First ride of the year

Hearing rain last night, I didn't expect to get a ride in for the new yr. When I finally awoke the rain had stopped and the skies were clearing. As always, after reading the paper I check Alan's, The Recumbent blog, and Bryan's BROL. On BROL there was a posting by Bjorn, "First ride of the Year". He didn't like the idea of no rides for 08 on Bike Journal, so he did a short ride of 5 mi. I new how he felt. Unfortunately I had 2 unwanted guests from the party my neighbor had, Woozy and Queasy. I had hoped to shake them off with a 14 mi ride. They kept up with me the whole ride. Finally after a hot shower and writing this Blog, they got bored and left. It is nice having started my cycling yr on the right foot and still
Enjoying the ride

Last ride of 2007

Today I got my last ride in for 2007. 15.6 miles with an average speed of 11mph on my ICE T. It was a cold windy day but, the sun was shinning. It was great to get out. My statistics for the yr as follows:

Total miles for yr 3328.20
Total rides for yr 109
Average speed per ride 11mph
Average mi per ride 30.5
Average mi on T 2800
Average mi on Stratus 500
Average mi on Rocket 28

It appears I finished 1516 of 7524 riders on Bikejournals log. Indicating I am in the top 20% of riders. This is considered a large online bicycle journal, so I am quite impressed. It also appears I have finished in the top 25% of Bentrideronline riders 76 of 284.

It has been a great yr. Most of my rides have been on the trike and I suspect that will increase next yr. My total rides per yr has increased, but my average mi per ride has decreased. I think this is due to age as I no longer due centuries and reserve metrics for special days. 30-50 mile days has become quite satisfying.

Tomorrow will be a new yr and I hope to start it with a ride. It has been a fun and interesting yr. I have been blessed with 2 children's weddings, a grandchild on the way and a wonderful understanding wife.

I look forward to what new adventures lie ahead for 2008.

KEEP RIDING!!!

Visiting an old friend

Today I decided to take my old friend for a ride. My 2000 Stratus has been collecting dust since my purchase of my ICE T. I recently read an old review from Bob Bryant of RCN about the Rans Stratus XP. It got me thinking how much I loved my Stratus. It has about 18,000 mi on it with no changes other than component maintenance. I did change the Crank to a 165 Suguino 26/36/46. Love that crank. This bike fits like a glove and has been my favorite ride of all time.

Today, the day after Christmas, I decided to dust off the cob webs and take this baby for spin. Actually, I just aired the tires and away I went. I new no adjustments were needed. It has always performed beautifully and required little maintenance. It was as I expected. Like putting on an old shoe, comfortable and predictable. I glided 28 miles through the cold crisp air singing "Old Friends" by Simon and Garfunkle.

The Stratus is by far the most comfortable bike I ever rode. With its long wheel base design, it eats up road vibrations. It almost feels like a suspended bike. The Rans seat is considered the standard in mesh seats. The steering does have tiller effect and climbing steep hills takes practice and requires lower gearing. Both of which I have become quite practiced in. This bike has proved itself many times climbing over the Blue Ridge Mt's weighing 50 lbs with accessories. It was very rare for me to walk a hill. In fact, one time I drafted off a guy who was walking. For me slow and steady wins the race.

The Stratus has been my best cycling friend. It is always there for me and has never let me down. It is and always will be a keeper.

It's getting tougher all the time

December 1st, temps 32, wind gusts, God knows. All I new the sun was shinning and I had to get out for at least a 15 miler to hit 3200 for the yr. I know I advocate riding all yr round, but putting on all that garb for a short ride is a hassle. 2 sets of wool socks, my favorite sneakers, long sleeve synthetic shirt, light cycling jacket from France(a gift from my daughter), fleece and nylon windbreaker. and of course my XC pants. Also included a balaclava, wool cap and fleece mittens. Everything worked well. I probably could have used 1 more pair of woolen socks, but then I needed bigger shoes.

This was my old time favorite loop when I thought I was a big shot doing 15 mile rides. Now I do this ride in my swim suite taking a break from my in-laws.

It's tough having to put on all these clothes for such a short ride, but that is how I must survive the winter so I can keep on
Enjoying the ride.

