More Training for Carti Tour de Rock

I'm still doing the training rides on Saturday whenever I can and whenever the weather isn't too bad. This past weekend I rode for 54 miles and it was a little windy, but I hung in there!

I met some new people that I ended up riding with.  A husband and wife that were very nice!  That's probably one of the best parts of cycling.  It can be such a social event!  I have yet to meet someone that I didn't like or that wasn't friendly and helpful!

This was a great riding day for me!  I had a very healthy breakfast that gave me the fuel I needed.  For a lot of the ride I was in front pulling the small group I rode with.  It was great riding with others because when I got a little tired, I could draft behind someone else. 

I took advantage of the energy gels which really helped me out alot!  Also, I've been using clipless pedals for about three weeks now and I have noticed a big improvement in power!  They have really made a big difference!

We rode on highways that I didn't know even existed! I've never seen these places!  The scenery was really nice.  We rode through old pecan groves and some of these trees had been knocked down by recent storms.

On the way back, we took a little break at the Plantation Agriculture Museum in Scott.  I have passed this place many, many times but have never stopped.  This is a little jewel and I'll have to take the time to come back and visit!  It took about 3 1/2 hours to finish our ride, which wasn't too bad considering the wind.  We averaged about 15.17 mph.  It started to rain on the last 5-10 minutes and I'm thankful we made it back without getting too wet! 

After riding I went to one of my favorite new lunch spots - Argenta Market and had a turkey flatbread sandwich which was just what I needed!  It was a very enjoyable riding day!  I couldn't ride the River Trail like I normally do because a lot of it is under water, so I went by ACF and then headed home later that day.  I hate to say it, but.....I'm ready for some hot weather and still conditions! 

Ride for the Cure

Finally! My first organized ride of 2011 that the weather allowed me to do! It was still very cold and very windy!!! I had planned on doing the 50 mile ride, but due to the weather and all the hills (which I'm not use to doing), I decided to just do the 20 mile ride. Before the actual start, they let all the young children ride around the parking lot on their decorated bikes.  We released pink balloons into the air and then it was off to line up on the street.

The hills were everything I had been dreading! I'm so accustomed to riding on the flat delta land around my house so this day was a definite workout! I will say that just seeing the landscape was worth the drive. 

This was the first time I had visited Jonesboro in a few years.  There was a health expo at the Convocation Center, and it was pretty neat to walk around and check everything out.  They served us HUGE burritos after the ride which were yummy...but it was just way to much food for me to eat!

Ride for the cure was for a great cause and I'll probably do it again next year. I just hope that the weather will be warmer!! (and I can really do without the wind next time)

Reducing my carbon footprint...

I rode my bike to work! I've ridden to Brinkley before and thought about how neat it would be to just ride to work. I left the house before 7:00 so I could be there by 8:00. I knew the wind was out of the south and that it would work in my favor. It was so nice to be out that early during that time of the day. I was on the road in time to see the sun rise - what a great feeling!

I had to carry a backpack with a change of clothes since I was going to be working. I think I'll get a bag together with some essentials to leave at work next time and then I'll only have to carry a work outfit.

The trip to work only took an hour and 10 minutes, but the ride home was another story! That wonderful wind that pushed me to work, was really working against me on the ride back! It took me an extra 25 minutes for the return trip!

I enjoyed doing this and will difinitely do it again! Two advantages to this...I reduced my carbon footprint on the earth this day, and I got my workout in before I got home!

More Training

I did another day of training for the Carti Tour de Rock on Saturday.  I rode 42 miles with a group of people that I thought was going to go about 13-16 mph.  I think I ended up in the wrong group because most of the first part of the ride we were doing about 18mph!

Toward the end of the first half I was beginning to get tired, but I pushed on!  I made it to the rest/turn around point.  I took a few minutes to eat some energy beans and hydrate myself.  I decided to head out, I was on my own and pretty much stayed that way the whole trip back.  I don't mind riding alone, in fact I prefer it, but I will say I was a little nervous about it when I reached Broadway.  Perhaps next time I'll wait for some other riders so I'll feel a little safer :)

Some of the high points about this day was that I met some more nice people and I learned that riding in a group pushes me to go faster! After talking to a lady during the ride, I'm considering getting clipped into my pedals, but that's another topic with more to come!

After the training ride I headed to my usually spot at Burns Park for some more riding.  I did the River Trail two times and my total miles for the day....are you ready??......72.6 miles!!! My new record! I know I'm going to hit my goal before the middle of summer!

