Just dropping in again. I hope to be able to stay a while before I get side-tracked again.
From November until just a few weeks ago I have been totally consumed by searching for a house, buying a house and finally moving in. We waited until the market made a downturn and decided to buy in March of this year.
We are now living in Chesapeake Beach. I rode through here many times during my TNT training rides and loved the atmosphere. I have finally got back out on the bike a bit lately and am trying to get to know the area roads a little bit better on bike versus car.
I also got a ton of lard to dump, so I got to really get on the stick.

Any of you from the Chesapeake Beach area?

Take Care

Hey, Don!

Did you get hammered by the storm yesterday? I heard Chesapeake Beach mentioned on one of the broadcasts.

Look directly east across the water and you'll probably see me riding between St. Michaels and Tilghman Island. Does that count? :)

Slammed we did! I had a huge oak come down in my back yard taking out about 25' of redwood privacy fencing. It will take a while to get somone to come in and cut up that tree and fix the fence. Neighbor had two of them big trees resting on his roof. He said it crushed the roof truces and punched a couple of them through his drywall in one of the bedrooms.

Trader's Restaraunt is pretty bad off with most of its roof blown off. There is debris everywhere too, and no power expected until late tonight or tomorow.

Oh Well!! At least we are not injured and no great losses.

Glad to hear you & yours came off relatively unscathed.

I just wanted to note that Tour dem Parks - in memory of Bob Moore, is this Sunday 6/8. Please come if you can.

More info: http://www.baltimorespokes.org/artic...80211142818994

Thanks Noracer.

We ok - Here's what I came home to yesterday

http://http://www.pbase.com/biggrizzly/june08storm

See you there, Barry.

Noracer, trying to ride tommorow AM or anyone else for that matter, I'll looking to get an early start again?

Any rides going on in the Montgomery County area tomorrow?

Wanna go to Rock State Park?

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path...-Park-Out-Back

Here's one down my way a bit.

http://ohbike.org/events/rural_legacy_eflyer.html

Saturday 6/7
 

I'm probably going to try and get out early. Sounds like some BBC team people are riding out of OR at around 8am. Maybe I'll catch up with them.

how early can you start? might as well try for 100 miles

I can go as early as 530am

That is an awesome ride. I was planning on it, but family "stuff" came up :(

If you're serious, I can meet you at the P&R by 6am.

Are you sure you can be gone for about 7 hours?

I'll be there @ 6am, I got til at least 11am, 5 hours, I'll call the wife midride and see if I can stay out longer., we'll see what happens.

Phew! Just rode the Oregon Ridge trail for the first time. I did the 31 mile "Hammerfest" route (I think) with my girlfriend. I took it easy, but the heat was killer -- 101 degrees by the time we got back.

I can't wait to do this run at speed on a Wednesday night. It seems like it'd be a fast one.

NoRacer, Josh,

Are you guys okay?
Today was one of the very few saturdays I was glad to be at work in the AC.

Waited till about 6pm and it was actually nice until a freak lighting storm came up on me. It was way to hot to ride anytime before 4pm today or at least that I felt. Just sitting at the pool I was going threw water at a good pace to stay hydrated. I could not even think how much I would have gone threw on a 2+ hour ride.

I did this yesterday. I can see why people like it. Fairly flat (~3500 ft). There were
lots of trees down and some of the roads were chewed up (I saw people walking through
some of the rougher spots).

Rest stops (we needed 'em all) were at odd mileages (10,32,42) to highlight the historic
sites. Could have used a place to get water during the last 20 miles when it was at its
hottest.

My computer has a thermometer ... 102 at around 11am ... a cool 97 in the shade.

Riding in the heat yesterday was like hitting yourself in the knee with a hammer. When you
stopped, it actually felt pretty good.

Ummm...no. :notamused:

Josh may have faired better than me even though he had to stop after this (5 miles into the ride):

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...0607080627.jpg

I, on the other hand, did 75 miles and [re]dessicated myself in the process, even after trying to drink as much as possible and taking electrolyte pills. By the time I got home, it was in the mid-90s F. I started having leg cramping problems [again] and was able to stall any "full-on" cramping by slowing way down, especially on climbs.

Reaching my front yard, I tried to get off of the bike and both legs cramped at the same time--full-on cramps, unadulterated pain. I yelled as I fell off the bike. It was about 15 seconds before they stopped enough for me to crawl over to the water hose at the side of my house. I drenched them in cold water--mistake! The cramps came back, as painfull as the first time.

