A video by a local cyclist, I won't give names to protect the innocent. Always some jerk in the crowd.
But, like me, if I know some jerk is going to do something stupid, one can sense it and I do what I can to avoid getting hurt even if it means yielding to an idiot like this driver. Better to be able to whine and piss about some idiot than to allow yourself to get hurt over pride.
That is my thought and some others I'm sure share the same thought.
But still doesn't excuse the idiots of this world!
Monday, September 30, 2019
Sunday, September 29, 2019
Old Man, Old Bike, 60 Miles
60 miles at 16.5 average speed. 2/3 of the ride alone after Jose dropped off at 23 miles into the ride. His exact words this morining: I will ride with you today but I don't think I can do 60 miles because I have a big pimple on my big balls! Ha ha ha! I think this is more of a male audience so I think we can all relate ha ha!
So we did pretty good but it was windy. I set out to do 60 but wasn't sure. We set a goal of 16-17 average depending on the elements. We were doing just that when we picked up some dude heading to the coast. We were taking turns at the front holding the plan but this dude hopped on the back then later went around to the front. Next thing I know we are doing about 20 MPH, which was not the plan but the dude picked it up so we'll see what he has. About 1/2 mile down the road he turns off from the front. Kind of surprised us! :-O I don't usually stop when I have a couple of dudes on my wheel but oh well, we avoided disaster. He stops so Jose and I continue with OUR pace. Next thing I know the dude is back on our wheel. We get to Edna park then he says he's heading back. At least he thanked us for the tow. But me, I don't understand why guys see our pace clearly then pick it up to 20. Not like we can't do 20 for a mile but we're thinking of the overall picture.
So anyway, Jose calls it quits at Edna Park living a few houses away. Said the pimple on his big balls was hurting and he didn't want to cause any more damage. Understandable so we said later!
I headed off alone and once I got South of the Edna wooden bridge, holy crap it was windy! The 60 miles was a doubt at this point figuring I'd be happy to make it to the coast alone ha ha! But I didn't ride GMR Saturday so I wanted a little extra workout and it's been a looooong time since I have done 60, so you know what, I'm not going to puss out, I'm going for it!
I saw Joaquin as he was heading to the coast. I had just reached the coast, turned around and headed back without a break. I doubled back to Talbert then did the windy section a second time. Only because that section is at times intimidating so screw it, confront your fears ha ha! I'm going for it and hopefully I don't kill my average too much.
I did see Ron and Dixie heading North earlier. I thought they might catch us at Edna as our break there was a bit long saying goodbye to Jose and chatting with another couple riders. But they didn't. So I headed off alone to the coast. Got there, turned back. Thought I might ride till I see them, then turn around and ride with them to the coast in the wind again.
But I got so far out, about 5 miles thinking this is what I needed to hit 60. I didn't see them so I headed back to the coast a second time. I ran into Tim on his new BENT. We rode together for maybe 3 miles to the coast chatting away. Sat at the coast telling me BENT stories while I waited for Ron & Dixie to show. Figured I might try to ride back with them. I know they fly back with the tailwind but I would try to keep them in sight knowing not having done a 60 miler in some time, I would more than likely fall behind their pace. BUT, I was actually thinking with the strength of the wind, they may be a little fried too. I know I worked pretty hard to get to the coast pushing hard trying to hold a 16 pace as not to lose my average. If I did a 16 over 60, I would be happy for now.
So hoping they were a little fried, I waited but they never reached the coast. I was a little happy to think it might have been that hard that some of the riders might turn back. Made me feel better about the struggle to hold 16 ha ha!
I know one dude was pulled over on Warner. As I went by, he hopped on his tricked out bike, sweet bike with all the cool wheels and stuff. I kept expecting him to pass me figuring he was all aero and stuff. But he never did so I looked back once I got to the 405 and he was way in the heck back there. I knew he had to be struggling but I was happy knowing that seeing I was riding my 21 year old technology bike and doing OK! :-P
Again, I thank GMR for the workouts. Couple months back I would have been crying alone in the wind. But today, though not setting land speed records, I felt stronger. Then to turn back and do it again, I was really happy that I could. I know some people say riding into the wind is harder than climbing. Uhhh I don't think so myself. I can hold 15,16 into the wind, but doing GMR, heck no! I used to hold 8 when I was in my best shape. Now I'm luck at 6 for now ha ha! I argue with many about this but usually turns out the guys who say the wind is harder are riding 1 mile hills. Heck, make it 8 and I'll take the wind any day! :-P
Though it's always a hard effort to make it up GMR, it only makes the wind on the trail that much more tolerable. That's my opinion anyway!
