Ride #113
Sunday, October 2nd
47 miles on the American River Bike Trail and in Folsom and Gold River and and and...
I had one taker for my "good idea" ride this morning. As last time, the ride makes a loop with a handy bail-out point at 22 miles. Which is where my companion bailed, leaving me to slog on to the turn around for the 47 mile ride.
No pics since I'm a lazy creature.
The annual Princess Promenade event was going on today. The trail was not closed, so I saw plenty of women and girls riding up and down the trail with various bits of girly princess-like attire. Mostly seemed to be sparkley crowns and pink tulle. Some women had bunches of tulle (netting like in tutus) stuffed in the back of their helmets like odd tailfeathers. Not my idea of fun. I did kind of like the grass skirt. Mostly because it was NOT PINK.
The other odd thing I saw was what my companion dubbed a "techno mohawk": a fellow who had strapped his small bike pump to the top of his helmet. Maybe Tech-mo-hawk?
And not odd, but Team Revolutions was out in force today. I have never seen so many of their jerseys out in one day. I wonder what their ride today was?
Oh, and I saw the unicyclist again. I was standing in the parking lot after my ride, trying to muster the mental and physical energy to shovel the trike into the car, when I noticed a couple trying to work out a path over the new bicycle interchange at the Hazel bridge. I stepped over and asked "Which side of the river do you want to be on" and the answer was "The other side" (not a chicken joke). So I was able to say "See that unicyclist? Follow him. See that regular bike? Don't follow him." Easy as pie.
I'm pretty beat today (came home and took a nap) and I think it was a mistake to change the seat configuration and then go on a long ride.
Normally (like, for the last 1500 miles) I have the seat tipped up as far as it will go (so I am sitting as upright as possible). I have a range of 33 to 42 degrees. Today I split the difference between the two extremes. I like it, but my legs were not ready for that much time in a new position. My achilles tendon on the left complained and my right knee complained about 38 miles in, so I hopped off and put the seat back to the usual position, then gingerly carried on to the end of the ride. I iced when I got home. Should be better tomorrow, but I might ice again.
I think the more reclined position effectively puts my feet farther away from the pedals, meaning I have to flex my ankles a bit more while pedaling. My left leg acts like it is shorter than my right (because of my hips) so that ankle has to flex more, and my right knee is the 'bad' knee. So I'm not surprised. Just grumpy.
My rear tire required a little tweaking after the flat of last ride. The valve stem was not straight from the rim. It was easy enough to deflate the tire (still on the bike, thank you) and scootch the tire and tube around until it was in the right place. It was refreshing to pump up a tire with a floor pump instead of a mini pump.
My shifting is quite noisy again, so it will be time to reapply my favorite lube, Boeshield T9. I'd better also check out the rear derailler and make sure it is all clean and tidy.
Foxy's in two weeks, I'll take some short rides between now and than and pamper my ankle and knee.
Showing posts with label Folsom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Folsom. Show all posts
02 October 2011
18 September 2011
Well, wouldya lookit that!
Ride #107
41 miles all over the place
Sunday, September 18th
This was another organized ride. I led it.
I put it together with my upcoming metric century in mind. I had planned to try for 47 miles, but decided to stop a little short.
4 other riders came out for this "tourist's pace" ride: one new to road bikes, one working toward a sprint triathlon, another road-biker, and a friend from the casual bicycling group. For various reasons everybody stopped after 22 miles. I kept on rolling for another 19 miles.
We spent most of our time on bike paths with a little section on some of Folsom's nice roads. We worked hard for the first 12 miles, riding up to Beals Point and then up the Folsom Crossing bridge. One of my rest stops had to be altered since the bathrooms at Briggs Park were locked! But the grocery store across the street was a handy alternate.
From the grocery, we hopped back onto city streets and played in traffic for a while.
I think we were a little relieved to get back on the bike trail, it was certainly quieter.
The next rest stop was at a state park boat launch area near the Nimbus Dam.
Then I stopped (by myself at this point) just past Sunrise, then again at Wm. Pond where I decided it would be wiser to make that my turnaround point. So I did, stopping again near Sunrise, then back to the car, pleasantly tired but not whining.
