TT biking club

“I brought my road bike with me and as I was checking into the hotel, the clerk spotted my bike in the back of the truck and asked me if I was going to ride with the group. I said what group, he said that there was a group of serious riders that rode on monday's and I said "hook me up with a name" He did, I called and 15 minutes later I was riding with 8 strangers in Chillicothe Mo. They took me on a great rolling hills ride of 27 miles. There were 2 young boys who rode the entire way also. The hills were great, I'm out of hill shape but, I hung in there digging deep and crunching gears putting the bike through her paces. She performed great. That was on Monday and yesterday I went out solo and did the same ride. 54 hilly miles in 2 days. Today, I switched gears and did a 2.5 hour yoga practice and I feel great. I can't wait to come up again and hook up with the group and this time I'll bring the Marin MTB too as there is a 22 mile hand made mountain bike trail that the group has created.

I really lucked out and now coming up here will provide me great opportunities to meet other people.

Just thought I'd share.”

“Sounds like some great rides Stikmon. Around here there are plenty of people to bike with.

I didn't Rich. He talks down to me as well, but I knew it would be that way before I took my bike to him. I don't look like your average distance cyclist, LOL...
We only have 2 bike shops in the area and he could have mine ready by Friday. The "good" bike shop is a half an hour drive one way, so I opted for the quickest in town guy.

I keep saying I'm going to learn to adjust my bike myself, and since my new bike is a $60 tune-up, this is just the kick in the butt I need.”

“Rode 24 this morning. The only two guys to show up were the fastest ones.

And I ran with one of them yesterday at lunch . . .so I had really dead legs.

And I suggested a 2.5 mile ad on to the usual route.


Did I say my legs felt dead???”

“is a real joy. I do all my own maintenance. I've got the bike tuned to my needs. I'm real happy with the Litespeed's performance as it came to me, but now, since doing my own little micro adjustments, she's a screaming farrari. I am focused on becoming a great rider again.

My whole body feels great as a result of the rounded routine I have created for myself.”

“Picked up my bike from the #&%!$ on Saturday, took a short ride later that day. What possessed me to take it that butthead is beyond me, but I have my bike, I'm riding, I'm happy. :)”

“twiggy, glad you were able to get your bike back. That sucks about the mechanic, they can be quite rude. There is a local shop I wont go to anymore for the same reason. I am just glad I have options.

Did an 11 mile time trial yesterday that went really bad. I did learn a few things though. Your feet will automatically unclip when leaving the bike at odd angles and speeds, I verified this at least 5 times including two very solid endos. I also discovered that hitting a tree head on at high speed hurts but the damage is minimal. Large rocks are easy to dodge, unless there are lots then they are easy to hit and bend your front tire. Helmets work, 1600mg of motrin reduces pain and swelling quickly.”

“Birch, even with all the problems and aches/pains I bet you enjoyed every minute of it.”

“to my mind, that doesn't sound like fun. Wreaking my bike and me is no longer an option. At my age, hurt is not what I'm after, nor is paying for repairs on expensive equipment. Nope, I'm no longer interested in pain. Love and gentleness with solid exertion and reward is my motto, but, to each their own and there is no wrong. Take care and BE CAREFUL.”

“ewker, I can honestly say that this was the least fun of any race ever. I was really excited about it but after the 2nd mile realized that it was simply work. My concern was simply finishing. I have altered my race season too, I am not doing the entire series, just a few multi-hour deals. I have come to the conclusion that I am not a speed rider, I enjoy endurance,not intensity. I will focus on that.

Stikmon, I would agree with much of what you said. I love pushing myself but not at the cost of yesterday. Pain certainly wasnt a goal, nor was a mucked up tire.”

“When I found out I liked cycling and would stick with it, I went out and bought a service manual, workstand and all the tools I'd need to repair and tune my own bike. It was well worth the money spent and I easily got back my initial investment over the years along with the good feeling of knowing how to fix a broken bike. Not everyone will want to do that, but if you mountain bike a lot the bike gets beat up and needs lots of work. I just couldn't see myself running to a bike shop all the time.

Birch, be careful and don't get hurt out there.
last edited: 4/24/06 11:25:36 AM”

“leave some bark on the trees.”

“the usual 21 this morning. The whole crew was on board. One guy who hasn't been riding much due to work conflicts . ..so while he worked, it was more of a social gathering for the rest of us.

COLD. 35 when I started at 5:50.


My next two days are at a seminar in Tampa Bay. No bike. Conference room.”

“I have been riding my mountain bike the last 3 nights on the greenways. The greenway I ride has some good steep hills. I was going up one hill and 1 jogger came by and said I can't imagine riding a bike up that. I damn near wrecked because coming down the hill behind him was 2 scantily clad female joggers...lol It had been a while since I had ridden that bike. It is so different than riding my road bike”

“riding scantily clad females is a different ride...or did I read your posting incorrectly?

