Settling down.

An average day
Wordle 386 4/6

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Wordle 386 3/6

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reprted

How was the Grand Fondo?

Well that sucked. 5 hours and 7 min century. As predicted blew chunks in the first set of climbs. Not real surprised at my current weight. Three water bottles, and one granola bar consumed. So naturally I started cramping at around 85 miles, calves were pissed! Hammy expressed its displeasure when I tried to get out of the car after the 3 hour drive home. Gotta drink more. Water.

5 hours total time? Sounds pretty fast to me. Yeah, a lot more water.

ln addition to the previous. The pick up squad that I rode with. A tandem and 2 singles, was doing great. Then one single and the tandem made a unscheduled water stop. Which left myself and a woman I actually rode with last year till she dropped me. I pulled for quite a while. She did take some turns up front. By 90 miles I was about all in. Horrible head wind. Garbage road surface. I was toast. Cramping calves and groin muscle. We lost a lot of time in that final 10 miles.
Gotta get serious about this weight thing if I'm going to be competitive out there.

Lo

We were talking about shrinkage. No brag.

yikes

I think I've gone through more than 3 water bottles before 50 mile mark

but then again one century drank so much water had to keep making pit stops - including one time behind a barn at a large farm lol

just one granola bar could be an issue also ?

one time did good (early) part of a metric century with a small group that included a tandem

got a leg beating ; the couple on the tandem were strong - especially on the level stuff

Not to shabby.

Unless your using mm, it's a brag. 😉

So…I went to the wrong start location this morning for a 10 am ride. Realized my mistake early and started hammering back to center city. Not any easy thing to do on a Surly carrying stuff like a u-lock. Stopped along the way to call the ride leader at 9:48. Went straight to voicemail. Left a message saying I would probably be 2-3 minutes late. Got to the start at 10:05. No one. Waited around for a while. Still no one. I had preregistered for the ride, so I should have been on the list. WTF. Nothing in the club ever starts on time. And leaders should have their phones on for calls like mine and for calls saying “I’m not coming.” or “I’m lost.”

I hate when that happens. :notamused:

I’ll admit that I was a punctuality Nazi when I led rides, but that was because I usually led long, hilly rides that needed to start on time so we weren’t out there all day. But if someone called to say they would be a couple of minutes late I would wait. If that stretched to something like 15 minutes I would leave a cue sheet on my windshield.

One guy called to tell me that his girlfriend had locked the keys in the car at a highway rest stop. He owned a used car dealership. He went to the gift shop, bought some sort of candle stick and made it into a slim Jim to open the door. He definitely got a pass for that. A few times after that I jokingly put in my ride descriptions that that excuse was the only one I would accept.

I see what was done there.

Sunday Donut ride was perfect. Good pace, good distance, and a good rest stop in Kutztown PA for fresh made-to-order donuts.

I don't get it.

I was feeling less than stellar on the bike, possibly still a little under the weather from the double vax, though my HR seemed pretty much what I'd expect. So I decided on a leisurely ride, to cap off what I had decided would be a recovery week. So, there I was, at about mile 31, just starting down a short drop that leads to a 180 degree sweeper, when suddenly *PFFFFff!!* and my back tire is instantly flat. I stop, and start spinning the wheel to look for the little piece of glass I expect to find, so I can pop it out, replace the tube and be on my way, when I saw this...

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ac07bcfad4.jpg

No way I was gonna ride that 25 miles home, not even with a boot. So, I made the Call Of Shame. This time, Mrs. GJ had figured out how to use "Find Phone" and Siri to navigate, rather than having to remember or write down my simple directions.

As it turns out, I JUST bought a new one of those (GP5K in 25mm), because I hate not having a spare tire, in case - well, in case THIS happens.

So, an abrupt end to what had been a nice, relaxing ride. I guess Rango will get a walk today, which he usually doesn't on Sundays. Lucky bastard.

EDIT: Because the tire DEflated so completely all at once, I didn't travel far after. So I was able to walk back along my path and find what I think was the culprit. A piece of glass, with a curve that roughly matches the deeper cut about 1.5 cm long by 4 mm wide. I should have taken a picture, but I did toss it over the guard rail and into the grass.

Those gp5ks must be as fragile as their 4k predecessors. Daily I tell myself 'that would be a sidewall blowout on a 4k.' Three out of four of my current tires are gatorskins. I'm beyond the point of being even neutral about roadside flats. It hasn't always been so. There was a time when I relished the chance to stop and experience the roadside.

A minor correction

Now that my stamina is returning I'm beginning to dream about a full squish mtb. Dream on. Now that I've done a tiny bit of research, I think I'll convert my 3x8 into a 1x8 and try to add a suspension fork. Or just leave it 3x8 and look for a fork. Writing it down clears things up.