Did You Ride Today?
- Thread starter Mr. Beanz
- Start date
It got up to 50 degrees this afternoon with bright sunshine! It was a little windy at 12 to 16 MPH, but I'll take this kind of day all Winter long!
22 miles with 1225' of climbing. Some flat stuff and some steep stuff.
Sunset was 5:12 PM today and I got back to the truck at 5:14. Nice ride with a good, steady tempo into the stiff headwind. The climbing felt good and I put in a few digs rolling down into the valley floors.
We've had some local flooding with all the recent rain (one guy supposedly had 7" over three days) and I saw a car buried in 2' of mud and water after he had made it through the deep stuff that was across the road by a creek that is normally 3 or 4 feet below the road.
The car was well off the pavement and the driver had the motor red-lined and tossing spray and mud as it inched forward a little with steam coming off the exhaust. He did not make it out and when I pulled away there was a 4x4 pickup hooking a chain to the car.
22 miles with 1225' of climbing. Some flat stuff and some steep stuff.
Sunset was 5:12 PM today and I got back to the truck at 5:14. Nice ride with a good, steady tempo into the stiff headwind. The climbing felt good and I put in a few digs rolling down into the valley floors.
We've had some local flooding with all the recent rain (one guy supposedly had 7" over three days) and I saw a car buried in 2' of mud and water after he had made it through the deep stuff that was across the road by a creek that is normally 3 or 4 feet below the road.
The car was well off the pavement and the driver had the motor red-lined and tossing spray and mud as it inched forward a little with steam coming off the exhaust. He did not make it out and when I pulled away there was a 4x4 pickup hooking a chain to the car.
Well, I guess Winter is officially here! 26 freakin' degrees and light snow flurries all day, from before dawn until after sunset. The wind also piled on with gusts over 25 MPH and steady at 10 to 17 MPH all day.
I did Zwift's Volcano Loop and since my little virtual CampyBob dude was on auto pilot I made it all the way over with virtual lava and virtual steam surrounding me as I climbed from sea level to around 670' ASL. Not much of a volcano, huh! 9% was the steepest virtual grade I saw and I think the virtual climb averaged a virtual 5%.
With zero warmup, Zwift stupidity kicked in...or maybe it was just virtual stupidity...and I found myself virtually drag racing a couple dudes and what looked to be a virtual female if her virtual breasts and wide hips were virtually indicating her gender. The Cat. C dude was fast, but I held his virtual wheel until we parted virtual company at a virtual intersection.
Rule 1 in life: Never take a knife to a gun fight.
Rule 2 in life: Never take a track bike to a virtual training ride. It hurts.
I topped the volcano in a virtual 21st place and slid to 27th place by the time I ended the session. Don't ask me what that means. I have no clue.
I think I acquitted my virtual self pretty well this evening. I kept up with some fast guys and only one virtual rider blew by me going up the volcano climb. I was so gassed during most of the effort I didn't even reach for the mouse to give my fellow virtual mates a few 'Ride On's'.
The basement is starting to cool down from the Summer temperature, but I still had all four fans on 'High' by the time I finished. Note to self: Buy a few of those 'Smart Outlets' with either a remote control to turn the fans on or the ones I can control from an app on the phone. Too gassed to reach for the fan switches on two of the fans without breaking form and position. Ain't nobody got time fo' that when you're halfway up the volcano and the virtual lava is making you sweat!
I did Zwift's Volcano Loop and since my little virtual CampyBob dude was on auto pilot I made it all the way over with virtual lava and virtual steam surrounding me as I climbed from sea level to around 670' ASL. Not much of a volcano, huh! 9% was the steepest virtual grade I saw and I think the virtual climb averaged a virtual 5%.
With zero warmup, Zwift stupidity kicked in...or maybe it was just virtual stupidity...and I found myself virtually drag racing a couple dudes and what looked to be a virtual female if her virtual breasts and wide hips were virtually indicating her gender. The Cat. C dude was fast, but I held his virtual wheel until we parted virtual company at a virtual intersection.
Rule 1 in life: Never take a knife to a gun fight.
Rule 2 in life: Never take a track bike to a virtual training ride. It hurts.
I topped the volcano in a virtual 21st place and slid to 27th place by the time I ended the session. Don't ask me what that means. I have no clue.
I think I acquitted my virtual self pretty well this evening. I kept up with some fast guys and only one virtual rider blew by me going up the volcano climb. I was so gassed during most of the effort I didn't even reach for the mouse to give my fellow virtual mates a few 'Ride On's'.
