Holiday Weekend Rides...post Them Up!

[CAMPYBOB]

I killed a 21-mile climbing ride Friday after work...just killed it!. And...I paid for it today on a 55-mile semi-climbing ride (3,200'). Today's ride was solo that I do maybe four times a year. It winds through...not much of anything. Just farm country and the back side of a small resort lake full of summer homes and cabins.

Scenic and somewhat hilly (13% was the steepest I saw on the Garmin), the route offers not much traffic to share the road with. As is to be expected, the chip & seal sections account for about 70% of the miles and they are a slow surface that was spread right over the old potholes...they didn't even bother to fix them first. Yeah, Ohio roads mostly suck.

I was riding mainly in cruise control mode and that turned out to be a good thing. I was heads-up a lot more than usual and the views from the high points on the ride profile are really nice!

Sorry no pics and no cool road finds on this run.

Let's hear about YOUR Holiday Weekend adventures.

 

[Uawadall]

I've been a runner before a cycler and did my first run in 3 months on Friday. surprisingly my times were better than usual and it felt easier.I did a 33 mile ride with my bike group. I think I was telling you about the 250 pound group leader who I spent last weekend trying to catch up to..Today, I saw him riding seriously and spent another day trying to chase him. He was hiding his full ability the whole time,lol..I felt kind of bad because we separated a little too much from the rest of the group, but it was fun. My legs definitely took a beating today.

 

[Mr. Beanz]

Kind of a nice ride today (Saturday). Just the wife and I on the tandem. Buddies didn't ride so we went alone on the tandem. Very nice! 44.5 miles @ 16.5 average.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

I had time to get 41 miles in this afternnon. It was hot and sunny with a 5 MPH breeze...perdfect! 7 miles into the ride I ran into a friend from the team and he was just at his turn around point so we headed towards his house for the next 10-12 miles. A relaxing 16 MPH avg. and only 1,560' of climbing on the course.

I got the neighbor's Class A pusher bus 5-acres brush hogged, 3 acres of a pasture and the neighbor's 4-acre field brush hogged while smelling the freshly mowed alfalfa drying down in the 99-acre field across the road.

 

[jhuskey]

I rode Fri, Sat and today. My wife drove out about 10 miles and rode part of a loop and I usually meet her at the end. She flatted half way through. I saw her walking her bike down the road. Easy fix except my patch kits glue had dried. Had to TT it to get the car but happy ending.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

Quote by JH:
"wife...but happy ending."

No love life tales!

The self-adhesive patches sometimes fail, but are always easier to use on the roadside. No spare tube between the two of you?

Man, I'm all out of energy this evening. Just chillin' watching NASTYCAR at Durlin'ton. We've had nothing but hot, dry air since the second week of July...not that I'm complaining after the last two killer Winters and a really wet April-May-June this Summer. But, the humidity and sun finally got to me today. I rode well, but after the ride and while on the tractor I just felt empty. Dehydrated a little? Hunger knock? Old age?!?!

Did I tell you about the ShamWow (Made In Germany!) I found last week?! As usual , I've scored a couple dozen tarp straps, a few binder ratchet and friction lock straps, some cool hand tools and what not, but the ShamWow has got the biggest laughs and kudos from the group of road find collectors that send pics to each other of our scores.

 

[Mr. Beanz]

Sunday another 35 miles on the tandem with Gina. 17.0 average 90 degrees today.

 

[Corzhens]

I love the pics of that tandem bike and I thought I was that one on the rear but it was Gina. We have the same body built, I guess. I have tried tandem bikign just once when we were in a mountain resort late last year. My sister and I tried that tandem bike there. And since the terrain is uphill and downhill, we had a trying time with the tandem particularly in the uphill because it was heavy to the pedals.

 

[jhuskey]

Quote by JH:
"wife...but happy ending."

No love life tales!

The self-adhesive patches sometimes fail, but are always easier to use on the roadside. No spare tube between the two of you?

Man, I'm all out of energy this evening. Just chillin' watching NASTYCAR at Durlin'ton. We've had nothing but hot, dry air since the second week of July...not that I'm complaining after the last two killer Winters and a really wet April-May-June this Summer. But, the humidity and sun finally got to me today. I rode well, but after the ride and while on the tractor I just felt empty. Dehydrated a little? Hunger knock? Old age?!?!

Did I tell you about the ShamWow (Made In Germany!) I found last week?! As usual , I've scored a couple dozen tarp straps, a few binder ratchet and friction lock straps, some cool hand tools and what not, but the ShamWow has got the biggest laughs and kudos from the group of road find collectors that send pics to each other of our scores.

