Fifty Plus (50+) - Thread To Share Our Rides - 50+rs

HOW ABOUT A THREAD JUST FOR SHARING INTERESTING RIDES AND PICTURES?

I love seeing other's rides, and I am going to start by sharing a ride my wife and I did today.

We went up a beautiful canyon west of Denver called Waterton Canyon. It is only 6.5 miles up, but it is also the start of the Colorado Trail (http://www.coloradotrail.org/) which goes for about 471 miles or so clear across the state to Durango.

There is also good quality single track at the top.

The trail goes through several climatic zones, starting with plains and brush, passing through pines and ending up with big cone spruce.

The trail follows the South Platte "River," which continues flowing through Denver out to the east, where it is joined by the North Platte River and a number of other tributaries, going to the Missouri River, the Mississippi River and ending up in the Gulf of Mexico. It is a main source of irrigation and drinking water to many towns along the way.

We have seen three groups of folks attempting the 471 mile hike to Durango. This is a very tough trail, with many days between civilization. One party was a male and female and a burro, one was two couples with backpacks, and the third was two guys from Holland, who flew into Denver International Airport, loaded their bikes into a limousine, drove to the trailhead, got the bikes out, and proceeded on their way (you can't bike the entire trail)!

There are Big Horn Sheep, deer, trout, lots of birds including raptors, rattlesnakes and humans and a tremendous variety of wild flowers. There are 300 foot cliffs with rocks which occasionally come tumbling down onto the service road which doubles as the trail.

Here are three pics of me, Nora and two Bighorn Sheep.

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I like your idea. I enjoy reading about various rides and who knows, it might just provide a spark to some folks to take some of those same routes in over time. I traveled 6 hours this spring to do a Century just from what I'd read posted via the web. Turned out to be a terrific experience by the way.

I've had a practice of reviewing various organized rides I participate in and provide that info to our local club's newsletter editor for publishing. Kind of like the "traveling gourmet" on wheels. Will attempt to paste a copy of that in this thread. I really need to get me a cheap/light digital camera. Really adds to the overall effects!

Thanks for getting us started.

We just enjoyed a vacation in south east Minnesota Root River area. The state of Minnesota invested heavily in these 60++ miles of paved and well maintained trails.
My objective was to train centuries every day without worrying about cars.
The Root River area is very beautiful. The swift running rivers reduce bugs. The towns of Lanesboro, Harmony and Houston all offer restaurants and there are B&B, camping and hotels.
Most important, no crowded conditions.
http://www.lanesboro.com/lanesboro-rootrivertrail.html

So much for my ride to Franktown this morning!

A new subdivision is being built, destroying more of my "isolation" rides.

Grr!!

(still got 30 miles in)

I like your idea. I enjoy reading about various rides and who knows, it might just provide a spark to some folks to take some of those same routes in over time. I traveled 6 hours this spring to do a Century just from what I'd read posted via the web. Turned out to be a terrific experience by the way.

Thanks for getting us started.


My wife and I are Tandem bikers. We can go 100 miles/day.
Our idea of fun is to use Rail to Trails and go as far and as fast as we can.
The rewards are good wine, good food and good companionship not to forget great scenery and the rewards of fresh air and the trills of elements. (storms)

One of our all time favored trails is a 100 mile trail from Reedsburg, WI to Trempealeau, WI.
It offers tunnels, small towns with restaurants, hotels, camping. Wisconsin does a terrific job with safety and trail maintenance. Imagine no cars for a few days.
Well, there are some crossings.

http://www.great-trails.com/elroy.shtml

This thread hasn't particularly taken off, has it!

Well, you win some and you lose some. Was hoping to get something going here as we did in the "Glorious Ride in Denver" thread, which just zoomed.

.

Great Idea but No new pics so might have to wait for a response from me, and probably some others.

