coypu76

After so much cold and rainy weather got out today for about 24 miles - good conditioning ride to work off the inactivity of winter and recent weekends when I've had travel obligations.

OldTryGuy

Another Cross Florida -167 miler - done and thinking it will be my last. Start at 7AM yesterday was uneventful and into some 11+mph winds. WAY too much yo yo-ing speeds for no apparent reasoning, riders trying to go where they shouldn't(IT"S NOT A RACE!!!), crash (not me) within first 25 miles, 18 wheeler loaded with pallets passed by me within 1 foot with back end coming even closer, support car came into my BIKE LANE as it passed me, no muffler motorcycle rider throttled up just as he passed me AND INTENTIONALLY CAME CLOSER TO ME WHILE DOING SO!!!, just not as much fun as previous rides. Dropped at mile 63 when making a slow left turn and inside riders still went WIDE for no reason resulting in me going off the road and into soft dirt. Unclipped quickly and thankfully the platform pedals provided enough surface to continue pedaling through it so no dumping the bike but contact was lost.

From mile 63 until 140 I rode solo except for 12 of them. An occasional wheel suck is appreciated when winds are blowing. Thankfully at mile 140 a group came up and I had just enough to hook on. OUTSTANDING team type effort on their part as we were cruising 21mph to 26mph for the 27 miles to the end. Dinner was wonderful as always and sadly that is what I will miss the most.

John_V 

Sounds like a not so interesting ride. I love doing cross Florida rides but I have heard too many things that didn't appeal to me about this particular ride. I really like the one I do, in October, as it's very organized and everyone rides in groups according to your speed and skill level. It's also a multi-day ride so you're not fried at the end of the 230 mile trip.

John_V 

40 mile solo ride today. Had a reprieve from the winds today so that was nice. Instead of 30+ mph winds, as they have been, we had 20-24 mph winds. I couldn't tell that much of a difference in the headwinds but the crosswinds didn't blow me all over the road like they did last week.

MidSouthBiker

Like many other areas, winter weather returned for the past few days with freeze and frost warnings, But we are now into a warming trend to get back to more seasonable temps. I got in 101 minutes, but could have done a lot more. I stopped early to save some legs for more riding this week.

John00

59 Miles. It was 73° here today, I think I could grow to like this kind of weather. I'm starting on my cyclist tan. Started out with arm and leg warmers on. Leg warmers came of after 5 minutes. Next I rolled the arm warmers down to my wrists, then next time I stopped I took them and my gloves off. It really felt liberating to be out there in just shorts and jersey. Temps are going to drop, snow in the forecast twice this week, but it will be melted and gone by noon, might be 60° Saturday

Wildwood 

Yesterday's weather was sooo nice, i made it a 2fer.
They also happen to be the latest builds, so it was a new experience twice.
Got my 50km with 2 out 'n backs.
Batavus with Campy9 triple.
Zeus with Zeus, 6sp friction.

MidSouthBiker

I'm still waiting for the forecasted warmup. Got out anyway for a cool, slow 138 minutes around town.

biker128pedal

Nice 1 hour jaunt around Doncaster State Park. A warm 55 F.



https://biker128pedal.smugmug.com/Ot...tuff/i-ZhbbWT4

canklecat

33 miles Tuesday afternoon. Intended only a leisurely ride to loosen up the legs that were still stiff and sore after Sunday's hard ride. Met a young fellow who's riding cross country and rode with him about 10 miles or so to his RV meetup spot for the evening. Very enjoyable ride.

Gerry221

Got out and had a good 20 mile run...blighted by a puncture about 2 miles from home. Then rain came on. The wind picked up!


The Gods must hate me.....

Bob Ross

Early morning group ride with 4 other cyclists from the club. ~23 miles. 5 deer. 1 sunrise.

MidSouthBiker

Got in a 2.0 hour ride on a beautiful Spring day. I turned off on a road I've never been on, and discovered a whole new neighborhood. I only went down the main roads, but I have it penciled in for future exploration.

