View Full Version : Should I ride?
I woke up this am, and it was dark as dusk. Got a few sprinkles. Now it's lighter, but still looks ominous. Weather bug shows thunderstorms, but the hourly breakdown says "partly cloudy". I hear occassional thunder. I hate to take an off day so early in the week in case I need it later (getting a root canal on Tuesday).
Should I ride?
Tom Stormcrowe
07-22-07, 09:02 AM
Why not? Take some raingear and plan your route so you have shelter if it really storms, but go for it!
bdinger
07-22-07, 09:11 AM
Rain? Sure, bring it on! Lightning? Noooo thankyou.
Sandwarrior
07-22-07, 09:13 AM
I agree with Tom. I would also suggest tagging someone for SAG support in the event that lightning threatens your ride.
I think you should ask yourself why you're asking. YOU know whether you should ride today or not! :) Remember though, if you can hear thunder, you can get hit by lightning.
Terrierman
07-22-07, 09:14 AM
You won't melt and about the lightning: What, you want to live forever or something? Go ride, you'll love it.
Hmmmm. O-kaaay. Did I mention it's really cold right now, too? Like 60 degrees?
But, OK. If I want to tour someday, I suppose I better get used to it.
I think you should ask yourself why you're asking. YOU know whether you should ride today or not! :) Remember though, if you can hear thunder, you can get hit by lightning.
LOL! Because I'm really right in the middle on this. I've put in a few hard days.... (71.5 miles last week with 2 off days!) and I can feel it in my muscles today. It would be an acceptable day to take off, esp. considering the weather. But, part of me thinks my muscles will feel better after a ride. Seems like they want to move* because I'm only uncomfortable when I sit on the couch!
Sandwarrior
07-22-07, 09:36 AM
I think you should ask yourself why you're asking. YOU know whether you should ride today or not! :)
I love your response:D I am going to have to remember this the next time I ask myself that question.:roflmao:
Wogsterca
07-22-07, 10:48 AM
I woke up this am, and it was dark as dusk. Got a few sprinkles. Now it's lighter, but still looks ominous. Weather bug shows thunderstorms, but the hourly breakdown says "partly cloudy". I hear occassional thunder. I hate to take an off day so early in the week in case I need it later (getting a root canal on Tuesday).
Should I ride?
Short answer, I would wait until later (which is what I voted).
Long (novella) answer, thunderstorms on their own, often don't cause serious problems, providing they are not right on top of you. So, open a window, and look for lightning flashes, when you see one, start counting, 1001, 1002, 1003, etc until you hear the thunder, that's roughly how far away it is, in miles, now look at the clouds, are they moving that cell toward you, or away from you, Now go to the other side of the house, and look. Any more lightning and thunder coming toward you, no, well, the next step is to increase your distance you can see, and for that, you use the computer.
Both the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (http://www.noaa.gov) and Meterological Service of Canada's Weatheroffice (http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca) operate online radar stations. Go to the appropriate site for your country, in the US it's under the local forecast, so type your city and state name in the top left box, then when you get the forecast, click on the radar image. In Canada, select radar imagery from the left hand column, and then pick your location off the radar "battle" map.
In both cases select to play multiple recent images, so you can see which way the storms are moving, purples and blues are just light rain, greens are heavier rain, your looking for yellows and reds, which are intense little pockets, usually thunder cells, if one of these is heading your way, stay indoors.
The problem with thunder cells is they can spawn other stuff, like derechos and Tornadoes, and downbursts.
A derecho is a widespread and long-lived, violent convectively induced windstorm that is associated with a fast-moving band of severe thunderstorms usually taking the form of a bow echo. A downburst is a rapidly sinking column of air, that hits the ground and spreads out. You probably know what a Tornado is.
All three can cause severe damage, and if your hit by one of these storms, while on a bike, you could end up wishing you had taken the day off.
Another thing to carry when riding, is a weather radio, these radios have the ability to alert you when severe weather is expected, often with plenty of notice, so you can stop a ride, and take cover for a while.
RIDE! Heck the rain keeps you cool and you can ride longer. As far as lightning, Remember you don't have to be outside to be hit (It once came through my phone line and then a big corona ball came out of what was left of my computer and passed right over my head) and,lightning can strike out of a clear blue sky so the BIG QUESTION is ...Is this your time to be struck by lightning?:eek: I choose to not live my life worrying about lightning.;)
Short answer, I would wait until later (which is what I voted).
D'oh! When did I leave, like a minute* before your post? That just made a lot* of sense. The sky was socked in, and I did get online, but it was just a big blob of yellow. Nothing violent. But I have* a weather radio (got one when I was in Kansas close to the Greensburg tornado) and it is small enough to take.
