Machka 

First weekend of November!! Are you still cycling outside or has your world been covered by a blanket of snow? Tell us about your cycling this weekend ... or other exercise/sports.



[HR][/HR]

First of all, we rode outside twice this week, after work. Gotta love DST!

Friday -- walk to the beach and back.

Saturday -- we'll see!

Machka 

Saturday -- 20.65 km up the cycleway and back ... quick, chilly, windy ride with a bit of rain. We didn't stop to take photos this time.

Machka 

I also went for a decent walk at lunch on Friday too ...

woodcraft

80 miles. Possible rain didn't happen, & turned out nice but a bit windy.

I was happy to tuck in behind the guy with the clip-on aero bars & the big engine for the headwind portion.

The return leg was a breeze.

Jakedatc

Planned on a club ride sunday but the weather went to hell in a hand basket. 25-30F with winds in the 20-40range is not a good time.

alternate was today but it looked like this all day. might do something on the trainer sunday then get on my day off tuesday for something good.

alexaschwanden

Saturday: relaxing
sunday: 20-30 miles solo.

Heathpack 

55 miles, 4500 ft today in Moorpark & Simi Valley, CA, in intermittent rain and a bit of wind. It was kind of nice to not be hot on a daylight ride for once. Three climbs, including Balcom Canyon the last part of which is about a mile at an ave 10% grade including a very short segment at 20ish%. We also rode up to the Reagan Presidential Library. This was a club picnic ride and there is a little more to the story. But it was a nice ride. 85 miles on deck for tomorrow, from Malibu heading north on the Pacific Coast Highway.

Balcom Canyon, you can see the little green irrigated bit to the right in the pic, that's where we came from:




Reagan Presidential Library:

Machka 

Sunday -- 100.9 km!! An Audax Tasmania event called the Ranelagh Ramble.

Over the last two days this area has had some interesting weather ... wave after wave after wave of storm squalls including rain, wind, and the occasional bit of hail. In between these storm squalls, the sun comes out, the sky is blue, the wind dies down and it's a lovely day ... but 15 minutes later we're in the throes of another storm squall.

It has also been quite chilly. Yesterday's high got to about 15C ... the overnight low was about 3C ... and today, while we were on the road it topped out at about 10C. And there was a lot of snow on the mountains and hill tops around ... quite low, but fortunately not so low we had to cycle through it.

So those were the conditions we spent the day cycling through.

In fact, when we were setting up the bicycles and gear, it was bucketing down and freezing cold, and we had some misgivings about starting the event. The idea of 100 km in those conditions was not particularly appealing. But it cleared shortly after and we started the ride under blue sky and sun. However, I lost count of the number of times storm squalls came over!

A group of about 13 or 14 of us met at the start ... I was a bit surprised to see so many out. We met and re-met a few, and chatted a bit before the event started.

Soon after the event started, we found ourselves at the back of the pack. No surprise there. I was having a little trouble settling in during the first 20 km or so. I suspect I need a bit more of a warm-up and must remember to use my inhaler before the ride starts. But about 20 km in, I felt ready to ride with a bit more energy.

We rode a variation of this route a couple weeks ago so it wasn't entirely unfamiliar. That helped with the climbing. I knew when the bigger hills were, and could plan for them.

Overall, the whole ride seemed to pass quite quickly ... probably helped that we took no long breaks and I was riding near my upper limits.

And at the end, we rolled into the finish with seconds to spare.

100.9 km ... and 1440 metres of climbing.


I have to say that our rain gear was good ... we were actually quite comfortable through all the storm squalls. I bought new rain pants a couple years ago from MEC and have worn them several times, but never for so long and never in so much rain. I was impressed!!


And about the photos ... I didn't have time to stop and take photos this time ... but imagine this scenery with a storm squall approaching ...

znomit

Local fun ride today. 115km. Very windy. With no significant bike time for a month it was not particularly enjoyable.

OldTryGuy

Along with 3,000 others, did a 112 mile TT yesterday with winds 25/30mph and gusts 35+ prior to a marathon. 2.4 mile swim was cancelled due to high winds and rip currents.

