Chrome Molly

Despite a constant 20-25mph wind, did a 62 mile ride today. My usual haunts, but with my new ride. First pic is over Valley Creek, Second is Veterans' Memorial in Stillwater, Third is the obligatory snowman pic that I take with any of my new road bikes. Hopefully, the snowman's prime season is over with.

JJScaliger

46 miles today in Scituate and Foster RI. Sunny, mid 60s, a little windy. Rode about 10 miles on dirt roads. Put the 6 speed back on the Dawes. Is there anything more functional and elegant than a 6 speed 13-23 freewheel?



Westconnaug Reservoir



Old stone courseway leading to the reservoir. There wasn't a mill here to my knowledge. It might just be for drainage from the road. Or maybe from a small unrecorded sawmill.








rock formation

Roger M

Nice bike, Chrome Molly.

I got out and meandered around a couple of valleys this morning. They weather was pretty decent until the last 15 miles to home. I got pretty wet in short time.





I saw plenty of folks out on their bikes today

whatwolf

Me in the woods this morning:

Vefer

At the 8th annual Chicagoland C&V ride

The Golden Boy 

Oh really now...






OK then,

The Golden Boy 

Golly Gee,

That bike sure is swell.




Like gloriously swell...

jimmuller 

Since Sharon is off the tandem with a broken arm, I get to ride solo. With an early start I did 87.16 miles today, home in Waltham to Pepperell, and back of course. I took the Masi, which behaved itself except for one flat tire and moderate pump "issue". Strong headwinds most of the way out, and therefore tailwinds most of the way home. I tried to avoid most of the April 19, 1775 celebrations but I did snap this pic from a distance of the early stages of the muster of the Lexington militia. Sorry it's a cellphone pic; I forgot my camera. Yeah, I know, it's not much to look at.


Somewhere in the middle of nowhere I came upon this new housing development:


The pump issue is a new one on me. I like the Topeak (I think it is) Masterblaster. Silly name but it works and doesn't look too out of place an a C&V bike. So after replacing the tube in the rear tire I'm pumping it up and getting it pretty close to where I want it, when Bang! the pump jumps off the valve. Except that part of the head was still on the valve. Apparently the threads holding the rubber pieces in had come unscrewed enough that they let go. (I need to see if the threads are damaged.) When I put it back together I realized something was missing. Given the force of the pop when it let go I figure that part could be anyway in the county. I looked around but didn't see anything. For the rest of the ride home, still over 30 miles I was quite aware that though I had a patch kit to handle a second flat I had no function pump.

Just another adventure in C&V land. It was a great ride.

northbend 

Sorry to hear about Sharon. I hope she heals quickly Jim.

Washington State has wonderful geography. When the forecast calls for rain such as it was today, You can drive over the Cascade Mtns and ride in the semi arid climate of central Washington which is exactly what I did.


I started in Wenatchee by the Columbia River, Riding along the riverfront, I cross over and begin the climb up Badger Mountain.

It's steeper than it looks

Views from the top. westwards to the Cascades.



Descending back to Wenatchee, I ride west, following the Wenatchee River through Apple Orchards in bloom.


I am not sure… an Osprey perhaps?

My turn around point is on the other side of Cashmere at a cider mill run by an old classmate of mine. Time to head back

I stop at the Anjou Bakery in Monitor for Lunch. This sweet guy watched me eat every morsel.

It smells better than it looks

The ride was made even sweeter knowing that I missed this

Vonruden

Looks fun, where is that?

jimmuller 

Thanks for the concern. She's doing very well, no cast, just can't do certain things yet.

Washington State does indeed have spectacular geography. Nice pics! Of course you have to go up those mountains before you can go down.

Yes, with that white face and mustache that would be an osprey, a bird with only one variety and with worldwide range.

