Did You Ride Today?

[CAMPYBOB]

Stop talking about squirrels. It's the official rodent...er...animal of Zwift. 'Scotty' The Squirrel to be precise. He's everywhere. They erect virtual statues to him. They put up warning signs saying "Squirrels Ahead!".

And now that we just had an insane downpour...at least an in a half-hour, probably more...I'm headed down to the trainer to Zwift. Temp dropped to 71 degrees and the air is feeling good. More rain expected through about 8:30 according to radar.

Bound to be some flooding after this round of rain.

Richmond 2015 UCI World's Course...

Even a squirrel on the Pink Floyd pig!

 

[CAMPYBOB]

70 degrees. Much cooler today. Sunny and windy at a steady 13 MPH.

Too much work to do and I barely had time for a quick 14-mile loop. Fast. Kicked the bigger gears around some. The legs might be coming back yet this Summer! LOL! Felt a little stronger and was gunning it more easily.

Over before I got started. Only 350' of elevation gain.

 

[zipp2001]

The excessive heat and humidity are gone which I love but it was still low 80's for todays ride. I went and did 2 laps of The Mass State tri bike course in reverse today. Over the last 2 weeks I've taken several racers out to ride the course so they can get a feel for it before racing it. The course is 22 miles and I'm on parts if not all of it on every ride from my house. I threw in a couple extra miles to make it an even 50 miles. I then went to see how the race set-up was going and talk to the race director about some new course hazards. I marshaled for this tri company for 4 years but decided to not do any this year.
He talked me into helping out but I don't have to marshal and I'll spend more time taking video which is good because I have several friends in the race so hopefully I can catch them in action. The funny part is the race director asked if I would be bring out my Zipp's and I assured him they would be out to play tomorrow.

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View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqPQtyO7bhU

 

[CAMPYBOB]

78 degrees and Sunny. Wind a mild 6 to 8 MPH.

I took a trip up to the Performance Bike shop this morning in Cleveland / Mayfield Heights suburb. It's a decent shop for mid-line stuff (no Campy, of course) and I needed a new pair of road shoes. The Spesh Body Geometry 'forgot the model name' $65 3-Velcro strap shoes I bought TWELVE years ago are finally approaching the end of their service life. They are so comfy I hate to see them go...

Did a bunch of work, including cutting up a medium size Sumac tree that came down last week in one of our repeated series of rain storms.

Jumped on the bike for a quick 30 miles with 1400' of climbing. A fun workout!

Off to the fireworks! Have a safe weekend, everybody.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

The excessive heat and humidity are gone which I love but it was still low 80's for todays ride. I went and did 2 laps of The Mass State tri bike course in reverse today. Over the last 2 weeks I've taken several racers out to ride the course so they can get a feel for it before racing it. The course is 22 miles and I'm on parts if not all of it on every ride from my house. I threw in a couple extra miles to make it an even 50 miles. I then went to see how the race set-up was going and talk to the race director about some new course hazards. I marshaled for this tri company for 4 years but decided to not do any this year.
He talked me into helping out but I don't have to marshal and I'll spend more time taking video which is good because I have several friends in the race so hopefully I can catch them in action. The funny part is the race director asked if I would be bring out my Zipp's and I assured him they would be out to play tomorrow.

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Accept third party cookies

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqPQtyO7bhU

Dig that crazy track bike! That's awesome!

 

[CAMPYBOB]

85 degrees and sunny with the wind at 6 to 9 MPH. Perfect! Let's ride!

51 miles with 1850' of climbing over a mostly gently rolling course.

 

[swampy1970]

78 degrees and Sunny. Wind a mild 6 to 8 MPH.

I took a trip up to the Performance Bike shop this morning in Cleveland / Mayfield Heights suburb. It's a decent shop for mid-line stuff (no Campy, of course) and I needed a new pair of road shoes. The Spesh Body Geometry 'forgot the model name' $65 3-Velcro strap shoes I bought TWELVE years ago are finally approaching the end of their service life. They are so comfy I hate to see them go...

Did a bunch of work, including cutting up a medium size Sumac tree that came down last week in one of our repeated series of rain storms.

Jumped on the bike for a quick 30 miles with 1400' of climbing. A fun workout!

Off to the fireworks! Have a safe weekend, everybody.

So what shoes did you end up getting? I'm in the same boat as you - my Specialized shoes were bought back in 2005 and have served me well but it's getting about that time to replace them.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

My God! You're ALIVE!

