Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - New years day rides

So what rides did you do today. We went with the Fatcyclist (www.fatcyclist.com) and rode squaw peak road. the first 1/4 mile was bare pavement, then the snow got deep, it was mostly packed but there were some drifts that made riding a bit tricky :), the temp was only 8 when we left, almost balmy :P. So it was about 4 miles of snow up and back with a good stiff climb, on a road bike and bare pavement this is a good climb, but nothing could prepare you for doing this climb on snow.

Let's hear about the new years rides.

Did the 28-mile option on the "Happy New Rear" ride here in North Texas. About 32 degrees when we started, but warmed up some in a couple of hours. Pretty good headwind on the way back in. Corn bread and blackeyed peas at the finish. :)

I am going to do 20 miles after I get more construction work done on my wife's MUST DO list. It has been a long day and I already ran three miles, but I need to ride some too.

Climbed up into the mountains. I climbed the first 8 mile section known as Big GMR (Glendor Mtn Rd). 8 mile climb with an average of 6%. Trying to get back into shape so I climbed it twice for a total of 33 miles. Half up,..........and half down!:D

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l267/gulpxtreme/gmr1.jpg
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l267/gulpxtreme/gmr2.jpg
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l267/gulpxtreme/gmr3.jpg

Nice ride Mr. Beanz - I see you're starting the year out right with some hills.

I rode a chilly (45f) 25 miles out in the country.:beer:

Nice ride Mr. Beanz - I see you're starting the year out right with some hills.

I rode a chilly (45f) 25 miles out in the country.:beer:

Yup! Gotta whip myself back into shape. Been loafing the last couple of years. Time to drop that extra 30 I've been lugging around!:o

Yup! Gotta whip myself back into shape. Been loafing the last couple of years. Time to drop that extra 30 I've been lugging around!:o

what amazes me is how quickly a 40+ rider can get out of shape in a matter of 5 weeks :P, it really sucks.

It was raining in the morning here on Long Island,NY. About 1pm the sun came out so at 2, I went out for a 27 mile mostly flat ride.

So what rides did you do today?....
Let's hear about the new year's rides.

I rode 20 miles on the Schuylkill River Trail, from Betzwood to Spring Mill and back, with BSLeVan, a poster to the 50+ Forum. The original plans were to ride further, but my companion had taken a bad spill on a patch of ice on Sunday, and he was clearly suffering during the ride. And I was fatigued from working till midnight, and still not fully recovered from my 135 mile week, so a gentle trail ride was the best for both of us. While the air was cold, the sun was shining, and the trail lightly traveled. Even the ponding on the trail around Conshohocken proved to be fun - kids don't mind getting wet, even big, old kids like us.

However, nature didn't prove to be as gentle as we had hoped. By the time we had reached Spring Mill and were heading back, a fierce headwind had developed, heralding the winter storm coming from the west. I tried to pull from time to time so BS could rest his aching side, but I wasn't strong enough to prove an effective draft-horse. At one point I nearly fell over as a blast of wind hit me while standing and coasting. Still, despite the weather, and BS's injury, we had a good time.

I did 25 miles on the trainer.......

MAN THAT SUCKED! Good workout, but boring! :(

I did my 20 miles on the rollers. 54 minutes and a puddle of sweat on the floor.

10 very, very cold miles on the Hardrock today. 15 degrees, 30mph winds, ice, snow.. but what the hell, I had a blast! Great way to start the year :)

10 very, very cold miles on the Hardrock today. 15 degrees, 30mph winds, ice, snow.. but what the hell, I had a blast! Great way to start the year :)

Welcome back, Bdinger. You haven't been on the forums for awhile. Are you bored with married life already? :-)

Thanks Neil!! haha, not yet, i just finally got a chance to breathe! Newly married, a month later I started a new and very, very demanding job.. and then there were finals. Whew! No excuses, though, while I haven't been riding to work (or outside much at all) I've been living on the spin bikes at the YMCA over my lunch "hours" the past two months. I'll blog more about it soon, and my diabolical plans to start commuting again.

It's amazing how much I miss commuting and cycling daily, now that I'm not doing it outside!

