Hello rear derailleur, good to feel you again
The past couple of days have been evidence of why some people like single gear bikes in winter. My cassette has been covered in solid ice and my rear derailleur cable has been frozen in its housing. I don’t have a garage at home and at work the parking garage is not heated.
My fifteen seconds of fame
I’m in an Ottawa Sun weather story dispensing advice on biking on a snowy day.
Okay, one more post about the RLCT
And then I’m done. First up, a public thanks to my partner and Mallory’s mother, Irene Jansen. I’ve been eating up at least six non-work, non-sleep hours a week since the snow crept back from the roadsides. And that’s a fair chunk of time that could have been used for other things like cleaning the house, cooking meals, caring for the child, gardening, etc. It’s quite a sacrifice on her part and it’s been stressful on occasion. So thanks.
Rideau Lakes is over. I’m wiped. But happy
So I’m back. Rideau Lakes is over. Sniff. There were minutes today, however where I would not have been so sentimental. The moonscape loosely termed ‘road’ between Meryln Wilson Road and Century Road East, for example. The point where the crosswind started coming across my face and I declared to myself that 28km/h was the new 30km/h.
Phew. Made it. Only 180 more km to go
Once I got out of town I was fine. I got about 6km lost trying to follow the prescribed route out of town. I was so nervous I skipped over the directions, ignoring a crucial turn. I ate up the time gained by my early (6am) start trying to get back on the route. Serious [...]
Bike to Kingston? Why on earth would anyone want to do that?
And yet every year thousands do. It’s the 40th running of the Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour tomorrow and this year, I will be among them. First time in five years. My sixth tour.
I am 4.75km short of my training goal
Specifically 995.25km. I would have had it almost exactly today, but I shave some off my route to Merrickville because I was trying to get home to drop off my babysitter at the pre-agreed time. Blast. And this week I’m travelling for works so there are two nights gone.
You know what? I don’t have to be totally prepared
I was out riding again today. 128km to Almonte and back. It felt pretty good. And I may have had the best luck of my life with wind because I felt like I had wind at my back both ways. But I was bagged when I got back. My lungs, mostly. It took a long time to get my breathing back to normal.
Champlain lookout, 60km 2hrs, 10 minutes
Yee haw! Coulda got a speeding ticket. So my friend M is going to tell me that 60km/h is nothing, and she’s right, but it’s still pretty fun bombing down King Mountain. Of course the parkway is open now, so there’s cars, and more cyclists and bugs, several fewer though, than when I started since I swallowed some of them.
Almost Ashton, 97.9km, 3h 18 mins
Gorgeous day for a ride today. Sunny, highs in the mid teens. I had planned to head west and try for 120km, but one of the things I had meant to do last night was plot a route and put it on my GPS. But it didn’t happen. So this morning I figured I’d ‘just go’. Well, once I did that and ended up back home, 70km and two hours overtime, so this time, when I saw my trip computer heading toward 60km, I thought I’d better turn around.
Bib number 416, riding The Cruise
I got my confirmation letter from the Ottawa Bicycle Club today. I’m in.
Saddle sores: change your saddle, lubricate, move around
The lazy web didn’t work for me so I decided to ask Dr. Google. There was a bunch of stuff out there, but I thought this was a succinct explanation of how to combat saddle sores. I think since in my case the sore is right over top of my sit bones (Is that overshare? I think not since I did not include a photo. You’re welcome) I may want to try a new saddle.
Metcalfe: 95.1km, 3 hours 22 minutes but saddle sores
I may need to get a new saddle. How does one combat saddle sores? Seems to me this happened with this saddle the last time I rode Rideau Lakes. Apart from that, today was lovely. Great weather – ten whole degrees and all of them above zero.
Yoga and biking
This may be daft, but I think I can already feel how doing yoga is helping. At least insofaras biking is concerned. In years past, I’ve always done some stretching exercises before setting out on the road. And I stretch to warm down too. Regardless of how much I stretch before and after, the next day my legs and other parts of my body generally feel like they’ve been shot through with glue.
Champlain Lookout, 64km, 2hrs 20mins
That was easier than I thought. Mind you, I was climbing Pink Lake and King Mountain at maybe 13 km/h, but I did make it. It’s been quite a while – maybe five years – since I’ve biked to Champlain, so I was worried about how it would feel.