Yay for no whining.
I got home and ate 3 pieces of cold pizza and took a 4 hour nap.
Ok, so maybe this was a long ride!
I saw a handful of two-wheeled recumbents, a hand trike, a guy on a handbrake-equipped longboard (skateboard) being towed by his two absolutely gleeful dogs, and a bike like no bike I've seen before.
Let's see if I can describe it. It had two wheels, I think equal in size but I'm not sure. Feet below butt (so not recumbent). It looked like the handlebars were up under his chin, supported by what looked like a metal tee-pee. I don't think it was a tall bike (go look in wiki) but it might have been. If I see it again I will turn around, pursue, and shoot! (photo). I did not see the unicyclist, but that's OK.
Here's the map, and there's more blog below.
Instead of riding on Thursday, I decided to crawl all around my trike with wrench and list of torques in hand, checking and tightening if necessary. Now, my little torque wrench does not go past 15nm, so there are some things I can't check. And I will admit I don't really understand the suspension terminology, so I checked what I was sure of and poked around at the stuff I was not.
The rear suspension was the only thing I found that needed a little tightening. Oh and the fender mounts.
I also put my front fenders on. This is how it went:
Find fenders in garage. Look for bolts that WERE taped to the fenders and are no longer, find replacement bolts.
Remove left wheel, put on fender. Put wheel back on, check for fender placement. OK.
Remove wheel, Remove fender. Add locktite (blue) to fender bolts, put fender back on. Put wheel back on.
Repeat for right side, with an additional step of 'wiggle fender mount to correct position' and repeat all.
Oh. and I forgot to mention that before I was even putting on the fenders, I noticed my left tire was a rather low. Look! A goathead! From my garage?! No clue.
Replaced the tube with one of my patched ones.
After I put both fenders on I decided to test ride.
&*(@^%#*? the left tire's flat! Changing the tube with the fender in place is not bad.
ttttttthhhhhhaaaat's all folks!
41 miles all over the place
Sunday, September 18th
This was another organized ride. I led it.
I put it together with my upcoming metric century in mind. I had planned to try for 47 miles, but decided to stop a little short.
4 other riders came out for this "tourist's pace" ride: one new to road bikes, one working toward a sprint triathlon, another road-biker, and a friend from the casual bicycling group. For various reasons everybody stopped after 22 miles. I kept on rolling for another 19 miles.
We spent most of our time on bike paths with a little section on some of Folsom's nice roads. We worked hard for the first 12 miles, riding up to Beals Point and then up the Folsom Crossing bridge. One of my rest stops had to be altered since the bathrooms at Briggs Park were locked! But the grocery store across the street was a handy alternate.
From the grocery, we hopped back onto city streets and played in traffic for a while.
I think we were a little relieved to get back on the bike trail, it was certainly quieter.
The next rest stop was at a state park boat launch area near the Nimbus Dam.
Then I stopped (by myself at this point) just past Sunrise, then again at Wm. Pond where I decided it would be wiser to make that my turnaround point. So I did, stopping again near Sunrise, then back to the car, pleasantly tired but not whining.
Yay for no whining.
I got home and ate 3 pieces of cold pizza and took a 4 hour nap.
Ok, so maybe this was a long ride!
I saw a handful of two-wheeled recumbents, a hand trike, a guy on a handbrake-equipped longboard (skateboard) being towed by his two absolutely gleeful dogs, and a bike like no bike I've seen before.
Let's see if I can describe it. It had two wheels, I think equal in size but I'm not sure. Feet below butt (so not recumbent). It looked like the handlebars were up under his chin, supported by what looked like a metal tee-pee. I don't think it was a tall bike (go look in wiki) but it might have been. If I see it again I will turn around, pursue, and shoot! (photo). I did not see the unicyclist, but that's OK.
Here's the map, and there's more blog below.
Instead of riding on Thursday, I decided to crawl all around my trike with wrench and list of torques in hand, checking and tightening if necessary. Now, my little torque wrench does not go past 15nm, so there are some things I can't check. And I will admit I don't really understand the suspension terminology, so I checked what I was sure of and poked around at the stuff I was not.
