This Ride: 18.4 miles
Kona Distance: 4,836 miles
Month to date: 197 miles
2010 Total: 5,322.5 miles
The rain stopped about an hour before the 5:45 start time for our ride. It was 56 degrees. There was no reason not to ride, and so we did. There were about 6 of us for the ride this morning. We took it pretty slow. The trail was covered with wet leaves and tree branch debris. That makes for a much increased possibility of a fall. None of us did. We did not encounter a dry patch of pavement at all along the route.
It was good to get out with the group. My last ride was solo, and I needed the company this morning. There was disappointment expressed by several that I didn’t ride the Flatbread 200. It was the largest group of riders for a DC Randonneuring ride ever, and absolutely beautiful conditions. Maybe next year.
A disappointment: Clint posted the October SPP mileage results and I missed the high mileage award for October by 61 miles. Nice job Bryan! November isn’t looking good for me thus far, especially with so many riders completing the 200k ride, so maybe December is possible. It is the easiest month to get the award because each rider is limited to one award per year.
But in exciting news: I’m now listed on the DC Randonneur Club website as a member! I’m now waiting for my RUSA membership to be processed and receive my assigned number.
Late summer/early fall I purchased the Louis Garneau Men’s Neo Power Bib Shorts. These were the first bib shorts I had ever worn. I originally ordered a medium, but quickly returned those when I had to wrestle them on and was afraid that I might tear them apart pulling them on and off. I replaced them with a large, which fit fine and were comfortable.
I love these shorts!
I’ve now ridden these shorts for several months and want to describe them to you.
The chamois is “air-filled” foam and has several different “depths”. This means no pressure points and I never felt like I was wearing a diaper. It has been very comfortable on three different centuries. The only other short I’ve worn has a gel-filled chamois. I was worried that the “air-filled” might not be sufficient padding, but it has performed very well. I’ve not had any saddle sores or “hot spots” with these shorts.
I also love the compression. There is a band of extra compression at the bottom of the leg, rather than the usual narrow strip of silicone to keep them in place. It works very well. I’ve never had these slip up the leg.
I do have one minor complaint. When I’m not on the bike, the man parts need to be frequently adjusted. On the bike, adjustments have never been necessary, even when hours in the saddle. Not much of a complaint, really. Just stay on the bike!
While I’m not an expert, having worn multiple pairs of shorts, I really like these. I’ll buy another pair … I’m that satisfied.
I have not received any compensation or consideration for this review.
This Ride: 23.4 miles
Kona Distance: 4,817.6 miles
Month to date: 178.5 miles
2010 Total: 5,304 miles
I slept in this morning. It was a late night following a long day, and I had no desire to pull myself out of bed to ride. That was a decision made when I went to bed last night. In that decision, I also concluded I would ride Monday afternoon. That I did.
I took it easy. The “double red” blood donation spun me for a loop on Saturday and I still wasn’t fully recovered on Sunday. I noted that it was easy to get my heart rate up on this ride, but I also noticed that my heart rate monitor was jumping all over the place early in the ride. At one point it registered 174 when I estimate it was more accurately about 130.
Not much to say about the ride. My mind was blank. I just kept the pedals turning. Some days are like that. I can’t even say I enjoyed it. I rode … that was it.
Two weekend accomplishments will have some impact on my cycling, one short-term, the other longer term.
Saturday I once again donated blood. Some of my friends suggest that this should not be done while riding as much as I am. For me, that’s like saying that I can’t let cycling affect any other part of my life … sorry, cycling is important, but it’s not that important. Donating blood is part of what I do that makes me who I am. Completely ignoring that advice, I also tried an absolutely crazy approach. I donated “double reds”, which means that I gave two units of red blood cells (you know, those important oxygen carrying cells needed to climb hills and go fast). I’ve previously blogged about donation of blood and riding, but that was about donating one pint, not two! I’ll let you know the perceived impact on my cycling as the days go by. This is the accomplishment with short term impact.
