Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - My second group ride video

Today was my second group ride (http://www.hammerinwheels.com/events/53452362/) with The Hammerin' Wheels Road Bike Club. This time we went from Rancho Cordova to Folsom and back via surface streets and the American River Parkway bike trail.

The climb of the day was Iron Point Road, otherwise known as "Costco Hill" by local cyclists. It is a popular climb, with plenty of 10% and 11% to keep the suffer levels high. :D

Like my first ride with this club, this was an "intermediate beginner+" ride. I'm not fast enough for the hammerhead rides, so this kind of ride is perfect for me.

On the way up Iron Point Road, I was passed by a woman who said this was her first climb. At the top, I found out it was her first road bike climb. She does mtb rides, which are excellent strength training for hills.

Near the top of the climb the ride leader was taking video of us climbing. He said he would post it tomorrow, so there will be some third-person footage of my "freight training uphill" soon. :D

Near the end of the ride, I ended up in the lead somehow. I wasn't trying to be a "MUP racer" or anything. I was just having fun.

Maybe by summer I'll be strong enough to ride some of the tougher rides, but for now this will do.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/157202316

As with all my videos, this one is 100% natural sound. This means plenty of female cyclist suffer sounds on the one climb in the video, so be forewarned!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvuTvW2CibQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvuTvW2CibQ

Thanks for sharing. I was feeling that hill from my couch, you sold it well. Condolences to your friend losing his pet.

Thanks for sharing. I was feeling that hill from my couch, you sold it well. Condolences to your friend losing his pet.
Thank you. :) My friend asked me to make a tribute video for Daisy and post it on his YouTube channel, so here it is. The pictures of his dog in the bed of the pickup truck were taken yesterday, right before he made that final trip to the vet's office. :(

It was very hard to watch this and listen to this song, which is very appropriate for the situation. :cry:

EDIT: Video blocked in the US on YouTube. Re-uploaded on Vimeo.

http://vimeo.com/38356197

http://vimeo.com/38356197

I wish I had some nice sunny weather, with no winds (anything below 20 mph), like you have.... :-(

Nice ride, and nice long uphill too.

Aw, we lost our 11 year old golden Millie last April after a tough fight with cancer. New dog's name is daisy, what a great dog name. (She's my avatar picture)

What nice pavement you guys have up there!

I couldn't watch the dog video. :(

I wish I had some nice sunny weather, with no winds (anything below 20 mph), like you have.... :-(

Nice ride, and nice long uphill too.
Thanks. :) Unfortunately we have been spoiled by unseasonably dry, perfect weather for too long, as we are going to be punished with nothing but garbage all week starting tomorrow. :( I hope they're wrong and at least one weekend day turns out nice. Gotta have my weekly climbing fix!

Aw, we lost our 11 year old golden Millie last April after a tough fight with cancer. New dog's name is daisy, what a great dog name. (She's my avatar picture)

What nice pavement you guys have up there!

I couldn't watch the dog video. :(
I'm sorry for your loss. Pet lifespans are way too short. :(

I just want to reach out and pet your Daisy when I look at your avatar. :)

Every time I had to watch his video during the editing and posting process, several sheets of kleenex met their demise. Just listening to that song is very hard, as it deals with loss. :(

Back to more cheerful subjects, yes, the pavement in the Folsom/El Dorado Hills area is pristine! That and the hills are probably the reason for the area being so popular with cyclists.

Hey sory for the loss of the dog thats never easy they are definitly family. Onthe original video what kind of Camera did you use?

Hey sory for the loss of the dog thats never easy they are definitly family. Onthe original video what kind of Camera did you use?
I used a GoPro HD Hero 960 on the "Chesty" chest strap mount. I'm going to try tightening the horizontal strap before the next ride I record, so hopefully that will reduce the boing-boing effect.

In regards to the ride, you are one tough lady i would have given up half way up that hill and gone home to bed. This is the first time i have watched one of your videos with sound ( normally I am at work) and I have to say is that what people complain about ? all I heard was the breathing of a person working their arse off. :) people are strange .

@ in regards to daisy, my condolence to your friend and your self losing a pet is like losing a best friend and a family member in one go and it hurts and it sucks. It is amazing how a dog affects everyone around them you can't help but become attached to them.

In regards to the ride, you are one tough lady i would have given up half way up that hill and gone home to bed. This is the first time i have watched one of your videos with sound ( normally I am at work) and I have to say is that what people complain about ? all I heard was the breathing of a person working their arse off. :) people are strange .

