Did You Ride Today?

[zipp2001]

Had a nice weekend on the bike. Saturday met up with Dave and rolled out 40 miles, then did some yard work and went to the Sox's game. Sunday I was tired from a very late night and decided to take out the TT bike to help motivate me to push harder than what I would have with the road bike. You can't take out the TT bike and just cruise, so 36 miles of shut up leg's and go. I was very happy to have the temps in the mid 80's, and have fun fighting the wind.

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View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlCBmpMUBiU

 

[CAMPYBOB]

Recently turned 64 and I spent the day putting up almost 400 bales of hay.

That's right, *****es. I STILL got it! We used to do 800+ bale days when I was a kid on the local farmers' hay crews. Doing the long, hot day I put in is a testimony to the conditioning that cycling bestows!

I thought about going for a ride after the obligatory triple shower to get the stink off, but there was too little daylight left. 91 degrees and sunshine with a nice breeze. The hay mow was probably around 100 degrees. I stayed hydrated with cold water right out of my frost-proof hydrant and the wife brought me a Coke and turkey sandwich for lunch!

I thought I was pretty tan from all the riding, but nothing gets a lilly white hilljack tan like mowing, tedding, raking, baling and putting up hay. I'm a brown skin!

 

[glenncz]

Recently turned 64 and I spent the day putting up almost 400 bales of hay.

That's right, *****es. I STILL got it! We used to do 800+ bale days when I was a kid on the local farmers' hay crews. Doing the long, hot day I put in is a testimony to the conditioning that cycling bestows!

I thought about going for a ride after the obligatory triple shower to get the stink off, but there was too little daylight left. 91 degrees and sunshine with a nice breeze. The hay mow was probably around 100 degrees. I stayed hydrated with cold water right out of my frost-proof hydrant and the wife brought me a Coke and turkey sandwich for lunch!

I thought I was pretty tan from all the riding, but nothing gets a lilly white hilljack tan like mowing, tedding, raking, baling and putting up hay. I'm a brown skin!

 

[glenncz]

Today I did 25 miles with some good but short hills in the Poconos, Pa. Last year i quit in Mid-Sept at 1800 miles. Somehow I just lose interest about that time every year. Cooler weather and shorter days doesn't help and figure I biked enough. This year I am pushing for 2K miles, which I am on target for - 400 mi in so far, and now I am going to ramp it up and try to get in some higher mileage rides. Last year I had 9x >100 mi weeks and the week I did a solo century I pedaled 234mi. I have lots of different good course choices where I live, and I am starting to work my way through last years June rides, of course, always looking to beat last years mph.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

87 degrees and sunny with a light breeze of 4 to 8 MPH...a perfect day to ride.

23 miles with just a little more than 1200' of climbing.

I think I cracked or broke a rib yesterday afternoon while bracing my arm against my ribcage area and pushed hard on a piece of steel I was trying to straighten out. The steel lost the battle, but may have won the war! I thought I felt something 'snap'...and then a little pain. Pain was worse today and deep breathing and jarring bumps on the bike kind of made it remind me something isn't quite right.

Oh well. I've trained through cracked and busted ribs several times in my riding career. I'll just HTFU and do it again. No biggee. It's not even worth an X-Ray to find out.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

87 degrees again under threatening sky. The wind was 7 to 8 MPH again...pretty mild. Unfortunately rain was moving into the area fast.

I hurried up and got out to one of my close to home starting points and hit off most ricky tick. Only 18 miles with 500' of climbing. A fun ride and yes, it rained just after I tossed the bike in the truck and headed back to the farm.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

89 degrees and sunny! A light breeze of 5 to 7 MPH! Let's ride!

Just a short 22-mile sprint workout with 860' of climbing. It was a good effort and a really fun ride. Some interval work, some hard jumps, some in-the-red efforts. The old body felt good in the heat and the sun!

 

[CAMPYBOB]

89-90 degrees today and the sun beat down! After spending late morning and early afternoon in the fields I lit out with the wind going at 12 to 18 MPH.

I headed out with a nice tailwind and kept drinking to stay hydrated. I stopped at a country cemetery and refilled my bottles from the old hand pump. Nice and cold!

The wind coming home was painful. I ended up with 64 miles and a nice tan!

 

[CAMPYBOB]

I spent a sunny morning in the fields for 4 hours and with thunder booming in the distance I got the tractor put away just in time for the rain to move through!

The morning and early afternoon wind was a steady 12 to 20 MPH with gusts to 31 MPH.

Rather than wait on the chance of the roads drying in the still high humidity, I decided to hit the trainer and did 51 minutes at good tempo. I had recovered well from yesterday's ride, but even with 3 fans on me, the air on and a dehumidifier going I was cooking in the basement. I went through a bottle and a half just trying to stay hydrated.

 

[Mr. Beanz]

93 degrees, 44 miles with 3 other guys. Man I am so sick of riding with a bunch of babies. Guys playing cat and mouse hoping to drop the other guy in the last 12 miles.

Lat time we had 3 or 4 guys, we cranked it up and averaged 19.3 over the 44. I figured 18+ would be good but these guys had some secret feud with one another that I did not know about. Had I known they were going to play games, I would have set out alone. Two guys feuding over one not wanting to help the other. The other not wanting to help the other because he knows he's going to kick it up in the last 12 of 44 miles and try to drop him.

Started out, first 30 miles, the guys were holding the pace down to 15 and 16. WTF! 4 guys, let's get this thing rolling!