I need to mention that I set up a new FB group - Pedal Chix!  I'm hoping to get more women involved with cycling, especially women in my area.  We'll see how it goes!  I'm having the first "group ride" this Wednesday in Brinkley at 5:00.  I'm going to keep it at about a 10 mile ride, I don't want to scare them away with long rides.  Right now I only have 2 ladies wanting to meet up.  Sounds like another blog topic!

Training Ride

Last Saturday I got up bright and early and met several other cyclists for the first training ride of the year for the Carti Tour de Rock.  I was a little intimidated when I arrived. It was mostly men and you could tell most of the people there had been doing this kind of thing for a while!

They divided us into groups - the fast group, the middle group and the slower group.  I of course made my way to the slow group where I met some great people!  Maybe this won't be so bad after all!

After a talk about safety, all of the groups slowly started making their way out.  We headed outside of NLR heading toward England.  It was windy, it was cold and the sun was no where in sight!  I can proudly say that I wasn't the slowest person there! Woo hoooooo!!  I even passed several bikers....guess I'm a little better at this than I thought!

After some great conversation along the way, I finished the 30 mile ride a little after 10:00.  I talked again with one of the ladies I met about some upcoming rides that we were planning on doing and then off to the bike store I went.  I'm working on finding the right kinds of "energy foods" to eat while biking, I purchased a few different things and I have found that I really love the Jelly Belly Sport Beans!!

I headed to Burns Park for some afternoon riding and managed to get in another 30 or so miles.  WOW....that's 60 miles in one day!! I felt so good!  The sun finally came out and it turned into a beautiful day, even if it was still windy!

This Saturday, I'm scheduled to ride in my first tour of this year - the 65 Roses in Searcy.  Last check of the weather shows we may be in for some rain/thundershowers.  If it's raining (lightly) in the morning, I will probably break out the MTB.  I won't be riding at all if it's raining hard!  I get cold too easy and I'm just not into a rainy ride!  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the weather will hold out - this is a great cause, and I'm looking forward to great ride!

50 Mile Club

I finally did it! I rode 50 miles in one day!!! I did the River Trail loop 3 times, then had to do some extra riding around Burns Park to get in the full fifty. My goal is to be able to ride 100 miles in a day by the end of this year, so I'm halfway there! 

So now you're probably asking...."How long did it that take you to do that?" Well that's the sad part. It took me 4 hours! The wind was not in my favor, and I was starting to get pretty tired by the end. I have got to learn how to increase my speed and maintain my fuel. I took a short break for a snack, but after eating and then getting back on the bike, I felt way too full....and I didn't even eat much!

More research and trail and error is needed on my part for sure! I'm working on dropping some more weight which should help a bit. I don't know if I can drop some of the items I carry with me on my bike because I feel safe knowing I have everything I could possibly need. I need to reevaluate some of my exercises that I do when I'm not riding...maybe work more on strength training and interval training. And of course asking experienced riders about some of these issues will help me tremendously!

So now that I've met another goal, it's on to the next one!! Two more weeks until the 65 Roses Tour in Searcy. I hope I can do it! And I hope I can do it without it killing me or taking all day! This ride is sure to be a challenge because there are a ton of hills! I guess we'll see...I'll be keeping my fingers crossed!!

Oh No!!...a flat!

One of my biggest fears and challenges has been a flat tire! I recently experienced this on a ride coming back from Brinkley. I was just out of town heading back when I heard air coming from my rear tire. I pulled into a drive way and did the only thing I could at the time - I called for a ride!

My son came and picked me up and on the way home I decided I'd watch videos online and try to learn how to change my own tire, afterall...I had everything to do it...I just needed the knowledge. After a couple of hours I finally got it done! My only problem now was getting the tire back on the bike, and lucky for me, someone came and showed me how.

I stopped by one of my favorite bike shops and let the guy there check it out. He said I did a great job except that the bike tire needed to be switched around so that the labels were on the same side of the bike with the gears. Oh great...more practice in tire changing since switching it would involve breaking it down.

While I was there I picked up some Co2 cartridges and extra tubes! The Co2 was a challenge in itself because somehow I managed to pick out one that was defective! Another trip to the bike shop confirmed this. I swapped it out with a new and different one and now I'm good to go!

I've accomplished something now that I've needed to learn for a long time!....changing my own flat!! I feel so much more independent now!! I can proudly say I've ridden a couple of times since I've changed my own flat and it has held up beautifully :)

There's so much to learn when it comes to riding! I'm excited about learning new things and I'm ready to meet all the challenges that come my way! I have a bike tour coming up in 3 weeks. I signed up for 65 miles...the longest one for me yet. My challenge is going to be finishing it....I don't know how long it will take me....but I'm going to do it!!!!

Happy riding :)