Weekend ride reports? - cougarguard.com — unofficial BYU Cougars / LDS sports, football, basketball forum and message board

bluegoose · 04-21-2008, 04:49 PM

I left the house on saturday at 5:45 am to meet the gang for a ride. At my house the temp was a nice 48 degrees. 15 miles west of town at the starting point it was down to 36 and dropped to 34 within 20 minutes. It warmed up a little over the next hour while we were still in the flattish land, but dropped again something fierce once we were up in the mountains.

We started with 8 guys (actually 7 guys and a gal). 2 turned around at 15 miles, and 2 more left at 25 miles. The four remaining guys then took off up into the big stuff. We ended up doing about 75 miles with 6,000 feet of climbing. 2 of us waited at the last store for 45 minutes only to find out that the other 2 guys had bailed out 5 miles earlier to save about 10 miles total on the ride. We could have used some more bodies for certain, as the last 13 miles were into a stiff headwind. We were on a tight schedule to get home by a certain time, so we had to hammer. I was wiped out by the time we hit the cars and was a zombie for the rest of the day.

It was good training ride, as I have a very tough century with almost 10,000 feet of climbing in 3 weeks.

Archaea · 04-21-2008, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluegoose

I left the house on saturday at 5:45 am to meet the gang for a ride. At my house the temp was a nice 48 degrees. 15 miles west of town at the starting point it was down to 36 and dropped to 34 within 20 minutes. It warmed up a little over the next hour while we were still in the flattish land, but dropped again something fierce once we were up in the mountains.

We started with 8 guys (actually 7 guys and a gal). 2 turned around at 15 miles, and 2 more left at 25 miles. The four remaining guys then took off up into the big stuff. We ended up doing about 75 miles with 6,000 feet of climbing. 2 of us waited at the last store for 45 minutes only to find out that the other 2 guys had bailed out 5 miles earlier to save about 10 miles total on the ride. We could have used some more bodies for certain, as the last 13 miles were into a stiff headwind. We were on a tight schedule to get home by a certain time, so we had to hammer. I was wiped out by the time we hit the cars and was a zombie for the rest of the day.

It was good training ride, as I have a very tough century with almost 10,000 feet of climbing in 3 weeks.

Good for you. I simply did mountains but no 75 miler as I didn'thave the time.

The Borg · 04-21-2008, 05:54 PM

Rode the Salt Lake Marathon Bike Tour - 26 miles, through Salt Lake City, ...all downhill. Nice warmup to begin the biking season. I suck as I'm so out of shape as this winter refuses to give up her grip....but, it was fun, easy and a good kickoff for the summer months ahead.

RC Vikings · 04-21-2008, 07:13 PM

Big day goose. We had three of us show up for our second group ride of the year. It's been so cold and windy it's been a tough start to the year. On this ride we were about 8 miles into it and started going up a slight incline and I hurt right away. Some days your legs come around and other days they don't, this was one of those don't days. We ended up going about 35 miles in windy weather but I was terrible.

bluegoose · 04-21-2008, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RC Vikings

Big day goose. We had three of us show up for our second group ride of the year. It's been so cold and windy it's been a tough start to the year. On this ride we were about 8 miles into it and started going up a slight incline and I hurt right away. Some days your legs come around and other days they don't, this was one of those don't days. We ended up going about 35 miles in windy weather but I was terrible.

The guy that I finished our ride with on Saturday felt much like yourself. Usually he is Mr Happy legs, but he was just wiped out this time. I suspect he is a bit overtrained (I know, Archaea, there's no such thing right?). He is fairly new to the sport (2 years) and had a monster off-season for training. He now does the 37 mile Wednesday night race, a friday morning 90 minute climb with the mountain bikes and a lively saturday group ride. Throw in a day or 2 on the trainer and I think he is just getting cooked.

I actually felt pretty good this weekend. A first ride on a new bike probably helped with that.

