[i12ride]

I've not ridden in so long now I'm at the point I'm afraid to start over. It all started my first trip out to Roanoke to work getting Covid followed by gut wrenching food poisoning. I lost, if I recall, over 20 pounds in 2, 2 1/2 weeks. No energy at all.

I got on a small role and did a few rides. THEN VDOT put drunk bumps (rumble strips ) on every road in the area. Went out and road and got pushed by a car a little close to them and it cost me a tire. Ordered a new tire, out it on and my bike has just set collecting dust...not even any indoor Zwift rides.

I can't find the motivation to start over. Honestly, I've got so much going on it's kinda scary.

On a side note, I just found a friend has stage 4 prostate cancer and it's REALLY made me think about life's priorities. It's got me questioning so much time away from family ( out on a bike and it's takes a lot of time)...when they lay me down 6 ft down, it won't be miles that counted in life. It will be time spent with family and grandkids.

Sorry to hear of your struggles. All I can suggest is the same thing needed to ride to begin with.........you have to find a balance. I know easier said than done but mostly all we can control is our reactions to things. Another cliche bunch of realistic crap I know. Just know that my username also is a hint into what you have going on and what we all deal with to an extent. It is i12ride because there is always something going on that tries to keep me from it....more and more often it seems. So much so that every time I roll out it feels like I am starting over. It helps keep me healthy in mind and body yet it is not the highest priority in my life.

And yes, in the end what will count is how much we love others, how much we serve those that are worse off than we are and what legacy we leave our children and grandchildren about how to live a good life. It is a tightwire and requires much balance. Head up, power through and know we are here to listen and help.

 

[i12ride]

OK, sermon over............busted this antique out of the corner of the breakfast room, removed flat spots in tires by airing them up, broke the arthritis off the shifters and retaught them their purpose, knocked the stiction off the fork and shock from sitting too long and sported it about the area a bit..............

 

[maelochs]

Yeah, I still look back with fondness--and jealousy--at my commuting days. It was a ridiculously hard life but I got to ride a few to several times each day.

Now I have a car, a TV, and a huge belly that weighs, by itself, almost half of what I weighed in my riding days.

I am with Dos_Ruedas on this though: riding is great for me and good for everyone who has to deal with me. I have forced myself to learn to live without riding--I can keep my head together, keep my weight in control, and keep my life basically afloat without riding---but when I ride I have a lot more energy for everything else.

 

[newleaf150]

I needed a ride today. Managed 25mi on the recumbent with canine companion Chip. Temps in the mid-70's felt surprisingly warm, but were offset by the stiff breeze. The breeze wasn't much fun as a headwind, but once my route made it a tailwind, we proceeded rapidly. Chip was happy to be out and as usual attracted more than his share of attention. The warmer temps seemed to limit his running to a 'mere' 2.5mi. All in all, it was a great day to be out.

 

[Dos_Ruedas]

I did ride yesterday.
Purposefully doing hill repeats…….until a friend texted he was putting dogs and burgers on the grill at the campground and welcomed me.
Two more over n’backs should give him time to feed me, I estimate poorly.
By the time I got there, they were done., but he only needed to place them back on the grill and i was eating a few minutes later.

Like has been said in many ways above, I chose to spend time with a friend, beside the fire, next to the lake, with a beer, a burger and hotdogs, after a shorter than anticipated cycling hill workout……and I’m better for it.

I always like the way these rides look on Strava:

 

[rola643]

I did! Only 26 miles but it was great to be out again and of course I waited until it was close 90* after cool 60* temps

 

[maelochs]

Put a couple clean chains on a couple bikes, did some minor indexing adjustments, and went out for a test ride .... no energy, and the heat of summer is definitely approaching, but I needed to get out anyway .... missed to many days which were much more pleasant

 

[newleaf150]

Finally, a less windy day. I made it out on the touring bike with canine companion Chip. As we rolled down the street away from home, I felt the tension flow out of my chest and abdomen. That was nice. So was the ride. I did a total of 21mi, with Chip turning in 4.75mi for his running day. Wind was in the 20mph range, but after days of gusts north of 40mph, I'll take it. I feel better now than I have in a couple of weeks.

 

[maelochs]

Do you have to use any special devices or techniques to keep Chip's ears from functioning like The Flying Nun’s hat? I imagine he would get even more attention if he was soaring above the bike.