It was kind of funny because once I got to the coast the second time, Joaquin was leaving. We waved but he was looking at me like, what the heck! Not sure he figured out I was doing a repeat into the wind. :-P
Ron sent an image of us while heading opposite directions.
So we did pretty good but it was windy. I set out to do 60 but wasn't sure. We set a goal of 16-17 average depending on the elements. We were doing just that when we picked up some dude heading to the coast. We were taking turns at the front holding the plan but this dude hopped on the back then later went around to the front. Next thing I know we are doing about 20 MPH, which was not the plan but the dude picked it up so we'll see what he has. About 1/2 mile down the road he turns off from the front. Kind of surprised us! :-O I don't usually stop when I have a couple of dudes on my wheel but oh well, we avoided disaster. He stops so Jose and I continue with OUR pace. Next thing I know the dude is back on our wheel. We get to Edna park then he says he's heading back. At least he thanked us for the tow. But me, I don't understand why guys see our pace clearly then pick it up to 20. Not like we can't do 20 for a mile but we're thinking of the overall picture.
So anyway, Jose calls it quits at Edna Park living a few houses away. Said the pimple on his big balls was hurting and he didn't want to cause any more damage. Understandable so we said later!
I headed off alone and once I got South of the Edna wooden bridge, holy crap it was windy! The 60 miles was a doubt at this point figuring I'd be happy to make it to the coast alone ha ha! But I didn't ride GMR Saturday so I wanted a little extra workout and it's been a looooong time since I have done 60, so you know what, I'm not going to puss out, I'm going for it!
I saw Joaquin as he was heading to the coast. I had just reached the coast, turned around and headed back without a break. I doubled back to Talbert then did the windy section a second time. Only because that section is at times intimidating so screw it, confront your fears ha ha! I'm going for it and hopefully I don't kill my average too much.
I did see Ron and Dixie heading North earlier. I thought they might catch us at Edna as our break there was a bit long saying goodbye to Jose and chatting with another couple riders. But they didn't. So I headed off alone to the coast. Got there, turned back. Thought I might ride till I see them, then turn around and ride with them to the coast in the wind again.
But I got so far out, about 5 miles thinking this is what I needed to hit 60. I didn't see them so I headed back to the coast a second time. I ran into Tim on his new BENT. We rode together for maybe 3 miles to the coast chatting away. Sat at the coast telling me BENT stories while I waited for Ron & Dixie to show. Figured I might try to ride back with them. I know they fly back with the tailwind but I would try to keep them in sight knowing not having done a 60 miler in some time, I would more than likely fall behind their pace. BUT, I was actually thinking with the strength of the wind, they may be a little fried too. I know I worked pretty hard to get to the coast pushing hard trying to hold a 16 pace as not to lose my average. If I did a 16 over 60, I would be happy for now.
So hoping they were a little fried, I waited but they never reached the coast. I was a little happy to think it might have been that hard that some of the riders might turn back. Made me feel better about the struggle to hold 16 ha ha!
I know one dude was pulled over on Warner. As I went by, he hopped on his tricked out bike, sweet bike with all the cool wheels and stuff. I kept expecting him to pass me figuring he was all aero and stuff. But he never did so I looked back once I got to the 405 and he was way in the heck back there. I knew he had to be struggling but I was happy knowing that seeing I was riding my 21 year old technology bike and doing OK! :-P
Again, I thank GMR for the workouts. Couple months back I would have been crying alone in the wind. But today, though not setting land speed records, I felt stronger. Then to turn back and do it again, I was really happy that I could. I know some people say riding into the wind is harder than climbing. Uhhh I don't think so myself. I can hold 15,16 into the wind, but doing GMR, heck no! I used to hold 8 when I was in my best shape. Now I'm luck at 6 for now ha ha! I argue with many about this but usually turns out the guys who say the wind is harder are riding 1 mile hills. Heck, make it 8 and I'll take the wind any day! :-P
Though it's always a hard effort to make it up GMR, it only makes the wind on the trail that much more tolerable. That's my opinion anyway!
It was kind of funny because once I got to the coast the second time, Joaquin was leaving. We waved but he was looking at me like, what the heck! Not sure he figured out I was doing a repeat into the wind. :-P
Ron sent an image of us while heading opposite directions.
My old 21 year old bike
Joe ride
Holy crap! Jose almost actually smiled!
Tim on his bent. I tried to get a pic of his face in the mirror.
Joaquin, second encounter
Tim on his new toy
Boobs! I think you may have figured this one out already! :-P
Monday, September 23, 2019
Purse Snatcher Exposed Montclair California
What a dope! Went to the mall like we do pretty often. Maybe 4 times per week just to chill and people watch. If you remember, this scumbag snatched Gina's purse a few weeks ago. I had alerted security at Nord's and the mall.
