MFP Cycling Club

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  • LisaKC
    LisaKC Posts: 328 Member
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    A day of rest is a good thing. Rode 34 miles this morning (stopping halfway for breakfast). Plenty of rolling hills, but we both felt much better than we did a couple days ago. Sunday morning Al is leading one of the club rides, so if there are newbies there we will take the shorter route. If not, we'll do the 41 mile route. Happy cycling! :flowerforyou:
  • RebelRenny
    RebelRenny Posts: 1,073 Member
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    :flowerforyou: Shari, good for you for dusting off the bike.
    :flowerforyou: Sky, you are an inspiration. I am conquering a few hills myself, but compared to yours, they may be insignificant.
    :flowerforyou: Stu, you da man, man. A wealth of info and good humor to boot. Love the pics too.
    :flowerforyou: Barbie, take it easy, girlfriend.
    :flowerforyou: Megamom, wear your helmet. Please. Wear gloves, keep some kleenex handy and do the wiping thing. Going helmetless is not worth the risk. Besides, I like you and don't want to lose you.

    I only got in one day of riding in this week. :ohwell: I had wanted to put in at least 3 days, but work obligations required a car. Now I feel tired but not satisfied. But tomorrow is a new day and Monday is a new work week!

    :heart: :heart: Rebel:heart::heart:
  • megamom
    megamom Posts: 920 Member
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    We are going to be on the road all next week. We plan on bringing our bikes. I am not sure exactly where we are going to be but for sure in Colorado and maybe New Mexico. Anyone have a great trail they know of we should try?

    I am worried about the eating out almost every meal and logging my food but it should be fun. My husband has been plagued with flat tires this entire month though and earlier this week he had his seat post break. I swear he has gone through 5 tubes and one tire. I have the same tires I got with my bike 3 years ago.

    I have been wearing ace wraps and a brace on my bad wrist and it is holding up better when I ride. And I am extremely happy to note my bad ole knees aren't bothering me at all when I ride. I have my bike set up perfectly for me.
  • gwynh
    gwynh Posts: 160
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    Julia, sounds like a nice trip. I love visiting Colorado. Hoping to go on vacation next year out in that area.

    I had a great ride this morning. It was exciting, great conditions, and full of new and funny encounters.

    Well, to say that the conditions were excellent would have been a better term. The temperature couldn't have been above 80 degrees. There was a nice breeze constantly blowing. Nice sunny morning welcoming me to the road.:tongue:

    I had an exciting trip. I got to spray that pack of dogs with my water bottle. Passed 4 other stray dogs that ignored me. I am adding the picture if if loads that I took of a beautiful creature in action. The diamond back rattle snake had to be at least 4 feet long. He was making his way onto the road in my lane. I slowed down and walked slowly forward to view this guy. He was actually pretty. Since he was so big, I didn't feel safe going past him, he took up one lane. So, I just stayed there and watched and saved him in my camera phone. I let him keep his rattles. He never knew I was stalking him until the edge of the road as he slowly crossed it. He sensed me and rattle a bit at me and sped up and went into the tall grass.

    (just changed my profile pic)

    I was also trilled :love: on my ride today as I had begun to start to think that I was the only person in my area that was cycling. I actually passed 9 other riders today. I was the only one going in my direction. 4 of them were stopped by a liquor store. I almost got off my bike to introduce myself, but I didn't. Oh well.....

    The last instance that made me laugh was not really a fun event for the driver I am sure. About a week ago I passed a sharp corner and saw what appeared to be a cement mixer from a large cement truck laying in the ditch. This obviously was from a wreck. I can't tell if the driver had a blow out and lost control or just ran off the road because he was not paying attention. Anyways, I knew it was there. As I past by it today, there is now graffiti on the side of the mixer. It reads, "Did you SH**?"

    (I added picture of this in my profile as I can't add jpeg pics like the technologically advanced STU!! :drinker: Some of us still have things to learn.)

    I feel so much better today than I have in the past few days. I miss my daily 20+ mile rides since I have started back to work. I was only about to ride 2 days this work week, each day of 12 miles each. Today's ride has been a nice stress release for me.

