2010 Journal:
December 31, 2010: Did I really get a ride in on New Year's Eve? Yes, it was a great day, didn't even need to ear gloves to ride. Considering what a bad week it has been for me personally, it was really great to be able to get out and ride. The roads were actually in pretty good shape, not a lot of sand or debris, and the snow was pushed back pretty well. I kept it short, but felt alright riding. This was also great as I was able to build on my largest road mileage for a year ever this year and I was able to push my total mileage to over 2,700 miles. I think the weather might be just as warm tomorrow so I may be able to shatter my record for earliest ride ever in a year. We'll see, but for now I'm finally happy this week after a good ride. This definitly completes my 2010 riding Journal. Distance: 17.7 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 151, Cadence: 76, Ave Speed: 16.6 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 2,716.09 miles
November 14, 2010: Was a bit colder today that yesterday, but still a pretty nice day. The wind was pretty good from the north east which meant that where ever I rode, I was going to ride home into a head wind. Decided to head into Dartmouth and loop by Horseneck Beach since it isn't clear I'm heading that way again before spring. My legs were pretty dead today, probably from yesterdays longer ride. We'll see if I get any more quality rides in this fall. Distance: 31.7 miles, Ave Heart Rate: N/A, Cadence: 64, Ave Speed: 16.4 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 2,653.12 miles
November 13, 2010: Wow, what a great weather day for November. It was 60 degrees with just a little wind that was mostly bad only along the south coast. Rode what I call the Tour of Little Compton and Tiverton. Basically a bunch of loops back and forth across town. I did discover a neat new route up in the northern part of Tiverton to cross back though a new neighborhood that will allow for some nice hill climbing routes next summer. I also discovered a nice climb that I have used before, but today I found is was loaded with 13% and higher gradients. It's Old Bulgarmarsh Road and then into one of the neighborhoods. I even saw a 19% for one stretch and boy, I can say I think that was correct. I was pretty happy as while the overall ride wasn't very fast, I was surprisingly fresh on the latter part of the ride. I was actually sprinting up some of the last few big hills. I haven't felt that fresh at the end of a ride in a while. Tomorrow is also supposed to be nice, although not so warm. We'll see. Distance: 47.03 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 149, Cadence: 64, Ave Speed: 17.0 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 2,621.42 miles
October 30, 2010: Well, not much to write, short cool, really windy fall ride. Seems to be par for the courese this time of the year. Didn't have the energy or desire to ride too far today. Distance: 19.76 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 159, Cadence: 66, Ave Speed: 16.9 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 2,574.39 miles
October 29, 2010: Got out of work a little early today so I went for a ride since it wasn't that bad weather out. Mostly cloudy, and windy but warm (haha) in the mid 50's. Really it wasn't a bad ride, but had to dress warm. Did a quick ride though Westport and to Acoaxet before returning home. Started to get cool and dark towards the latter part of the ride but nice to get out. Not riding well though, I'll chalk that up to cold and too may layers on. Distance: 27.19 miles, Ave Heart Rate: N/A, Cadence: 62, Ave Speed: 17.0 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 2,554.63 miles
October 24, 2010: Pretty cold out this morning when I rode (46 degrees) but there was no wind so that wasn't too bad as long as you were properly dressed. I tried out my new cold weather bib shorts and they were quite comfortable. Was cold for about 10 minutes and then warmed up really nice. Well, everything except my feet which were not cold but were chilly. There were a surprising number of riders out, most dressed similar to me, but a few out in short sleeves ... sorry, it wasn't that warm .. can't understand that. Rode most of the way to Sakonnet Point, but decided to not go all the way there as I was hungry and had no food. Probably should have eaten lunch before I went, but I wasn't paying attention to time. Distance: 30.25 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 157, Cadence: 68, Ave Speed: 16.9 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 2,527.44 miles
October 23, 2010: Wow, has it really been 10 days since I last did any riding? I guess so, weather got bad and then the work week was just too busy to get anything done. Today was pretty chilly out, and there was a descent wind so I had to dress pretty warm. I even dragged out my hat to wear so I know it was chilly. Anyway, had a descent ride even if I suffered terribly riding home into the cold wind. Distance: 25.72 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 160, Cadence: 69, Ave Speed: 17.6 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 2,497.19 miles
October 13, 2010: Decided to do something different this AM. Hadn't ridden on Jamestown in many years so I decided to head to Beavertail State Park where I parked the truck and started riding. Was nice weather and just a nip in the air. Luckily there wasn't much wind. I descended out of the park past the cove where it was pretty quiet. Decided to loop through Fort Wetherill State Park which was pretty nice and offered some great views of Newport's Fort Adams State Park. I rode around the park and along the shore before looping back towards downtown Jamestown. I took some great pictures of the Newport Bridge from curb at the harbor and then continued on staying off the main road and riding underneath the bridge near the toll booths.Up to this point, I felt like I was doing more sightseeing than riding! From here you connect to East Shore Road which is long and straight. It was a nice ride though as the surface was pretty good and traffic was pretty light. The road slightly canted uphill so that made for a nice workout. Rather than cut across on North Shore Road, I too East Shore Road all the way to the end of the island. The road was pretty terrible up at the very top of the loop and it was clear that there isn;t much up there. After swearing a bit about the awful road, I continued on and made it back to North Main Road where the road became great since it had been recently repaved. I took a turn down Capstan Street which took me down to the western shoreline. The road here sucked too, but there were some great houses with awesome views of Narragansett RI. Eventually I passed under the "other" Verrazano Bridge and swung back inland to get to the main road. Shortly after rejoining North Main Road I saw a great scene with the Newport Bridge behind a hill and pasture filled with cows. I decided to stop and take another picture before continuing on back south. After getting back into town, I kept right on Southwest Ave and then back onto Beavertail Road for the climb back to the truck. Before I went too far, I decided to ride thorough Fort Getty Park which was a pretty neat place. In reality, it was just a campground, but with no one there this time of the year, there was a lot of open space and great views of Narragansett Town Beach across the bay. On the ride out to road, I got a good chuckle out of the farm I ride by. The farmer was out working in his tractor, but in the yard his had a nice cabin cruiser with dual outboard engines .. the dichotomy of a farm on an island! One other thing that was interesting was that this farmer had a whole flock (??) of free range turkeys by the side of the road. About another three miles or so and I was back at my truck in the parking lot up at Beavertail Park and the ride was over. I forgot how nice the scenery was out on Jamestown. Need to do this ride more than once every 5 years! Distance: 26.49 miles, Ave Heart Rate: N/A, Cadence: 64, Ave Speed: 16.8 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 2,471.47 miles
October 11, 2010: As cold as it was yesterday, today was a really nice day. Took the cats for their first Vet appointment and then enjoyed a nice Columbus Day ride through Dartmouth by the water. The wind started to kick up a bit when I was by Horseneck Beach and that made the ride back home a bit of a challenge since it was into the wind the whole way. Not many more this nice left this year. Distance: 41.59 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 147, Cadence: 69, Ave Speed: 17.6 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 2,444.98 miles
October 10, 2010: Was pretty cold last night, 44 when I woke up. Watched Paris Tours and then decided I'd head out for a ride. Was pretty cold still and I almost turned around and decided not to ride. All in all though I decided to ride a short route though Westport, Adamsville and then home. Was good although I was pretty cold when I got back. Actually put on light gloves for most of the ride. Distance: 19.91 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 141, Cadence: 66, Ave Speed: 17.9 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 2,403.39 miles
October 9, 2010: Made the drive up to Hampden MA to visit with mom and Brian for everyone's birthdays. Decided to bring my bike and get a ride in before going to eat pizza and cake. I really like riding in the hills just over the boarder in Somers CT/ Was a bit chilly and a little windy when I started from Moms, but I decided to ride in shorts anyway/ After getting a couple miles down the road and starting to climb, it was just about the perfect temperature. Just as I started to climb, I saw a guy on a mountain bike riding on the wrong side of the road. That should have been a hint to watch out. Just as I started to pass, he hooked a right hand u-turn and cut immediately into my path. I locked up the brakes and was able to miss him by inches, but he fell and rolled off his bike. He apologized and I hollered back no problem, and kept riding. I rode over Stafford Road and then descended into Stafford on Old Springfield Road. Decided to cross RT 190 and head deeper into Stafford towards Crystal Lake. My plan had been to hook back by the lake and to head back north towards Somers in order to climb some more hills. Problem is I didn't have a route planned and was navigating by memory. Well, missed the quick turn and soon I was heading away into Ellington and Tolland CT on RT 140. I wasn't overly worries as I knew eventually I'd run into RT 83. Problem is I didn't know how far or how far south that would be. Turned out to be a bit out of the way and then I had to ride back north but quite a bit into the wind which was picking up significantly. It also became much colder while I was doing that riding. After cutting back across RT 190 again, i turned back towards the hills I wanted to climb and ascended Mountain road once again. I saw a rider up the hill and easily caught and passed her on the steeper sections. Now these are not hugh climbs, only about 2 miles give or take, but they are steep with good sections of 8-10% in places. I wanted to ride more, but I was getting tired and cold as well as it was getting late. As I descended back down Stafford Road, it was actually quite cold. I almost wrecked as a squirrel decided to dash just in front of my wheel. . .Distance: 29.38 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 161, Cadence: 65, Ave Speed: 16.9 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 2,385.48 miles
