tzarbomba

ooh I might be able to make it to this as well.

How big was the group for the past rides?

aaronechang

Sounds good - I will see you guys there on Sat.

Tex_Arcana

Okay. I did some training yesterday and rode this loop: https://www.livestrong.com/loops/houston_terry_hershey_park___briar_forest_from_sharpstown-7K0LTMMSPI/

Had a good breakfast. Rode the heck out of some rolling trails cause it was fun, probably got a bit over heated it was just after 11 when I stopped for a rest at the restroom area. Going back home along Briar Forest was a bit more laid back (inly thing that was fubared was the trail was closed between the spillway and Briar Forest so they could do some patching on the trail. I had to climb up to the top of the levee and ride in the rocks).

Toward getting home I started getting that "bonked" feeling. When I got home I checked my blood sugar which was 154. A little higher then it should be, but a good indication that what my problem is ....hydration and heat. So, I'll be making sure to drink plenty of water until Saturday and bring plenty with me. I'll ride with the slower group and see if I do better with more water and less heat while taking it easier.

I'm going to make that 51 mile birthday ride happen, and it will happen in a safe, fun way.

yeamac 

The two times I rode once we had 4, another time 3 riders. This looks to be a new record!

If I have this correct, the following are coming:

kwrides
aggarcia
Tex_Arcana
Rex G
aaronechang
yeamac + daughter
yeamac riding buddy

possible:
tzarbomba
Sushi Boy

Any others?

kwrides

I might be bringing one more too

Tex_Arcana

Whoa, this is starting to look like maybe a regular club or something. Ten or eleven ( I think Rex did say his wife may come too, and it would be cool to meet her ) people, a fast group and a slower group. This will be fun.

yeamac 

The more the merrier

all we need is a jersey design an an annual fee

Oh yeah, and we need to publish an average speed lower than what we will really do and that no one gets dropped but then go out for a hammerfest and leave the first timers in the dust


^^^ guess yeamac has some experience with this

Rex G

Y'all can drop me; I will not be offended. I have no idea what my average speed might be, and I don't think I will be up for the whole distance, either. I mostly just want to meet and greet at the start, and then see how long I can keep up.

I will be self-sufficient with spare tubes and a pump; I will be able to get home.

yeamac 

For those that don't know, that was a jab at my experience with a Houston club and then another BF member posted about a similar experience with another club, finding faster than posted speeds and getting dropped when the website said no one gets dropped. We're not looking to drop anybody and have nothing to prove. No need to fear -- this isn't a club ride!

aggarcia

What this ride will not be a drop fest? Here on BF unless you drop someone your not really riding a bike properly.

This should a good ride. My problem is getting up that early on a Saturday.

See you all tomorrow.

tzarbomba

I'll need to turn around a bit early so I can go post on the Road Forums about dropping yall.

kwrides

You can start one of the always popular, "I won a race that wasn't a race" threads

Sushi Boy

I'm hitting the Continental Club tonight, so I won't be on my Continental tires in the morning...

Y'all have fun! Looks like a good route.

Tex_Arcana

I'll post in ss/fixed gear how I dropped a bunch of roadies while in the slow group.

aggarcia

Just use a smartphone and report while the ride is going on to BF that you have dropped the group. Nothing like real time reporting of a "drop in progress" occurring. This will be the next in thing to do on BF along with a CAAD9 and 4000S Chili Pepper Tires.

AG

kwrides

Sheesh! Makin fun of my CAAD9! OK, that does it!!! I'm leaving the camelback and the mirror home and I'm going to ride the Orca and drop you!

Tex_Arcana

The cool thing about me dropping y'all is .....my bike is named after beer!

So what if the SE Draft is the lowest end of the SE ss/fixed gear line (all named for beer with names like Lager, Premium Brew, and Stout). I think these bikes were designed with pub crawling in mind.

Oh, if there are any left for tomorrow, I'm trying out a new recipe for oatmeal, banana, cranberry cookies.

Wifey sez,
They are delicious too. Get the recipe from him. You'll love them.

yeamac 

Cool thing about me dropping you all is with my daughter on the tandem, you can officially say you were dropped by a 9 year old!

Tex_Arcana

Let's see...If I'm the first one up then.... everyones been dropped already.

Naw, probably the nine year old's up with that Christmas-like anticipation of riding with her dad for a few hot sweaty hours to go to a gas station in the middle of no where that can be reached by car in 15 minutes. Kids are great.

Rex G

Hope y'all have a good ride. I am awake right now because I stayed up all night. Until shortly before 0600, I was still trying to make it. This old body is shutting down. I hate my life. I will try to ride this evening, perhaps along Braes Bayou.

scattered73

I hear you rex I have been trying to make this ride since it's started but being a 2nd shifter worker I am lucky if I get to bed before 3 am and . I take a huge hit socially because of shift work and it sucks. We had a late night ride going for a about three years which sunday, monday, tuesday and wensday night make for great after midnight rides but the ride really progressed to more a party ride then just a bike ride. So much cooler at night and little to no traffic. If anyone is up for late night ride give me a shout.

Tex_Arcana

I'm back already. Yep, dropped all those guys.

Actually I messed up. Tried to macho it out in fixed gear but I'm not used to it. After climbing the over pass at S. Main I started getting a cramp in my left leg. tried to ride it out but I gave it up a few more miles down the rode. Turned around went into a gas station and flipped my rear wheel to to the free wheel side. Then starting back I had an unfortunate encounter with a rumble strip in the shoulder that sent me sprawling in a ditch. Broke my mirror, scraped my left leg a little and have a nice bruise forming on the heel of my left hand.

The rest was pretty uneventful for me. I was told by an HPD officer to get off S. Post Oak and ride on the sidewalk. Unfortunately the sidewalk was covered in a thick patch of mud. I didn't fall but I did left my bike slide out from underneath me and it fell in the mud while I was left standing.

Thanks to aggarcia for sticking with me until yeamac and kwrides caught up with us after yeamac snapped his right crank with one of his mighty stokes trying to drop us early in the ride (though to tell the truth I think his nine year old daughter was the actual cause. She just looks like a crazy strong kid that could break the captains right pedal from the stokers seat).

Now I think I'll go get cleaned up.

yeamac 

Well, not the smoothest of group rides, but not the worst, either. Thanks to kw for riding home to get his vehicle to pick up my daughter and I and the tandem when we were only 3 miles from the start. What I don't get is when the crank arm broke everyone acted so surprised, and my attitude was "oh no, not again. I really gotta ease up on the power." It just goes with having massive quads, I guess. Or maybe that rather large belly -- not sure which. But I was able to switch to my single, kw and I rode the same direction to intercept the group when they turned around and were heading home so we could at least get most of the ride in. We were able to play good samaritan with a guy walking his bike out in the country with no more spare tubes/patches and we fixed him up. Saw some people parachuting out by Rosharon. More roadkill today than I've ever seen on that route - cat, dog, squirrel, some unrecognizables. But no flats and everyone survived the heat OK and made it home safe.

Hopefully we can do this again soon (cooler weather would be nice, too). I've already got a replacement crank on order. Also, I checked Google maps and think going down Hillcroft would have less traffic than S. Post Oak, so we'll try that in the future.

Good job, everyone, and we'll keep this thread alive for future rides.

kwrides

Yep, good to ride with you all. Sorry to hear Tex had a few issues, but glad to hear he got home safe and sound.

Much sushi for dinner!

Rex G

Tex, too bad I wasn't there to "educate" the HPD officer.