Sunday, May 13, 2007

Summer Riding

Tuesday was the first day that it felt like summer riding. The sun was out, it had a little humidity, and the wind wasn't bad. I rode in bike shorts and a t shirt. I didn't even think about a jacket or tights. On our route we ride around Belle Isle. It's a great place to ride: there's water all around and the cars there are not in a hurry to get some place. The first warm day when school is still in session can be busy on Belle Isle. But on Tuesday, it wasn't bad at all.

Tuesday was also the first day that I rode with two water bottles. Summer is the time when you have to watch your hydration. Every year on PALM I'm amazed to find riders that don't have water bottles or camel backs. Some of the bikes don't even have water bottle cages. Biking is an exercise that you can do in hot weather. The heat feels worse when you stop. But you have to drink enough water. You feel cool on a bike but only because your sweat is evaporating to make you cool. If you feel bad on a bike ride, the most likely culprit is that you haven't been drinking enough water. On a long distance ride the goal is to eat and drink continuously.

First warm day: that also means that it is time to start seriously on my garden. Back to work! My plants, seeds, and bulbs are calling.

Sunday, May 6, 2007

Metro Grand

Today was the day Judy and I were going to try to do 50 miles for the first time this year at the Metro Grand. How did we do? Well, first of all, it ended up to be 47 miles for us since this year we didn't lose the car. By the time we started, the temperature was in the mid 50's and we had bright sun. For once I was humble enough to take what I thought would be too many clothes. I wore everything: tights, long sleeve shirt, jersey, and jacket. It's hard to believe that 60 degrees is so chilly so soon after winter.

The news of the day was the wind. SW Michigan is flat and it gets flatter the closer you get to Ohio. We biked within sight of the Fermi plant cooling towers, so we were pretty far south. When it's flat and you are in farm land, there is nothing to block the wind. The forecast called for 10 mph winds. It was 18-20 mph and from the east. This meant that the first 13 miles we rode against the wind. We were crawling: 10, 11 mph. We were praying for hills, anything to block the wind. We did have the wind at our backs later for 9 miles which was nice, but we were dog tired. We have a lot of work to do to be ready for the PALM.

One thing we were able to practice was crossing railroad tracks. We crossed about 10 sets: good, bad, and very bad. One set had bolts sticking over an inch above the tie. They looked like they could tear the tires off of trucks. You are supposed to cross railroad tracks at a 90 degree angle. That keeps your wheel from getting caught in the gap next to the rail. Frequently used rails are slippery especially if wet or greasy. You can easily fall. One of our good friends broke her hip carefully crossing railroad tracks. If that isn't enough there are the trains themselves. One innocent set of tracks in the middle of the park today had an oncoming train. We took no chances and walked a lot of the tracks.

Saturday, May 5, 2007

Training for PALM: April

While the weather for the first half of April was horrible for biking, gardening, and baseball, there can be few complaints about the last half. For one thing, all the rain happened during the work week and all the sun was on the weekends. I was able to ramp up by biking. I'm riding with the frequency I want (typically 3 times a week) but not the distance. At least I can sit on a bike seat for significant periods of time. And Judy had the first flat of the season (at the end of a ride, a mile from home) so we've gotten that out of the way. Last weekend we went with Kevin to see "Gone With The Wind" on Friday and then rode 37 miles with him on Saturday. Both took about four hours with intermissions and both left us pretty tired. This weekend is the Metro Grand ride in SW Michigan. We will be trying to go 50 miles for the first time this year. It will be in the 60's and there will be pancakes.

I want to remind those of you registered for PALM that you can add/drop meals and bus rides until June 1 and there is no penalty. Carson City, Millington, and Almont are small towns and it may be difficult to get food there. Consider getting the meals for at least these cities. In reality the meals on PALM are community events. They are the times when you can see everyone who is on the ride and talk to them. Consider getting some meals just for that.

Currently we have 4 buses going from St. Clair to Spring Lake on June 23 at the beginning of the ride. The buses hold 56 people and we have 224 people signed up. There will be some cancellations, but there currently is very limited seating (that is, no seating: 4 times 56 = 224) on the June 23 buses from St. Clair to Spring Lake.