 

[newleaf150]

Do you have to use any special devices or techniques to keep Chip's ears from functioning like The Flying Nun’s hat? I imagine he would get even more attention if he was soaring above the bike.

😂🤣

Well, he is clipped into the trailer, so may have been lightening the load all along on windy days, and I didn't even recognize his generosity 😀. He also folds his ears back to run, so he may be managing it that way. I confess I haven't taken the opportunity for an over the shoulder ear check at 30mph, well, ever 😳.

 

[Dos_Ruedas]

I got in 19 miles today.
The Autumn Olive is STRONG!!! Anita suffocating.
My bum is NOT in shape like it should be by now. Life has been extremely busy!!

It was a wonderful spring ride.

 

[newleaf150]

Yesterday, it was so windy I half expected canine companion Chip to be blown away when I took him out for a walk. Today, conditions are perfect and I'm itching for a ride, but won't make it. This morning, Mrs. Newleaf and I visited a local shelter and met Miss Daisy, a 6 year old golden retriever who was recently rescued from being a puppy mill mamma. Before we came up with this appointment, Mrs. Newleaf already had plans to do a baseball game this evening. So I'm home playing security human instead of rolling somewhere with Chip.

Miss Daisy is very new to the world despite her age, but is still just as sweet as she can be. In days to come, she'll learn to get more comfortable on stairs, jump on furniture properly, and in the longer term, ride in a bike trailer. I hope . We would ultimately like to be able to tow both inflatable paddle boards and dogs to the local spot by bike instead of car. That'll be a challenge.

Tomorrow, I hope to return to the saddle for at least a few hours.

 

[FRISKY]

^^^You should study for your doubles-triples license...

Such a pretty girl!

 

[newleaf150]

^^ Thank you, Frisky!

 

[newleaf150]

Good times today: I finally made it out on the touring bike with canine companion Chip. Though he has been getting regular walks while we have been out of the saddle, I think he missed cycling: today he ran 7.5mi and seemed ready to just keep on going. That matches a previous personal best mileage for him. What an athlete! For my part, I spun out 13 happy miles and enjoyed watching Chip stretch his legs.

 

[maelochs]

91 degrees, 10-14 mph winds (one of those triple-direction winds that hits head-on in every direction and is somehow never a tailwind,) but I still managed to get some good miles. (21.4 miles at 15 mph average, a whopping 403 feet of climbing ( ) One of those rides where I was really glad to be out there and really glad when I got home---another two miles would have been too much ... this was just enough of a challenge that I knew I had worked but didn't get hurt. Right off the bike and into the pool and then right into the Gatorade .... great day.

That's the second good ride this week. I feel blessed.

 

[Dos_Ruedas]

I’ve had two trainer rides, during the days of downpours. Probably totaling ~30 miles.
The second ride was really 5-10 minute rides in between weights, so I could make it a cardio workout.

Really hoping to snag a few outside miles this week.

 

[maelochs]

Ladies and Gentleman .... A Neeeewwwww Wooorlddd Reeccoorrdddddd ..... for rides taken on May 9 2022 between 12 and 2 pm in Flatahoma ..... by me ....

Actually longest ride all year. 28+ mph at 14.7 mph, 891 feet of climbing .... a couple/few hundred more than I had intended to climb but once I was out there, it was pretty much ride or walk .....

wind was supposedly 10-16 but I didn't notice any strong gusts, and it was partly cloudy, for which I was extremely grateful. Another few degrees ad I would have been limping and crying all the way home.

One close pass by a dump truck ... it was probably the legal three feet but big trucks moving fast seem closer .... and the whole way, no one complimented me on my dog .... which isn't too weird as i don't have a dog, but people could have at least faked it to be polite, right? What a world we live in .......

 

[newleaf150]

What's with the wind? It's certainly normal this time of year to have some 3-5 days of insanely high winds. This year, someone seems to have converted 'days' of high winds to 'weeks' of the same. Today, it was merely in the 15-20mph range so I headed out on the touring bike with canine companion Chip It was his day to run! Chip turned in a total of 7mi Normally this happens in 1-3mi increments with water breaks and and chance to ride in the trailer between pushes Today, Chip ran his first 5mi without stopping, save where I thought a water break was needed.

For my part, I spun out 23mi and would just as soon still be out spinning those cranks. It was a good day to be out.

 

[maelochs]

This supports my canine aerodynamic theories .... the wind lifts Chip, making it easier for him to run.