Cycling

Journaling my way through a bicycling lifestyle…

Posts Tagged cool weather

March 13 Group Ride Review!

Mar 13

Posted by Jeremiah in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

“We’re still going, right?”

This is the text message I got at 8:06 this morning…a new rider (as in, hasn’t ridden a bike since he was in Jr High School!), Caleb, joined me for the ride this morning, and he was so excited about riding, that he didn’t want the weather to stop us!

He showed up at my house at 9, and we started riding to New Hope. The very first thing either of us noticed was the ridiculous wind…it was insane! The entire ride to New Hope was a constant battle with freezing cold gusts of very wet wind. I knew this was probably going to be a small group of riders.

We got to New Hope, and waited until 9:45, and no one showed up. So, we went ahead and started the official ride. We modified it, since it was Caleb’s first ride, and rode to the Co-Op and back, instead of to Corunna. We fought a major headwind the entire way to the Co-Op, but then we got on CR 28 and started heading back to Waterloo, and it felt like someone was pushing us the whole way.

As we were coming back into Waterloo, we saw a cyclist making slow weaving loops in a parking lot ahead of us…as we got closer, he waved. It turned out to be Tim, a cyclist of more than 20 years, but a first timer riding with us. I was extremely excited to see him! We have been trying to match schedules for more than a year to ride together. Caleb said he was doing OK, so we decided to go ahead and ride on to Corunna, figuring that we could always peel off and head back to Auburn if we needed to.

We got to Corunna in record time! We had quite the tail wind. But, once we got back out and SR 6 and started heading into the wind, we really slowed down. As a matter of fact, about half way back to Waterloo, I had to stop and take a break. At the time, I thought that I was experiencing a slight asthma attack. But, I realized later, after I got home, that the issue was more likely that I got to cold, and as a result had trouble breathing. Basically, I mis-judged the temperature, and left a layer at home…thinking I didn’t need it. I learned a pretty serious lesson: It’s far better to shed a layer than it is to wish you had a layer to add! That’s a mistake I don’t plan on repeating anytime soon!

All in all, it was a good ride. Even with the freezing cold rain and the crazy wind, it really felt good to get out and ride with fellow cyclists.

I’m really looking forward to next week. See everyone then!

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December 12 Group Ride

Dec 9

Posted by Jeremiah in exercise | No Comments

Hey everyone,

Well, I’m back to riding on Saturday mornings again!

I’m going to do something a little odd this coming weekend: I’m not going to provide a map. I have a good reason, though. It’s the first time riding in any kind of snow or ice, or very cold temperatures, this year. I will meet whoever wants to ride at New Hope at 9:45 on Saturday, and we can decide on a route then. That way, we can customize the length and complexity of the route to the average winter riding experience of those who show up. Trust me, it’s better to take it easy the first few times you ride in this kind of weather, until you know exactly what you are getting into and how your body is going to respond.

However, there is one caveat that I would like to throw out there. I would really prefer that you only come to the ride if you have the right kind of tires for dealing with ice on the roads, i.e. studded tires, or something similar. With the weather that we have experienced the last two days, there is the definite potential for some ice on the roads this weekend. There may not be much, but trust me, one seemingly microscopic patch is MORE than enough to send you crashing to the ground! Bicycle tires are thin enough, among other things, that without some type of extra support, such as studded tires, there is nothing you can do about falling on the ice.

So, for those brave souls, I will see you on Saturday morning at 9:45 at New Hope in Waterloo!

Jeremiah

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November 28 Group Ride Cancelled

Nov 25

Posted by Jeremiah in exercise | No Comments

Unfortunately, I have come down with a pretty nasty cough that I can’t seem to shake. So, I think it is best if I do not go out and ride for several hours in relatively cold weather.

I am pretty disappointed, because I was really looking forward to riding this weekend, but getting rid of my cough and not getting any sicker is probably a smarter move.

However, if anyone would like to ride, you absolutely should! It is supposed to be nice and sunny with a high around 47. As long as you have a hat (like a beanie) that can cover your ears, some type of long sleeve shirt that blocks the wind (not cotton), and long pants that block the wind (again, not cotton), and some long fingered gloves, you will be fine to ride.

Have a great weekend and a good Thanksgiving! :)

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November 21 Group Ride

Nov 19

Posted by Jeremiah in exercise | No Comments

Here is the map for the ride this weekend.

It is a little over 29 miles.

It is starting to get a little cooler, so if you aren’t certain what to wear, but want to go, let me know. I will be glad to help you figure out what clothing you need to stay warm.

Hope to see you Saturday! :)

November 21 Group Ride

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November 7 Group Ride

Nov 4

Posted by Jeremiah in exercise | No Comments

Hey everyone, here is the map for the ride this Saturday!