Anyway, did my 12, and the first drops fell on me on the way back, a block from home. And I didn't have to wear my sunglasses for the first time in about a month. And it was the best temperature I'd ever ridden in.
I had two very interesting experiences on my ride:
The first is that, because it was pretty dark and all the tourists were driving home, I thought I'd try out my new hub generated light and my flashie on the back. I have never* had such courteous car behavior by every* car I encountered. They went slow, made eye contact, and went completely in the other lane to pass me. I don't know if they simply saw me better, or if they subconsciously thought, "Hey, she made the effort to put the lights on the bike, she must really not want to get hit." I'm going to put them on all the time... there's no drag with the hub generator.
The second thing is I met 2 guys biking coming the other way. They were out for an early morning jaunt, and they greeted me with big waves. As I passed, one of them said, "Enjoy the lake!"
Well, I thought about this for a while, because it was kind of an unusual thing to say. 90% of the people here are tourists, but we don't usually make a point of saying, "enjoy our village" unless you're selling them minnows. Then I realized what I looked like. I had the lights, the helmet, the pack on the back mounded with a sweatshirt and a rainjacket, my single earbud out of my ear. And I looked down at the speedometer, and I was going 15 mph and was in the drops.
I looked like a real biker! They thought I was going around the lake (67 miles) and packed for bear!
How's that* for cool?
Tom Stormcrowe
07-22-07, 11:30 AM
D'oh! When did I leave, like a minute* before your post? That just made a lot* of sense. The sky was socked in, and I did get online, but it was just a big blob of yellow. Nothing violent. But I have* a weather radio (got one when I was in Kansas close to the Greensburg tornado) and it is small enough to take.
Anyway, did my 12, and the first drops fell on me on the way back, a block from home. And I didn't have to wear my sunglasses for the first time in about a month. And it was the best temperature I'd ever ridden in.
I had two very interesting experiences on my ride:
The first is that, because it was pretty dark and all the tourists were driving home, I thought I'd try out my new hub generated light and my flashie on the back. I have never* had such courteous car behavior by every* car I encountered. They went slow, made eye contact, and went completely in the other lane to pass me. I don't know if they simply saw me better, or if they subconsciously thought, "Hey, she made the effort to put the lights on the bike, she must really not want to get hit." I'm going to put them on all the time... there's no drag with the hub generator.
The second thing is I met 2 guys biking coming the other way. They were out for an early morning jaunt, and they greeted me with big waves. As I passed, one of them said, "Enjoy the lake!"
Well, I thought about this for a while, because it was kind of an unusual thing to say. 90% of the people here are tourists, but we don't usually make a point of saying, "enjoy our village" unless you're selling them minnows. Then I realized what I looked like. I had the lights, the helmet, the pack on the back mounded with a sweatshirt and a rainjacket, my single earbud out of my ear. And I looked down at the speedometer, and I was going 15 mph and was in the drops.
I looked like a real biker! They thought I was going around the lake (67 miles) and packed for bear!
How's that* for cool?
Extremely! http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/4091/iconcool5lw.gif
Sandwarrior
07-22-07, 11:35 AM
Glad you had a good ride. I am still at work, will be for the next 7 hours.:( Good news is that it's all time and 1/2:D
So another question to you, what do the * in your post represent? Just curious.
So another question to you, what do the * in your post represent? Just curious.
Oh, I'm old. I was on the web before there were photos on it. So I always forget I can bold or underline things, so I put an asterisk by them to emphasize them. LOL! I didn't realize people didn't do that anymore!
Tom Stormcrowe
07-22-07, 11:40 AM
Oh, I'm old. I was on the web before there were photos on it. So I always forget I can bold or underline things, so I put an asterisk by them to emphasize them. LOL! I didn't realize people didn't do that anymore!
That's OK, I just figured you were doing it for people that are still using an old UNIX Based text only browser.;)
Sandwarrior
07-22-07, 11:43 AM
Hey, you don't have to quit on my account.:D When I cross trained to work on computers for the Air Force, they still filled rooms and had vacum tubes:eek:
Terrierman
07-22-07, 11:48 AM
It was way cool.
Lovey and I are getting ready to leave for a lovely loop in a local pay to visit and ride their bike path nature park, Dogwood Canyon. It has a trout stream with huge stockers in it running right through the gut of it, it's a pretty place. Wish us luck.
Good luck! It sounds like you always have beautiful rides where you live...
That's OK, I just figured you were doing it for people that are still using an old UNIX Based text only browser.;)
Well, yah! Exactly! How lame is that*, I guess....:D
Tom Stormcrowe
07-22-07, 12:24 PM
Well, yah! Exactly! How lame is that*, I guess....:D
I think we're showing our ages!:p
v1k1ng1001
07-22-07, 12:27 PM
This is what bikeforums.net looks like in Lynx.
http://seebot.org/cgi-bin/view.cgi?site=www.bikeforums.net&links=on
This is what bikeforums.net looks like in Lynx.
http://seebot.org/cgi-bin/view.cgi?site=www.bikeforums.net&links=on
That is really cool! I like* it.
