Well, that's one way to look at our heat wave. How many times do we get to train in mid-90 degree temps? Or, you could say it's an excuse to skip the big climbs, like Montebello, On Orbit, Redwood Gulch, Quimby, etc ... :p

Boy, this air conditioning sure is nice... :P

Also, what's this "mid-90s" nonsense?

http://img76.imageshack.us/img76/4988/hothothotye4.jpg

Hey, x, someone out in the valley should do a full moon night ride. Mid 60s sounds downright balmy compared to 110! ;)

Heh, that would be fun. A huge group of people all with bright headlights and flashy taillights cruising around.

This is why I start at 6AM during this weather. YUCK.

Still beats New Jersey, though. At least sweat evaporates here.

Also, what's this "mid-90s" nonsense?

Ahh, how I DON'T miss summers in Davis. Working in Pleasanton isn't much better, though.

[QUOTE=kb5ql;7019181.

Still beats New Jersey, though. At least sweat evaporates here.
[/QUOTE]

Jersey? Are you from jersey? What Exit?

I grew up just off 109:D

JB

Remember that in addition to hot, pollution levels increase dramatically in the afternoon, especially on weekdays. I try to do most of my hard riding in the morning.

NYTimes article about heat, its effects, and training for it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/03/health/nutrition/03Best.html?ex=1215835200&en=cd7ea79f3319104a&ei=5070&emc=eta1

Jersey? Are you from jersey? What Exit?

I grew up just off 109:D

JB

Take your pick (http://www.metrocommute.com/LI/exits/GSP.html). 163 or 165

The scale is the best part about training in the heat. I know its all "water weight" but its still fun to be abnormally light after a somewhat mellow right.

Ron.. I was thinking about Bohlman and On Orbit sometime this week.. I've never done them, midweek heat filled tortue fest? Our little "we suffer with you" tribute to the deathriders??

Ron.. I was thinking about Bohlman and On Orbit sometime this week.. I've never done them, midweek heat filled tortue fest? Our little "we suffer with you" tribute to the deathriders??

You've been talking to Ramon lately, haven't you? I think he's rubbing off on you. :lol:

Heat wave? What heat wave? Is it hot where you are?

:innocent:

Ah one of my favorites, B.O.B. Bohlman is tough until the last two switchbacks before the T intersection with On Orbit. You'll know because after a left turn of a switchback you look ahead and think "you've got to be kidding me." Struggle up that while being careful because the next right switch back is quite banked and cars descend quickly. There is little recovery until the intersection at which point I usually ride in circles for a minute or two before heading on to On Orbit. It's not all that steep initially so you might be thinking no sweat after what you just climbed. It doesn't last long though and it's better to not look up because it's worse than anything before. The steep part goes on longer than you'd like and turns to the right where you finally see the top. A quick descent back to Bohlman and there is still quite a bit of riding left to get to the house with the End sign on the right.

Hey, Ramon, perhaps your new training ride should be dubbed Tres Hermanos (Bohlman/OnOrbit+Redwood Gulch+Montebello) ;)

I actually did 2 of the 3 on the same ride ... Montebello, then Redwood Gulch. Wasn't too bad, but it take me forever to complete. Not sure if I could do Bohlman/On Orbit on the same ride as Montebello and Redwood Gulch. I'd probably need a new set of knee caps.

I rode this morning. A quick, hard 17 miles. Well, quick for me, 1:05:12.

I just love the A/C!

10 miles, 40 minutes this morning for me ... @ 5:30 am. Very comfortable temps riding in.

Not looking forward to the 95 degree ride at 3 pm today going home.

NYTimes article about heat, its effects, and training for it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/03/health/nutrition/03Best.html?ex=1215835200&en=cd7ea79f3319104a&ei=5070&emc=eta1

Good article. Thanks for posting the link. There may still be time to acclimate to the heat before the DR, so I guess I'll get out and do some easy riding today. I went up Montebello yesterday, and my power was 20-30 watts lower than usual. :(

Still beats New Jersey, though. At least sweat evaporates here.

A few years back, I flew back to PA to visit my family. I wanted to ride while I was there, so I shipped one of my bikes - which arrived halfway through the two week trip! :mad:

Man, it was like riding through maple syrup. I don't ever remember air feeling quite so THICK before. And the sweat was just DRIPPING off me, without doing anything more than dehydrating me!

