Cold bike rides

I rarely ride outside if it is “cold”.  I’m trying to get out once a week to keep my legs (and bum) remembering the bike.  I’ll be riding the Erie Canal end-to-end in July, so there is some motivation.  This year with the lack of snow (roads are clear and XC skiing is not possible) I’ve been consistently getting out on Sunday.  The last two weekends have tied for the coldest rides I’ve ever done.

Longest rides - In, out, Go, bike

 

My longest rides (indoors, outdoors, and EliptiGo included):

 

Rank	Dist	Date	Time	MPH	Bike	Location
1	105.0	12/25/2021	4:14:53	24.72	Spin	Basement
2	104.0	12/19/2021	4:14:29	24.52	Spin	Basement
3	102.0	11/25/2021	4:12:55	24.20	Spin	Basement
4	101.4	8/19/2023	6:36:55	15.33	Giant touring	Blazing Saddles
5	101.3	4/23/2023	4:30:00	22.51	Spin & Go	Basement
6	101.0	2/14/2020	4:12:17	24.02	Spin	Basement
7	100.1	11/28/2019	4:04:18	24.58	Spin	Basement
8	100.0	8/20/2022	6:44:20	14.84	Giant touring	Blazing Saddles
9	100.0	8/16/2014	6:44:19	14.84	ElliptiGo	Blazing Saddles 100 mile
10	82.0	9/19/2020	6:49:25	12.02	Giant touring	Cross NH Adventure Trail
11	81.8	7/24/2022	3:37:00	22.62	Spin	Basement
12	81.6	9/23/2013	5:42:13	14.31	Bianchi Strada	Notch

Longest BIKE rides outside

 

Six of my 10 longest bike rides (outside) have been this year…

 

Rank	Dist	Date	Time	MPH	Bike	Location	With who?
1	101.4	8/19/2023	6:36:55	15.3	Giant touring	Blazing Saddles	Christin Doneski
2	100.0	8/20/2022	6:44:20	14.8	Giant touring	Blazing Saddles	Christin Doneski
3	82.0	9/19/2020	6:49:25	12.0	Giant touring	Cross NH Adventure Trail	Paul Baz, Kevin Tilton, (some with) Jeff Litchfield, Jim Graham
4	81.6	9/23/2013	5:42:13	14.3	Bianchi Strada	Notch	Greg Ward, Ken Tripp, Paul Baz
5	73.4	6/10/2023	5:17:58	13.9	Giant touring	Across Mass	Scott Spence
6	71.3	6/2/2023	4:44:00	15.1	Giant touring	New Haven to Springfield	Alone
7	71.0	6/19/2023	4:28:39	15.9	Giant touring	Cape Cod Rail trail	Alone
8	64.4	6/12/2023	4:35:10	14.0	Giant touring	Across RI	Alone
9	62.2	5/27/2023	4:26:24	14.0	Giant touring	Rockingham rail trail	Alone
10	58.1	7/3/2020	4:08:17	14.0	Giant touring	Northern Rail Trail	Kevin Tilton

 

 

Blazing Saddles

Since I’ve been logging a bunch of hours on the bike, I figured I’d give the Blazing Saddles ride a go again this year. I put the call out to all the runners I know (who are also bikers) in my quest to get someone to join me.  Christin Doneski answered the call and convinced me to do the 100 mile as we’d done last year.  I kind of swore off 100s after last year when my arthritic ankle was not happy with me after the ride.  I think 100 kilometers is probably the longest I should ride.  We got just about a perfect day for the ride with temps in the 70s and lower humidity.  This was a huge improvement over the 90 degrees last year.  At exactly 7am we headed off, after I knocked my Garmin computer off the bike as I pushed the start button.  An ominous start.  That was by far the worst thing that happened on the ride.

We headed west out of Byfield into Groveland, then north through West Newbury and crossed the Merrimack River on Rocks Bridge.  That brought us into Haverhill and the first point where other course distance branched off.  We’d only seen a few groups thus far as we were among the first to start.  Our route continued south into Haverhill before taking a nearly 180 degree turn and heading over the border into NH.  A few more fast riders went by as we passed through the nicer outskirts of Plaistow and then turned northeast into Newton NH.  We reached our first support stop at 27 miles and were efficient grabbing a snack (Clif bar for me) and topping off bottles and getting back on the bikes within 6 minutes.  Only a quarter of the ride done, but it was going by easily. 