October 8, 2010: Was supposed to have the oil burner worked on this AM, so I took the day off. They called about 10:00 and said oops, no part, sorry. Not real happy, but they don't care. Customer Service is dead in this country. I decided I better get a ride in today as it was a pretty nice day so even though I'm in a crappy mood, I got on the bike. While it was great to be out, I really wasn't into it. In the end, the ride was short, but good. Hopefully I can ride a bit more in the next couple days. .Distance: 18.07 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 153, Cadence: 73, Ave Speed: 17.6 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 2,356.10 miles
October 2, 2010: Haven't ridden since last weekend. It not gets dark too early after work to get on the bike so I've stated running some during the week. This morning it was pretty chilly for a ride and there was a little bit of wind. I did enjoy getting out, but really didn't push hard as I'm not really riding enough to do that. I also rode pretty short today as I wasn't motivated for a long ride. Perhaps if I had waiting a few hours it would have been warmer, but I had other things I wanted to do. .Distance: 22.44 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 149, Cadence: 71, Ave Speed: 18.0 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 2,338.03 miles
September 26, 2010: Today was supposed to be cooler and less windy than yesterday. It was definitely cooler, but the wind still was here. The ride down to Sakonnet Point wasn't to bad, but the ride home seemed to be into the wind the whole way. Didn't really work hard today as I just didn't feel like riding too much. Made it through the whole ride though so I'm pretty happy. Feels like the good riding days are getting a bit numbered, although we shoudl be able to ride through November at least. Trust me, I didn't go below sea level. The changing barometric pressure messes with the GPS readings.Distance: 36.16 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 145, Cadence: 69, Ave Speed: 17.8 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 2,315.59 miles
September 25, 2010: Well was nice to get out for a ride this AM. I went out pretty early since I had some things I wanted to do. Also, I had woke up at 04:30 so by 7:30, I was ready to go do something! It was pretty humid this AM and really really windy. I decided to take it pretty easy since riding in all that wind was going to be hard enough. I decided to ride the Tour de Adamsville route since that would keep me mostly away from the water. On my way to logging the most mileage for a year on the bike when you count my trainer and outdoor riding. Distance: 31.61 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 148, Cadence: 69, Ave Speed: 17.8 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 2,279.43 miles
September 19, 2010: Pretty nice day for a ride today. Got out a bit later than I had hoped and I wasn't overly motivated. In the end I rode a descent ride to Sakonnet Point and back. Got to see the Goodyear Blimp fly over for the second time in three days. Really was a great day for a ride. Distance: 33.84 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 149, Cadence: 69, Ave Speed: 18.6 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 2,247.82 miles
September 18, 2010: Got a call from Paul early this week asking if I wanted to ride this AM so it was good to have a riding partner for a change. Took a nice easy pace and decided to head towards the beach to see the surf which was supposed to be high from the hurricane that was out to sea. Started chilly, but warmed nicely as the morning went on. I will say that I did ride with a thermal shirt just to be sure and it was probably a good idea as the temperatures were in the low 60's at best. As we worked to Horseneck Beach, it was clear the surf really wasn't up at all. In fact, it was pretty calm. Oh well, still a good place to ride. We worked back into Adamsville and then down towards Acoaxet before heading back north towards my house. Was a pretty uneventful ride except the horn beepers were out. On a-hole in particular decided to creep up right behind us and start beeping his horn loudly. OK, it there was tons of traffic, maybe a horn toot is a nice warning, but these roads are empty and there was plenty of space to go by. He was just being an a-hole which I explained to him as he drove by. Why are these idiots only brave when enclosed in plastic and steel? Oh well, wish I had my camera mounted. Would loved to have turned him in for aggressive driving! Distance: 38.13 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 145, Cadence: 64, Ave Speed: 16.6 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 2,213.98 miles
September 15, 2010: Got home this afternoon from three days in Canada for work. Spent the afternoon working and catching up on things and then ran out for a quick ride. Was a little sore after running the traditional 10K run in honor of being in Canada. Was a bit windy for today's ride, but in general, not too bad. Tough to ride in late afternoon this time of the year as the shadows are difficult. Distance: 18.11 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 154, Cadence: 70, Ave Speed: 18.7 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 2,175.85 miles
September 11, 2010: Long week, but it was nice to get out for a ride even if it was a bit cool and windy. I brought arm warmers with me on a ride for the first time since Lake Tahoe in June, but never put them on. I was very tempted a couple times as it never really seemed to warm up this morning. In fact, it seemed to feel colder when the wind kicked up. Headed out to ride my Tour de Adamsville. Not spectacular, but a good ride. Not many people out riding. Distance: 30.20 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 150, Ave Cadence: 67, Ave Speed: 18.0 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 2,157.74 miles
September 7, 2010: Short quick ride aftewr work today. Was a hectic day, not free time and barely ate lunch. Came home and was really windy, but I went to ride anywat. Kept it short as it was nice weather but really bad due to teh sun being low in the sky and the windy gusts. Distance: 15.06 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 148, Ave Cadence: 71, Ave Speed: 18.6 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 2,127.54 miles
September 6, 2010: Got out for a good ride this AM as the weather was good and the wind wasn't too bad. Felt pretty strong so I rode hard for the first hour to Sakonnet Point and then took it pretty easy for the next 45 minutes or so. Was really nice riding as you could see by all the riders out riding. I can't remember when I have seen so many people of all abilities out riding. I guess everyone is realizing we are going to be running out of good weather soon. Distance: 34.78 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 153, Ave Cadence: 70, Ave Speed: 18.5 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 2,112.48 miles
September 5, 2010: Short ride, too windy and no ambition after being up with all the happenings around the neighborhood last night. Distance: 14.34 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 154, Ave Cadence: 74, Ave Speed: 19.2 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 2,077.70 miles
September 4, 2010: Wow, Labor Day weekend already. Well we were supposed to get a hurricane last night but it fizzled and we got really nothing at all. I guess that is a good thing. Anyway, watch the Vuelta this AM and then went out for a ride. It was pretty windy out, even more so than last night so it was a tough ride. I felt like I was riding uphill all day. Nothing special about today's ride, the new Edge 705 works great so far. I rode pretty easy, did the Tour de Adamsville route. Looks like I'll get a couple more days of riding in a the weather is supposed to be nice for the rest of the weekend.. Distance: 31.78 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 140, Ave Cadence: 87, Ave Speed: 17.5 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 2,063.36 miles
August 31, 2010:We didn't get out of our meeting in Syracuse early enough to ride what I wanted to but we were still able to get a really good ride in. We drove to Jamesville New York from our hotel and had only a short time to ride. We parked at a school and started out riding. I had originally planned a loop ride, and the start and finish roads ran parallel so it was hard to tell which road the GPS wanted me to take. I wasn't really paying attention so I turned on the first road and we started riding. Unfortunately I found that was the return route after we had ridden about 2 miles. Since we wanted to climb hills, we turned around to ride the correct road which was RT 91 After a couple miles of climbing, we veered onto Coleman Hill Road which was a quieter road and much more climbing. It turns out is was a nice steep climb which was fun even in the humid warm temperature. After cresting the top, we descended and merged back with RT91. SInce it was later and the sun was getting last in the haze, we decided to just head back and re climb the hill we had just ridden. This time though we decided to take a detour at the top to climb up to some TV towers that are on county road 270. That was a great climb and a girl walking on the road we talked to said that the hill was the highest spot in Onondaga County. How about that! lol. I took a couple pictures but it was tough as the sun was setting and the haze was heavy. Too bad as you could barely see Syracuse way off in the distance. When we got back to the hotel, I tried to download data but my Edge 705 GPS had died and wouldn't power up. That stinks as I had to buy another one. . Distance: 15.40 miles, Ave Heart Rate: N/A, Ave Cadence: N/A, Ave Speed: N/A mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 2,031.58 miles