I also remember thinking, "Hey, after OLH, Kings, and Page Mill, the hills around here will be a snap!" Turns out that, because the hills aren't as steep, they don't cut switchbacks. The road just runs right up the side. I kept looking at my tires to see if they were flat, because I was SURE it wasn't THAT steep!

So maybe I will do B.O.B. today after work provided my car is done with it's 5k checkup in time.

A few years back, I flew back to PA to visit my family. I wanted to ride while I was there, so I shipped one of my bikes - which arrived halfway through the two week trip! :mad:

Man, it was like riding through maple syrup. I don't ever remember air feeling quite so THICK before. And the sweat was just DRIPPING off me, without doing anything more than dehydrating me!

I also remember thinking, "Hey, after OLH, Kings, and Page Mill, the hills around here will be a snap!" Turns out that, because the hills aren't as steep, they don't cut switchbacks. The road just runs right up the side. I kept looking at my tires to see if they were flat, because I was SURE it wasn't THAT steep!

Where I'm from in NJ, the longest hills can't be more than a 1/4 mile - but lots of them are steep. It's definitely a different kind of riding. And probably part of the reason I'm still struggling with sustained climbs.

JB

Also, what's this "mid-90s" nonsense?


Exactly what I was thinking... By 9:30am, it was 94 degrees here in Roseville :( And the air is brown...

Air quality is worse than heat - when you mix the two together - it's just not good to ride in. You guys by the coast are much luckier then us here in the valley. Air is better - but still brown even here in Fairfield/Vacaville. Just got back from the Willamette Valley in Oregon with 3 days of riding in the Northwest Tandem Rally. Roads were perfect - hardly much traffic and mid 70's all weekend. Come home yesterday to 109 temps and brown air .....

Take your pick (http://www.metrocommute.com/LI/exits/GSP.html). 163 or 165

38A, Mt. Holly/Moorestown.

I, too, do not miss NJ summers or winters.

110 in San Ramon today, and Diablo was just a suggestion through the haze and smoke.

I managed to get in 23 miles, but I set out at 6:30am and got in by 8:00am. It was close to 90 by then.

Heat wave? What heat wave? Is it hot where you are?

:innocent:

:roflmao2:

All aboard the fail train. So I swapped the 11-26 with the 12-29 to have that extra backup low gear for this weekend. I took my usual route over to B.O.B. making a stop at Mt. Eden/Stevens Canyon intersection to fill my water bottles at the picnic area. Mt. Eden wasn't bad neither was Pierce. Get to 6th Street and climb the hill to the Cemetery, hmm kinda hot... I figured I would stay in the 34-26 as long as possible before going to the 29. It didn't take long, a little over half way up Bohlman and I looked at the very low cadence. All told I had to stop four times for breathers on the climb. Once at the top of On Orbit I looked down at the short descent back to Bohlman, the pitiful amount of water left in the 2nd bottle, the Sun getting gobbled up by the horizon and all the bugs circling me. Not today for the rest of the climb so I made a right and went back down the hill. Descending is where you really notice how gross the grade is you just went up. Back at HW 9 I turned right and took the long straight path home instead of going back up and over Mt. Eden to Stevens Canyon.

What's B.O.B. again? You sure picked the toughest one to go up... Also, about halfway up to the intersection, before the sharp turns and steeper pitches, there's a house on the left with an ankle-biting dog. If he's out keep an ear out for his jingling tags.

Here's a tip for you to try; the gas station @ Big Basin Way & Sunnyvale-Saratoga has a spigot, just stick your head under it and cool off your upper half and then try the climb again. I'm usually happier dragging the add'l weight up a climb than burning up and hating life.

At 5:15 it was 109* so I opted to write an offer -- work over play, this time. :(

I'll be out by 6:30 tomorrow morning to enjoy the relative cool.

In the 70's here in Calgary. :)

The roads and traffic suck for riding though. :( No bike lanes, no shoulders, inconsiderate drivers for the vast majority.