The mostly downhill riding from Newton to Merrimac (MA) and then onto Pleasant Valley Road in Amesbury featured some nice riding along the Merrimack River.  There was a solid breeze which had people at the aid station wondering how it would be when we got along the ocean.  I guessed it’d be a cross wind, but we had a lot of miles to get through before that.  For now, we were getting re-passed by people who had passed us early but took longer breaks.  This would happen several times during the ride (some would pass us four times!).  Most were nice, calling out “on your left” but a few came by at very high speed and never said a word passing way too close for comfort.  Not sure what that was about.  Perhaps we were viewed as outsiders since I was the only one out of the 300+ people riding to be on a touring bike and Christin was the only one on a cyclo-cross bike.  I was also the only one with a kickstand, which I still don’t get why people don’t have them.  It only adds a little weight and is so useful!  We continued heading east through Amesbury then crossed the Merrimack heading south over the chain bridge into Newburyport.  We passed a guy on the climb up Ferry road, and he complimented us on our “fast ride” as we went by.  I offered him encouragement and wished him a pleasant ride.  The parking lot at Maudsley was hopping!  This was a “bonus” aid station, mostly for the shorter rides.  Since we had a stop coming up at 50 miles it wasn’t worth it to stop at 41 so we rolled onward.

 We continued south into West Newbury and then headed east into Newbury for our second stop of the day.  We were efficient again, I got a strawberry fig bar and topped off my bottle and saddled up again in 5 minutes.  No messing around.  There were a lot of people at this aid station and spirits were high as we headed onto the second half of this adventure.  More nice scenery as we headed south in Rowley.  Then a somewhat busy stretch on route 133 heading into Ipswich.  For the most part drivers were very nice we got a lot of waves from people, and we were also generous with our “thank you” when people let by.  Next up was a nice stretch out and back to Little Neck with a loop around the very scenic (and kind of hilly) peninsula that had great views of Plum Island and Plum Island sound.  The wind was not bad, as it seemed to be mostly a cross wind.  We saw a lot of the groups ahead of us as they came back into Ipswich and surprisingly saw quite a few behind us as we headed back inland. 

 This was the point last year where I wished we were doing 100km, but as we hit 65 miles, I was still feeling okay.  We were riding steadily, and it had clouded up now which kept it even cooler.  We headed south into Hamilton and some quiet roads through Appleton Farms.  There were only a few groups passing by and I was focused on getting to the 78 mile aid station at Bradley Palmer and was even starting to think about what I’d have to eat at the finish.  There was a good crowd at the aid station, but we were in and out of there in six minutes, I got some Gatorade and another Clif bar and was still eating as we headed out. We headed southwest into Topsfield and one of the few times during the day we were stopped at a light.  We just missed crossing route 1 and then the light did NOT cycle back to us!  It was funny as at that moment Bob Strout (long-time Winners Circle runner) came biking by heading up route 1.  We didn’t wait for the light to get back to us and got a good gap in traffic and headed off.  There was a tough little hill at 81 miles, it was only 100’ but I felt it.  

A little later a group went by us, and the last rider commented “I can’t believe you are riding with those pedals”.  I had no response to that; I was also the only person out there who had the old school toe clips with straps. Hey, whatever works!    We turned north into Boxford and Georgetown.  The last tough little bump was at 97 miles.  A rider on the side of the road with a cramp asked how far to go and I was happy to say only 4 miles.  I saw him after the ride, and he told me he hadn’t done any riding this YEAR and that maybe 100 miles was a bad idea.  Yikes!  It was all gravy after the final hill, and we reached the finish in less than 7 hours (6:54:07).  Our moving time was 6:41:42 or about 15.2 miles per hour.  We reached the 100 mile point in 6:36:55 which was 10 minutes faster than last year, I put most of that down to better conditions this year.  I wasn’t really all that hungry after but enjoyed some brownies and a couple of cookies.  It was a fun day, but like I said last year I’ll probably stick to shorter rides.  My ankle was sore post ride and I hobbled around the rest of the weekend.

Biking the last 10 weeks

The last 10 weeks have been pretty consistent for mileage on the bike, I’ve added in more on the ElliptiGo which is slower (less mileage) which is why it has dipped a bit lower.  I’ve been very steady with about 30 hours per week.

 Week            Miles            Avg

4/17/2023	492.30	70.3
4/24/2023	472.50	67.5
5/1/2023	466.50	66.6
05/08/23	424.50	60.6
5/15/2023	448.80	64.1
5/22/2023	461.00	65.9
5/29/2023	467.95	66.9
6/5/2023	473.90	67.7
6/12/2023	450.60	64.4
6/19/2023	449.25	64.2

 

  

Cape Cod rail trail

I was looking for something interesting to do on the Monday holiday and decided that I would red-line (ride the entire trail) the Cape Cod rail trail.  I plotted out a 70+ mile course that would take me through Hyannis, Barnstable, Yarmouth, Dennis, Harwich, Chatham, Orleans, Eastham, Wellfleet, and Brewster.  I’d get all of the CCRT and add in the Old Colony rail trail, the Nauset bike path, and about 10 miles on roads to connect everything.

Conditions were pretty much ideal as I pedaled out of my hotel room at 4:45 am.  It was in the upper 50’s and would only get into the 60’s during the ride.  It was cloudy and calm.  I had a bit of an issue with navigation right away as the gps wanted me to cut through the parking lot but I sorted it out and got rolling.  My turn onto the end of the rail trail was not obvious (I found on my way back that it was a construction site and that was why I missed it), I turned onto what looked like the path and it was close enough that gps thought I was on it.  It was actually a powerline next to the trail and I did a slow ½ mile of riding in loose sand before getting on the trail.  It was a nice section passing right through a golf course.  It was so early that I only saw two people in my first hour of riding.

