Tandem QOM Crusher Gina

11.6 miles, ha ha ha ha! Gina took the QOM on Strava on our one mile local loop around the hood. Community type place with a cool walkway and a nice bike lane around the hood. The other night she took the QOM just cruising on her first ride after 10 months. Not to say the speed was real high on the existing QOM but hey, it's a QOM!

Tonight I took her out on the tandem just the spin her legs up again on another 10 miles or so. Just to get her butt and legs back into shape. Starting easy so I don't punish her on her return to cycling. I was expecting her to feel weak and lag on the tandem but she was doing really well. So the third loop I asked her if she could push for one loop just to increase her lead on the QOM. Yeah, the tandem but what the heck! So we pushed pretty good on one loop and averaged 19.8. Ha ha ha! That is going to break some hearts, Men hearts ha ha!

I'm usually pretty straight up when it comes to competition but hey, it's Strava, the internet and I wonder how many people are actually straight up. I know when I set a PR on Strava, I do it on a solo ride. Heck, if I'm drafting and set records, I don't count that as an actual PR. I like to see my own efforts.

But just because it is the internet, I figured why not mess with the riders' heads ha ha! So I posted on Strava that Gina was riding her single bike tonight ha ha ha!

Not that I don't think she can do that on her own when she gets back into shape, but for now, I'm F'ing with their heads ha ha!

                                                 Normal Gina on the back of the tandem

This is "China" (Spanish pronunciation) on the back. I've been asked if my wife was Chinese! Only when she smiles! :-P

Looking happy after the ride!

Ahhh relaxing in the jacuzzi!

Gina First Ride In 10 Months aaaaaaaaaaaahhaaaand .....NEW Queen of the Mountain !!!!

Ha ha ha funny! Gina's first ride in 10 months. We took it easy around the local 1 mile loop, actually a tad over a mile is each loop. 10 laps gave us 11.6 miles. Taking it easy aiming for a 10 miler after being off the bike for 10 months. The idea was to just spin around to loosen the legs. So no, we didn't even try at all and gave little effort. I was more worried about her lasing 10 miles. I know when I took the 3 months off, my legs were noodles at 10 miles on the trail doing a 30 miler. So I figured this would be smarter to start her off with 10 rather than a punishing 30.

We just cruised around the loop and she was pretty consistent with each lap. Maybe a bit of a fade on the 8th lap but still close. I get home, plug into Strava and find Gina has a QOM!!!!! :-O

Of course she has the best time for female riders but hey, she's got a QOM! Maybe only 3 other female riders but hey, she has a QOM! Just cruising she broke the previous record so I'm thinking once she gets back into shape, she'll crush her current time. Of course she doesn't care, only thinks it's funny but hey, she has a QOM! :-P

So anyway, she actually did better than I expected after 10 months but then again, I think I set a decent goal for her first ride instead of the torturous first rides some guys put their wives through after a break or just starting off. The goal is to get them riding and make it enjoyable. I mean who wants to ride again after a beat me down ride?

                                          Wore my Mark's Bicycle Shop jersey again today.

This runner saw us roll by then tried to keep up with us. He did pretty good for a bit.

QOM !!!!!

I let her wear my Elmo jersey today. It's a bit snug on me so I let her represent today! 

QOM leaving me behind! :-P

Nice mellow loops around the hood.

Legs Coming Back

46 miles, first longer ride since December and I felt pretty good. Still got tired but legs respond to short hard efforts much better now. Jose and I managed a 46 miler at 17.6 MPH average speed. Not bad considering that is my first long ride in a while and yes, I felt them legs! :-P

Jose and I took turns at the front, an even rotation of 1 mile each. Felt good but on the way back he said he wanted to stay at the front. OK cool! Who am I to argue? Nice tailwind but when we hit the soccer fields, the wind kicked up and he was willing to trade pulls at that point. that's cool, I good a good long ride on the back. Though once we approached Moon Park, the pace he suggest of 17-18 turned into a 23 for a while! I held on best I could hoping he'd get tired ha ha! So we traded at teh top of that little incline thank goodness. I was able to back the pace down to what was a more comfy pace for me. Who cares about Jose ha ha! really though, I'm sure he got some good rest when I went to the front holding like 19 or so.

