I see that we haven't posted anything of late. My excuse is that I was in Rochester, NY, sans bike all last week. Poor me. Cassie hasn't been riding very much, either. In theory, we're getting ready for the Moab Century, but I don't think we'll make it.
I tried riding up Millcreek Canyon on Tuesday after my pilates therapy. Unfortunately, it was 5 miles of hills to get to the canyon, and I was pooped by the time I got there. I only rode about 2 miles up before I gave out.
I did ride up Emigration Canyon today, all the way to Little Mountain. The way I ride this canyon is to break it down into small sections. I recite a litany as I ascend:
Ruth's
Camp K
Pueblo Amarillo
Short Cut
Love Shack
Creek House
Tyvek
Broken Bridge
Junk House
40 Mile
Powerhouse House
Big Bend
Sun and the Moon
Tile Wall
Pinecrest
S-s-s-s-s-s-s-snake
Hairpin and
Little Mountain.
As I pass each spot I recite the littany from that point. If you ride or drive up Emigration, see if you can identify the landmarks.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Tooele Loop-di-loop
Marsha Luke and I went for a nice little ride today (where the heck was Cassie????) in colorful, happenin Tooele County. The ride started in Grantsville, toured the north end of the Tooele Army Depot, past Larry Miller's Sports Park (NASCAR racetrack), and down part of the beautiful Erda Road, concluding with a circumnavigation of the amoeba-like Stanbury Park. map of Tooele Loop
We left the house at 6:30 am, much to Luke's chagrin, to beat the heat. The ehat never amounted to much today, though. As you will note from the map, the course is basically a triangle: first leg to Tooele (uphill), second leg to Stansbury Park (downhill), and the third leg back to Grantsville (flat). We averaged about 15 mph over 32 miles.
We left the house at 6:30 am, much to Luke's chagrin, to beat the heat. The ehat never amounted to much today, though. As you will note from the map, the course is basically a triangle: first leg to Tooele (uphill), second leg to Stansbury Park (downhill), and the third leg back to Grantsville (flat). We averaged about 15 mph over 32 miles.
Monday, June 30, 2008
MS 150 Bike Ride - Best Dam Ride ever!
Special MS 150 Installment
Factoids:
• Distance rode: 143.69 miles over two days
• Average speed: 16 mph on Saturday, 14 mph on Sunday
• Number of riders: 3,000
• Money raised: Over 1.5 million!
Well, the MS 150 is behind us now, and it’s time for my account of Cassie’s and my adventures.
As is common for all events in Utah, our story begins with food. Since we left SLC for Logan a little after 5:00 PM, we naturally decided to stop someplace for our carb-loading supper. We chose to go to the Golden Phoenix, a Chinese restaurant on State Street, where we partook of most excellent chicken chowmein (noodlecarbs) and salt baked squid. They bake their squid with jalapeno peppers, which makes for a very intense flavor. Yum!
It would be pretty easy to say that everything was anticlimactic after that, but it would be a lie. True, we got stuck in traffic heading north, but it only lasted for so long. We got to the Logan Fairgrounds around 7:00 and found where Jane Santora had set up our team’s camp site. Team Dogmeat consisted of me, Cassie, Jane and Steve Santora, Jacques D’Astous and a couple of people I only saw briefly Saturday night. Steve and Jacques are surgeons at Shriners (Jacques was Cassie’s surgeon when she had her spine surgery). We set up our tent and sat around waiting for Jacques and Steve to arrive. Steve had spent the previous week at a mandolin camp in California and Jacques picked him up at the airport.
Saturday morning came all too soon. I don’t think I fell asleep until about 3:00 AM. There was a street light shining through our tent, and with the noise of 3,000 people camping nearby, I found it hard to get to sleep. (Funny, I had no problem sleeping - C) Regardless, we were up at 6:00 when we grabbed a bagel & muffin breakfast, got the bikes ready, and hit the road a little after 7:00. Jacques rode with Cassie and me as we headed on a 75-mile loop that went West and North of Logan. In fact, we actually ventured into Idaho for several miles.
