Almost-balmy late Fall day - about 50F when I rode to work and then took the afternoon off for a dentist visit so was able to ride home without rush hour traffic with the temp moving towards 60F.

Cold, grey, overcast morning. Cut the ride short to 15.4 miles (24.8k).

2016: 4,915m (7,909k) ♂ Total: 14,535m (23,392k)· Roubaix SL3 Ex 1,594m (2566k) / 4,127m (6,641k)


Bubble wrap was originally designed to be used as wallpaper.

30 miles Wednesday evening. 55 degrees when I left, 39 by the time I got home. My numb knees are telling me it's not cycling shorts weather anymore.

Tonight was the first time I have ever ridden a bicycle to look at Christmas lights. I rode my neighborhood loop, so 14 miles, in 34°F - near freezing conditions. The balaclava helped a lot, as did the snowmobile gloves.

My steed for this adventure was a new-to-me early `70s white Peugeot U08 that I've modified with Mavic alloy rims laced to Weyless hubs; a Suntour VX-S derailleur replaced the Simplex that was on there; V.O. cartridge BB replaced the cup-n-cone unit; and a sexy alloy crankset replaced the heavy cottered crank. Then I did my signature riser bars and Ergon GC1 Biokork grips conversion; thumb shifter for the 5 speed rear cog and deleted the front derailleur, cable, and lever. Oh, and V.O. hammered black fenders too.

No photos tonight, it was too dark, but if the weather stays mild I may get one this weekend. It felt kind of surreal pedaling around the neighborhood in the dark, and seeing those colorful displays on the houses. This would make a great group ride...

6 mile ride after work today. Much too dark too early. But at least no ice/snow and above freezing. Have a nice day! :lol:

This just sounds so right. :thumb:

No ride yesterday, cold, overcast, too nasty out. Cold and clear today (29°) but I did encounter a nasty headwind on the way home. 17.8 (28.6k) miles. Looks like I'll exceed my goal of 5,000 miles for the year.

2016: 4,932m (7,909k) ♂ Total: 14,553m (23,421k)· Roubaix SL3 Ex 1,612m (2594k) / 4,127m (6,641k)


The world consumes close to 2.25 billion cups of coffee every day.

Greybeard,

As I'm out of commission for a while, all I can do now is follow posts on this forum, and I've been following yours with interest. I know you had expressed some doubt about meeting your mileage goal earlier; hope you make it, winds be damned, and keep posting!

wthensler

21 miles Friday night. Cool with mild sprinkling rain. As Flo says, sprinkles are for winners.

Took three days off to rest the legs from all the crazy wind we've been having. Unfortunately, today's ride wasn't much better; just slower. 63 miles with my buddy Frankie in the wind tunnel; at least it felt that way.

Today I rode my first project bike of the season on what may be my last ride of the year, if the forecast holds. It was 31°F when we set off this morning, and the temperature climbed to a balmy 34° before the sun ducked back behind the clouds.

This was a development ride, as I've changed so much on this old Pug that I wasn't sure how it would all work together. Surprisingly well, is the answer. This is the same setup I used on my Ross; a very well-balanced, fairly upright riding position with ergonomic cork grips and the original ADGA leather saddle. Very smooth and comfy.

With my friend Ian tagging along on his Miyata One-Thousand, we rode about 8 miles down the Hastings leg of the MRRT when *TING!*, broken spoke. This is a wheelset I just bought off CL that has Mavic MA2 rims laced to vintage Weyless hubs. They were true when I put them on, but the spoke tension was all over the map.

The rear wheel immediately began wobbling, so we decided to turn around and head back. So we did 16 miles for the day, and got a couple of photos as well. (Ian was camera-shy today for some reason...)

Ian shot this one of me and the Pug by the river:

http://i1073.photobucket.com/albums/...psc0hjxith.png

...and I shot this one, call it "Pug-Under-Bridge":

http://i1073.photobucket.com/albums/...psjdmfaksu.png

DQR, nice pics, nice bike. Good to see an old "Pug" as you called it getting ridden. (I still ride mine every so often.) So for that spoke, I can offer what my sweetie calls spoke sympathy. I'd say everything worked out okay until it didn't. :)

Thanks, Jim. Lesson learned, however; I knew before installing that wheel I should loosen up all the spokes, put it in my truing stand, and do it up right. But with real winter weather closing in, I wanted to RIDE! I'll have plenty of time to true that up before Spring, and it was great to get out there today.