August 30, 2010: Today was one of those good days. Had to drive to Syracuse for work which wasn't good, but the fact that I could ride Mt Greylock along the way was good. I met Tom in Heritage Park and we rode easily to the top in beautiful conditions. While up there, we met a guy from Florida who wad ridden up the other side. Funny as he was complaining about the heat and humidity! We descended the southern side until we reached the visitor's center for Greylock State Reservation where we turned around and rode back to the top. After pausing to have a snack and talk to a park ranger, we turned around and raced back to the car. I really love this climb, and always forget how steep the north ascent really is. It is much steeper than the southern ascent. Also, since it was pave again, the descents are rocket fast! Distance: 34.21 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 157, Ave Cadence: N/A, Ave Speed: 11.4 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 2,016.18 miles
August 29, 2010: Had a lot to do today so I tried to get out early. That was also a good idea as it was suposed to get pretty hot today. I guess summer isn't over yet. Anyway, had a nice easy ride though town down to Sakonnet Point. Didn't work really hard until I got back into Tiverton and started climbing Bulgarmarsh Hill. Saw a guy near the top and decided I wanted to try to catch him. I closed on the hill, but he was just too far ahead of me. I rode like a maniac the whole length of teh road but never really closed. OIh well, had 4 or 5 miles of good chasing! Distance: 34.81 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 154, Ave Cadence: 70, Ave Speed: 17.8 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 1,981.97 miles
August 28, 2010: Haven't been able to get out to ride since last weekend, so I took is slow today and just enjoyed the ride. The weather was cool and breezy but overall a nice day for a ride. Nothing special, pretty busy traffic, sunny skies, summer is almost over. Distance: 31.60 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 151, Ave Cadence: 67, Ave Speed: 16.8 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 1,947.16 miles
August 21, 2010: Got an early start today, rode though Dartmouth. Pushed it pretty good and flet great for 40 miles. The last 10 were pretty tought. Was a pretty nice day although it started chilly when I left the house. No big surprises like yesterday. Distance: 50.89 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 163, Ave Cadence: 67, Ave Speed: 17.9 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 1,915.56 miles
August 20, 2010: Finally got out of work at a reasonable time when I could get a ride in.Was a really nice day, rode the Tour de Adamsville course with a slight deviation at the end. Didn't ride real hard, but still was a good ride. Just as I was nearing home, I was racing towards Narrow Road from Sodom Road and ran straight into two black bulls with big horns in the middle of the road .. guess they were out for a stroll! I carefully picked my way between them and down the road where I wanted to go!. Distance: 34.57 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 154, Ave Cadence: 67, Ave Speed: 17.6 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 1,864.67 miles
August 15, 2010: Was a bit overcast and cool when I decided to ride today after watching the Vattenfall Classic from Hamburg on eurosport. Legs seemed a bit tired from yesterday's ride so I decided to ride pretty easy. As per usual, that didn't last to long as I started seeing people which makes me want to try to catch them. Anyway, rode to Sakonnet Point. Seemed to be more than the normal number of idiots on the road today. Lot's of people driving like they never had been behind the wheel of a car. Got to Sakonnet Point Ok and started the ride back. About a mile or so back north I saw a rider in the distance and decided to try to catch him As it turns out, it wasn't that hard and after about a mile, I caught and passed him. He was wearing a CTS kit so I enjoyed passing him, although then I didn't want to get passed back so I had to really hammer for a while. I looked back after about a mile and he was still there, but back several hundred yards. Had to keep riding, so I really cranked it up again for a mile nor so, but then slowed slightly as I was starting to tire. After slowing for about a quarter mile I looked back to go around some stones and saw that he had started to make ground on me. Well, refusing to be caught, I put my head down and really pushed for another mile or two and this time when I looked back he had really fell back into the distance. Ah, I won and had broke him! When I came to the turn to head towards the river I slowed to a relaxing pace fully expecting him to eventually pull up next to me, but I guess he decided not to follow me on that side trip! Headed home after wandering along the marshes by the river and all in all had a good ride. Oh and today I passed over 10,000 miles on a road bike. If I add Computrainer to road bike miles, I have 20,000+ miles. Unfortunately I didn't separate for the first few years I rode so all those early miles are counted under Computrainer. Distance: 35.03 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 152, Ave Cadence: 67, Ave Speed: 18.1 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 1,830.10 miles
August 14, 2010: Started today checking out the start of the Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike Race and then went for a ride on my own. Started a bit slow but then decided to hammer for as long as I could riding around Dartmouth. Rode really well for 2 hours, about 39 miles until I cracked since I was stupid and didn't have any food with me. I knew I'd bonk at some point, but rode hard anyway. I rode the last 8 miles at a lackluster pace since I just didn't have any energy. Still a good ride though. BTW, I didn't go below sea level, my altimeter wasn't calibrated right!. Distance: 48.07 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 163, Ave Cadence: 67, Ave Speed: 18.4 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 1,795.07 miles
August 13, 2010: After working for a bit this morning, going to post office to mail my passport for renewal and a stop at the grocery store, I went for a ride to make up for yesterday. Was pretty nice out, but I rode slowly around my Tour of Adamsville course just to get miles on my legs today. Was pretty good ride, but there seemed to be lot's of a-hole drivers out. Some days I think they have no idea that others have a right to be on the road also. Distance: 31.40 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 153, Ave Cadence: 68, Ave Speed: 17.5 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 1,747.00 miles
August 12, 2010: Thought today was going to be a good day as I got up early and drove to North Adams in order to ride Mt Greylock. The weather was questionable after noon so I got up really early and left before the sun fully came up. The drive was pretty good although the GPS routed me a strange way that put me though traffic in Northampton I think the route would have been OK, except for that traffic.When I got to North Adams, I found traffic due to construction on the bridge where the park is that I normally park in. I drove around a bit looking for someplace else to park, and finally found a back parking lot for Heritage Park. I was the only one parked there but I was really happy to have the sun out and while it was cloudy, it was a great day for a ride. On the early slopes of Furnace Road, I passes a guy walking his mountain bike. As I passed and asked if everything was OK, he said his shocks were too squishy to ride up the steep stuff. Not sure about that, but hey, he was walking not me. I found out it was quite humid as I was sweating a storm after about a mile. As I reached the second steep section just before getting to the State Reservation entrance, I snapped my chain and that obviously brought my day to an end. I had to turn around and scoot up the up hills and cost on the descents until I got back to my truck. Decided to take Rt 2 home which is a really nice drive when the traffic is low as it was yesterday. All in all, about 6 hours driving for less than 20 minutes of riding. Distance: 3.9 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 146, Ave Cadence: 6.5, Ave Speed: 7.7 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 1,715.60 miles
August 7, 2010: Beautiful August morning, cool, partly cloudy skies. Was a good day for a ride so I decided to head to Sakonnet Point. The ride was pretty good, not as much traffic as there has been lately, maybe due to the cooler weather. Rode easy for 5-10 miles then rode really hard for 10-15 miles and then finished average pace. Felt really good riding today. There were more runners out and about towards Sakonnet point than I remember before. Also, cyclists were out in force. I guess that proves it was a nice day. Distance: 34.69 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 161, Ave Cadence: 71, Ave Speed: 18.5 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 1,711.70 miles
August 3, 2010: Was pretty tired after work today but decided to go for a ride anyway. Was a pretty nice night, but still very windy. Didn't have a lot of ambition, but ride anyway.. Distance: 20.02 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 143, Ave Cadence: 71, Ave Speed: 18.4 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 1,677.01 miles
August 1, 2010: Well, pretty nice day for the first day of August. Woke up this AM to 59 degrees outside. Spent the morning installing a new set of glass doors on my bathtub Went pretty well, but I was going slow as I did;t want to make any big mistakes. Finished up just before lunch and hemmed and hawed about riding. Took care of a few other things I needed to day and started watching the race from Pocono. Had decided to not ride, but the race was so boring I decided to head out about 2:30 or so. Rode hard yesterday so I decided to take my time and not rush anywhere and that it would take what it took to ride where ever I rode. Decided to head into Dartmouth and then to Horseneck Beach. The wind was tough, but since I was talking my time, it was no big deal. Rode slowly all the way back into Adamsville when I heard something behind me. It turned out to be another rider who stayed there for a minute, but the pulled along my side since I was basically crawling. We chatted for a minute and then he got bored ant took off ahead of me. I wasn't really caring until we got to one of the bigger hills. He was a skinny fit guy, probably a few years younger. By that point he probably had 100-200 yd lead up the hill. I decided I couldn't let him think I was that bad a rider, particularly since I was wearing by Belgian National Champion jersey ala Tom Boonen, so I started sprinting and just at the top of the hill I was only 30 feet off his rear wheel. I hung there catching my breath and followed for another quarter mile until we got to an intersection where I pulled up next to him. He smiled and could he was looking for someone to ride with but I was turning right to head home and he was heading straight. At least I showed I could ride and wasn't that slow! Distance: 37.99 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 134, Ave Cadence: 66, Ave Speed: 16.9 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 1,656.99 miles
