AT Cycling Log - 100,000 miles done! Next stop ???

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mechBgon

mechBgon

Super Moderator<br>Elite Member
Oct 31, 1999
30,699
1
0
+18 miles of errands (picking up my work laundry from the shop, and a grocery run). Rather windy today, and that's likely to continue through Monday.

Total: 31,953
 
_Rick_

_Rick_

Diamond Member
Apr 20, 2012
3,988
74
91
Rain, rain, rain, all weekend, and next week too.
It's so much harder to get excited about cycling, when it entails freezing, skidding, and not seeing anything.
Especially rainy descents, I could really do without...

Oh well, volleyball will have to make do for next week.
 
K

KMc

Golden Member
Jan 26, 2007
1,149
0
76
100 miles yesterday for my first century of the year. 40 degrees at the start, but 70 at the finish with brilliant sunshine. A stiff headwind on the final 20 miles - ouch.

Total: 32,073
 
RichieZ

RichieZ

Diamond Member
Jun 1, 2000
6,551
40
91
20mi out to hawk hill and back:
944652_10200479067933254_502904422_n.jpg


Total: 32,093
 
mechBgon

mechBgon

Super Moderator<br>Elite Member
Oct 31, 1999
30,699
1
0
About 30 miles yesterday, although I lost a few on Strava by not un-pausing my GPS. I need 35 today to wrap up the Strava distance challenge, so I'll just need to extend my homeward commute a bit. Details at 11 :D

On last night's ride I had a tailwind going up a hill that's on Strava, so I gave it a good run and am now 3rd on the leaderboard. With a 35-pound mountain bike. When the weather gets really nice, I'll have to bust out the actual road-racing bike and see if I can remember how to operate it :sneaky:

Total: 32,133
 
mechBgon

mechBgon

Super Moderator<br>Elite Member
Oct 31, 1999
30,699
1
0
37 miles yesterday, mostly mellow but I went fast on one gravel climb to snag the KOM, knocking more than a minute off my previous best of 4:51.

That wrapped up the Strava distance challenge (about 820 miles for the month). Now I may start mixing in more hill climbs on my rides.

Total: 32,170
 
_Rick_

_Rick_

Diamond Member
Apr 20, 2012
3,988
74
91
I'm not sure if I should've gone for a ride today. Had a thunderstorm pass through, temps are low, there's a lot of wind, sun is shining, but every 30 minutes a rain cloud passes through.
Looking out the window and seeing the trees getting bent, while the closest mountain range is capped by cumulonimbus clouds is somehow not comforting when aiming for a 3 hour ride.
Maybe tomorrow I'll be more courageous.
 
mechBgon

mechBgon

Super Moderator<br>Elite Member
Oct 31, 1999
30,699
1
0
mechBgon said:
37 miles yesterday, mostly mellow but I went fast on one gravel climb to snag the KOM, knocking more than a minute off my previous best of 4:51.
Click to expand...

I did a similar after-work ride today, attacking another gravel climb, taking over a minute off my previous PR of 5:02 and nabbing the KOM: http://app.strava.com/activities/51856289 That climb is tough because it has enough gravel on top to make traction an issue, AND it gets much steeper in the middle. Worst of all, you can see the steep part coming for about 1/2 mile so you can get all psyched out :eek:

+30 for the day. I think tomorrow will be errand day since I need to pay rent and get more groceries.

Total: 32,226

I'm not sure if I should've gone for a ride today. Had a thunderstorm pass through, temps are low, there's a lot of wind, sun is shining, but every 30 minutes a rain cloud passes through.

Looking out the window and seeing the trees getting bent, while the closest mountain range is capped by cumulonimbus clouds is somehow not comforting when aiming for a 3 hour ride.
Click to expand...
Yeah, days like that, I prefer to stick closer to home and chain together some hill climbs. I can always bail and be home within 20 minutes if things get nasty. Discretion is the better part of valor, etc etc.
 
Last edited:
_Rick_

_Rick_

Diamond Member
Apr 20, 2012
3,988
74
91
mechBgon said:
Discretion is the better part of valor, etc etc.
Click to expand...

Well, I took your words, and bluntly ignored them (actually, just didn't read them until right now).