---
I had the strangest experience yesterday. Heading home after riding maybe 60 miles, riding on roads we ride all the time, I suddenly had no clue where I was. The route I had taken has lots of similar turns in seemingly random order out in isolated areas with woods or low housing density. I had recognized each one because I'd ridden it half a dozen times before and was paying attention. Plus I had it programmed into a GPS as a backup. But back in familiar territory I got so mesmerized by the road that I stopped thinking about where I was, until I suddenly wondered what the next intersection would look like when I got there. The immediate followup was the realization that I didn't know where I was. Until I spotted that yellow house. Ah! Of course....Then it happened again a few miles further on.

Road hypnosis on a bike. But I was very aware of the road surface and the surroundings. Just didn't know what road.

whatwolf

Cunningham Park in Queens

thinktubes 

Lookin' Good!!!!!!!!!!!!

Vonruden

Might have to check it out. thanks

JJScaliger

32 miles this morning. Sunny, low 50s. Cranston-Johnston-Scituate.

Peeptoad Pond in Scituate



Happy Easter everyone!

Vonruden

Had to get out and work off the Pork roll, egg, and cheese Easter breakfast.

Chrome Molly

42 miles before our afternoon dinner, riding between the Mississippi and St Croix. It was the first day nice enough to just wear the shorts and jersey without all the winter gear. By later in the day when we went to the zoo it was downright warm. After 6 months of cold it was all a bit shocking. The polar bear had the right idea.

WNG

+1 I hope Sharon heals quickly and be back with you stoking the tandem. You know we like pics of you Jim, but it's your better half's killer smile that makes them great. Haha!

No rides this weekend, it's been over 5 weeks and my left wrist is still bothersome. Thought I'd better not worsen it further like I did. I may have also broken something, and may bite the bullet and go see a doctor for an x-ray.

A belated ride report from my trip last week. In Austin for the 1st time after years of suggesting that I come down for a visiti by my old childhood friend. I had no excuses, so I packed a bike along for the road trip to TX. 1st half of my stay, I hooked up with fellow Austin forumites @Chuckk and Pogliaghi for a Friday morning ride in the northern suburbs. It was a rolling ride with a lot of wind that day. I started off badly with a flat! An odd rim strip anomaly was the cause, exposing the rim hole and cutting a new tube.
Once that was rectified, we 3 rode with a strong tail wind until Pogliaghi decided to skip the last big climb and head back to meet his wife. Chuckk and I went on to our 16-mile turn-around point, designated by an 1800s old chimney from a German settlement that was attacked by native Americans. The ride back was brutal as we battled a 25 mph headwind, gusting to 30mph. Throw in some climbs and it felt like molasses. I looked down to find my replacement tube is leaking slowly! I opted to pump up and continue back to the cars. We got passed by a couple of moms, one on a TT bike. I was served a 2nd slice of humble pie, and I was probably holding up Chuckk. :-P
My legs felt like Jello and I requested a rest stop to fill up with ice water. Here are a few of us and the bikes as I rested for the final leg.


C&V Forums' Chuckk. par WNG555, sur Flickr

The picture of the Frappe sure looked tempting at the moment.

Austin Ride par WNG555, sur Flickr

The bikes....Chuckk's fabulous Tesch built Specialized Allez and my Giant Smurf sporting Michelin City tires.

Austin C&V Meet Up par WNG555, sur Flickr

I was fortunate to have met in front of a big bike shop. They even had tubes on sale and I picked up 3. We headed back to Chuckk's place for some wrenching. I got to see his extensive collection of great bikes while there. A grueling 32 mile ride no thanks to the wind. When I drove back home, I found my front wheel had also punctured similarly! But a great time none the less, in spite of the 3 flats.

The weekend was more 2-wheeled fun, but of a different persuasion. The MotoGP was in town at the Circuit of the Americas.

Ducatistas, Texas-style par WNG555, sur Flickr

MotoGP Austin 2014-012 par WNG555, sur Flickr

MotoGP Austin 2014-055 par WNG555, sur Flickr

MotoGP Austin 2014-168 par WNG555, sur Flickr

MotoGP Austin 2014-205 par WNG555, sur Flickr

MotoGP Austin 2014-240 par WNG555, sur Flickr

The facility was very impressive and the track is world class.
One of the coolest items there was this mini replica of a 1958 Ferrari Dino Formula 1 racer, made by Motus Motorcycles. It's powered by their V4 motorcycle engine.