July 31, 2010: Wow, it was actually a little chilly this morning when I woke up. Was 60 degrees out, hasn't been that cool in a month. Anyway, got out for a good ride this morning. Nice to have the tour over so I can get back to knocking off the ride early in the day. Started out OK, saw an accident just down the road from the house. A care was spun sideways onto someone's lawn with the rear wheel smashed and crumples into a odd shape. Cops were there, a bit of a traffic mess. Headed out to ride my Tour de Adamsville route and actually rode pretty well today. Averaged 19.3 mph for the first hour which I am quite happy about as it felt good. Then I slowed a bit on the last 30 minutes as my endurance is down. Got some good encouragement climbing the steep hill on Cole Brook Road out of Adamsville by a guy who rushed his family out of the road when he saw me climbing. Also saw about a dozen wild turkeys in one guys lawn. .Distance: 30.59 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 162, Ave Cadence: 69, Ave Speed: 18.6 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 1,619.00 miles
July 29, 2010: Nice day today, busy at work, but was able to get home around 5:00 for a ride. Decided to ride decently and pushed it for an hour, averaging about 19 mph which is good for how I have been riding. Got to the last 15 minutes or so and ran into traffic delays and even a truck with a backhoe that was stuck under a tree on a turn. Dropped my average speed a bit but still a good ride. Got home and was stung by a bee in the ear while walking off my deck to pick first cherry topmatoes of the year. Damn that hurt. .Distance: 21.87 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 164, Ave Cadence: 70, Ave Speed: 18.5 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 1,588.41 miles
July 27, 2010: Just a quick entry. Got out of work early enough and snuck out on the bike. Haven't been motivated much lately but trying to get reengaged. A bit windy, but nice day for a ride. Man am I not in the shape I was in earlier in the year. .Distance: 26.72 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 152, Ave Cadence: 69, Ave Speed: 17.7 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 1,566.54 miles
July 24, 2010: Watched the great time trial to finish this years Tour de France. Yeah, I know there is still a day tomorrow, but today was the last real day for yellow. Went for a ride afterwards and it was really humid. That combined with it being warm made for a really difficult ride. I decided to ride an old standby ride that I call the Tour de Adamsville. In that ride I hit every way into and out of Adamsville RI. I decided to ride that rode so I could bail out easily if the heat was too much. .Distance: 28.86 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 156, Ave Cadence: 68, Ave Speed: 17.9 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 1,539.82 miles
July 22, 2010: Worked at home this AM, watched the killer stage to the Tourmalet while dealing with a bunch of issues and then took off the afternoon to get a ride in. Had to run a couple errands also so I pretty much did a quick ride. I feel like I am really riding lousy, but it's hard to tell. Was really nice out today, even if it was a bit windy. Oh, well, was a good ride. .Distance: 18.02 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 162, Ave Cadence: 73, Ave Speed: 18.1 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 1,510.96 miles
July 18, 2010: Little tired from yesterday's ride in the heat. Stayed in again to watch Tour stage into Pyrenees. Went for a ride afterwards. Felt alight, not much energy but the riding went fairly smooth if not fast. About half way through the ride I started getting sweat in my eye which was burning like crazy for some reason. Washed my eyes out twice with water bottle and then said the the heck with it and came home. Descent ride, but still not in shape for the heat. .Distance: 26.24 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 149, Ave Cadence: 67, Ave Speed: 17.4 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 1,492.94 miles
July 17, 2010: Was supposed to race Mt Ascutney this morning but since I haven't been riding much due to many reasons, mainly work, I decided to not go through all the driving to suffer in the heat. I watched the tour stage and then went for a nice long easy ride in the heat. It was pretty warm, but not unbearable and for once the wind was nice. I looped around through Dartmouth and down to Horseneck Beach. It was packed but no traffic. I guess everyone came early! By the time I got back home I was pretty tired and the heat was starting to get to me. I was glad to be finishes as I was about out of water and was starting to feel a but dehydrated. It was a nice ride though. .Distance: 39.1 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 160, Ave Cadence: 67, Ave Speed: 16.8 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 1,466.70 miles
July 10, 2010: No motivation today, not sure why. Still got out for a short descent ride. not much else to say.Distance: 16.14 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 155, Ave Cadence: 72, Ave Speed: 18.7 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 1,427.73 miles
July 10, 2010: Still humid out today, although it's no where as warm as it has been. That said, it is still in the mid 80's today. Took a chance on riding even though there were rain showers in the area. Decided that of I got caught in a short downpour, no big deal as it is warm not cold. It was still windy out. Getting real tired of riding ion the wind. Today I rode though Westport and down to Acoaxet before coming home. Not riding real hard at this point, but still feels good to have time to get out. Distance: 26.71 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 152, Ave Cadence: 73, Ave Speed: 17.6 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 1,411.59 miles
July 4, 2009: Got a late start today as I stayed in to watch Stage 1 or the Tour. Not overly interesting until the last 3 K when all hell broke loose and everyone seemed to crash. By the time I got out to ride it was in the low 80's so I decided to ride to Sakonnet Point where I figured it would be cooler. This was one day where I was glad there was a breeze as it kept the heat down. I kept it pretty easy until I reached the point where it was quite nice temperature wise. As I started heading back, I ramped up the tempo until I was riding quite hard for about 8 miles or so. Was surprised how easy it felt which is nice. I think I like the warm weather for riding. About the time I got back to Tiverton along Main Road, I eased up and noticed that the road felt like a blast furnace with the heat. Luckily I had been drinking so I kept riding although I backed off a bit. I continued along the river before looping back up the Bulgaermarsh Hill and heading home. I really hate all the holiday out of town visitors as the drive like bigger idiots than already live here. Mostly CT and NY plates on the cars. When I got home it was 90 degrees which is quite warm for the shore here. A good healthy recovery drink and I'm ready again! Ha Ha. Distance: 33.99 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 159, Ave Cadence: 63, Ave Speed: 17.4 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 1,384.88 miles
July 3, 2010: Watched the Prologue from the Tour de France this AM and then decided I had better get my a$$ out and get on my own bike since I hadn't ridden all week. Decided to not push too hard since my legs haven't been used lately. Took an easy ride though Westport and looping back into Adamsville. Seem to be using this short loop a lot this year. Oh well, wind was blowing pretty good. Going to be scorching hot the next couple days .. should be interesting. Distance: 17.66 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 153, Ave Cadence: 58, Ave Speed: 18.0 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 1,350.89 miles
June 26, 2010: Was up way to early this AM so decided to get out and ride after having a couple cups of coffee. Was really nice riding before everyone else was awake. The roads were very quite and the wind wasn't blowing. I decided to ride reasonably, riding hard on hills and taking it easy elsewhere. Was a really nice ride this AM. Distance: 28.66 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 153, Ave Cadence: 68, Ave Speed: 18.2 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 1,333.23 miles
June 19, 2010: Got out early today for a short ride. It was pretty nice being out on the road before a lot of traffic showed up. I felt pretty good again, although I didn't push the whole ride. My back is better but still has a slight twinge where I'm afraid of making it worse. I think another day and things will be all better. Vacation is over as of today, guess it is back to work tomorrow. Not sure what the weather is or of I will ge a ride in. I need to in order to help loose the weight I gained in California! Distance: 22.89 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 153, Ave Cadence: 76, Ave Speed: 19.2 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 1,304.57 miles
June 19, 2010: Took my first post California ride this afternoon. Reminded me of being out there since it is so windy out. Not sure what I did to my back but it's pretty tight. Was worse last night and this AM, must have put it out yesterday working around the yard. As a result, I didn't work real hard today riding. Despite that, I really felt good. I think the after affects of living at 6,000 feet for 8 days are still with me as I really wasn't under pressure anywhere on the ride. I was able to ride effortlessly up all the hills around here. Now I only rode a hour, so that's not a big deal, but I did notice that it was easy to maintain a higher cadence and also easier to get up the hills. Hopefully my back will feel better tomorrow. At least I don;t have the flu like Tom told me he had from the coughing/puking kid on the plane. Distance: 17.65 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 147, Ave Cadence: 75, Ave Speed: 18.9 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 1,281.68 miles
June 15, 2010: See Donner Pass Journal in 2010 California Trip Page Distance: 33.35 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 137, Ave Cadence: N/A, Ave Speed: 10.7 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 1,264.09 miles
June 14, 2010: See Ebbetts Pass Journal in 2010 California Trip Page Distance: 28.57 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 138, Ave Cadence: N/A, Ave Speed: 10.0 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 1,230.74 miles