Went out and aimed my bike for Chamrousse, deciding that it would be wise to climb it "clockwise", so that I'm on the "cold" side for the climb, and on the sunny side for the decent. Did it the other way round last year, and suffered badly in the heat, only to the freeze my way down.

I left around 12:30 or so, with rain and thunderstorms announced for 15:00. I chose to ignore that, and rode the ~15mi to the foot of the real climb. At around 2.5kft of altitude the first thunder stormlet passed through. Rain wasn't too cold, but I was riding in sleeveless top and shorts - and don't possess a rain jacket. I think around the time the rain stopped, I started encountering the first few bits of snow at the roadside, at around 3k-4k ft.
The cold side being slightly less steep than the hot side, didn't really change much, as it meant I was running slightly higher gearing. Around 5k ft I really got into the suffering bit, with the ground being covered in snow all around, and me reaching cloud level, with visibility in the 50 ft range. Climb topped out at 5.5k.

Descent in the wet was ...exciting, which is not how I like my descents, but I made it down alive, and luckily it was not fogged up, so I could make some speed. I got quite cold, but not too bad, when I tucked my arms in. Not remembering the corners, and it being wet, I was braking into every blind apex, and of course, wet brakes don't work brilliantly.

The way back home then was just gruesome. My stomach started getting a bit tender, as instead of my usual banana based mix, I had switched to orange juice diluted 1:8 with water, and the extra acid wasn't too kindly received. After yesterdays pasta and this morning's cereal breakfast, at least I wasn't hurting for carbs, and made the ride with no food intake.

The last miles were in rain again, as the second thunderstormlet passed through, but apparently I made it home alive. I do feel quite brutalized though.

http://app.strava.com/activities/51921656

So I add 56 harmless looking miles, and 5k ft of climb. (ignore the strava value - they should get a smoothing algorithm for GPS altimeter data....)

New Total: 32282
 
mechBgon

mechBgon

Super Moderator<br>Elite Member
Oct 31, 1999
30,699
1
0
_Rick_ said:
Well, I took your words, and bluntly ignored them (actually, just didn't read them until right now).

Went out and aimed my bike for Chamrousse, deciding that it would be wise to climb it "clockwise", so that I'm on the "cold" side for the climb, and on the sunny side for the decent. Did it the other way round last year, and suffered badly in the heat, only to the freeze my way down.

I left around 12:30 or so, with rain and thunderstorms announced for 15:00. I chose to ignore that, and rode the ~15mi to the foot of the real climb. At around 2.5kft of altitude the first thunder stormlet passed through. Rain wasn't too cold, but I was riding in sleeveless top and shorts - and don't possess a rain jacket. I think around the time the rain stopped, I started encountering the first few bits of snow at the roadside, at around 3k-4k ft.
The cold side being slightly less steep than the hot side, didn't really change much, as it meant I was running slightly higher gearing. Around 5k ft I really got into the suffering bit, with the ground being covered in snow all around, and me reaching cloud level, with visibility in the 50 ft range. Climb topped out at 5.5k.

Descent in the wet was ...exciting, which is not how I like my descents, but I made it down alive, and luckily it was not fogged up, so I could make some speed. I got quite cold, but not too bad, when I tucked my arms in. Not remembering the corners, and it being wet, I was braking into every blind apex, and of course, wet brakes don't work brilliantly.

The way back home then was just gruesome. My stomach started getting a bit tender, as instead of my usual banana based mix, I had switched to orange juice diluted 1:8 with water, and the extra acid wasn't too kindly received. After yesterdays pasta and this morning's cereal breakfast, at least I wasn't hurting for carbs, and made the ride with no food intake.

The last miles were in rain again, as the second thunderstormlet passed through, but apparently I made it home alive. I do feel quite brutalized though.

http://app.strava.com/activities/51921656

So I add 56 harmless looking miles, and 5k ft of climb. (ignore the strava value - they should get a smoothing algorithm for GPS altimeter data....)

New Total: 32282
Click to expand...