The weather was beautiful. NO WIND! The temperature was probably in the low 70’s to start, and not a cloud in the sky. NO WIND! It was a pretty casual ride—we averaged 16 mph over the 75 miles. NO WIND! The MS people had rest stops set up about every 10 miles where you could refill water bottles and get some snacky food stuff. I was a little concerned because they seemed to only have fruit (apples, bananas, oranges), granola bars and fruit snacks. All too sweet for me to stomach. I managed to get by till lunch where they had ham and cheese sandwiches and chips (salt, m-m-m-m-m). At the last rest stop of the day, with 9 miles to go, they finally had cheese and peanut butter crackers and (shudder) tasty Slim Jims! I did okay.
Saturday’s ride was mostly flats. There were only a few smallish hills as we rode along the East bench of the mountains, as we turned South. It looked very much like pictures of (to be said with a French accent) Provence – only without the vineyards and gothic churches. Just beautiful! NO WIND! Jane and Steve broke a chain on their tandem bike along there somewhere and we stopped to help them. After that, Jacques rode with them.
The last nine miles, Cassie let me ride at my own pace, around 18 mph. It was nice to stretch out and go! (he makes it sound like 16 mph is a slow pace! I say it's a perfectly respectable clip for the distance we were doing - C) I even overtook the other three about a mile short of the fairgrounds. Cassie really wasn’t far behind.
After the ride, we all changed out of our riding togs, went over to the Logan Public Swimming Pool for a quick shower and rested up a bit. At 3:00 a live band started playing and we went over for supper (lasagna and salad) around 6:00. After supper, the MS people presented awards and had a raffle. Steve bought all of us raffle tickets. Cassie and I had no cash with us. The grand prize was a $4,000 Specialized road bike. Cassie and I would have really liked that, I can tell you. We didn’t win.
Cassie and I went over to the pool where there was an MS pool party. It felt good to just float around in the water. We went down one of the water slides once, but the water was ice-cold. You never saw so many funny tans and sunburns as at that pool party. Everybody had some kind of biker’s tan either on their legs, backs or arms. Or like me, all three places.
When we got back to camp, Jacques and Steve were practicing on their mandolins and gave a mini concert. Very pleasant. We sat around and talked till 10:00, and turned in. I had put the rain fly on the tent to block out most of the outside light, and I slept much better.
Sunday dawned much like Saturday. They served pancakes, scrambled eggs and hash browns for breakfast. Very good. We hopped on our bikes and took off.
The consensus of our team was that we weren’t going to do the whole 75 miles. There was a nice place where you could cut off about 15 miles. Sunday’s ride promised a lot of hills, so we were okay with cutting it short. As we approached the first rest stop, we rounded a corner and ran smack dab into a steep hill. I didn’t gear down so it was a strain to get up it. Rude. As we approached the canyon that goes up to Hardware Ranch, we encountered some nasty winds. There was a bit of South wind trying to knock us over and a canyon wind trying to stop us. The bottom of the canyon had some steep pitches, so it was a struggle the first three or four miles. But the canyon went on for 14 and most of it was fairly gentle and very scenic. The road follows a fishing stream and is flanked by high squared-ff mountains. And everything was very green.
I reached the rest stop at the top of the canyon first, then Jacques. I rode back down till I met Cassie, then rode back up with her. We had a ripping good time going down, although I would say the going up was harder than the downhill was easy. Unfortunately, as we exited the canyon there was a big ol’ stinkin’ hill we had to go up and over. I would say that was the steepest, longest slope we had to ride! Not fun. After that we only encountered small gentle hills, but the heat got hotter and Cassie kinda ran out of gas (that's implying that I had much to begin with. I was riding pretty poorly all day. But I finished the thing! - C). But we got back to the Fairgrounds in good time, packed up and headed home.
Factoids:
• Distance rode: 143.69 miles over two days
• Average speed: 16 mph on Saturday, 14 mph on Sunday
• Number of riders: 3,000
• Money raised: Over 1.5 million!
Well, the MS 150 is behind us now, and it’s time for my account of Cassie’s and my adventures.
