Monthly Archive for August, 2006

Today’s Vine ride I think went well - for both my wife and I.

She did the 35 mile route, I did the 100 mile route. We both started pretty early in the morning - to beat the expected heatwave.

Arriving at the start line in at 5:45am, we checked in got our numbers (I was 102, she was 103). Not wanting to hang aroundwaiting for other riders to start, I began my ride around 5:55, total ride time just shy of 7 hours (6 hours 55 minutes).

During the whole ride I didn’t see another recumbent anything. Looks like I was it. I could be wrong, since I did start out pretty early, and come in around 1:00pm - they could have been on the route for all I know.

Last weeks “Tour De Stake” was a cake walk compared to the hills encountered on the Vine Ride. Maybe that’s why I don’t ride this ride every year (I really don’t like hills).

Anyway, I’m proud of my wife - she completed the 35 mile route without any issues and she said she might have been able to complete the 65 mile route, maybe next year.

The Vine Ride is tomorrow! This will be my second time riding this event (the last time I did this one was in 2003). Since it takes place in Newberg, its only a short ride from my home to the start line.

My wife will be riding the 35 mile loop - good for her! I’m so proud of her, will have to do something special with her for doing this.

I’ll be riding the 100 mile loop again. Should be fine (may end up being 6 or more hours depending on the heat as it is supposed to get up to 90 or hotter).

Last week I stopped at Performance bike and “fell in lust” over a Fuji Aloha 1.0 Tri bike. Not sure why, maybe its was the style, perhaps the price, not sure, but before I decide to put down the cash to purchase it, I decided that I need to ride a “standard” bike…

My wife has a couple of bicycles at home, two cyclocross bikes. The first is a Giant 27 speed, its quite oversized for her (she bought it because it was on sale). The second is a Schwinn she recently purchased, this one fits her nicely and she is riding it more than the other one.

After changing seats on the Giant from her “comfort” seat to a more “normal” seat and adjusting the bike for me (raising the seat, checking pedals, etc.) Let see - no way around it, but even after fitting the bike as best I could, 5 miles was all I could handle. I feel for folks who do this on a regular basis.

I suppose that I “could” find a bike that was fitted to me with all the adjustments made, but do I want the hassel when all I have to do now is get on my trike and go?

The only down side with the trike is that hill climbing I’m not as fast as some (actually, that could be a good thing as I wont fall over because I’ve stalled!)

I think I’ll stick with the trike and add the 62t chain ring for the winter - cheap improvement in gearing versus a whole new experience.

With the group I ride with, I am the goal. I take very short breaks on our long rides (60-100 miles) and seldom take breaks on shorter rides. My averages are respectable 17-19mph over the long haul which make my friends work to catch upto me.

Yesterday we did our annual “Tour de Stake” (a 66 mile loop that visits each of our McMinnville Oregon Stake meeting houses, these are LDS church houses, 5 in all).

We start and finish at the McMinnville Stake house, riding to Amity, Dayton, Newberg, Yamhill, and then return to McMinnville.

The course is laid out like this:

McMinnville - Amity (12 miles)

Amity - Dayton (9 miles)

Dayton - Newberg (17 miles)

Newberg - Carlton - Yamhill (16 miles)

Yamhill - McMinnville (12 miles)

We started at 8:15, with about 30 riders, each going their own pace. The faster riders and I race towards Amity, with the other riders following behind. When we arrived at the Amity meeting house, we were greeted with a pancake breakfast. I had a couple of pancakes, some scrambIed eggs, sausage and a glass of milk.

As the slower riders start to make their appearance, I decided to make my way to Dayton. Nine miles later, I’m the first to arive at the Dayton meeting house! I rode a lap around the parking lot, and continued on my way to Newberg.

The road to Newberg, especially North Valley road, is very hilly, and this is where the faster riders caught upto me (this was expected, going up hills I am quite slow). Riding to the Newberg meeting house, I was the 5th rider to arrive. I ate a bananna and Cliff bloks. Not wanting to cool down, I again decided to be the first one to leave.

Next stop - Yamhill! The road going out wasn’t any better - taking North Valley Road to get into Newberg is the same road we take to get out! On the plus side, once I get close to Carlton, there is a nice down slope, a nice respite from climbing! Onto Hwy 47 and into Yamhill. Again, I am the first to arrive at the meeting house. I rode a lap around the parking lot and continued onto the finish in McMinnville.

More hills! The ride to McMinnville isn’t any better than the one to Newberg, and I’m thinking to myself that I should be seeing the faster riders any time. I keep my pace manageable, crawling up hills, speeding down them, and eventually I’m at the McMinnville finish at 12:45, with the next rider coming in 10 minutes later!

I consider this course very hilly and I was impressed on how well I did. I averaged 17.4 mph for the ride, spending 3 hours 59 minutes riding the trike, with the other time spent on breaks. Total ride mileage: 69 miles

Next weekend my wife and I plan on riding the Vine Ride - Newberg’s own organized ride. I plan on riding the century, my wife plans on the 35 mile route.

I have been riding my trike since May 2002 and have just recently removed my flag. Seems to me conventional wisdom isn’t so wise. The traffic around here still see me while I ride and still gives me the respect a fellow vehicle deserves. It also helps that I ride in a predictable manner and obey the traffic laws in my community.

Either way, most traffic gives me a wide berth when passing. For me, I ride with a mirror (called a “Take-A-Look”) attached to my sun-glasses and I’m always scanning behind and front of me while riding looking out for traffic and such. I ride as if I’m invisible, even though traffic behaves otherwise.