Fifty Plus (50+) - Smiles per Mile this Weekend?

Smiles per Mile this Weekend (so far)?

No smiles per mile?

Some?

A lot?

WOW!?

I had about 6 hours (including Friday - a long weekend) FILLED WITH SMILES - it was a WOW! experience.

How about you? (IOW, are you ENJOYING your riding?)

There'll be tons of smiles per mile at 05:30 in the morning as I'm riding home
from work. :commute: After that......well, we'll see how tonight goes first.

I'ld like to hit the Erie Canal trail and visit Fairport N.Y. for their Canal Days
celibration.....if I'm not too tired from tonight.

The Ozark Roadies rode from Elkins, AR to Brentwood, AR through the backwoods, hills, and valleys. We had a double-digit headwind going out (and up). We probably averaged around 11 mph going out. The return trip yielded many smiles per mile. It was more or less downhill, and we had earned the tailwind which we were enjoying. I was hammering down a hill on Ol' Fuj and feeling pretty good about it when one of our number on a Baschetta (sp?) Corsa blew my seat stays off. I was running at about 44 mph, and I believe he said he was running about 52. We both enjoy the downhill runs.

It was a great day, and the countryside was quiet and beautiful. Our total mileage was about 42.

:D:D:D

We've put nearly 100 miles on the tandem this week and have been grinning ear to ear. The weather (wind notwithstanding) has been perfect, the rides' intensities challenging without being overwhelming, we're improving strength and speed with every ride, and yes, we're having fun!

Thanks for asking, BTW. Glad yours have been rewarding as well.

Went up to Hurkey Creek Thursday, spent about 4 hours up there, took a couple ten minute breaks for fig newtons, saw four deer that casually walked off the trail and watched me go by, got some good fresh cool mountain air, explored some trails I hadn't taken before. Not sure of the miles (note to self, put a darned computer on the MTB) but there were tons of smiles. :):):):):)Friday, went to Simpson Park did a couple of loops, wasn't smiling too much climbing the fire road in the heat, but the single track sections had some smiles.:):):)

Gosh, I lost count of my smiles today.
Seems there was one around every corner of the 27 miles I put in.
To see why go read my ride report, "OK, picture lovers, here you go" (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=427250)

4 smiling and sweaty running miles yesterday morning. Not another sole, or soul, to be seen. Another smile when I woke up with no pain this morning.

My group isn't meeting today, so I'm riding on my own. I'll smile on the downhills and when I look at my new socks.

A brisk, traffic free nine mile jaunt home from work this morning.
Only saw two cars and didn't use a sidewalk or MUP. Still smilin' :)

Change of plans for this afternoon I think. There's a Street Machine show
just a couple miles away, and a couple miles beyond that is Lake Ontario.
Yep, goin' cruisin along the shore and by the beaches. Think I'll take the
recumbent. I know I'll take the camera.

4 smiling and sweaty running miles yesterday morning. Not another sole, or soul, to be seen. Another smile when I woke up with no pain this morning.



So you rode solo!

Just a few. DW and I got out yesterday at about 9:30. By 10:30 the sun was burning down at around 90F and the air was like molasses. The terrain was flat, rural, and pretty so we cracked a few smiles in any event. This morning we decided we will go out and test drive our new tandem kayak instead of riding.

Haven't gotten a chance to ride much (going to try to fit in a decent ride today)-went to Churchill Downs yesterday, with some folks from work, played the ponies, watched the Belmont, came home and Donna and I got a short bike ride in. Not lots of miles, but lots of smiles. The new saddle and the 150 Lumens flashlight on the bars make riding a pleasure. Finding I like riding the neighborhood at night-with the temps up yesterday, lots cooler after sunset, and our neighborhood doesn't have enough traffic to worry about! http://www.serfas.com/product.asp?ProductID=58 http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.10301

Many smiles over almost, just about exactly 35 miles, avg speed 15.4 mph. I did cheat just a little and stopped to chat with some hikers at the Appalachian Trail office. It took a bike to help me realize how beautiful this valley is. Good thing I had this running injury.

No smiles at all this past week. BUT--Success- the Pool is now usable. You can even get into it easily as today I finished the Steps and first bit of decking to make it easier for the wife to stop moaning. There must be time for a couple of evening rides this week before I start the onslaught of the rest of the decking. All I have to do now is see if the C.F. bike has rusted up in the last fortnight.

No smiles. Just a group ride. It sucked. But I'm not bitter for being dropped.

Well, yeah, I am.

Not many smiles at mile 25 of a 30 miler in 93 degree weather -- but tons of smiles afterwards for having finished, and no knee pain, and good recovery. Next week, 35 miles. Hopefully cooler temps.

http://www.brucew.com/images/prr/2008/gflbt/tsl-esperanza-overlook.jpg

Yrs trly wearing the colors on the Sunday ride around Keuka Lake at the Great Finger Lakes Bicycle Tour this weekend. This is from about 275 feet above the lake at the Esperanza Overlook, at the northern end of the west branch of the lake. 15% grade to get from the main road to there.