About 100 club members showed up for the annual Jan first ride. Many people brought the requested goodies including brownies and Harvey Wallbanger flavored "rum" balls. The local Press Democrat paper sent a cameraman and a new reporter to cover the event. My name was attached to three statements that I had not made; but would have if she had asked the right questions. The photographer was out along the course taking pix. As I was wearing grubby yellow rain pants, a New lime-yellow jacket and a Class 3 safety shirt I may find myself in the paper tomorrow. Earlier I had warned the cameraman about using a flash as I had so much reflective tape on the shirt it might burn out his camera.

I got my first ride in over 2 years out of the way this morning. It was the mid 30's gusty wind, and the most fun I had in quite a long time. I went 11.1 miles in 54 minutes on rolling roads with roughly 350 feet of climbing over the full ride. So, 11.1 miles down and 1988.9 to go in 2008. I hope they get the roads clear by Thursday evening so I can get out again before the week end. Otherwise it will be another week on indoor riding at the YMCA.

Temps reached a balmy 17F today with blinding snow drifts and a constant wind of 20mph gusting to 45mph. I am a hardcore winter commuter, and so far nothing has kept me from riding, but I drew the line here. Well sort of, I may have taken a short ride f I wasn't driving to St. Louis to pick up the in-laws!

No ride for me this week unfortunately with the family in town, but I am golden for next week!

I planned on riding the Hangover Hundred (K that is - as in metric century) here in Lake Worth - wanted to take out the new bike for a spin. Unfortunately I was sick and ended up not riding at all; man, I didn't even have the 'hangover' as an excuse :(.

48.31 miles
3:05:58

Flying Wheels Lake Sammamish Loop (~25 miles) followed by the rest being an out-n-back on the Sammamish River and Burke-Gilman Trail. About 1200' of gain on the Lake Sam loop, then dead flat on the trail but I had a 12-15mph headwind from the turnaround all the way back home (about 12 miles).

Weekend of the 12th is gonna be Century Ride #1 for 2008.

I did a little over 22 miles in some serious wind for around here. Averaged 16mph over that time.

It is always fun to go 25mph without a massive effort and then to turn around and only be able to do 11mph with alot of effort.

I rode to the grocery store because we needed bacon. Mmmm......bacon :)

It was about 1.1 miles. I think I deserve a cookie.

I rode 200 miles in 2.6 hours and then I woke up. I then discovered that it was about 18 degrees with a steady 25 - 30 MPH wind and there was NO WAY I was getting motivated enough to go out. So I sat around with a friend drinking Bourbon, eating chips and smoking cigars while Missouri smacked around Arkansas. All in all, a good day.

Joe

It is WAY too cold to be riding around here for me. Spin class at the Y is about as close to a bike as I get. Like Bdinger, I can't wait to get back on the commute (something about being practical and good for you at the same time that just seems so right).

I rode a float in the Rose Parade. Only 5.5 miles, but it was a few hours and lots of fun.

So what rides did you do today. We went with the Fatcyclist (www.fatcyclist.com) and rode squaw peak road. the first 1/4 mile was bare pavement, then the snow got deep, it was mostly packed but there were some drifts that made riding a bit tricky :), the temp was only 8 when we left, almost balmy :P. So it was about 4 miles of snow up and back with a good stiff climb, on a road bike and bare pavement this is a good climb, but nothing could prepare you for doing this climb on snow.

Let's hear about the new years rides.

No New Years ride here, we got 10cm of snow, when it quit snowing it got colder, and the wind picked up was -13℃ by this morning (Jan 2) with a wind chill factor of -24. I don't get it though, it's supposed to be +14℃ by next Tuesday, but then, this, is, Canada..... The problem isn't so much the snow, it's the idiots who think because they have a 4WD SUV that will go better in the snow that it's safer, it isn't, cars have had 4 wheel stop for almost 100 years, and if the car can't go, you don't need to worry about whether it can stop.:D

Besides, I would need to put the snow tires on the bike, and I am still on the DL.....

I had a glorious spin in the West of Ireland, from Kiltimagh to Foxford, only about 15 miles but lovely scenery in parts. Nice day too. It happened by chance which was even better - my car battery was flat when I tried to start it;-) A sign?

I can't believe I'm retired and cant get to ride more. Anyhow I got 10 miles in, in 40 degrees, with wind 20 to 25mph. I guess it's better than none though.