July 2016 Bike Cycling Bicycling Challenge

Tweaking_Time wrote: »

I wonder what the Pokemon Go app is going to do to my ride this evening...will I stop or not?

I found 11 critters on my run yesterday.

SteveCro wrote: »

@ cricketkate- I always had to use the lower and high rpm. If I tried the big gears I would still find myself pulling away getting into a rhythm. Might be why I ride today the way I do with no kid. I always use a higher cadence than a lot of riders I ride with. I have a 27 speed and I'm usually in 20 to 24 only hit the big gear with a good tail wind.

I just like the fact your able to get out and enjoy the bike again and your kids picked up the interest. It seems painful now but is setting a lifetime example for them.

Went through this with my son. He is a Police Officer and last year he was given the keys to a 2016 Dodge Charger. When the chief done this my sons says actually I see a Police Bicycle in the storage room can I take it to a bike shop and get it road ready and use that. When ask why of earth he would do that he says it was all the crazy long rides with my dad. lol

Machka9 wrote: »

Machka9 wrote: »

Happy Canada Day from a Canadian-Australian.

Saturday 2 July -- 1186 metres (3891.076) of climbing, in 81.8 km of cycling, completed within 5.5 hours (elapsed time) and 4:35 moving time for an average speed of 17.8 km/h (moving time).

The ride included a couple Category 4 climbs with various climbs in the 13-16% grade range.

Starting temperature 12°C with a high of 14.7°C halfway through the ride. We had a headwind on the way out and tailwind on the way back, for the most part, with some odd, very chilly gusts now and then. It was mostly cloudy and looked like it was going to rain several times, but fortunately, that didn't happen. On the way back we were sure we were going to get caught in a rain squall, but it passed behind us and we just got a small blast of it.

We started the ride about 12:30 pm so, since the sun sets at about 4:45, it was pitch black by the time we finished. A little night riding practice. For some reason climbing is so much more difficult in the dark.

And we stopped for lunch at the halfway point. I had been looking forward to that, but unfortunately they were out of many choices (busy day what with the federal election), and what we ate (paninis with lots of spinach) didn't sit well at all. I was about 1 km out of the town on the way back when I started feeling very unsettled. And then about 8 or 9 km later we started a long, long climb (one of the cat 4 climbs) and by the time I got to the top, I was not feeling at all well. Fighting to keep things down. However, I took an electrolyte tablet and a Zantac, and that eased things a bit.

The route mainly followed the coast so we had lots of beautiful views of water and green hills.

There were lots of birds around ... a large flock of black cockatoos filled a tree next to where we parked at the start of the ride and we had to dodge and weave between the pine cones they were dropping from the tree ... we were being bombed! And during the ride, I spotted herons, oyster catchers, small gulls, large Pacific gulls, a cormorant airing its wings ... and most spectacular was a massive wedge-tail eagle which took flight from a tree next to the road, and flew across, right in front of Rowan. I don't think I've ever seen them that close, but Rowan has because they come onto the property where he works. In fact, just yesterday, he rescued a young one which had flown through the net over the orchard, and then had become stuck inside.

Overall, it was a good, strenuous, training ride on a beautiful but quite hilly route.

Oh, and I wore my new winter cycling boots for the first time. They're very comfortable but I will have to do something about drafts coming in around my ankles. And ... I need to install a cleat!! I forgot all about that and so had to ride with my platform pedals the whole way!!

Machka9 wrote: »

Elevation profile:

Machka9 wrote:

Review ...
Distances include cycling + walking
March: 489.8 km (304.3 miles) = 38 hours 4 min
April: 491.94 km (305.6 miles) = 43 hours 6 min
May: 361.81 km (224.8 miles) = 35 hours 50 min
June: 569.53 km (353.9 miles) = 41 hours 53 min
July: 230.7 km (143.35 miles) = 32 hours 45 min
Aug: 211.3 km (131.3 miles) = 28 hours 8 min
Sep: 306.7 km (190.6 miles) = 35 hour 2 min
Oct: 441.82 km (274.5 miles) = 47 hours 43 min
Nov: 660.21 km (410.23 miles) = 60 hours 41 min
Dec: 499.91 km (282.8 miles) = 54 hours 56 min
Jan: 864.79 km (537.35 miles) = 65 hours 36 min
Feb: 470.53 km (292.4 miles) = 40 hours 39 min
March: 917.73 km (570.2 miles) = 66 hours 13 min
April: 417.83 km (259.6 miles) = 40 hours 23 min
May: 267.09 km (165.9 miles) = 36 hours 10 min
June 552.1 km (343 miles) = 54 hours 48 min

Well, let's see ... last July my distance and time took a nose-dive. Hopefully this year will be better than that!
July 2 - 81.8 km cycling (250 min)
July 3 - 32.1 km cycling (100 min)
____________________________________________
Totals:
July Cycling Outside: 113.9 km (350 min)
July Cycling Inside: 0 min
July Walking: 2.5 km (30 min)
July Stairs: 30 flights (24 min)
July Time Total: 404 min = 6 hours 44 min
July Distance Total: 116.4 km = 72.3 miles