CLUB EXPERIENCED BIKE RIDE

This morning’s bike ride was my 28^th day-in-a-row on a bike. That’s four full weeks of getting up in the morning and then hopping on my road bikes for a morning ride. I love it!

Having a couple of options this morning, I chose to ride with our cycling club’s experienced group, which maintains speeds between 16-18+ mph. There are lots of nice people in this group, all leaning towards safety rather than extreme speeds.

We had what I consider a perfect number of riders this morning – 10 bikes and 11 riders. You guessed it; one bike was a tandem recumbent.

The club ride itself was exactly 30 miles at an average pace of 16 mph. However, instead of putting my bike on a car rack to get to the meet-up place, I rode my bike 6 additional miles on sidewalks at a measly pace of 7 mph, which drops my overall pace to 14.7. No big deal. I’m just sayin’.

RIDE STATS INCLUDING SIDEWALK:

Distance: 35.47 miles or 57.08 kilometers

Time: 02:25:09

Overall Pace: 14.7 mph or 23.66 k/h

Calories Burned: 823

Average Heart-Rate: 117

Elevation Gain: 68 feet

87 degrees, felt like 95 degrees

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/196592192

http://app.strava.com/activities/12714969

FRIDAY ESCORT AND COFFEE SHOP RIDE

Other than the high temps and off the chart humidity, the weather cooperated with my 27^th day-in-a-row bike ride. Even the territorial crows failed to strafe my bike helmet as the five of us passed underneath their squatters-rights tree.

Adding a few miles to this morning’s ride, Sandy S. and I needlessly went on a search and rescue mission. Thinking that one of our biking amigos was in trouble well behind us, we doubled back 2 to 3 miles in search of someone that unknowingly passed us while we were riding and chatting about the Tour de France and biking in general.

He was nowhere to be found, so we then U-turned and headed for the coffee shop after two futile attempts to call him on his cell phone.

After spotting his bike leaning against the store-front wall when we approached the midway point, the infamous coffee & bagel shop, we wondered, “How is it possible that a fellow biker could pass us without our knowledge?” But he did! Oh well, serves us right for chatting while cycling.

The ride itself was good, with periods of fast riding and phases of moderately slow riding. We maintained a good mixture of fast and slow!

I believe I set a personal best on the westbound South Post I-75 bridge incline segment. I never dropped below 17.4 mph and my heart rate never went above 147 during the ascent. My previous best was 16 mph.

Oh, the first four miles of this morning’s ride was at a 6 mph pace. Like I’ve happily done many times in the past, I rode alongside my marathon-running wife while she did a training run/walk. Four miles at 6 mph will surely bring down your overall average speed!  Marital bonding, however, is more important than any bicycling pace. 

RIDE STATS:

Distance: 32.00 miles

Time: 02:39:01

Average Speed: 12.1 mph

Calories burned: 637 (debatable)

Average Heart Rate: 106

Elevation Gain: 110 feet

http://app.strava.com/activities/12641463

PARK RIDE WITH THE DINOSAURS

For my 26^th day in a row on the bike, I circled the county park eight times with my lovely wife, briefly stopping three times for water or Gatorade.

If anyone has seen Jurassic Park, the 1993 dinosaur movie, you may recall those tiny dinosaurs that would devour someone in the same manner that piranhas would, one small bite at a time. Well, we had two of them, or something very similar, run across our path when biking along the water. I was ready to unclip and bring my legs up near the handle bar as they darted across the narrow, asphalt walking path. They are actually very cute, but they did bring to mind the epic science fiction adventure thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg.

Anyway, other than the darting dinos, and the fact that we did a lot of climbing on this ride, 29 feet, this morning’s park ride was typical of most park rides, ride around in circles until you reach your mileage goal. Today’s goal was 21 miles. We pedaled for 21.32 miles. Mission accomplished!

It’s now time for breakfast!!

Ride Stats:

Miles: 21.32

Time: 01:45:02

Average Speed: 12.2 mph

Calories Burned: 349

Average Heart Rate: 98

Elevation Gain: 29

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/195972546

http://app.strava.com/activities/12551661

Independence Day Bike Ride

Considering that my first four miles was done at a 6 mph pace while riding alongside my wife as she did a training run, I was well pleased with my 25^th daily bike ride in a row.

The average temperature was 86 degrees, but man was it ever humid. The heat index was just below 100 degrees. A slight rain shower just prior to our ride made for damp roads and even more humidity.