Tonight we went just to chill the stupid idiot walks by again. Hmm, about 7:30 so I know he is scoping out the mall for defenseless prey. I didn't see him approach as my back was to the North. Gina saw him and as he got closer, she pointed him out. Well WTF!
He looked at me and I glared at him as he rolled by, already 10 yards ahead of me. I sat there and thought, wth should I do? You know what, this punk is looking for another target. I can't let him get away with screwing somebody else. So I follow him into Nordstrom's as he keeps looking back at me every 10 seconds. I almost felt like I was on the bike on SART. You know those guys that draft you then pass but keep looking back at you like they think your racing. but fade 1200 yards down the road ha ha!
He walks straight through the store and as he is watching me, he exits on the South side. I wasn't chasing him, rather heading to the security guard there to alert him. We met Paul after the snatching so I got friends in Nordstrom's ha ha!
I know this scumbag's plan. Gina and I walked around a bit till about 7:50, then we went and sat down again. He strikes aroung 8 PM I believe. Things are set up. Nord's closes their gates and doors at 8:00. He snatches a purse then runs out the exit hall next to the pretzel place.
So we sit there and sure enough, Gina says he's on the escalators in the mall. I look over and he is looking our way. Probably surprised we are still there. Yeah, we could have left but I wasn't about to let this scum rip off another person.
He's maybe 50 yards away so he walks down the mall or something, not sure. It's about 8 so I tell Gina let's walk through Macy's, then we will head back.
Sure enough, about 8:10, we are walking near H&M when I see him coming down the escalators. OH FUCK! Excuse my language. I'm going up to see if the fucker says anything to me.
He's coming down and I'm going up. I'm looking right at him and whip out my cell for a pic. He doesn't look at me as I snap the shot, but the freaking cell phone camera sucks so it was a little late but clear enough to identify the guy. He didn't say shit when I snapped his pic.
So I finally got my camera set again and got a pic of him at the bottom. Boy, I sure wish I could have reached over to punch him in the face but I'm not getting arrested for a piece of shit!
So I got to the top then headed down. As I got to the bottom, I saw a security guard walking toward him as the guy headed to the exit near Macy's. I had spoken to that guard earlier after the Nord's guard to alert them as well.
Well cool! I guess they had been following him after I reported him and gave a pretty accurate description.
I did post on my facebook and made sure to post on Instagram! Hopefully somebody recognizes him and if anything, tells his parents what a piece of shit their kid is, if they don't already know!
I say he is about 6'2 and 250 pounds. All I know is he could not outrun me over 1/8 of a mile chase through halls and parking lot so he tossed the purse to avoid his ass whipping ha ha! maybe 20 years old, I'm guessing.
Tonight we went just to chill the stupid idiot walks by again. Hmm, about 7:30 so I know he is scoping out the mall for defenseless prey. I didn't see him approach as my back was to the North. Gina saw him and as he got closer, she pointed him out. Well WTF!
He looked at me and I glared at him as he rolled by, already 10 yards ahead of me. I sat there and thought, wth should I do? You know what, this punk is looking for another target. I can't let him get away with screwing somebody else. So I follow him into Nordstrom's as he keeps looking back at me every 10 seconds. I almost felt like I was on the bike on SART. You know those guys that draft you then pass but keep looking back at you like they think your racing. but fade 1200 yards down the road ha ha!
He walks straight through the store and as he is watching me, he exits on the South side. I wasn't chasing him, rather heading to the security guard there to alert him. We met Paul after the snatching so I got friends in Nordstrom's ha ha!
I know this scumbag's plan. Gina and I walked around a bit till about 7:50, then we went and sat down again. He strikes aroung 8 PM I believe. Things are set up. Nord's closes their gates and doors at 8:00. He snatches a purse then runs out the exit hall next to the pretzel place.
So we sit there and sure enough, Gina says he's on the escalators in the mall. I look over and he is looking our way. Probably surprised we are still there. Yeah, we could have left but I wasn't about to let this scum rip off another person.
He's maybe 50 yards away so he walks down the mall or something, not sure. It's about 8 so I tell Gina let's walk through Macy's, then we will head back.
Sure enough, about 8:10, we are walking near H&M when I see him coming down the escalators. OH FUCK! Excuse my language. I'm going up to see if the fucker says anything to me.
He's coming down and I'm going up. I'm looking right at him and whip out my cell for a pic. He doesn't look at me as I snap the shot, but the freaking cell phone camera sucks so it was a little late but clear enough to identify the guy. He didn't say shit when I snapped his pic.
So I finally got my camera set again and got a pic of him at the bottom. Boy, I sure wish I could have reached over to punch him in the face but I'm not getting arrested for a piece of shit!