June 13, 2010: See Monitor Pass Journal in 2010 California Trip Page Distance: 22.32 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 148, Ave Cadence: N/A, Ave Speed: 9.1 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 1,202.17 miles
June 12, 2010: See Sonora Pass Journal in 2010 California Trip Page Distance: 15.60 miles, Ave Heart Rate: N/A, Ave Cadence: N/A, Ave Speed: 8.1 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 1,179.85 miles
June 11, 2010: See Carson Pass/Blue Lakes Journal in 2010 California Trip Page Distance: 36.15 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 150, Ave Cadence: N/A, Ave Speed: 13.3 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 1,164.25 miles
June 10, 2010: See Tioga Pass Journal in 2010 California Trip Page Distance: 14.64 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 146, Ave Cadence: N/A, Ave Speed: 9.0 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 1,128.10 miles
June 9, 2010: See Lake Tahoe Loop Journal in 2010 California Trip Page Distance: 74.91 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 135, Ave Cadence: N/A, Ave Speed: 11.5 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 1,113.50 miles
June 8, 2010: See Barker Pass Journal in 2010 California Trip Page Distance: 7.43 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 129, Ave Cadence: N/A, Ave Speed: 8.8 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 1,038.49 miles
June 6, 2010: Was really nice this AM after being humid and not so nice the last few. I ran out to Home Depot to get some more tomato support stands and then came home to get a quick ride in before the weather possibly went bad. It was really nice when I went out but quickly became mostly cloudy but at least the wind hadn't started. I decided to try something different and headed out down RT 177 into Westport to take a different route since traffic should have been light on a Sunday AM. Wasn't too bad, although because it was later than I hoped, it was a bit busier. Seems this was a good route as prep for the upcoming trip since it felt like it was all uphill. I know that can't be true because in a loop up has to equal down! Anyway worked out well. Looped back through Wesport by the river and then wound my way back home. Was going to ride longer but decided I better get home to get the lawn cut to make tomorrow's preparation a but less busy. Looking back at last year, I have ridded about 250 more miles than I had by June 6th. Don't know if I'll ride tomorrow or not. Depends how things go. Distance: 20.55 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 154, Ave Cadence: 69, Ave Speed: 19.0 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 1,031.06 miles
June 5, 2010: Big round of thunder and lightning this morning really did a job on the area roads. Been damp and wet all day but when the sun cam out for an instant I decided I couldn't allow myself to be lazy any more. I decided to not stray too far since there seemed to be thunder heads building on the horizon. Was able to get a good 20+ miles in although the roads were really messy with rocks and sand all over from this mornings downpours. This ride put me over 1,000 miles for the spring, which was one of my goals before going to California. The weather looks great for next week in Lake Tahoe so I can't wait. . Distance: 21.70 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 157, Ave Cadence: 68, Ave Speed: 18.4 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 1,010.51 miles
June 4, 2010: Been foggy for a few days so between that and trying to wrap things up for work, I found it easy to not ride.Got out early today, so I did a quick ride just to keep my legs interested in riding. Wind from the south was pretty string so it was hard to justify putting much effort into this ride. Survived for 17+ miles, got some good exercise for an hour. Enough said. Hopefully I can squeeze in a ride or two over the weekend. No heartrate monitor today. Didn't put on the monitor when I got dressed. Oh well. Distance: 17.83 miles, Ave Heart Rate: N/A, Ave Cadence: 66, Ave Speed: 17.4 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 988.81 miles
May 31, 2010: Happy Memorial Day. Another really nice day today. A little breeze, but warm, sunny and nice. I love it when the weather is nice like this. I decided that since I rode long yesterday, I'd really take it easy today. That choice was easy since my legs were a little tight starting the ride today. Actually it was kind of nice to just ride at an easy pace, not really feeling like I was breaking a sweat. When you look at my heartrate you can see I rode easy. All in all it wasn't that slow either. Oh well, nice ride to Sakonnet Point, lots riders and runners out. Back to work tomorrow, hopefully I can get a ride in after work. Distance: 35.46 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 127, Ave Cadence: 60, Ave Speed: 16.3 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 970.98 miles
May 30, 2010: Decided that since I was tired of riding in the wind, I'd get out earlier today to reduced the amount of wind I had to deal with Also, getting out early means you can miss a lot of the traffic around the shore which was bound to be heavy with the warm weather. My day started bad with my front tire being flat in the basement. Really, now what the heck did I do to deserve all these flats? Seems to be an epidemic. No matter, I pumped up the tire and it seemed to how air so rather than change the tire and get pissed off to ruin my ride I decided to gamble and ride knowing there was probably a slow leak. Turns out I didn't need to put any air in for over 25 miles! I gambled and won this time, but I'll need to plan that tire change before I ride tomorrow. The weather was really really nice this morning, and I enjoyed the early part of the ride a lot. Headed off into Westport and then New Bedford with little to no traffic and warm temperature. Best thing was no wind. I didn't really notice any wind at all until I looped all the way back towards Horseneck Beach. There I noticed the WNW wind that was predicted for today. by that part I had well over 35 miles in though so I was happy. The last 30 miles were back with the normal wind. Other observations from this morning are that freshly spread cow manure in the damp air and an energy bar don't mix really well. There were some really ripe farms this AM. The first 30 miles felt good, the next 20 were tough. Miles 50-almost 60 felt really good again and the last few miles just were awful. No matter, good ride and I feel like I am getting ready for the Sierra Nevada in a week or so. The elevation plot is better than yesterday but still is hosed. I have reset the GPS so hopefully things will be right tomorrow. Distance: 65.21 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 157, Ave Cadence: 64, Ave Speed: 17.4 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 935.52 miles
May 29, 2010: Good stage in today's giro all around Bormio, not as great as it could have been since no one attacked until the final on the Passo Tonale. Was fun to watch them descent into Bormio over the roads we drove on when visiting in 2007. Anyway, didn't get out until after noon since I was watching the Giro. Was really nice out except it is still windy. I keep expecting the windy to drop around here and it always seems to lag. I know it never stops, but it's usually much less by 1 June. Oh we;;, can hope that happens. Great news this morning that two of the last three passes in the Sierras that we plan on riding in a little over a week finally opened this morning. Now we are only waiting for Tioga. Large parts are open there also, but there is an extended section that I'm not sure is even open to bicycles due to avalanche issues. Fingers crossed. I need to get some more miles in so today i set out to ride at least 2 hours. Since it was windy and I really don't care about how fast I'm riding right now, I took it at a reasonable pace, riding hard when it made sense and sitting back when the wind was head on. I did my usual hammer up the climbs which is good for strength. I'm happy with my climbing, just need more endurance. More riding tomorrow. Still not riding with my aero wheels that have the power tap so that data is missing and will be for a while. Also, must have been a big pressure delta since last ride as I have a large bias on the GPS elevation. Once would think I was in death valley from the readings today. I can guarantee that wasn't the case! Distance: 41.53 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 157, Ave Cadence: 66, Ave Speed: 17.7 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 870.31 miles
May 28, 2010: Nice day for a ride today. Watched a great stage in the Giro over the Mortirolo and then was supposed to go ship my bike but I learned that FEDEX doesn't do what I wanted them to. Instead, I went and got plants for my vegetable garden and gas for the grill. When I got back, I had some quick lunch and then went for a quick ride. I didn't go far again since I wasn't sure I had air flasks with me and with my history on flats this year, I was cautious. Also, I wanted to cut the grass and get the garden planted so I didn't have to do that this weekend. I think I need a couple long rides this weekend. Today I rode an easy quick ride and once again it was warm but really windy. Distance: 14.50 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 146, Ave Cadence: 71, Ave Speed: 18.1 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 828.78 miles
May 25, 2010: Got out for a ride after work today even though I had no motivation to ride. A few long days at work really can zap the energy from you. A combination of the wind and the flat two days ago seem to have turned me off from riding right now. No matter, an easy ride in really windy conditions was probably a good thing. Now to sit and watch the Giro TT to Plan de Corones. Oh and the elevation profile isn't right again due to a late turn on of the GPS. Distance: 17.40 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 146, Ave Cadence: 68, Ave Speed: 18.0 mph Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 814.28 miles
May 23, 2010: This mornings Giro stage was the famous Zoncolon and boy did it live up to the hype. Really enjoyed watching it and was motivated to get out for a ride once Ivan Basso had won the stage. I was a bit tired form yesterday's ride so I decided to ride hard for 5 miles then easy off for about a 25-30 mile total ride. All in all was pretty nice out as the sun came out mid ride. I didn't have much energy, but looking back it's probably because I didn't eat anything for lunch. Anyway, no matter, still had a couple bursts of energy climbing wise and I think I am actually in reasonable shape if I can get my endurance back up. Funny, ran across a couple turkey vultures eating a dead carcass in the road. Wanted a picture but they took off when I went by. The ride finished really badly as I ended up with another flat about 1/2 mile from home. Guess I am going to take the aero wheels off and live without a power meter for a while as the tires are just to damn hard to change on those rims. If things settle down on the flat front, I'll put them back on later in the year. Pisses me off and I may call the town to complain about the need to clean the streets as 4 flats in a month is just not right. Distance: 26.92 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 159, Ave Cadence: 63, Ave Speed: 17.7 mph Ave Power: 197 watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 796.88 miles
