Wednesday update
Todays ride:
Decent morning today although a bit chilly, 30ish. No prob. Dressed for it. It was great to get back on the bike after 2 days off. Took my usual 10 miler up along Meads Lane. Has a couple of nice short hills and Meads Lane is flat farm country with views of the Helderberg escarpment. Very serene and peaceful in the morning. I’ll tell you those hills seem like nothing now compared to Sunday’s ride!
I was psyched cause I averaged over 13 mph today compared to 10 mph in the past. I wasn’t really trying to work out in a particular heart zone. Just rode like I felt like riding although I did wear the heart rate monitor.
Was hoping to bring the bike to work and get to ride during lunch hour but I didn’t have time to get it all together and still get to work on time. I’m also a little worried about the Raleigh hanging down too low to the ground on my current bike rack. I might be able to get away with taking the front wheel off as the back wheel is hanging a little higher because the top stay is resting on the rack.
Hand update:
My hand is getting incrementally better. The swelling has gone down, the pain is less and I can grip more. Biking not a problem at all.
No word on the x-rays yet. Life is good!
Bike update:
Got a good pump from Mad Dog today. My old one let more air out trying to get the fitting on the valve than I put in pumping! Got to keep those road tires pumped up.
Switched the computer from the Ross MTB to the Raleigh. Much easier the second time around. The sensors on these things are very fussy with positioning. It’s OK when you know how to finesse ‘em. Also took me a couple of tries to get the right size cable ties to attach it. Works great. Although, if the positioning shifts so that it doesn’t work I may put a dab of hot glue on the sensors to keep them in place. The cable ties aren’t quite as secure as the screw clamp type.
Took off the kick stand to save weight. Charles suggested I remove the safety bar brake extensions for the same reason. They don’t seem very heavy though and I kind of like having them. We’ll see.
Finally, I took the toe clips and straps off the Ross MTB. They just don’t make sense for me. I think the Ross will be my get around town and do errands bike. You know, hop on without changing clothes or shoes and drop a letter in the mailbox or return a book to the library.
Hope to be able to ride tomorrow morning. Supposed to be in the high 20s!
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Logbook Daily Record for 04/30/2008
Health:
- Date: 04/30/2008
- Weight: 196
- Mood: Normal
- Sleep Hours: 6.5
- Sleep Pattern: Normal
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Morning Road Cycling
First ride after 30 miler and tough hills (for me) on Sunday. First nice day in 2 days although a bit chilly. In the 30s somewhere. Felt great. Still lovin’ the “new” Raleigh.
Workout:
- Type: Cycle
- Date: 04/30/2008
- Time: 06:30:00
- Total Time: 00:45:40.90
- Average Heart rate: 128
- Max Heart rate: 151
- Calories: 350
- Distance: 10.3 miles
- Average Speed: 13.53 mph
Filed under: Cycle, General Cardio, Meads
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Sunday’s ride and the Killer Hills - Part 2
The second “half” of the hill was certainly more climbing than I have ever done in one day. It just seemed to be one hill after another. The thoughts “I’m not going to make it” and “I really should quit, I’m going to hurt myself” and “I’ll kill you, Charles” tried to enter my consciousness but I banished them! I told Charles later I never would have done it on my own. I wanted him to think well of me. I do not want to be thought of as a quitter. Also, looking up one hill after another, each one seemingly steeper than the last, was demoralizing so I just looked at Charles’ rear wheel ahead of me. As long as he kept moving, I kept moving. Finally, the road levelled out and we passed a cell tower, as Charles said, a sure sign that you’re at the high point. I was positively ecstatic that i had done it and so glad that I didn’t quit! During the climb I was wishing I had eaten some Clif Bar before but it was too late then. My calves wanted to cramp up at a couple of points but never did. Good boys! As promised, the ride down the other side was as spectacular as the ride up was grueling. Panoramic views of the Catskills and of course, all downhill! 
I was a little worried about my fanny pack as it had come loose once before and wedged between the rear wheel and top stay, stopping me rather abruptly. At that time, I wasn’t going very fast and nothing bad happened but flying down this hill it would have been disastrous. But it was fine and I checked it at the bottom where Charles and I stopped for a Clif Bar before turning on to another road. Everything was a cakewalk after this! I was so glad to have done this ride. Turned out to be a perfect day. Temps just right, no wind, clear skies, ride companion, real road bike, sense of accomplishment: I can do it!
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Sunday’s ride and the Killer Hills - Part 1
Rode 30 miles with friend Charles on Sunday. I’m ecstatic. Rode the “new” Raleigh and it performed flawlessly! Charles met me at the house where his wife dropped him off with his bike and riding clothes. He needed his tire pumped up as he had just bought a new tube that morning but my pump did not have a Presta adapter. So we rode by Mad Dog Bikes and used Matt’s pump to pump up both of our tires. That was good cause mine needed air too. My floor pump does not work too good. I need to get a good one like Matt’s with gauge attached.