My 2006 Spesh were cracking through the sole plates (just glass filled Nylon), the Velcro was weak and I had already replaced two of the strap sides with replacement Velcro, the foam and fabric in the heel cups was well worn and the straps, themselves were ready to break.

https://www.performancebike.com/sho...-boa-road-shoes-performance-exclusive-11-4029

In the Black Camo color. The Black/White didn't look quite right to me, but I would have bought it, based on the comfortable fit, if that were the only color they had. Not a genuine bargain at $200, but not a ripoff either. Performance exclusive, or so they say.

Tried on shimaNO (have two pairs and not impressed with them on MY feet), Giro, Fizik and the LG's. They had Sidi, but not in my size. The LG's gave me the best comfort for the 5 minutes I had them on. I'll let you know in a couple hundred miles how they really are.

I'm not crazy about the dual IP1 Boa tensioners, but all the cool kiddies use that stuff. OK. All except Taylor Phinney and his shoelaces, maybe.

Another concern is ventilation. They just 'look' hot. Soles are well ventilated, but uppers...not so much. Only 7 MM Fore-Aft cleat adjustment, but that seems to be the new normal. With my differently sized feet (one's a 42 and the other closer to a 44) getting cleat placement correct might take the Dremel tool.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

85 degrees and sunny with a clear sky and the wind at a calm 7 to 8 MPH.

Just a short 14-mile recovery ride with 350' of light climbing.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

90 degrees and sunny with the wind at 7 to 12 MPH and picking up. As soon as I started loading the bike into the truck the dark rain clouds stated to move in after a beautiful, sun filled day!

19 miles at a good tempo and only 450' of climbing. Kept the tempo high knowing it was going to be a short, sketchy weather ride. The humidity was up, but even at 90 degrees I was moving fast enough no sweat was forming on my arms.

Been back to the farm for a bit now and the rain just missed us. It moved off to the South and the sky is clearing again.

A good workout and a fun ride!

 

[CAMPYBOB]

Spoke too soon! In bright sunlight it is now pouring! LOL!

 

[CAMPYBOB]

81 degrees, much cooler today. Low humidity and sunny with the wind a stiffer 9 to 12 MPH.

I set out at a more or less recovery tempo into the wind and soon found myself at a high heart rate, working hard into the breeze. WTH? might as well enjoy the work!

I picked it up and made every little rise and climb hurt. Hit the turn for home and got that magic tailwind ride.

Bigger gears and keeping the power up, it was a fast run for the truck.

Just under 1400' of climbing over a 27-mile course. Lots of pain and Tommy Voeckler faces, but a fun run for sure.

 

[jhuskey]

The heat continues to be a factor coupled with the lack of flat terrain makes for tough going but I am maintaing my form. Not good form but I am not losing ground. Bottom line I still suck. I hope to get younger by the end of Summer which should help.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

81 degrees yesterday and the wind not bad at 8 MPH with the sun shining and the humidity low! Perfect! Let's ride!

Had time to do a quick little 20-mile loop with only 550' of climbing. This afternoon I've got to dial in the cleats on the new shoes. The cleats and leg length shims are mounted and now comes 200 miles of fiddling with the things to get them exactly where I want them!

 

[CAMPYBOB]

90 degrees, humidity up a little and the sun burning down a lot! Wind at 3 to 9 MPH. Perfect! Let's ride!

Mounted some Campy Pro Fit Cleats on the new Louis Garneau Carbon Strike shoes and headed out.

The cleat adjustments in the parking lot and four stops on the road to make more positioning adjustments. I hate new shoes and dialing in cleats with a passion. It using takes about two to three weeks of dicking around to get them right where I want them.

I finally settled into a rhythm and started pounding out 30 more miles, constantly tightening the BOA tension ratchets and even loosening them a little. I can't remember the last time I actually loosed up a shoe's fit on the bike.

Tongue padding is good. Didn't feel the BOA wires.
Heel cup is good. No slipping.
Both feet stabile. No movement of the foot inside the shoe.
Black Camo colorway looks much better than the White/Black Colorway.
Carbon Sole is stiff. Good.
Lots of room in the toe box. No cramping the toes.
So far, not hot. 90 degrees and sunny and my feet did not get any hotter than if I had my old shoes on.

Did feel some 'hot spot' on both outside edges of my feet. Could have been just getting used to the shoes and how tight I had them. 30 miles is no real test of good or bad a shoe is going to be. I'll relate more info as they approach 300 miles or so.

I still have some cleat adjusting to do and learning 'how' to wear these shoes for the optimum power, endurance and comfort.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

91 degrees and sunny! The wind was running 3 to 7 MPH.