I like the sticky patches better but been putting off stopping by the bike shop for some time now. I have actually only had one to partially fail and no I wasn't carrying an extra tube, always been able to patch the leaks. I always carry one in the car. My wife has watched me
fix a flat on the roadside several time but she said after watching me this time she wanted to try it herself. I am
going to get her all the tools and a pump. I am going to give my legs a rest today.

 

[Mr. Beanz]

We have the same body built, I guess.

Really! SO hey baby, what's your sign? :lol:

One thing about riding a tandem is one can not get the whole experience on one ride. The team must be synchronized or it's a drag. It takes a few rides to even begin to start getting it together. Gina and I have had a lot of practice riding together so it's cool. I tried with a buddy that is much stronger on the bike than Gina and it sucked! Felt like we were fighting one another rather than working together. It's really a different experience once you get rolling. B)

 

[Uawadall]

23.5 miles at a 15.8 pace with 1500 feet of elevation gain. I've alternated running and cycling for the last 5 days and my legs were killing me today, I couldn't do any standing climbing. I started a killer hill and was one or two gears to high. I was 90% through it when my cadence dropped to nearly nothing and I rode back home.I'm fine with putting myself through pain, but not at the expense of safety(no point in risking falling over while clipped in).It was hard, but hopefully I will benefit from it. I won't have another chance to ride until Friday so hopefully i'll be fresh by then.

One thing about riding a tandem is one can not get the whole experience on one ride. The team must be synchronized or it's a drag. It takes a few rides to even begin to start getting it together. Gina and I have had a lot of practice riding together so it's cool. I tried with a buddy that is much stronger on the bike than Gina and it sucked! Felt like we were fighting one another rather than working together. It's really a different experience once you get rolling. B)

I was going to ask you how riding a tandem is, you must really have to be in sync with someone to use one of those. Hows descending and cornering on one of those?

 

[CAMPYBOB]

I got rolling early to beat the 90° heat and do a metric this morning. The plan worked! A rolling route with only 2,800' of climbing. I haven't got the ride off the Garmin yet, but my legs started out dead from yesterday so I'm guessing somewhere in the geezerish 15-16 MPH region. I didn't take advantage of the tailwind on the way North and worked against a steady, moderate headwind on the way back. My legs recovered and I was rolling nicely over the last 10 miles.

Another bone-dry day here in Ohio with only a few light clouds in the sky.

 

[Mr. Beanz]

. Hows descending and cornering on one of those?

Descending is rock solid. We went down a 3/4 mile hill, no pedaling just in a tuck and hit 56 MPH without trying. Too fast to say it was fun but the bike is rock solid. Helmets and shades are jumping around on your face like crazy but tandems are built to be stable.

On the turns can be very natural like a single but that depends a lot on the stoker (back rider). My wife is very relaxed and goes with the flow so it's cool.

Ina pace line it is much easier to just take the front and set the pace. Every now and then we get behind another rider for a little help and it's a bit tougher. Hard to respond when the gaps open. I see what we need to do but the stoker can't see so when I sprint, she doesn't and it hurts. Too many rides can't hold a steady pace so it's hard on us, speed up, tap brakes, speed up, tap brakes. Really hard on a tandem because when she realizes I am stomping the pedal, it's time to tap the brakes, waste of energy. So most times we just move back to the front and do our thing. B)

 

[Mr. Beanz]

Our tandem friends Ron and Dixie run a Go Pro on the front and rear of their bike. He sent me the footage so I made a little video of our 45 miler.

This was the day after our wedding anniversary! :wub:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGhkAIMRStA

 

[CAMPYBOB]

Congratulations on the anniversary, Mr. B. and Gina.

I forgot to add...I found a 15" made in the U.S.A. tarp strap and a $35 pair of Mechanix MPact gloves that still had the price tag on them. Some Oil & Gas Energy worker is going to be ****** when he figures out he lost his new gloves. Impact protection gloves are required in the shale drilling game on all the well pads, mid-stream processing facilities, etc. Truck drivers cannot even exit their cabs on a well pad site without being in the requisite LONG SLEEVE (on a 90°+ day!) FRS fire resistant clothing, contractor approved hi-vis vest, hard hat, eye protection, steel toe boots and the impact protection gloves.

 

[Mr. Beanz]

Congratulations on the anniversary, Mr. B. and Gina.

Why thank you kind sir! B)