The other accomplishment was to join RUSA (Randonneurs USA) and DC Randonneurs. Both the national and regional clubs promote randonneuring, “long distance unsupported cycling”. From the RUSA website:
This style of riding is non-competitive in nature, and self-sufficiency is paramount. When riders participate in randonneuring events, they are part of a long tradition that goes back to the beginning of the sport of cycling in France and Italy. Friendly camaraderie, not competition, is the hallmark of randonneuring.
Many of the SPP members are members and participants (about half of the active members) in these groups and the rides. The shortest randonneuring rides I know about are 200k (~125 miles) and the longest are 1200k (757 miles). A popular series of rides is the R-12, which is at least one 200k ride in each of 12 consecutive months. One SPP member completed her R-12 this weekend at the Flatbread 200 and two other riders will complete their R-12 next month. One SPP member has completed 35 consecutive monthly rides of at least 200k (but some of those have been as long as 1200 k).
I’m not sure I’m willing to attempt the R-12 with its demands on my time just yet, but I’m looking forward to my first 200k in the coming months.
This Ride: 45.6 miles
Kona Distance: 4,794.2 miles
Month to date: 155.2 miles
2010 Total: 5,280.6 miles
It’s Friday. How can I lay in bed when it is a friendly pace, and breakfast out with the guys is waiting?
It was an absolutely gorgeous morning. It was cool. My home thermometer read 38, but the depth of the frost on car windows and on the grass along the route suggested it was cooler than that. I changed into my balaclava when I got to the Rusty Bridge, it was just too cool going against a light northerly breeze and my face was going numb. The Garmin tells me it was 32 on our ride to Annapolis.
Eight (or more … it is sometimes hard to tell in the dark) riders departed from the Rusty Bridge, picking up one rider at the Ranger Station. It was an enjoyable easy ride to the south end of the trail where six of us continued on to breakfast. Topic of conversation this morning was the Flatbread 200k, a brevet taking place tomorrow on the Eastern Shore. Chip, a SPP member has organized the ride. It looks to be an absolutely gorgeous day and there are plenty of riders for the course. Jeff joined us at breakfast, driving to Annapolis because of early work commitments.
After breakfast, I accompanied Mike on his commute to work north of the airport, then continued the airport loop around to the hospital where I picked up Lori’s car and drove home. I’ll try to get a little work done on the car today. It was a nice 45 miler this morning. The sunrise was spectacular, the ride was great, and it warmed up to the upper 40s to lower 50s by the end of the ride.
And to top it all off, I achieved my mileage goal for the year. In late June I set an additional 3000 miles as my goal for July – December (that’s why the unusual number for the goal). This has me turning my attention to next year, and what is a reasonable goal for distance. Having the goal certainly helped me climb out of bed some mornings, and extend a ride on others.
Wishing all who ride the Flatbread 200k well tomorrow. It looks like it would be fun. Too bad I can’t ride it because of other obligations.
This Ride: 29.4 miles
Kona Distance: 4,747.7 miles
Month to date: 108.7 miles
2010 Total: 5,234.1 miles
5,254.8 mile goal in 2010: (20.7 miles to go)
Today is Veteran’s Day in the U.S., and I have the daylight hours off work. I still have meetings and a class tonight between 6 & 10. An impromptu SPP ride to Ellicott City sprung up, and I was able to ride at least the first 10-12 miles with them. (I have delivery people coming to my home and had to cut the trip short.)
What a pretty day! Temps at the 8:30 start were about 45 and by the end of the ride it was 50. Clear blue skies were only marred by a brisk breeze from the NW. We rode the trail north through Glen Burnie and clockwise around the airport. On the western edge of the airport the 10 or so riders (one tandem) kept going toward Ellicott City and I simply rounded the airport and worked my way back home past the hospital.
It seemed strange. I’ve not ridden the airport loop in two months. I may ride it again with Mike in the morning, if he is commuting to work after the breakfast ride.
Tomorrow’s Breakfast ride will take me over my 3000 mile six month goal. Time to start establishing some new goals!