So I got to the top then headed down. As I got to the bottom, I saw a security guard walking toward him as the guy headed to the exit near Macy's. I had spoken to that guard earlier after the Nord's guard to alert them as well.
Well cool! I guess they had been following him after I reported him and gave a pretty accurate description.
I did post on my facebook and made sure to post on Instagram! Hopefully somebody recognizes him and if anything, tells his parents what a piece of shit their kid is, if they don't already know!
I say he is about 6'2 and 250 pounds. All I know is he could not outrun me over 1/8 of a mile chase through halls and parking lot so he tossed the purse to avoid his ass whipping ha ha! maybe 20 years old, I'm guessing.
Sunday, September 22, 2019
Feeling Great!
When you suck and want to start getting some fitness back, go climb GMR ha ha!
I had climbed GMR to Peacock Saddle about 5 or 6 time trying to get some fitness back and it helped. I was worried not having touched the bike for 3 weeks while Mom was in the hospital, should be home Tuesday. Doing rehab at a nursing home for 5 days.
But doing the Shack yesterday, a little more, I was worried my legs would be fried today. But I actually felt good after GMR and today was really good. Warmed up nicely and those little dips were a breeze. Couple months ago, guess I was getting spoiled, those stupid little climbs on the trail were killing me ha ha!
Today was a good headwind but felt great. After the wooden bridge heading to the coast was very windy. But I survived.
43.5 miles at 17.5 average speed. Didn't feel like I was dying like I did about a month ago. Must keep doing GMR to get back into shape.
Still love my old bike, 1998 CAAD3 Cannondale
I had climbed GMR to Peacock Saddle about 5 or 6 time trying to get some fitness back and it helped. I was worried not having touched the bike for 3 weeks while Mom was in the hospital, should be home Tuesday. Doing rehab at a nursing home for 5 days.
But doing the Shack yesterday, a little more, I was worried my legs would be fried today. But I actually felt good after GMR and today was really good. Warmed up nicely and those little dips were a breeze. Couple months ago, guess I was getting spoiled, those stupid little climbs on the trail were killing me ha ha!
Today was a good headwind but felt great. After the wooden bridge heading to the coast was very windy. But I survived.
43.5 miles at 17.5 average speed. Didn't feel like I was dying like I did about a month ago. Must keep doing GMR to get back into shape.
Still love my old bike, 1998 CAAD3 Cannondale
Mr. Beans Mobile
Look Ma, no hands!
Wow! Wish I had been there when this lady left ha ha!
Saw Joaquin at the coast
Not many chicks out today, but still some boobies out there!
No, Gina didn't ride. She has a way of sweet talking me into letting her slide on a ride every now and then. Like boobie shots in the park! :-P
Saturday, September 21, 2019
Short GMR ride with Mike
Well I can not catch a break but managed to get in a short GMR ride today with Mike. Mom has been in the hospital for 3 weeks. In and out of her mind. Very scary. We were taking turns staying with her over night to keep any eye on her while she was in the ICU the entire first 2 1/2 weeks.
Finally out but in a rest home for 5 days to do physical therapy since she has been in a bed 3 straight weeks. Hopefully it is over but it did happen 4 years ago as well. Again, they found the source, let her sit in Pomona Valley till she was stable then transfered to UC Irvine in Orange. Test after test, camera after camera but they said they themselves could not find the source. Holy crap what a mess!
So now she seems fine and recovering in Claremont thank goodness. Funny but part of the therapy was they put her on a bike and asked her to do 15 minutes. She ended up doing 27 ha ha! Hey, I've talked about strapping her on the back of the tandem but she's scared of bikes. Never been very good on one as far as balance. But anyway, that was a good thing!
So today Mike and I had planned to go to Peacock Saddle again but we wasted 30 minutes waiting on someone who didn't show up. So thankfully it was not hot when we hit the rode at 7:15. The past weeks it was blazing hot by then.
Today was nice! We did the shack, down, then from Newman's Point, back up to the point where you descend before the shack. Needed another mile or two, why not!
But we were both in somewhat of a hurry today so when we got to the shack, I totally forgot to monitor my time gate to shack. Some reason it took for ever, it felt, so we were thinking we were behind schedule.
Turns out I was only 2 minutes behind the last time I climbed GMR. Pretty happy with that seeing I have not touched my bike in 3 weeks. I'll take it! So we ended up with 18 miles and 2,320 feet of gain. Not bad, good workout and I'm not crying about it figuring if I can stay on the bike, it's a good start, again!
The road from a satellite image. Imagine 20 miles of this to Baldy Village. For the non locals, this is the road we ride for fun. :-P
Finally out but in a rest home for 5 days to do physical therapy since she has been in a bed 3 straight weeks. Hopefully it is over but it did happen 4 years ago as well. Again, they found the source, let her sit in Pomona Valley till she was stable then transfered to UC Irvine in Orange. Test after test, camera after camera but they said they themselves could not find the source. Holy crap what a mess!