The rear suspension was the only thing I found that needed a little tightening. Oh and the fender mounts.
I also put my front fenders on. This is how it went:
Find fenders in garage. Look for bolts that WERE taped to the fenders and are no longer, find replacement bolts.
Remove left wheel, put on fender. Put wheel back on, check for fender placement. OK.
Remove wheel, Remove fender. Add locktite (blue) to fender bolts, put fender back on. Put wheel back on.
Repeat for right side, with an additional step of 'wiggle fender mount to correct position' and repeat all.
Oh. and I forgot to mention that before I was even putting on the fenders, I noticed my left tire was a rather low. Look! A goathead! From my garage?! No clue.
Replaced the tube with one of my patched ones.
After I put both fenders on I decided to test ride.
&*(@^%#*? the left tire's flat! Changing the tube with the fender in place is not bad.
ttttttthhhhhhaaaat's all folks!
24 May 2011
Loops, schmoops
Ride #77
Tuesday, May 24th
7 or so miles in Folsom
I parked in a slightly different section of the same-ol parking lot and, since I was feeling like a vehicle today, decided to slog up East Natomas Rd and then up some more on Sophia. I had gone this way last on New Year's Day, in the rain and cold, to shoot the bike club's epic hill-climbing challenge.
The roads felt totally different on a sunny weekday in May!
Lots more traffic. Not so bad on Natomas where there are generally two lanes and the bike lane is all asphalt, not so reassuring on Sophia, where the bike lane is 1/2 asphalt and 1/2 concrete curb extension.
This screen-shot from Google Maps shows what I mean. There is a bump where asphalt meets concrete.
And there is only one lane in each direction on Sophia, so unless I'm riding with one wheel on concrete and 1 or 2 on asphalt, cars have to swerve around me. Generally across the double yellow line. Or at least they think they have to swerve.
So why am I whining? I'll tell you.
(you knew I was going to say that, didn't you!?)
1) abrupt differences in height along the direction of travel (like the asphalt/concrete line on Sophia) are GREAT for grabbing a wheel and causing a spill, no matter 2 or 3 wheels.
2) the paint used to mark off bike lanes is generally slippery, even in dry weather.
3) the above mentioned swerving of passing cars
My trike is about 6 inches wider than the handlebars of my old hybrid bike. On standard width bike lanes, all three wheels fit nicely within the lines. On Sophia, I have several choices. And unlike a buffet, not all the choices are great. Wait. Buffets aren't all good either. nevermind.
As I was saying ... I can run with my right wheel on concrete, my left wheel on asphalt, and my rear wheel (the center, if you will) hopefully avoiding the bump. Not great, especially since some sections of the concrete/asphalt interface are sprouting 3ft tall weeds. And any slight course correction (to avoid a bolt, or a manhole cover, or a diviot, or a grate) risks catching my rear wheel on the weed-infested bump. Which, when I'm rolling down hill at 25 miles per, is not fab. On the plus side, I'm contained in the bike lane.
Another option is to avoid the bike lane all together and take the lane. Not safe in a 50mph zone.
Or I can run with my left wheel just outside the bike lane stripe, and my right wheel to the left of the concrete. This is what I did, which still led to swerving by passing cars. They might have swerved anyway; not being used to seeing a recumbent trike in the area.
By the time I was starting up the hill on Sophia to Green Valley, I was tired of the bike lane and tired of the traffic, so I turned around at a usefully placed cross-street and headed back to the shopping center.
And this is where the loop is not my friend. I'm getting closer and closer to my car, my feet are tired from pedaling, my butt is tired of climbing, and I'm sooooo close to my car.
But I've only done 7 miles!
Well, I could just stop and walk around for a little while and keep going.
But there's my car, right over there.
I could do some more hills - leading to cardio and a happy physician. And a happy me.
Ooooo, there's a Jamba Juice. And my car.
I should not park near the Jamba Juice.
I should not ride past my car when I'm not finished with my ride.
I bailed on my ride, had a pomegranate smoothy and a low fat muffin, loaded my trike in the car, and went home.