The basement is starting to cool down from the Summer temperature, but I still had all four fans on 'High' by the time I finished. Note to self: Buy a few of those 'Smart Outlets' with either a remote control to turn the fans on or the ones I can control from an app on the phone. Too gassed to reach for the fan switches on two of the fans without breaking form and position. Ain't nobody got time fo' that when you're halfway up the volcano and the virtual lava is making you sweat!
No bike today just a little stroll in the woods on the 3rd most climbed mountain in the world.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmDqH-bB7Vs
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmDqH-bB7Vs
Took the TT bike out on back to back Sundays after church. Was a very chilly 38 degrees with an 8-10 mph wind. I rolled out a 25 mile rolling route and the legs took way to long to get loose (8 miles). Overall a good ride when it would have been very easy to make an excuse not to ride.
It got up to 45 degrees here in Ohio with the sun shining. The wind was a low 54 to 7 MPH.
32 miles with 1125' of climbing. It was a beautiful day for a ride! I just spun medium gears and climbed easily. No sense in trying to kill it when it's cold outside.
32 miles with 1125' of climbing. It was a beautiful day for a ride! I just spun medium gears and climbed easily. No sense in trying to kill it when it's cold outside.
39 degrees and light rain all day. The roads never dried out.
55 Minutes on Zwift's Watopia Volcano KOM Loop. This time I got over the volcano in 13th place. More important to me, I managed to not only hang onto some fast groups and actually pull them along here and there, I managed to hang with some big dogs as we blew by a long lined out pack of what had to be 'D' cat riders doing a workout or race.
That was a fairly fast tempo and I 'averaged' 19+ MPH according to the virtual world of Zwift. Not bad for only one gear. Damned near took a 3-up sprint, but I think a New Zealander got me at the line.
IT's weird. You never know if you're riding with a strong'ish 25-year old or a crafty, well conditioned Master that's still cranking out Watts. And they never know there with a crippled old fart with only one gear! LOL!
This Zwift stuff is fun for now. It's not as serious as the Trainer Road workouts and riders looking for every last Watt in improvements. I'm just in the game for fun, a little fast jiving and keeping my old body going through one more Winter.
55 Minutes on Zwift's Watopia Volcano KOM Loop. This time I got over the volcano in 13th place. More important to me, I managed to not only hang onto some fast groups and actually pull them along here and there, I managed to hang with some big dogs as we blew by a long lined out pack of what had to be 'D' cat riders doing a workout or race.
That was a fairly fast tempo and I 'averaged' 19+ MPH according to the virtual world of Zwift. Not bad for only one gear. Damned near took a 3-up sprint, but I think a New Zealander got me at the line.
IT's weird. You never know if you're riding with a strong'ish 25-year old or a crafty, well conditioned Master that's still cranking out Watts. And they never know there with a crippled old fart with only one gear! LOL!
This Zwift stuff is fun for now. It's not as serious as the Trainer Road workouts and riders looking for every last Watt in improvements. I'm just in the game for fun, a little fast jiving and keeping my old body going through one more Winter.
42 degrees and sunny! The wind almost non-existent at 3 to 4 MPH.
Just time for 12 miles before the 5:08 PM sunset. So, I made the best of the short miles with some wattage Bazooka...OK...Wattage Peashooter intensity. Taller gears and lots of pedal pressure right from the starting gate.
Only 275' of climbing, so pretty flat with only a few small hills.
Rocked it start to finish. Went past a local farmer and I was too gassed to do anything more than give his "Hello!" a half nod of the head, out of the saddle and pushing the last mile for home. It was another fun ride!
Just time for 12 miles before the 5:08 PM sunset. So, I made the best of the short miles with some wattage Bazooka...OK...Wattage Peashooter intensity. Taller gears and lots of pedal pressure right from the starting gate.
Only 275' of climbing, so pretty flat with only a few small hills.
Rocked it start to finish. Went past a local farmer and I was too gassed to do anything more than give his "Hello!" a half nod of the head, out of the saddle and pushing the last mile for home. It was another fun ride!
<STRAVA voice>I beat...er...TIED yesterday!
Again, 13th out of 33 going over the Watopia Volcano KOM on Zwift. Now you know why I was always field filler and will always be field filler! LOL!
44 degrees and afternoon rain with the wind up at 15 to 17 MPH. Rain into tomorrow with a little cooling and maybe some wet snow in the forecast.
With the rain closing in I hit Zwift and chucked the Gardin track bike in gear a with zero warmup jumped in it with both feet from the mustering straight all the way to the climb. I latched onto one group after another and was well into the 162-165 BPM range when I hit the volcano.