@ in regards to daisy, my condolence to your friend and your self losing a pet is like losing a best friend and a family member in one go and it hurts and it sucks. It is amazing how a dog affects everyone around them you can't help but become attached to them.
Thank you. :) Yup, it was the breathing that seemed to bother some people. Luckily there were only a handful of people who had a problem with it. That's why I include the audio warning on every video posted on a forum. I feel kind of silly doing it, but it avoids the problems I had in the past when people clicked on one of my videos and were caught off-guard by the heavy breathing. I realize my videos aren't to everyone's taste, so I let people know what they're getting into when they watch one of my videos. :p

I pushed pretty hard on that climb because I love to suffer and I saw someone slowly gaining on me mid-climb, so I had to try to stay ahead of them. It worked! :D

+1,000 on getting attached to pets! :thumb: I fed several stray cats for a couple years. One of them became deathly ill and we had to take him to the vet at 3 AM and have him put down. It still tears me up to this day. :(

you could buy a Australia sulfur crested cockatoo ..... they life up to 70-100 years O.o

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulphur-crested_Cockatoo

Yea i was wondering what pushed you on, saw you start to slow down and get a bit wobbly then you picked back up again .

also +1 for cats :) i have two and i talk to them more than i do people.

edit: point of note the above cockatoo would do nasty things to any cat that attacked it...

Yea i was wondering what pushed you on, saw you start to slow down and get a bit wobbly then you picked back up again .

also +1 for cats :) i have two and i talk to them more than i do people.
The wobbliness was me carefully shifting into my small ring and then a higher gear in the back. I have to make sure not to have any pressure on the chain at all when shifting from the middle to the small chainring, otherwise I will drop the chain.

I love talking to kitties! I can have a good meowversation with a cat and have plenty of videos to prove it. :D

The wobbliness was me carefully shifting into my small ring and then a higher gear in the back. I have to make sure not to have any pressure on the chain at all when shifting from the middle to the small chainring, otherwise I will drop the chain.

I love talking to kitties! I can have a good meowversation with a cat and have plenty of videos to prove it. :D

haha don't I don't record it , i am concerned my other half is going to have me committed and use that as evidence .

Showed your video to my partner to try and get her to see it is possible , she thinks you crazy as well :)

haha don't I don't record it , i am concerned my other half is going to have me committed and use that as evidence .

Showed your video to my partner to try and get her to see it is possible , she thinks you crazy as well :)
Just call me Dr. Doolittle :p

I will freely admit that I probably have a screw loose because I love suffering on hills. I like the pain and the effort.

Just call me Dr. Doolittle :p

I will freely admit that I probably have a screw loose because I love suffering on hills. I like the pain and the effort.


Actually do you mind if i ask how tall you are, one of her common excuses is that fact she is small ( 5 foot 4 if she is lucky) . I don't understand the logic behind it .... i know better than to ask .

Wow watching that makes me sea sick from all the shaking.

Looked like a great if not a bit overly intense workout.

Actually do you mind if i ask how tall you are, one of her common excuses is that fact she is small ( 5 foot 4 if she is lucky) . I don't understand the logic behind it .... i know better than to ask .
I am 5' 4" too. I ride a 48 cm Specialized Dolce WSD (women's specific design) road bike.

Wow watching that makes me sea sick from all the shaking.

Looked like a great if not a bit overly intense workout.
Unfortunately it doesn't seem to matter where I mount the cam. Someone will always say it gives them motion sickness. Even when I mounted the camera on the head tube, someone said the movement made them sick.

I am trying to come up with solutions to the shakiness, so bear with me. ;)

I love talking to kitties! I can have a good meowversation with a cat and have plenty of videos to prove it. :D

Video or it didn't happen!!! :D

Video or it didn't happen!!! :D
OK, you asked for it! :p:D

Here's the best meowversations with several different cats I've known over the years.

http://vimeo.com/38460300

http://vimeo.com/38460300

Nobody needs to tell me I'm crazy. I know I'm weird and I'm proud of it! :D

Omg... its the crazy cat lady from the simpsons... :p

https://whyweprotest.net/asset-proxy/27d4f7067944cd43eb227e2c5550a2ce3e0fa231/687474703a2f2f332e62702e626c6f6773706f742e636f6d2f5f5567784349543152334b772f544d333173577657676e492f 414141414141414142346b2f356553674954316f342d342f733332302f53696d70736f6e734372617a794361744c6164792e 6a7067/http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_UgxCIT1R3Kw/TM31sWvWgnI/AAAAAAAAB4k/5eSgIT1o4-4/s320/SimpsonsCrazyCatLady.jpg

Ok how crazy does it mak me for watching that video????

Omg... its the crazy cat lady from the simpsons... :p
:p

Wanna hear something even crazier? I don't even have any pets. Those were all other people's cats.

:p

Wanna hear something even crazier? I don't even have any pets. Those were all other people's cats.

You want one ? i have a dark ginger and a black and white . After spending 30 mins fixing my computer today after one figured it would be good to sleep in there ....... i would happily give one away. OK for about 5 mins before i came asking for it back :)

that first one was a squeaker, never had a cat that sounds like a mouse before O.O


@ oh and sinister, i will give you 10 bucks if you attempt to throw one of my cats like the crazy cat lady, but you can pay for your own medical bills :)

Way off topic as far as bikes go, but the weather sucks which means no riding for the rest of the week, sooo... :p:D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSMCRD35ch4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSMCRD35ch4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jX3iLfcMDCw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jX3iLfcMDCw

Someone has a problem, and needs to step away from the kitties.

Hey Freight, I have a few questions.