On the upside, the trike is already in the car, I'll be down in Folsom again tomorrow, and I can easily go for a 'make-up' ride.
I moved my boom out 1/4 of an inch, the beast still shifted well. I'll see how my knees feel and maybe take it out another 1/4 inch next ride.
Tuesday, May 24th
7 or so miles in Folsom
I parked in a slightly different section of the same-ol parking lot and, since I was feeling like a vehicle today, decided to slog up East Natomas Rd and then up some more on Sophia. I had gone this way last on New Year's Day, in the rain and cold, to shoot the bike club's epic hill-climbing challenge.
The roads felt totally different on a sunny weekday in May!
Lots more traffic. Not so bad on Natomas where there are generally two lanes and the bike lane is all asphalt, not so reassuring on Sophia, where the bike lane is 1/2 asphalt and 1/2 concrete curb extension.
This screen-shot from Google Maps shows what I mean. There is a bump where asphalt meets concrete.
 |
| Even the label has to extend onto the concrete! |
So why am I whining? I'll tell you.
(you knew I was going to say that, didn't you!?)
1) abrupt differences in height along the direction of travel (like the asphalt/concrete line on Sophia) are GREAT for grabbing a wheel and causing a spill, no matter 2 or 3 wheels.
2) the paint used to mark off bike lanes is generally slippery, even in dry weather.
3) the above mentioned swerving of passing cars
My trike is about 6 inches wider than the handlebars of my old hybrid bike. On standard width bike lanes, all three wheels fit nicely within the lines. On Sophia, I have several choices. And unlike a buffet, not all the choices are great. Wait. Buffets aren't all good either. nevermind.
As I was saying ... I can run with my right wheel on concrete, my left wheel on asphalt, and my rear wheel (the center, if you will) hopefully avoiding the bump. Not great, especially since some sections of the concrete/asphalt interface are sprouting 3ft tall weeds. And any slight course correction (to avoid a bolt, or a manhole cover, or a diviot, or a grate) risks catching my rear wheel on the weed-infested bump. Which, when I'm rolling down hill at 25 miles per, is not fab. On the plus side, I'm contained in the bike lane.
Another option is to avoid the bike lane all together and take the lane. Not safe in a 50mph zone.
Or I can run with my left wheel just outside the bike lane stripe, and my right wheel to the left of the concrete. This is what I did, which still led to swerving by passing cars. They might have swerved anyway; not being used to seeing a recumbent trike in the area.
By the time I was starting up the hill on Sophia to Green Valley, I was tired of the bike lane and tired of the traffic, so I turned around at a usefully placed cross-street and headed back to the shopping center.
And this is where the loop is not my friend. I'm getting closer and closer to my car, my feet are tired from pedaling, my butt is tired of climbing, and I'm sooooo close to my car.
But I've only done 7 miles!
Well, I could just stop and walk around for a little while and keep going.
But there's my car, right over there.
I could do some more hills - leading to cardio and a happy physician. And a happy me.
Ooooo, there's a Jamba Juice. And my car.
I should not park near the Jamba Juice.
I should not ride past my car when I'm not finished with my ride.
I bailed on my ride, had a pomegranate smoothy and a low fat muffin, loaded my trike in the car, and went home.
On the upside, the trike is already in the car, I'll be down in Folsom again tomorrow, and I can easily go for a 'make-up' ride.
I moved my boom out 1/4 of an inch, the beast still shifted well. I'll see how my knees feel and maybe take it out another 1/4 inch next ride.
19 May 2011
For no apparent purpose
Ride #75
Wednesday, May 19th
12.5 miles around Folsom
The 'cycle was still in the back of the car this morning; I had to take the car for an oil change, so I decided to leave the trike in there and go for a ride after the car was finished.
I argued with myself all the way from the shop to my eventual parking spot. "Where do I want to ride today?" "Not there, but why?" "Maybe here." "Well, I don't know, you decide." "No, you decide."
I ended up at the old same spot of the Raley's shopping center: proximity to bike path, restrooms, and food for after the ride. Although I had decided to stick the Raley's to Glenn Rd. route onto the Nimbus lake loop, I changed my mind AGAIN and decided to have no purpose for the ride.