So now she seems fine and recovering in Claremont thank goodness. Funny but part of the therapy was they put her on a bike and asked her to do 15 minutes. She ended up doing 27 ha ha! Hey, I've talked about strapping her on the back of the tandem but she's scared of bikes. Never been very good on one as far as balance. But anyway, that was a good thing!
So today Mike and I had planned to go to Peacock Saddle again but we wasted 30 minutes waiting on someone who didn't show up. So thankfully it was not hot when we hit the rode at 7:15. The past weeks it was blazing hot by then.
Today was nice! We did the shack, down, then from Newman's Point, back up to the point where you descend before the shack. Needed another mile or two, why not!
But we were both in somewhat of a hurry today so when we got to the shack, I totally forgot to monitor my time gate to shack. Some reason it took for ever, it felt, so we were thinking we were behind schedule.
Turns out I was only 2 minutes behind the last time I climbed GMR. Pretty happy with that seeing I have not touched my bike in 3 weeks. I'll take it! So we ended up with 18 miles and 2,320 feet of gain. Not bad, good workout and I'm not crying about it figuring if I can stay on the bike, it's a good start, again!
The road from a satellite image. Imagine 20 miles of this to Baldy Village. For the non locals, this is the road we ride for fun. :-P
Mike coming up. We actually stopped on the descent to pose for a few pics ha ha!
Just about done! So nice today, not hot, no sweat at the end of the ride.
Gina chillin' at home. No ride today and has a kidney walk tomorrow. Fund raiser, if you know, she donated a kidney back in 2000.
Look at the top right section of my blog. You can see the 10 inch scar she has on her side. :-O
Sunday, September 8, 2019
Yet Another Set Back
Wow, I try to get in my riding but the last two, maybe few years has been real tough. Death after death, loss after loss and now my Mother is in the hospital. Internal bleeding from her digestive track.
Rough one, they could not find the source. She had upper, lower GI, scans, you name it. They could not find the bleeding ulcer. She lost a lot of blood, low BP and very weak. Sad to see as she is almost always very healthy and strong at 80 years old.
At one point they said they may not be able to do anything for her not being able to find the source of the bleeding. Finally one doctor jimmy rigged an extension to the upper GI scope and found it. It was too high for the lower GI and too low for the upper GI to spot. So he did it with a Mickey Mouse extension he taped on to the end of the scope.
So finally they find it after considering cutting out part of her stomach they suspected. Glad they don't have to do that but now, the stupid insurance is playing games.
We took her in on Tuesday, did OK for a couple of days but now extremely weak as time goes by. She had bought an extension to her health care coverage to cover things like this. BUY THIS EXTRA COVERAGE SALES ....BS!!!!
They are worried she may die, now Sunday. On Friday the docs spotted the source so they tried to coordinate with Loma Linda and Cedar hospitals. But they are playing BS games with the coverage.
One of the docs got on the phone and shouted at the admins at the other hospitals. YOU GUYS ARE PLAYING BULLSHIT GAMES WHILE THIS LADY NEEDS AN EMERGENCY PROCEDURE....DON'T BULLSHIT ME, YOU GUYS DON'T WANT TO DO IT BECAUSE YOU WANT THE WEEKEND OFF! Yeah, he was pretty upset and I'm pretty sure he is correct about that. These docs are great and finally they agreed to take her once they find a bed. Whatever that means, probably more BS from the other hospitals.
So now as of Sunday morning, she is very sick, out of it, very weak and not doing well at all.
I thought my Mom was doing great but seems anybody can get sick at any time. So no riding and all my time has been spent at the hospital over the last few days since Tuesday. Even trying to sneak in a ride is not working with her condition right now.
How much more does one family have to take? :-(
Rough one, they could not find the source. She had upper, lower GI, scans, you name it. They could not find the bleeding ulcer. She lost a lot of blood, low BP and very weak. Sad to see as she is almost always very healthy and strong at 80 years old.
At one point they said they may not be able to do anything for her not being able to find the source of the bleeding. Finally one doctor jimmy rigged an extension to the upper GI scope and found it. It was too high for the lower GI and too low for the upper GI to spot. So he did it with a Mickey Mouse extension he taped on to the end of the scope.
So finally they find it after considering cutting out part of her stomach they suspected. Glad they don't have to do that but now, the stupid insurance is playing games.
We took her in on Tuesday, did OK for a couple of days but now extremely weak as time goes by. She had bought an extension to her health care coverage to cover things like this. BUY THIS EXTRA COVERAGE SALES ....BS!!!!