As is common for all events in Utah, our story begins with food. Since we left SLC for Logan a little after 5:00 PM, we naturally decided to stop someplace for our carb-loading supper. We chose to go to the Golden Phoenix, a Chinese restaurant on State Street, where we partook of most excellent chicken chowmein (noodlecarbs) and salt baked squid. They bake their squid with jalapeno peppers, which makes for a very intense flavor. Yum!
It would be pretty easy to say that everything was anticlimactic after that, but it would be a lie. True, we got stuck in traffic heading north, but it only lasted for so long. We got to the Logan Fairgrounds around 7:00 and found where Jane Santora had set up our team’s camp site. Team Dogmeat consisted of me, Cassie, Jane and Steve Santora, Jacques D’Astous and a couple of people I only saw briefly Saturday night. Steve and Jacques are surgeons at Shriners (Jacques was Cassie’s surgeon when she had her spine surgery). We set up our tent and sat around waiting for Jacques and Steve to arrive. Steve had spent the previous week at a mandolin camp in California and Jacques picked him up at the airport.
Saturday morning came all too soon. I don’t think I fell asleep until about 3:00 AM. There was a street light shining through our tent, and with the noise of 3,000 people camping nearby, I found it hard to get to sleep. (Funny, I had no problem sleeping - C) Regardless, we were up at 6:00 when we grabbed a bagel & muffin breakfast, got the bikes ready, and hit the road a little after 7:00. Jacques rode with Cassie and me as we headed on a 75-mile loop that went West and North of Logan. In fact, we actually ventured into Idaho for several miles.
The weather was beautiful. NO WIND! The temperature was probably in the low 70’s to start, and not a cloud in the sky. NO WIND! It was a pretty casual ride—we averaged 16 mph over the 75 miles. NO WIND! The MS people had rest stops set up about every 10 miles where you could refill water bottles and get some snacky food stuff. I was a little concerned because they seemed to only have fruit (apples, bananas, oranges), granola bars and fruit snacks. All too sweet for me to stomach. I managed to get by till lunch where they had ham and cheese sandwiches and chips (salt, m-m-m-m-m). At the last rest stop of the day, with 9 miles to go, they finally had cheese and peanut butter crackers and (shudder) tasty Slim Jims! I did okay.
Saturday’s ride was mostly flats. There were only a few smallish hills as we rode along the East bench of the mountains, as we turned South. It looked very much like pictures of (to be said with a French accent) Provence – only without the vineyards and gothic churches. Just beautiful! NO WIND! Jane and Steve broke a chain on their tandem bike along there somewhere and we stopped to help them. After that, Jacques rode with them.
The last nine miles, Cassie let me ride at my own pace, around 18 mph. It was nice to stretch out and go! (he makes it sound like 16 mph is a slow pace! I say it's a perfectly respectable clip for the distance we were doing - C) I even overtook the other three about a mile short of the fairgrounds. Cassie really wasn’t far behind.
After the ride, we all changed out of our riding togs, went over to the Logan Public Swimming Pool for a quick shower and rested up a bit. At 3:00 a live band started playing and we went over for supper (lasagna and salad) around 6:00. After supper, the MS people presented awards and had a raffle. Steve bought all of us raffle tickets. Cassie and I had no cash with us. The grand prize was a $4,000 Specialized road bike. Cassie and I would have really liked that, I can tell you. We didn’t win.
Cassie and I went over to the pool where there was an MS pool party. It felt good to just float around in the water. We went down one of the water slides once, but the water was ice-cold. You never saw so many funny tans and sunburns as at that pool party. Everybody had some kind of biker’s tan either on their legs, backs or arms. Or like me, all three places.
When we got back to camp, Jacques and Steve were practicing on their mandolins and gave a mini concert. Very pleasant. We sat around and talked till 10:00, and turned in. I had put the rain fly on the tent to block out most of the outside light, and I slept much better.
Sunday dawned much like Saturday. They served pancakes, scrambled eggs and hash browns for breakfast. Very good. We hopped on our bikes and took off.