That whole no purpose thing only lasted about 4 miles, then I decided - "Hey, I can pedal over to Bicycle Planet and maybe pick up some replacement brake pads." So I turned on my Cherry Bomb rear blinky and headed out into traffic.
Folsom has great bicycle infrastructure: in addition to bike paths they also have bike lanes. And many of the right turn lanes are separated from the bike lane by a nice chunk of concrete. So I enjoyed the bike lanes on Oak Ave. and Iron Point. The traffic was light and well behaved.
I found a couple interesting things along the way:
Yes, I'm part pack-rat and part scavenger.
Alas, Bicycle Planet was out of Avid BB7 brake pads (they are quite popular) so I picked up a medium-bright red blinky for the back of my bike. It is easier, I've been told, for overtaking vehicles to figure out how fast the overtaking is when there are TWO red lights to look at. I shall hang on to the Serfas seat stay light as a loaner.
I contemplated trying on helmets, but I was pretty sweaty and thought that might not be very nice for the next shopper.
I pedaled back, dodging traffic down Prairie City Rd. and then back on to the bike paths.
Somewhere along the way, I stared down this lovely creature.
And startled our state bird, again.
Hopefully no rain this weekend. I've got to get the rest of my miles for May is Bike Month!
Wednesday, May 19th
12.5 miles around Folsom
The 'cycle was still in the back of the car this morning; I had to take the car for an oil change, so I decided to leave the trike in there and go for a ride after the car was finished.
I argued with myself all the way from the shop to my eventual parking spot. "Where do I want to ride today?" "Not there, but why?" "Maybe here." "Well, I don't know, you decide." "No, you decide."
I ended up at the old same spot of the Raley's shopping center: proximity to bike path, restrooms, and food for after the ride. Although I had decided to stick the Raley's to Glenn Rd. route onto the Nimbus lake loop, I changed my mind AGAIN and decided to have no purpose for the ride.
That whole no purpose thing only lasted about 4 miles, then I decided - "Hey, I can pedal over to Bicycle Planet and maybe pick up some replacement brake pads." So I turned on my Cherry Bomb rear blinky and headed out into traffic.
Folsom has great bicycle infrastructure: in addition to bike paths they also have bike lanes. And many of the right turn lanes are separated from the bike lane by a nice chunk of concrete. So I enjoyed the bike lanes on Oak Ave. and Iron Point. The traffic was light and well behaved.
I found a couple interesting things along the way:
Yes, I'm part pack-rat and part scavenger.
Alas, Bicycle Planet was out of Avid BB7 brake pads (they are quite popular) so I picked up a medium-bright red blinky for the back of my bike. It is easier, I've been told, for overtaking vehicles to figure out how fast the overtaking is when there are TWO red lights to look at. I shall hang on to the Serfas seat stay light as a loaner.
I contemplated trying on helmets, but I was pretty sweaty and thought that might not be very nice for the next shopper.
I pedaled back, dodging traffic down Prairie City Rd. and then back on to the bike paths.
Somewhere along the way, I stared down this lovely creature.
And startled our state bird, again.
Hopefully no rain this weekend. I've got to get the rest of my miles for May is Bike Month!
02 April 2011
Clean shiny lungs
Ride #57
Saturday, April 2nd
30 miles with the usual suspects, from Folsom to William Pond and back again, American River Bike Trail and Nimbus trail.
Time once again for the 1st Saturday ride with the recumbent folks. I am getting faster although my average speed is up by just half a mile. BUT (and this is a big but - kind of like mine. Urk. Nevermind) today I managed an average speed for 8 miles of 13mph. Whoo! What does this mean? That I could see ahead of me the rest of the group. Like a carrot dangling ahead of me. AND that I was huffing and puffing like nobody's business. AND that I was pretty sure I'd die. But I did not. I do have well exercised lungs. Of course after that I was all tuckered out.
The turkeys were tuckered as well since all the toms were in display mode.
They did deign to move. Eventually.