We will start in Waterloo, go down CR 28 to Corunna, then down 327 to Garrett, take 205 to 11A to 427, then CR 52 to CR 35 and north on CR 35 back to New Hope.

It’s 24.94 miles.

Hope to see you there!

November 7 Group Ride Map

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Weekly 25 Mile Group Bike Ride

Nov 1

Posted by Jeremiah in exercise | No Comments

I am a part of a bike club that meets in Waterloo through the Spring, Summer and early Fall. We stop riding once it starts to really cool down, but I am going to continue to ride on through the winter and I am inviting anyone who wants to join to ride with me!

I’d like to get a decent number of miles in every week, so I will be riding several days a week, but I figured, if anyone was interested, I would make one of the rides happen at the same time every week so that it was easy to remember and everyone had access to it.

So, without further ado, here is my plan: I am going to do a 20-25 mile ride every Saturday morning at 9:30 throughout the entire winter. This is a standing ride, and anyone can join in, but there will not be an easy loop, and it’s not officially a part of the bike club. It is the “But don’t stop riding…Ride with each other to keep yourselves encouraged.” that my dad talks about in his end of season email.

If anyone is interested in riding, but the time doesn’t work, let me know. If enough people can’t do that time, but are interested, I may adjust it.

So, if you want to ride, I will be at New Hope Christian Center in Waterloo under the drive-up in the front of the building every Saturday morning at 9:30 AM. I will wait until 9:45 AM for anyone to show up. If no one shows up, I will leave promptly at 9:45 (unless I hear from you that you are on your way). If anyone shows up, we can ride together.

I will notify you by email and a post on this website if, for some reason, I am unable to ride on a given Saturday. And, I will post a map of the route each week on here no later than Wednesday of each week. (Tip: If you subscribe to the RSS feed, you can get the maps each week without having to go out and manually check the website.)

If anyone has questions about dressing properly for the cold, or what to do about the ice or the snow, feel free to give me a call or shoot me an email. I’ll be more than happy to help you figure out what you need to do it! Also, if you have questions and post them on the website as comments other people can join in the conversation and give tips and learn (trust me, I don’t have all the answers…and I’m sure I can still learn too!).

You can call me on my cell phone by clicking the “Call Me” button over on the right and putting your phone number in, shoot me an email at jeremiah (at) jeremiahotis (dot) com, or leave a comment on the route map for that week here on the website if you have any questions or concerns, or want to let me know you are on the way to the church so that I don’t leave without you.

Also, if you don’t think you can do the whole route, feel free to meet up with us part way through the route. Just make sure that you are there before us, or text me, so that we know to stop for you.

Looking forward to seeing some people out on the roads this winter!!!

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70 Mile Exercise Ride – Sunday November 1, 2009

Nov 1

Posted by Jeremiah in exercise | No Comments

Average Speed: 15.9 mpg
Distance: 70.15 miles
Average Cadence:  89
Average Heart Rate: 180 bpm
Altitude: Climbed total of 442 ft
Total Time (including stops): 4 hours 42 minutes

So, today I did a 70 mile bike ride. It was good. It was a little chilly when I started out. I was actually slightly worried that my cough from last week would come back in full force if I stayed out in the cold for the full 70 miles. I spent the first 15 miles trying to breathe only through my nose, and not my mouth…it didn’t work out. It turns out that it’s impossible, at least for me, to keep my heart rate up in the Level 3/Level 4 zone and my cadence above 95 and breathe through my nose! So, I started breathing through my mouth more, but it had started to warm up by then (not that it ever got WARM), so it wasn’t as bad. When I got home…I noticed that the toes on my left foot were numb and cold. Definitely not frostbitten…but cold. Cold enough that a hot shower would have been painful (I put on some slippers and waited about 10-15 minutes for them to match the rest of my body temperature wise, then I took the shower.)

I wore wool socks, clipless shoes with spd cleats, fleece lined arm warmers, fleece lined leg warmers, baggy cycling shorts, and underarmor compression t-shirt (short sleeved), a yellow cycling jersey and my full fingered non-vented gloves. I was a little chilly when I started out, but I warmed up nice, and never got too hot. So, that was a good outfit, temperature-wise (I certainly won’t win any fashion contests dressed like that :P )

I took two four minute stops. Both were to pee. I ate on the bike for all of my meals. I had two small snacks, plus a small breakfast. I ate some granola after the ride.

I did have a third stop at New Hope in Waterloo about 6 miles before the end of the ride. I saw Becky’s van and thought I would surprise the kids…if it could be quick. I called her, she didn’t answer. Adam pulled up and I talked to him for a moment, and then I went ahead and left. I really didn’t want to stiffen up and go slow for the last 5-6 miles. I think I was stopped for about 6 minutes, but it might not have been quite that long.

I’m thinking that I might include maps of the routes in future posts about exercise…I’ll look into what it would take.

Well, that’s all for this post. See you next time!

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