They are worried she may die, now Sunday. On Friday the docs spotted the source so they tried to coordinate with Loma Linda and Cedar hospitals. But they are playing BS games with the coverage.
One of the docs got on the phone and shouted at the admins at the other hospitals. YOU GUYS ARE PLAYING BULLSHIT GAMES WHILE THIS LADY NEEDS AN EMERGENCY PROCEDURE....DON'T BULLSHIT ME, YOU GUYS DON'T WANT TO DO IT BECAUSE YOU WANT THE WEEKEND OFF! Yeah, he was pretty upset and I'm pretty sure he is correct about that. These docs are great and finally they agreed to take her once they find a bed. Whatever that means, probably more BS from the other hospitals.
So now as of Sunday morning, she is very sick, out of it, very weak and not doing well at all.
I thought my Mom was doing great but seems anybody can get sick at any time. So no riding and all my time has been spent at the hospital over the last few days since Tuesday. Even trying to sneak in a ride is not working with her condition right now.
How much more does one family have to take? :-(
Sunday, September 1, 2019
SART Sunday with Gina
36 miles with Gina at 15.5 average speed. Gina didn't do too well in the heat today. Hot but not as hot as I thought it might be. 95 max and average of 86 according to my Garmin. But it was windy too which to me seemed to be the biggest issue. I was comfy on the way to the coast but Gina fell back on the little climb heading to the coast, you know, the one by the 405, South of Moon Park.
Took her a bit to catch back up even as I soft pedaled. She usually falls back here but today she really fell back. I almost thing it was because it was just the two of us. I think when we ride with others, she tries hard but does not complain. If it's just me, then I get an earful and I think she tends to take advantage of the situation to slow down ha ha!
But it sure was cool at the beach. We stopped at Edna Park and felt the heat. It seemed really hot but then from the South I felt a breeze. OK, let's get on the bikes and go because it's hot here ha ha! Didn't stop long at Edna after feeling the breeze. Good move because it was cool at the coast, almost foggy when we arrived but the sun came out a couple minutes after we got there.
On the return I felt comfy so I clicked into my small front gear (39 ring) for those that know about changing flat tires ha ha! Hmm, now that I think about it, I know too many people who have no idea of the ring sizes on their bikes ha ha! So anyway, I was just spinning back in my small ring at about 17.5 (according to Strava) but about a mile before the wooden bridge at Edna, Gina said she was getting exhausted.
OK, it was windy to the coast so I got to give her a little credit, then the heat, a little more credit, then a good decent steady pace on the return, a little more but then she tired, OK! So I backed off a little more, down to about 16 I guess (too lazy to look this one up on Strava ha ha!) where she was a little more comfy. So I will give her credit as she stuck to my wheel the all the way to the off ramp. Sometimes she drops off the last 50 yards to cool down. But she pushed all the way today, so a little more credit. :-)
It was hot but not that hot imo. Maybe the GMR weather is whipping me back into suffer mode where you learn to deal with the elements. Hey, that's why I been going and I feel the difference down on the trail!
As Mat pointed out yesterday, he said look over there from just passed the fork, and said you rode all the way over there. I looked back and yeah, it looks impressive. Yeah, that is why we are tired, another Mat Chat cliche ha ha! But yeah, it is impressive and it takes some effort to get to where someone points out a landmark on GMR/GRR. I noticed today, I saw the soccer field light from a mile away and think, we're almost there. But that doesn't take the effort of GMR. It's a different story so I'm pretty proud of myself, dragging my fat out of shape butt back onto GMR for the workout. No better way to get stronger than work hard. Also Pinoybenter told me a few months ago, if you want to get stronger, go do GMR. The trail is good but won't work you out like GMR.
So that is what I did. And though I am still slower than I was, I can feel the difference after doing GMR the last 6 weeks. People wonder why some torture themselves on GMR but the way I have been feeling the last couple of weeks, I remember why! Feeling strong baby! Even if I'm not ha ha!
I got to add this, another fool on the bike! Gina and I start at Rampart, head inland to Circle K (Kramer???) then double back to the coast. Gina said the heat was affecting her so I held a nice steady pace of 17 on the way back. A tailwind so we could have easily picked up the speed on the way back had Gina had more time on the bike.
So we have 24 miles or so while leaving the coast. She's tired and we already fought the wind to the coast so it's all good. But just as we are leaving the coast, some dude goes flying by and passes us. No problem, good job, kicking butt on an MTB!!!
But he goes by then fades. OK, no big deal, it's an MTB, hard to push knobby tires vs road tires. So he fades and we, keeping the steady 17 begin to close in. He looks back, stands up and pushes away. OK, great! But then he fades again, over and over and over and over.......... Heck, he keeps looking back at us like we are racing. Dumb ass, I'm just holding a pace for Gina cause she's freaking tired but we keep catching you. Why act stupid?
