Tomorrow Dad and I are heading up to Logan for our super epic MS 150 ride. I thought it might be fun to do a live (more or less) account of the ride so I'm venturing into the world of Twitter. Hopefully it will work. Read along as we ride!
Also, if you want to check out the routes that we're riding (which might make it easier to follow the twittering), here are the maps for Saturday and for Sunday.
Showing posts with label epic rides. Show all posts
Showing posts with label epic rides. Show all posts
Friday, June 27, 2008
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Little Red
While Dad was riding unsupported from Logan to Salt Lake yesterday, Mom, Suzanne and I were riding in circles doing the Little Red Riding Hood ride.
After dad left on his little adventure, we took our time getting ready and eating breakfast. The official start of the ride was at 8:00 so we had plenty of time to relax before hand. All week we've been keeping an eye on the weather... the forecast had been suspect at best all week. The news that morning told us that we were in for partially cloudy, 62°, and possible thunder showers. The sky looked pretty clear though, so we were optimistic about the rain. As it turned out, conditions were just about perfect- we didn't run into any rain- except for the wind.
Mom and Suzanne decided that they only wanted to do 45 miles, but I was all set to do 62. If you click on the links and check out the maps, you'll notice that the 62 mile route is just the 45 route with an extra loop added on. That worked out well, because the ladies rode with me to the Newton rest stop and just waited there while I went on. Up to that point (about 17 miles in) the riding was not bad. It was a little chilly for a while, but then the sun came up and we were cruising and doing just fine.
I left Mom and Suzanne at Newton around 10:15. As soon as I started out, the wind decided to show up to burst my bubble. Not only that, but the first 10-15 miles of that extra loop was mostly uphill. Riding uphill into the wind I was averaging about 10 mph, which is almost, but not entirely, completely unlike fun. The last bit of the loop was mostly downhill though, and it started with a wicked hill. I let loose on the way down and got going about 45 mph. Mom pitched a fit about me going so fast (something about I could have crashed and died, or something) but I have to say it was wicked fun!
I made it back to Newton around 11:30 and ate a quick lunch. Of course, by the time I got there, the ladies were ready to go, especially since there was a dark and sinister storm wall looming in the distance. I was pretty knackered at that point though, and really just wanted to relax a bit before going on. They ended up setting off ahead of me with the expectation that I would catch them up. I almost did, too, before they made it to the next rest stop.
The end of the ride was uneventful. The wind was grueling and I apparently made a nice wind block. There were a few places where the pavement was wet, but we didn't get rained on ourselves. For the last 20 miles or so, I was really in the groove of things and just sort of checked out and let my legs do the work on their own. We finished around 2:30. All in all it was not a bad ride, but certainly not the best I've ever done. Stupid wind. I guess I should be really thankful we missed the rain and had sun most of the time; more than Dad can say.
I would like to say that the Bonneville Cycling Club, the guys who put on Little Red, set up the rest stops at odd places. The first was only 5 miles out, the second was Newton at 17. There weren't any stops on the extra loop for the 62 miles, so I went 20 miles straight before I got back to Newton. On the way back, the next stop was only 6 miles farther, then it was another15 miles, but it was only 5 miles from the end. Last summer when Dad and I rode the ULCER the rest stops were spaced much better. It's funny, because Bonneville does both rides.
Here are some pictures of us and the Big Bad Wolf... get it, 'cause the ride was Little Red Riding Hood. It's at the end of the ride and we all have our celebratory sparkling cider.
Me and the BBW
Mom, BBW, Suzanne, Me
After dad left on his little adventure, we took our time getting ready and eating breakfast. The official start of the ride was at 8:00 so we had plenty of time to relax before hand. All week we've been keeping an eye on the weather... the forecast had been suspect at best all week. The news that morning told us that we were in for partially cloudy, 62°, and possible thunder showers. The sky looked pretty clear though, so we were optimistic about the rain. As it turned out, conditions were just about perfect- we didn't run into any rain- except for the wind.
Mom and Suzanne decided that they only wanted to do 45 miles, but I was all set to do 62. If you click on the links and check out the maps, you'll notice that the 62 mile route is just the 45 route with an extra loop added on. That worked out well, because the ladies rode with me to the Newton rest stop and just waited there while I went on. Up to that point (about 17 miles in) the riding was not bad. It was a little chilly for a while, but then the sun came up and we were cruising and doing just fine.
I left Mom and Suzanne at Newton around 10:15. As soon as I started out, the wind decided to show up to burst my bubble. Not only that, but the first 10-15 miles of that extra loop was mostly uphill. Riding uphill into the wind I was averaging about 10 mph, which is almost, but not entirely, completely unlike fun. The last bit of the loop was mostly downhill though, and it started with a wicked hill. I let loose on the way down and got going about 45 mph. Mom pitched a fit about me going so fast (something about I could have crashed and died, or something) but I have to say it was wicked fun!