May 22, 2010: Watched a great stage in the Giro today over Monte Grappa and then headed out for a ride myself. Was supposed to be really nice this weekend, but it's not turning out that way. Was overcast, windy and cool, but I needed to get some miles in so I rode. Wasn't too bad except for when I was near the south coast. today. No real adventure, didn't ride particularly hard as I was more interested in miles than power today. Ran into a guy just starting his ride when I was at about the 35 mile mark. He hooked onto my wheel which I absolutely hate. Lesson, don't hook onto someone's wheel without asking if it's OK. I cranked up the effort and a long slow uphill. He kept pace but I could hear him downshifting quite a bit. I just hammered on until we got over the top where I sat up and said I needed to slow for a food break. He kept riding and after I ate some energy bar, I sat up and rode about 100 yards behind him until he turned later. I was a little tired though and after about 40 miles, I kind of mailed it in getting home! Still good miles, need some more of those before California. Distance: 47.33 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 157, Ave Cadence: 66, Ave Speed: 17.7 mph Ave Power: 176 watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 769.96 miles
May 21, 2010: Was a really nice day out today, a bit windy, but warm which was nice for a change. Haven't ridden much lately so I didn't ride long. I did ride a nice easy day to get some miles in my legs. Made a visit to the beach where it was really windy. Saw a Coyote riding not too far out of Acoaxet. Hopefully can get more miles in this weekend. Oh and the elevation is obviously messed up. Didn't let the Garmin stabilize before starting today. Distance: 22.78 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 159, Ave Cadence: 60, Ave Speed: 18.1 mph Ave Power: 180 watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 722.63 miles
May 16, 2010: Was a pretty nice day today, although the wind is still problematic along the coast. It's always puzzling as here at my house it doesn't seem too bad, but once I get away from he neighborhood it seems to be really blowing. Anyway, rode really hard or the first hour, averaging about 239 watts before really laying back for most of the 2nd half of the ride. My back is tightening up when I ride more than an hour, so I really need to log more consistent hours to make that go away. Also, I need to continue my core workouts to help strengthen a bit. I headed out through Dartmouth and there seemed to be some sort of organized ride happening. Someone needs to teach bike manners, saying hello is only a common courtesy. Even when I am wiped out I can still manage a wave or nod and non of these folks were even coming close to breaking a sweat! Anyway, I used them as markers throughout the day to race at times until I caught and passed the rider ahead. Good workout when I do that. Headed past Horseneck Beach for the first time this year and it was blowing pretty good down there. Felt tired when I got home, but recovered quickly. Hope to ride again tomorrow. Distance: 36.51 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 170, Ave Cadence: 66, Ave Speed: 19.4 mph Ave Power: 210 watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 699.85 miles
May 15, 2010: Watched a spectacular race today from Giro d'Italia where the Starde Bianche turned to mud in the rain. It has been several days since I did any exercise due to travel and weather so I wasn't planning on going crazy today but the wind made sure of that. Getting a little tired of the lousy riding weather. Even though it has been a pretty nice spring, it hasn't been great for riding. Oh well, short ride today, will try to get more miles in tomorrow. Distance: 19.82 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 159, Ave Cadence: 63, Ave Speed: 19.0 mph Ave Power: 198 watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 663.34 miles
May 7, 2010: Pretty nice day today, although it was windy. Went to get the bike out and I notices a couple cracks and cuts in the front tire, so I swapped to an alternate front tire to get the ride in. I set out an a reasonably hard ride, although it wasn't a full strength effort. I decided to do this since I was only going to ride short today. The wind was pretty brutal so I was happy that it was warm. Rode through Westport and back though Adamsville. A good ride albeit short. Distance: 14.26 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 156, Ave Cadence: 65, Ave Speed: 20.3 mph Ave Power: 227 watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 643.52 miles
May 2, 2010: Well it was another nice day for riding. Little chilly when I left home, warmed up then the sun went away for a while and it got windy and cold before finishing sunny and warm. Ah, love New England! Today I wanted to ride a longer ride since the weather was supposed to be nice. Went out harder than I should have for the first 20 miles, and then dropped way off when the wind kicked up. Heading into Westport and then over to Dartmouth riding the inverse route of the Tiverton Century finish route. When I got over to South Dartmouth it started getting really windy and the clouds were in and out. I stopped for a minute in this bridge to eat and take a nice picture of the ocean looking towards Cape Cod. After heading back towards Rhode Island, I decided that the wind was getting annoying and I was getting tired so I decided to cut the Horseneck Beach part of my ride out and just head towards home instead. Still a good ride and the weather got nice and warm before I got home. Low power, slow ride when all is said and done, but still nice to log the miles. Distance: 52.28 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 155, Ave Cadence: 60, Ave Speed: 17.5 mph Ave Power: 179 watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 629.26 miles
May 1, 2010: Really nice day out today, warm, not a lot of wind. I think this is the nicest day of the year so far. Before I write about today's ride I need to catch up on yesterday's mess. Really in the mood for an easy ride yesterday but wanted to get some miles in so that I could ride longer today. Problem is the roads around here are so terrible that I ended up blowing out my tire when I hit a deep pot hole at a pretty high speed. Actually blew a hole in the tire wall and made a small chip in my rim. The rim seems OK, since it is small and not in a structural place. Still irritating. This time I had a spare tube that would take my valve extender, so I changed the tire. Since it was in the evening nd it was warm, there were swarms of mosquito's and they decided I was dinner. After being chewed up and irritated at the town for not fixing pot holes, I finished changing the tire. I set off, with a modified plan to not go too far since I no longer had a spare tube. Didn't matter, 100 feet down the road, I passed these two kids who were sitting on a stone wall and BANG, the tube popped again. DOn't know if there was something in the tire from hitting the pothole or if I pinched the tube when putting the spare on. No matter, now I'm 3 miles from home and no spare. This time my patch kit worked, the patched tube held air, but I was too scared to ride to far. As a result, I rode back and forth up the road a bit near my street just to get 30 minutes of riding in. Now to today, changed the tire and used a new tube and then I was able to get out to ride. Today turned pretty uneventful , Thank god ... and it was beautiful out. I rode to Sakonnet Point where I could look back along the coast towards Adamsville to see something burning. Thick black smoke and a deep electrical or burning tire smell. Lot's of sirens, a police car and a fire truck heading to the fire I assume, but I was gone heading north. Rode along the river through town and looped back across Eagleville Road before heading towards home. Good day, although I'm a little whooped. Now I need to find some energy to head down to Stonington to Bill and Mickey's as they are having a Kentucky Derby party this afternoon. Never been to one, so I don't know what to expect. Tom and Tiffany are threatening to come all decked out in hats and fancy dress. Should be interesting! Distance: 41.95 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 162, Ave Cadence: 60, Ave Speed: 18.3 mph Ave Power: 183 watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 576.98 miles
April 24, 2010: Kind of a rainy Sunday but there was a spot this afternoon when it didn't look too bad. I quickly changed and decided that I'd try to get a quick ride in between storms. Wouldn't you know it, as soon as I stepped outside it started to spit a bit. I hung around for a minute and it really didn't start raining so I said the heck with it and set out riding. It was chilly, and it sprinkled the whole ride, but I never got rained on. I rode pretty short since I decided to not push my luck as I know the is rain in the area. I saw one other fool out riding so at least I wasn't alone. Rode pretty hard from the start so being cold, I never had a chance to warm up properly and while I carried good watts through the ride, it wasn't as high as possible since I don't ride well in the cold. Oh well, I did get a ride in. Distance: 14.27 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 171, Ave Cadence: 62, Ave Speed: 20.7 mph Ave Power: 250 watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 527.96 miles
April 24, 2010: Paul came over this AM for our first group ride of the year. Wasn't the warmest morning, but it wasn't cold either. It was a bit windy which is normal for Rhode Island this time of the year. Paul wanted to keep it slow since he hadn't ridden a lot yet this year, so we rode a nice paced 2.25 hour ride through Westport, Little Compton and back into Tiverton. Traffic seemed to be pretty heavy this AM which isn't surprising since we are later than normal this time of the year since it doesn't warm up until 9 or 10. By the time we got to Acoaxet, it was reasonable warm but the 10 mile ride home into the N wind wasn't really fun. Rain for a few days, so riding may or may not happen. Almost twice as miles in as last year this time, so I can't complain too much right now. Distance: 35.72 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 136, Ave Cadence: 58, Ave Speed: 16.4 mph Ave Power: 153 watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 513.69 miles
