A nice ride with a rising outstanding 50+ rider
08-13-11, 07:06 PM
#1
just keep riding
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A nice ride with a rising outstanding 50+ rider
One of the guys I've been riding a lot with lately told me that his wife was wanting to ride her first 50 mile ride and wanted me to suggest a route. I told him I'd much rather show them than tell them. So today I rode 54 miles with Frank, his wife Susan and two other friends, Mike and Rob. All of us are in our 50s except Rob who is mid 40s.
Susan had been an enthusiastic runner until she injured her back a few years ago. She has been riding bicycles for a couple of years, recently moving from a hybrid to a nice road bike. Her previous longest ride was 25 miles and she had not ridden since doing about 15 flat miles on a beginners ride with the club two weeks ago. The route was chosen for scenery, smooth roads and low traffic. You can't get those things here without hills, so I was a little concerned that she might have trouble. I needn't have worried.
She was a little slow climbing the hills, but was never in distress, never once complained and kept up with no problems on the flat and downhill sections. We finished the 54 mile ride in 5 hours including two store stops and two flat tire stops (her husband). She was all smiles at the finish and jumped at the suggestion that we go for lunch and a couple of beers at a Greek restaurant downtown. She is already talking about doing a metric soon and about riding BRAG next year.
The weather was very nice by recent standards. Temps ranged from 75 at the start to 90 at the end. Mostly sunny with some clouds and no wind to speak of. Far better than the 95 to 100+ I have been riding in lately.
https://www.endomondo.com/workouts/mcdZAP-wSSU
Susan and Frank
https://www.flickr.com/photos/bluesda...25560786/show/
DSCF1628 by BluesDawg, on Flickr
Rob and Benny by BluesDawg, on Flickr
DSCF1631 by BluesDawg, on Flickr
2nd flat by BluesDawg, on Flickr
Finished! by BluesDawg, on Flickr
Frank, Susan, Benny, Rob by BluesDawg, on Flickr
Susan had been an enthusiastic runner until she injured her back a few years ago. She has been riding bicycles for a couple of years, recently moving from a hybrid to a nice road bike. Her previous longest ride was 25 miles and she had not ridden since doing about 15 flat miles on a beginners ride with the club two weeks ago. The route was chosen for scenery, smooth roads and low traffic. You can't get those things here without hills, so I was a little concerned that she might have trouble. I needn't have worried.
She was a little slow climbing the hills, but was never in distress, never once complained and kept up with no problems on the flat and downhill sections. We finished the 54 mile ride in 5 hours including two store stops and two flat tire stops (her husband). She was all smiles at the finish and jumped at the suggestion that we go for lunch and a couple of beers at a Greek restaurant downtown. She is already talking about doing a metric soon and about riding BRAG next year.
The weather was very nice by recent standards. Temps ranged from 75 at the start to 90 at the end. Mostly sunny with some clouds and no wind to speak of. Far better than the 95 to 100+ I have been riding in lately.
https://www.endomondo.com/workouts/mcdZAP-wSSU
Susan and Frank
https://www.flickr.com/photos/bluesda...25560786/show/
DSCF1628 by BluesDawg, on Flickr
Rob and Benny by BluesDawg, on Flickr
DSCF1631 by BluesDawg, on Flickr
2nd flat by BluesDawg, on Flickr
Finished! by BluesDawg, on Flickr
Frank, Susan, Benny, Rob by BluesDawg, on Flickr
Last edited by BluesDawg; 08-13-11 at 07:09 PM.
08-13-11, 07:39 PM
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Awesome! This is my wife's first season riding road and she is doing her first 50 miler next weekend. It was nice of you to share your experience with new riders and I am sure it made their ride much better.
08-13-11, 08:40 PM
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Terrific! My wife had been experiencing heart rate issues earlier in the summer, and hasn't been able to ride for about 6 weeks until all the medical evals were done. She passed the stress test last week with flying colors, and today we did a 30 miler together! She has a way to go back to fitness, but her enthusiasm level is now on the way up. I think when I do my century ride in October she's gonna do the 40!