I made it back to Newton around 11:30 and ate a quick lunch. Of course, by the time I got there, the ladies were ready to go, especially since there was a dark and sinister storm wall looming in the distance. I was pretty knackered at that point though, and really just wanted to relax a bit before going on. They ended up setting off ahead of me with the expectation that I would catch them up. I almost did, too, before they made it to the next rest stop.
The end of the ride was uneventful. The wind was grueling and I apparently made a nice wind block. There were a few places where the pavement was wet, but we didn't get rained on ourselves. For the last 20 miles or so, I was really in the groove of things and just sort of checked out and let my legs do the work on their own. We finished around 2:30. All in all it was not a bad ride, but certainly not the best I've ever done. Stupid wind. I guess I should be really thankful we missed the rain and had sun most of the time; more than Dad can say.
I would like to say that the Bonneville Cycling Club, the guys who put on Little Red, set up the rest stops at odd places. The first was only 5 miles out, the second was Newton at 17. There weren't any stops on the extra loop for the 62 miles, so I went 20 miles straight before I got back to Newton. On the way back, the next stop was only 6 miles farther, then it was another15 miles, but it was only 5 miles from the end. Last summer when Dad and I rode the ULCER the rest stops were spaced much better. It's funny, because Bonneville does both rides.
Here are some pictures of us and the Big Bad Wolf... get it, 'cause the ride was Little Red Riding Hood. It's at the end of the ride and we all have our celebratory sparkling cider.
Me and the BBW Mom, BBW, Suzanne, Me
Monday, May 19, 2008
Sunday Riding
In accordance with our typical training schedule (short rides several times during the week, and a long ride Sunday morning) we rode about 50 miles this last Sunday. It was a wicked good ride! The weather was fine, the roads were (mostly) clear, we were cruisin' at a good pace the whole time and the awesomism* was high.
Some people may ask, why on earth would someone want to ride their bike 50 miles? And that's a very good question. It is certainly not an easy feat- it takes endurance and strength and a butt that is impervious to pain. But that's sort of what we do. The rides are only going to get longer because we're getting ready of the epic rides of the summer. On the schedule:
Little Red Riding Hood - a Women only ride the first weekend in June. I'm riding it with my Mom and Suzanne (a co-worker/friend of Mom's; she does quite a lot of riding with us). There are several options for distance, ranging from 35 to 104 miles. I'm planning on doing at least 62... maybe will do 80. Obviously, Mark is not a woman so he won't be doing this ride. His plan is to go with us to the starting point, in Logan, and ride back to Salt Lake... about a 100 mile haul. Yeah, he's a bit of a show off. Last year when he tried this though he had 3 flat tires in Brigham and only made it to Kaysville.
MS 150 - 150 miles over two days (or, if we really want to we could do 175) to raise money for The National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Speaking of that... I still am in desperate need of donations! If you have some extra money you would like to donate to a worthy cause, please help a gal out by donating a bit. I need $125 more. Any little bit will help. Please.
Skinny Tire Moab Century - 100 miles in beautiful Moab. I'm really excited about this one! It's a beautiful area and it'll be a nicely challenging ride. There are a bunch of hills which are note exactly my forte.
So, you see why we need to be riding at least 50 miles? If nothing else, our bums need to get used to being on a bike seat for hours and hours.
... of course, now I guess you might be asking "why on earth would anyone want to ride 100+ miles?" The answer to that is simple: It's really fun!
*awesomism: (n) action, process, and/or practice of being awesome
Some people may ask, why on earth would someone want to ride their bike 50 miles? And that's a very good question. It is certainly not an easy feat- it takes endurance and strength and a butt that is impervious to pain. But that's sort of what we do. The rides are only going to get longer because we're getting ready of the epic rides of the summer. On the schedule:
Little Red Riding Hood - a Women only ride the first weekend in June. I'm riding it with my Mom and Suzanne (a co-worker/friend of Mom's; she does quite a lot of riding with us). There are several options for distance, ranging from 35 to 104 miles. I'm planning on doing at least 62... maybe will do 80. Obviously, Mark is not a woman so he won't be doing this ride. His plan is to go with us to the starting point, in Logan, and ride back to Salt Lake... about a 100 mile haul. Yeah, he's a bit of a show off. Last year when he tried this though he had 3 flat tires in Brigham and only made it to Kaysville.
MS 150 - 150 miles over two days (or, if we really want to we could do 175) to raise money for The National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Speaking of that... I still am in desperate need of donations! If you have some extra money you would like to donate to a worthy cause, please help a gal out by donating a bit. I need $125 more. Any little bit will help. Please.
Skinny Tire Moab Century - 100 miles in beautiful Moab. I'm really excited about this one! It's a beautiful area and it'll be a nicely challenging ride. There are a bunch of hills which are note exactly my forte.
So, you see why we need to be riding at least 50 miles? If nothing else, our bums need to get used to being on a bike seat for hours and hours.
... of course, now I guess you might be asking "why on earth would anyone want to ride 100+ miles?" The answer to that is simple: It's really fun!
*awesomism: (n) action, process, and/or practice of being awesome
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