After they subsided, I decided to use the water to cool my head and upper torso--mistake #2. Apparently, I was cooling myself too fast. I began to get tunnel vision, light headedness, and feel nauseous.

I've experienced this before, the first time during a hard century ride with the BBC [Flatlands Century 2 years ago] and the other time was just before the CAT 1 climb up Reed's Gap during the Blue Ridge Extreme Challenge century.

I discovered that whenever this occurs, I need to get my feet up higher than my head, so that's what I did, at least as much as the cramping would let me. A couple more minutes go by and I'm finally able to stand up, but I'm baking in the sun and I feel a great need to get into the house. The muscles in my legs are still in spasm and I'm hunched over, because they are so tight that I can't straighten up.

I carry my bike painfully up the steps of the front porch, open the door, place the bike in the trainer in my living room. YEOWWWWW! Full-on cramps again. I'm writhing in agony on the floor trying to get them to stop, but they wouldn't. Nearly in tears, they finally subside, again.

I started feeling nauseous, again, so I put my feet up on to a living room chair. I tried to talk my nerves into calming down, moving my legs whenever I felt a tightening of a muscle. This worked sometimes and sometime not.

It took over an hour before I could get off of the floor. My bike shoes, socks, helmet and sunglasses where still outside by the water hose. I knew that I would have to go get them. I summoned the courage. Thankfully, the legs cooperated.

Another thirty minutes goes by. The pulsing spasms in my legs have hit a low, but the muscles are so sore from being as tight as they were that it hurts to walk. I wanted to take a nap, but I was afraid that I'd be surprised in the middle of slumber with another set of cramps. Finally, sleep came with no issue. It was about 2:30pm.

I woke up and checked the clock. It was about 5pm. I felt dehydrated, so I started drinking plain water. It wasn't until 8pm before I could stomach any food.

So, Barry, if you are reading this, this is why I was a no-show for the Tour Dem Parks ride, today. Apologies.

Here's a couple pix from Rock State Park (nearly 40 miles into the ride):

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...0607080831.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...607080831a.jpg

Yeah, as noracer said, I did not fair very well, I slowed for a red so I would n't have to unclip, so the light turns green, I stand up and start to get on it, sure enough the left handlebar breaks clear off, my arm dips down with it, I'm wobbling like crazy screaming to him 60 feet ahead "wait", I was so off balance I couldn't unclip, I went down pretty hard hit both knees and hip. Noracer was nicer than the wife, he asked if I was ok, the wife who I called shortly after the crash was laughing.

I saw this as a sign from the bike gods that I need a new GT GTR all carbon 17.4lbs ($2000), The wife saw it as a sign I need new hanlebars. If it didn't break then it could have broken going 20-25mph on the way home from work on busy eastern ave. That would have been great!

Anyway as soon as bike doctor, joes and performance opened. I called all 3, only bike doctor linthicum stocked new bontrager 26mm bars. I was there by 1040, I expected to drop off bike, say let me get new bars and leave. the tall bald guy (sorry I forgot your name if you read this), asked me whay size bars, I had no clue he then whipped out a tape measure measured my shoulders got a 46cm bar (4cm more than my old one), said the wider bar will feel better, he then took the time to place the bar when I should have it and the brake handles where they should be for me. which btw are much more accessible in the attack postion now.
Bike Doctor is awesome.

Bar, labor and new tape $85, be done late today, however I will be taking the old commuter to work tommorow, I'll get the bike on Monday.

I did see a nice cannondale and a trek 1.5 while in there, The wife likes the black trek.

Anyway no riding saturday or sunday due to the crash, both knees bruised nice, right knee looks like the crank dug into it (not sure how) right hip bruised, right elbow light road rash.

Anyway next weekend I'll be hoping to go that 90 miles or so again.

Side note,I swung by Avalon Cycles (not a big selection, did have a specilized tarmac ,seems more BMX oriented), but they have the planet bike blinkie in stock for $20.

That is a bummer your legs craped up like that. Honestly I have never heard anything as bad as that, and I have seen my fair share of people cramp up. I personally have never cramped up but have had some other issues such as tunnel vision along with others related to hot weather and low water. I only ride before 11 or after 5 on hot days just to be some what safe. At least you got have a decent ride in.

Argh! NoRacer, Josh, my sympathies to you both.

NoRacer, do you have any clues as to why your body is treating you like this? Any sports docs you can go to? I, too have had a few nasty cramps, but your account sounds like a horror story. Sheesh.

I've been mulling over the idea of a night century or metric century.
Might be a cooler way to get in a 100 miles.

-GB