Bipolar Group Rides

Ride Stats

• Distance:55.71


• Time:3:07:35


• Avg. Speed17.9 mph


• Max. Speed46.7 mph


• Climbing:4590 ft


• Avg. HR:144 bpm


• Energy:2272 cal


• Dist 2007:868.7

61°

High: 67° Low: 57°

My IE

61°

High: 67° Low: 57°

Had an interesting group ride this past Sunday with what seems to be the group ride to join in the area. I had attempted to catch the ride a few weeks ago but had difficulty locating the meeting point. For some strange reason, the organizers decided the best spot to converge was at a local mall well outside of town flanked by only highways and dead end roads. Not to be doomed by the same portentous fate of weeks gone by I absolutely hammered the entire way to the commercial cornucopia. For the first time this year, my "medium-rare" pace was placed directly on the fire with my speed averaging around 26. After about 25 minutes I arrived at the mall and with several minutes to spare. One by one riders coasted up to the meeting spot and each new rider added diversity to the assemblage. A few older guys. A few young guys. A few hardcore racers. A few guys still riding their "winter" bikes. A few guys riding 100% carbon fiber "my bike costs more than your house" rigs. Some dressed like it was 35°F, a few dressed like it was 60°F. The only commonality was that we were all there for the ride and we all spoke Czech. Oh wait, maybe not all.

It was really slow at first and a drastic contrast to my effort to get to the mall. I had no idea where we were going but tried to do my part by taking turns in the rotation at the front. Previously on this ride I talked to 3 or 4 guys and had some great conversations (in English of course) :) This ride seemed to be less fluent but I don't like to talk too much while riding anyway. After an hour or so I realized that I really needed to relieve myself from the morning's coffee. I waited for several miles to find an inconspicuous spot where I would be sure not to loose site of the group (important since I didn't know where we were going and really didn't know where we were). My stop, however, coincided with an increase in the group's speed as I had to chase hard to regain contact.

The increase in pace also included an increase in hills which is much more enjoyable than flat roads in my opinion. A few rides peeled off for home as the group forged ahead. Suddenly I realized where we were! The only problem was that we had been riding for 2.5 hours and we were going AWAY from the city. Riding along my normal route was a nice change since I knew what to expect in terms of approaching hills. I was riding 3rd in line when we approached a fork in the road. The first two guys headed left saying something like "Na horu" (which I think means 'to the hills' or something), the 3 behind be headed right. I went with the first 2 guys since they were staying on my route and they seemed to be the best riders out of the group.

At this point my legs were feeling more like 2x4's with each pedal stroke and I still didn't know if they were going to do "the big hill" that I do on my regular route. It ascends about 900 feet with a 18% grade at one point. Luckily we turned away and headed back home. Since I didn't know the way home and my legs seemed to weigh as much as a Skoda (each) I didn't take any pulls at the front. I hope they didn't take offense but these were all new roads for me. We rolled into the city after a solid 70 miles. Thinking back on it, I think pushing my heart rate above 180 early in the ride filled my muscles with lactic acid that they are not used to dealing with. Par for the course when riding in the early season I suppose.

Hot Hot Heat, for March anyway.

Ride Stats

• Distance:53.54


• Time:3:02:12


• Avg. Speed17.7 mph


• Max. Speed43.4 mph


• Climbing:4580 ft


• Avg. HR:139 bpm


• Energy:2106 cal


• Dist 2007:595.5

58°

High: 60° Low: 55°

My IE

58°

High: 60° Low: 55°

Spring.. Back Again, Maybe

Ride Stats

• Distance:53.51


• Time:3:07:02


• Avg. Speed17.2 mph


• Max. Speed45.4 mph


• Climbing:4580 feet


• Avg. HR:139 bpm


• Energy:2182 cal


• Distance 2007:542.0

44°

High: 46° Low: 39°

My IE

44°

High: 46° Low: 39°

Considering all the crazy weather we've had this week I think completing 3 outdoor rides was an accomplishment. Today was probably the nicest day as I didn't encounter any monsoons like on Wednesday and I didn't have to battle a 30mph headwind like on Friday.

I've been using bikejournal.com to log my rides for the past 2 weeks. Their website is pretty weak functionally and artistically but it does have a great feature where it ranks riders on distance, time, speed, etc. The site has thousands of users from all over the world and it's really a shock to see how much distance some riders are logging. Strangely it isn't the racer crowd logging all the miles, it's actually the slightly out of shape 40/50-somethings who astound me with huge daily rides. Possibly even more impressive is that their average speeds are typically very low meaning that they spend 5,6,7 hours per day in the saddle. To me, riding for any length of time over 3 hours is just plain boring. After 180 minutes, I'm ready for a shower, fuel, and R&R.

I'm also intrigued to know the personal lives of these guys. I can't imagine what type of job caters to 40 hours of riding per week and I certainly can't fathom a wife or girlfriend (umm.. ok, I'll add in "partner" to be politically correct... not that there is anything wrong with that) who puts up with these epic rides.

It is also interesting to note that a high percentage of these riders are riding recumbent bikes. These contraptions look like bikes augmented for the Special Olympics to me. (Note: I fully support the Special Olympics and have volunteered at one. I simply don't like the recumbent "style" of riding) Is it easier to ride recumbents for long distances?

In the rankings, I find myself surrounded by Kiwis, Australians, Floridians, Texans, and Californians with very few representatives from the colder regions of the world. It just doesn't seem fair to be wearing booties, Pearl Izumi AmFib shorts, and lobster claw gloves when Crocodile Dundee is cruising along the Bass Strait in 80 degree weather. Oh well... summer is coming mate!

Hang on Tight, She's Packin' Wind

Ride Stats

• Distance:53.56


• Time:3:05:45


• Avg. Speed17.3 mph


• Max. Speed47.1 mph


• Climbing:4580 feet


• Avg. HR:144 bpm


• Energy:2224 cal


• Distance 2007:488.4

47°

High: 49° Low: 45°

My IE

47°

High: 49° Low: 45°

Bright and sunny all day so I took my time getting ready catching up on some things at work and around the house. Within 10 minutes of leaving the apartment I was confronted by some of the ugliest clouds this side of Kansas. Luckily a twister didn’t suck me up but the wind was brutal. I took this photo on the sun/storm cusp just to prove my rotten luck and to remind myself that procrastination leaves you vulnerable to Mother Nature's fury. 26 continuous miles directly into a sustained 30mph headwind makes for a tough ride across very hilly terrain.

I finally reached the half way point and started to return home. With the wind at my back I was able to hit 47.1 mph down a very gentle roller (I wouldn't even consider it a hill). I was lamenting the entire way home because of my 12-25 gearing. I recently "upgraded"(?) to 10 speed and I forgot to ask the shop to order me an 11 tooth gear. A 12 tooth is extremely boring for downhills and even an 11 gets maxed out often on my route.

I was shrouded in dark clouds and tossed around by blustery winds the entire 3 hours. Ironically, the sun reappeared as soon as I made my final turn.