Did give me a chance to wear my new Mark's Bicycle Shop jersey I ordered from my buddy Mark. His shop is on Carnelian and Baseline in the Smart and Final shopping center. Of course he's a great guy and a great mechanic. Only dude I let touch my bikes, the stuff I can't do which is not much. I've followed him shop to shop over the last 20 years, maybe more. He fixed the shifting on my alignment on my 1998 Cannondale after wasting gas and 3 trips to Incycle. Amazing, you know me, not a fan of local bike shops after having gotten screwed way to many times over the years. Wheel builds, adjustments, you name it, I've got a story. However, Mark is magnificent! As I was saying, after 3 wasted trips to Incycle and having to hear them tell me it was my fault that the chain was dropping in the front, I took it to Mark. No, lie, God honest truth, he stood back, looked at it, didn't even freaking touch the bike, then 10 seconds later he says, "I see the problem!".

He noticed that the front derailleur was set up like an MTB with a different alignment, chain passing through the cage. He grabbed a tool, adjusted it, took 60 seconds maybe, then the freaking chain never freaking popped off the chain ring again. I'l tell ya, Mark has fixed plenty of crappy jobs by other local shops for me. I could go on and on but my fingers are tired from the ride ha ha!

So anyway the dude Mark is always willing to help the up and coming home mechanic. Always willing to pass on knowledge and skills. He's answered questions for me, given my tips and now I build my own wheels that actually last more than the first 40 miles. Don't get me started on Competitive Edge! ;-)

Now I think about it, back in 1996, I was destroying wheels at 220 pounds. Mark was the first and only guy to build a wheel for me that lasted. I think 20,000 miles that I know of. And yes, same exact specs and components as the other guys at the other shops.

Anyway, I do 99 percent of my own mechanics now but that one little thing that stumps me, I head to Mark knowing it will be done correctly! If you get a chance and don't know Mark, stop in and say Hi! You don't have to buy anything, he's always happy to talk bikes and rides!

So back to the ride! We were taking nice even turns Jose and I. As we were catching up to some dude, he hopped on the back as Jose was in front. Looked to be in good shape seeing I probably outweighed him by  100 pounds. And riding a sweet bike while I'm on my 1998 Cannondale CAD3.

Jose rotated off, then I pulled up. A mile later I pulled off and noticed the guy was on the back. Uhh no! Jose is too kind. I think if we are doing a decent pace and some  dude hops on, he can help too! No free rides, especially if we don't know you! So I tell the guy to pull up and that we are taking 1 mile turns at the front. He looked at me and laughed then sprinted around. I figure he ain't willing to help so we just hold the pace as he gets about 20 yards ahead then fades. few seconds later we are rolling up on him when he pulls hard left and into the dirt south of Lincoln. He looks at us as we roll by and I can't help but throw in that silly little laugh that says, "YOU SUCK!". :-P

Once we get to the coast we see Ron and Dixie. Bummer, they are working on the rear wheel of the tandem. Flat! Not sure exactly what happened but turned out to take a few to fix it. Something about the spares being old maybe? Again not exactly sure but it was entertaining watching Ron fix the flat. I't always entertaining to watch as long as it is not mine he he he!

My new Mark's Bicycle Shop jersey! I like it but don't none of you dudes look at my ass, that's for the wimmins! :-P

Not sure what was going on at Yorba Park but hey!

My Fat Bastard ride partner. Jose has actually been doing very well on the bike as far as handling skills!

New jersey in action!

Dixie fixing the flat teaching Ron.

My face after the 46 miles. Actually I was pretty happy with the ride!

Bibs For $12.95 RED STITCHING (No I don't work here!)

I bought a few jerseys from this dude, 4 different shipments over a period of 2 weeks maybe.  For us big guys he has large sizes. My jerseys are 4XL. Good deals and nice jerseys, I like the Primal.  If you order, pay attention to the size charts and info provided with each brand. I can be a 3XL in one brand and a 4XL in another. So I appreciate the suggestions and even had the dude send me an email after one order to help me chose the correct size according to brand. I paid $35-$45, maybe a bit more for one or two jerseys but they are cool prints and way cheaper than the $90 I have seen on other facebook advertisements! :-O

I got the Fat Bastard jerseys for $24 and one of those actually $19 using the gift card he sent after each order. That's how I was able to afford an extra jersey for Jose ha ha!

So anyway, he had shorts and bib shorts on sale for $19.99 so I bought some bibs to try out since I have never used them. And a pair of conventional cycling shorts. I used the bibs on my night ride couple nights back. I think the pad is OK for shorter rides, 10, 20 milers. But I am a heavy weight so it may be a better feeling for a lighter rider.

Jose tried a pair and he said they felt good on our 35 last week. I think he is about 40 pounds lighter than me so maybe that is the difference. Either way they are great for midweek shorter night rides that I will be doing.

