My Most Recent Ride 2009 (Part II of series)

OK, I am starting a new thread. Continue to let us know how much and where you are riding. Inquiring minds want to know!!!

Note: If you enjoy this thread and would like to read of similar travels, check out
My Most Recent Ride 2008 ( Part I of the series! )​

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride II

Well A.D., for some of us it doesn't get any easier as you go.... nuff said there.

Last week was an almost perfect week for riding. A little cool in the mornings for sure but most days was nice in the afternoons. On my last ride I figured I went over 3,000 miles for this year but after figuring I'm a little short: 2994.6 miles. After falling yesterday it might be a couple days before I am able to ride again.

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride II

Well while the gang was out at the Sunrise Century I rode a nice little 70 mile ride. The first 18 miles I rode with some MTB friends. We split up and I rode a few hill that they didn't want to ride. Then we met back up and cruised back in.

While coming in I ran into a fella on a Volae Highracer. He said that he has been riding a trike but had just bought the 2 wheeled bent. It was nice to see another bent, I hope he sticks with it.

Good luck with that recovery A.D.

Ward

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride II

Had a couple nice rides today. Went south to Springfield to help shawn put his trike back together, but after a few hours of trying to hook up with him i headed over to the V.A. med center in Dayton to see if i could get a prescription for new glasses. They said ok but come back after lunch, so i pulled out the trike and rode a path along some river in Dayton. Looks like they are trying to redesign the path should be nice. Finished with a little under 25 miles.
After i got back to saint Marys i decided to check out a church i found that has a Tuesday night service so i rode down there turned in just over 12 miles.
Guess i should get a pencil and paper, and mapquest so i can add up the miles since i have been in Ohio. This is a pretty good place for cycling. Except for the winters anyway. Nice and flat lotsa waterways and considerate drivers.
And you see bicycles leaning against porches trees garages etc. in nearly every yard. Must not be as many theives here as where i live.

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride II

Yeah, turning 50 is so much fun. Been there TWICE now on the colonoscopy and done that!!!

Hope you are feeling better!!!!

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride II

Went on a biking/camping trip with my son (8) and my dad (73). Only went about 20 miles. Dad has had both knees replaced and a broken hip fixed. We went on the Allegheny River Trail. This is a wonderful trail - 35 paved miles not a stop sign on it. Follows the river all the way and goes through two tunnels. One is almost a mile long. We camped up on the Sandy Creek Trail. This trail cross the Sandy Creel via old railroad bridges 7 times. Very desolate and quiet. Can't wait to get back. Hope all is well and you feel better A.D.

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride II

Russell, that sounds like an interesting trail. I like the 35 miles and no stop signs. That would be a great ride to go the length and then just turn around and come back. The best part though is that, "Very desolate and quiet." Sounds like my kind of route.

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride II

B-Savage, The trail is great. www.avta.trails.org is the website. One day I rode 88 miles on this trial and two others. See the map section on the site.

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride II

Sorry... www.avta-trails.org

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride II

Hi all!

Well, AD, glad to hear your nausea has let up, though sorry about the need for gall bladder removal.

I did a quick ride today. The weather was just too perfect to not be outside even if for just a short time. 62 F, perfectly clear, light breezes instead of the branch cracking gales we've been having. It also has that sort of 'Autumn' feel. Can't really explain it, but it really does feel like it's fall in some way that has nothing to do with temp, humidity or leaf colours. Leaves are still mostly green any way.

It was just a short 5.5 mile loop to enjoy the weather a tiny bit. I didn't want to go much further since I'm hoping I'll go on another section of the Sverigeleden tomorrow. Have Jens drop me off where I turned off the route last time to come home. Maybe pedal to Wiks Castle and Hammarskog estate as an extra bonus.

We'll see.

Terii

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride II

Can you post a link to this trail???

Never mind, I found it. Here it is for anyone else interested...

http://www.avta-trails.org/sandy-creek-trail.html

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride II

Well it was a beautiful day for a ride. I got up plenty early and drove the 85 miles to Albany and was rewarded with a nice sunrise. Perfect temp about 74 to start and I was feeling great.

