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Tantalizing sunshine with a 65 degree temperature – February 8th Bike Ride

Rick Ankrum — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:29:00 +0000

Tantalizing sunshine with a 65 degree temperature pulled me out to ride but the 13 mph north wind chilled me even though I tried to dress for it. I put on a windbreaker which seemed to have holes in it with the wind coming in. My long sleeve jersey over the short sleeve one helped some once I got heated from the exercise but whenever the sun went behind one of the many clouds the chill came on strong. I wore half finger gloves but there times when full finger ones were needed. As long as I was going with the wind I felt warmer but turning into the wind brought the wind chill up. My road bike allowed for more speed than my mountain bike did yesterday and I figured I needed to get some road miles in.

My original plan called for a 24 to 25 mile ride but once the wind chill became apparent I modified this to the 21.73 mile route I ended up with. My average speed stayed above 15 mph until the last 5 miles when I rode mainly into the 13 mph wind. So I ended with 14.8 mph average speed and 22.5 mph max speed. Average cadence ended at 79.7 RPM just .1 RPM below yesterday. February miles: 112.45, YTD miles 379.70. The weather is supposed to be cooler the next two days so I may not get out on the bike.

Garmin Connect data link. RideWithgps.com data link.

2-8-2012 Bike Ride and Route Map

2-8-2012 Home Weather Station End

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At 1:45 PM I did not think I would bike today – February 7th Bike Ride

Rick Ankrum — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:38:35 +0000

At 1:45 PM I did not think I would bike today. By 2:15 I changed my mind as the temperature hit 63 degrees and the sun punched through the overcast sky. I got a late start but it was worth it. With the chilly weather outside I decided the bike would be my mountain bike. I ended up biking 19.98 miles on my mountain bike. Today’s route was mostly on streets which allowed for faster speeds. On one 5 mile split I got the average speed up to 14.8 mph, close to my road bike bottom averages. To go along with this my max speed hit 23.6 mph and my average cadence increased to 79.8 RPM, also near my road bike efforts. February miles: 90.72, YTD miles: 357.97.

The temperature at the end increased to 65 degrees and the wind was 7 mph from the north. Being the temperature wimp that I am my attire leaned to the bundled up side with a windbreaker, leg warmers, long sleeve jersey, short sleeve jersey and full finger gloves. This setup kept me warm because the wind had a chill to it. My ride time seemed to coincide with school dismissal so kids were out on the trails and bike paths. This always requires extra caution since they don’t pay attention all the time.

As I am writing this I am listening to the Mountain Bike Whisperer podcast from the Forth Worth Mountain Bike Association. They are reviewing some of the DORBA rides and races coming up.

Garmin Connect data link. The RideWithGPS data will show up in the slide show below or this link will show the full data and map.

2-7-2012 Bike Ride Data and Route Map

2-7-2012 Home Weather Station End

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The temperature hovered around 60 degrees – February 6th Bike Ride

Rick Ankrum — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:06:31 +0000

The temperature hovered around 60 degrees. Two weather stations showed below 60 degrees, my cutoff number, but my home weather station showed 62 degrees. This edged up to 63 by the time I finished the ride an hour 53 minutes later. After Thursday’s ride in the rain today’s sunshine drew me to the bike. So on the bike I went dressed warmly with two long sleeve jerseys, a windbreaker without too many vents, leg warmers and full finger gloves. I probably could have dressed a little lighter but the warmth felt good. I passed another biker who lacked the leg warmers but had a jacket on. With the temperature at 63 the light wind 4.6 mph helped keep the chill factor low.

As I rode the route came together and I ended up biking on some roads and trails that I had not been on before. This and the warm feeling enabled me to ride a rather long 22.91 mile route (for a mountain bike ride that is). The new section was from mile 9 through mile 10. My average speed increased somewhat to 12.1 mph, max speed got to 20.6 mph and average cadence settled at 77.0 RPM. February miles are 70.74, YTD miles are 337.98. If the weather cooperates February could be a good biking month. The long term weather guy thinks the temperature will not drop below freezing any more until the fall. Tomorrow could be a repeat of today.

Garmin Connect data link. RideWithgps.com data link.