My wife and I are Tandem bikers. We can go 100 miles/day.
Our idea of fun is to use Rail to Trails and go as far and as fast as we can.
The rewards are good wine, good food and good companionship not to forget great scenery and the rewards of fresh air and the trills of elements. (storms)

One of our all time favored trails is a 100 mile trail from Reedsburg, WI to Trempealeau, WI.
It offers tunnels, small towns with restaurants, hotels, camping. Wisconsin does a terrific job with safety and trail maintenance. Imagine no cars for a few days.
Well, there are some crossings.

http://www.great-trails.com/elroy.shtml

Hey, that might be a great idea for a vacation! Hadn't thought of it before. How are the mosquitoes?

Hey, that might be a great idea for a vacation! Hadn't thought of it before. How are the mosquitoes?


Mosquitoes are no problem because they are lazy fliers. Horse flies are the issue.
We go on a Tandem at speeds of 16 MPH. At that speed the horse flies will not keep up. If you go much slower, they will get you. Spray will protect your rear end.

Let me know if you get serious. We know all the good restaurants with the best wine and food. We also can give advise on hotels if you need that.

I rode in the 100 mile Hillsborough, NC Bikefest event sponsored by the Carolina Tarwheels today. They had a total of 1000 riders in their 3 rides which were 100 miles, 62 miles and 38 miles. I'm not real sure how many folks did each of the 3 rides but would guess most did the metric Century. I was able to jump out with the lead group and stay with them as the group dwindled down to just 12 of us at the end of 62 miles. It was a really nice group to ride with as noone really tried to push the pace too hard and we all took turns at pulls. The 100 mile route circled back through Hillsborough to the start line. After a brief water stop at 62 miles, 7 of us went back out for the last 40 miles. We took it a little easier and were able to finish in about 4 hrs 45 mins. I'm pretty sure that's the quickest time for me for a 102 mile ride. It was a really "flat" track with only about 3100 feet of climbing-at least that's what I measured so that certainly helped the times.

When we had finished the 100 mile ride I was back at the feed table enjoying a few post ride snacks when a fellow I work with that was riding came up. We were talking about the rides and I told him it was probably the fastest 100 mile ride I'd done. He looked at me kinda of funny and said he was just in from doing 62 miles.....He was going back out to finish his first century.

Next week.......Brutal 100 out of West Jefferson, NC (in the mountains) which will have a LOT more climbing.

this saturday's club ride took us through typical negev desert landscape. we started out at 06:00 from beer sheva, and rode south in the direction of eilat along rolling hill topography. the hills look like sand dunes (although the soil is more of a white powder than sand) with spots of salt brush uniformly spaced, no trees except for an ocassional acacia and isolated groups of eucalyptus planted in man made sinks called lemans. there are lots of bedouin villages with their camels, sheep, goats and dogs. it was about 75 F when we started out and it reached about 90 when we returned at around 09:20. after travellin south for about 1 hr we turned east to the city of yeruham, over a small range of hills about 650 m above sea level (beer sheva is about 50 m asl). We started as a group of 6 riders and, in spite of a puncture, caught up with a few more along the climb. This ride i tested my camelbak and while it seemed to slightly heat up my back, hydration was much more convenient and i believe i drank more than i usually do using bottles. on the northbound road to dimona we passed a prickly pear plantation planted over some 6 acres (this area with its low rainfall and soil type supports very few crops). The way back to beer sheva from dimona a 20 mi stretch with a few mounds to top, turned into some sort of time trial against the westerly winds. One of the riders pulled out ahead and i grabbed his wheel, we shared the pace until about 5 mi from beer sheva wherei left him on one of the uprises. we regrouped and said our farewells till next saturday. when i came home i made a frozen banana protein shake which was exceptionally good after that desert ride. in all it was a very pleasant ride about 60 mi covered in some 3 1/2 hours with rest stops. I am looking forward to next sat.

this saturday's club ride took us through typical negev desert landscape. we started out at 06:00 from beer sheva, and rode south in the direction of eilat along rolling hill topography. the hills look like sand dunes .

How many riders in your group?

Do you feel threatened in any way due to political turmoil?

How many riders in your group?