April 20, 2010: Not much to say. 2 miles in flat tire. Then I learned that my spare tube couldn't take my valve stem extender. Then my patch kit wouldn't stick to tire. Long story short, crawled and walked for 2 miles home. Found second hole in tube at home. Then the replacement tube that would take extender also failed around stem. Third tube worked, but derailer now needs adjustment. I guess I need to overhaul bike this weekend. Sunday is supposed to rain. Blahh ... enough. Distance: 4.36 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 121, Ave Cadence: 39, Ave Speed: 4.6 mph Ave Power: 121 watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 477.97 miles
April 19, 2010: Finally I was able to get home from work early enough to get a ride in. Not the warmest of days, but it was nicer than yesterday. Decided to ride what I call the Tour de Adamsville which is basically where I ride every road and hill into and out of Adamsville in a looping manner. Was fun, and I rode pretty hard even though the numbers don't really show it. The wind was pretty annoying, but that's OK, more practice for easy riding conditions. My legs were pretty toasted today as I averaged around 2 mph faster than yesterday. It's a good feeling though. Looking like I might get rides in all week which is great! Distance: 30.6 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 160, Ave Cadence: 62, Ave Speed: XX mph Ave Power: 207 watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 473.61 miles
April 18, 2010: Man, feels like it's been for ever since I was on my bike. Between the bad weather and the crazy work schedule it's been a week. The weather today wasn't great but I need to get miles in so I headed out after watching Amstel Gold. Wasn't too bad, although I was dressed in cold weather gear, including thermal booties and my rain/wind jacket. I even worm my gloves, so I guess it really was chilly. Headed into Westport and then took a short deviation up along Rt 177 before heading back south into North Dartmouth. Was pretty windy so I kept it short, and slow just to get time in the seat. Was tired by the time I was done. Need more riding. Distance: 28.99 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 159, Ave Cadence: 45, Ave Speed: 17.1 mph Ave Power: 185 watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 443.01 miles
April 11, 2010: What a great Paris Roubaix race today. Watched that this morning and then went for a ride despite it being windy and chilly in the mid 50's. Decided to take it easy today after yesterday's hard ride so I went our pretty easy and still had a good first 5 mile power number or 239. Decided I was going to have a long ride despite being chilly so I headed off into Dartmouth. I decided to make my first trip to the far corner of South Dartmouth near New Bedford which would force at least a 40 mile ride. All was going well until I had to stop for a red light in a one lane bridge near the furthers point ion my ride. After that my legs started to get cold and loose power and I still had the hard parts of riding into the wind left. The whole trip south toward the shore was slightly uphill and dead into the wind. Seems that was the case for 1 1/2 hours!. It did warm up a bit when I finally worked back into Tiverton, but by them it was just a chore to ride forward. Good practice for tough riding, but I'll be happy in another couple weeks when it warms back up and the wind dies down for the summer. Distance: 48.22 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 154, Ave Cadence: 65, Ave Speed: 17.9 mph Ave Power: 190 watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 414.02 miles
April 10, 2010: Got up and out to do some yard work early this AM before watching the final TT for Pais Vasco (Tour of the Basque Country). I love that race as it's nothing more than climbing all day every day. Rakes about 4 trash can's full of acorns before my arms fell off and it was time to watch the race. Afterwards, I decided it was still to cold to race so I did a few things inside before saying the heck with it, I need to go ride. Temperature wise it wasn't too bad, but the wind made it treacherous and much colder. Anyway, got a good pretty hard 20 miles in despite not having ridden since last Sunday. Would have been nice without the wind. Probably not the best day to be riding my aero wheels .... supposed to be warmer tomorrow. Distance: 20.16 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 163, Ave Cadence: 68, Ave Speed: 20.2 mph Ave Power: 227 watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 365.804 miles
April 4, 2010: HAPPY EASTER. Watched a great Tour of Flanders this AM and then ran out for what I intended to be a longer, but slow ride since I ride pretty hard yesterday. I decided on the way out the door to ride the Madone rather than my 5500 with the compact cranks. Decided that the water and dirty roads must have cleaned up enough by now. Of course that meant I had my power meter for the first time this year. As I started riding I was surprised by the wattage on the meter for the perceived effort I was putting out. I started getting inspired by the great race today and decided that I'd hammer for the first 5 miles then back off and ride my easy day. It went real well though as I averages 279 watts for the 13-14 odd minutes it took to ride 5 miles where I averaged 22 mph. That made it too hard to back off so I decided I'd ride hard, but nit hammer from there on out. Went over to Dartmouth and it was real warm until I got near the beach when it got a little chilly. Long story short is I averaged 237 watts for 21.5 miles in the first hour. At this point I decided to cross back into Westport and head across Hixville Bridge and up the hill by the dump. Rode pretty well, but got stopped at the traffic light at RT 88 for a few minutes and it was hard to get my energy back. I headed south from here and rode back to Adamsville, up the hill on Cold Brook Road and then towards home. I really crashed about 5 miles from home when I really struggled to keep any forward progress. LOL, after a few bursts of energy, I made it home with a reasonable speed and average power. Nice to ride hard, although my legs are trashed more than yesterday. Distance: 38.67 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 163, Ave Cadence: 58, Ave Speed: 19.4 mph Ave Power: 218 watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 345.64 miles
April 3, 2010:Went home to visit with Mom, Brother, Sister-In-Law and Nephew today for Easter. I hate travelling on holidays anymore, so I always go up early if we are getting together. It was a really nice day up there in Hampden Ma and warm too. Was in the upper 50's when I started my ride and well into the 60's when I finished. I found some really great hills, soem long and steep, some just plain steep. Rode extensive sections of 14-18 % and even saw 20 and 21 % show up on the GPS for short periods in two separate occasions. All in all, I hadapproximately 2,850 feet of climbing today in the ~33 miles I rode. That's about half the daily totals for the Lake Tahoe trip which is coming up quickly. My legs were good for about 25 miles, but ended up pretty hammered, but it's still early and I haven't ridden much in last two weeks due to weather. Lot's of riders on these roads and I may need to ride again soon. Interestingly, my max heart rate was 206 today ... I haven't seen anything like that in years. Guess I was riding hard on those steep sections! You can find my ride information at this link which leads to my Map My Ride page. Distance: 32.88 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 162, Ave Cadence: 66, Ave Speed: 15.5 mph, Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 306.97 miles
April 2, 2010:Finally the weather has gotten better around here, the flood are stopped and it's warm again. Between the weather and work it was hard to get out the last two weeks so I really just took it easy today but got a good ride in. It was still a bit windy, but still nice. There was a lot of road damage, new pit holes, lot's of running water where there shouldn't be any which is kind of strange. Saw a group of wild turkey's crossing the road right in front of me over in Westport, but other than that, not too eventful. The Westport River was running real fast and was wider than I've ever seen it. Looked like a major river! Distance: 27.69 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 159, Ave Cadence: 71, Ave Speed: 18.1 mph, Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 274.09 miles
March 21, 2010: Intended on taking a day off today since the weather wasn't supposed to be that good. Turns out it was a pretty nice day after all. Watched some basketball and then went out about 1:30 for a short ride. Decided to test my new camera mount that I want to use in California in June when we go. It worked pretty well. Did a quick ride though Westport, towards Horseneck Beach and the cutting back towards Adamsville and home. Just a quick ride, but felt pretty good after being tired yesterday. Now rain will keep me in for at least 2 days. Looking at today's elevation plot it is clear that it isn't correct. Weather is changing so barometer is changing. Didn't wait long enough for altitude to correct when I started today, hence the error at the start. Distance: 15.71 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 154, Ave Cadence: 74, Ave Speed: 19.0 mph, Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 246.40 miles
March 20, 2010: Started this morning watching Milan-San Remo. Pretty good race, got exciting at the end with attacks off the Poggio. Soon as that was over, I got dressed and headed out for a bike ride since it was 70 degrees here. Great first day of spring. I didn;t think the wind was supposed to be as bad today as it was on past days, but I tell you it was still windy out there. I headed out through Town towards Tiverton 4 corners and the north along Main Road so I could head down by the river. My plan was to ride at least 2 hours today so I wasn't looking to ride hard, just looking for more time outside. It was a bit cooler by the river, but still really nice. It was windy though. Passed a couple cyclists out that way, neither said hello, that really annoys me. Anyway, worked my way south towards Sakonnet Point, but after a few minutes on Main Road heading south, it was clear the wind was annoying and it was getting colder. Since I went out dressed in shorts and short sleeves, I wasn't looking for cold. As a result, I decided to turn towards the common in Little Compton to get further inland with the hope that there would be less wind and that it would be warmer. It was a bit. Looped down towards the shore and then headed back in a big loop back towards Little Compton commons again. After that I decided to head back towards Tiverton and then to make a quick run to Acoaxet before heading home. It was a good ride with some hills until I crested a hill just near the ocean by the beach. I must have passed through a thermocline as it really got cold at that point. I fought my way along the coast and wind until I was on my way back to Adamsville, but the cold had sapped me of energy by then. About mile 38, I was just zonked. Decided to take a round about path through Westport and Sodom Road to get home which was just perfect, topping out at about 45 miles. Good day and good miles for the first day of Spring. Distance: 45.38 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 149, Ave Cadence: 68, Ave Speed: 17.8mph, Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 230.69 miles
