Rides 2013 — add yours

[jags]

ah lovely place that cotswolds plenty of tough  hills stow on the wold.
bikepacker took me around the lanes of the cotswolds few years ago great tour.
be careful this time of year, i also keep fairly close to home plenty of time to wonder off into the sticks when the weather is better.
safe riding folks

jags.

[JimK]

I was travelling on business so I had ten days without riding but today I finally could get back out. Just one of my usual rides, 16 miles. About 30F with a few snowflakes coming down but mostly sunny. Roads are 99% clear. It felt good to be out riding!

Coming down the biggest hill this oil truck decided to pass me and gave me like a foot of clearance. I like the big tires on the Nomad because I feel they give me the ability to handle whatever choppy pavement so I can focus on not getting run over instead of getting distracted by the need to avoid potholes etc.

[Danneaux]

Welcome back home, Jim; I enjoyed your Seattle Bikewatcher's Report. I'll bet you feel the temperature difference. Good on you for getting out on the bike, but -- Man! -- that oil truck sounds pretty close. I always wonder why they couldn't have waited just a bit longer or given a little more clearance. <nods> Yes, the wider tires are grand for those nibbled pavement edges. They've saved me several potential spills in like situations had I been running the 700x32C road slicks on my other bikes.

Be careful out there!

All the best,

Dan. (...where it is 51°F/11°FC at the moment with mixed skies...a little sun, then clouds and sprinkles; not bad for riding!)

[JimK]

I was even down in San Diego for a few days, for a big conference:

http://www.distributech.com/index.html

I got sunburned, sitting outside for a business lunch one day, right on the waterfront. At least I got in some decent walking around San Diego. But yeah, the temperature difference!

[Andybg]

Just got back in from a 63km ride. Set of at 21:15 and just ot back in at 00:05. Fantastic clear night, a bit cold at just dropping below 0 as I got back in but not seen a single car on the road so had it all to myself and the few cats a fox and a badger. Its good to be able to get back out on the road for some nice rides. The 1200 m of climbing hurt but I am sure once I get a few more miles in the legs and a few pounds off the scales it will feel much easier. Just need to defrost my right foot now and then time for bed. (Dont ask me why but it is always the right foot that goes numb and the left foot is fine - go figure)

[jags]

that was a great bit of cycling well done.
night cycling is so different much quieter for a start.
i usually keep it to around 15 to20 miles  circut i'm just 5 minutes from country roads
as dolly parton would say.

[JimK]

Maybe my toughest ride so far this year:

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/52084294

A week ago or so I was on an easier route but the ride back included 33 pounds of groceries so that was hard too, maybe harder.

Yeah, quite remarkable, I am in a totally different category of rider than say our Dan, never mind Bradley Wiggins etc. I looked at my recent frequent rides to see how does total feet climbing per mile correlate with average speed. Here's what it looks like:

[JimK]

MapMyRide doesn't seem to provide a plot of grade but it does allow elevation data to be exported, from which a plot can be extracted. Looks like my max grade today was about 13% up and about 17% down. I have yet to get up that 17% spot - I always ride around the loop so I am going down through there!

[Danneaux]

I am in a totally different category of rider than say our Dan...

Kind words and I thank you, Jim, but I truly believe there are No Bad Rides. I fell into the "mileage trap" some years ago while a student at uni. I loved the self-competition, but when time, speed, and distance became the driving force for rides, it eventually sucked all the fun out of it. When I threw away the odometer for a few years and rode -- or not -- just for the joy of it, it all became fun again. Even better...I became a far more accomplished rider than when I was "training" all the time. Some major health issues intervened in later years. A Tour de Neighborhood meant every bit as much as the long rides used to. I haven't forgotten the joy in riding again at any level after a period when it was very difficult.

That tangent explains why I love hearing about others' rides, seeing their progress, sharing in their journeys, and seeing a different corner of the world beyond my own. Before your Catskills Nomad gallery-topic, Jim, I'd never given much though to the Woodstock area beyond that music festival some years ago. Getting to share in your rides has been fun and enriching, and they count for a lot more than you might think.

I think you're doing really well, Jim! Those are some really steep climbs, and they just never stop. That can be *really* taxing, as you just don't have much chance to recover. I think your speed was really good considering, and especially while carrying a fair-sized load. I churn along at around 2.5 to 5mph on the really steep hills myself when loaded, and your plot shows a lot of your climbing at around 10mph. That's really good for 1539 feet climbed. Boy! You sure had a climb in the middle there, but the shorter climb just after actually looks the steeper of the two.

Looking at the hybrid view in MapMyRide, you can really see that "shelf" dropping off just south of the Kenneth Wilson campground. I loved the 3-D flyover video; felt like I was riding with you and seeing the countryside. I don't blame you for dreading that 17% grade in reverse!

A hearty "well done" from me, Jim! Looking forward to more of your rides in the future!

All the best,

Dan.

[JimK]

your plot shows a lot of your climbing at around 10mph.

Sorry for the confusion! That first plot with the green dots represents nine different rides. My ride today is the third from the right - maybe 9.5 average mph and about 62 feet of climbing per mile. That's 1539 feet total of climbing over 23.37 miles.

No way do I climb at 10 mph! On a gentle slope it might be 6 mph up and 18 mph down. On steep hills it's more like 3 mph up and 30 mph down. Probably on the level I go about 12 or 13 mph. Over along the reservoir there are a few really level runs but that's about it around here!

[Danneaux]

No way do I climb at 10 mph!

Yayyy! You're Human, Jim!  I was worried for a bit there. 

I think you're near average or so for touring-bike speeds and are doing well -- especially so for carrying a load.

I've really enjoyed reading about your rides. Keep 'em coming, Jim!

All the best,

Dan.

[JimK]

Well I am wrong about MapMyRide - it does give grade info. I hope this crazy URL works!

[Danneaux]

It worked very nicely, Jim, and shows your climbs clearly. You have a lot of grinding along there!

Best,

Dan.

[JimK]

One fun detail - that exhilarating descent around km 21 - that is on hard packed gravel! The Fearless Nomad handles it just perfectly! There was actually a car today coming up the hill as I was going down - quite unusual because there is very little traffic on most of this route. But that car really did constrain me on the narrow gravel road as I was flying along. No problem at all, though, with the bike's solid handling!

[Danneaux]

...that exhilarating descent around km 21 - that is on hard packed gravel! The Fearless Nomad handles it just perfectly!

Don't forget the Fearless Nomad Rider, as well! You're a key component in the system, Jim!

Teamwork!

All the best,

Dan.