakfasts really are one of the best parts of the week. There is more conversation about our upcoming epic ride. The long range forecast is looking good, with lows around 50 and highs in the upper 60s. We still have a few others considering doing the ride, it all depends on schedules and how the work week goes.
I didn’t extend the ride this morning, and one week into October I have a paltry 75 miles logged. That’s the way it goes sometimes. I’m now nearly 500 miles behind my planned schedule and the window for catching up is closing fast.
Rev Rider 