I rode my road bike every day this week, 14 miles each day. Not too shabby for a shabby dude. Next week, I hope to up that to 22 mile rides. I'm going to start doing what I call "Lance's Run" in honor of the route that Lance Armstrong rode when he'd visit with Sheryl.”

“Rode yesterday.

1) morning ride with family on a rails to trails path. 7 miles picnic lunch.


2) after we got home and the boys went off to their various birthday parties/friends houses . . .I rode 39 miles by myself. except for one 3 mile stretch of relative flat . ..it was all either up or down. A lot of hills.

3) rode the usual 21 mile route this morning.”

“I'll do intense yoga and meditation and house cleaning (an alternative form of meditation) this week. I have the first summer canoe trip to prepare for too for this coming weekend.”

“On a mountain bike, should I go with spd clip(less) pedals, flat platforms (no clip) or a combo where one side is the spd clip(less) and the other is the flat platform.

what is currently on my bike now are the spd clip(less) and yesterday, while riding through 2' tall grass, I hit a single trak that I didn't know was there and the tires slipped out and I fell over. I was locked into the pedals and couldn't prevent the fall. If I had not been locked in, I might not have fallen over. So, thats why I'm asking. thanks.

Marc”

“Stik --

I don't have any experience with clip(less) pedals on a MTB.

That would kind of freak me out. I have the "old" fashioned platforms with meatal cage and leather straps. I can yank my foot out pretty quick.

Birch my have some input . ..I know he is a pretty competitive MTBer.”

“I've used SPD clipless on my mountain bikes since the early 1990's and I'll never go back to flat platform pedals. If you are afraid of not unclipping fast enough, just adjust them to the soft setting where they release easier. Not unclipping and tipping over is mostly an issue where you are trying to clean a section and it's dicey where you might or might not make it. By using the soft setting you'll minimize the risk of being clipped in when you do fall. Eventually, your technique and pedal stroke will improve as you get used to using clipless pedals.”

“I needed a little encouragement to just "do it". Its exactly what I wanted to get. thanks.

Marc”

“You'll see how easy it is when you get out there and just do it. Be aware that if your cleats are worn down too much it will be difficult to unclip, so if you have that problem at any setting, you might need new cleats.”

“But, I'll keep that in mind and monitor the wearing.

I rode "Lance's Run" last night. Its a 28 mile loop. Its all flat, like the rest of my terrain. I averaged 17.8mph. Its a nice ride where there are FEW cars. I'll try and do this at least 3 times a week. I have a 57 mile rolling hills ride in 2 weeks. I hope I can manage that one. That will be my biggest ride in 8 years. I'm going to channel energy the night before and ask my guides for strength on that day.

Thanks gang, for all the support and encouragement. It really helps.”

“Rode in this morning.


Cross the CT River in Portland, along the flood plain. Crossed back over the river on the three car ferry between South Glastonbury and Rocky Hill. Something about a warm spring morning, sun still low in the sky, glassy river at 7:00 . ..just a great ride in.


About 31 miles.


Riding home tonight. Should be about the same distance (although a different route).”

“My ride home from work on Friday brought my day to 58.5. Satruday I got out for a couple of hours and added another 42.5.

So I know i can bike 100 in three increments over a 24 time period. Now I just have to string them together.”

“Did the morning ride.


Just two others guys. One of them the super fast guy, the other sort of compatible with me.

However, neither one of us is a strong enough counterweight to his speed. that is . ..when he starts to taek off . ..we feel compelled to keep up (rather than shrugging and watching him go).

So I was third in line waiting for my legs to warm up . ..and he took off at the 1.25 mile mark. So I yell to my buddy, who is second in line . . ."well . ..are just going to sit there, or are you going to go get him???" And he thinks its my job to lead out the chase .


So we chase him down and are whipping along a 23-26 mph where we normally do 18-19. Once we cuaght him and tucked in behind we just cranked along.

He got a flat at about mile 8. So even though our average speed was way up . ..I got home pretty late.


Am supposed to bike in out and from work tomorrow . .but the weather looks pretty cruddy.

I don't mind the rain . ..I just don't want to compete with commuter traffic in it.”

“Hello fellow cycling enthusiasts! I am taking on the challenge of raising money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. For me, this part will be more of a challenge than the actual ride since this is my first fund-raising event. I would sincerely appreciate your support. I am a little late to sign up, so I don't have much time left. The ride is June 25th, here in Southern California.

It is real easy to donate, just go to my personal livestrong web-page at:
http://www.livestrongchallenge.org/06CA/justinschmunk

Thanks in advance!”