This Ride: 14.4 miles
Kona Distance: 4,718.3 miles
Month to date: 79.2 miles
2010 Total: 5,204.7 miles
5,254.8 mile goal in 2010: (49.6 miles to go)
An early meeting out of town and the desire to sleep kept me from the usual 5:45 ride this morning, so as soon as I got back in town I jumped on the bike for a sunset ride. With evening meetings, I needed to keep it short, so it is one of my shorter rides in months.
It was about 58 degrees at the start, so with a base layer, jersey, wind vest, and my bib shorts things were on the cool side. The brisk breeze didn’t help much either. I noticed that the bike seemed lighter also, and it made sense when I reached for the water bottle and it wasn’t there. I rode with lights, which irritated one person enough to comment that the flashing headlight I had was “distracting”. I was past before I could comment that was the purpose. After sunset hardly anyone on the trail had lights on. I don’t understand that.
I traveled south on the trail until I got to the trail closure, then traveled down Joyce Lane until I got to the circle at the end. It was there I spotted three deer grazing on the lawn. The ride back up Joyce Lane was a nice incline, up to about 8 degrees, and with the exception of the bit of gravel/dirt road going off the trail to get onto Joyce Lane, the route was in pretty good shape. I’d travel that route again, next to farms with horses and an absolutely gorgeous valley. I’ll have to get a photo of that one of these days before all the leaves change. It was spectacular and worth the ride in itself.
I pressed the pace some, knowing that I was short on time. I’m glad I took the time for this short ride.
This Ride: 20.2 miles
Kona Distance: 4,703.9 miles
Month to date: 64.8 miles
2010 Total: 5,190.3 miles
5,254.8 mile goal in 2010: (64 miles to go)
I’m entering new territory here. This morning’s temperature at departure was 35 with a wind chill of 31 (that’s not counting our moving speed). At the end of the ride, the bank display read 30 degrees. I’ve not ridden in conditions this cold since I was in High School.
I’m liking most of the cold weather gear I’m riding with except my feet are still cold. My feet were good for half of the ride, and I don’t really want to spring for winter riding shoes right now. I hope to do some reviews of some of these cool weather items in coming weeks.
The ride was slower even though it felt like the same amount of effort. The 6 riders were able to use the entire trail route, since the erosion control work didn’t start until after our ride. It was nice seeing the sunrise again. The switch to Standard Time will give us light again for the end of our ride for a while.
My daughter and her fiance did a nice thing for me in recognition of last weekend’s OC11 ride. They made a plaque for me. Nice, isn’t it?
This Ride: 25.6 miles
Kona Distance: 4,683.7 miles
Month to date: 44.7 miles
2010 Total: 5,170.2 miles
5,254.8 mile goal in 2010: (84.2 miles to go)
Fridays have been important days to ride since joining SPP. It is a leisurely pace, we eat breakfast together, and there is a lot of conversation. Since the weather was forecast to be marginal, there was a bit of email traffic last night that probably amounted to putting each other on notice that certain people would be riding … unless it was just completely awful. After the email exchange, I put the fenders on the bike and made ready to ride.
It was 45 degrees with a very light sprinkle when I left the house at 5:30. (Last spring my bottom limit for riding was 50 degrees and dry.) I was trying out several items for the first time this morning, including a cap with ear warmers, new gloves, waterproof booties, & a wind jacket which promised to be rain resistant. The cap felt good, but I’ll probably add my other ear warmers below 40 degrees. The new gloves were great, warmer than my other long fingered gloves. The waterproof booties did a fine job, but I’ve still got chilly toes. Next step will be chemical foot warmers. The wind jacket wasn’t very rain resistant, but I was comfortably warm without much exertion.
This was a nice ride. Three pushed off from the Rusty Bridge, soon adding two. We had to negotiate around the closed part of the trail (erosion repair), where Dan caught up with us. Along the way we decided on Chick & Ruth’s for breakfast, and soon Chip (on bike) and Brian (by car) joined us. By the time we were riding back, there were 5 on the return trip. This was the first time since OC11 that we had the chance to sit down and do some ride stories together. That was fun.
Annapolis was dry. Severna Park was damp and still sprinkling when we returned.
My confidence about riding in increasingly cooler weather is improving.
Rev Rider 