Steadying the RPM's and trying to get my heart rate back down to 155-155 i beat the Hell out of the pedals as I climbed the lower slopes. No one was passing me and I was reeling in rider after rider. Looking at the KOM leader board it looked like I had a shot (base on my two previous ascents) at knocking out a second or third place. So I really put every last Watt I had into the climb and started to work right at my redline of 172-176 BPM.
Just before the end of the KOM segment some guy came flying by me at warp speed. I jumped for him...big mistake. I damned near blew and had to throttle it back a little up the last steep ramp before the finish arch. Damnit! Lost precious seconds and back into 13th I went.
******, I launched into the last rollers and hit the descent and then got picked up by a couple of fast guys. Let me tell you, hanging on a fast descent, even a virtual one, with guys that have gears is a *****! I lasted a mile or so and again I had to throttle it back until I hit the undersea tunnel. Full gas to the line from there.
I finished with three of my four fans roaring, drenched in sweat and breathing like did a full Ironman, not a 'virtual' 20 miles. 18.5 miles indicated on the Garmin. Zwift power-based miles are funky and don't add up to what a computer head and wheel sensors yield.
I'm learning!
Again, 13th out of 33 going over the Watopia Volcano KOM on Zwift. Now you know why I was always field filler and will always be field filler! LOL!
44 degrees and afternoon rain with the wind up at 15 to 17 MPH. Rain into tomorrow with a little cooling and maybe some wet snow in the forecast.
With the rain closing in I hit Zwift and chucked the Gardin track bike in gear a with zero warmup jumped in it with both feet from the mustering straight all the way to the climb. I latched onto one group after another and was well into the 162-165 BPM range when I hit the volcano.
Steadying the RPM's and trying to get my heart rate back down to 155-155 i beat the Hell out of the pedals as I climbed the lower slopes. No one was passing me and I was reeling in rider after rider. Looking at the KOM leader board it looked like I had a shot (base on my two previous ascents) at knocking out a second or third place. So I really put every last Watt I had into the climb and started to work right at my redline of 172-176 BPM.
Just before the end of the KOM segment some guy came flying by me at warp speed. I jumped for him...big mistake. I damned near blew and had to throttle it back a little up the last steep ramp before the finish arch. Damnit! Lost precious seconds and back into 13th I went.
******, I launched into the last rollers and hit the descent and then got picked up by a couple of fast guys. Let me tell you, hanging on a fast descent, even a virtual one, with guys that have gears is a *****! I lasted a mile or so and again I had to throttle it back until I hit the undersea tunnel. Full gas to the line from there.
I finished with three of my four fans roaring, drenched in sweat and breathing like did a full Ironman, not a 'virtual' 20 miles. 18.5 miles indicated on the Garmin. Zwift power-based miles are funky and don't add up to what a computer head and wheel sensors yield.
I'm learning!
It's 36 degrees and really overcast as low, dark gray clouds moved across the sky with the at 10 to 14 MPH steady and slightly higher gusts.
I dressed as quickly as I could, pumped the tires up and threw on a bottle and the Garmin. Tossed everything in the truck and headed for the closest departure point to the farm. Half way out the road to pavement it starts drizzling. And it picks up. I stop at the paved road, pull off and check the weather. There's more coming according to the weather radar on the phone. Great! All that hustle for nothing.
I turned around and stashed the bike and gear, Took off the layers I had just put on. Left on the bibs and put on a short sleeve jersey. Grabbed the shoes for the track bike and headed to Virtual London, Virtual England for 48 minutes.
I knocked a minute and a half off my Box Hill climb time and I was still getting swarmed by guys blasting up the 4% to 9% hill. I think I was 35th position when I finally made it over the top. You betcha...i virtually suck! My legs were dead from yesterday on Watt-topia. I was really close to blown going over the last rise on Box. The 15% climb up the stairs and out of the the railroad / underground station was topped at 5 MPH! I was gassed. Blasted through the last mile or two after recovering and carried on for another couple of miles to see if any power was coming. It was not. Ended the ride and then warmed down for ten more minutes.
A nice ride and I had fun chasing a 'B' and a 'C' for a couple miles on the way out to Box Hill.
A rain / snow mix overnight and warmer tomorrow with a high around 45 degrees. I hope the roads are dry!