The consensus of our team was that we weren’t going to do the whole 75 miles. There was a nice place where you could cut off about 15 miles. Sunday’s ride promised a lot of hills, so we were okay with cutting it short. As we approached the first rest stop, we rounded a corner and ran smack dab into a steep hill. I didn’t gear down so it was a strain to get up it. Rude. As we approached the canyon that goes up to Hardware Ranch, we encountered some nasty winds. There was a bit of South wind trying to knock us over and a canyon wind trying to stop us. The bottom of the canyon had some steep pitches, so it was a struggle the first three or four miles. But the canyon went on for 14 and most of it was fairly gentle and very scenic. The road follows a fishing stream and is flanked by high squared-ff mountains. And everything was very green.
I reached the rest stop at the top of the canyon first, then Jacques. I rode back down till I met Cassie, then rode back up with her. We had a ripping good time going down, although I would say the going up was harder than the downhill was easy. Unfortunately, as we exited the canyon there was a big ol’ stinkin’ hill we had to go up and over. I would say that was the steepest, longest slope we had to ride! Not fun. After that we only encountered small gentle hills, but the heat got hotter and Cassie kinda ran out of gas (that's implying that I had much to begin with. I was riding pretty poorly all day. But I finished the thing! - C). But we got back to the Fairgrounds in good time, packed up and headed home.
Friday, June 27, 2008
MS 150 Live!!!
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.
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.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Hitting the Paceline
So, after hearing about the Little Red Riding Hood, I decided to give Marsha, Cassie $ Susan a couple of lessons in riding in a paceline. A paceline is where a group of riders ride in single line. This way, only the leader has to ride into the wind, the followers can draft. Up till now, I always led the rides.
Today was different. We each took our turn at the front. The leader would set the pace for about 1.5 miles, then we'd switch. We had some success. Marsha and Susan don't have computers, so they had a hard time telling how fast they were going. Cassie and I would correct them as we could.
We went this way for about ten miles, where we hit a series of hills and lost all cohesion. After that, Cassie and I went off to add some miles and the other two went their shorter way.
By the way, the wind blows from the south 375 days of the year. Today, since we were riding primarily north, the wind came out of the north!
Today was different. We each took our turn at the front. The leader would set the pace for about 1.5 miles, then we'd switch. We had some success. Marsha and Susan don't have computers, so they had a hard time telling how fast they were going. Cassie and I would correct them as we could.
We went this way for about ten miles, where we hit a series of hills and lost all cohesion. After that, Cassie and I went off to add some miles and the other two went their shorter way.
By the way, the wind blows from the south 375 days of the year. Today, since we were riding primarily north, the wind came out of the north!
Riding On Weak Legs
Oh man! Today's ride totally kicked my ass. We went about 57 miles, and it was mostly flat. It probably wouldn't have been a problem for me at all if I hadn't started out tired.
I did way too much with my legs yesterday. I rode my bike (the fixed gear) about 5 miles just getting from one place to another all day. I worked in the morning then went to a dance workshop, went swimming and then went out dancing again. After all that my legs were completely worn out by the time I went to bed, and it carried on into this morning.
I figured that riding tired today was good practice for the MS 150 that we're riding next weekend. The plan is to ride 75 miles on Saturday and then another 75 on Sunday. I imagine we'll be a little worn out for the 75 on Sunday. I think it will be fine as long as there aren't too many hills. That's what really killed me today- going up hills.
It was not a bad ride though. I finished the full 55, so that's optimistic. If I'm this tired next Sunday, I'm pretty sure I can will myself another 20 miles past what we did today. It will be a great adventure to see what happens.
As long as we're talking about the MS 150, I have to urge you to donate a little. It's a really good cause.
I did way too much with my legs yesterday. I rode my bike (the fixed gear) about 5 miles just getting from one place to another all day. I worked in the morning then went to a dance workshop, went swimming and then went out dancing again. After all that my legs were completely worn out by the time I went to bed, and it carried on into this morning.
I figured that riding tired today was good practice for the MS 150 that we're riding next weekend. The plan is to ride 75 miles on Saturday and then another 75 on Sunday. I imagine we'll be a little worn out for the 75 on Sunday. I think it will be fine as long as there aren't too many hills. That's what really killed me today- going up hills.
It was not a bad ride though. I finished the full 55, so that's optimistic. If I'm this tired next Sunday, I'm pretty sure I can will myself another 20 miles past what we did today. It will be a great adventure to see what happens.
