A Dry but Cold Night Ride

Miles: 15.82
November Total: 454.10
Rides in the Rain: 6

Another easy ride after working out with Martin in the gym. The weather was day but very cold (below 40° F.). Jim came out to join us after taking a couple of weeks off. The topic of conversation was Christmas lights and how they do not hang straight.

Posted 9:06 PM by John Henry

I'm a nice guy, no really...

I was mentioned in Michael's blog (the fast group)...

Posted 9:31 AM by John Henry

Oregon Randonneur Wine Country Tour Populaire

Miles: 70.74
November Miles: 438.28
Rides in the Rain: 6

What a fun day. First of all, I got to see several old friends including Del, Craig, and Michael B. In addition, we saw Kirke and Sal came up from Salem. Secondly, the weather was fantastic for November - cool in the morning but no rain and sunshine! Lastly, Joanne and I rode the Cannondale tandem with the fast group! We managed to stay with them the entire distance of 70 miles. We finished with a 18.7 average and my average heart rate was 147 beats per minute. MyHAC4 reported a max of 179 but this I find hard to believe.

The route left Forest Grove westward taking Gales Creek to Stringtown where we turned to the southeast. Reaching HWY 47, we headed south but took a detour to the small town of Cherry Grove, somewhere Joanne and I have never been before. From there, we returned to HWY 47 via the same road allowing us to seem some of the other 36 riders on the route. Continuing southward, we pass through the towns of Yamhill and Carlton before reaching Lafayette. There we turned back to the north and returned to Forest Grove.

As I noted above, the pace was very quick and it took all that we had to hang on to the pace that Craig S. and Del set. I was very pleased that we succeeded!

Sadly, this is the last event ride for this year. I have had a good year and I do not want to see it end. But, next year is just around the corner and I have some fun rides planned. More about this later.

Posted 8:44 PM by John Henry

Wednesday in the Rain

Miles: 13.6
November Miles: 367.54
Rides in the Rain: 6

No one showed up for our ride. Perhaps this was because of the rain. Oh well, Joanne and I had a nice but short ride home with just one shower - just enough to call it a ride in the rain.

Posted 8:39 PM by John Henry

Migraines Suck!

Tuesday morning I was dreaming before I woke up. In my dream, I started to have the visual aura that signals a migraine attack. When I woke up, I was having a migraine.

I stayed home from work and sat in a dark, quiet room. In the afternoon, I felt better and turned watched some TV. The pain was still intense Tuesday evening, but I had to gogrocery shopping for Thanksgiving Day dinner. I waited as long as I could before I left home and braved the world.

Posted 2:17 PM by John Henry

Onward, to Corvallis (in the rain)

Miles: 72.69
November Miles: 353.94
Rides in the Rain: 5

Sal
wanted to join me on my long ride this weekend. Since the weather
forecast was for wind and rain, and because of my bad experience last
weekend, we decided to do a flat route, and one that would give us a
tail wind on the second half of the ride. So, we decided to ride to
Corvallis.

I drove down to Sal's
house so my distance would not be so great that I would be returning in
the darkness. Sal's wife called us "crazy" as we peddled off in the
rain. Sal wants to ride Paris-Brest-Paris next year so training in
the rain does not seem crazy to him. Of course, training in the rain is
down right fun for me!

Anyway, it rained the entire way down to
Corvallis where we stopped for lunch at a local bakery. There, as I was
returning from the restroom, when a table pulled me aside and asked how
the cycling culture was in Corvallis. It turns out that they were
considering moving up from the San Francisco Bay Area (Mountain View).
Since that is where I lived when I started cycling, we had a long
conversation. I finally had to break it off as my soup was getting cold.

The return was in more rain, but only mild tailwinds. The hoped for and forecast tailwinds never materialized.

Posted 10:41 PM by John Henry

Cordon Road Cleanup Ride

Miles: 32.77
November Total: 281.25
Rides in the Rain: 4


The weather was dry. The ground was dry. The trash was ready to be picked up.

The Salem Bicycle Club picks up trash along Cordon Road south of Hazelgreen Road four to five times a year, and today was the day.

We were lucky as there was no rain, there was no due and we had a great turnout. After the road was clean, we did a short, flat ride. Al D. nicknamed it "The Lake Labish Loop" as we did loop around the historical Lake Labish.

Posted 9:00 PM by John Henry

Tuesday Night Scott's Ride

Miles: 27.39
November Total: 248.48
Rides in the Rain: 4

No rain tonight! In fact, I rode the LeMond. Riding the LeMond after a few rides on the RedLine is a real joy. The bike just glides along almost effortlessly and is a fast bike.