Turkeys are about eye-level on a recumbent. Interesting and a little creepy. Do I want to know that much about turkeys? Maybe not.
Boaters out as well today.
Today's ride officially starts and ends at Wm. Pond (Discovery Park is still flooded from spring rains (a normal thing) so we've been going to Folsom the last few months. I decided today to START in Folsom and meet the group at Wm. Pond. It worked out OK since I was warmed up when the pack took off at about 15mph.
So this means I parked in Folsom. In the parking structure (yes, there is only one structure in Folsom). It was very full, as full as I've seen it yet, so I got to park at the very top level. And ride down down down and around around around to the exit. Going up was fun also. Normally I won't do that, but ... it was fun.
It turns out the Sacramento Fit folks were out in force today: they decided to come down to my neck of the woods to run/powerwalk around Lake Natomas, a nice 12 mile route. And that's why the structure was full! So there were packs of peds and aid stations and everything. They are a really nice and well organized bunch of people.
On Thursday I took off my chain, cleaned it, added a section to make it a little longer, and moved my boom out 1/2 an inch. My knees were happier than the last time I rode but still tired today. I'll take it easy for a few days and see how they do.
I had another incident of my chain dropping between the rings when shifting. Everybody tells me "that shouldn't happen, the chainrings should be close enough together to prevent that". Duh. Well, folks. It does. Comes of swapping out parts here and there. But it happens ONLY when I am not paying attention and this is ONLY the third time. The first time I had no clue how to fix it and had to spend 15 minutes scratching my head. Today it took longer to get my latex gloves on then it did to move the chain. So I ain't gonna worry 'bout it right now.
Saturday, April 2nd
30 miles with the usual suspects, from Folsom to William Pond and back again, American River Bike Trail and Nimbus trail.
Time once again for the 1st Saturday ride with the recumbent folks. I am getting faster although my average speed is up by just half a mile. BUT (and this is a big but - kind of like mine. Urk. Nevermind) today I managed an average speed for 8 miles of 13mph. Whoo! What does this mean? That I could see ahead of me the rest of the group. Like a carrot dangling ahead of me. AND that I was huffing and puffing like nobody's business. AND that I was pretty sure I'd die. But I did not. I do have well exercised lungs. Of course after that I was all tuckered out.
The turkeys were tuckered as well since all the toms were in display mode.
They did deign to move. Eventually.
Turkeys are about eye-level on a recumbent. Interesting and a little creepy. Do I want to know that much about turkeys? Maybe not.
Boaters out as well today.
Today's ride officially starts and ends at Wm. Pond (Discovery Park is still flooded from spring rains (a normal thing) so we've been going to Folsom the last few months. I decided today to START in Folsom and meet the group at Wm. Pond. It worked out OK since I was warmed up when the pack took off at about 15mph.
So this means I parked in Folsom. In the parking structure (yes, there is only one structure in Folsom). It was very full, as full as I've seen it yet, so I got to park at the very top level. And ride down down down and around around around to the exit. Going up was fun also. Normally I won't do that, but ... it was fun.
It turns out the Sacramento Fit folks were out in force today: they decided to come down to my neck of the woods to run/powerwalk around Lake Natomas, a nice 12 mile route. And that's why the structure was full! So there were packs of peds and aid stations and everything. They are a really nice and well organized bunch of people.
On Thursday I took off my chain, cleaned it, added a section to make it a little longer, and moved my boom out 1/2 an inch. My knees were happier than the last time I rode but still tired today. I'll take it easy for a few days and see how they do.
I had another incident of my chain dropping between the rings when shifting. Everybody tells me "that shouldn't happen, the chainrings should be close enough together to prevent that". Duh. Well, folks. It does. Comes of swapping out parts here and there. But it happens ONLY when I am not paying attention and this is ONLY the third time. The first time I had no clue how to fix it and had to spend 15 minutes scratching my head. Today it took longer to get my latex gloves on then it did to move the chain. So I ain't gonna worry 'bout it right now.
01 January 2011
Not Quite Hail
Ride #27
Saturday, January 1st
7.5 miles.
In Folsom.
In the rain.
Oy.