As long as we're talking about the MS 150, I have to urge you to donate a little. It's a really good cause.
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
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Logan to Salt Lake City
So today was the Big Ride Day. Cassie, Marsha and I drove up to Logan last night. We checked into our motel about 10:00 PM. I didn't sleep much.
Got up and had breakfast in the lobby. Not too bad - cereal and a bagel. Then at 6:30, I hopped on my bike and headed back toward Salt Lake. I'm sure Cassie will write about The Little Red Riding Hood.
I soon hit a snag. Hiway 30, that leaves Cache Valley to the West was under construction. Looked like there was no pavement for miles. So I headed south to go over Sardine Canyon. I did ride through some nice farmland with lots of waterfowl preserves. I was harassed several times by redwing blackbirds.
I dreaded going over Sardine, as I remembered it being very tough going last year. But actually, the getting there was a lot harder. I had to crawl up and down several hills to get to the highway. I saw a lot (dozens!) of women riding their bikes to the start of LRRH. I guess 100 miles isn't enough for some people.
Anyway, the climb up to the pass wasn't really all that bad. And the ride down (30-35 mph) was a gas. Then, when I hit Brigham City and turned south, I hit a nice head wind. Reminds me of an old War (the group) song. Goes like this:
Wind - Huh!
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothin'!
Say it again.
Actually the weather only got worse from there. In Roy, after 50-some miles, it started to rain, and I rode in rain for the next 90 minutes. I failed to mention that it was a cool day, only around 50 degrees. I froze. My feet were numb and the large muscles in my legs didn't work too good.
I stopped to eat lunch at the Quiznos in Layton around noon, and at last the sun came out. So the rest of the ride wasn't too bad.
95.5 miles and NO FLATS!
Got up and had breakfast in the lobby. Not too bad - cereal and a bagel. Then at 6:30, I hopped on my bike and headed back toward Salt Lake. I'm sure Cassie will write about The Little Red Riding Hood.
I soon hit a snag. Hiway 30, that leaves Cache Valley to the West was under construction. Looked like there was no pavement for miles. So I headed south to go over Sardine Canyon. I did ride through some nice farmland with lots of waterfowl preserves. I was harassed several times by redwing blackbirds.
I dreaded going over Sardine, as I remembered it being very tough going last year. But actually, the getting there was a lot harder. I had to crawl up and down several hills to get to the highway. I saw a lot (dozens!) of women riding their bikes to the start of LRRH. I guess 100 miles isn't enough for some people.
Anyway, the climb up to the pass wasn't really all that bad. And the ride down (30-35 mph) was a gas. Then, when I hit Brigham City and turned south, I hit a nice head wind. Reminds me of an old War (the group) song. Goes like this:
Wind - Huh!
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothin'!
Say it again.
Actually the weather only got worse from there. In Roy, after 50-some miles, it started to rain, and I rode in rain for the next 90 minutes. I failed to mention that it was a cool day, only around 50 degrees. I froze. My feet were numb and the large muscles in my legs didn't work too good.
I stopped to eat lunch at the Quiznos in Layton around noon, and at last the sun came out. So the rest of the ride wasn't too bad.
95.5 miles and NO FLATS!
Saturday, May 31, 2008
So, I'm posting the map for this Sunday's ride. I need to log about 70 miles in preparation for the Logan to Salt Lake ride next week. We have found that the roads in this area of Utah are good for riding on the weekends, as there isn't very much traffic, and the roads are wide and well-paved. 50-mile loop
This my route for getting to Centerville map . It's a little bothersome at first with all the traffic lights, but gets better once you head north.
For these Sunday rides, I ride at about a 15 mile per hour pace. When I ride on my own, I generally go at about 17-18 mph. In my best century time, I averaged around 25 mph. In that case, I had help from two friends making a paceline. It was pretty sweet!
This my route for getting to Centerville map . It's a little bothersome at first with all the traffic lights, but gets better once you head north.
For these Sunday rides, I ride at about a 15 mile per hour pace. When I ride on my own, I generally go at about 17-18 mph. In my best century time, I averaged around 25 mph. In that case, I had help from two friends making a paceline. It was pretty sweet!