Anyway, for $13, can't go wrong if you're looking for something inexpensive and don't need a great pair to do double centuries.

The price is for the RED STITCH model. Though there are other colors, yellow, blue and others, who cares if they are red when cycling at night alone around the hood! ;-)

I just ordered a couple pair! Oh ,and the guys delivers them quickly. Usually 2 business days and they are on my doorstep!






http://www.love2pedal.com/falconi-deluxe-bib-shorts-bibshorts-mens-black-w-red-stitching-free-shipping-to-u-s-addresses-runs-small/

First Ride Around the Hood

Yes I did ride tonight, 11 miles around the Creekside loop. First midweek ride since we moved here. We have seen a couple other riders riding the loop in the evening so I figured I'd take my turn. I see a dude riding loops around 8 PM on Tuesdays so I headed out thinking I might run into the guy. Nope, turns out it was just me.

Not a bad ride. The effort feels like being on SART. As expected, half the loop a bit tougher than the other half. No hills, maybe just a slight incline. I headed out figuring I would do a quick 10 laps figuring maybe I would be out there for an hour. Finished my 10 laps then as I walked back into our door, Gina says that was fast. I thought I had been out there for an hour but it was only 43 minutes ha ha! Oh well, next time I know to stay out a bit longer. Though I could not see my Garmin at night. I would push the light but heck, getting old sucks, I couldn't see the numbers clearly! :-P

But anyway, it's a nice SAFE little loop for the midweek night rides. No hills so that is something that is missing, hills make you stronger! But spinning the pedals for now is what matters.

It did give me a chance to see the jacuzzi at night from the street. OK now I see why the security guard dives by like 10 times when I'm taking topless pics of Gina at night. Also why a few cars drive by at 5 MPH, sometimes going around and driving again ha ha! I didn't realize how clear the view was from the street. But hey, just adds to the excitement I guess. :-P

Team Fat Bastard

35 miles at 17.6 average today. I planned to ride today but when the alarm went off, I said screw it and stayed in bed. Then Jose sent a text asking if I was going to ride. I typed yes, time and place then erased it ha ha! Nope, staying in bed. Thought about it a while then said yeah OK, then no, then yes! Dang it get up before I changed my mind again.

SO I asked if he was going to wear the fat bastard jersey that I had bought him (what a deal, $19). He said yes so I figured I'd wear mine and go as Team Fat bastard today. Glad I went, it was pretty good. A bit on the dark side, couple of dirty underpasses (rain debris) but other than that it was pretty nice.

Jose did some good work at the front. It was cool as we both held a steady pace and in the end it worked out well with the 17.6. Jose looked pretty strong so I was happy that accelerating up those stupid little ramps today was much easier and I could feel my legs coming back. Man what a difference when you don't ride. At least today I could feel my quads react and contract when I pushed. Heck, last few week felt they felt like twigs when I tried to respond.

So anyway, had a good time and happy with the ride.Did see Tony at the coast and had a short chat. As well as Ron and Dixie heading to the coast as we were heading home. Boy they must have started late.

Some guys really crack me up though. One dude we ran into at Edna Park, wearing all black, tall thin skinny guy looking pretty fit. We headed off to the coast then he hopped on the back for a second. Next thing I know he sprints around like a madman and gets far ahead, like 100 yards. I was up front and shouted to a couple of other guys that we were passing, two of us. They said OK then as I passed, they cut off Jose and tried to keep my wheel. I don't think that was going to happen but I did notice Jose was behind them. They lifted the pace and blocked Jose so he couldn't get around. Dammit! I had to sit up and wait til he could make his way around. Finally he gets around then we regroup, the guys never caught up and couldn't keep up so they fell behind.

But the dude in black got way ahead. I thought wow he's fast but then saw him fading. We didn't lift the pace but catching up quickly. Then we roll by him and I shout on yer left. But he sticks on the side of Jose not letting him pass. OK whatever! He stayed there for a bit then fell back anyway. Once to the wooden bridge near the coast he was nowhere to be seen. Wow, after he displayed that fireball sprint, I almost expected him to stay somewhat close but he didn't so I had to laugh. Later he pulls up at the coast and mutters something with an embarrassed type smirk on his face. He sat there for a bit then took off. These guys are hilarious ha ha! I think he underestimated the Fat Bastard Jerseys ha ha!