    I did find some upsetting news Thursday in the mail. I attended a Health Fair at a workshop for teachers. They provided a free Cholesterol screening test. I have never had mine checked before as I am feeling like I am in good health. As with cholesterol issues, you can't tell if there is a problem or not. My screening results came back with just the total cholesterol level at 231. The card suggested I go the to doctor. I plan to set an appointment soon. I have been eating more healthy in the past 4 years, adding Taekwondo, walking, and now cycling to my health exercise program. I hope I have caught this problem early enough so that I have not caused any long term disease problems. I know I love life, want to be here for my kids, and don't want to have a stroke nor a heart attack.

    I am putting a new bike, of which type and kind I don't know yet, on my Christmas wish list. 7 gears is not enough for going down any type of hill. I have to not pedal a lot. Plus, all 9 cyclists today were on the curved handle bar type bikes, wearing jerseys, cycling shoes, cycling shorts, etc. It is time for me to start doing bike research I guess.

    Ok, I have chatted away for a bit now, gotta shower, and clean the house. Happy cycling all.
  • StuAblett
    StuAblett Posts: 1,141 Member
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    Gwyn, great post, and it sounds like you had a very eventful day for sure!

    That Diamond Back is amazing, they are so very beautiful, but yeah, you have to keep your distance.

    I'm going to get a health check up done next week, I will go to the same place I went last year, I'm sure all of my numbers will improve. It is good to get a handle on any Cholesterol problems you may have, but just because they suggest you see a doctor does not mean it is that big of a problem.

    I just looked and my levels are as follows:

    VLDL : 223
    HDL: 30
    LDL : 147
    Total: 400

    Now, I'm not 100% sure the way they test is the same here, as they did not freak out or put me on any medication, my blood pressure is also a bit high 135/78.
    All I'm saying is don't freak out about it and wait to see what your doctor has to say, maybe your HDL levels are high, which is good :bigsmile:

    I'm very positive I'm going to see some much better numbers when I get my next check up.


    A new bike in the future, good for you, lots of info out there and lots of bikes to decide from..... oh what fun! :drinker:
  • megamom
    megamom Posts: 920 Member
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    Love the snake shot. We just got back from our ride. It is extremely hot and husband had another flat! That is every single time he has rode something has happened to his bike. 5 flats and the seat post. It was a long hot walk back for him as he was out of tubes but since he had just put a entire new tire and tube on he thought it would be OK. Time for the pool.
  • tipusnr
    tipusnr Posts: 572
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    Andrea and I finished our skills class today with about10 others. Instructor is nationally ranked and we did a LOT of stuff including a how slow can you go race, slolom, grass obstacle course, bumping tires, bumping riders, turns and braking. Total mileage wasn't much (21.21 miles) but learned and honed a lot of skills. Tomorrow is group riding on the road with pace lines and double pace lines. Should total better than 60 miles in three sections. Andrea may do the parking lot drills and not the rides as her speed isn't up to the expected rate of travel and she is still nervous about other bikes getting as close to her as we will be asked to get. She really pushed her limits both physically and mentally today and I'm proud of her.

    Missed my weekly goal with only 82.35 miles turned in but did pass the 1400 mile mark for the summer.
  • StuAblett
    StuAblett Posts: 1,141 Member
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    Love the snake shot. We just got back from our ride. It is extremely hot and husband had another flat! That is every single time he has rode something has happened to his bike. 5 flats and the seat post. It was a long hot walk back for him as he was out of tubes but since he had just put a entire new tire and tube on he thought it would be OK. Time for the pool.

    Maybe he should switch to some other tires?

    What kind of flats are they, is he actually running over stuff that gives him a puncture or is he getting rim flats?

    Is it possible that he has some sharp spot on his rim, from an encounter with a rock or some such thing that is producing these flats?

    That is a lot of flats, it has to be frustrating!
  • RebelRenny
    RebelRenny Posts: 1,073 Member
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    :drinker: Good thing about today: got a bike ride in to the farmers market and library. Now I am procrastinating on doing paperwork and am posting on MFP instead. :tongue: :happy: :tongue:

    Rebel
  • StuAblett
    StuAblett Posts: 1,141 Member
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    It is Sunday morning here, I weighed myself and I'm up a kilogram from last week.....what the heck..?

