Not-a-'Mark B.'-Report

[MrSteve]

On one of my rides last week, I caught up to a pair of very fit DF bike riders after a three-mile chase.
The rider with the limber neck kept an eye on my progress, looking over her shoulder now and then.
They were averaging 20MPH
-Which is a fast average on this stretch of country lane, for a DF bike.

I passed 'em on a short downhill, doing +30MPH, only to be re-passed a mile later.
The two women looked like mother and daughter.
I just smiled... too busy pretending I wasn't gasping for breath....
The younger woman, she with the limber neck, said while they were passing, "nice bike"!

Young whippersnapper....

After that exciting bit of hare-and-hound, I took it fairly easy, what with my sore back and all, averaging
a hair over 16MPH for 22.4 miles. Hilly, country miles.

Beautiful Fall weather, here in East TN.!



-Steve

 

[Mark B]

:lol: :lol:

Thanks for the "Not-a-Mark B. Report"! :lol: :lol:

Sounds like you had a great ride!

Mark

 

[defjack]

Most people get so pissed when I pass them they just have to pass me back. It must be something about an old guy on a recumbent. Jack

 

[Mark B]

defjack wrote: Most people get so pissed when I pass them they just have to pass me back. It must be something about an old guy on a recumbent. Jack

Especially climbing.... That really torques them off getting passed on a hill by a fat guy on a recumbent. It just blows their mind.

Mark

 

[MrSteve]

Yeah, passing people uphill is fun, but there is always someone who's faster than you.

Like the young guy I passed going uphill last Spring on a long, gentle uphill.
He was patching the tube in his rear tire and refused my help, with a smile and a nod of his head.
(It's easy to pass someone who's stopped, with his rear wheel off the bike!)

The patch-job was soon finished, because I watched him remount his bike in my mirror-
and rapidly get bigger.

I upshifted a few gears to no avail and was soon passed.
That guy had huge quads, was working very hard in a full-aero tuck, with
his hands way out front on his aero bars.
Uphill, with a headwind.

He disappeared from sight as quickly as I usually do!

Very impressive.

I like to think that the dismounted bicyclist I saw, a few miles ahead and a mile farther than the point where I turned off,
was the fast guy that had passed me.
The distant cyclist had his/her head down between his/her knees....

For sure, we both had a good workout that day.


-Steve

 

[MrSteve]

Not-a-'Mark B.'-Report, Another Installment

This week must be the, "Get Spanked by D.F. Riders Week".

Let's see, on Monday I could not catch up to one.
Well, that's Monday for ya.
Good workout though.

Tuesday, I was over 20 miles into my 'long' ride (34 miles) and
huffing my way up a long series of hills, when surprise!
A D.F. rider blew by me: yeah, O.K., I'm old.
I had nothing to answer with...all that chasing on Monday.

Today, right off the bat, I spotted a D.F. rider way up the street,
going the opposite way I'd planned on going: aw, what the heck!
We were going against the wind, so that was in my favour.
Especially since the guy never went into his drops.
I finally passed him about 10 miles into the ride:
hey, he was old, like me, but also in my favour?
His high-vis wind-shell was parachuting in the breeze.

But!
Today, on the return leg, after eight miles of sprints, another, different D.F.
pilot passed me uphill.
I kept him about 100 yards ahead of me for about four miles of 16MPH uphill
slogging, then my power fell off and off he went.

Right now, my knees hurt and my quads are gently burning, as I type this.

Tomorrow promises more stunning Fall weather:
I gotta go ride in it, before the rain hits this Friday.

Great workouts, this week!
(So far....)



-Steve

 

[Peder Torgersen]

Re: Not-a-'Mark B.'-Report, Another Installment

yakmurph wrote: This week must be the, "Get Spanked by D.F. Riders Week".

Let's see, on Monday I could not catch up to one.
Well, that's Monday for ya.
Good workout though.

Tuesday, I was over 20 miles into my 'long' ride (34 miles) and
huffing my way up a long series of hills, when surprise!
A D.F. rider blew by me: yeah, O.K., I'm old.
I had nothing to answer with...all that chasing on Monday.

Today, right off the bat, I spotted a D.F. rider way up the street,
going the opposite way I'd planned on going: aw, what the heck!
We were going against the wind, so that was in my favour.
Especially since the guy never went into his drops.
I finally passed him about 10 miles into the ride:
hey, he was old, like me, but also in my favour?
His high-vis wind-shell was parachuting in the breeze.

But!
Today, on the return leg, after eight miles of sprints, another, different D.F.
pilot passed me uphill.
I kept him about 100 yards ahead of me for about four miles of 16MPH uphill
slogging, then my power fell off and off he went.

Right now, my knees hurt and my quads are gently burning, as I type this.

Tomorrow promises more stunning Fall weather:
I gotta go ride in it, before the rain hits this Friday.

Great workouts, this week!
(So far....)