08-14-11, 12:01 AM
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Sounds like a nice ride but ...70-90 degrees? I don't care WHAT standard you have, anything over 65F is just too hot! 
My most recent ride started at a brisk 38F but later warmed up to nearly 65F. I was getting a bit fearful of overheating... heh... I don't have too many companions in my age group to ride with so congrats on expanding your circle of comrades.
My most recent ride started at a brisk 38F but later warmed up to nearly 65F. I was getting a bit fearful of overheating... heh... I don't have too many companions in my age group to ride with so congrats on expanding your circle of comrades.
08-14-11, 11:49 AM
#6
just keep riding
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Sounds like a nice ride but ...70-90 degrees? I don't care WHAT standard you have, anything over 65F is just too hot! My most recent ride started at a brisk 38F but later warmed up to nearly 65F. I was getting a bit fearful of overheating... heh... I don't have too many companions in my age group to ride with so congrats on expanding your circle of comrades.
My most recent ride started at a brisk 38F but later warmed up to nearly 65F. I was getting a bit fearful of overheating... heh... I don't have too many companions in my age group to ride with so congrats on expanding your circle of comrades.
08-14-11, 11:06 PM
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An early morning start from Denali Park here in Alaska. I didn't check the temp carefully buy my gal said it was 35...I shook my head as I wrote that and changed it to 38 . But I could see my breath as I started out and I did need some light gloves and a skull cap and put my wind jacket under my rain jacket. It was definitely darned chilly. The tourists at the coffee shop we started at definitely gave me the eye as I walked in with my biking shorts and they removed their heavy coats. I was smart enough to ask my wife to hold off on her return home (which was the direction I was heading) for a half hour or so because I knew that once I got out from under the shadow of the mountains and got in the sun I'd be warmed up reasonably well. When she came by and stopped I took off my second pair of socks :0) and a gave her some of my clothing and I was good to go. I put up a thread titled N+71 (this N being my age of 60). The Garmin Connect link is https://connect.garmin.com/activity/106055038 . It was 131 miles with some reasonable hills for this old geezer.
. But I could see my breath as I started out and I did need some light gloves and a skull cap and put my wind jacket under my rain jacket. It was definitely darned chilly. The tourists at the coffee shop we started at definitely gave me the eye as I walked in with my biking shorts and they removed their heavy coats. I was smart enough to ask my wife to hold off on her return home (which was the direction I was heading) for a half hour or so because I knew that once I got out from under the shadow of the mountains and got in the sun I'd be warmed up reasonably well. When she came by and stopped I took off my second pair of socks :0) and a gave her some of my clothing and I was good to go. I put up a thread titled N+71 (this N being my age of 60). The Garmin Connect link is https://connect.garmin.com/activity/106055038 . It was 131 miles with some reasonable hills for this old geezer.
08-14-11, 11:13 PM
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75F would actually be fine but here in Alaska our acclimatization is, of course, different and I would be really hot over 80F but I have dressing down to a science when it gets cold and can ride at -20F. Some folks ride down at -40F but I find that to be pure work and really no fun. At those temps you can't really get aerobic in terms of good exercise due to building up too much sweat under all the needed clothing no matter how well ventilated you are. I think you have it right looking at 65-75 being a pretty ideal temperature range for riding.
08-14-11, 11:35 PM
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Great ride! Thanks for sharing pics of a special day.
08-15-11, 12:27 AM
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BD...Don't think I've ever stopped for a beer on a ride....might be interesting but I'm not sure my stomach would like it much. Is that common on your rides?
08-15-11, 04:54 AM
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09-10-11, 06:07 PM
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just keep riding
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Not quite a month later, she has done her first metric century. There's no stopping this lady!
Susan atop Horace Veal by BluesDawg, on Flickr
https://mvillebikes.com/vBulletin/sho...=2725#post2725
Susan atop Horace Veal by BluesDawg, on Flickr
https://mvillebikes.com/vBulletin/sho...=2725#post2725