Sunday, May 25, 2008
First Century of the Season
On June 7th, as Cassie and Marsha wind their way around Logan, I'll be riding back to Salt Lake City. It will be close to 100 miles. I have done a few of these solo, unsupported centuries before, and it's just important to remember to drink lots of fluids (i go through a water bottle about every 20 miles) and to break for food ocassionally. It will take me somewhere around seven hours to complete, if I don't get any flats.
The tricky part this year has been getting miles in on our Sunday rides. Today's was cut short because Cassie busted a spoke about 38 miles in the ride. I managed to get in 50 miles by going back to the car so I could pick her up, but I should have gone 60! However, I rode 20-some miles yesterday, so maybe that counts
See Map
Speaking of yesterday,Bikers Edge sponsored a bike demo at the mouth of Emigration Canyon. I tried out a $3500 carbon fiber Cannondale. Totally cool! Weighed about five pounds. They will be doing another one in three weeks (while I'm riding back from Logan) and all you need to bring is a picture ID and pedals and they'll let you take out a bike for a couple of hours. Sweet deal!
The tricky part this year has been getting miles in on our Sunday rides. Today's was cut short because Cassie busted a spoke about 38 miles in the ride. I managed to get in 50 miles by going back to the car so I could pick her up, but I should have gone 60! However, I rode 20-some miles yesterday, so maybe that counts
See Map
Speaking of yesterday,Bikers Edge sponsored a bike demo at the mouth of Emigration Canyon. I tried out a $3500 carbon fiber Cannondale. Totally cool! Weighed about five pounds. They will be doing another one in three weeks (while I'm riding back from Logan) and all you need to bring is a picture ID and pedals and they'll let you take out a bike for a couple of hours. Sweet deal!
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
Sunday, May 18, 2008
An unfortunate incident
Let this be a warning!
Coming home from my Mother's home tonite, we were stopped at the traffic light at 20th East and 33rd South, heading north on 20th. As the light turned green for us we watched as some idiot on his five-speed cruiser came speeding down 33rd, and ran the light. This was a good three or four seconds after the light had changed.
He hadn't tried to slow down. He wasn't wearing a helmet. He was wearing a straw hat, however. He got through the intersection okay, but he must have hit something 'cause he biffed like a rag doll about ten feet later. He went down face first and wasn't moving as far as we could see. Several cars ahead of us pulled over to assist him, and I don't know what happened, but I'm sure he's hurtin'.
So people:
Coming home from my Mother's home tonite, we were stopped at the traffic light at 20th East and 33rd South, heading north on 20th. As the light turned green for us we watched as some idiot on his five-speed cruiser came speeding down 33rd, and ran the light. This was a good three or four seconds after the light had changed.
He hadn't tried to slow down. He wasn't wearing a helmet. He was wearing a straw hat, however. He got through the intersection okay, but he must have hit something 'cause he biffed like a rag doll about ten feet later. He went down face first and wasn't moving as far as we could see. Several cars ahead of us pulled over to assist him, and I don't know what happened, but I'm sure he's hurtin'.
So people:
- Always wear a helmet
- Obey the traffic laws
- Don't over ride your abilities
- Always wear a helmet!
Friday, May 16, 2008
Cotton Bottom
If you are looking for a fairly easy 20-mile ride on the East Side, then you might want to try the Cotton Bottom Loop. It has a few hills, but not too many, and they're not too steep.
See the Map
See the Map
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Meet the Bikers
We are bikers in Salt Lake City. We ride our bikes. Now that the obvious is out of the way...
Mostly the kind of riding we like to do is of the road persuasion. We train to ride super epic centuries around the Salt Lake area. Though this September we're planning on heading down to beautiful Moab for the Skinny Tire Century.
In this blog we would like to share with you, our lovely and devoted readers, our routes, experiences, frustrations, and whatever else might pop into our heads that we can relate to biking.
Mostly the kind of riding we like to do is of the road persuasion. We train to ride super epic centuries around the Salt Lake area. Though this September we're planning on heading down to beautiful Moab for the Skinny Tire Century.
In this blog we would like to share with you, our lovely and devoted readers, our routes, experiences, frustrations, and whatever else might pop into our heads that we can relate to biking.
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