“No showed up this monring in the rain. So i just went and did three hill repeats.”

“to your goal. Thanks for riding Justin.”

“Thank you very much! I am very appreciative of your generosity! I've got a 100 miler this Saturday as well to see where my conditioning is at.”

“Thank you for your effort. I received my confirmation just a moment ago, so, its in.

I have a 55 mile hilly ride tomorrow which I'm dreading. I"ve been sick this week and have done NO training, so, I'm going to just depend on my natural abilities to pull me through. Maybe there will be a pretty spandex clad woman there who I can draft behind. Well...I can dream anyway.”

“Aint nothin to it but to do it stikmon.

Sunday is a long ride for me, shooting for 4hrs of combined rd and trail. A buddy of mine did 120m last wknd, 6hr 30 min ride time crazy fast to me.”

“Does that include breaks???”

“that was ride time he said, not counting breaks. Every year on the longest day of summer (solstice?) the same guy does a double century with 3 friends, they ave 10 hrs of saddle time. That is nuts. He is a machine though, at his 1st iron man tri he took first in his bracket , he was 45. I would love to be as fit as he.”

“The few bike rides I've managed to get in have been very short...it's not looking good for the Trek this year...I may volunteer if I can get away at all. Too much going on. I haven't given up yet though, this was to be my 10th Trek and I wanted 10 clean rides.

I'm looking at trying lee's strategy, though I'm absolutely NOT a morning person.
Course, number 10 can always happen in my 11th year...”

“The most important part of my strategy, and this is important, nothing I will do should help me more . . .

Find a friendly wheel. And stay about 2 inches behind it.


It rained here all weekend.

I snuck out Saturday for 1 1/2 hours. Did 4 hill repeats. Each about 2.5 miles long.

Tried to hold it at about 85-90% of max effort. But the road never does up evenly over 2 miles. There are some 3% grades . ..and some 15% grades . . .so its hard to dole out an even effort across the whole thing.”

“Good advice, but motivation has never been an issue for me, and the buddy system is generally more pita(imo).

Finding training time is the issue this year. I have a bike trainer, but there is nothing more boring...”

“I did my ride on Saturday. At mile 38, the area behind my right knee started saying "I hope we're almost done". At 45 miles I told it "only 10 more to go" at 54 miles, we both said, 1 more and when I saw my truck waiting in the parking lots with my friend Janice sitting on the gate with a beaming smile on her face, I was overjoyed that I had accomplished the ride. It was a great day. My muscle area around the back and side of the knee is still a bit shaky this morning, but there is no outward pain and the body overall felt great yesterday. No soreness whatsoever.”

“I agree with Twigeater about the buddy system. Trying to coordinate riding time with someone else is generally a pain. Everyone is so busy with so many things. How many times I wound up waiting around for someone that never showed or at the last minute can't make it. I'd rather just go and do my own thing. I'll occasionally ride with someone else if the opportunity arises, but I never depend on anyone to go riding with on a regular basis.

I find indoor trainers boring too and only use one in the winter as a last resort.”

“Sorry. I wasn't clear.

Its not about riding with a buddy. That's not the secret for a successfull long charity ride in the absence of sufficient training.

It shameless drafting off a stranger.

Sneak up behind someone and toodle along in their protection.

Saves you 30% of your effort”

“http://www.rideofsilence.org/main.php

Date: May 17, 2006
Time: 7:00 pm
Where: At over 200 U.S. locations and six other countries

Join cyclists worldwide in a silent slow-paced ride (max. 12 mph/20 kph) in honor of those who have been injured or killed while cycling on public roadways.

Why does this site exist?

To HONOR those who have been injured or killed

To RAISE AWARENESS that we are here

To ask that we all SHARE THE ROAD



THE RIDE OF SILENCE WILL NOT BE QUIET
On May 17 at 7:00 PM, the Ride of Silence will begin in North America and roll across the globe. Cyclists will take to the roads in a silent procession to honor cyclists who have been killed or injured while cycling on public roadways. Although cyclists have a legal right to share the road with motorists, the motoring public often isn't aware of these rights, and sometimes not aware of the cyclists themselves.

In 2003, Chris Phelan organized the first Ride Of Silence in Dallas after endurance cyclist Larry Schwartz was hit by the mirror of a passing bus and was killed.

The Ride Of Silence is a free ride that asks its cyclists to ride no faster than 12 mph and remain silent during the ride. There is no brochure, no sponsors, no registration fees and no t-shirt. The ride, which is being held during Bike Safety month, aims to raise the awareness of motorists, police and city officials that cyclists have a legal right to the public roadways. The ride is also a chance to show respect for those who have been killed or injured.