    But my BMI is down again, and I know I'm on one less belt hole on my pants, I guess I'm gaining muscle....? or at least hope I am :bigsmile:

    I just checked, and out of the 7 days last week, only two days did I go over my bare minimum of 1910 calories (not counting exercise) and but both of those days if I do count exercise I'm still well under my limit. In fact the BMR tool says I should be eating closer to 2150 calories a day not including exercise. The other four days last week, one I ate just under 1800 calories and the other three I ate under 1500 calories.

    I am starting to think I need to eat more...?

    I am having a hard time with that, for example, today I had a piece of french toast, a cup of coffee and a banana, for breakfast and I am stuffed, I honestly do not want to eat any more, I feel FULL. I'm having a bit of a hard time getting my head around the fact the maybe I have to eat more :tongue: It is strange, but I guess I'll have to eat more substantial snacks etc more often?

    Renny good to hear you got a bike ride in, I used to love farmer's markets, you could get some really great, tasty fresh produce at them! Nothing like that in Tokyo :cry:

    Cheers!
  • LisaKC
    LisaKC Posts: 328 Member
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    @tip, the skills class sounds great! Wish we had something like that here. You get extra points for supporting Andrea, even though she may not cycle at your level (yet). STAND UP GUY! :drinker:

    Re: Flats - Stu is right. Someone needs to remove the tube and check the rim. There may be something small lodged in the rim that's causing this. If you can't feel it with your finger, try dragging a piece of Kleenex around the rim. It's likely to snag on anything that's not completely smooth.

    @Stu, you'll have to forgive me buddy, but I'm not that sympathetic about your needing to eat more. :wink:
  • Panda86
    Panda86 Posts: 873
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    Thanks for the advice on the trainer tipusnr and StuAblett...... But I found an AWESOME yard sale treasure this week! A stationary bike! It's a lower-end model, but sturdy, lightweight, and somewhat compact, and it doesn't even look used! The best part? It was 10 BUCKS! Yeah! I was soooo jacked! And it has those moving handles so you can work the arms, too, which I love. My husband said, "Wow, that spare room is going to be a gym!"... I already have a treadmill in there :laugh: I was so excited! It's not one that I could do hardcore "spinning"-style exercises, but it will be enough for me to stay in shape in the winter and keep training for my bike tour :happy: Have a wonderful week, all!
  • tipusnr
    tipusnr Posts: 572
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    Great find Panda! Hope it works out for you (and maybe hubby will visit the "gym" once in a while too). :bigsmile:
  • megamom
    megamom Posts: 920 Member
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    He thought it was from the rim so he filed it down but didn't feel anything, then some of the flats were in the valve stem, so changed all the tubes. Then changed the entire tire, now he is really frustrated and ready to quit riding for awhile except we are going on our trip. His bike is 11, maybe time for a new one. Does put a damper on your ride,
  • StuAblett
    StuAblett Posts: 1,141 Member
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    He thought it was from the rim so he filed it down but didn't feel anything, then some of the flats were in the valve stem, so changed all the tubes. Then changed the entire tire, now he is really frustrated and ready to quit riding for awhile except we are going on our trip. His bike is 11, maybe time for a new one. Does put a damper on your ride,

    Let me tell you about a problem I was having a couple of weeks ago, I got a flat one morning, which was odd, because the night before when I put the bike away, the tire was fine...? I figured that I must have got a very small pinch flat and it just took time to deflate. I pulled the wheel, and found the hole, patched the flat.

    Rode the bike all day, with deliveries and runs to the bank, no problem, I even upped the pressure in the tire, just to be safe. The next morning, same thing.... what the heck? Did another repair, and I checked the rim and tire, I've had pieces of glass stick in a tire and you can't see it at all, but when you pump up the tire and tube the piece of glass comes out of hiding and again you get a flat.

    Again, rode the bike all day, no problems.

    Third morning, guess what, yep flat tire....

    OK, this is driving me nuts, so I take the wheel to the workshop, I mark the tire and the rim, so I know where the tire fit on the rim, I then remove one side of the tire and also mark the tube so I know where it sat on the rim in relation to the tire etc. Pull the tube and stick it in my basin of water, find the leak, it is VERY small. I take it out of the water, dry it off and mark the leak, then I go back and I check the tube to the rim and tire, and if find that the very small puncture mark is on the sidewall, just where the tread ends.... OK now this is REALLY strange, that is NOT where you get a pinch flat, they are usually lower down on the side wall, and it is NOT where you would get a puncture from road debris, what is going on....?

