OK, so we do not have hills to speak of in Florida, but we do have wind. My buddies and I left from Melbourne last Saturday morning on another 200k adventure. We criss-crossed the Intercoastal with 3 overpasses (that is another term for a Florida hill :-)) generally heading north east beyond Cape Canaveral. It is a pretty ride, we saw lots of gators, masses of different birds, etc. This route does have some of my least favorite roads- long and flat with no turns, but companionship always helps.
We battled headwinds almost the whole way up as it was a strong east northeast wind. I can speak for myself that I was tired at mile 66 when we stopped for a lunch break. The trip back was much faster, and even faster still when we all noticed the rain clouds chasing us from behind. It was a fun gallop down the beautiful road next to the water. We did much better on time off the bike, this one only had about an hour and 40 minutes of down time, comparable to many of my other 200k's. Another pseudo epic ride down, a few more to come before the May 3 Cross Florida 170 mile ride.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
fires and butts
Wow, time flies. I did not realize how long it had been since I posted but we are having financial difficulties etc so this had slipped off the hot list. Sorry. I did not just a 200k but a 223k ride on the very last day of February to keep my R-12 streak at 2 months. Our next one is coming up quickly, next weekend in fact!
The ride was good, though a little longer than I thought and was prepared for. We had our 3 ladies and a bonus of an experienced randonneur Matt. It was just a little cool at the start but good weather. We had a kicking tailwind all the way north and thought it was going to be a long slog home. Someone was smiling on us though and even with a bit of a cross wind for a little while, we had an almost tailwind for some of the ride back. The ride did go longer than I thought and had (not) prepared for, but it was a good ride and everyone finished in good shape. It was an epic ride as ever as we had to stop and phone in a fire to 911. We were going past someone's house and all their furniture in the pool was on fire.
I have high hopes that the Brooks has solved some of my butt issues as I finished feeling pretty darned good. The saddle squeaks when I hit bumps and I have developed a real love for that sound. Every squeak of the saddle means that my @$$ is NOT the one taking the bump!
We have been spending a lot of free time with our Ladies training program. We now have a new crop of road riders and hopefully new friends to play with. It is just the best time of year now that the time has changed and we are able to get our weekly evening rides going again. All of this is helping towards the goal of the Cross Florida ride May 3. I will endeavor to be a little more consistent with updates coming up. Till after the 200k!
The ride was good, though a little longer than I thought and was prepared for. We had our 3 ladies and a bonus of an experienced randonneur Matt. It was just a little cool at the start but good weather. We had a kicking tailwind all the way north and thought it was going to be a long slog home. Someone was smiling on us though and even with a bit of a cross wind for a little while, we had an almost tailwind for some of the ride back. The ride did go longer than I thought and had (not) prepared for, but it was a good ride and everyone finished in good shape. It was an epic ride as ever as we had to stop and phone in a fire to 911. We were going past someone's house and all their furniture in the pool was on fire.
I have high hopes that the Brooks has solved some of my butt issues as I finished feeling pretty darned good. The saddle squeaks when I hit bumps and I have developed a real love for that sound. Every squeak of the saddle means that my @$$ is NOT the one taking the bump!
We have been spending a lot of free time with our Ladies training program. We now have a new crop of road riders and hopefully new friends to play with. It is just the best time of year now that the time has changed and we are able to get our weekly evening rides going again. All of this is helping towards the goal of the Cross Florida ride May 3. I will endeavor to be a little more consistent with updates coming up. Till after the 200k!
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