I followed Charles’ lead. He had a ride in mind that he’d done before which would end up at his house. Then he would give me and bike a ride home. The first leg I was familiar with. Down Van Dyke past the high school then down Meads Lane and past Five Rivers environmental center. Then we took the dreaded Orchard Hill which I have frequently come down but never gone up. I started it once last year when I first began riding again but quit almost immediately as being too hard. I was riding my rigid fork, fat tire Ross MTB then. As I’ve now got a road bike and am much fitter and Charles said he has done it, I thought, why not? This time I skipped a gear right in the beginning when standing up to pedal so I had to stop. I pushed the bike a little to a slightly less steep spot and finished the hill from there. So I didn’t do the WHOLE hill but it still felt like an accomplishment. I wouldn’t have done it by myself. I saw my highest heart rate ever to date, 171, on that climb. My supposed maximum HR is 175 according to the age/weight/fitness based formula on my monitor. So that would be 98% MHR! I had forgot to start my chronometer on the HRM until the middle of Meads Lane so I was off to a bad start as far as getting an accurate average heart rate and calories burned count. After Orchard Hill, the riding was pretty easy until county route 109. Just before we started to climb, we stopped to read a historical marker on the Onesquethaw Reformed Church building. It quoted the Scripture: ” The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” The church was built from stones rejected in the building of the Erie canal. Likewise the farmhouse we could see on the other side of the road. I stopped my chronometer here and forgot to restart it when we continued. We started to climb up county 109 and Charles pointed out to me a spot near the bottom where a super-fit fellow church member, older than either of us, had a serious bike accident at about 40 mph. He was not sure what happened but the front wheel started to wobble and then …. wipe out! He broke his collarbone.
We came to a decision point. Charles said we could continue on straight which was the end of the serious climbing or turn right and continue up to a spectacular view. He said we were about half-way (yeah, right. try 1/4 of the way and the hardest climbing yet to come!) I felt pretty good so I said sure, let’s continue. Onward and upward. …. to be continued!
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Logbook Daily Record for 04/28/2008
Health:
- Date: 04/28/2008
- Weight: 195
- Mood: Normal
- Sleep Hours: 6
- Sleep Pattern: Normal
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30 mile bike ride on new bike - killer hills
Highest HR I’ve seen to date: 171. Max is “supposed” to be 175 according to one of those formulas. Who knows? Didn’t have time to put a computer on the Raleigh so I had to get ballpark #s from Charles. Also, stopped my chronometer at one point while we were stopped looking at a historical sight and forgot to turn it back on until after the most killer hill so my stats are off.
Workout:
- Type: Cycle
- Date: 04/27/2008
- Time: 15:30:00
- Total Time: 3:00:00.00
- Average Heart rate: 135
- Max Heart rate: 171
- Calories: 979
- Distance: 30 miles
- Average Speed: 10 mph
- Ascent: 1,325 ft
- Descent: 1,101 ft
Filed under: Cycle, General Cardio
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Raleigh Olympian - Pics. As promised!
Raleigh Olympian - Pics!
This is my new used Raleigh Olympian which I got from Mad Dog Bicycles, my neighborhood LBS. I replaced the original pedals with clipless Scotts from my MTB. The originals looked great but I just gotta have the clipless for riding!
The close-up focus is a little fuzzy. Got to work on that.
This is the 555SL cro-mo steel. Supposedly lighter than the SP. Bike weighs 26 lbs.
Raleigh cranks
I like this quick release lever on the front brake. Don’t have one on the back though.
It says Suntour on the shifters. Can’t see cause of the fuzzies.
Stem
Diacomp brake levers
The number you can’t read after “12 speed” is 38-108. Is that the gear ratio range?
Suntour derailleurs
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Hand update and new Raleigh
OK. Hand is doing much better. Still hurts all the time but I was able to ride the bike today and that’s what counts! 
Had x-rays done yesterday. Won’t have the results till next week although the doc thought everything looked good as far as her exam went. She said if it still hurts after a week they may have to take another x-ray because sometimes hairline fractures won’t show up right away. Then they would have to put me in a cast. Really don’t want that as I am now pretty functional.
Rode the Raleigh today 10.3 miles. It went pretty well. The ride is smooth and quiet. Everything working good. I was concerned about not having a granny gear but I actually went up the hills on this ride easier and with a lower HR than on the Ross MTB. Maybe it is lighter (I weighed it at 26 lbs) and because of the skinny high pressure tires. I was pleased.
Later today I put my clipless pedals on it. Next, I have to switch my cyclocomputer from the Ross to the Raleigh. Then maybe tinker with the seat height a bit and that should do it. I’ll get some pictures up here soon. I would like to get a 45 miler in tomorrow. We’ll see what the weather is like. I bought an O2 waterproof top this week and some Pearl Izumi socks which are great.
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10 mile bike ride
Workout:
- Type: Cycle
- Date: 04/26/2008
- Time: 10:00:00
- Total Time: 00:52:03.50
- Average Heart rate: 112
- Calories: 324
- Distance: 10.3 miles
- Average Speed: 11.87 mph
Predicted crappy rainy day. It turned out to be another beautiful So. Cali. day (but this is upstate NY). I wore my new rain top but it didn’t!
Filed under: Cycle, General Cardio, Meads
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