But he keeps looking back whatever then Gina tells me she is tired about 1 mile before the Edna Park bridge. So I slow to 16 for about 1/2 mile for her to recover. But hey, as we approach the bridge, we are still catching the dope. Just about as we are ready to turn onto the bridge, he goes straight so I know he is done. We continue on and I ask Gina if she noticed that guy kept looking back like he thought we might be racing him. She said yes and she had no idea why because she was not racing him.
So I get home and plug into Strava. Boy, I sure love the fly by feature. You can see the riders around you and exactly how far and fast they rode.
Turns out this guy did a 32 miler at 14.2 average speed. Gina did a 15.5 for 36 miles ha ha! He sure looked hot racing with the tailwind. BUT!!! on the way back to the coast, I see his average speed of 12.1 MPH! Ha, bit difference without the tailwind. Gina held a 15.2 on the way to the coast. I guess the guy thought he was superman passing a tired woman on a road bike who had 2/3 of his total mileage when he passed her.
Guy made me laugh so much that I posted a comment on his Strava Ride......Hey, you must have been the guy just ahead of us heading north. His response: Yes that was me ha ha ha!
I dunno, I sensed a bit of arrogance. So I said, yeah, my wife was pretty slow today with the wind and heat but she still managed a 15.5 on the 36 mile ride. She was slow but getting better after a year off the bike. Of course this was knowing he only did a 14.2 average on his 32 miler.
Then I said, oh wow, I just looked at your ride. You averaged 12.2 on the way to the coast. My wife only did a 15.2 on that 10 mile segment but she'll regain her strength soon enough. Then I said, it must have been windy because you were much slower heading south than you were heading north.
Of course when these idiots act stupid, you got to let them know how much they really suck ha ha! Again, on GMR, you don't see this ignorant arrogance. All them guys know how hard every rider on that road is trying while climbing and working their asses off.
I really do get tired of the arrogance on the trail. Seen if the entire 23 years we've been out there. You don't see that crap on GMR. The comments I hear on GMR are more of the "great job dude, we're almost there!". Why just on Saturday, a couple of guys went right by me on the way up. I said they were making it look too easy. One guy replied, "believe me, we are suffering!".
Pretty cool! Even the bad asses on GMR treat you with respect. On the trail, you can fly by some dope doing 14 mph, he'll jump your wheel, draft for 10 mile then sprint around you the last 50 yards. I'm sorry, but what is that shit???? :-/
After a short warm up, stop for a stretch at the Circle K. (Is that Kraemer?)
Took her a bit to catch back up even as I soft pedaled. She usually falls back here but today she really fell back. I almost thing it was because it was just the two of us. I think when we ride with others, she tries hard but does not complain. If it's just me, then I get an earful and I think she tends to take advantage of the situation to slow down ha ha!
But it sure was cool at the beach. We stopped at Edna Park and felt the heat. It seemed really hot but then from the South I felt a breeze. OK, let's get on the bikes and go because it's hot here ha ha! Didn't stop long at Edna after feeling the breeze. Good move because it was cool at the coast, almost foggy when we arrived but the sun came out a couple minutes after we got there.
On the return I felt comfy so I clicked into my small front gear (39 ring) for those that know about changing flat tires ha ha! Hmm, now that I think about it, I know too many people who have no idea of the ring sizes on their bikes ha ha! So anyway, I was just spinning back in my small ring at about 17.5 (according to Strava) but about a mile before the wooden bridge at Edna, Gina said she was getting exhausted.
OK, it was windy to the coast so I got to give her a little credit, then the heat, a little more credit, then a good decent steady pace on the return, a little more but then she tired, OK! So I backed off a little more, down to about 16 I guess (too lazy to look this one up on Strava ha ha!) where she was a little more comfy. So I will give her credit as she stuck to my wheel the all the way to the off ramp. Sometimes she drops off the last 50 yards to cool down. But she pushed all the way today, so a little more credit. :-)
It was hot but not that hot imo. Maybe the GMR weather is whipping me back into suffer mode where you learn to deal with the elements. Hey, that's why I been going and I feel the difference down on the trail!
As Mat pointed out yesterday, he said look over there from just passed the fork, and said you rode all the way over there. I looked back and yeah, it looks impressive. Yeah, that is why we are tired, another Mat Chat cliche ha ha! But yeah, it is impressive and it takes some effort to get to where someone points out a landmark on GMR/GRR. I noticed today, I saw the soccer field light from a mile away and think, we're almost there. But that doesn't take the effort of GMR. It's a different story so I'm pretty proud of myself, dragging my fat out of shape butt back onto GMR for the workout. No better way to get stronger than work hard. Also Pinoybenter told me a few months ago, if you want to get stronger, go do GMR. The trail is good but won't work you out like GMR.