We had a rather small group today, only three of us, as several of our biking amigos had holiday plans or rode with larger groups supported by individual biking clubs. I chose to ride with the mall guys mainly because riding with them gave me a chance to be with my wife during her training prior to our 8 a.m. pedals up. Ride with a large biking group or ride alongside my wife? No contest - I’ll choose riding alongside my pretty lady any day.

The town of Weston, which is where we stop for coffee, sponsored an Independence Day 5K earlier this morning – hence a lot of runners and walkers crowding the coffee and bagel shop. Every one of them looked to be a sweaty mess with a broad smile. Intense, satisfying exercise does that to you.

Ride Stats:

Distance: 28.00 miles

Time: 02:18:42

Average Speed: 12.1 mph

Average Heart Rate: 111

Calories Burned: 714

Average Temperature: 86 degrees

Elevation Gain: 121 feet

http://app.strava.com/activities/12456897

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/195663900

COUNTY PARK RECOVERY RIDE

This morning’s bike ride was a squiggly wiggly type of ride in the county park with my favorite cyclist, my awesome wife and Daily Mile’s, Janet J.

We rode our road bikes on both the walking paths and the main roads throughout most of the park. In no hurry this morning, we kept our pace way down – stopping four times for water and one time for a photo op. How could we possibly do a ride without snapping a couple pictures with the smart phone!

Concerned for a cyclist that was stopped alongside the road, we stopped to insure that she was okay. As soon as her leg stopped cramping, she and her male companion continued on their cheery way. She thanked us for stopping! He appeared to be grumpy pants.

24th cycling day in a row!

Today’s Stats:

Distance: 20.7 miles

Time: 01:50:09

Calories Burned: 331

Elevation Gain: 75 feet

Average Speed: 11.3 mph

Average Heart Rate: 93

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/195314290

http://app.strava.com/activities/12367012

MONDAY COFFEE SHOP RIDE

After riding around the shopping mall for 5.41 miles, riding alongside my wife while she ran, I met up with four of my cycling buddies at our usual meet-up spot.

Other than Sandy S and I pulling away from the group on the way to the coffee shop, beating them to the coffee shop by eleven minutes, there’s not a whole lot I can say about this morning’s routine ride. It was rather warm out, but that comes with living in the sub-tropics.

This was my 23^rd day in a row cycling. I’ve set a tentative goal of 60 days, the approximate amount of days that it would take me to bike across the United States of America - considering my current cycling ability.

Note:  One of the shortest cycling distances across America runs from San Diego, CA to St. Augustine, FL. Cycling 52 miles per day, it would take 60 days to make the 3,100 mile trip.  This most certainly is doable.  

Today’s Stats

Distance: 24.75 miles

Time: 1:46:44

Average Speed: 14 mph

Calories Burned: 590

Average Heart-rate: 116

Elevation Gain: 159 feet

http://app.strava.com/activities/12288362

JOHN U LLOYD BEACH STATE PARK BIKE RIDE

Arial View of the north end of John U Lloyd State Park

With the temperature soaring to 89 degrees during this morning’s bike ride, my 22^nd day in a row on the bike sure was a hot one. 

The wind was reportedly coming from the southeast at 4 mph, but that’s a little deceiving when riding along the Atlantic Ocean. We could safely double that wind-speed and come up with a more accurate wind measurement.

All riding this morning was done in John U Lloyd Beach State Park, a 2.3 mile stretch of beach sand, sea grapes and asphalt roadway. 

On the east side of the park is the Atlantic Ocean and on the west side is the Intracoastal Waterway. The park begins at Dania Beach on the south and ends at Port Everglades on the north.

http://www.floridastateparks.org/lloydbeach/default.cfm

The first 18 miles this morning, I rode with two of my marathon friends, both ladies who excel at both running and cycling. My wife, who also runs marathons, was absent because she had to work this morning.

From 18 miles to 31.14 miles, I rode by my lonesome. Well, not exactly. There must have been 75 to 100 other cyclists riding on the narrow road along with numerous runners and walkers doing their thing. One thing about South Florida, everywhere you look you’ll see hundreds of runners, walkers and cyclists. And you’ll see this year round, not just in the summer.

This morning’s 31+ miles puts me slightly over 200 cycling miles for the week, my longest to date.

This morning’s ride had an elevation gain of 200 feet and an elevation loss of 184 feet. I must still be on top of that one 4% incline/decline bridge.

Ride Stats
Miles:  31.14
Time:  2:06:20
Average Pace:  14.8 mph
Average Heart Rate:  121
Elevation Gain:  200 feet
Calories Burned:  792

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/194636862

http://app.strava.com/activities/12199194