I dressed as quickly as I could, pumped the tires up and threw on a bottle and the Garmin. Tossed everything in the truck and headed for the closest departure point to the farm. Half way out the road to pavement it starts drizzling. And it picks up. I stop at the paved road, pull off and check the weather. There's more coming according to the weather radar on the phone. Great! All that hustle for nothing.
I turned around and stashed the bike and gear, Took off the layers I had just put on. Left on the bibs and put on a short sleeve jersey. Grabbed the shoes for the track bike and headed to Virtual London, Virtual England for 48 minutes.
I knocked a minute and a half off my Box Hill climb time and I was still getting swarmed by guys blasting up the 4% to 9% hill. I think I was 35th position when I finally made it over the top. You betcha...i virtually suck! My legs were dead from yesterday on Watt-topia. I was really close to blown going over the last rise on Box. The 15% climb up the stairs and out of the the railroad / underground station was topped at 5 MPH! I was gassed. Blasted through the last mile or two after recovering and carried on for another couple of miles to see if any power was coming. It was not. Ended the ride and then warmed down for ten more minutes.
A nice ride and I had fun chasing a 'B' and a 'C' for a couple miles on the way out to Box Hill.
A rain / snow mix overnight and warmer tomorrow with a high around 45 degrees. I hope the roads are dry!
41 degrees and sunny this afternoon. The wind was reported at 9 to 12 MPH, but it felt lighter than that.
Just time for 14 easy miles before the 5:05 PM sunset. Only 400' of climbing and my legs were fried from the Zwift workouts.
Tomorrow...50 MPH winds and rain. Yay!
Sunday...35 degree high temperature and snow. Yay!
Sounds like sitting on the trainer and getting my ass kicked on Zwift is on the menu.
Just time for 14 easy miles before the 5:05 PM sunset. Only 400' of climbing and my legs were fried from the Zwift workouts.
Tomorrow...50 MPH winds and rain. Yay!
Sunday...35 degree high temperature and snow. Yay!
Sounds like sitting on the trainer and getting my ass kicked on Zwift is on the menu.
Rain all night, last night. Rain all day today. The creeks and ditches are full and flowing fast. There will probably be a little localized flooding tomorrow. It got up to 47 degrees, but no way am I going out on those roads in a cold drizzle.
I did the Mountain Loop with the Epic Mountain KOM...you know...the one the 'A's go up in half the time I took!
Garmin registered 24+ miles and Zwift says 19 miles. OK...typical Zwift weirdness. An hour and twenty to do the loop and warm down. Heart rate averaged 151 BPM on an 'easy' effort. I didn't know this course as a first timer and didn't want to blow up half way through the session.
After a couple flat miles the 'Epic' climb starts and quickly runs 5%-6%. And you climb. And you climb. And you climb. And then it ramps up to 9%-14%. And the climbing carries on. IIRC the final ramp to the Radio Tower is 16%...'U' would know for sure.
The descent is steep and fast. And thanks to virtual bike handling mad skillz and virtual bike physics on Watt-topia, I'm cornering on glare ice and snow at 30 to 50 MPH and unlock the coveted virtual 'Daredevil' achievement.
That's right. I'm a Watopian Daredevil. All bow before me. I feel soooo honored for the Virtual Achievement! I would like to thank all the little people that out-climbed me that made this Virtual award possible.
Never did use my awesome super-aero Power Up on the way down that dangerous virtual mountain. No siree! No virtual digital doping for this old dude!
I looked at my Garmin file and on what is a moderate workout...I really need some recovery time...my HR was in Zone 4 90% of the ride, Zone 3 9% of the ride and Zone 2 1% of the ride. I'm telling you, this Zwift **** is a workout!
I did the Mountain Loop with the Epic Mountain KOM...you know...the one the 'A's go up in half the time I took!
Garmin registered 24+ miles and Zwift says 19 miles. OK...typical Zwift weirdness. An hour and twenty to do the loop and warm down. Heart rate averaged 151 BPM on an 'easy' effort. I didn't know this course as a first timer and didn't want to blow up half way through the session.
After a couple flat miles the 'Epic' climb starts and quickly runs 5%-6%. And you climb. And you climb. And you climb. And then it ramps up to 9%-14%. And the climbing carries on. IIRC the final ramp to the Radio Tower is 16%...'U' would know for sure.
The descent is steep and fast. And thanks to virtual bike handling mad skillz and virtual bike physics on Watt-topia, I'm cornering on glare ice and snow at 30 to 50 MPH and unlock the coveted virtual 'Daredevil' achievement.