A bicycling club I belong to was having a hill-climbing smackdown on this first day of the year. I declined to ride the hill, but volunteered to take photos. So I parked at my usual spot in Folsom and pedaled over to the event on actual streets in bike lanes and everything!
I had both flags flapping, a high viz jacket on, one headlight and two blinking taillights. I overheated going up E Natomas to Sophia, so I stopped and shed a layer. Then when I was coasting (25mph) down Sophia to Alexandria, all I could think of were the gloves I'd just taken off!
It was not too windy, and the rain was mostly showers, except for one cloud burst that if it had been any colder (it was 37 degs F) it would have been hail. They were big fat cold high-velocity drops. Ick! The sun tried to come out about 1/2 way through the event, but then the clouds came back even darker!
I parked my trike at the gathering point, got the scoop from the organizer, and wandered off to take lots of pictures of folks slogging up the hill and then flying back down again. And doing it again. And again. And again!
I carried not only 3 cameras, a complete change of warm dry clothes (including extra rain gear), but an umbrella (to shelter the SLR digital I'd borrowed) and even an entire English-style fruit cake to share. I used my nice Arkel panniers to carry all that. They worked well but I had to adjust my mirrors so I could see something other than bulging bags behind me. The trike handled well, although I took it easy on the long shallow slope down from Sophia to Blue Ravine: kept the speed to 12mph. My brakes finally dried off enough to stop honking and squealing.
It was windier and still raining (maybe even a bit harder) when it was time to head back, so I added high visibility rain pants. They were noisy but kept the cold rain and wind off my legs. I was worried that I might slide around in the seat too much, but it was just fine. I plan on taking the cuffs in and adding zippers to keep them from flapping around.
I need to force myself to slog up hills more often. I got winded, but my legs did not give out. I did get into the absolute granny once, more to give myself a little break then because anything was that steep.
Now, this is not a picture of me, but it will give you an idea of what the day was like:
I have started this year as I mean to continue: cycling.
Happy New Year everyone, and be safe out there.
Saturday, January 1st
7.5 miles.
In Folsom.
In the rain.
Oy.
A bicycling club I belong to was having a hill-climbing smackdown on this first day of the year. I declined to ride the hill, but volunteered to take photos. So I parked at my usual spot in Folsom and pedaled over to the event on actual streets in bike lanes and everything!
I had both flags flapping, a high viz jacket on, one headlight and two blinking taillights. I overheated going up E Natomas to Sophia, so I stopped and shed a layer. Then when I was coasting (25mph) down Sophia to Alexandria, all I could think of were the gloves I'd just taken off!
It was not too windy, and the rain was mostly showers, except for one cloud burst that if it had been any colder (it was 37 degs F) it would have been hail. They were big fat cold high-velocity drops. Ick! The sun tried to come out about 1/2 way through the event, but then the clouds came back even darker!
I parked my trike at the gathering point, got the scoop from the organizer, and wandered off to take lots of pictures of folks slogging up the hill and then flying back down again. And doing it again. And again. And again!
I carried not only 3 cameras, a complete change of warm dry clothes (including extra rain gear), but an umbrella (to shelter the SLR digital I'd borrowed) and even an entire English-style fruit cake to share. I used my nice Arkel panniers to carry all that. They worked well but I had to adjust my mirrors so I could see something other than bulging bags behind me. The trike handled well, although I took it easy on the long shallow slope down from Sophia to Blue Ravine: kept the speed to 12mph. My brakes finally dried off enough to stop honking and squealing.
It was windier and still raining (maybe even a bit harder) when it was time to head back, so I added high visibility rain pants. They were noisy but kept the cold rain and wind off my legs. I was worried that I might slide around in the seat too much, but it was just fine. I plan on taking the cuffs in and adding zippers to keep them from flapping around.
I need to force myself to slog up hills more often. I got winded, but my legs did not give out. I did get into the absolute granny once, more to give myself a little break then because anything was that steep.
Now, this is not a picture of me, but it will give you an idea of what the day was like:
I have started this year as I mean to continue: cycling.
Happy New Year everyone, and be safe out there.
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