Please check the resources on this site. If there is a Ride of Silence in your area, we encourage you to join them. If there is not a ride planned in your area, please consider adding your city to the ever-growing list of sites. To get information on how to organize and host a Ride of Silence, please click http://www.rideofsilence.org/howto.php”

“Drafting does save energy, but make sure you stay alert and trust the rider's ability in front of you because one slip up and you will most likely go down being that close. For mountain biking, no drafting and you have to suffer on your own.”

“I had a high school friend back in '75, who while riding his bike, was clipped by a motor vehicle and hooked his pedal and dragged for 100'. he had lacerations to his face and arms and required surgery.

Motor vehicles drivers who can't manuver around an object that takes up less than 4' of space should have their liscenses revoked.

Another time, I was on a sunday morning ride with friends, out on a country road, and a vehicle came up on us extemely fast, blowing his horn. We weren't even allowed the time to get in line, when he swerved around us to pass and in doing so, clipped my front tire as he came back into the lane. I almost took out 2 other people and went into the ditch. The car was loaded with husband, wife, and 2 children in the back seat, well dressed. On their way to church...late. As he passed, he was yelling and flipped my the bird. I got his liscence plate #, at the end of the ride, I went straight to the police dept and swore out a citizens complaint. 3 weeks later, I was in court with the man and wife, he was found guilty, fined and recieved points.

The point is...motor vehicle drivers need to respect cyclists...we have just as much right to be on the road as a car, and plus...we drive cars too...not only bicycles...sheesh...We don't take up that much space on the road that we can't be navigated around.”

“I'll be riding in silence on Wed, May 17th. 12 miles at 12mph. Black arm band. Ride on!”

“To those that will be riding in silence today...thank you.”

“I'm always awed by the groups who bike together and draft off each other, the ones who go for maximum performance...just not for me though, I've never been into performance anything...more into stuff just for the fun of it.

Having completed 9 Lung Association Treks, one Make a Wish ride, 5 Diabeties Rides, one bike tour to Canada, numerous unsupported solo rides (many over 50 miles) and one century ride with a friend, I know when I haven't got the "stuff" to enjoy a ride. I can't imagine how unpleasant it would be without sufficient training. Throw in an unexpected route change and/or freaky weather and it's not even a fun challenge anymore.

So it ain't gonna happen for me this year. Friday, June 16th the first day of the Trek, I'll be on Mackworth Island with the grandgirl's class making fairy house. We intend to camp with the Trek so the kids can get a "Trek experience"...I think it will be loads of fun!
:)”

“Sound like fun!!!! Have a blast!






Hope I didn't leave you with the impression that my group moves with precision . . .like a well oiled machine snaking its way down the road with seemless transition in drafting like the Tour Du Fracnce. Not even close.

Its like a big coffee klache .. . when you are feeling good and chatty . ..you roll along two abreast and chat . .when you get winded, you sneak up behind a tire and hang on.

There is only one guy in our group who really hammers hard. He leaves us all in the dust. Circles around and comes back to us. Occasionally we make route changes on the fly that leave him wondering where we've gone. We do move along at a fairly good clip . .but its pretty casual.

In last year's MS century I pulled in front for about 4 minutes total. And that was just to slow the group down to 13 mph while someone retrieved a dropped water bottle. It became a joke.

Otherwise, I just hid behind the stronger riders, drafting. The furthest I had ridden to that point was 70 miles . ..and I knew if I was going to make 100 I had to draft.

So its nothing scientific or organized . . .”

“I rode 46 miles today with my wife sons and a friend. My butt hurts, I'm sunburnt(92F today), and my knees are stiff. Other that that it was a great ride. We rode the north shore of Lake Ponchatrain. No hills mostly swampy bottomland but a paved trail. I wanted to push on and ride a second leg of trail for an additional 22 miles but no one else did. I guess my butt and legs will thank me tommrow. In a month or two I'm going to try to build up to a 100 mile day. I need to get a road bike or some slicks for my mountain bike first though. It will definitely be a challenge for me to make 100 miles even on hard surface with my fat offroad tires. I currently ride a Cannondale F2000.”

“I'm so glad you brought this thread up. I was thinking about it myself just yesterday.

I haven't biked in years, and over the last two days I have biked 35 miles. So my butt is screaming in agony as well. I did the same kind of conditions as you -- a paved mostly flat bike path on a mountain bike.

So will my butt get used to it if I keep this up? Does the soreness ever get better and go away?”

“Hopefully, you were using padded bike shorts, if not get some. The soreness will go away and as you keep riding your butt will get used to it and it won't be an issue.”

“No padded shorts. On the second day (20 miles) I had a gel cover thing for the seat, not that I could tell though. Are padded shorts lycra? This body is not ready for lycra yet.”