Do you feel threatened in any way due to political turmoil?

our group "netroads" was recently established and is now about 15 members strong. some are competitive but in general the group's objectives are keeping in good shape and enjoying the sport.

The people of Israel have been under a state of threat since its inception 57 years ago. Current political turmoil is more focused on the problematics of vacating uncooperating settlers from their homes and very little about the palestinian people. In fact a perceived threat now is that some irrate settler might cause avoc. The person in the street (me included, I was released from reserve duty 12 years ago at the age of 42), is not really affected by these recent events, barring some road closures and demonstrations by settlement supporters. I believe that the majority of people here are in favor of Sharon's decision to "detach" from the palestinians and we all hope that this represents a starting point in the road to peace, a road which I am sure that many people here on both sides after more than 57 years of blood shed would be glad to take.

Robyn (my wife of 26 years) and I had a great time on a trip to Mackinac Island, Michigan. We took our Trek's via the Arnold Line Ferry to the Island and biked all around the Isle. There's no motorized vehicles allowed!!! With the exception of aircraft at the airport, you hear nothing but foot traffic, horses and bikes. Lot's of laughter and a we just had a wonderful time. The weather was terrific---about 75 with moderate humidity. Great places to eat and rest, with shore line that is accessible any where on the paved path. One of the main attractions on the island is The Grand Hotel which was filmed as part of Christopher Reeve's movie "Somwhere In Time"-- (a chick flick.) This trip is certainly worth checking out if you like to bike and be a part of history and fellowship!

the attached image is typical scenery in the southern routes. i will make an effort to get out the ol' camera and share some more shots

Living at the end of a valley, my road ride choices are limited, but I've picked one of these three for my noon ride almost every day for the past 20 years. I still look forward to every ride. I ride from my office near the airport, and during winter I put studded Nokians on my Homegrown and head out unless it's below 10 degrees or so.

I'm still loving these beautiful summer days, but the best rides come in the late fall and early winter - crisp, clear and cold, with hardly anyone else on the road. I'm approaching 60, but plan to be making these rides 'til I fall off the bike. Anyway - here are my three rides, with some photos -

Maroon Bells - 20 miles round trip with about 1700' of elevation gain for the 8 miles up the valley. I look forward to the marmot crossing, since the grade eases up for a bit and I can get my legs back. Enjoy my water bottle at the lake, then blast home.

Ashcroft - 30 miles round trip, with slightly easier grades. The best thing is that this is rideable all winter - stopping by the river to eat an apple on a quiet snowy December day makes a perfect lunch.

Independence Pass - 10 miles to the gate, then as much climbing as I've got the time and legs for. The best rides are after the gate closes in the fall and before it opens in May - quiet and car free.

Anyone planning a trip to this area please get in touch - I'm always up for a ride.

Great Pics - but who can afford to live in Aspen LOL :D

Led a group of fellow 50+rs on a short 15 mile bicycle ride. This is about the 7th ride I have led this summer. Here is a picture of our group. Th lady on the left is 70 years old and competes regularly in triathlons and the like.

Just a few photos of outr local area, but the pics do not show how steep the hills are. The one of the sea shows how abrupt the hills are around my local trails, and I believe the Aircraft, if you can see them, were magister aerobatic thingy's at the Air show last sunday. Many more pics that will just mean something to me, like how rocky our favourite downhill is, and I will be telling the pilot on the Tandem to slow down on this bit in the future. I normally only see it at 40mpk in a blur, but seeing it on film is a rude awakening to how nutty my pilot is. The one Thing I can spot from our trails is how desolate they are and how bleak and dangerous in bad weather, But we don't have that any longer thanks to "Global Warming"

Great Pics - but who can afford to live in Aspen LOL :D

Lots of people, judging by the number of private jets triple parked at the airport (just kidding). For sure, there's an enormous difference in lifestyle between those who live in the big houses on the hill and the "worker bees" like myself, but there's room for everyone.

