WhyFi

Understood - that bothers me, too. I just don't understand getting worked up over the former.

datlas 

We may need to talk. I really love riding, but somewhere around mile 80-90 something starts to hurt. Usually my butt or my back. So I usually limit my century-plus rides. Any tips on how to overcome this? I would love to go out and do an all-day 200+K mile but body does not seem to like it.

indyfabz

So many people like to involve themselves in drama. We have a NextDoor group in my 'hood. I haven't joined because I would tempted to rant about the trash problem in a way that would not be very civil.

WhyFi

I need to get in a 200k this year. It's weird, but I seem to get in at least one century per year, and the last few years I've had 2-4 each year... yet my longest logged ride is only 104 miles.

#crawlingovertheline

WhyFi

Probably a wise choice. Even if you approached it calm in mind, the interaction with the crazies would flush that calm down the toilet.

BillyD

Yes, they usually have a “don’t mess with me” look.

BillyD

So you’re acclimated to the thinner air of 5,280 ft. Do you have an advantage in competitions at sea level, maybe slightly? I think it’s widely accepted that sea level athletes are at a slight disadvantage competing against mile-high athletes in terms of stamina.

indyfabz

The highest I ever got was Independence Pass. Rode up from Aspen without my gear. IIRC, it's a hair over 12,100'. I had been riding out west stating in the spring and had been over Hoosier (11,500+) and Monarch Passes (11,300+) fully loaded. Despite that, I could feel it near and at the top of Independence Pass.

The year before there was a young guy on our x-country trip who was from Leadville. He noted that he lived at an altitude that was nearly twice as high as the highest pass we were going to cross during the entire trip. (Logan Pass in Glacier, at about 6,700').

BillyD

April is looking the best for me. Maybe even May.

MoAlpha

I have ridden to work in 5º. All the extremities got pretty numb, but it was still sort of fun. I've done fairly long runs in that kind of weather, but that's a whole different thing.

I never get Raynauds on the bike, it just comes on after I come home and my core temp starts to go down or something. I have electrically warmed gloves specifically for when I have to drive home from on cold evenings, something which reliably produces it. They help, but not completely. Once it's really on, it takes a long, hot, shower to reverse.

abshipp 

It's not comfortable the whole time.

Granted, I'm very new to the whole long distance thing, I've only got 3 centuries and 3 200ks under my belt, but I've come to accept that it's just going to hurt at the end. Usually my upper back is pretty sore and stiff, and yeah, sitting on a bike saddle for that long isn't going to be comfy all the time.

I typically start to get a little uncomfortable and feeling a little down mentally around the 70-90 mile mark, but have always managed to start feeling better. I've just come to realize that it's not going to be perfect all the time and it's okay to not enjoy the entire thing. Riding with someone who matches your pace definitely helps.

No real suggestions other than maybe setting up your bike to be a bit less aggressive, position-wise. But changing your fit can cause a whole bunch of other issues, too. I know a lot of people carry tylenol or ibuprofen to help with the soreness.

Overall, I keep coming back to it because an all-day zone 2 ramble is just a fun thing to do. It's given me the chance to see a lot of my local area that I never would have otherwise.

LAJ

Your butt is almost normal. Sitting on a saddle for 5-6 hours for a century, isn't the most natural thing. Eventually that goes away, but that's only saddle time, and getting used to longer and longer rides. The back is more complex. Core type stuff, fit type stuff, genetics, all of that plays into it. When I went for the series, every weekend was back-to-back 100 mile rides, with a climbing ride on Saturday, and a hammerfest on Sunday. Or, it was a Brevet on Saturday, and a hammerfest on Sunday. Cubic time on the bike is essential, and the longer you want to ride, the more that becomes true.

datlas 

Thanks for the tips. I kinda figured that was the case.

Issue is my regular schedule allows me to do 50-75 mile rides, so a century plus is going to be rare. And possibly uncomfortable. Maybe when I semi-retire I will have more spare time for longer rides on a regular basis. For now, I am ok with keeping it under a century with rare exceptions.

abshipp 

What was your typical 200K time? I usually take somewhere around 10.5 hours total. But like I alluded to above, brevets are more of a zone 2 all day cruise for me. I would like to try for a sub 10h 200k this year, as these kind of rides are a pretty big time commitment, especially if you have to drive an hour or so each way to get to the start and then back home! I'm fast enough to not have to worry about making controls in time, but getting quicker just makes things easier overall.

I am fortunate that I have loads of free time. I work 1st shift M-F, weekends off, no kids and almost zero social obligations.

datlas 

Daughter #2 goes off to college in the fall, and if I can swing it I hope to drop to working 3 days/week, which will open up my schedule for more riding. That's the dream.

MoAlpha

Definitely pisses me off when people do that. Why, simply because they're too lazy to carry their own pet's ****, should I have to pick it up and put it in one of my full trash bags. The trash collectors will just leave it there in the bottom of the bin if I don't.

WhyFi

Really? That would be a reason to be upset then, but that doesn't happen here - all of the bins are rolled over to the truck, hooked on and mechanically upended.

abshipp 

I think the highest up I've ever stood on my own two feet is around 10K. Both times wearing ski boots and skis. Mt. Werner near Steamboat Springs or Mt. Ogden near (you guessed it) Ogden UT. Not sure who's gondola puts you higher.

Oh lord.

My community is too small to have a NextDoor location. Should I be grateful?

#rural

WhyFi

Yes. You would surely be troubled by that peek behind the curtain.

datlas 

I have never checked NextDoor. I hope I am not missing out on anything. I still don't even do FaceBook.

MoAlpha

Not here. The guys are racing full-speed and if they will only dump a bin if they can't grab the contents. Dumping often results in the destruction of the bin, since it is hurled violently back at the curb with the top open. Our paper recycling bins have the fitting for the mechanical dumper, but I've never seen it used and I'm not sure the trucks are even so equipped. Those bins don't last long.

MoAlpha

We have a neighborhood listserv. It's a great way to sell stuff. They were very sympathetic when I had my hit and run. The perp might even have read my message asking for witnesses.

Velo Vol 

The sun is out today (sort of), and yet the air is far colder than it was yesterday, when it was cloudy.

Mysterious.

Trsnrtr

I have eschewed inches and inches of snow, drifting, and sub-zero windchills for Florida. Left Nashville earlier in rather rude weather temps but it’s becoming saner now that we’ve entered Georgia.

Trsnrtr

We got an invite recently to join a neighborhood group of some sort that several of our neighbors are on but we declined after seeing that it was being managed by a private company like in Oklahoma or somewhere. I figure it’s basically a data-scalping company.