    I take the tire and check the side wall in the location of the puncture, I use a bright light and a magnifying glass, and what do I find....? I find a very small perfectly round puncture mark in the side of the tire, with further examination, I find two more. Yep, some...... person....... (using the term loosely) has been jabbing my tire at night with some kind of pin, the tread is a kevlar one, so they most likely could not puncture that easily, so the did the sidewall. Who did this? Dunno, but I moved some stuff around so now if you go near where I park my bike and trailer a motion light goes on, I'm seriously thinking of setting up an infrared camera too. Since I moved stuff so the motion light comes on, I've not had any more flats, but let me tell you, it sure upsets my sense of fair play.

    If he wants a new bike and you can afford it, great, but my bike is 22 years old and it keeps me happy! :bigsmile:

    I also carry a repair kit and a spare tube and pump, flats happen, I like to ride, not walk :wink: :laugh:

    Lisa's tip with the tissue is spot on, that is a great way to find anything that might be causing the trouble.

    Lisa, I won't hold it against you for not being sympathetic to my problem :wink: :laugh:

    Panda, wow, you must be living right! :drinker:

    Check and see if you can change the seat on the bike, sometimes you can, also the pedals, some of them you can swap out your regular pedals (if you are using clips or clipless). Now you just got to get a TV and DVD player put in there at eye height so you don't go crazy staring at the wall :bigsmile:

    Cheers!
  • Panda86
    Panda86 Posts: 873
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    Great find Panda! Hope it works out for you (and maybe hubby will visit the "gym" once in a while too). :bigsmile:

    That's true- maybe he will! That would be great :happy:
  • Panda86
    Panda86 Posts: 873
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    Panda, wow, you must be living right! :drinker:

    Check and see if you can change the seat on the bike, sometimes you can, also the pedals, some of them you can swap out your regular pedals (if you are using clips or clipless). Now you just got to get a TV and DVD player put in there at eye height so you don't go crazy staring at the wall :bigsmile:

    Cheers!

    Thanks Stu! I watched part of You've Got Mail this morning while on my stationary bike, lol! Looking forward to getting a good workout on it tomorrow morning :bigsmile: I am quite excited about being able to keep training through the cold months!

    Also, I heard from the lady that does the STOKR bike tour here, and she has been most helpful. She said that I can sign up to do just the 1st day of the ride, which is 45 miles.... I really think that I could do that next spring instead of waiting until 2012 like I had initially planned because I thought I had to do both days (82 miles).... If only I had my road bike already!!!! ARGH!!! Praying that one for a good deal will come my way. My sister-in-law found 3 at a yard sale the other day... But I dunno if that is a good route to go, because I have to make sure it fits well. Anyway, I hoping to stay in contact with this lady I mentioned, because I think she would be very helpful. I asked her if there were any biking clubs here... waiting to hear back... Oh, and she just finished doing a 1700 mile bike tour..... 1700 MILES! I DIDN'T THINK THAT WAS HUMANLY POSSIBLE! :noway: If anyone is ever in Montana in May, check out the STOKR bike tour... it raises money for Habitat for Humanity!
  • skywalker
    skywalker Posts: 1,533
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    :flowerforyou: Sky, you are an inspiration. I am conquering a few hills myself, but compared to yours, they may be insignificant.
    No hill is insignificant! They're all torture! :laugh:
  • skywalker
    skywalker Posts: 1,533
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    Anyhow... I'm thinking there's a lesson here for all of us ... if you have a fall, illness or injury, take it easy... don't rush to get back into full activity.... take baby steps at first. Let your body heal in it's own good time.
    Sound advice. :smile: I've actually taken the last 4 days off from riding. My hip needed the break. As much as I wanted to just push though, I decided I'd rather take a break now than overdo it and not be able to do the rides that I've already signed up for. Glad you're doing a little better, barbie. Take it easy. :flowerforyou:

    Not sure if I'm going to ride today. I'll check back in later. Also, I have to catch up on reading all the latest posts. :happy:

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