King Grips from Rivendale

I went out on a limb and decided to try the new King Grip Pedals from Rivendale. They advertised large platform with excellent gripping power without the need for special cycling shoes. They went as far as to say they could be used with flip flops. They also had the cool factor, a figure 8 design. I have had my Odyssey triple traps on all my bikes for the last 8 yrs and saw no reason to change. They are a bit heavy but grip very well with all shoes and just work for me. Sitting home on a cool wet day I became intrigued with the King Grips and thought they might make a great addition. They arrived yesterday and I was excited to try them out. I weighed them in comparison to my Odyssey and found them grams lighter. So far so good. They are definitely longer than the Odyssey, but are much narrower. I thought that might be a concern. What was a greater concern was my feet were all over the place. No grip what so ever. On a recumbent that could be catastrophic. I have always enjoyed the Gorilla Glue type grip of my Odyseeys and the King Grips had none. I thought the cool factor would be worth the $50, but not at the expense of comfort and safety. So I stay with my Odyssey's and return the King Grips. Only to keep

Enjoying the ride.

What a Difference a Day Makes

It has been a full 2 weeks since my last ride. I was very sad. I suffer from seasonal affective disorder. It seems the Gods did not shine upon me and I have been plagued with rain on all my days off except November 11. My daughters wedding and an absolutely gorgeous day. The Gods were smiling.

I was fortunate this year to get both Thanksgiving and Friday off. Rain was in the forecast for Thanksgiving, but was supposed to hold off till late afternoon. I was hoping to get an early ride in before the family gathering. I awoke to a beautiful sunny morning with highs in the mid 60's. It was so balmy I did the ride in my favorite clothes. A T shirt, shorts and sneakers no socks. Since I didn't ride for 2 wks and I needed to get back early for my In-laws, I decided a 30 miler would be perfect. It was so warm, I worked up a sweat casually riding ensuring I wouldn't over exert my unused bent muscles. Obviously it was a great ride and I could smell the kitchens of families preparing their festive dinners. Once home I enjoyed my families company and gave thanks for a great days ride and the traditional family feast.

Today, Friday, I awoke to a different scenario. Temps mid 30's and windy. I rode wearing many layers, my XC pants, a balaclava and a wool hat. I thought I would be shedding some layers but it didn't turn out that way. My clothing was spot on except for my feet. The wool socks and sneakers were not enough. After 35 miles my toes got cold and numb and I had to stop multiple times to regain circulation and warmth to my feet. This is my biggest problem for cold weather riding. I use big BMX pedals so I can wear different shoes, but I still cannot come up with something warm enough for my feet. Despite my cold feet I did a 50 miler. The Maple trees that still had leaves were a brilliant yellow or red. Instead of smelling food cooking for Thanksgiving I could smell the warm wood burning fireplaces.

These 2 days have been a gift and I am fortunate to have 2 great and different days of cycling.

Enjoying the ride.

Annual mileage goal

I hit my minimal annual mileage goal a few days ago. 3K. This year started off slow for the 1st few months and it took a while longer till I got in the groove again. Sometimes life just gets in the way. I should finish with a few hundred more before years end. Last yr was excellent at 4300mi and that was with 4 weeks of non cycling vacations and no week long cycling events.

Yesterday, I got out for a 30 miler in the brisk fall weather. Temps 40, minimal wind, and perfect fall foliage. A great relaxing ride. Cool weather riding does bring down my average, 1/2-1 mph, but I don't care. I still need to get out.

This yr 99% of my miles has been on my ICE T trike. It is so easy to just hop on and go and if need be I can put it in the trunk of my Accent with minimal effort. The T is a great winter ride as I don't have to worry about wheels sliding out. The only problem with trike riding is it does not fair well with other cyclists including bents. It is a bit slower and sits lower making conversing with other riders difficult. All my trike rides this yr have been by myself except for 1 ride with Joel, another trike rider. Unfortunately, my Stratus is collecting dust and has only enjoyed 2 rides. One with old cycling friends on a tandem and one 50 miler by myself. To tell the truth I like the solitude of solo riding. Even when cycling week events like Bikeva or GOBA, I still prefer to ride by myself, at my own pace and let my mind wonder. I do become a social butterfly once we hit tent city and later at the local pubs.

I am starting to think about what rides I might do next yr. Bikeva is always a favorite. I am also considering doing a multiple day self contained trip.

This year is slowly coming to an end and I look forward to what great cycling adventures lie ahead.

KEEP RIDING!!!