2-6-2012 Bike Ride Data and Route Map

2-6-2012 Home Weather Station End

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Sunscreen, Presto Rain Repellant – February 3rd Bike Ride

Rick Ankrum — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 23:30:23 +0000

Where do I begin? First I put on sunscreen but needed water repellant. Second I ran into rain around the 3 mile mark but did not turn back. Third I really prefer to ride on dry roads especially on my birthday. Even with these I did manage to ride 18.38 miles but the average speed was really low at 12.3 mph, a max speed of 20.6 mph, average cadence a low 70.1 RPM. I stopped at the 4.86 mile point to wait for the rain to stop. After about 15 minutes the rain did stop so I got back on the bike. The rain held off until about the 10 mile point when the sprinkles resumed with some thunder in the distance. As usual when the rain began shelter was not readily available so I pedaled on. Reaching a dry place I again waited about 10 minutes but I needed a “nature” break so back on the bike to the closest option, the Atascocita Library Branch. From there the ride was in light rain all the way home. Once I got home I wiped my bike down. The prize for this ride: grit and grime plus a stripe up my back.

Thankfully I chose a long sleeve jersey even though the temperature was 73 degrees at the start, 70 degrees at the end. So I did not chill out when I did stop. One of the weather slides below shows the rain on the radar at the start but I thought it would not have enough momentum to get to the ride area before I got back home. The slide at the end of the ride shows the rain still south of where I biked but the rain fell anyway. Rain is forecast for tomorrow so the plan to ride in Katy at the Puddle for the Ducks will probably not happen for me.

February mileage standings:

47.83 miles
YTD 315.07 miles

Garmin Connect data link RideWithgps.com data link

2-3-2012 Bike Ride Data and Route Map

2-3-2012 Home Weather Station End

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One Should Not Despair – February 1st Bike Ride

Rick Ankrum — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:19:09 +0000

When I got up this morning the weather did not look a biking day could come out of this. Fog and intermittent rain sure tried to doom the day. But one should not despair. By 11 AM the sun arrived and the clouds thinned. The streets needed to dry out but around here that does not take long. By 1 PM it appeared I could go biking. After lunch I dressed with the intention of riding my mountain bike. I even had my mountain bike shoes on and headed to leave when I decided the road bike should be the vehicle for today. To along with the sun the thermometer showed 78 degrees (77 at the finish of the ride). Partly cloudy skies and a light WSW breeze made today a spring one. I will take as many as I can get.

Riding my Motobecane Le Champion the 29.44 miles today got me to 296.69 miles for the year. I thought I might get a little closer to the 300 mile mark. January miles totaled 267.25 since I did not get to bike yesterday due to rain off and on all day. Other stats for today: 15.3 mph average speed, 22.0 mph max speed, 80.5 RPM average cadence. Tomorrow could repeat today’s weather and if this happens I should bike some more.

Garmin Connect data link. RideWithgps.com data link.

2-1-2012 Bike Ride Data and Route Map

2-1-2012 Home Weather Station End

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Do Not Pound the Stitches – January 30th Bike Ride

Rick Ankrum — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:58:10 +0000

My last bike ride took place on Thursday January 26th. Since then I did not bike because of some minor surgery on my right calf. The doctor said to not bike for a few days today ended the few days. So back on the bike but I backed off of the mountain bike gears so I would not pound the stitches. As I biked several phrases came to mind playing off the stitches angle but I will spare you from those. Since I lowered the gearing by one rear cog I did not exert my right leg as much and I chose a relatively flat route (as if we have hills in Kingwood) to not add to the drama.

Weather wise the temperature stood at 69 at the beginning and 68 at the end. The sun made an attempt to shine through the clouds but towards the end of the ride it kinda gave up. Wind held stead at 12 mph from the southeast, not too big a deal amongst the trees. The loggers almost disappeared from the trails except for one spot. No chainsaws but the chippers ground away.

Ride stats:

17.49 miles
11.3 mph average speed
16.7 mph max speed
78.1 RPM average cadence
January miles 267.25

Garmin Connect data link RideWithgps.com data link

1-30-2012 Bike Ride Data and Route Map

1-30-2012 Home Weather Station End

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Tree Chunks from the Sky – January 26th Bike Ride

Rick Ankrum — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:17:57 +0000

Yesterday the Houston area endured heavy wind and up to 4 inches of rain. I did not ride yesterday needless to say. Now today the wind slowed down some to 18 mph with 23 mph gusts when I started biking. Clouds could not make up their mind as they rotated cloudy to sunny. The weather forecast said 61 degrees for the high but at the start time 66 degrees showed on my weather station falling to 64 when I finished. My weather station showed 2.83 inches of rain on Wednesday so I expected water on the trails. That happened but the number of fallen limbs and branches were high. At two places I encountered workers cutting down trees and clearing the trails. One towered high up a tree cutting 3 or 4 foot chunks from an upright tree. I waited while one fell to the ground. At another spot 6 inches or more of water covered the trail. The workers piled cut branches on the trail but they moved them so I could pass.