33 miles today on our club's Jolly St. Nick Ride. Felt wintry but was above freezing at 40F, gray skies, breezy. Hot chocolate at the SAG midway through the ride.

http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z...M/IMG_6465.jpg

Isn't that just the best? Hot cocoa or maybe even a mocha will perk you right up for the home stretch. Kinda tempts me to reconsider winter riding...

Thanx. It's nice to know I'm not just "typing in the wind" (so to speak).

Saturday was cold (low 30s) but the sun was out all day, but I wasn't. Dental appts., errands, but I did get some delicious home-made taco soup at a friends'.
Today 18.3 miles (29.5k), still low 30s, but overcast and ugly, as will be the next few days. I have only 49.3 miles to go to reach 5,000 for the year, I can do that before my 71st birthday on Saturday.

2016: 4,951m (7,967k) ♂ Total: 14,571m (23,450k)
Allez Sport 1,378m (2217k) / 3,810m (6131k) · Roubaix SL3 Ex 1,612m (2594k) / 4,127m (6641k)
Tarmac SL 898m (1445k) · Tarmac SW SL3 622m (1001k) · Trike 232m (373k) / 1815m (2921k)

I guess we're not getting rid of this ridiculous wind anytime soon. 44 miles with Steve and Frankie today. Couldn't get my RFLKT to pair with my phone after it locked up yesterday, when the battery died. Had to ask my buddies how fast we were going while I was pulling. Didn't pull for too long or go too fast since I didn't know what my heart rate was. :(

no riding this wkend...

temps in the high 40s, constant rain, windy. sorry, but with the ~350 ridable days we get, don't see any point in going out in that...

busted out the rollers yesterday and got 15 min into a workout when the drive belt broke...so no help there.

rain ends mid-day tomorrow...hopefully can get out then.

18 miles Sunday afternoon on the windy, hilly route. Penance for all my longer but easier rides on the MUP recently. A few interesting stops along the way.

Windy here as well, steady high teens with gusts over 25. But it was a warm south wind which kept it in the mid 70s. A lot of trees have yet to drop their leaves, so there was a good bit of fall color for these parts.

18.2 miles (29.3k) in sunshine thru a cloudy haze. At least there was some sun.

2016: 4,969m (7997k) ♂ Total: 14,590m (23,480k) · Tarmac SW SL3 640m (1030k)


A polar bear cannot be seen by an infrared camera, due to its transparent fur.

20 miles Monday morning. Chilly, sprinkly, but I was dry.

Tried to find a homeless guy I'd met Sunday evening to give him some clothes. Couldn't find him today. Good incentive to clear the closet of those clothes I'll (hopefully) never wear again, from when I weighed 200 lbs. Now that I'm back down to 160 I have a bunch of 36-38 waist slacks that don't fit, and some large and extra large shirts. Might as well find a home for 'em at one of the donation centers downtown.

Seven cool but dry and above freezing miles this evening after work - almost dark when I finished. (Yes, I was lit up.)

200lbs?! The closest I got to that was this past summer at 208. When I couldn't ride for two weeks I climbed back up to 214, still there. It took me all year to break the 218 barrier. Kudos to you for finding a good home for those clothes, Mr. Slim.

Cut the ride short to 15.6 miles. That cold (38°) north headwind did me in.

2016: 4,987m (8026k) ♂ Total: 14,608m (23,509k) · Allez Sport 1393m (2242k) / 3825m (6156k)

Funny thing, that weight sneaked up on me without anyone really noticing. I never weigh myself because I never gained much weight until after injuries from a car wreck slowed me down around age 45. My weight distribution is so even it just looks like I got bigger overall.

I didn't even notice until I saw a photo of myself in swim trunks and realized I'd gained a little weight, but I figured I weighed maybe 180. It wasn't until I was weighed at the doctor's office and hit 205 lbs that it hit me.

Back then I just changed my diet to eliminate sodas and most sugary snacks. I like to cook and bake so I bought the ingredients to make my own cookies and muffins, but stopped buying the ready made stuff. So the weight came off gradually and I got down to around 180 lbs, where I stayed for about 10 years.

But resuming cycling in August 2015 started carving away the rest, although I still have a beer pudge. My weight dropped to 155 by this fall, which wasn't good. A lingering infection from a broken molar spread to my sinuses and I just felt puny overall. But after a round of antibiotics I'm back to 160 and feeling stronger.