March 19, 2010: Nice stretch of late winter riding continued today. I didn't get out of work early as per plan so it was 4:00 by the time I got on the road to ride. It was warmer than yesterday but I think there was more wind. It was definitely making it feel a bit colder when all was said and done. I rode out through Westport and then looped back to Adamsville yesterday, but instead of turning towards home, I decided to make a turn and head along the water towards Acoaxet and the beach. I was feeling pretty good at this point and despite not riding very hard I was maintaining a good average speed. As I neared the beach, the wind seemed to pick up and it got appreciably colder. When I got to the beach it was really quite chilly and while I tried to ride harder to stay warm, fighting the wind just sapped my energy. When I finally headed back inland, and was ready to take a path to add more miles, I decided I was too cold and hand no energy, so I turned home instead. Finished by riding back through Tiverton and heading home via Bulgarmarsh Road. It was a good ride, and I'm happy to get any time outside this time of the year. Tomorrow is supposed to be the best day yet. We'll see. Plan on riding after Milan San Remo finishes so it will be a bit warmer out. Distance: 27.11 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 145, Ave Cadence: 73, Ave Speed: 18.2 mph, Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 185.31 miles
March 18, 2010: Had to work a bit late today so I wasn't able to get out as early as I had hoped. I did get home around 5:00 so thanks to Daylight Savings Tome, I was able to get a short ride in. It was warmer than yesterday, but it seemed like it was cooler. No matter, an outside ride this time of the year is an outside ride. I kept it short since the sun was getting low in the sky. I seem to have gotten attached to riding through Westport this spring so today I did my reverse loop through Sodom Road, and then looping south back to Adamsville. I rode hard for 30 minutes then took a reasonable pace for the last 5 miles. Looks like I might get a few more days before the weather turns again. Distance: 14.29 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 153, Ave Cadence: 75, Ave Speed: 19.6 mph, Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 158.20 miles
March 17, 2010: Happy St. Patrick's Day. Instead of camping out in an Irish Pub and drinking beer, I went to the dentist at lunch and then took the afternoon off to take a bike ride. Even though it was a little windy, it was still pretty warm. Was 62 degrees at home when I got here from dentist about 1:00. A quick sandwich and then I got dressed and headed out towards Dartmouth. Rode in shorts for the first time this year and that was pretty nice even if it did get chilly down towards the shore. Rode pretty hard for the first 29 miles then I felt like I was going to throw up my peanut butter and nutella sandwich so I slowed down a bit. All in all a good ride in nice bright sunshine. Distance: 33.19 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 154, Ave Cadence: 70, Ave Speed: 18.3 mph, Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 143.91 miles
March 8, 2010: Well today was a travel day for a work trip to San Diego and we used out time well to get out to Mt Palomar for a ride. The weather was supposed to be cool, but nice .I wish it got that way but it really didn't. It was a nice day in San Diego, typical overcast in the AM, but looking like it was going to clear. Tom, Bill M. and I met at out hotel and made the quick drive through some really nice areas to get to the Harrah's Casino in Rincon where we were planning on parking for the ride. As we got closer though, the skies were obviously not clearing and it started to rain a bit. Since we had all day and it looked from weather radar that the skies were going to clear, we decided to drive up the mountain, see what conditions were and then hopefully it would be good to ride. As we started up we got into the fog and rain and it was getting ugly so we continued on to the observatory to see the famous 200 inch telescope. That was pretty cool, but it was so foggy you couldn't see anything up there. Literally wee were about 100 feet from the telescope and couldn't see it. It was still drizzling so we descend to drive down the south grade road and back to the casino to assess the situation. As we descended, the weather seemed to be getting better and there were some great views. Our hopes were dashed though as we got closer to the casino and the rain showers returned. After a snack at the casino, we decided that we'd ride despise the weather since we were all the way out there. We all bundled up and headed out. The road was pretty good for climbing and it wasn't a terribly hard ride, although it started immediately and just kept going. I set a good tempo and while we were all over heating from too much clothing, soon we were 5 miles in and making the left hand turn up East Grade Road where it immediately started getting cooler, and we entered the fog zone. Tom took off on his usual adventure and Bill M and I kept a good tempo. After a few minutes of riding and telling Bill to just ride his own tempo and we'd wait at the top if we got separated, I found a steeper section and got out of the saddle and pushed things a bit. Bill held on for a few minutes but soon I noticed a gap and then he was gone. Surprisingly I felt alright myself so I kept alternating between pushing out of the saddle and then recovering when possible using this tactic to make me not notice him damn cold it was getting. Soon enough I was about 1 mile from he top when here comes Tom back down, taking about how freezing cold it was. Of course, he had shorts and a light rain jacket and nothing else on. Situation normal. We rode to the top and I took this short video, please pardon the couple F-Bombs, it was very cold and foggy! After getting my hat and gloves on we decided to abort plans to descent the South Grade and opt for the steeper descent back down East Grade road. Just as we were about to bail, Bill M came rolling up thorough the fog. The descent was brutal .. earlier in the day it was 39 degrees up there and I'm sure it was colder when we got there. The fog was definitely thicker with visibility about 50 yds. The wind chills on the descent had to be in the 20's or lower (Paul .. we were thinking of how much you would have enjoyed that!). By far, that was the coldest descent I've ever done, even more cold that Tre Cimi in the Dolomites in the snow. All in all, we didn't do the ride we wanted, but we did ride Mt Palomar in Epic conditions. We all decided that we needed to return to climb in better weather someday as it was a great climb. Distance: 26.67 miles, Ave Heart Rate: N/A, Ave Cadence: N/A, Ave Speed: 10.1 mph, Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 110.72 miles
March 7, 2010:Made it to San Diego today. The weather wasn't really cooperative as it was raining when we got here. Took a while at Nytro to get the bike rentals ready since they didn't have the bike for Tom. They were able to solve this by building a slightly larger bike. Tom almost took a tri bike to ride up Palomar tomorrow. They would have been interesting! Anyway after a good lunch the bikes were ready and we headed back to San Diego to check in. The weather had cleared up so we decided to head out to get to where we were riding in Chula Vista. During the drive it started raining again but looked reasonable when we got to the park we were riding from. After getting everything ready the skies started to open up again and we had to wait about 20-25 minutes for that storm to pass. Eventually we got on out way at 16:08 which didn't leave much daylight. We rode about 9.5 miles out and got to the base on the Honey Springs Road climb when we decided daylight was an issues and that we had better turn back. No sooner than we had turned back then the skies opened up and we have to race back to the van in a torrential downpour .. for 9.5 miles. No doubt, we got soaked. Luckily it was 57 degrees so it was pretty warm. Our feet were still frozen although riding with no gloves was no problem. As fate would have it, the sun came out as we got to within 1/2 mile form the van. Still a good ride. One interesting note about this ride is that we had to be only a few miles form et Mexico boarder as there were literally over 35 INS vehicles that we passed or passed up on our ride. They were riding up the muddy roads into the hills towards the boarder. No idea if the great hoards were coming across the boarder or if this was a normal activity. Pretty impressive visibility though. A good ride albeit wet! Now how to dry shoes for the morning??. Distance:19.21 miles, Ave Heart Rate: N/A, Ave Cadence: N/A, Ave Speed: 19.21 mph, Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles:84.05 miles
March 6, 2010: Great weather today as it warmed up to 50 degrees by lunch time. Watched the Monte Peschi Strade Bianchi from Italy this AM and then went out riding for a good 2+ hours. Didn't ride hard at all but felt really good to be outside instead of being on that damn trainer. It was a little chilly when I left home but soon it was really nice temperature wise. I kept all the warm clothes on though as I was feeling nice a toasty warm and I like it that way. Headed though the outskirts of Westport then into Adamsville and down to Acoaxet where it was pretty windy but nice by the beach. Decided I was feel ing pretty energetic so I headed out towards Swamp road in Little Compton before heading back north along Main Road. After a short trip to the river I headed back up the big hill on Bulgarmarsh Road before heading home. Like I said, was really great getting outside and now we'll see how the riding I have planned around work in San Diego this week goes. We plan on renting bikes from Nytro Tri shop and getting a few miles in including hopefully Palomar Mountain. I've always wanted to climb that mountain and have been fascinated by the 200 inch telescope since I was a kid so it will be cool to ride there if it happens. Distance: 36.63 miles, Ave Heart Rate: 148, Ave Cadence: 68, Ave Speed: 16.5 mph, Ave Power: N/A watts, Cumulative 2010 Miles: 68.81 miles
