And the few Hobartians do a double-take… [“Waimea Ave is def a climb, but not that long… oh… Rd…”]
Nice work! [climbs kill me]
A cool day yesterday at 1 C, warming to about 4 or 5 C later, though temperature varied due to altitude and region. The intent was time in the saddle with the secondary notion of reaching a town that’s about 3-3.5hrs away. Figured I’d make it and worst case I’d take the train home or I’d make it ride back. In the end, I realized I missed a turnoff and figured I’m digging a big enough hole and to head home.
The country (Switzerland) has marked paths/pathways all around. They are primarily for walkers/hikers and can include circuits (see ex below, from a ride two weeks ago, which includes a route for wheelchairs). They’re not helpful to cyclists except in a pinch, but I find them very useful on the trails. Many have time to destination (based on walking), like 1 Std 40 Min (1hr, 40min). They’ll point to towns, villages, clumps of houses (“hamlets”?), or points (like Zugerberg), and they may note the route has a train or ferry station. These signs are found in the middle of forests as well. I constantly use them to explore new routes. If I have no idea where the town/village/POI is relative to where I am going, I just pull out Google Maps.
All in all, a good 5hrs, 50mi of riding. Mostly trail, some road (nearly all 1 lane wide back roads) and for the first couple of hours, virtually to myself. I didn’t see other trail riders until 3.5hrs in and on my way home.
Rode out to Sunday base training ride and got in some extra miles, almost 5 hour ride…
This should really be along the Highway 4 climb on the DeathRide:
A lot of bike traffic on this route:
Not sure if this is the inspiration for Baxter workout name, but if you were strong climber it would be a fun to ride up this Baxter Grade on a fixie:
Time to wash the bike, this dead spider has been hitching a ride for weeks now
Frostbite 50 Gravel event out near Rockford, IL. Simply an awesome event…no entry fee, no numbers, just line up and go.
Weather was awesome for this time of year…~40* to start and warmed up into mid-40’s by the end. Bit of strong breeze from the SW meant there were damn few tailwind sections. Dirt / gravel roads were in great shape.
Awesome chili and beer afterwards as well.
Did I mention it was all free? Made a healthy donation at the end to help cover their costs.
And you gotta love an event that has a cooler of Hamm’s at the rest stop. (Don’t @ me…Hamm’s rocks!!)
Hey Sam did you get this sorted out? Yesterday I rode for 2 hours to the start of a group ride, hit the top right hand button on my Edge 530, and the first option allowed me to load a course. The entire 5 hour ride was recorded as a single ride.
There are two main ways to access loading a course mid-ride. The easiest way is above. It is also possible to use lower right button (back button) to return to main menu, tap the down arrow (bottom left button) a few times and then Navigation > Courses and load the course.
Hope that helps.
I haven’t had time for anything outside lately. I’ll try tonight.
First outdoor ride since breaking my collarbone last month, a full five weeks of frustration 
Then again the weather here in the UK has been dire.
Nothing too arduous, 22km with 380m of ascent (we live near the top of a hill, there’s no way to avoid climbing), mostly road since the path alongside the canal that I was going to use is shut for repairs.
Avalanche Spire +1 as a TR outdoor workout. We had more snow in the last 36 hours – though not straight through and with melt yesterday afternoon, snow last night, melt this morning, snow this afternoon – than the entire winter combined. So, I had to get out.
Recovery and disturbing a stork(?) before turning around and going back up the hill for the next interval.
Another flat section during a recovery on my way to a downward path.
A pause during recovery before taking the right, uphill, route for the next interval. (No horses allowed to the left… a few intervals were interrupted to slow and pass horses being walked, not ridden, on the trail.)
I didn’t realize how color coordinated I was. Happily homeward with the Garmin reporting my workout was “Productive”!
There’s a funny thing about doing TR Outdoor workouts. It always seems that my Garmin says the time in the saddle was “Productive” (or, in the case of yesterday, “Peaking”) after a TR outdoor workout while the rides outside not following, guided, or otherwise attempting to adhere to a TR workout tend (are nearly always or perhaps always) “Unproductive.”
Late (9:15a) meant more traffic on the trails. Horses. People. People with dogs. And a tractor. Slowing for each to be polite or, in some cases, safe, despite being in the middle of an interval, like Tallac+3 yesterday. Muddy at times but dry for the last 40%. Climbing during the hard intervals and some single track in the recovery at the end.
Went for a quick MTB ride (12km) with my wife up the local hill and back. Just a bit windy! Got a second fastest time on one segment but didn’t really feel like I was trying on it.
https://strava.app.link/w2oZ3Musv4
First proper ride on the new gravel/adventure bike. Rode over muddy grass trails, I have mega respect for cross racers skills. It reminds me of riding a 90s fully rigid bike, only with decent brakes (GRX discs).
As noted in the workout thread…
Aborted a 2-lap run of the cycleway due to a flat tyre near end of lap 1.
Hit mid-50’s in Chicago today…drove about 2 hours west to ride some gravel. 56 miles, 5K+ of climbing…don’t let people tell you IL is flat!!!
This little fooker almost ruined my day!! Scampered out in front of me on a mild descent…full on skidding, panicked stop!
And the reward at Lena Brewing in Lena, IL…perfect ending!!!
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Adult literacy is an actual issue here. This may be symptomatic…
Though, symbols don’t seem to be understood, either. [Red light on right turns… driver patiently waited until there was a break, and then immediately turned right.]
Which makes me a bit nervous waiting here for ~3 minutes [there’s occasionally an upright “Keep Left” sign here] waiting for lights to change
The view would be relaxing, if not for… ^^
‘almost’ is good. 
I had a pair of pigeons fly out of the grass right at edge of bike path, one gave me no chance to avoid it, almost beheaded it with front wheel. 
[At least it was quick]
Possums (brush-tailed… ring-tailed stick to the trees far more), cats, & rabbits are a common near-hazard on the cycleway at night. And plovers/lapwings ‘threaten to be’ fairly regularly. Rarely: a pademelon, potoroo, or wallaby… but they tend to avoid light ‘earlier’.