| (Long Distance) Ramblings |
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I like to ride my bicycle - for long distances. I have earned the California Triple Crown and finished the Furnace Creek 508. My goals include qualifying for RAAM and ...(read the blog to find out). "The bicycle has a soul. If you are able to love it as it deserves, it will give you emotions you will never forget." "Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride."
"The important decisions in my life I make while out riding my bike."
"Pain is temporary, quitting lasts forever.” Lance Armstrong
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Monday, September 29, 2003
Last week was a busy one for me. I rode on Monday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. Monday and Wednesday were short but quick rides as the sun is setting much earlier now. No endurance training here, just some speed work. Saturday was another story. I rode 80 miles in some very high heat. The temperature in Salem was a recorded 97 degrees F and in Corvallis it hit 100 degrees! While I did stay hydrated, I did not eat and this was a mistake. I had a very hard ride and I just about limped back to the house. My average was below 15 miles per hour. I guess every now and then I have to do something stupid so I learn not to do that again. Sunday was the Salem Bicycle Club's Peach of a Century. Joanne and I rode 110 miles on our tandem and I had a much better day. Our average was over 18 miles per hour, much better than yesterday. Training update: I rode 235 miles last week instead of 180. So, it seems that I am back on track. Next week calls for 200 miles with a long ride of 140. And, I have just the ride - Mary's Peak! Tuesday, September 23, 2003
Monday Night's ride was quick and fun. Since I had such an easy ride on Sunday, I was able to work on Monday. I was please that there some short, steep hills on the route so I could work on my climbing. Ouch! Tuesday I will presenting my photographs at the Salem Bicycle Club meeting. Hope they hide the cookies from me. I hope to ride on Wednesday and Thursday before taking Friday off. This weekend I'm playing around with the idea of riding centuries on both Saturday and Sunday. Sunday, September 21, 2003
This last week was very hard. I did not ride at all during the week due to work. It was the week before the beginning of Fall Term and we had to upgrade both servers and all the workstations. However, on Saturday, I did a long ride. I rode the last three remaining Willamette River ferries: Buena Vista Ferry, Wheatland Ferry and Canby Ferry. My photographs can be seen here. From Salem, I headed south on River Rd toward Independence. Instead of crossing the Independence Bridge, I turned south and headed toward the Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge. I cross the Willamette River for the first time on the Buena Vista Ferry. Then, I turned to the north and followed the river up to the Wheatland Ferry. Using it, I crossed the river for the second time. I continued north and used the Newburg Bridge for the third river crossing and continued into Willsonville where I stopped for lunch. Refreshed, I used the Canby ferry for the fourth and final river crossing. There was a strong headwind from the north, which made the section between the Wheatland Ferry and the Newburg bridge very difficult. However, the wind was my friend coming home from Canby. On Sunday, I lead the Salem Bicycle Club's Vintage Bicycle Ride. My phones are here. Training Update: This week I was supposed to ride 190 miles total, with a midweek ride of 50 miles, a long ride of 110 miles and then a recovery ride of 30 miles. Instead, I did no midweek ride; a 126 mile long ride and a very short 14 mile recovery ride on Sunday. My total for the week was 140 so I was short 50 miles. But, since Fall Term has will start on Monday, I do not expect to miss my midweek rides this week. The goal is 180 miles and I should have no difficulty achieving that goal. Sunday, September 14, 2003
I returned today from the Salem Bicycle Club's Florence Overnight Ride. We had a great time and the weather could not have been better. Keith and Pat Lippy do this ride every year, and this year they made it a SBC club ride. We started at the Eugene Airport and took quiet HWY 36 to Florence. On Sunday, we returned using the same route (70 miles each way). Training Update: This week I rode just 165 miles which was a bit short of my goal of 180 miles. In addition to Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, I intended to ride both Monday and Thursday. However, I took Monday off as a rest day, and family business prevented me from riding on Thursday. None the less, I feel I am still on track for the Death Valley Double. Next week's goal is 190 miles with 110 of it on Saturday. I have not decided what rout to take on Saturday. Perhaps I will head down toward Marcola. Wednesday, September 10, 2003
Wednesday's night ride way short and quick. Seems it is getting darker earlier and the blue skies have been replaced with clouds. Because of this, only Krik and Andy joined us on our ride tonight. We headed north into the flatlands. A strong south wind pushed us away from Salem, and worked against us on the way back. The entire ride was just 22 miles long and we averaged just over 17 miles per hour. On a different note, I added a quote from John F. Kennedy today. It speaks well of how I felt today after the ride. Sunday, September 07, 2003
The ride went very well. We headed south into the headwind at a very good clip and reached Independence to join the short route riders. After that, we slowed down and enjoyed the ride. Our destination was E.E. Wilson Wildlife Area. This was the home of Camp Adair. Of course I brought along my camera.