Whoa :eek: Glad you got through that one without having to stop for a flat tire or something! It's so important to keep producing warmth. If you want a bail-out jacket suggestion, I can vouch for this one: http://www.amazon.com/O2-Cycling-Rai...ng+rain+jacket You can roll it up small enough to put a rubber band around it and jam it in a jersey pocket. It's not plasticky inside, it's fleeced and fairly pleasant on your skin. The material is truly waterproof, not just a water-repellent coating on fabric. Breathability is not magical, but it's OK; I could wish for non-elastic wrist cuffs. But for that price, it's a must-have for me. I wore out my first one and had no regrets about getting another.

Yesterday I did 32 miles: 4 to work, 3 getting to a group ride, 17 on the group ride, 3 getting back, and 5 getting groceries at the supermarket and going home. That was all pretty easy pace.

Today I did 3 miles to work and 22 on the way home. For the ride home, I wanted a decent workout so I tried to keep my pace up a bit. 20.4mph average on the mountain commuter, at 158bpm average heart rate which is around 85% of my real-world max. So that was a solid ride, although a bit short. I didn't get off work until close to sundown, so I took what I could get.

Total: 32339
 
drteming

drteming

Senior member
May 9, 2005
694
0
76
Did my first imperial century today. Cold and windy. 4300' of climbing. Total of 104 miles in 5:47.

Total: 32,443
 
mechBgon

mechBgon

Super Moderator<br>Elite Member
Oct 31, 1999
30,699
1
0
The weather was very nice today, low 80s and not much wind. On the way home, I took the mountain-commuter for another highway loop south of town:

http://app.strava.com/activities/52807137 (contains some inaccurate heart-rate data, I never get HRs over 190 anymore).

45 miles at 21.0mph average. I did stop the Garmin while fixing a flat tire from a metal staple. I also did an additional 6 miles on the morning commute and the warm-up.

Total: 32,577
 
mechBgon

mechBgon

Super Moderator<br>Elite Member
Oct 31, 1999
30,699
1
0
After yesterday's fast highway ride, I wanted to do a more mellow recovery-ish ride, so I took the 22-mile rural route home. In the process I reached the first hill after leaving town and was all "oh yeah, this is a Strava segment... well heck, I'll just try to keep my momentum as long as possible." I ended up beating the previous KOM holder's mark by over 2mph, then dialed it back for the rest of the ride for an average speed of 18.6mph: http://app.strava.com/activities/53007745

That's with the mountain-commuter bike. If someone steals back my KOM, out comes the road-racing bike :)

So +22 after work and +3 on the way to work, for +25 total.

Total: 32,602
 
Last edited:
GasX

GasX

Lifer
Feb 8, 2001
29,033
6
81
9 miles on the cross bike in a small park yesterday. New PR on the loop.
http://app.strava.com/activities/52865346

38 miles today on the cross bike. Got to explore an abandoned golf course a bit and just put some miles on the road. I bonked with 8 miles to go and a strong headwind. This last part is a popular speed segment for pacelines, so I now show up on the list in last place for the segment. DOH!
http://app.strava.com/activities/53099283

Total: 32,649
 
mechBgon

mechBgon

Super Moderator<br>Elite Member
Oct 31, 1999
30,699
1
0
More great weather today, sunny and mid-80F temperatures, just a bit of a south breeze. After work, I hit the highway with the mountain commuter again. This time I made it an out-&-back:

http://app.strava.com/activities/53188455

28 miles @ 21.9mph average speed, a good result for a solo ride.

I also did another 8 miles (morning commute, warmup & coldown) so that's +36 for the day.

Total: 32,685
 
K

KMc

Golden Member
Jan 26, 2007
1,149
0
76
18 miles. Super easy pace. Just staying loose in preparation for the big weekend.

Total: 32,703
 
K

KMc

Golden Member
Jan 26, 2007
1,149
0
76
I'm not sure if anybody pays attention to the progress of the running log compared to us, but a cursory forecast analysis reveals that the cyclists will catch the runners on 7/21/15 at 91,000 miles and we will hit 100,000 miles on 11/23/15.

Just sayin'.
 
eBauer

eBauer

Senior member
Mar 8, 2002
533
0
76
Sorry in advance for posting a group of tracks. 252 miles since April 1st between commuting to work and the local trails. (I use sportstracklive pro)

Total: 32987
 
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