diddlee

Yesterday we made the ride out to Bull Gap mountain. I rode better than last week but I am still awfully slow compared to everyone else in the group. Perhaps after I loose the extra 30 pounds and get a stiffer carbon bike I will finally be able to keep up.

Bev and I went up on the Chief Ladiga trail yesterday. She rode 21 miles. She tolerated the effort very well but has a little soreness of her backside. I need to get her a spin trainer so she can get her strength up for riding.

In just a little while, I will go take the fun bike ride out to Sycamore. I am looking forward to getting out of the house and spending a little effort. I am also thinking about where I was a few years ago when I traveled to Equador with my cousin Joe. This photo is in the Chota Valley looking west at sunset. It was a beautiful place.

I wanted to try this photo add option. It works nicely. I am looking forward to the Fall of the year. Maybe I can entice my Kentucky friends to do a hike with me. I am already scheduled to do the Bike Ride Across Tennessee during September and the Bike Fest in Georgia in October. Lots to look forward to.

Yesterday, I used by bicycle to ride over to pick up my Jeep from the auto place. That is the first time since I was a kid that I used the bike for a purpose rather than just for fun or exercise. It was a very high traffic time but I am getting quite comfortable on the city streets.

I checked on the Pilot 2.1 but Billy says it isn't at his warehouse. May have to wait for a 2006 model. I am going in to let him fit me properly for the next bike. The ride to Bull Gap was hard as usual, but I felt like I got there easier than last time. My hind end was sore for some reason. It didn't fit into the notch on my seat very well. It makes me wonder if I might not prefer a recumbent bike. In fact, that's what I should do is reset Bev's recumbent and try it out on the Sycamore ride.

This evening the club does it's weeky ride to Bull Gap. Last week, I really struggled on this run. This week I hope to do better. I now have less than 3 months to get tuned up for the BRAT. I also need to reduce my body weight. What plan can I use. Back to the original. No fried, no bread, no sweets, no peanut butter. 8 fruits/veggies per day. And this time, drink water. Having a body weight of 200 would mean 30 pounds less to lug up the hills. I am leaning toward the Pilot 2.1 for my bike. I am tempted to get a recumbent bike. I would hate to buy another wedgie only to end up unable to ride it. The comfort of the recumbent really are attractive to me, especially for a tour. But most of my riding would be for fitness.

We did a little ride up to Sycamore yesterday. 16 miles almost exactly. My calf is still sore but I made the trip without much of a problem. I am having trouble keeping up with the faster riders right now. I have to keep pushing to get fast enough to really ride with Jerry or Paul.

Even though I took the 49 mile option, it was a hard ride. I need that 3rd chain ring to do those mountains. My hurt calf kept me in the saddle and I wound up with numbness in my groin area. I need to get healed up to be able to stand in the pedals. I have an easy ride Monday evening that I can do. The camping at Monte Sano was great. A cool front came in and made the days very mild. Nights were almost too cool. The campsites had lots of trees and green growth so it felt like you were really camping. It was a good weekend to camp out. David had a good time too!

I got my bike out of jail. It now has a 38 tooth chain ring in place of the 42. Maybe I can climb better. My calf has gotten better. It is just a dull feeling. Some of the swelling is gone. A hot soak this morning has really helped. I may be able to do that climb tomorrow. It will be a good beginning for my training prep for BRAT.

With just a few days before Saturdays ride, I have injured my calf muscle. I hope I can recover enough to do the ride.

I made the ride to Bull Gap today. 22 miles of hills! I am really tired. I suspect I need to make that ride every week until the BRAT to get in better shape.

I just got through getting my plans ready for riding in the 4 Hills Feast event in Huntsville. We will camp in Monte Sano Friday and Saturday with David. I hope the weather cooperates. I can leave my truck with them and ride down to the event and hope to meet them there after the ride.

Paul and I met to take an easy ride up to Sycamore. We traveled back through town and out Twin Street. Jonathan, Kelly, and Karen joined us. The rain held off and we got in a nice 19 mile ride.

Mike was down today from Tennessee. We made a big bike loop around Fayetteville-Cburg-Winterboro-Sycamore-Home. I got pretty tired. This was the longest ride I've made since the Bike Safari. The road had a good many hills. Trying to keep up with Paul challenged me. He was running 20 miles per hour a lot of the time. Mike says we averaged 16 miles per hour. It seemed higher than that. I guess the time on the hills made the difference. To be ready for fall in the mountains, I will need a lot of training.

I made some changes to the bicycle blog this morning. No longer just pertaining to the Florida Safari, I can not log all my biking notes. I am planning a 50 mile ride this Friday with Mike. I want to get Bev on her bike some soon. Maybe this Sunday.