Nope! My turns at the front I picked the speed up hoping to lift our overall pace. Nope!

So after a break, last 12 miles, these 2 guys try to kill each other. Holding 24 and 25 trying to pop the other guy. I just sat back and let them play their games trying to hold on. 10 miles later, both guys popped and can barely hold 16 again.

I went back to the front and easily held 19 for the last couple and could have gone much more.

I just think it's stupid playing cat and mouse when we aren't racing and supposed to be riding together. Stupid 17.3 average when we could have been well over 18 if they had tried to work together.

Nice steady pace over 44 kicks the sheot out of a cat and mouse with a blow out at the end. Stupid strategy and macho BS! Who cares how fast you can go at the end of a ride when you did the first 3/4 like a little beotch !?

I really need to find a way to ditch these guys and head out alone.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

It was cooler today after a night of rain. It only got up to 76 degrees and the wind was 10 to 12 MPH with gusts to 21 MPH.

I got 23 miles in and once again the rain drops were hitting the windshield on the drive back to the farm. It was a fun effort and the little bit of sunshine at the start of the ride was appreciated. Only 700' or so of climbing. I'm spending too much time at work and out in the fields! LOL!

 

[zipp2001]

Was beginning to think I lived in the UK, so many days of rain and scattered thunder storms. So I spend most of my time riding in the woods this past weekend, because I could care less about how clean I keep the mountain bike. I bought it for $100 three years ago and have yet to wash it, before you panic I do keep the chain and drivetrain system clean just not the bike.
Today was my first ride from the shop after work, so it was roll out to the bike shop and play in the Leominster/Fitchburg area.
Looking forward to the Longsjo Classic this weekend two days of crit racing, for the second oldest race in the US. Here is a little glimpse of my ride today.

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View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ddnjHYXvGY

 

[CAMPYBOB]

It was a cool 75 degrees today. The sun was out and the wind running 10 to 12 MPH.

Just time for a 22-mile climbing ride with some tough little hills on the course. Starting 1/4 out from where I parked the truck there is a very vertical little 225' climb that with no warm up will kick you awake, for sure!

Mostly a moderate tempo between the hills with steady climbing and surge climbing. The hills felt pretty good and I was down in the 39x25 a lot.

Right around 1400' of climbing with plenty of nice views from the hill tops.

 

[glenncz]

>a very vertical little 225' climb that with no warm up will kick you awake, for sure!

I am always very aware of that sensation in the first mile of the heart rate/pulse increasing and the thumping in my chest.
I was waiting for daylight again yesterday. I'm a nutjob! Luckily, my work is such that I can almost always take a mid day nap. Maybe that's why i get up sometimes at 3am and stay up, in anticipation of ride. Can't wait for that precious early am ride in solitude. Left house at 4:30 for 25 min drive to starting point. Did 37 miles which is longest so far, pretty hilly. Late stage flat. Will take today off and tomorrow have fairly flat 44 planned.
526 so far in. Ahead of last year and right on track to make 2K but realistically I have to only mid-Sept before I can expect the passion to wane. Right now "life" is wrapped around the ride time. It pushes me to make the non bike hours valuable so i can justify the ride time.

I walk around - hey you - I got a secret - i rode 2 hrs today. I'm a beast!

 

[CAMPYBOB]

Yeah, I'm usually a jack rabbit out of the starting gate even with little or no stretching or warm-up, but looking up that hill...which ramps up quickly and then gets steeper...I just ticked a nice steady cadence off in the 23 and 25.

I think I was in the 23 for most of that one. I don't like spinning too fast just starting out and would rather do a slow 'push' to get the blood flowing.

 

[dhk2]

CB, watch out for RAAM riders on your ride today. The faster guys are already into southern Ohio. I've been tracking our state hero Brian Toone who's been posting some great live video.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

Thanks for the heads up. I knew RAAM was in-progress, but I didn't know Toone was going for another crossing. The guy is an absolute animal. Off to see the live tracker and figure out where he's at. IIRC he was in 5th place when they hit Ohio last year.

80 degrees and sunny today with the wind a mild 6 MPH steady.

Only 23 miles again. This time on a flat course with just under 700' of climbing. I did some speed work and worked on the drops in bigger gears and did some simulated race speeds in bursts. It was a fun workout!

Oh...<ominous voice> We are NOT alone!

I stopped to pick up a PTO shaft to coupler locking pin that fell off some farmer's tractor and just up the road was a smashed...as in driven over by multiple cars/trucks/tractors...Cateye Velo 7 bike computer. It was squished so hard it popped the battery out! It might have fallen from some cyclist's bike. That is unlikely as the road I was on I only rarely see any other bikes. Very rarely.

It it is still a currently produced model according to Cateye's web site.

I'm guessing it fell from some Amish trainer's sulky. Maybe more likely? The Amish train pacers and trotters for racing and the horse owners provide a semi-instrumented sulky and tell the Amish drivers to work the horse at XX MPH pace to get it used to race speeds.

 

[Alan Bruce]

Cycling always give me an undefined joy and pleasure. Its feels good when we start cycling, especially in this type of weather.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

dhk2, I checked on RAAM progress this morning. It looks like Toone is in 5th place again as they go through Southern Ohio.

 

[dhk2]

The first place guy Christoph Strasser is amazing. He's finished in Annapolis MD while his completion is still mostly in Ohio or further back. 3070 miles across the US in 8 days, 9 hours and 34 minutes, avg speed 15.23 mph.