Today I noticed the center of my tires turning green while going through a particular neighborhood. I now see on the Weather Channel App that we are under a Very High tree pollen alert. I can only imagine what my lungs look like.

JanMM

Biked to work today and yesterday. Woo-hoo! Almost springlike, finally. Freezing in the am both days but up into the 40's Tuesday and low 60's this morning. 22 miles each day.

Ryan Olivas

Actually, not just today, I always ride Everyday for about 15miles away from home to work and vice versa.

OldTryGuy

Caught an early evening geezer's cat nap yesterday so having no need for hitting the sack I stayed awake and then decided to hit the road at 2:35AM. Temperature and humidity were dropping along with the winds increasing making for a refreshing ride of 30 miles before checking in for an extended breakfast break. Prepping the Roubaix for today's second segment right now.

MidSouthBiker

Fourth day in a row for a ride, and my legs could not handle that 24 mph southerly wind with even higher wind gusts. Because of that, and dealing with the lunch time traffic, I just stayed in some nearby neighborhoods for a slow roll for 100 minutes. Because of the nearly 80 F temperature, I worked up a good sweat anyway.

OldTryGuy

Got out again for segment 2 with sun shining and 12/15mph winds. Got in another 71 miles.

JanMM

Ten miles this evening after work. First 2018 ride in shorts!

canklecat

32 miles Thursday afternoon in mad spring weather. Sunny, warm and the windiest day yet -- steady 20+ mph straight outta the south all day, with gusts up to 40 mph.

Occasionally someone posts asking about riding in wind. I look forward to windy days now. For one thing we don't have enough long climbs so it's the next best way for me to build my climbing strength. Over the past couple of years I've gone from dead last on every Strava climbing segment to middle of the pack, sometimes upper third. I still suck at climbs but I'm getting... well... not better, but less sucky.

It also helps improve my balance. Due to an old neck injury and chronic sinus congestion my balance is often sketchy, so rather than work on balance in group rides I'll ride solo in heavy crosswinds to improve my ability to hold a line. Today I tackled a 1.25 mile steady 3% grade on a highway with only a very narrow shoulder -- not really a bike lane. Good incentive to stay focused and hold that line no matter how much the wind blew. I wasn't fast into that headwind blast but finished without redlining.

The flip side is the fast tailwind. Love the fast downhills especially. I can occasionally crack the Strava top ten on downhills with tailwind, not because I'm particularly strong but I'm probably more reckless than most sensible folks. Got a 2nd place today, just a wee bit behind a friend who holds the KOM. But I doubt I can make up that 16 second deficit over that 2 mile distance. I was already spun out and wobbling a bit too much. Peaked at 40 mph on a couple of downhills. Makes the climbs worthwhile.

SJM205

Took advantage of the nicest day so far. Almost missed a phone meeting while getting ready. Oops... Got in 13 miles. Slowly stretching out the distances as I rehab from cancer last year. 2, 5, 7, 11, 13. I guess my next ride is 17 if I want to keep it prime.

John_V 

Had a good 50 mile ride, yesterday, with two of my cycling buddies. It was in the 80s with moderately strong winds. One of the guys hasn’t ridden in over a month but he did the ride without a problem.

This morning I was set to do a 70 mile birthday ride with my buddy Frankie. He turns 70 this week. He told me he already did his birthday ride on Wednesday. So not to duplicate it, we did a nice 60 mile ride instead.

JanMM

Another bike to work day today for about 20 miles total. Warm enough for shorts on the ride. Windy today but not bad on the ride home and a bit of a tailwind on the ride in.

canklecat

22 miles Friday afternoon. Warm, windy but pleasant. Trying new derailleur on older bike. Seems to work better than the original.

Rollfast

I was out for over 3 1/2 hours on Rosa, my 60s cantilevered Rollfast, went from one end of town to the other and back. Wore me out good and had a 4 hour nap.