Lots and lots of riding...

I can definitely say I've been putting in some miles!  I recently joined ABC (Arkansas Bicycle Club) and have joined in on some truly fun rides!  I've met some really great people and I love having the option of group riding or doing my "own thing".

On July the 4th, we rode down to Riverfront Park and saw a truly spectacular fireworks show!  The weather was fantastic...it was mild, with a gentle breeze and the humidity was almost nonexistent.

On Monday, July 11, I met up with the group and we rode to the Argenta Market for a bite to eat and then to Dickey-Stephens ball park to watch the Travs play Frisco Tx. It ended up being only three of us, but we were joined by three other people later. I have never ridden my bike to a baseball game...what an experience.  This was only the second time I've ridden at night and had to use a headlight.  I'm loving it! It's exciting and a bit scary all at the same time! 

Saturday, July 16 was the YaYa's ride. We met at the Promenade for a ride to Paron and back.  The ride was a bit hilly but there was plenty of shade starting out. I met a cousin, that I had never met before, and we ended up riding together and talking. He is a fast, and very strong rider...I think if I rode more with him, I'd be better and faster :) It was a pretty hot day and I think a couple of the riders had problems with it.  When we returned, we had lunch at YaYa's and it was delicious!

The Wampoo Roadeo was held Saturday, July 23. I rode 63.6 miles and averaged about 18mph.  This ride is a fund raiser for the Marilyn Fulper Memorial Fund. She was killed last year when a motorist ran a red light at the intersection of Cantrell Road and River Mountain Road.  A sad reminder for me to get out there and enjoy life and live it to the fullest!

I've been doing a lot of riding on my own and I've also been going to Helena and riding hills with Hannah.  She is fantastic and so athletic!!! I'm totally in awe with her riding! It was really helped me to get in some hill training and I can already see the difference.  I still have a long way to go, but I'll eventually get there!

Next week I'll be traveling to Greenwood, MS for Bikes Blues and Bayous. This will be a relaxing ride - no 100 miler. There will be a few people from ABC going and I can't wait to meet up with some of the ladies for a good day of riding. I sure hope I can fit in some pool time ;-)



Tour de Corn

I did my second century ride in East Prairie, MO on Saturday, June 25, 2011. I woke up early that morning to the sound of thunder and pouring rain - not a good thing when you're riding a bike.  Lucky for me, the storm moved out and the sun was shinning by the time the ride started.  The streets and highways were still a little wet so I did manage to sling road grime all over my jersey.

The ride started off great! I met up with a guy, Barry from Cape Girardeau, that was attempting his first century.  We averaged almost 18mph during the first half of the ride, and then it came...the WIND! The wind was pretty fierce during the last half and we took a wrong turn which also slowed us down.  I remember him asking me what riding a century felt like and I responded..."The last 20 miles or so, you're going to feel like you're dying!"  And I think that's how we pretty much felt by the time we reached the finish line.  For me, this was harder than Tour de Rock...THANKS WIND :)

It took us 6 hours and 35 minutes to finish, which was faster than my time for my last century ride.  The rest stops were great, I didn't see any of the famous sweet corn on the cob that they had shown on the website, but I think that was because they had such a wet spring and they were late planting the crops.

 This was an enjoyable ride, and I can say that I will definitely be back next year!

Tour de Oink





Tour de Oink was held in Morrilton June 18, 2011. Jane and I met up there and rode together. There were two distance routes and we chose the long one which was 40 miles. The weather was pretty nice. It was sunny and kind of windy, but later it got a little cloudy and that helped to keep the temps down.

There were three rest stops, but we only stopped at one. The rest stop in Atkins had some delicious homemade cookies! It was right across from a church that had a huge, beautiful steeple.

We made decent time on this ride, even with the wind blowing.  It only took us 2 hours and 38 minutes. I must say this was one of the most enjoyable rides I've been on this year.  The scenery was really nice, the roads were pretty good and the watermelon at the end of the ride was perfect!  I wouldn't have known about this ride if Jane hadn't mentioned it and I found out more info on the ACF website.  I hope next year they'll advertise it more, because it was a really nice ride and and I think people would enjoy it.

Big, white country church in the middle of nowhere.

The steeple :)

Jane and me and the rest stop in Atkins. They even had Atkins pickles!

Tour de Rock



The Fab Five: Fred, me, Christy, Bob (the navigator) & Jane

Finally! The ride I've been waiting for....the ride that started my passion for cycling....the ride I knew I was going to reach my goal on! I did it!! I rode 100 miles (actually 104).

The Carti Tour de Rock was held June 11 and I rode with my training ride buddies: Christy, Bob, Jane and Fred. Jane and I finished after 7 hours and 9 minutes and Fred came in 45 minutes behind us. We were lucky in the fact that we didn't have any flats or mechanical issues. It was a pretty hot day and we had to deal with some strong winds.

I can honestly say that this wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The last 15 miles were pretty tough, but I kept on going and did it! We stopped at every rest stop and I was so thankful every time I got my hands on ice and cool towels!

Since I've conquered this goal, my next goal will be to beat my time! I'm hoping that I get the opportunity to do just that on June 25 - Tour de Corn! This is going to be in East Prairie, MO.  I'm thinking about going and doing this, the only drawback - no riding buddy, so I'll be doing it alone. The good thing about doing this is that most of the time you meet new people and end up riding with others that are going the same pace as you. Hopefully, that will be case and I'll have a great ride and beat my time :)

Me and Jane right after we finished!

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The Ranch Ride

The Ranch Ride was held Saturday, June 4, 2011 in Conway.  It benefited Soaring Wings Ranch and began at Hendrix College. This was the very first Ranch Ride and was full of hills! (Some very BIG hills!)

I was very apprehensive about doing this at first, but I had a new bike buddy that said he would stay with me the whole time. His support really helped me make it through the day!

I rode the long portion - 56 miles and it took me four hours to do. My average speed was 14.08, which isn't that fast...but for all of those hills...I'll take it! That just gives me wiggle room to improve! I will also admit that I had to push my bike up a few of those hills. These legs of mine are use to the flat delta terrain.

There was a sad twist to the day. One lady did die during this ride when her brakes failed coming down a steep hill and she hit a parked car. I'm aware that riding can be dangerous either through my fault or the fault of someone else and I'm always so thankful when I finish a ride safely.

I would definitely like to improve my speed and my ability to climb hills better. There's always something to work on and get better at and I'm excited to see how much faster and easier I can do this ride next year!


Kenny before the ride. He's a strong rider!



The deadly, really steep hill!





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)