After today I will not bike for a few days due to minor surgery on right leg. I wanted to get some miles in before so today’s 18.09 miles was important. With the wind and coolness I chose my Motobecane 700HT mountain over my road bike. I did manage 11.5 mph for an average speed which reflected biking into the wind. My max was 18.2 mph and 73.4 RPM average cadence. January miles total 249.76. Last week I took some pictures of bridges on the trails but did not ride over them. Today I went that way for the first time.

Garmin Connect data link.

RideWithgps.com data link.

1-26-2012 Bike Ride Data and Route Map

1-26-2012 Home Weather Station End

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A Sea of Large Yellow Boxes – January 23rd Bike Ride

Rick Ankrum — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:57:21 +0000

I did not bike yesterday. It was too dreary and the wind kept blowing at 23+ mph. I was out today though. The wind died down to 6.9 mph from the NE and the clouds thinned out to mostly cloudy to overcast at times. The weather forecast was a little optimistic on the temperature reaching 72 with 69 at the start of the ride and 70 at the end. I stuck to my guideline and rode into the wind at the start and the tailwind was nice on the way back. I paid the price speed wise until the turnaround at 12 miles or so. I was averaging under 15 mph up to that point. Tomorrow afternoon rain storms are supposed to roll in so I will have to get out ride earlier than today.

For a change I guessed right on my attire.: long sleeve jersey, leg warmers and windbreaker. It was warm enough that half finger gloves were comfortable. Add sunscreen and I was all set.

The 29.89 miles I biked today moved the January total 231.67 miles. I am almost up to December’s 269.41 miles. I looked at my old spreadsheet biking log and learned that my January average miles has been 209 for 1988 to 2009. The average speed landed at 15.3 mph which means the leg headed south more than compensated for the slower northbound one. I sped along with 80.6 RPM cadence which allowed a max speed of 23.1 mph. Towards the end of my ride I got to observe the school buses shuttling students. I did not realize the fleet activity for this. It was a sea of large yellow boxes on the road. I did not see other bikers.

Garmin Connect data link. RideWithgps.com data link.

1-23-2012 Bike Ride Data and Route Map

1-23-2012 Home Weather Station End

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Today’s ride put me over my… – January 21st Bike Ride

Rick Ankrum — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 23:04:49 +0000

Today’s ride put me over my average January mileage of 200 miles. The 30.54 mile route was long enough that my January totals 201.79. With 10 days left I there is the possibility that I can added more miles. With the strong wind from yesterday I averaged 15.5 mph, max speed of 22.3 mph and an average cadence of 81.4 RPM. The cadence and average speed are significantly up from yesterday.

Even though the weather did not match the forecast it was not that far off. The temperature started at 73 and ended at 71. The clouds were heavy as a front moves in slowly from the northwest via the 8.1 mph NW breeze. I wore a long sleeve jersey which was a little too chilly when I was riding into the wind but just right with the wind. Maybe another jersey over the top would have helped but it might be too warm. In a few months this won’t be a question. Apparently 5 other bikers thought the weather good enough to be out biking. I passed them spread out on the route. Tomorrow is supposed to 77 degrees so I plan on enjoying the warmth while it is here.

Garmin Connect data link RideWithgps.com data link

1-21-2012 Bike Ride Data and Route Map

1-21-2012 Home Weather Station End

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When you don’t follow your guidelines you pay the price – January 20th Bike Ride

Rick Ankrum — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 22:59:53 +0000

When you don’t follow your guidelines you pay the price. Today was one of those days. I decided to ride north at first today for some variety and this happened to be with the wind. The guideline bike into the wind at the start and enjoy the tailwind coming back. Most of the time the is not a serious issue but today the 12 mph south wind with 22 mph gusts got serious. As forecast by our trusty weatherman, it got up to 77 degrees settling down to 75 when I finished. Clouds rolled in and out some so the sun peeked out once in awhile. Even with this temperature I decided to wear a long sleeve jersey in case I hit some cool air and for some sun protection.

Paying the price was when I turned back toward home into the wind. The 29.4 mile route did not offer much shelter from the wind so while I could spin along at up to 24 mph going north heading south I slowed to below 10 mph at times when I got hit with some strong gusts. The road bike handled it much better than I did. I should have lowered my gears going south but I hung with the big gear and pedaled slower RPM. I ended up with 14.8 mph average speed but at the turn around point the average was almost 15.6 mph. With the strong tailwind I maxed out at 23.9 mph, averaged cadence 76.0 RPM. The RPM’s would be higher if I used lower gears. Tomorrow’s weather is supposed to repeat today’s. January miles reached 171.24.

Garmin Connect data link Ridewithgps.com data link

1-20-2012 Bike Ride Data and Route Map

1-20-2012 Home Weather Station End

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