Since being transferred here from Steamboat Springs in '81, my wife and I have come to truly enjoy this town and the surrounding beauty. I run a small business and she's a banker, so no jet-setting for us, but we've managed to build a nice little home a ways from town, and are looking forward to retiring here or somewhere close.

Wow, 70 years old and a triathalete - that's inspiration!

Living at the end of a valley, my road ride choices are limited, but I've picked one of these three for my noon ride almost every day for the past 20 years. I still look forward to every ride. I ride from my office near the airport, and during winter I put studded Nokians on my Homegrown and head out unless it's below 10 degrees or so.

I'm still loving these beautiful summer days, but the best rides come in the late fall and early winter - crisp, clear and cold, with hardly anyone else on the road. I'm approaching 60, but plan to be making these rides 'til I fall off the bike. Anyway - here are my three rides, with some photos -

Maroon Bells - 20 miles round trip with about 1700' of elevation gain for the 8 miles up the valley. I look forward to the marmot crossing, since the grade eases up for a bit and I can get my legs back. Enjoy my water bottle at the lake, then blast home.

Ashcroft - 30 miles round trip, with slightly easier grades. The best thing is that this is rideable all winter - stopping by the river to eat an apple on a quiet snowy December day makes a perfect lunch.


Independence Pass - 10 miles to the gate, then as much climbing as I've got the time and legs for. The best rides are after the gate closes in the fall and before it opens in May - quiet and car free.

Anyone planning a trip to this area please get in touch - I'm always up for a ride.


I attended a week long meeting in October in Aspen 5-6 years ago and must admit to falling in love with the town and area. That was before I started riding but I was playing a lot of golf at the time. I did manage to get in a few rounds of golf and enjoyed the advantage of the increased distance that came along with the higher altitude.

I was also able to get out and do some sightseeing and distinctly remember Maroon Bells, Independence Pass, etc. I'd love to try and do Independence Pass one day. From memory it would seem to be similar in appearance to some of the climbs on the tour with the rocky slopes and winding curves.

I'm going to put on my "to do" list to go back to Aspen and do some riding. You're very lucky to be able to enjoy those rides!! Thanks for sharing the pics!

Just a few photos of outr local area, but the pics do not show how steep the hills are.

Never knew there was so much open land in good old England.

Great shots!

I'll just have to believe you about the steep hills.

today i rode alone - gives me time to introspect. started early morn, leaving the community via a 2 km downhill avenue lined with date palms, rose bushes and assorted plants. turned north into the hebron hills and made a sharp left before the border checkpoint toward a place called sansana atop a hill (700 m) nestled in a forested area. then it was a fast 2 km downhill toward kibbutz lahav. continuing up a 2.5 km 5-10% grade along pretty barren landscape to a place called eshkolot (800 m) and the same road down (just for hill training), can't continue with that road since it goes over the border on the other side. kept going in the north direction through some nice countryside (reminiscent of so. calif), and to an army base where the road stops, Rode back the same way (round trip about 30 miles).
i'll try to get pics next time.

1 + 1 = 1

Man, there are some days when you and the bike become ONE!

Today was one of those days. Moving and pulsing together - a symphony - no hill I can't conquer, no curve I can't lay the bike on its side and swift around - like it must feel to ride a great horse.

That is when clipless really shines, IMHO. It welds you into ONE unit.

What a great ride this am. Sometimes I get that feeling and sometimes I don't.

Today was spectacular!

And we had the pleasure of watching a doe try to teach her fawn to jump about a 5 foot fence.

Ths doe jumped the fence so beautifully and gracefully, the fawn would not follow, examining the fence for a lower spot. The doe jumped back, and then jumped again, this time running off into the field, as if the fawn must follow her, but the fawn hesitated and would not jump, repeated a 3rd time with the fawn saying "no" and finally another biker scaring himself and the fawn nearly to death as they almost collided and the fawn running back into the foliage. Soon the doe jumped the fence one more time and followed, looking for her fawn! A true serendipity!