MotoGP Austin 2014-074 par WNG555, sur Flickr

northbend 

Easter ride with my wife. Fun time!

WNG

I had planned to do some more riding in Austin, but Monday brought torrential rain and bitter winds. The whole day was a wash out. Tuesday, we had the afternoon scheduled for another ride for the 3 of us. But the previous days weather brought temps down to 39F that morning, so it got canceled. I had planned to try some celebrated single track trails in northern Austin, but the rain and cold altered my plans for the morning. I hoped the temps would rise by afternoon, and they did. I set off into the city just to explore.

Fooling around with one of the bike share kiosks in the city....

Biking Austin-003 par WNG555, sur Flickr

There are some very nice biking and running trails at the Zilker Metro Park along the river. I eventually rode as far as I could along both banks of the river.

Biking Austin-011 par WNG555, sur Flickr


Biking Austin-012 par WNG555, sur Flickr

Biking Austin-024 par WNG555, sur Flickr

Biking Austin-028 par WNG555, sur Flickr

A very cool arch with a steel cactus sculpture on top, 5 huge stones with an ornate carving in the top stone.

Biking Austin-057 par WNG555, sur Flickr

A true C&V ride.

Biking Austin-059 par WNG555, sur Flickr


Biking Austin-045 par WNG555, sur Flickr

Biking Austin-055 par WNG555, sur Flickr

Biking Austin-009 par WNG555, sur Flickr

WNG

I headed into Downtown, and stumbled into the old district with some very well preserved C&V buildings.


Biking Austin-072 par WNG555, sur Flickr

Biking Austin-079 par WNG555, sur Flickr

Biking Austin-080 par WNG555, sur Flickr

Then I found the grandest C&V building in town, the Texas Capitol...

Biking Austin-101 par WNG555, sur Flickr

Biking Austin-113 par WNG555, sur Flickr

Biking Austin-108 par WNG555, sur Flickr

University of Texas Memorial Stadium...oddly I didn't find the (in)famous Clock Tower.

Biking Austin-136 par WNG555, sur Flickr

A ride isn't complete without visiting the trendy 6th Street. Murals, food trucks, clubs, bars, restaurants, cafes, and fixies and single speeds.


Biking Austin-123 par WNG555, sur Flickr

Biking Austin-117 par WNG555, sur Flickr

Biking Austin-119 par WNG555, sur Flickr

R3tired

nice day in toronto today. 40k along the waterfront. yahoo, spring is here. i like this bike.

WNG

Free electric charging station for your laptop, phone, e-bike....solar-powered.

Biking Austin-127 par WNG555, sur Flickr

Biking Austin-126 par WNG555, sur Flickr

It's Willie!

It's Willie par WNG555, sur Flickr

Back onto the south bank of the Colorado River to explore the length of its trails.

Biking Austin-147 par WNG555, sur Flickr

Biking Austin-154 par WNG555, sur Flickr

Biking Austin-151 par WNG555, sur Flickr

Biking Austin-163 par WNG555, sur Flickr

After 5 hours and 30 miles, I found my car and headed out of Downtown. The Blue Bonnets were blooming, so I decided to pull over and capture them, just like the locals. It's a hilly city, and it's Lance Armstrong's hometown. A lot of road bikers can be found at any given day. A very cycling friendly place.


Biking Austin-166 par WNG555, sur Flickr

Biking Austin-177 par WNG555, sur Flickr

jimmuller 

WNG, you're having too much fun!

Heck, you're all having too much fun!

Lamplight

Nice pictures WNG! Today I decided that I need more practice climbing, because apparently I'm a glutton for punishment. Just a couple of exhausting hours later, and I've concluded that yes, I definitely do need more climbing practice!