Headed out at 9 AM and it was already 80 degrees. Climbed about 400' and had just crossed a major highway when another rider came up from behind and we did the next 45 miles or so together.

He was over-weight. Had a pretty big gut and was riding a flat bar aluminum Spesh with bar ends. He climbed better than his weight would have predicted and rode with decent power going up the steep stuff. I was impressed. He was friendly and enjoyed our conversation as we piled on the miles. We talked about all the area Rails-To-Trails bike paths we had ridden.

He had only been riding a few years, had quit smoking and was logging 3,000+ miles per year. He had done his first Imperial Century...off to a great start. He was laid back and very focused and rode safely and accurately. I was impressed, like I said!

I went through a couple small towns with him and then headed of to the big city to drop him off nearer to his home. I think he said he was going to end up with around 50 miles in.

I continued on and arrived back at the car with 63 miles and 2250' of climbing in. The air temp was somewhere around 90-92 degrees.

Yeah, the roads were melting, but it was a fun ride!

 

[jhuskey]

Still hot and muggy but I finally pulled off a decent ride. Loaded my wife's bike on the rack and I headed out from home. She drives out a way to get past some of the hills. We generally meet up along the route and head back to the car. I felt pretty good all the way through despite the heat. Just 22 miles but pleanty of verticle.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

Hotter!

93 degrees today! The sun is burning up the grass (YEAH!) and the wind was 6 to 7 MPH.

With rain in the forecast I kept the tired legs at a steady tempo and rolled fast with the tailwind. Climbing easy gears I made the turn for home only two minutes off PR pace. Eased up into the wind coming back, but still was surprised at what the legs delivered.

I guess I must be fully heat acclimated by now and the moderate wind didn't bother me much. Lost a little power over the last 2 miles of the 32-mile course, but finished it off OK. 1050' of light climbing. Another fun ride in the books!

 

[CAMPYBOB]

Light to heavy afternoon and evening thunderstorms rolled through. The wind was anywhere from 10 to 20 MPH with higher gusts as storm cells moved in. The humidity was pretty high at 3 PM, but is much lower now. Temperature was at 86 degrees before the rain and now at 75 degrees.

I hit the trainer for 1 hour and 43 minutes worth of Zwift. Only 990 riders in the game, but once again it was kick up your heals and go! No messing about. Breathing in the 73 degree basement was labored and sweat was forming everywhere despite six fans roaring and blasting me with air.

Going up the Road To Ruins climb to the Jungle I worked hard to pass a few riders, including a gal that gave me a Ride On!. Almost to the top of the climb and the Light Curtain into the jungle she comes blasting up behind me at 4.3 Watts/Kg and blows me into the weeds. I jumped on the gas and all the way down to the Waterfall the gap between us grew...out to over 2 minutes as I started the climb out of the Jungle.

The last 4 or 5 miles were pure pain when I hooked up with some fast gal from Australia. We traded the lead, but she was fresher, stronger and faster than me. I put the track bike in passing gear and blasted past rider after rider on the 1.5-mile climb to the Rope Bridge! Gassing it at 3.5 to 4 Watts/Kg. I cut the lead to 20 seconds...15...5...passed her and held a gap to the Rope Bridge. And then she re-passed me with another 4.3-4.5 Watt/Kg. attack!

We screamed down the descent and I closed the gap with two guys that came up to me. We all passed the gal and I tried to hold 3 Watts/Kg. all the way up the climb out to the Light Curtain. I saw her put in one final 4+ Watt/Kg. attack on the down the hill behind me twenty-some seconds, but I was feeling good and stomped the track bike out of the saddle to the summit and then carried the speed onto the descent.

I pushed it hard to the Spruce Goose! Really hard. Spun out hard. I hit Watopia with a grin and never looked back.

The rest of the ride was jumping for everyone that was faster and passing everyone that was slower.

Remember...on Zwift it's ALWAYS a race!

Hellova workout despite fried legs from the weekend heat, humidity and wind.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

80 degrees. Much cooler and the humidity was really low today. Sunny, but windy at 10 to 13 MPH.

Just time for a quick 23 miles, but the climbing was tough. Right around 1200' worth and some of it decently steep.

I hit the turn I usually take at the 1-hour mark if I'm on-cam right at 59 minutes, so a good run to that point. I lost that minute though on the head wind run in. Still a very good time considering the Zwift workout of yesterday and the general condition of the legs right now.

A fun ride!