I rode in the Blue Ridge Brutal 100 in West Jefferson, NC today with about 500 others. There was 7000 ft of climbing over 104+ miles. The route included 25 miles on the Blue Ridge Parkway, 20 miles of flats along the river which was terrific for pacelines and the signature 1.5 mile climb up 3 Top Mountain where the average grade was 11 per cent. It was a pretty good climbing century for me as I was able to complete it in 6 hrs 16 mins with an average speed of 16.6 mph. I thought I had a shot of finishing under 6 hrs but the last 10 miles got the best of me.

Pretty nice day with steady breezes but at least that kept it from being too warm. The toughest thing about the ride was the rest stop beside Shatley Springs Restaurant. Shatley Springs serves good country cooking that is served family style. They do a breakfast that has eggs, biscuits, gravy, county ham, etc. It was really hard having ridden 50 miles and stand there smelling freshly fried county ham while eating orange slices and bananas.........Excuse me while I run to the kitchen!!

This thread hasn't particularly taken off, has it!
Well, you win some and you lose some.



DnvrFox:
Looks as if your thread has staying power.
I can tell you one problem there is with your thread. The over 50++ crowd may not know how to post photos on this thread. That includes me. Do not get me wrong, I can do most anything if I focus, but there is so much to do and so little time. I am still struggling with all the adjustments on the three bikes I own with all the multitude of options. Now I also have to learn how to place photos on this post.
:eek:

Pictures aren't required, but if you want to post them, you simply go to the "manage attachments" on the "advanced" postings and use the browser to find the photo on your hard drive and click "upload."

sat ride - finally the sat group ride came, something i look forward to during the week. it was a nice morn with some cloud cover and in the mid 20's @ 06:20 rising to around 30 by the finale @09:30, light northwesterlies. we started out 10 strong of various shapes sizes and ages - i'm the oldest, but by chance the strongest. started out about 06:00 and got a nice paceline going west towards the coast around ashkelon. the roads on saturday morning are pretty clean. they go through rolling topography, eucaplytus lined avenues, lots of agriculture and fairly green. no major hills but a few rises that get the lactic acid levels up. after a 30 mile jaunt taking turns up front with ocassional bursts uphills, we came to our rest stop at a place called yad mordechai. this is a kibbutz which is well known for their honey production. we averaged well over 20 mph. the group continued up the coast for a 75 mile loop, while I took a couple of riders with me back the same way for a 60 miler (had to cut it short due to family obligations). The way back was slower, more uphills, slight fatigue and fewer people to share the pace, but in all we averaged about 20 mph which is not bad and came back in reasonable shape.

Today's Sunday ride:
I took my modified Trek 7700 Hybrid on a Century ride. Modified as follows: 700 x 25 mm tires and wheels, Brooks Champion Flyer, Aero Bars.

Lime stone Rail to Trail in Wisconsin Green County. They just had torrential storms and tornado's on Thursday night. This showed on the trail. Still wet in places and wash outs. Many branches on the pad.
I am happy to report that despite that, I was able to do the 100 miles in six (6) hours.
This is not slow because you need to stop or slow down on about (10) crossings.
A lunch break time is not included. Ate a foot long subway and (4) Powerbars.
Someone on the forum recommended Tums as an electrolyte. I tried that. Seemed to do no harm.
I was by far the fastest rider on this trail. I caught up with a young man, half my age, athletic looking guy. He was furiously peddling away on a single speed. We talked and then I dropped him.
The weather was fantastic. A fairly strong headwind one way and it pushed the other way. Average speed varied only 5% because I used the aero bars most of the way.
Seems that these bars conserve a lot of energy on such a long trip. I was in good shape after the 100 miles and felt that I could continue.
All in all a glorious day.

All in all a glorious day.

Sounds fantastic. Thanks for sharing!

This thread has now been made a "sticky." Post away!

DnvrFox:
Now I also have to learn how to place photos on this post.


