Author Archives: John Henry

Saturday – Where Did This Wind Storm Come From Anyway

 

Distance 62.4 mi
Moving Time 4:39:24
Avg Speed 13.4 mi/h
Avg Watts 147 W
Elev Gain 459 ft

 

20141025Wind

We headed headed north to Donald and the wind was behind us.  Really behind us.  We were doing 20 mph easy without effort.  We knew it would be different coming back south.

We were right.

The forecast was for 60 mph gusts from the south.  I know we felt at least one 50 mph gust.  The riding was hard, but it was a direct headwind so all we had to do was hunker down and peddle.

Joanne was ahead of me and was fighting the wind on 99E when Mike and Grace drove by in their van.  They stopped and offered a ride to her and she was pleased to climb in.  They dropped her off at home and she immediately went out in our van to rescue riders.  Soon our van was full and after dropping off those thankful riders, she went out for another pass.

I meanwhile took the most direct path home and made it in before she found me.

In the graph above, you can see how much the wind affected my speed.  The spikes in the second haft of the ride were because the road turned to the north for a short ways.

Shakedown Ride for the Touring Bike

I will be joining a small group of friends on an overnight pack down ride on the Oregon Coast this weekend.  So, I broke out the touring bike, my Trek 520, and rode it on the SBC Wednesday Night Ride.  Other than being a slug, I am very happy with it.  The tires held air.  The bike shifted gears.  The brakes slowed me down.  And I detected no rattles.  Looks like I am going to have fun!

Long Training Ride with a Bonus Hill – Summit Loop

SBC_Sunday_-_Mt._Pleasant20141015-2-1k8d1uk

The day started out a bit cold. My long sleeve jersey was just enough to keep my arms just cool and the three layers on my body kept me nice and cozy. But soon, the sun burned through the low cloud layer and the day turned out to be nice and warm.

The Salem Bicycle Club route was a bit long to begin with, and Joanne and add added about 15 extra miles because we rode to the start from our home.

As we came upon the turn to Summit Loop, which was not on the route, I decided to take this detour and climb some hills. I had my best time (of three) during this effort:
Time: 19:19
VAM: 580
Speed: 7.1
Distance: 2.3 miles
Elevation Gain: 614 ft
Average Grade: 5%
Maximum Grade: 15%

SummitLoop