(It once came through my phone line and then a big corona ball came out of what was left of my computer and passed right over my head)
Just re-read this, and Holy Cow!
Just re-read this, and Holy Cow! Well Holy Cow wasn't quite what came out of my mouth;):D Glad you had a nice ride! The Wife and I are getting ready to load the tandem up and go into town for a evening ride around the neighborhood there. It will be our "maiden voyage" on the ol'thing other than riding up & down the driveway. http://i15.tinypic.com/6frv1o2.jpg
Pupsocket
07-22-07, 04:49 PM
Glad you got out. On a bit of a tangent, I've been making it a point to nod, lift a finger, or say hi when passing other cyclists. I also give a wave of appreciation when a motorist passes with plenty of room between us. More often than not, the gesture is returned.
I did 17 miles yesterday, Osceola to Taylors Falls to St. Croix Falls (%&@/^ hill!) and back to Osceola. It felt so good that I wanted to go longer today but skip the killer hills from outer space. That same overcast almost made me stay in bed, but the bike was still on the hatch rack from yesterday, so I figured, "that bike won't ride itself." It did rain, but fortunately it only sprinkled a bit before I unloaded, then on the ride home.
Karl
Pupsocket (and anyone else in ND, MN, or northernish WI)... you should come up and do the "ride around Mille Lacs" next September with me. It's a goal of mine. It was a goal even before today! It's 67 miles, but it's leisurely, and it's run by the State Park people, I think.
Or, I'm going to be doing my "end of season" goal before October and and am going up for a 28 mile ride on the north shore. Big hill in the beginning, which I plan to walk up, but then something like 8 miles of coasting!
Oh, and Becky, one more thing about my uncertainty....
I really do lack confidence at the whole "planning" my workouts thing. I know I'm supposed to take a could days off a week, but I'm not sure if I'm supposed to take one off depending on how I feel or depending on how many miles I put on the day before. I've seen it spelled out a couple different ways. Factor in the weather and, well, life*, and it gets messy to me. I feel like I should just ride when I can, go as far as I feel, and make my off days the ishy ones, but it's hard to tell if the ishy day on Monday is going to be better than the ishy day on Thursday.
Well Holy Cow wasn't quite what came out of my mouth;):D Glad you had a nice ride! The Wife and I are getting ready to load the tandem up and go into town for a evening ride around the neighborhood there. It will be our "maiden voyage" on the ol'thing other than riding up & down the driveway. http://i15.tinypic.com/6frv1o2.jpg
Oooh! give us a full report in a new thread!!!
Pupsocket
07-22-07, 06:13 PM
Mille Lacs is pretty flat the entire way around, isn't it? That would make it pretty nice as long as the wind behaves.
I've only gone 6 miles on the lake itself, because the road my cabin is on (Twilight Drive) is a quiet road that ends and you have to get on 169, which I'm scared of. So I usually cross 169 and ramble through the state park. But the beginning is a couple middlin' rolling hills followed by flat and scenic.
The wind can be tough, but it keeps you cool and since you're going in a circle you often get the benefit of good wind on your back. Seems to always come off the lake, though, to some degree.
I have to investigate more of the east side of the lake (I'm on the southern tip) to see how safe it is. That's partly why I want to do this ride, so it's not scary to ride on 169.
I did an elevation of my normal ride, and there's about 100 feet of range, but it goes way up and way down like a mountain range sometimes.
Nycycle
07-22-07, 08:42 PM
I tell you what, this afternoon at 2pm if it would have been raining I would have gone, the 105deg temp kept me in.
Oh, and Becky, one more thing about my uncertainty....
I really do lack confidence at the whole "planning" my workouts thing. I know I'm supposed to take a could days off a week, but I'm not sure if I'm supposed to take one off depending on how I feel or depending on how many miles I put on the day before. I've seen it spelled out a couple different ways. Factor in the weather and, well, life*, and it gets messy to me. I feel like I should just ride when I can, go as far as I feel, and make my off days the ishy ones, but it's hard to tell if the ishy day on Monday is going to be better than the ishy day on Thursday.
I know what you mean, and didn't intend to sound harsh. You sounded like you wanted to go this morning, but were a little uncertain. I get the same way, where I start debating with myself... but usually I do know, deep down, what I ought to do. The trick is to listen to that part of yourself, and it's not always easy. And I've skipped quite a few workouts that I know I could have done.
I'm glad you went, and will remember your experience next time I start that debate with myself! :)
You sounded like you wanted to go this morning, but were a little uncertain.