Here are instructions on how to post a picture. Don't worry the system is very forgiving. If you don't like what you see you can click the Edit button and redo the picture on your post.

click here--->http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=86968
vr

Yesterday I rode a variation of a ride that the local bike club (San Luis Opisp0 Bike Club) describes as "The Ride to Hell" ( see http://www.slobc.org/davis/hell.html for the description). The differences are I started from Atascadero CA, rode to Morro Bay over to Cayucos and up Old Creek road, then cross Highway 46 to Santa Rosa Creek Rode and up what they describe as the "Wall". What they don't mention is that one part of that 16% grade is one very short section that is actually 22%. From there down on to Cambria. I then diverged, Instead of going both ways I moved on and went up Highway 46. Highway 46 has about 9 miles of up hill average between 6-8 percent grade the whole way. So my whole trip ended up being 75 miles with 5700ft aggreate climb (measured by my Specialized Pro bike computed with altimeter). I took 7 1/2 hours. The final stage took me through Templton where the temperature was 108 degrees. The SLO Bike club has descriptions of many rides in the local area at http://www.slobc.org/davis/davis.html ( Davis being the author, not UC Davis) The Ride to Hell and Whale Rock Reservoir pretty much cover my ride yesterday. You really can't beat the Central Coast for absolutely AWESOME bike riding!

over to Cayucos

I spent a couple of days in Cayucos a couple of years back. You might call it a beautiful, but sleepy, little town. Greatly enjoyed watching the pelicans constantly diving for fish. They seemed well-fed.

I was in Colorado last month. I rode from Colorado Springs to the Royal Gorge and back. A pretty easy ride actually, except the 8 mile hill just outside Canon City.

saturday 27 aug 06:00 - This was a short and sweet (42 miler 2.2 h) ride. ina, adi, jacob and i met at our usual spot (country club parking lot in beer sheva). We started out northward on the highway to Tel Aviv, mostly flat. After ca 8 miles of rolling over typical semi-arid topography we turned eastward into the lahav forest area. the road goes up a 5% grade for about 1-2 miles. then we turned northward into the forest going up another 200 vertical ft, past the bedouin museum near kibbutz lahav, followed by a fast 40 mph downhill through the park grounds and another 600 ft climb up to eshkolot. before the next climb 450 ft vertical via sansana i gobbled one of my halva (sesame candies and slurped some water to wash it down). we got a decent paceline going on the 10 mile flat road back to beer sheva. came home and drank a strawberry frozen banana protein shake.
great morning, great weather,
will get images asap.

While technically I'm not one of you yet ( I turn 49 in November), I posted this over in "Classic and Vintage", and thought you guys might enjoy it as well. After all, I'll be joining your ranks soon!!

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?p=1497702#post1497702

BTW, that's a 1988 Miyata 215ST in the photo, if anyone cares.... :)

Keep a seat by the stove for me......

John D.

I rode in the Hilly Hellacious Century just south of Asheville, NC. It was 102 miles with about 7500 ft of climbing which is a pretty good bit of pedaling uphill. The steepest grade I measured on my altimeter was 16%. It's a pretty "technical" ride as there are a lot of switchbacks on the descents to maneuver once you've made it over some of the climbs. Unfortunately I crashed coming down one of the mountains.

The road had been paved with tar and gravel and there was a ton of small gravel in one of the curves. I was going down one of the hills with a group when the fellow in front of me "panicked" when he saw all the gravel in the road. He braked and oversteered at the same time and his rear wheel came out and took him down. If I had tried to steer hard left (left hand curve) to go around him I would have had the same fate as him and would have been sliding in the gravel with road rash big time. Instead I tried to get around him on the right which took me onto the shoulder and edge of the woods. I tried to stay up but I had to turn pretty hard left at some point just to avoid going into the trees & down the mountain. With the weeds being tall and wet down I went. Another fellow behind me went down right after me.

I'm not hurt too badly-probably just a slightly separated shoulder (same injury as two years ago) and my neck is also pretty sore. Most of the hit was on my shoulder and hip. When my shoulder hit the ground my head jerked sideways into the ground and that's when you're really glad to have a helmet. That's why my neck is sore but I would think everything should be fine in a couple days, although at 50+ it seems to take a little longer to heal up.