My goal today, besides to have a blast, was to do the 45-mile ride in under three hours. Made it at 2:58:02.

Despite several calamities befalling me on Friday, (which included, but were not limited to, forgetting my bike shoes, driving two hours home to get them, then on the way back, hitting a deer with my ride partner's car,) it was a thoroughly enjoyable weekend. Made a new friend yesterday, riding 50 miles with a retired State Trooper, and rode with old friends all day today.

Even got to ride a few miles in the rain today, which always takes 40 years off my state-of-mind.

During my semi-epic Mt. Diablo repeats (cccorlew knows how many feet of elevation that is; I was riding Garminless) I smiled a lot but grimaced more. Hot, hard, and rewarding.

Smiled all the way home once we were off the mountain. ;)

There were a lot of smiles per mile over the weekend.

On Friday a group of us rode 37 miles to lunch at a new place. They had great ice cream. We needed the extra calories to fight the 20-30mph headwinds on the way home.

Saturday morning was a short ride with the park biking program. This one starts and ends with a climb over the dam. The weather cooperated by waiting until we returned to our cars before starting the downpour.

Sunday was the annual Strawberry Festival bike tour. We got an early start as the temperatures were climbing to the mid 90's again. I opted for the shorter route of 45 miles as I had another event in the afternoon.

In addition to the smiles from biking over the weekend I got lots of non-biking smiles as this was high school reunion weekend:) My high school graduated its last class in '59 when they consolidated with a larger school district. We still meet each year for dinner on Saturday night and a more casual event Sunday afternoon. The current owner of the old high school hang-out opens it for a private party for the alumni. My mother and many of my classmates parents also graduated from this high school so the friendships span generations.

Great: Now we are ready for a babe in a swim suit photo.

No smiles at all this past week. BUT--Success- the Pool is now usable. You can even get into it easily as today I finished the Steps and first bit of decking to make it easier for the wife to stop moaning. There must be time for a couple of evening rides this week before I start the onslaught of the rest of the decking. All I have to do now is see if the C.F. bike has rusted up in the last fortnight.

I'm sure your wife is smiling. That's a great looking pool:thumb:

Did the Marietta, OH Cycling Club's River Ride this weekend. I would recommend this to anyone. 134 miles round trip, few real hills, met some really nice folks and can not say enough about how well the ride people treated us. Choose the dorm option for my overnight stay and all you really needed was an air conditioner that worked well which it did!

Yes it was hot and humid but the scenery was outstanding. The local dirvers were understanding also.
The best thing was that at the end of the ride on Sunday the HS football stadium(Duncan Falls, OH) the locker room was open to take a shower after the ride. There is nothing like a 2 hour car ride at the end of a ride in skunky bike clothes, not this time.

I am putting this ride on my schedule for next year. Many smile per mile this weekend.

Stapfam, great looking "Swimmin' hole". Your family should be very pleased.

I took a ride on the recumbent Sunday to a local car show. I think
this Buick is smiling, (I think it's a Buick...my memory ain't what it used to be).

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r152/crankyolddude/IMG_1008.jpg

Rain, rain and more rain here but some indoor smiles.

Great: Now we are ready for a babe in a swim suit photo.


I'm sure your wife is smiling. That's a great looking pool:thumb:


Stapfam, great looking "Swimmin' hole". Your family should be very pleased.



Thanks for your comments. Had the Timber delivered today to finish the Decking. Funny how small a pile it is for $700- and as I found out last week- how quickly that pile goes down when you start using it.

And had the Neighbourhood kids in it tonight. Got home at 6PM to find 5 of them camped out on the lawn waiting for me to say it was OK.

Put in 52 miles, over rolling hills, yesterday on the first hot day that I rode this year. It was sunny and 93 degrees with 20 to 25 mph winds. Going out into the wind was hard but coming home was all smiles even though I pushed the pace after the turn, a little harder than planned, just so I could average 24-26 on the way back. Ave. for the ride was only 17.8 so you can imagine how windy it was. I did prepare well by filling both bottles with sports drink and wearing my 50oz camelback that was packed full of ice. The water in the camelback was still ice cold until the last drop.

First long ride of the year on Saturday, did 90 miles over the rolling Maine countryside and coastline - grinning all the way!

Did 21 miles in the 96 deg heat yesterday. Still smiled most of the way.

I rode the Dallas area vintage ride. (See thread-- http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=427410 ) It was true joy to see all those beautiful steel steeds and it was a beautiful ride. Lotsa smiles:):):)