EASY Fat Bastard Tour to Break 300 FTM (No E-Bikes 4 Me)

 Fat Bastard Photo Tour. Nice easy easy low heart rate ride just to relax and get my miles in to make 300+. Sometimes you gotta go easy and take advantage of those photo op rides ha ha ha! 20 miles from Pico to the west side of the dam near City of Hope. Ended up with 317 for the month.

You know, it's funny that people get upset that a person has no desire to ride an E-bike. Ran into a guy on my ride Sunday riding one. We met at the Yorba Park rest area. We started chatting about rides, bikes, weather, all kinds of stuff having a good time. I thought it was funny that I have been riding in the heat but yet he said he couldn't ride because it was too hot. OK, he's got a motor so not like he's climbing Mt Baldy ha ha ha! But OK, I can understand maybe just sitting outside on a porch swing might make him tired. I thought he might be older than I as he spoke of things that made him sound old. Then I asked, turns out he was 50. Oh, young if you ask me and I really don't feel too old myself at 62 now. I do joke and tease about it, being old but really, I feel great and don't think of myself this old. I guess that's what tickles me about being able to retire because I always thought of retirees as O-L-D. Now that I am there, it ain't too old and I ain't too old to enjoy it.

So continued chatting about bike then he asked about my Cannondale. It's a 1997 aluminum CAD3. He asked if I had ever ridden carbon and yes, my Madone is carbon but it really doesn't make a difference to me. I actually enjoy riding the Cannondale more than I do the Madone to be honest. Heck, I have to parts to fix my Madone (Ring, chain, cassette) but I'm in no rush having fun on the Cannondale.

I told him that I have steel, aluminum, Carbon, a tandem, and a mountain bike. So he says, "next you need an E-bike." I was friendly about it not trying to be a hater but I told him that I would never ride and E-bike. It's just not me. I'm the type of personality that I like to do things under my own power. Heck, I did 23 centuries in 2005 for the century a month challenge. So finished with 23 and I would say 19 of them were solo. Even a ride like the Palm Springs century, I did it 3 times solo. Just don't consider sucking wheel for 100 miles, my own effort.

So I told the guy that if I couldn't ride 40 miles, I'd do 30, if not 30, then 10, on down the line till I couldn't ride anymore, then I'd take up walking. Just the way I think. I have to do things under my own power and myself. Nothing against nobody, I'm just that way. When I was working out, I bench pressed 330 pounds on my own. No cheating, no help, perfect form, no standing on the bench, if I can't do it perfect form, then I didn't do it so in any sport or activity, I have to do it right or I didn't do it. Just like I won't walk up or zig zag up a hill. If so, I didn't do it.

I was friendly to the guy and didn't go into all this much about my thoughts but he didn't look happy. Once I said that as friendly as I could, he said, "well, I gotta go!". Ha ha ha!

E-Bikes not for me but I see some people with disabilities, they're great. But I am not disabled so you will never catch me riding an E-bike unless I somehow become disabled and it ends up being my only means to the grocery store.

But hey, another good reason to not like the E-bikes, the morons riding them through the malls tearing things up for no reason. Sad but I've seen many kids doing just that and some adults riding motor scooters through the mall at high speeds. Of course as I have seen on the net, just about every parent will say, not my child. But yeah, sadly at the Puente Hills Mall, there are about 20+ burn out marks made by kids on E-bikes who run through the mall even though they are totally not allowed. But there are always plenty of idiots to go around.

Cool, my average heart rate over the last year is 129 beats per minute while cycling. All year with some months at 167 miles up to 462 miles. This means that I am getting in good beneficial cardiovascular workouts without over exerting myself. I have to be careful because I'm an old 62. 😆

Mostly Solo 46 Officially Retired Tour

46 at 16.4 average speed. Mostly solo then ran into Alyce at the coast. Rolled back together about 13 miles. Saw Bad Bob but I don't think he recognized me. I shouted as he rolled by and it seems he heard me but not sure.

More later

Video and images of people I see out there. LET'S DANCE !!! Sway through the crowd to an empty space!! Funny hos some scenes fit the music/lyrics. These words of the song just as I am passing, swaying through a group of joggers and end up in an empty space. 

 

                          Pre ride dinner with Gina the night before. They know I love my lemons.

After the ride, a trip to Millie's. 

A cool little treat on the way home.  Noticed a rocket 🚀 launched across the sky. Turns out a Falcon F-9 rocket. Pretty cool seeing Gina works on this program daily at her job.

25 with TC and Sandra (video later)

 25 miles with TC and Sandra this evening. Decent ride, got in some miles and a few good efforts here and there. Good relaxing ride except for Sandra who had to push through the effort having done 100 miles a few days ago. Always a struggle to ride after a LOOOOONG ride but she did well.

Drivers? I come across a butt hole every once in a while. This evening, heading south on Azusa Cyn Rd from the SF Dam, no traffic but as the 3 of us were riding by a parked car, the dude decided to nudge forward seeming he was going to drive out from the curb. He nudged forward as Sandra rolled by, I was next so I signaled to him that there was one more rider coming up, TC. He stopped but not surprised that a driver would take off blind so always good to expect something might happen and be ready to avoid the incident.

But then next, as I was on Badillo heading east (?, I get turned around with the curving roads and directions) I was approaching and intersection, a big wide one, when a car came from the opposite side and seemed as if it were going to turn too early. You know, they aim the direction of the turn whereas any good driver knows, keep the wheels straight until you are ready to turn. Learned this when I acquired a higher level driver's license. This way, if you get hit, you roll straight instead of into oncoming traffic avoiding a head on collision.

So as I was approaching, I saw the car and thinking Uh-oh, is this guy going to stop or is he going to see my flashing headlight? Not strobe, but flashing to avoid blinding traffic out of consideration. SO I am approaching when a dude in a white pick up pulled up along my side and slowed his pace as to escort me across the big intersection shielding me from that driver. AWESOME!!!! He shielded me then as we finished crossing, he picked his pace back up leaving me far behind. That was cool because there was no way that car was going to drive into that pickup ha ha ha! I know there are some real whackos but some reason, I seem to find a whole lot of considerate caring drivers. Heck, at times, crossing Baseline from the bike lane to a left turn lane, I have had the 2 lead cars slow and block traffic so that I can slide on over incident free. I really appreciate that. Maybe they're just happy to see a cyclist riding the way he should be riding. Making the stops and using signals, looking back and taking caution. That's me, I ain't setting myself up for nothing but safe travels.

Youtube video

Made myself a late breakfast so that I didn't have to eat a second time for lunch before the ride. Grapes for breakfast. 2 eggs, chorizo, and a small potato for lunch. Boy, sure came out really good today. Yum!

The new seat bag from ebay. Worked well, good stuff. $18 and much smoother zipper than the $30 Jandd that broke on me a couple weeks back,