My right shifter got shoved towards the front wheel-I guess I was holding on pretty good. I pushed it back into a reasonable position, dug the grass and dirt out of several places on the bike and quickly got back on the way.

I also had a water bottle jump out of my bottle cage when I bunny hopped a hump in the road a few miles earlier and had to circle back for it. Before that, I was on the toughest climb of the day and my heart rate was way too high so I had to really back off. My brother and a guy I work with passed me on that climb so by the time I went down I was thinking it was going to be a really, really long day.

I was able to finish at around 6hr 20 mins which is about 16.2 mph which wasn't terrible. In fact it was the same time as last year when I did keep the rubber down!!

Here is a link to the ride:

http://www.blueridgebicycleclub.org/

Unfortunately I crashed coming down one of the mountains.
.......that's when you're really glad to have a helmet.

I hate it when that happens. I crashed last year pretty hard. Pretty much took me out for 9 months. My head bounced all over the rode and my helmet was shattered...but no head injuries. Can't say enough about the need to wear a helmet. Glad to see you finished the ride though.

I hate it when that happens. I crashed last year pretty hard. Pretty much took me out for 9 months. My head bounced all over the rode and my helmet was shattered...but no head injuries. Can't say enough about the need to wear a helmet. Glad to see you finished the ride though.

I had a similar incident 18 mos ago when I bounced off the pavement head first. Suffered a slightly separated shoulder, cracked some ribs, had a little road rash and my helmet was cracked up as well. My head? Not a scratch nor any contusions at all and was able to get back riding in days. Just imagine if I had not been wearing a helmet.

I did a 101 mile loop from the house Saturday. I thought it was going to be a little cooler than it turned out turned out as it got pretty warm after the noon hour. I found a new "town" to ride to and was able come up with a long loop that made it the turn around point.

One of the neat events from the ride was a Kool-Aid "rest stop" provided by a few elementary school kids that were raising funds for Katrina relief efforts. I was happy to stop after seeing their sign and contribute a dollar for the cause. They provided me with 2 cups of Kool-Aid on ice that was very welcome!

I went on my longest ride today. 8.7 miles
My total miles is 60 so far.

I have been getting over a chest cold, after just getting a bicycle. My training has been
hampered by sickness. I feel much better now. We live on some river bluffs in Kansas
City. So most of my rides have been hilly. I drove over to a flat part and rode.

One thing I noticed in my riding was my rpm was only 60. If I would speed it up I would
get tired fast. At the end of the ride I put it in 46/17 (26” wheel dia) and peddle as hard as
I could for about 10 to 15 seconds. After recovering in 36/20 for about 5 minutes I would
try it again.

All in all I was happy with the ride. 8 AM ride with very few cars. Sunny the heat of the
day not on yet. Starting to build some strength.

My family plans to go to Watkins Mill and ride around the lake this evening. About 5
miles. So I will get two rides today. I’ll take the camera to get some pictures.

We had a good time at Watkin's Mill. Below are 2 photos riding on the trail. My wife and daughter in one and I am crossing bridge.
We rode about 5.5 miles.

I went on my longest ride today. 8.7 miles

Good for you.

I enjoy these posts and admire folks who are getting back into shape more than the posts about 100 mile rides.

Keep it up, and soon it will be 20 miles!

Couldn't get enough this weekend. Saturday I did the ride your birthday ride, ( I have posted it there) but Sunday was again so pretty I had to head out again. This was to be my recovery ride. Since I had ridden 51 miles Sat. I took it very easy really slow on all hills. The wether was perfect again so I rode from Winston-Salem to Greensboro, a little over 25 miles. The route starts out pretty busy and hilly but then about half-way it gets quiet and level. Had a great ride, beautiful country roads, didn't see any real wildlife except for one huge red tail hawk, he was beautiful. Today I am now really tired. Spent the afternoon cleaning the entire drivetrain of the Ol' P8. What a mess, but now looking really spiffy and ready to rock and roll some more. That being said I am not riding tomorrow I think I need a little further recovery.