Training update: The goal for this week was 160 miles, however I rode 299 miles. I had three long rides - 80 on Monday (Labor Day), 100 on Saturday and 60 on Sunday in addition to two 25 mile mid-week rides. I believe that this is the most miles I have ridden in a non-tour seven day period. As such, I am tired and in danger of over-training. So, I will back off next week. Monday and Wednesday will be easy rides but I will return to the West Salem hills on Thursday. Saturday and Sunday will be 75 miles each as we will be riding the tandem on an overnight ride from Eugene to Florence and back. The weather this morning... Updated: 7:38 AM PDT on September 07, 2003 Observed at Salem, Oregon Temperature: 57 °F / 14 °C Humidity: 100% Dew Point: 57 °F / 14 °C Wind: South at 8 mph / 12.9 km/h Pressure: 29.96 in / 1014 hPa (Steady) Conditions: Mostly Cloudy The radar does not show any rain coming our way, so... we will ride the tandem and leave the rain bikes at home! Saturday, September 06, 2003
Ninety-nine miles and over 4000 feet of elevation gain. Yahoo! I stayed with the fast riders of the club till we came to the first hill. There, I dropped off mosty because I didn't want to work that hard to stay with them. After that, I was on my own for the rest of the ride. Near the end, I did more hills even though my legs were cooked. Let me tell you, I got in touch with my inner chain ring (30 x 25). I am please with my progress, but I do feel that I could be overtraining. Tomorrow is a flat 60 mile route and I'm looking forward to it. The only problem is that it might rain! Friday, September 05, 2003
Thursday night was quite warm - 90 degrees F. I did 26 miles and 2300 feet of elevation gain. I was a bit weak, and slow, but I really enjoy suffering up the hills with sweat running into my eyes! I must have been out of my mind scheduling a 150 mile ride to the coast and back for Saturday. I have scaled it back to 100 miles and some elevation gain. Saturday's forecast is for clouds and then showers on Sunday. Got to get my rain bike back together again. Wednesday, September 03, 2003
Another Wednesday night ride in the hills east of Salem. I felt weak tonight, mostly because I did not sleep well last night. You see, I had an intense pain in my right side just below my ribs. It was bad enought that I could not lie on either side, and as I find it had to go to sleep while on by back, it was a tough night. Go to the doctor you say? Well, I have. They (yes, they) can find nothing wrong. Guess I'll have to wait till it is so bad that they can not help but find a problem. So, my training plans for the rest of the week... Thursday - West Salem Hills with about 3000 feet of elevation gain. Friday - rest day Saturday - a 150 mile ride to the coast and back. Suday - an easy 60 miles. Sounds like fun! My training results for the week of 8/24 - 8/31: my goal was 160 miles but I rode 191.54 miles. However, my long ride was short, but I more than made up for it during the mid-week. Tuesday, September 02, 2003
Sunday, was a tough day. Our legs were cooked and the ride was long, so we decided to ride the tandem. The first half of the ride was into a headwind toward Canby. We labored and slowly made our way. However, the destination was worth it - The Swan Inland Dalia Show. My photos are here. The return to Salem was easiler as the wind was now in or favor. However, we did 87 long, hard miles. On way home, we came upon this. Must have been a tough night. I have decided not to buy the Corima as it is just too big for me.
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