The mass start pulled out almost exactly at 800. I was caught behind about 50 or 60 riders but as we pulled out of the parking lot it opened onto a 4-lane with traffic held for us. I wanted to try and play with the big boys so I pulled out, picked it up to 30 (I know 30 I swear) and caught the leaders before the first turn.

I tried to get into the rotation but they didn't seem to be bent friendly at first. About mile 10 I just took it up to past the front rider then let them slowly pull up to me. They seemed okay having me pulling at 23-24 so I stayed there for about 1/2 mile then pulled off.

I eased over into a small gap and the rider behind me I knew from Columbus. He commented how I had tried to kill him on a metric we did a little over a month ago. We settled into a good rotation with about the front 10 taking turns pulling. I wasnt sure how big the pack was because I was trying to stay at the front out of trouble.

There was a team of about 12 riders and about mile 20 they slowed the ride down and got all together, then off we went. Now the pace was 25.26 and I could tell we were dropping riders and there were others beginning to suffer. Now let me say, I was feeling the best I had since my Surgery last Dec and my bike was working perfectly. The thought went through my head that I was going to have my best century ever. BANG

By the time my mind registered the sound as a tire exploding I was sliding down the road on my side. About the time I realized I was down I felt riders and bikes riding and falling over me. I actually felt a bike ride over my helmet! The next sound I heard was screaming.

I picked myself up off the ground, still not sure what had happened. I saw the girl who was screaming about the same time I heard a fella (who I knew from Columbus) say I'm a doctor and start looking at her head that was streaming blood.

I gave myself a head-2-toe once over. Hmm head and neck okay, shoulders, ribs bruised but okay, spleen and liver non-tender very good, deep breath and cough okay, road rash all down my left forearm my left butt-check bleeding, road rash down left flank not bleeding, all joints working. Now that I knew I was basically okay, I called Betty to tell her about the wreck and that I was okay.

Boy the race team was ****ed! Their number one riders bike was trashed and his SO was the one with the gash over her eye ( it was her glasses that cut her, needed stitches but everything else was okay). They were storming around wanting to know who had the flat that caused the wreck and why they couldn't control their bike. At that point I honestly didn't know if I was the culpret or not so I checked both tires...Okay Whew.

Bents dont have the greatest reputation down here and I was pretty sure they would blame me for the accident. So I approached the leader of the team and told him my tires were okay. "You were fine man, no problem with your riding." That was a relief.

Our best guess was that this one rider who would never quite get in the paceline was the one with the flat that started it. When his tire blew he took out the rear of my bike and then we went down like dominos. A total of five of us hit the pavement. Being in the front I took most of the punishment (along with my bike, more later after its fully assessed) The guy never4 admitted it was him but he was the only one with a flat.

So, rode the wagon back with a total of 21.03 miles with a 23.3 adv. Got cleamed up and ate lunch with a few friends. Just before I left the girl came back from getting her stitches. She hunted me down to make sure I was okay. "Everybody ran over you!.

Anyway, home okay after dropping the bike off at the shop for a complete checkout. Sore, banged up, and **** lucky

Ward

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride II

I'm sure that's a scary feeling. Never been there, although nearly was in a mass wipe out on my first mass start at the Sunrise Century three years ago.

First, was this a "ride" or a "race"? Secondly, what's with these people that they see carnage all over the road and their concern is "whose fault is it?" 'Bent friendly or not, sounds to me like their priorities are as screwed up as their bodies and bikes.

Glad you and the others are no more banged up than you described. Road rash is painful but a dang sight better than broken.

Hope you feel better soon. And let us know about the bike.

BTW, the world looks a little calmer at less than 15mph.

Dave

 

Re: My Most Recent Ride II

Dave, these are some real adrenalin junkies and there was about $30,000 dollars of scrap carbon strewn about the road. Their first concern was to check out the injuries, it was only after we were sure that no one was seriously injured. It was a ride...but just like the Sunrise there is a lot of competetion on this very flat route.

Looks like I am going to be seeing lots of 12-15 mph on my trike while I get my Sea Dragon checked out.

Less banged up than I should be and the road rash is already a bit better today.

Ward