LOL! Heck no! I was really hoping the vote would end with me drinking wine with a good book.
Tom Stormcrowe
07-22-07, 09:44 PM
Pupsocket (and anyone else in ND, MN, or northernish WI)... you should come up and do the "ride around Mille Lacs" next September with me. It's a goal of mine. It was a goal even before today! It's 67 miles, but it's leisurely, and it's run by the State Park people, I think.
Or, I'm going to be doing my "end of season" goal before October and and am going up for a 28 mile ride on the north shore. Big hill in the beginning, which I plan to walk up, but then something like 8 miles of coasting!
How about a Hoosier? Would one or two of them be welcome?:p
chunkyd
07-22-07, 09:47 PM
Oh, I'm old. I was on the web before there were photos on it.
Chunkyd throws up his WILDCAT BBS finger signs! thats how we used to roll!
It's a long drive for a little ride! But, sure!
Chunkyd throws up his WILDCAT BBS finger signs! thats how we used to roll!
I was a Citadel lass, myself! :beer:
Here's my stomping grounds up north. This is the route I took to do my 23 miler, but the other rides are different variations on this ride. Turn on the elevation at the bottom and scroll to the middle of the ride. I guess it is pretty flat along the lake. the hills area all in the state park. They're not bad hills, but they sneak up on you. What's cool is that the park is all rollercoaster hills and* at weaves like a snake, too! It's very fun.
http://www.mapitpronto.com/index.cfm?fuseAction=routePlanner.viewDBRide&rideID=492
This is a very short hill that I only made up the last time, and then it made me almost throw up at the top. I wish these programs told you what grade things were....
Wogsterca
07-24-07, 06:55 PM
D'oh! When did I leave, like a minute* before your post? That just made a lot* of sense. The sky was socked in, and I did get online, but it was just a big blob of yellow. Nothing violent. But I have* a weather radio (got one when I was in Kansas close to the Greensburg tornado) and it is small enough to take.
Anyway, did my 12, and the first drops fell on me on the way back, a block from home. And I didn't have to wear my sunglasses for the first time in about a month. And it was the best temperature I'd ever ridden in.
I had two very interesting experiences on my ride:
The first is that, because it was pretty dark and all the tourists were driving home, I thought I'd try out my new hub generated light and my flashie on the back. I have never* had such courteous car behavior by every* car I encountered. They went slow, made eye contact, and went completely in the other lane to pass me. I don't know if they simply saw me better, or if they subconsciously thought, "Hey, she made the effort to put the lights on the bike, she must really not want to get hit." I'm going to put them on all the time... there's no drag with the hub generator.
The second thing is I met 2 guys biking coming the other way. They were out for an early morning jaunt, and they greeted me with big waves. As I passed, one of them said, "Enjoy the lake!"
Well, I thought about this for a while, because it was kind of an unusual thing to say. 90% of the people here are tourists, but we don't usually make a point of saying, "enjoy our village" unless you're selling them minnows. Then I realized what I looked like. I had the lights, the helmet, the pack on the back mounded with a sweatshirt and a rainjacket, my single earbud out of my ear. And I looked down at the speedometer, and I was going 15 mph and was in the drops.
I looked like a real biker! They thought I was going around the lake (67 miles) and packed for bear!
How's that* for cool?
I often run the rear light in flashing mode, even during the day, this is similar to a car with it's 4-ways on, it gets someones attention.
As for the lake, hmmmm, sounds like an interesting challenge doesn't it? If you haven't done a Metric century (yet), sounds like a good way to get one in, after all 100km is 62 miles. Ugh, I'm one to talk, I haven't done 100km in about 25 years!!!! 20 of those off bike.:eek:
I have worked up to about 100K per week, so a 100K ride should be doable, would just take me all day, conditions have made it horrible the last couple of weeks, days that don't have thunderstorms have high winds, and 15km battling a 25km/h head wind, seems to us as much energy as a 50km ride on a calm day...... Can't seem to get the speed up over about 20km/h either, which I would like for longer rides. Today my knee is bothering me, so I took today off, and tomorrow is my regular off day, if it's still bothering me on Thursday, I'll take the night off work, as that's most likely what is bothering it, (I load delivery trucks for a courier company, so climbing in and out is probably what is doing it) then a few km on the bike.
Scummer
07-24-07, 07:37 PM
This is what bikeforums.net looks like in Lynx.
http://seebot.org/cgi-bin/view.cgi?site=www.bikeforums.net&links=on
You are using lynx to browse the web? I mean, I love unix/linux/freebsd and vi, but lynx to browse the web is even to hardcore for me. Firefox for Linux does the trick for me :)
Scummer
07-24-07, 07:41 PM
Chunkyd throws up his WILDCAT BBS finger signs! thats how we used to roll!
US Robotics Courier HST FTW :D
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