I rode down to Scott's and joined their Tuesday night ride, which headed north on the Windsor Island Loop. The pace was quick and I stayed in the middle of the pack. A few miles before the hill, their was an attach and 10 or so riders broke free. It looked like the break would succeed, so I sprinted and bridged up. But, then the lead group slowed down and the peloton reformed.

We stayed together and I drifted back as we approached the hill. But, as we got closer to the hill, the pace picked up. Since I was so far back, I knew that if I had any chance to contest the hill, I needed to move up which I did. So, as we hit the base of the hill, my heart rate was somewhat higher than I would have liked.

As we started up the hill, I expected the lead group to attach, and I intended to follow. But it did not play out as I expected. Instead, the attack came from behind me and I let these riders go by me. Then, only some of the leaders joined in. Only then did I attack and attempted to grab onto the leaders. I passed everyone who was not attacking and found myself in fourth position. I tried to bridge up, but could only hold my position and crested the hill in fourth position.

I really enjoy these rides, and sprints. But to be honest, riding in a large group close together is interesting to say the least. I am a distance rider that is used to riding along. In fact, in the races I do participate in, drafting is not allowed.

Posted 11:27 PM by John Henry

Long Distance ... Rain

Miles: 88.03
November Total: 221.09
Rides in the Rain: 4

I have been wanting to do a new route - the Mt. Sheridan Route. It runs north from Salem up to Carlton. Then west toward the coast to the crest of the Coast Range. There it turns south on Bald Mountain Road toward Willamina and then back to Salem. Distance is around 100 to 110, depending upon the starting location. I intended to ride this last Friday, but the weather was just too rough.

So, last Sunday, Keith Kohan (team member on RAO Speedwagon) left Salem at 8:30 am. Because the Wheatland Ferry was closed due to high water, we headed south and cross the Willamette River in downtown Salem. There was a strong tailwind which blew us up to Carlton where we made a quick stop for fuel.

Keith is a very strong rider, much stronger than me. I know he was matching my speed; I was not matching his.

From Carlton, the climbing begins. After a couple of bumps, the route is almost a continuous climb from 150 feet to 2900 feet at the Mt. Sheridan Viewpoint. There, we did not see much as we were inside of a cloud. So far. the weather had been nice to us. Rain and wind were forecast, but for the evening. We were hoping to be back in Salem before the storm hit.

But, it just started to rain as we left the viewpoint. The descent was on a narrow, one lane, paved road covered with fallen leaves. As such, I kept my speed down and this gave me the opportunity to view the forest on each side of me. Most of the fall colors were fading, but the Vine Maple were still spectacular! Bright yellows beaming out of the dark, wet forest greeted my eyes.

Then, just in front of me, a White Tail Deer jumped out of the forest and pranced along down the road in front of me before leaping back into the forest. Ah, life is good.

But, Keith was no longer behind me when I check my mirror. No worries I thought, Keith is a very experienced rider and can take care of himself. Besides, I was having too much fun to stop. I decided to wait for him at the next junction.

As I descended, the rain increased to a light shower and I could begin to feel the cold. Because I was coasting down the hill, my body was no longer generating heat. In addition, the wind chill was causing me to feel the cold. My fingers felt the brunt of it. My gloves were now wet and my fingers began to really feel the cold. But soon I reached the junction and stopped.

While I waited for Keith, I ate a Paley Bar and then warmed my hands inside of my pants. Funny, Keith should have been here by now. The rain was picking up as I waited, and waited. Something was wrong. I had waited over fifteen minutes and Keith was still not there. After ten more anxious minutes, a car came down the hill and I waved it to stop. I was told that Keith was about four miles up the hill and walking his bike. Oh no, something was really wrong. I saddled up and started climbing the hill looking for Keith.

I found him four and a half mile up the hill. Just after we left the viewpoint, he ran off of the road (for no reason he could remember) and broke the connecting rod between his handlebar and front fork on his recumbent bike. As such, he could not even coast down the hill.

Just then, a pickup truck stopped and offered to take Keith down the hill to Willimina and back into cell phone territory. I turned around to head back down the hill intending to meet him in Willamina.

By now, the rain was falling hard and it was very cold. Soon my fingers chilled again, to the point where it became painful. While descending, I had to brake and even this became hard. I was very glad when I reach the valley floor.

At Williamina, Keith was no where to be found. And I was not in good shape either. I went inside the local restaurant, Coyote Joe's. I was cold, I was wet, and I did not have enough daylight left to ride back to Salem. I called for rescue and friend Tom Tilque came out and picked me up. I finished the day with under 90 miles but nearly 5500 feet of elevation gain.

