I only rode 10km this morning, but the temperature was already over 80F at 8AM, and I don't take long rides in the Texas sun. It was a nice ride from a park in an adjacent town to another park on the outskirts, not much shade, though.

I'm eagerly awaiting the first cold spell so I can start going longer distances.

this post is late, as I'm talking about Sunday's ride on Monday....

65 mile club ride down to Belle Plaine and back. Same ride as a few weeks ago, but whereas last time one other guy and I ended up way out ahead and therefore had to share the pulling on the long hilly slog back, this time there were half a dozen of us sharing the work. The net result was a much faster ride (19.5 MPH avg.). Had a flat about 5 miles before the end and got left behind, but I was actually kind of grateful, because my legs were cooked. And either we were WAY out ahead or I'm getting faster at changing flats, as the second group didn't catch up while I made my repairs. 55 miles Saturday, 65 miles Sunday, and I end up with fatigue. Still looking forward to the time when I can crank out hard rides on sequential days.

Great ride today.

We have about 4 miles of dirt trails at the end of one of our cement trails which I have never explored. So, today I rode the mtn bike 7.5 miles to the start of the dirt trails, and rode them. They are quite circuitous, have open meadows and flowers, have a decent number of small "hills," and provided a nice challenge and change from my regular riding.

About 20 miles total. Then a nice swim.

I had a new chain put on the bike this morning and I did an eight mile ride to check it. This was after a 40 minute swim (at a good pace!) in the community sports center pool. I plan to ride to work tonight (20 miles each way).

44.1 miles on the Montour Trail, a limestone rail trail. Started at the beginning of the trail at the Ohio River and rode out 22 miles and back. Pretty bad head wind going out made it a slow ride 9.5 mph average and 04:38:19 (of course I'm slow anyway), but it was a nice day and a nice ride. The only bad part was the only ice cream store you can see from the trail was closed Monday so no pie or ice cream. Best I could do was cake when I got home.

Nice after work 30 miler on my usual trail.

"Did you ride today?"

...technically, Yes. Not far at all, but I made up for it with heavy breathing. Along the highway after work, not too hot (92F) but nice 'n' juicy. :-) Only 6.67 miles (and yes, at the point I'll take every hundreth). :o

What I find ... interesting ... is how much effect even a slight hill has on my already-minimal endurance. According to the Android app I use, I gained only about 200 feet in 6 miles. However, I was more tired after those 6 miles than after 20 miles on truly flat ground (the fact that I could do 20 miles on flat ground is evidence to that fact).

I can understand that. 52 here and I can't say that it's a long way back, since I never was "there" in the first place. :twitchy:

I did my first half century Saturday, solo,( http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/62707474 ) and tonight I rode with the Seyboro Cyclists here in Goldsboro, NC. It was supposed to be an intermediate ride, I fell out about 4.5 miles from the end, but came in only about 13 minutes behind them, even with that here's the ride data for it.( http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/63147292 ) Ended up doing 29.22 miles in 1:35 with an average pace of 18.3,, they said it was a "Hard intermediate" ride! LOL,, I think so too.
Great bunch of members there, 4 of them came back to get me after they "Sprinted" the last 4 miles. I was only "alone" for maybe 10 minutes I guess.

At least you didn't make a long detour for ice cream. Bet those last few miles home were l-o-o-o-ong:eek:

Last night's ride was on the borrowed 29er again. My buddy Michele & I went to a trail system in the next town over. There is a nice sized rocky climb that those 29" wheels just ate up, and, on the babyhead stuff, they just roll right over it. This is going to be evidence of my German/Scot calvinistic upbringing, but, those big wheels make it too easy! Ah well, the bike is going back today, and I'll be back on my regular bike, bouncing all over the place, doing penance for taking joy from the easy riding.

I think true Calvinists ride on 10" wheels.

W/o tires, just on the rims.

Hard core Calvinists, indeed. :)

11 miles to the river and back, plus five sprints up and down the hill.

12.4 miles @ 20.8 ave this morning before work.

Yesterday - rode to work (as promised): 25.99 miles at 15.4 MPH (I'm just not fast).
Today - rode home from work (had to get home!): 28.61 miles at 14.5 MPH (I did a little add-on).

And then there are those pentacostal Calvinists, with their 5-sided wheels....

Returned home today from two days at Clifty Falls State Park, near Madison, IN. Nice view of the Ohio from our park inn room. Rode the tandem around the park on Sunday and then Monday cycled to Hanover College, a nearby college with a beautiful campus and wonderful views of the Ohio River down below.

http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z...M/IMG_2871.jpg

Then rode back to the park and on to the nearby Madison State (psychiatric) Hospital and Madison Correctional Facility (located in old hospital buildings). The public is encouraged to ride, walk, run on the scenic drive around the century-old grounds, again overlooking the Ohio. Fences were put up around the jail in recent years to prevent folks from wandering inside by mistake. Very nice 28 mile ride altogether.

The drive down to Madison at river level (and back up again) seemed beyond our biking ability - quite steep - we kept the tandem on high ground.

We took the tandem out for 47 miles. Yesterday was our 30th wedding anniversary and we rode Sat. & Sun., took off yesterday so we could carouse and debauch, and rode today. We didn't hammer but had some fast stretches, averaged <17 mph and enjoyed the hell out of it.

37 miles on my regular Tuesday night hill climbing ride. THere was an unusually big group of really fast riders- almost all the fastest guys in the club, and I was feeling great. Usually I get dropped on the 3rd hill, but I stayed with the front of the pack through the first 4 hills without feeling that I out of my depth. This is pretty much unprecedented. I was elated. Then, just at the beginning of a nice descent, my chain jumped past my smallest cog and got jammed - RATS. I've been having some trouble with my RD adjustments, and clearly they are not solved. Of course, by the time I fixed the problem, they were gone gone gone. Soldiered on, climbing the next two hills with good effort, but not with the intensity and adrenaline that I would have had in the fast pack, and eventually caught up to some buddies who had dropped off the back of the group. This was nice - I was happy not to have to do the last two hills alone. After the last hill there's a fast 5 mile stretch of flat/mild descent and we shared pulls. Good fun.

Probably I would have been dropped from the fast group at the 5th or 6th hill (or definitely the 7th - it's the toughest one), but I'm disappointed that I didn't get a chance to try to keep up all the way through.

I must lead a REALLY boring life compared to some folks on this forum!!

12.4 miles @ 19.9 ave, this morning before work.

I finished the week with 210 miles. Longest ride was 101, shortest was 40.5. Trying to make the most of the fantastic Oregon summer climate.

You caroused and debauched? Dang. I haven't caroused and debauched in weeks now. Well, maybe a little last Friday, but I ended up back at my place with another sailor who was not a girl and all we did was drink all my beer and discuss whether to bring his 42 foot classic sloop to Arkansas or leave it in the Keys (uh, jee, what would YOU do?), so that doesn't really count. I think it has to involve strange women to count as carousing and debauching.

Got out early this morning for a 12 mile climb of 2900', 25 miles and 3100' total in 2:13 ride time. Stayed mostly in zone 2 today.