NEW RIVER GREENWAY + PARK RIDE

This was an impromptu afternoon road-bike ride with Sandy S. 

We missed out on our group ride this morning because of rain, so Sandy and I half made up for it by putting in nearly 22 miles this afternoon in high winds and hurried vehicular traffic.

The vehicular traffic was beyond horrible during our rush-hour bike ride.  And riding into the high wind on the greenway made for a good training ride albeit a slow pace.  

So between the road-clogging traffic, high wind and park riding, our overall pace of 11.8 mph was on the lame side.  

http://ridewithgps.com/trips/1713628

RAINY ESCORT RIDE

This morning's bike ride started out to be an escort ride with me riding alongside my wife while she did a training run in and around the mall's parking lot. After escorting her for five or six miles, I was to join my wheel mates for a coffee shop ride. But, unfortunately, a storm front came in from the southeast thwarting those plans.

If the storm passes in good time, Sandy S and I will do our final pre-Sebring ride this afternoon.

http://ridewithgps.com/trips/1710795

MIXED BAG ROADBIKE RIDE

This morning’s road-bike ride with Ron, Sandy, Greg and Carol was a mixed bag of real slow riding, leisurely-pace riding and fast sprints.

 

It was mostly a leisure type ride between the speeds of 12 to 15 mph. The real slow riding was when I rode six-miles alongside my wife while she did one of her patented training run/walks. I also rode slowly when riding the sidewalks back home from the meet-up spot, i.e. the ultra-slow overall pace. Whenever I had to catch up with the other cyclist, that’s when I would go into my fast-sprint mode.

 

I believe my top speed today was 22 mph into the wind. That occurred when I caught up with Ron and Greg just to ask them to stop for a moment while I had my picture taken with my bike on the Orange Drive bike trail. For documentation purposes, I attempt to take a picture of something during every ride, be it the terrain, my bike and I or those I’m cycling with. Today it was just me and my orange and black Felt Road Bike.

 

http://ridewithgps.com/trips/1700873

MOUNTAIN BIKE RIDE ON TRAILS AND SIDEWALKS

100% of this morning’s MTB ride was on bike trails and wide sidewalks, which meant that I was relatively safe from all the idiot wankers that aggressively overpopulate our U.S. roadways.

 

And every person that I passed on the trails and sidewalks this morning was amicable as well as polite. Even their pets appeared to be mildly passive when I passed. Many more rides like this ride and I may go back to actually liking the general population again. I never stopped liking animals.

 

I had planned to ride 60 miles this morning, but domestic responsibilities and a scheduled football game later today in our home stadium thwarted those plans.

 

This evening’s game is only a pre-season game (practice game) versus Tampa Bay, so we will more than likely beat the post-game traffic by leaving the stadium at the end of the third quarter.

 

Getting back to the ride, there were very few clouds during this morning’s ride, and the temperature averaged around 85F. I never could determine the direction of the wind because it was always into my face – or so it seemed.

 

There were hordes of cyclists out today, on MTB’s and road bikes, with most of them dressed in every color in the rainbow and then some. I just hope they were all wearing as much sunscreen as I was.

 

http://ridewithgps.com/trips/1686892

RAINY DAY BIKE RIDE

This morning I rode with Carol, Christina, Sandy and Ron to Einstein’s Bagel Shop and back through occasional rain showers. 

Because of the wet conditions, this morning’s ride turned out to be a slow, leisure ride with lots of conversation.  I like those type of rides!

This was my first ride on my new Continental Grand Prix 4000 Road Tires. Like any tire, they go around and around as long as you pedal. 

I wasn't about to test how well they gripped around wet corners, though. No thank you! I may not be the brightest bulb on the tree, but I still give off a twinkle of light.

My tires, by the way, are the color grey.  

http://ridewithgps.com/trips/1671957

FLORIDA EVERGLADES/WILDERNESS MTB RIDE

Sandy S and I rode our mountain bikes where most humans would only dare to go. Only wild pigs, possums, raccoons, snakes, alligators, Big Foot and mosquitoes dare to venture into the areas that we playfully explored this morning.

We did visit Everglades Holiday Park, a human-friendly oasis where many South Florida tourists stopover for a look see at the Florida Everglades and for air-boat rides.

There was one mishap today, when I fell sideways into a muck pit surrounded by saw grass and stink weed. I was laughing when I was falling and laughing when I lay there amidst one of nature's most harsh environments.

Our one break was at the bait and snack shop inside Holiday Park. While peering across the river of grass, we enjoyed our individual sandwiches, chips and soda pops.

http://ridewithgps.com/trips/1663981

WEIGHTS AND WADDLING DUCKS

There were no videos to watch, my wife was at her work place, the cats were sleeping, so what was a man to do but to work out in the gym and/or ride his bike around the neighborhood. 

It looked like a rain shower was approaching, so I chose to walk to the gym and then do a weight-machine workout with all the other people who were lost for something to do.

I reached the gym just as the sky released gallons and gallons of liquid sunshine on the area. Good timing, old timer!

While working out on the first machine, a leg-abductor machine that faces the large plate glass windows, I enjoyed looking out across the lake as the rain droplets became evident on the water’s surface. The increased wind velocity was evident as well. Two waddling ducks walking along the lake’s western bank must have thought they were in duck heaven.