That's right. I'm a Watopian Daredevil. All bow before me. I feel soooo honored for the Virtual Achievement! I would like to thank all the little people that out-climbed me that made this Virtual award possible.
Never did use my awesome super-aero Power Up on the way down that dangerous virtual mountain. No siree! No virtual digital doping for this old dude!
I looked at my Garmin file and on what is a moderate workout...I really need some recovery time...my HR was in Zone 4 90% of the ride, Zone 3 9% of the ride and Zone 2 1% of the ride. I'm telling you, this Zwift **** is a workout!
Windy ride on the trail with Mike. 60.4 miles at 17.1 average speed. At one point, we went down a little hill, hit the flats and the wind kicked up forcing me balls out trying to hold 14! 
Glad that was only for a few minutes.
November in Ca, at the beach. Puffy muffy.
Ran into Don who rode with Mike and I for a couple of miles on Pacific Coast Hwy.
Talent or what? I can now take pics of the back of my head and the rider in front of me ha ha!
Glad that was only for a few minutes.November in Ca, at the beach. Puffy muffy.
Ran into Don who rode with Mike and I for a couple of miles on Pacific Coast Hwy.
Talent or what? I can now take pics of the back of my head and the rider in front of me ha ha!
Beanz, you suck! Lookee how warm it is! Sunshine, even! Surfing! Wimmenz pouring water all themselves!
35 degrees in Ohio with wet snow this morning. The wind going a steady 16 MPH with gusts to 24 MPH! And no sunshine. No wimmenz out pouring water all over themselves. I'm more likely to see an Eskimo in seal skins and polar bear fur than a bikini!
I hit the flat coastal loop on Watopia. Think of it as my very own Pacific Coast Highway except my route has NO VEHICLES, no red lights and no trash to run over and destroy my tires.
42 minutes worth of chasing down other riders and getting my ass run over by faster riders. Lots of fun though. Even with some toasted legs I still managed a good effort. The track bike is definitely more suited to the flatter courses.
35 degrees in Ohio with wet snow this morning. The wind going a steady 16 MPH with gusts to 24 MPH! And no sunshine. No wimmenz out pouring water all over themselves. I'm more likely to see an Eskimo in seal skins and polar bear fur than a bikini!
I hit the flat coastal loop on Watopia. Think of it as my very own Pacific Coast Highway except my route has NO VEHICLES, no red lights and no trash to run over and destroy my tires.
42 minutes worth of chasing down other riders and getting my ass run over by faster riders. Lots of fun though. Even with some toasted legs I still managed a good effort. The track bike is definitely more suited to the flatter courses.
An intended short easy spin. First half was killer. Maybe from tired legs after yesterday's 60, we aimed for an easy 15 average. First half of the ride into the headwind took everything we had to average 15.1 to the coast. The way back a very easy spin at 17 helping us get or final average of 15.8 for the 34 miles.
Now the way back was the way the entire ride was supposed to be!
It hit 40 degrees this afternoon with sunshine and the wind going a steady 13 to 15 MPH. Perfect! Let's ride!
Er...what's all this wet **** on the roads. Like 2' to 3' deep wet ****!
Remember that rain on Saturday? Well, it was 3" to 4" and the local flooding that was predicted is a little...or a lot...more widespread than they thought. 3 of the 4 roads away from my nearest ride starting point were impassable unless you had a lifted truck or a kayak.
And the 4th road? it only went 3 miles before what looked like a foot or two of water covered the road for a few hundred feet.
So...I did a few out & backs up that road for 14 miles worth and called it a sunset at 5:03 PM. 500' of climbing with some short jumps thrown in. Basically a recovery ride and break from Zwift. Tomorrow looks to be decent weather for riding, but the water appeared to be still rising.
Er...what's all this wet **** on the roads. Like 2' to 3' deep wet ****!
Remember that rain on Saturday? Well, it was 3" to 4" and the local flooding that was predicted is a little...or a lot...more widespread than they thought. 3 of the 4 roads away from my nearest ride starting point were impassable unless you had a lifted truck or a kayak.
And the 4th road? it only went 3 miles before what looked like a foot or two of water covered the road for a few hundred feet.
So...I did a few out & backs up that road for 14 miles worth and called it a sunset at 5:03 PM. 500' of climbing with some short jumps thrown in. Basically a recovery ride and break from Zwift. Tomorrow looks to be decent weather for riding, but the water appeared to be still rising.
Wow! It's getting cold here too in my hometown as they get ready for Christmas. Hit a freezing 66 here tonight so I just took my camera out and snapped a few pics since it was too cold out to ride tonight!
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