Null66

Hill climbing counts as cross training!

dagray

Hah! as you can see either I didn't learn my lesson, or I am a glutton for punishment with yesterday's ride being simulated 870 feet.

Cross training??? that isn't like cross dressing is it???

dagray

a nice downhill ride, good for recovery from hill climbing yesterday.

11 miles https://www.strava.com/activities/362266451 22.8 miles this week, 22.8 miles this month, 582.7 miles for the year.

Null66

The month is young! Weather is improving here... How about there?

dagray

Weather here is cooling (in the high 80's to high 90's from triple digits.

But the wind has kicked up to 20-30 mph sustained the last week.

Null66

wow!

dagray

Here just east of the Columbia Gorge it isn't uncommon to have winds sustained at 40-50mph. Usually we have many days throughout the year with 20+ mph winds

dagray

Ride to church and back... should be 0.8 mile as it was two ways. https://www.strava.com/activities/365348440 More to come later today

And later today is a 10.8 mile ride with the first loop of 8.5 miles being with my oldest son https://www.strava.com/activities/365458773 Not a huge exertion, but a nice leisurely ride.

so 11.2 miles today using Strava as the meter (was really 11.6 miles), 34 miles this month, and 594 miles this year.

dagray

22 miles today with a beer at the new micro brewery at the 21 mile mark..... got one flat and fixed it at the 18 mile mark and then got a puncture from a goat head and ended up walking until a good Samaritan with pickup gave me a ride home. Note to self: when it is hot out don't take off the riding shoes and socks to walk the bike as it leaves silver dollar sized blisters on one's feet.

https://www.strava.com/activities/375214651 22 miles today, 57miles this month, and 616.7 miles this year.

Null66

Wooo Hooo!

perhaps carrying a second tube is in order?

MikeRides

Sounds like you had some really bad luck. What size / brand tires do you use? I've got 700x35c Panaracer Ribmo PTs on my hybrid and have gone 3000+ miles thus far without a single flat.*knock on wood* That's riding through pretty much everything from broken glass to "invisible" wire from radial tires. My stock Kendas only lasted 2000 miles before they ended up so worn out that the kevlar flat protection was deemed useless.

FWIW I only carry one spare tube as well as a patch kit. Patch kits are relatively cheap ($5 at any Ace Hardware store or $7-ish at Walmart). I use glue patches just because that's what I've become accustomed to, the glue doesn't take long to dry if I need to patch on the road. However I've had some rubber cement dry out in my saddle bag even though the top was on tight so it may be worth looking into glueless patches if this concerns you.

dagray

I think I have the peel and stick patches, but didn't think about them. I run Continental 700 x25 slicks and right now they have 500 miles on them. I might be able to run a 700 x 28 but it would be a tight fit.

I am really thinking about going to tubless for the self sealing properties and quality of ride. Around here goat heads are normal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribulus_terrestris and the gravel lot at the brewery was full of them at one time.



If I don't go with the tubless tire as I would need to by a spare wheel and cassette to run either one of the tires I have now or a trainer tire to ride the trainer I am looking at the Vittoria tires specifically the Open Pave or the Corsa.

I will have to make sure I have a patch kit... I usually don't like to patch a tube as for me finding the puncture is not easy (yesterday; however, it was very easy to find the puncture both times).

dagray

nope, no patch kit in that under seat bag... I went and robbed the one off my mountain bike since I ride the road bike more.... looks like a couple patch kits are in order.

dagray

10.5 miles today and for the week.... busy week. https://www.strava.com/activities/381448991 Kids start school and have to be at the bus at 06:00 tomorrow morning. 67 miles this month with 627.1 miles for the year.

Oh and I am now running 700x23 Schwalbe One tubeless tires which give a great ride (and no more major flats I hope), and I upgraded the cassette on the Orbea to an Ultegra cassette... I put the old cassette on the 32 spoke wheel that was on my son's bike (my old bike) and put my Continental tire on it for use on the trainer. I had the shop put the 9 speed cassette on the factory 28 spoke wheel that came on the Raleigh as my son is 140 pounds lighter than I am and a couple inches shorter.

The burns and blisters on the soles of my feet from last Saturday's ride are almost healed. the nurse where I work took the caps off the blisters as they already were torn and cleaned them up and dressed them.

I had to raise my seat a 1/4 inch as more of the extra padding in my butt has gone missing.

Null66

Congrats on the progress!

Parenting duties interceded this week for me as well...

dagray

Thanks Mike. Kids safely off to school this morning. My fasting glucose level this morning due to the effort of yesterday's ride was 118.

I really like the ride quality of the tubless tires and the fact that a small puncture won't stop my ride, and that a spoke won't put a hole in a tube if I hit a bump a little too hard.... And I am stoked that I can ride on the 23mm tires (yeah, I am a skinny tire guy).

dagray

9.8 miles outside with some hills on a seat raised 1/4 inch and new tubeless tires (Schwalbe One 700 x 23mm ). https://www.strava.com/activities/38...nts/9169253781 9.8 miles tonight, 9.8 miles this month, 637 miles for the year. 938 miles since I started riding a year ago in September .....

dagray

14.6 miles this afternoon after my diabetes education appointment (which went very well)....https://www.strava.com/activities/384962222 24.5 miles this week, 651.6 miles so far this year.

I am really liking the ride quality and extra speed without extra effort that I am getting with the tubeless tires.

dagray

13 miles today with 1/2 being against 10-20mph headwinds. Took a different route that had m going west on the freeway instead of east which started me off against the headwind, and then took an exit that would allow me to get on a road I frequently travel, and finally home. 13 miles today https://www.strava.com/activities/386651010 37.5 miles this week, 37.5 miles this month, 664.7 miles this year.

dagray

Speed demon Dave here with a top speed of 36.9mph going downhill on today's 24.6 mile ride https://www.strava.com/activities/390941535 so 24.6 so far this week 62 miles this month and 689.4 miles this year.

Legs were cramping at beginning and end of ride in feet, calves, and shins. I drank two 29 ounce bottles of water with Nuun hydration tablets added.

dagray

7.1 miles this morning to and from Worship in the park https://www.strava.com/activities/391751368 69 miles this month and 696.5 miles this year.

MikeRides

It really is exhilarating coming down a hill at those speeds isn't it? I maxed out at about 40 mph coming down a nearby mountain road last year, I could have tried to go faster but I'll be honest I was worried about losing control if by some off chance I had to share this already narrow road with a car and besides that there's a nasty hairpin turn at the bottom.

Of course climbing back up said hill wasn't as much fun, I think it was the first and only time I was in my smallest gear and barely could sustain 2 mph. Lungs and legs both nearly imploded by the time I crested the top

dagray

I totally understand the exhilaration of those speeds, and I also totally understand the huffing and puffing and running in the small front chainring and large gear on the rear cassette to only be going a couple miles an hour while the brain is screaming for oxygen, and you try to control your breathing (my high blood pressure does this to me if I get too high over a heart rate of 160).

dagray

Broke the 700 mile mark today with today's ride of 10.7 miles https://www.strava.com/activities/400766664 giving me 80 miles this month and 707 miles this year. This is the first ride of the day.

dagray

Took an Fitness Threshold Performance test and saw small improvement. my average power output (by heart rate, cadence sensor, and trainer software) was 218.96 which is better than the 212 I had a few months ago.

4.2 miles this ride at a steady road grade of +2.0% for 85 miles this month and 711.6 miles this year.