                               Fat Bastards! :-P

Tony is the only guy I know who color coordinates his jersey with the restroom doors! ;-)

Yes, I got in my exercise and Gina sat out again.  I did have THE TALK with her last week about getting her butt back on the bike but again she bribed me with a swim later and a visit to the jacuzzi. I have a hard time resisting those kinds of offers. :-P

Yeah baby! Back on track. No medication,  all about proper diet, exercise, and jacuzzi time! :-P  

Awesome Sauce! New Jersey Mark's Bike Shop

I had ordered this jersey from Mark. I told him I wanted one from his shop if he were to ever order jerseys. So finally after a couple years he tells me he is about to order. I order mine. Not really caring about the color, design etc. I just wanted a jersey from Mark's Bike Shop because he is such a cool guy, excellent mechanic and always been a good friend.

Nope, won't order a jersey from any other shop other than Mark. Mark knows I'm a stickler when it comes to my bikes, nobody touches then but me and if I can't, then I want the best to help me out, Mark!

Anyway to my surprise, the colors are awesome imo. Available in red or blue, I chose blue. The samples on paper he showed me looked cool enough but when I got it, wow, it is really cool looking, I am impressed. Anyway, I'm happy with it and it seems to fit well enough to use on my rides. I'm happy!

Mark's Bike Shop

They Was A Killin' Me Today!

Well I did better today but I sure was tired! Rode with Tony and Jose the first few miles then ran into Joaquin at Edna who joined us to the coast. Almost 35 miles with a 17.2 average according to Strava. Stupid Strava gave me a 17.2 but Garmin Connect gave me a 17.3, I like that one better ha ha!

We were pretty nice and steady when it was just the 3 of us but once Joaquin joined in, it got a little faster and more slowing and accelerations that were killing my legs. Only 4th ride back but the quads don't want to respond on the little upty dupties. But they will come back once I get a little more riding in the saddle. I ended up riding the last couple hundred yards to the coast alone after falling behind. My legs just ran out of gas but hey, can't blame nobody but myself for that. I will say I didn't go to the front once today which was nice having a few guys to do the work.

Sat at the coast for a bit then Alex rode up. Wow, the dude did a ton of miles yesterday and another ton today. I want to say 65 yesterday and another 60 or 70 today. I could be off a few but that is close I know.

A brief chat with Alex then we headed off, Joaquin, Tony, Jose, and I. Alex stayed back a couple minutes but I knew he'd be catching us. Well me anyway!

So I can tell the guys are holding back a little for me but we are rolling at 20.5 or so. But I notice when we go down the underpasses we are about the same except that on the way up, we're doing 22.5 and it's killing me to go faster on the up than the flat sections. That's cool though! I'm the one who hasn't been riding and I am not about to slow the others down so I do my best. I was actually OK and recovering once we got up the ramps but then comes along Alex!

Alex is flying pretty good to catch us so he takes a very short breather then heads off flying at the front. We have only a few short miles to go, maybe 3 or 4? Tony and Joaquin hop on his wheel then the 3 take off. Jose was somewhat taking off when he looked back and saw me holding back and not lifting the pace to catch them. Oh heck no! I was suffering enough, if I lift the pace, I'll be toast within the next half mile and they'll have to call an ambulance to pick me up ha ha!

So the three start pulling away when I tell Jose to go ahead. He says no and waits for me to get back on his wheel. I tell him I don't want to slow anybody down and he says it's OK, he'll be a good teammate and help me back. And that is exactly what he did! Maybe because I bought him that new jersey he is wearing, The Fat Bastard jersey ha ha!

I had gotten a gift card from the jerseys I had bought online from Love2Pedal dotcom. Wow, amazing service these guys and up to 5XL in plenty of jerseys with cool patterns. You probably saw my spider, bone collector and Sesame Street jerseys in earlier post. Blazing fast delivery and free shipping on some jerseys, only 2 business days and they were on my doorstep! I had gotten a $5 gift card from L2P and the jersey I got for Jose was only $24.99. I got one for me and one for him since the card took his down to $19.99. I got kept the more expensive $24.99 one ha ha! As if one could tell! So yeah, I think that is why he waited and pulled me back!

 The other three guys, Alex, Tony and Joaquin were gone! I was just happy to make it back and add a few more miles into my ride today!

          Fat Bastard jersey, an eating club with a cycling disorder printed on the jersey ha ha!

Tony looking good on the bike!

My Drunk Bastard jersey today. And I rode like one ha ha!

Alex the fast man!

Okay, for the boys! Little hush hush picture. Posing for pics in the community jacuzzi.  Boy, she keeps them strapped down on the bike but when she unleashes them suckers, they look kina on the big side! Yes some topless and the security guard was coming around a lot more than usual. ;-)