I did do most of my commute back today on the path, but they kept having random path closures with no detour signs. The numbering system is also confusing. When you are at the intersection of 2nd and 2nd which way do you go? :notamused:

Gonna go back to the park and hit the trails again tomorrow morning before my flight instead of battling the streets. :D

It's 84 at 11pm as I'm reading this thread. If I can tear my eyes away from the Tour this morning, I might go out for a while.

The air quality is worse than the heat.

Yep, it's 80 here. I hate not being able to open the windows at night.

Hey, x, someone out in the valley should do a full moon night ride. Mid 60s sounds downright balmy compared to 110! ;)

At a ride on Saturday we were discussing riding at night. 70% of all cycling fatalities in our area are at night according to the guy I rode with, and there's no way even 20% of the miles are at night.

No thanks, I don't have a death wish.

The larger issue is I don't think the moon is visible through the smoke. :(

Aw, c'mon Joe, think how quiet the roads will be, and cooler, too, when we do the Capay Valley ride again at 3AM. ;)

Heat wave? What heat wave? Is it hot where you are?

:innocent:

Heh Heh, me too. Probably need the arm warmers tomorrow morning. Gotta love the coast in this weather. :)

Aw, c'mon Joe, think how quiet the roads will be, and cooler, too, when we do the Capay Valley ride again at 3AM. ;)

I'd actually be up for that. That would be safer, as long as the drunks missed us...

Heh Heh, me too. Probably need the arm warmers tomorrow morning. Gotta love the coast in this weather. :)

Ahh I wished I lived on the coast. Today I went out at 7am for a 20 mile loop and by the time I got back around 8:30, it was already in the 80s!

Band practice canceled so I get another day to ride in the heat after work. I think I'll try something with gentler grades today.

Did my morning out-and-back with no problem today - it was only 77 when I got home. I DID drink more than usual, and I've been sucking down water all day, so I can't say the heat didn't affect me at all, really.

I went for about 1500' of climbing today, around 9am, I'm still sluggin down water, with a little bit of a dehydration headache. Its all a part of getting the body used to the heat.. I'll torch that route when its 70 outside and nice :). Today..:twitchy:

I'm resting -- good way to beat the heat :) Took my bike by Chain Reaction to have them take a quick look at my shifting. It's all perfect now for the DR. Gonna throw on my new taillight and bento box (for the camera), clean it up a bit, and I'll be ready to bomb out of here Friday morning!

I went out about 7:30 and did 25 mi. to Winters and through the orchards, throwing some intervals into the mix. The sun was strong and hot even that early.

Band practice canceled so I get another day to ride in the heat after work. I think I'll try something with gentler grades today.

Wimp. :bike2:

Redwood Gulch and HW 9 to Firestation return via Mt. Eden. 3 big water bottles of Heed & Nuun in 2.5 hours, 32 miles. I was crawling up 9 after the Gulchmeister.

I rode this morning. Home by 8. Heat wasn't too bad, but the smoke was.

Redwood Gulch and HW 9 to Firestation return via Mt. Eden. 3 big water bottles of Heed & Nuun in 2.5 hours, 32 miles. I was crawling up 9 after the Gulchmeister.

Y'know, your crawling is still faster than my best day on those roads!

JB

6:30am this morning was the perfect time -- the office to San Bruno Mtn and back, temps in the 70's, sun just up and gentle breeze - very nice.

Lunchtime riding isn't looking very smart right now.

All aboard the fail train. So I swapped the 11-26 with the 12-29 to have that extra backup low gear for this weekend. I took my usual route over to B.O.B. ....

Howz the B.O.B. treating you? Are you loading it with extra weight as you ascend B.O.B. ???

http://www.biketrailershop.com/catalog/images/bob_trailer_yak.jpg
:p

Aw man, you could put a sliding weight in the back of that thing and stage a really lame tractor pull!

Aw man, you could put a sliding weight in the back of that thing and stage a really lame tractor pull!

I was really excited and thought Ramon bought a B.O.B. trailer, then I realized he was talking about another silly hill vanquished. What do you expect from an Xtracycle owner?

Speaking of Xtracycle, the baby seat's gone and stoker bars are in. Who wants to be taxi'd the next ride??? Pete's gonna have to take a look.
Sit back and relax as I schlep you at a brisk 10mph

:D