RC Vikings · 04-21-2008, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluegoose

A first ride on a new bike probably helped with that.

What kinda bike did you get?

bluegoose · 04-21-2008, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RC Vikings

What kinda bike did you get?

2006 Giant TCR 0 Limited

http://archive.giant-bicycles.com/us...06&model=11253

Its a purty bike and it rides like a dream. The model shown has Dura Ace, while mine has full Ultegra. I am a true believer in compact frame geometry. It is so much more responsive on accelerations and climbing. The fact that it is probably 5 pounds lighter than my Lemond probably had something to do with this as well.

I'll write more when I get a chance to get a few more miles under me. Probably not a very smart idea to go for 75 miles the first time on a new bike. Knees, back and neck felt great though.

bluegoose · 04-21-2008, 08:46 PM

Actually, this is the one that I got.

http://archive.giant-bicycles.com/us...06&model=11444

Same frame, different gruppo and wheelset.

The one thing that I need to change is the rear cassette. It has a 36/50 compact crank, with a 12/25 rear cassette. Its fine for short, steep climbs, but the 36/25 combo is not nearly enough gearing for a pillsbury doughboy like me. I had a couple of 4-5 mile climbs this weekend at 6-10% grade and my cadence dropped way down to the point of being barely doable.

Other than that, I'm thrilled with my new baby.

04-21-2008, 04:49 PM	#1
bluegoose Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Northern California Posts: 2,919	Weekend ride reports? I left the house on saturday at 5:45 am to meet the gang for a ride. At my house the temp was a nice 48 degrees. 15 miles west of town at the starting point it was down to 36 and dropped to 34 within 20 minutes. It warmed up a little over the next hour while we were still in the flattish land, but dropped again something fierce once we were up in the mountains. We started with 8 guys (actually 7 guys and a gal). 2 turned around at 15 miles, and 2 more left at 25 miles. The four remaining guys then took off up into the big stuff. We ended up doing about 75 miles with 6,000 feet of climbing. 2 of us waited at the last store for 45 minutes only to find out that the other 2 guys had bailed out 5 miles earlier to save about 10 miles total on the ride. We could have used some more bodies for certain, as the last 13 miles were into a stiff headwind. We were on a tight schedule to get home by a certain time, so we had to hammer. I was wiped out by the time we hit the cars and was a zombie for the rest of the day. It was good training ride, as I have a very tough century with almost 10,000 feet of climbing in 3 weeks.

04-21-2008, 05:54 PM	#3
The Borg Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 533	Rode the Salt Lake Marathon Bike Tour - 26 miles, through Salt Lake City, ...all downhill. Nice warmup to begin the biking season. I suck as I'm so out of shape as this winter refuses to give up her grip....but, it was fun, easy and a good kickoff for the summer months ahead. __________________ Hello......helloo.......HELLLOOO!

04-21-2008, 07:13 PM	#4
RC Vikings Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Rexburg, Idaho Posts: 2,236	Big day goose. We had three of us show up for our second group ride of the year. It's been so cold and windy it's been a tough start to the year. On this ride we were about 8 miles into it and started going up a slight incline and I hurt right away. Some days your legs come around and other days they don't, this was one of those don't days. We ended up going about 35 miles in windy weather but I was terrible. __________________ "I always rode to my limit. If I won by three minutes, that's because I couldn't make four." Eddy Merckx

04-21-2008, 08:46 PM	#8
bluegoose Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Northern California Posts: 2,919	Actually, this is the one that I got. http://archive.giant-bicycles.com/us...06&model=11444 Same frame, different gruppo and wheelset. The one thing that I need to change is the rear cassette. It has a 36/50 compact crank, with a 12/25 rear cassette. Its fine for short, steep climbs, but the 36/25 combo is not nearly enough gearing for a pillsbury doughboy like me. I had a couple of 4-5 mile climbs this weekend at 6-10% grade and my cadence dropped way down to the point of being barely doable. Other than that, I'm thrilled with my new baby.