In the future, I need to pay better attention to the weather forecast. But more importantly, I need to pay attention to people riding with me. If they drop off of the radar, I need to stop and find out why. The day would have been much better if I had.

Posted 8:37 PM by John Henry

Changes to my Blog

I have turned on comments. Let's see what happens.

Posted 9:54 PM by John Henry

I Hate the Rain!

I did not ride today. I intended to ride the Mt. Sheridan loop, a new route for me, but the weather forecast was for wind and rain. So, I wimped out.

According to the local weather station, we had over an inch of rain today (as of 8:40 pm) and a high wind gust of 38 mph. So, I guess today was a good day to stay home and do chores.

Speaking of chores, I took the Bike Support Van down to the local body shop and they fixed the read door so that it again opens. It broke during the Furnace Creek 508 (which upset my crew) and only now did I have time to get it fixed. The body shop folks said it is a common breakdown and they had it fixed within an hour.

Another reason not to ride is to give my right knee a rest. Ever since I (1) hit it against a piece of gym equipment at Golds Gym and (2) a GroupPower class it has been sore. Yesterday, I could even detect some fluid buildup. But, today it is much better. So, because I want to give my knee a rest, and due to the weather, I will not do any long rides until next weekend. Then, if my knee is feeling good, I'll try a long ride and see what happens.

Posted 8:50 PM by John Henry

Riding in the Rain

Miles: 24.46
November Total: 133.06
Rides in the Rain: 3

It was raining when I left the house. Not a sprinkle, not a shower, a real rain. My eyewear was covered in drops of water within the first block of leaving the house.

I road down to Steam Heat Coffeehouse and met Joanne there. We already had another rider so I could not call off the ride.

Joanne, Kenny and I did 24 miles in the wet cold rain. And the rain fell the entire ride. My fingers got cold and I was nearly not having any fun.

But, I was on my bicycle so I was having fun.

I must say, after riding in a cold rain, sitting in the hot tube is very nice.

Posted 10:08 PM by John Henry

Scott's Tuesday Night Ride

Miles: 34.47
November Total: 108.60
Rides in the Rain: 2

Another fun night riding with the group from Scott's.

We headed east tonight, which means we did the MacLeay hill. We started as one large group, but as we climbed, the group began to split. I was working hard to stay with the lead group, and I knew that someone would break soon. Could I keep up? Or would I be dropped?

As we climbed toward the top, one by one riders started to drop, but I passed them to hold on. My breathing was labored and loud, but I was focused on the wheel in front of me. Then, as we rounded the last corner and we could now see the top of the climb, a small group attacked. I wanted to go with them, but I was blocked by three riders in front of me. I decided to sit in and see what would happen. Would a hole open that would allow me to squirt through to the leaders?

No. I watched the lead group ride away while I was blocked. Finally, I found a path and took it. Now it was two of us in the first chase group. I decide to sit on the wheel in front of me as there was nothing left to race for. But, I heard someone working hard to pass us so I sprinted and was the first of the chase group to obtain the top of the climb.

Goals for Next Year

My only stated goals for 2007 are completing the Devil Mountain Double and riding in the Davis 24 Hour Time Trial. But, I am looking for other rides to do and to help me I have created a schedule on Google Calendar. Take a look at what I am thinking of doing.

Posted 4:09 PM by John Henry

Monday at the Gym

Met Martin my workout partner at Golds tonight after work. Our workout was focused on our core and arms/shoulders. No leg work tonight as my right knee is a bit sore. Why, I haven't a clue except it could be the result of the GroupPower class early Friday morning.

During yesterday's ride, Keith and I commented on how much fun riding in the rain is. No really, we were have tons of fun. It was warm, and yes we were wet, but being on the bicycle beats any day not on the bike.

Posted 9:28 PM by John Henry

Weekend Update

Saturday

I did not ride. Perhaps this was due to the fact that over an inch and one half of rain fell on Saturday. Instead, Joanne and I took it easy and went on a route exploring road trip.

Sunday

Miles: 58.74
November total: 74.13
Rides in the Rain: 2

Six of us did the Salem Bicycle Club ride to Sublimitity today, and yes, it was a very wet ride.

Posted 8:35 PM by John Henry

The Rains have Come!

Posted 5:15 PM by John Henry

Wednesday Night in the Rail

Miles: 15.39
November Total: 15.39
Rides in the Rain: 1

The roads were wet and I was on the rain bike. Fenders are nice.

Posted 10:27 PM by John Henry