 I broke the ride down into manageable (I hoped) parts.  The first was getting from the hotel to the trail and then it was getting to the split where the CCRT went north and the Old Colony continued east.  I got there in less than an hour (12 miles) and thought “I won’t be back here for another 45 miles”.  The trail intersection was unusual, it was a rotary which was not associated with any roads (it was well out in the woods).  I got to the end of the trail in Chatham at about 18 miles in and it was only a little after 6 am.  Good planning as I’d now be on the road heading north and west for the next 8 miles. I had a little navigation issue as the gps said I’d be doing a “U-turn in 2.3 miles” that got me nervous that it was going to send me out and back on the same road.  I confirmed I was going the right way and when I got to the “U-turn” it was really just a very sharp right hand turn.  At 26 miles I was back on the rail trail, mentally checking off another section done.  Now I was aiming for the cut-off to the Nauset bike path.

 The section in Orleans and Eastham was nice, I could smell the ocean although I’d yet to see it.  At exactly 30 miles I left the rail trail on a well signed turn for the bike path.  I entered the Cape Cod National Seashore and the hilly and twisty Nauset bike path.  It was fun and a change of speed from just pedaling along on a mostly flat rail trail.  I also got some warnings (first time I’d seen them) on my gps telling me about blind turns and steep up/downs.  At 32 miles I saw the ocean while riding on a boardwalk along Salt Pond Bay.  I popped out onto Ocean view drive (aptly named) and saw a bunch of surfers as they were headed into the water.  I also caught site of the Nauset light and the “three sisters” lighthouses before angling back to the west (inland) to catch back onto the rail trail.

 At 35 miles I was back on the CCRT and headed north for the final section.  The last mile was a freshly paved extension of the trail (about 1 mile) pushing the end a little bit further.  I had a gel at 40 miles as I turned and started the return trip.  I’d be covering some familiar ground but even the out/back section looked different going in the other direction.  I was still feeling pretty good when I reached Orleans (49 miles) and was looking forward to the next 10 miles of “new” trail.  I think I had ridden on parts of this from Nickerson state park back in the 90s but hadn’t been on it since then.  After a very brief road detour (the trail has a break here) I spotted a couple of riders not too far ahead.  I caught (and spooked) the first one soon after and got the other at a road crossing when we both stopped for traffic.  I picked up the pace a bit and he settled in behind me.  We never spoke but he sat behind me for the next 10 miles.  That was some of my quickest riding over 16 mph for that 10.  I was still feeling pretty good as he dropped off at the Dennis parking lot.

The last 11 miles were sort of just a countdown to finishing and picturing the Dunkin’s coffee I’d have after I finished.  I discovered the end of the trail that I’d missed and had to go around it due to the huge pit being dug and heavy machinery.  I kept my head on a swivel for the last 3 miles on the road as traffic was now in full force and there wasn’t much in the way of shoulder.  I managed it with no issue and even caught a couple of traffic lights just as they turned green, which is always nice at the end of nearly 4.5 hours on the road.  I rolled back into the hotel parking lot at 9:15 am with my day done before many had even gotten up.  Totals for the ride 71.0 miles in 4:28:39 for an average of 15.9 mph, about 2,100’ of up/down.  Although I brought 16 ounces of water I was never thirsty and didn’t drink any, I did have the one gel at 40 miles and a “chomp” at 55.

 

Cape Cod Canal path

 I went down to the Cape on Sunday afternoon so I’d be able to get an early start on Monday morning.  I decided while I was there I’d get in a ride on the Cape Cod Canal trail.  This is an unusual paved bike/ped path along the Cape Cod Canal.  I’d never been on the trail before, the closest I’d come was running over the Sagamore Bridge in the P to P relay back in the late 1980s.

 I parked at the visitors center at the southwestern end of the trail and hoped it wouldn’t be too busy.  I had thought about going out on one side of the canal and then crossing over to the other side but the logistics of getting over the bridges (especially the Bourne) would have added a fair amount of distance and a bunch of headaches.  Really other than saying “I rode on both sides” it added nothing as the scenery was identical.  There was a fair amount of people out on the trail near the visitors center and the campground but after that it was pretty much clear riding.  There was a steady breeze from the east which made it more work than the watch was telling me.  There was some nice views and watching a few big ships chug past was kind of cool.  I felt it was a lot like running on the beach.  It sounds like such a fun idea and for the first few miles it is interesting, then it is just more of the same.  I had more fun on the way back (7 miles exactly at the turn) with the wind at my back it felt like I was moving.  That always feels good.  By that time it was nearly 6 pm so there was very little traffic left on the trail.

 It turned out to be a nice ride with smooth pavement and very little change in grade.  I’d probably never bike it again but wouldn’t mind going back some day to run it.