• Do you know the average speed at which the group rides?
• I was thinking about doing my first group ride. It's supposed to be "base-building." They average 20mph and the ride is 55 miles round trip. The problem is, I don't have a road bike, and I don't wear cycling gear. I wear a t-shirt and gym shorts. Do you think they would scorn me for that? I can easily maintain 20mph during a 55 mile ride, but I am not sure if they want a noobie with a fitness hybrid and pedestrian clothes riding with them.
• What are the basics I should bring with me on a long ride?

If you can answer any of those questions that would be awesome. Thanks!

Someone has a problem, and needs to step away from the kities.



Noooo kitties are good

@freighttrain , meh off topic is OK

Someone has a problem, and needs to step away from the kities.
Hey, those ain't my videos! :D The author has lots of animations on his channel. They must be pretty popular, as he has 206,047 subscribers with only 51 videos. Compare that with my measly 114 subscribers and 195 videos. Then again, cycling videos appeal to far fewer people than cartoons and automotive videos. I've seen plenty of automotive technical and motorsports channels with thousands of subscribers.

Hey Freight, I have a few questions.

• Do you know the average speed at which the group rides?
• I was thinking about doing my first group ride. It's supposed to be "base-building." They average 20mph and the ride is 55 miles round trip. The problem is, I don't have a road bike, and I don't wear cycling gear. I wear a t-shirt and gym shorts. Do you think they would scorn me for that? I can easily maintain 20mph during a 55 mile ride, but I am not sure if they want a noobie with a fitness hybrid and pedestrian clothes riding with them.
• What are the basics I should bring with me on a long ride?

If you can answer any of those questions that would be awesome. Thanks!
The two group rides I went on had average speeds of 15-17 on flat ground, slower on climbs, and 10-13 mph overall average speeds. Unfortunately it appears that Garmin Connect no longer shows the average moving speed of an uploaded ride, which really sucks. Due to all the stops for regrouping, I was stationary for several minutes at a time several times during the ride, which means the average speed shown on the Garmin Connect page is abnormally low.

They have faster rides of course, but I know I'm not strong enough for those yet.

I don't wear cycling clothes either. On both rides I wore a T-shirt and baggy gym shorts. You can see some pictures of me on the club page (http://www.hammerinwheels.com/events/53452362/) for the ride. I'm easy to spot, as I'm the only one rocking a black GoPro chest strap and a ContourHD on my helmet. :D

I haven't been scorned to my face, but I've seen some looks before the rides. They don't bother me though.

I would mount some narrow high-pressure tires on your hybrid if you can. Also carry spare tubes, patch kit, pump, enough water for the ride, energy chews of your choice, multi-tool with allen keys, chain tool, etc.

Man if you can "easily" average 20 mph over 55 miles you don't need to ask to go on most any ride from what I have seen.

Man if you can "easily" average 20 mph over 55 miles you don't need to ask to go on most any ride from what I have seen.
There was a break in the weather today, so I finally got to ride and can get back to talking about cycling instead of kitties. :D

I don't even think you have to ask to go on most club rides, at least around here. The club I belong to has a website with all the rides on it. If you are a member and you want to go on a ride, you log in and click on the "RSVP" button before the deadline, which is usually an hour or two before the ride starts.

Most good clubs should have rides geared towards riders of different abilities. The Hammerin' Wheels does. I ride the intermediate rides, as I'm not strong enough for the fast rides. They also have rides for casual riders or beginners who aren't into climbing.

For those who like a little music, here's my much slower-paced group ride from last Saturday (the day before the ride in my OP). This was the monthly 2nd Saturday Midtown Cruise, which is mostly vintage cruisers and modified "rat rod" bikes. Some of the bikes had some very cool paint jobs. It was obvious that lots of work went into them. Unfortunately you can't see it because the ride took place after dark.

The music comes from my handlebar-mounted Xceon Acouztic (http://www.xceoninc.com/xceon/products) headlight/mp3 player. I loaded it up with a bunch of old school funk from the 70s through the early 90s. From listening to what other riders played on past rides, I knew this was the right type of music for these rides.

Of course YouTube's "Content ID" automated system caught the first song and put the ad underneath, in spite of the wind noise and other background sounds. At first I thought I was home free, as it didn't happen right away. Usually when you have any music on a video, their software catches it right away and either labels it or blocks it entirely.

I try not to make a habit of putting any music on a YouTube video since their copyright policy is rather strict. Time will tell if I end up having to yank this video from YouTube and upload it on Vimeo instead, but for now I'll leave it where it is. Several of my subscribers enjoy the Midtown Cruise and art bike videos.

EDIT: Moved it over to Vimeo. Content is owned by SME and WMG, who like to block content and file copyright claims, so I ain't taking no chances!

http://vimeo.com/38696215

http://vimeo.com/38696215

Got the video file with the third person footage from the ride leader. He was standing near the top of the climb. I got permission from him to upload this to my YouTube channel, so here it is.

I'm the first rider you see.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClKhDg_0caw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClKhDg_0caw

Pretty cool, you were cranking up that hill!:thumb:

Those two riders were right behind me though, and possibly gaining on me. :D I wonder what would have happened on a longer hill?