srsly

i took yesterday and today off because i didn't feel like going to work this week. so today i decided to go on a long ride. my longest ride up to this point was 28mi with some rollers, nothing huge. today i embarked on a 43 mile ride with a couple of really nasty hills (for me anyway).

here's the route i took (more or less)
https://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united...ttle/565437194
i deviated a little bit around the south end of the route around mile 23 and again around mile 28.

i gotta say, i'm pretty pooped, and pretty damned proud of myself. i'm glad to have found a sport that makes me feel this good. i learned a couple things on the ride:

1. eat better before you start. i packed snacks so it didn't do me in, but dang was i hungry when i got back.
2. triples have a place.
3. not everyone in a car is blind or an *******. at an intersection i was going to go straight across and a lady in a car was going to go left, away from me. she actually was waiting for me to go, but i waved her on because i was getting something in my bag. she stopped and rolled down her window and said "i try to look out for bikes, have a good day." i thanked her and wished her a good day too.

when i got home i asked a friend who's been riding a while how people do this. he said, "practice." so i'm hoping to get some more rides longer than 25mi under my belt in the future.

i took a bunch of pictures too, they're all here i won't bore you with all of them but here are a couple of my favorites.


this one isn't very interesting, but i wanted to remember what this fresh asphalt looked like and how good it felt after it's all tore up

i love that we can ride by the water here


i did not have a single close call, or anyone be an ******* to me, and likewise i tried to be as courteous as i could. had there been more traffic that might have been a different story. so be safe, and i hope you all had a good day too.

sjumper

Not a cloud in the sky... in Seattle. That is a rare sight.

A question for you. Are you familiar with Issaquah area? Are there roads that you can ride up Tiger Mountain?

bbattle

Congrats on the ride!

Yep, keep at it and 43 miles will be your new 'easy' ride.

Be sure and start drinking water a couple of hours before the ride when it's hot. Keep on drinking while you ride. Make sure if you're doing rides this long that you have some electrolytes. Either Gatorade or V-8 or something like that.

Way to go!

srsly

ha, thanks for the encouragement.

sjumper - heh yeah, i was kinda weirded out when the sky was clear this morning. unfortunately i am not too familiar with issaquah, but i know some guys that do go out there often, but i've never heard anything specific about tiger mountain other than it's awesome for hiking.

bbattle - water before, that's probably smart. i just woke up, got breakfast and left with a full bottle. there were plenty of places to fill up though so it wasn't too bad.

sjumper

I was checking out Issaquah area a few years back for a place to live (was contemplating relocation). I recall a decent sized hill with some steep roads in the area. Also, there's a road around Lake Sammamish. It seemed like it could be a good area to ride.

ryanspeer

There are clouds - LOTS of clouds! You don't want to come here! You won't like it!

. . . that, and it'll drive up our real estate prices . . .

Seriously, Seattle gets a really bad rap. This is a great place to live/ride.

ryanspeer

I'm not terribly familiar with the Issaquah area specifically myself either, but do know that you're at the foothills of the Cascade Mtn's and there are TONS of hills to tackle. I don't recall any specific route around Lake Sammamish, but it's generally a bike friendly area. There's A LOT of money in that neck of the woods, and so that also translates into great bike shops with high-zoot bikes and gear in stock.

mactin

Man, riding by the Hostess factory on Dexter every day makes for some delicious smells, no? The fresh pavement sure is nice!

zippyh

https://www.bicycleclimbs.com/ClimbLists.aspx
Pick Seattle as your region.
There are a bunch of Tiger Mtn routes listed.

The route around Lake Sammamish is okay. Just avoid West Lk Sammamish Parkway (Bellevue side) in the northbound direction since there's no shoulder to speak of for much of it. Southbound is okay though.

Also, on East Lk Sammamish Parkway near Issaquah, there's a short part with no shoulder and lots of traffic. There's a sidewalk and an unpaved bike trail though.

stringbreaker

Take a ride to the south and get a good look at the MOUNTAIN. Is beautiful in the morning

twobikes

Three and a half decades ago I used to jump on my bike and ride fifty miles without giving it much thought. I started riding again a year ago. Now forty miles leaves me tuckered out. But, I have gotten to where twenty-five miles feels pretty good. I can see that in another year fifty miles should be no big deal again.

asherlighn

I'm pretty new to the sport too and I think that exact thought very often.

Gerrylightning

Keep on going, 50 mi is just around the corner give it time and it will happen.

Riprorin

I've been doing 30 - 40 mile rides on a Mongoose Switchback comfort bike that weighs about 38 lbs.

I need to get a road bike before I kill myself.