-Steve

You have done well with all that training you get stronger hill climbing is not easy. On long climbs I also get passed down hill they don’t stand a chance and on flats I can keep up with most of them. I am not that young myself but there are riders in good shape that have been pensioned for some years. Have you considered a Silvio? :?:

Peder

 

[Mark B]

Great report, Yak. Just great!

Mark

 

[MrSteve]

Re: Not-a-'Mark B.'-Report, Another Installment

Peder Torgersen wrote:

You have done well with all that training you get stronger hill climbing is not easy. On long climbs I also get passed down hill they don’t stand a chance and on flats I can keep up with most of them. I am not that young myself but there are riders in good shape that have been pensioned for some years. Have you considered a Silvio? :?:

Peder

Yes, uphill is not easy. I dislike the work, going uphill.
That's why I like the challenge that other bicyclists pose: it's good motivation for me.

You asked the Silvio Question!
Of course, I want one.
But, I can't afford to buy one, much less afford to fit out one with decent components.
:cry:
In fact, the Sofrider suits my needs just fine, because it handles really well at high speed on gravel.
It's also very gratifying to out-ride the occasional DF rider with what is, essentially, a hot-rodded mountain bike.
:twisted:

-Steve

 

[MrSteve]

Mark B wrote: Great report, Yak. Just great!

Mark

Thanks: today's ride closes out this week's riding and it was uneventful.
No bikes to share the road with today, (more's the pity) but I did note the regular bikers'
S.U.V.s parked in their regular parking spots.

It's been a fun week, for sure, but now I'm really looking forward to tomorrow's rain!

-Steve

 

[MrSteve]

Yet Another Not-a-'Mark B.'-Report

Hey, riding on Sunday afternoon in this little corner of biking Paradise can be fun!

Sure, a redneck in an imported, faded red pickup truck yelled something in my general direction through his half-closed window.
Then the traffic light turned red.
Then the truck's driver moved over a lane...as if I were locked in my lane... and the passenger's window went up.




Ah, but the weather was fantastic and roadies were out in force.
I caught a bunch of them; they all caught back up and we all had a great time.

One really old guy, ten years my senior, caught up to me after we traded "g'd afternoon" greetings.
After I'd I passed him and his riding buddy at a high rate of speed.
He was really out of breath and made a point of saying how hard I was to catch.
Oh, my ego....
:twisted:

The young guy I passed on the flats did not like that much.
He caught me on the hill...then he'd relax his pace on the flats...I'd reel him in...
he'd then put on a burst of speed...I'd really close on the downhills...
he finally put his head down and went into his drops and went for it.
Strong rider!
(Good workout!)


The long wheelbase recumbent rider I passed was just enjoying the day.
But what a treat: two recumbents sharing a bit of road in my neck of this redneck land!


I'll have to get out riding on the weekends more often.
It's good for boosting my average speed.
And fun!
:!:

-Steve

 

[Peder Torgersen]

Re: Yet Another Not-a-'Mark B.'-Report

yakmurph wrote: Hey, riding on Sunday afternoon in this little corner of biking Paradise can be fun!

Ah, but the weather was fantastic and roadies were out in force.
I caught a bunch of them; they all caught back up and we all had a great time.

One really old guy, ten years my senior, caught up to me after we traded "g'd afternoon" greetings.
After I'd I passed him and his riding buddy at a high rate of speed.
He was really out of breath and made a point of saying how hard I was to catch.
Oh, my ego....
:twisted:

The young guy I passed on the flats did not like that much.
He caught me on the hill...then he'd relax his pace on the flats...I'd reel him in...
he'd then put on a burst of speed...I'd really close on the downhills...
he finally put his head down and went into his drops and went for it.
Strong rider!
(Good workout!)


The long wheelbase recumbent rider I passed was just enjoying the day.
But what a treat: two recumbents sharing a bit of road in my neck of this redneck land!


I'll have to get out riding on the weekends more often.
It's good for boosting my average speed.
And fun!
:!:

-Steve

A very good report it’s nice to meet other people on rides. It’s also a good thing you don’t have a Silvio some of the young roadies would be very frustrated.

Peder

 

[MrSteve]

Last Saturday was a beautiful day for a ride and I was anxious to be off.

Six feet down the driveway, I finally ran through my mental checklist...
the first item on the list, of course, is run through the checklist;
the last item on the list is, "go riding"!

...I applied sunscreen... donned my gloves....

So, last Saturday was a beautiful Fall day, perfect for outdoor fun!
The temperature was almost 60F., which is kind of borderline,
if it's any cooler I must wear a visor or my eyes water too much and
if it's any warmer then I have to wear my bicycle helmet with the
wicking skull cap or my eyes will be peering through rivulets of sweat.

Naturally, on the way back and all warmed up, I was speeding down
a short hill.
Not fast, I think the bleary Dali-esque numerals displayed on the bike computer
looked like 25MPH.
But it was fast enough to cause the tears to flow faster than my eyelids
could blink away and yet not fast enough for the slipstream to whisk
away the tears.