Relaxing big time today.

kbarch

Big weekend in sports, folks. Yesterday, in the rain, it was Perry-Roubaix. Today, in the wind, it was the New York City Marathon. Well, the New York Cycle Club's casual group ride along the route from a starting point just on the Brooklyn side of the Verrazano bridge anyhow (starting on the Staten Island side isn't feasible).

About thirty souls showed up at the Dunkin Donuts to brave the wind and cold. No surprise, there was a sizeable contingent of cops there, too, in preparation for the day's special detail. And then there was one neighborhood customer, who took the occasion to ask each group: Smi-el! I'm puttin' this on twittah!

But about that wind: man, I have never been blown around so much! However, after an hour or so, I kinda got used to it, and fortunately, on the ride home from the finish it was a tailwind almost the whole way.

I think we were a little too early this year, though. Although most of the streets in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx were mostly clear, if not closed to traffic, it seems last year they were further along setting things up by the time we rode by. I may have heard just one band warming up this time. Also, although we couldn't get back in the park at Columbus Circle this time, things seemed quieter around there.

Where is everybody? (Note time and temp in upper right - maybe that had something to do with it.)

Kind of anticlimactic, but the ride was definitely fun - an adventure if nothing else.

Machka 

Sounds like a windy weekend out there.

Choogis

My sister came over with her kids to visit for the weekend so i only got out today. Winds were kinda rough so i only did ~16 miles through some hills and a state park. Didn't snap any pictures, but take it from me, upstate New York is frickin beautiful. And cold.

Carbonfiberboy 

Excellent ride today. Went to the start of the usual Sunday group ride, pulled out the tandem, got the wheels on, etc., gave the rear a spin and heard "thump, thump, thump." Sure enough, the last ride was the last one for that wheel. Brake track was worn through and cracked in one spot. Must have bent out when I pumped up the tires. Perfect ending for a well-used rim. We had a spare rear at home, so we talked another team into coming home with us, transferred the cassette and tire, and went for a lovely 2 tandem ride from our home. The WRF-GFS simulation had it being cloudy until 2pm when it was supposed to start raining. Sure enough, at 1:56 we were almost back and felt the first drops, but we stayed dry. Another Perfect Ride™, 35 miles of dry roads in November and 3 PRs while trying to ride moderate. Our Fall program of moderate riding and gym work seems to be working.

Now I get to re-rim that wheel. Pretty easy - I reuse the spokes and most of the nipples.

Heathpack 

Rode an 83 mile training ride today on part of the course for my upcoming double century. Rode the Pacific Coast Highway from Pepperdine Univerity in Malibu up to Port Hueneme, then inland through Oxnard/Camarillo farm country, then back down to the PCH & eventually the start. We covered the first 45 and the last 25 miles of the route. Nice day, strong ride for me, had a great day out there.

Next weekend we're doing a 100ish mile training ride, which will cover more of the course.

I had a swell week of riding, got in 240 miles.

floridamtb

Chilly weekend for riding in South Florida, actually had to break out my seldom used wind vest and ear band but it was for a great cause. The 2014 South Broward Wheelers Adopt A Bike Ride raises money to provide bikes and helmets to over 200 kids this year (over 3000 since 2002).

bikecrate

As other FL people have mentioned already it was windy and unusually cold for this time of year. Saturday I wimped out a little and missed my bike ride. Sunday I waited until later in day when it was nice out for a 35 mile ride.

nuke_diver

We got rain Friday and Saturday (yeah!!!!) not a lot but some is better than none. Sunday was cool, a little breezy but crystal clear so it was a beautiful day to go riding. So I did.

AScoda

Hit Alafia river state park for 20m/32k of mountain biking. Alafia is a former phosphate mine with dug out holes and huge piles of earth, making for some nice off road trails. Was about 50f/10c degrees in the morning and warmed up some as the sun came out. Loved it, nice change from the energy sapping heat and humidity. I felt like I could ride all day.

Machka 

Despite the wind that affected so many of us ... it sounds like it was a good weekend of cycling.

dstrong 

I've been nursing a "saddle to bum interface issue" for the past month and rode Sunday for only the second time in 6 weeks. Things felt pretty good during and after the 28 mile ride. It was great to ride with my group again and the weather was great with temps in the mid-60's.

Jakedatc

Finally got out today.. 45mi with a few big hills in the way. 60s most of the way