Good for you....Keep it up, and soon it will be 20 miles!

Don't let DnvrFox be a pusher cruzMOKS! Next thing you know after riding 20 miles is 30..then 40..then before you know it you'll be spending all your money on lycra shorts, flashy jerseys, camelbaks, computers, clipless pedals, and shoes, your bike won't be good enough anymore so you'll mortage your house to get the latest and lightest carbon fiber bike. You start day dreaming about the next ride, miss deadlines at work, get fired, lose you house....

See where it leads? :D

Good job on your ride! Beautiful bike path in your pictures too

I read the book About Lance Armstrong in the 2006 Tour de France "23 Days in July". And "Every Second Counts" I have also been reading cyclingnews.com and have been following the Vuelta de Espana.

I needed more exercise than I was getting with hiking. Bicycling is also a way to spend time with my family.

At some point it will be fun to get a road bike.

I cannot begin to tell you the happiness we had in this weeks biking vacation in SE Minnesota Root River Valley. Going from Lanesbury to Harmony, you go through some pristine country which I experienced many years ago in Germany. That was before the Germans got addicted to cars and destroyed much of their environment.
Anyway, this paved 150 miles of bike path is fabulous and I can recommend it to anyone. The people of Minnesota put it in to generate business for this depressed area. It is soooo... beautiful. They created Prairies as they were many years ago, there are valleys with rivers and no streets, there is no noise except nature. And there is this bike trail. Challenging in that it has some steep grades and stretches were you can go all out for speed. The scenery is very special.
My wife and I were so happy.
Then we read the papers about New Orleans. Another world but still so close. Reality check. It is amazing that one country can have such unbelievable different conditions for its citizens. I am not trying to be political but this was rather glaringly obvious.
Anyway, I you want to get away from reality, this is a place.

It is amazing that one country can have such unbelievable different conditions for its citizens. I am not trying to be political but this was rather glaringly obvious.
Anyway, I you want to get away from reality, this is a place.

Isn't it unbelievable that a local mayor would let 2000 buses be flooded rather than use them to evacuate the citizens of New Orleans or that the Govenor would not listen to the President who two days before the hurricane hit urged her to evacuate the city and to call out the National Guard. Its beyond the pale that people would politicize this tragedy and put blame on this President because they detest his politics rather than pull together as Americans and work to get past this horrible tragedy. yes, glaring obvious that people will be political. Isn't it awesome we have cycling as a means of escape from reality?

Did you meet a man named Tim Lepeer? He owns a store their and he is an avid cyclist. He has lived on the island for 25 years....

OK folks...I didn't mean to kill this thread with my rant. My apologizies.

So I did a century last week-end. I rode from Red Bluff to Woodland CA. I rode the old de-commissioned US Highway 99 now just called Rode 99W. Light traffic and flat; only 851 ft. total elevation gain over 128 miles. My goal was to ride all the way to Sacramento but as I was entering the I-5 freeway a California Highway Patrolman, who was citing a motorcyclist at the time, stopped me from continuing onto the freeway. So I asked him how to get to California Highway 99 (not to be confused with Rode 99W). He said I could take River Road but that would mean I wold have to cross the river on the freeway and I could't do that. So I asked him if there was another way. He said I could take the causeway, but that would require me to cross the river on the freeway and I can't do that. So I asked him..are you hearing yourself? How do I get to Highway 99???. He said I'd have to turn back, and take another route that would swing me down to Davis and back up. Over 20 miles out of my way. So I called my wife and she came and got me.

I think the CHP officer was wrong. When there is no other direct means of getting from point A to point B I think it's legal to ride on the freeway. I'm going to have to look up the Calif traffice code to see. I know around where I live I ride small sections of the freeway all the time when there is no other route and the CHP here have no problem with it.