So that is what I did. And though I am still slower than I was, I can feel the difference after doing GMR the last 6 weeks. People wonder why some torture themselves on GMR but the way I have been feeling the last couple of weeks, I remember why! Feeling strong baby! Even if I'm not ha ha!
I got to add this, another fool on the bike! Gina and I start at Rampart, head inland to Circle K (Kramer???) then double back to the coast. Gina said the heat was affecting her so I held a nice steady pace of 17 on the way back. A tailwind so we could have easily picked up the speed on the way back had Gina had more time on the bike.
So we have 24 miles or so while leaving the coast. She's tired and we already fought the wind to the coast so it's all good. But just as we are leaving the coast, some dude goes flying by and passes us. No problem, good job, kicking butt on an MTB!!!
But he goes by then fades. OK, no big deal, it's an MTB, hard to push knobby tires vs road tires. So he fades and we, keeping the steady 17 begin to close in. He looks back, stands up and pushes away. OK, great! But then he fades again, over and over and over and over.......... Heck, he keeps looking back at us like we are racing. Dumb ass, I'm just holding a pace for Gina cause she's freaking tired but we keep catching you. Why act stupid?
But he keeps looking back whatever then Gina tells me she is tired about 1 mile before the Edna Park bridge. So I slow to 16 for about 1/2 mile for her to recover. But hey, as we approach the bridge, we are still catching the dope. Just about as we are ready to turn onto the bridge, he goes straight so I know he is done. We continue on and I ask Gina if she noticed that guy kept looking back like he thought we might be racing him. She said yes and she had no idea why because she was not racing him.
So I get home and plug into Strava. Boy, I sure love the fly by feature. You can see the riders around you and exactly how far and fast they rode.
Turns out this guy did a 32 miler at 14.2 average speed. Gina did a 15.5 for 36 miles ha ha! He sure looked hot racing with the tailwind. BUT!!! on the way back to the coast, I see his average speed of 12.1 MPH! Ha, bit difference without the tailwind. Gina held a 15.2 on the way to the coast. I guess the guy thought he was superman passing a tired woman on a road bike who had 2/3 of his total mileage when he passed her.
Guy made me laugh so much that I posted a comment on his Strava Ride......Hey, you must have been the guy just ahead of us heading north. His response: Yes that was me ha ha ha!
I dunno, I sensed a bit of arrogance. So I said, yeah, my wife was pretty slow today with the wind and heat but she still managed a 15.5 on the 36 mile ride. She was slow but getting better after a year off the bike. Of course this was knowing he only did a 14.2 average on his 32 miler.
Then I said, oh wow, I just looked at your ride. You averaged 12.2 on the way to the coast. My wife only did a 15.2 on that 10 mile segment but she'll regain her strength soon enough. Then I said, it must have been windy because you were much slower heading south than you were heading north.
Of course when these idiots act stupid, you got to let them know how much they really suck ha ha! Again, on GMR, you don't see this ignorant arrogance. All them guys know how hard every rider on that road is trying while climbing and working their asses off.
I really do get tired of the arrogance on the trail. Seen if the entire 23 years we've been out there. You don't see that crap on GMR. The comments I hear on GMR are more of the "great job dude, we're almost there!". Why just on Saturday, a couple of guys went right by me on the way up. I said they were making it look too easy. One guy replied, "believe me, we are suffering!".
Pretty cool! Even the bad asses on GMR treat you with respect. On the trail, you can fly by some dope doing 14 mph, he'll jump your wheel, draft for 10 mile then sprint around you the last 50 yards. I'm sorry, but what is that shit???? :-/
After a short warm up, stop for a stretch at the Circle K. (Is that Kraemer?)
Only 15 miles to the cool air!
Gina rolling by the A Stadium and Honda Center
Rolling along
OK, after the ride. Gina takes off her shoes, helmet, and gloves. Drops them by the truck then walks away to sit in the shade saying she's hot. :-O Then I start to rack the bikes onto the truck and put away all the equipment while she sits in the shade.
So these are the my legs of sweat while putting the stuff away!
These are Gina's legs,.....in the shade!
My sweat head while putting the stuff away.
Her head enjoying the shade while my head gets beat by the sun! Oh yeah, and I take her shoes to her too! :-/
OK, I'm just kidding! She does all that but because I tell her to do it. I think she'd pass out putting the bikes away. Sometimes it's harder than riding the bike ha ha!
So, Monday eve at the mall, I was behind Gina on the escalators. I noticed her tan lines so I had to take a shot ha ha! Yeah, I likey tan lines he he he!
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