Figured what the hell I already drove let’s see what happens. Well this ride was cut even shorter as it down poured after about 5 minutes. We stood in the woods waiting hoping it would ease up but after a 5 minute bath the trails had standing water and our day was done
I added them for Leadville so I could have another position to hold the bars, and with a narrower grip. Have left them on since. Gives another place to hold the bars. Nice on long climbs to change hand position.
Our local hill was one of the warning beacons during the Napoleonic wars and guards were stationed near the summit in a hut for a week at a time. During one harsh winter they ran short of provisions so one volunteered to head down to the village for replenishments. He didn’t make it back. His body was found 150m from the hut where they later erected a memorial stone though it’s marked on the map as “Robert Wilson’s Grave”. Now I’d never managed to find this before so thought I’d dodge the showers and have a sniff around.
Since I wasn’t going far I thought I’d take the fat bike. The last time I’d ridden this was in Norway when I’d got blown off and broke my collarbone. Today was pretty windy. What could possibly go wrong? Well the seat post was stuck for a start and at just too low a height to be comfortable but I couldn’t move it. Air in the tyres, oil the chain and away we go.
A long steady climb up on to the moor, past the expected site of the “grave” and up to the summit.
It were a bit blowy on top so no time to linger. Back down the way I’d come and try to figure out where this grave was. I dropped below where I had searched before. The first stop didn’t yield anything but a bit further on there was a very faint track leading off the one I was on. Bingo!
It was now looking like I wasn’t going to avoid the showers so on with the jacket and over the moor to pick up a path that leads back towards home. I’ve ridden this loads and it’s a great bit of moorland riding. The shot below is from a couple of months ago when my wife and I rode it.
The next bit of track was the one in the mid-distance leading past the farm, just after it bends left there’s a steep BW down into the village. By now the shower was pretty heavy and things were grim and it looked like there was an even heavier one on the way. Sure enough it hit just as I started down into the village :roll: Thoroughly soaked I rolled back along the road to home just as yet another shower arrived.
Out for just over an hour and a grand total of 12km!
Weather is better so out on the road bike. Well, that and the gravel bike is in the shop because the power meter died. Quarq is kindly replacing the under-warranty (18mo old) PM with a brand new PM, but my cranks are apparently incompatible with the new PM, so it seems that bike is getting an unplanned upgrade. So, it was time on the road bike yesterday and today in cool, not cold, weather with nice sunshine.
Yesterday was a lumpy ride of 68mi. An early-ish start meant few people on the road, cars or bikes. The promise of warmer weather later in the day really leads to people starting later, which was/is fine by me.
Stopped for a picture on “the” Zurich bridge at the edge of the lake. The bridge itself isn’t special but it’s usually packed with tourists, even 8a-ish on a Sunday (early tour starts, jet lag, etc). I was the only person taking a picture on the bridge.
A quite morning heading down toward Rapperswil-Jona near where the former IM Zurich bike course turned left for its first climb. Ahead is the medieval center of Rapperswil where the 70.3 was postponed to September this year.
And on the causeway over the lake with Rapperswil behind, Zurich out of sight to the right, and few cyclists in my path. I saw a lot of packs of riders just starting out. I prefer the earlier start.
The 3T was at the LBS for the last ten days so I had to get out on it and hear the birds this morning. The Quarq power meter went haywire. Quarq replaced it with the latest model free of charge, but the new model isn’t compatible with my cranks, so I had to buy new cranks. Plus, since they had the bike, I asked them to break it down and clean it, knowing the headset was shot. They replaced the headset, the bottom bracket, and found the rear rotor was toast (what goes up must come down). In the end, the trip to the bike shop for a no-cost warranty replacement of the power meter ultimately cost over $800. Ouch.
Hey, just curious, where do you do hard intervals outside in the Seattle area?
Like minute on, minute off, tabatas, stuff like that. BGT wouldn’t be safe or appropriate, mercer island loop sometimes has inappropriately placed hills, the open country out in Duvall or Carnation is kinda far away.
I guess you could always do repeats of the hill behind golden gardens, the hills in west seattle, but then your options are more limited. You’re letting the terrain dictate the structure rather than having the structure dictate the structure. Totally fine, just different.
This time of the year it’s absolutely gorgeous! I’m relatively new to Seattle but lived in the PNW almost my whole lift, and that’s generally the theme: Wet and/or cold winters, cloudy shoulder seasons, and stunning summers.
@devolikewhoa83 Yeah, that kinda stuff is hard. BGT would never work. Golden Gardens works ehhh. East side of Lake Samm is doable if you’re off peak hours, especially once you leave walking distance of Marymoor. Probably a bit far depending where you’re starting from, but Fall City is outright empty and flat. Depending on how much time you’re spending total/how annoying it is to turn around, the on-road section on the east side of Samm is probably gonna be your top pick. It’s got a bit of grade and one two-minute climb, but you could still interval it generally.
yeah, fall city might be the jam, at least on long days. I could head out there via the I-90 trail, ride a little there, head up the snoqualmie valley trail to Duvall, and then head back over the topside. I’m still looking for something better than woodinville-duvall road as a way of getting back but i’m sure i’ll find it.
Thanks!
BTW, last night i did some anaerobic intervals with short recoveries, so working anaerobic capacity and also vo2max as the workout went on. I used the back side of Juanita Hill (i.e. the side where going up the hill, you’re heading away from downtown kirkland). It’s gentle enough that you can pedal (rather than just coasting) on the way down. So, do two minutes up real hard, turn around and pedal down, start turning around about 20 seconds before your rest period ends, rinse and repeat. Wasn’t a bad setup.
The climb heading south is harder than north. My pr heading south is a 1:53 with my 3.6w/kg for reference. You can soft pedal either decent, wide shoulders. I love that little climb.
Totally agree, I like them both. but the one heading north seems to be longer and has more gentle sections (where your available range of cadences and gears is more wide open).