Yup, should have worn my helmet with the visor...
yup: should have limited my top speed.
(Hah! As if!)
:?
That smudge on the side of the road, the one I decided to ride over?
-Especially since I really couldn't make out what was in my mirror.-
The smudge was a tree limb.
:shock:
The Sofrider suspension worked like a charm, as usual.

Air-time was limited and the landing?
Not great, but not very exciting either: I'd give the landing oh, 6.5 points.

The bike is fine.
Today's ride is on.
The temperature is on the low side of cool this afternoon, so it's the helmet with the visor!


-Steve

 

[Mark B]

Cool... Here's a thought; get you some of those "old man sunglasses". You know, the kind that you can wear over your eyeglasses. They're great! They're cheap, they wrap all the way around your glasses, so you don't get the watery eyes thing going on and they have little window in the periphery. Look for the ones that the frames are vented top and bottom, to prevent fogging. If you can't find them, you can also open up some holes with a small drill bit. I buy them at Walgreens for less than $20.

Mark

 

[MrSteve]

Mark B wrote: Cool... Here's a thought; get you some of those "old man sunglasses". You know, the kind that you can wear over your eyeglasses. They're great! They're cheap, they wrap all the way around your glasses, so you don't get the watery eyes thing going on and they have little window in the periphery. Look for the ones that the frames are vented top and bottom, to prevent fogging. If you can't find them, you can also open up some holes with a small drill bit. I buy them at Walgreens for less than $20.

Mark

Good idea...got me thinking...
but, no.

Thank you, but no.

I like wearing my helmet, the real-deal, full-face, chinbar-and-all, helmet.
I'd wear it all the time, if it never got warm.

Did I ever tell the story (here goes of my sister, who hit a dog, went over
the handlebars and broke her fall with her face?
Her bike helmet was fine.
Three surgeries later and a few implanted bits of titanium and my Sis
is almost as good as new.


The big helmet is geeky, out of place, very, very, very 'Fred'.
And safe: I'm kind of attached to my face; my brain.

People stare.
People glare.
I love it: being visible is priceless.

Hey, maybe 'old-man' sunglasses under the helmet!
:lol:

-Steve

 

[JonB]

pictures, pictures, Mr. power ranger

 

[Mark B]

JonB wrote: pictures, pictures, Mr. power ranger

:lol: :lol:

Mark

 

[MrSteve]

Drizzly day today, a perfect day to stay inside and do stuff.
Like trim my new fibreglass seat pan.
Oh joy.
Fiberglass.
Itchy, dangerous have-to-wear-a-dust-mask-and-gloves fibreglASS.

Hey!
(I thought.)
Let's see if ex-pat Californians actually do melt in the rain!
-It's either that...or trim that seat pan....

So, here I am, after the ride-in-the-wet, unmelted.
Not only that, but I rode hard enough to make sure that
I'd be too tired to work on the bike's new seat pan!

The bike did get wiped down though.
(I never get too tired to miss that step.)

Maybe tomorrow....

-Steve

 

[MrSteve]

The FRP seat pan is trimmed, installed and has been tested.

I've raced up and down the rough gravel driveway (running my dog) for a total of about five miles
and the seat pan has held up.

The attachment points will need some reinforcement: a few more layers of
'glass will do the trick, around the bolt holes.

Hey, the bike is still a Cruzbike: the decal on the frame says so!
-----


For Mark and all the other, 'pic-hoes':
I'm trucking my bike over to my sister's house on Thanksgiving.
Sis has a digi-cam.
So does her hubby.
Expect pictures soon....


-Steve

 

[Mark B]

yakmurph wrote: For Mark and all the other, 'pic-hoes':
I'm trucking my bike over to my sister's house on Thanksgiving.
Sis has a digi-cam.
So does her hubby.
Expect pictures soon....


-Steve

Well, it's about time! :roll: Tell sis "thanks" from all of us "pic-hoes"! :lol:

Mark

 

[MrSteve]

It was a cold and windy day today, but the Sun was out, so the ride was on.

I fooled myself into thinking it would be just a quick ride, to get myself out the door.

Good thing, too. What a nice ride!

The wind pushed me half the way and gave me a good workout on the way back.
Not like it usually is.
Usually, the wind teases me...pushes a little...then backs around and becomes a headwind.
Both ways.

Not only that, but a DF rider turned into my street while I was waiting for the light to change.
My ride would have ended in a mile...but now, I had a mission:
'catch the DF rider'.

I was tired, of course.
But also warmed up.
And, a great tailwind.
I pushed my bike in top gear, spinning in pursuit: hey, look at that!
31 MPH on the flat!
(GREAT tailwind!)

I actually caught the rider in a mile and a half: he wasn't half trying.
Not with that favourable tailwind, he wasn't.

Still, it felt so good...I went ahead and rode another nine miles.

What a great ride.

But, you know, what was that other bicyclist doing, riding outside on a cold
day like today?
Hmm?
:lol:

-Steve