My walk to the gym was slow as malaises, the weight-machine workout was intense, and the other occupants of the gym basically kept to themselves – what few there were on a Sunday morning. According to my wife, most of the area’s general public was shopping in her store for last minute school clothes and school supplies. Public schools in this area reconvene tomorrow!

My question is, why do people procrastinate so much? Just like Christmas time, when half the population waits ‘till the day before Christmas to purchase many of their gifts. Do they not know that Christmas falls on the same month and day each year? I’m just sayin’…

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/361012860

THE HANGOVER VIRTUAL 10K

While my wife ran/walked the Hangover virtual 10K early this morning, I rode alongside her on my road bike with the two water bottles. One bottle contained water and the other bottle contained Gatorade.

Unable to run any longer because of lower back issues, I signed up for the event solely to donate to the Lupus foundation. I’m glad I did!

The total costs for the virtual event was only $20.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/360215695

ESCORT RIDE AND GROUP RIDE, ALL IN ONE DAY

Before I went off on my regular Friday group ride with the guys, I rode alongside my wife while she did a training run around the Pembroke Lakes Mall parking lot area.

She is training for the Wine & Dine Half Marathon in Disney World, a fun event that takes place the second weekend in November.

http://ridewithgps.com/trips/1645968
 

Tom H, Sandy S and I set out this morning on a totally different route, finally exploring a road that led us from S. Post Road to US 27, a four-lane highway that runs parallel to the Florida Everglades.

Today's ride was hot and humid with full sunshine. We were begging for cloud coverage! Sandy S even ran out of water well before the ride was over with.

No overall pace adjustment was made because of walking the bike and carrying the bike across grassy-areas and high-traffic areas. In my opinion, that’s all a part of the ride.

http://ridewithgps.com/trips/1645967

MTB HALF-METRIC CENTURY +

I pretty much stayed on the sidewalks and bike trails for the duration of this morning’s half-metric century (plus-a-couple) MTB ride.

Everyone else in our cycling group showed up on road bikes except for me. I was the only one that desired to smell roses and gardenias instead of car exhaust.

I’m thinking that I’m healthier for it!

http://ridewithgps.com/trips/1632846

HALF METRIC-CENTURY BIKE RIDE

My overall pace was 13.1 mph only because of 6.5 miles of sidewalk riding to and from the meet up spot. Had it not been for the solo sidewalk riding, my overall pace for this morning’s ride would have been somewhere in the neighborhood of 15.4 mph. Even 15.4 seem low when you consider that our moving speed was typically between 16 to 23 mph, much of that into a steady 12 to 15 mph east wind. Oh well, that’s urban cycling for you, with its countless stops and slowdowns.

Shortly after we passed one area in an upscale single family home area, three of our sheriff’s deputies had to shoot a lady that ran out in the middle of the street with a handgun threatening to shoot anyone and everyone. Her mistake was failing to drop the weapon and then aiming the handgun at the deputies. Major mistake!

All in all, today’s ride was blistering hot, fast, and relatively uneventful – all except for the news about the disgruntled lady that is now deceased. Like they say, that’s life (or death) in the big city.

Thank you, Sandy S, Tom and Greg for the fast, hot ride. Let’s do it again this coming Wednesday. I’ll bring enough salt tabs for all of us.

http://ridewithgps.com/trips/1623068

MTB ESCORT/TRAINING RIDE

While my wife was doing a training run/walk around our shopping mall’s large parking lot, I rode alongside her on my MTB handing her the water bottle whenever she requested a drink.

The steady 10-15 mph breeze coming off the ocean kept the ride/run very comfortable. The temperature, however, was somewhere around 81F with a real-feel of 85F. The humidity, of course, was on the high side. Living in the sub-tropics of South Florida, what else should we expect!?

http://ridewithgps.com/trips/1604435

RETURN BIKE RIDE

After not riding for nine days due to being on vacation in the state of Tennessee, it felt wonderful to again saddle up on my road-bike for a casual out-and-back bike ride. This morning’s ride was perfect for a return ride, slow with lots of chatter.

http://ridewithgps.com/trips/1598684

HIKE TO CLINGMANS DOME, NC

On a chilly, windy, cloudy morning, at 6,500 feet above sea level, my wife and I unhurriedly strolled up the trail that led to the summit of Clingmans Dome in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. Although the summit is in North Carolina, the peak of the mountain is right on the border of N.C. and Tennessee. Clingmans Dome is the highest point in the Smoky Mountains and the third highest in the eastern mountain ranges.

The asphalt trail that leads to the summit maintains a gradient of 15-25 degrees, which was brutally difficult for us flatlanders. Evidently the ascent was difficult for nearly everyone else as well, because along the way most folks rested on the benches that dotted the trail from its beginning to its end. We never rested on the benches, but we did stop twice to look back at my struggling daughter and her husband, who reached the summit several minutes after Jan and me.

Sadly, we could barely see our hands in front of our faces because of the rapidly moving clouds that inhibited any thought of sightseeing. On a clear day on the summit, one may be able to see as far away as 100 miles. On an extremely cloudy day, like the day we did the climb, you’re lucky if you can see 100 feet. I’m not exaggerating.

Anyway, the cooler temperature (61F) felt heavenly compared to what we’re used to in South Florida.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/353553126