100 Plus Mile Training Ride Goes Off Without a Pain!

On April 31st, I set out on a two day training ride, fully loaded, as if on tour to prepare for the coast trip this summer. The knee has slowly been getting better, and has been feeling fine when riding while wrapped, so I thought I'd put it to the test. Mother Nature threw everything she had at me from rain, wind, some snow, and a fair amount of hail (which only hurt when it hit me in the face after bouncing back up at me from the road!). The day ended in warmth, sunshine, and a clear, cold night. The first day, I wanted to take it easy, in case the knee started to act up, so I went straight to Champoeg State Park, which was a nice 45 mile ride. I had no pain in the knee, and was very encouraged by that. Upon arrival at Champoeg Park, I found the camp host and requested an upgrade to a yurt, as I had no desire to spend the day in my tent, because it was raining, and showing no signs of letting up. But soon after I got to the yurt, the sun came out and it was quite nice the rest of the day. The yurt was nice, and allowed me to fully relax in style and much comfort. On day two, being encouraged by the lack of knee pain from the day before, I headed out on an 80 mile ride home. What a great day of riding, even though the last 13 miles was an almost constant up hill battle with a strong & steady headwind! That's okay though, because it really gave me a good idea of what it's going to be like heading down Highway 101 this summer. Bring it on!

Willapa Ride Postponed

After receiving many emails from folks relating that they wouldn't be able to make the ride on Sunday, I decided to postpone it until next month. As it turns out, most people cancelled because of the weather, but of course the only nice day that whole week was Sunday! I certainly felt bad about cancelling the ride, but still think it was a good decision based on the fact that we've had so much snow, hail, wind, rain and everything else in between, that I didn't want us to get caught in the elements. I will reschedule the ride for sometime next month when we're more likely to have better weather. In the mean time, the knee continues to heal, and I have an overnight trip planned to Indian Henry this week. It should be a nice 150 mile round trip. Until then, keep 'er rubber side down!

Willapa Bay Ride Scheduled for April 20th

It sounds like we will have quite a turnout for the ride on the 20th. I've had quite a response from charter members and potential members alike, so I'm very excited about this ride. Hopefully the weather will cooperate...it's bad enough having to ride in the rain, but the snow is in a category all by itself! Remember, we'll meet at the coffee roasters at 1:00, and pedal out to the wildlife refuge for a late lunch. From there, we'll just have to see how we feel, I guess. It's a pretty easy ride for the most part, so I anticipate we'll want to ride a little further. If that's the case, we can head back by way of Ilwaco and take Loop 100 and break at the viewpoint, then either finish the loop or turn around and go down Willows Road back to the coffee shop. I look forward to seeing the old faces, and to meeting some new folks. Take care.

There's hope (I think). The knee might be healing.

Over the last couple of days, I've stuck my toe in the water, and ventured out on the 'bent. Still very weary about the pain that inevitably sets into the knee at the point of no return, I went without loading the ol' girl down too much and tightened up the knee brace. I am happy to say that on day one, 20 miles went by with very little pain, if any at all. Yesterday, I put over 30 miles in the saddle (riding to the Harley Davidson shop and back...ugh) with only moderate pain after having to pull every hill in the city to get home. I think the knee might be getting better. I'm trying not to push it too hard, but trying to rehab it at the same time with lots of walking and spinning of the stationary recumbent at the gym. Keeping my fingers crossed, I hope to be healed up for a three day tour I have planned at the end of the month, not to mention the Coast Tour in July. Happy trails!

New Name, Same Ol' Thing

I decided today to change the title of this blog from "Reports From the Fogline" to the new title you see above. Having found a new passion for riding my recumbent, this has more or less turned into a recumbent blog, and I wanted to be easier to find when doing a Google search. However, I still ride the MTB, so am not an exclusive 'Bent Snob! But I am the only one in my group of riding buddies that piolots a 'bent, and understand that not everyone is as wise as I am! In any case, please feel free to make comment and check me out even if you don't ride a 'bent. You might still find something useful here. Enjoy.

Screw the Knee! Much Needed Ride Worth the Pain.

Despite significant pain in the knee while on the flats, I managed to put a few miles in the saddle this weekend. The wind was howling, and a few times almost pushed me off the shoulder or into traffic. It rained most of the time, and my knee which started off just fine, ended up killing me at the point in the ride when it was too late to turn around. The funny thing is, that it only hurt on the flats. Climbing any hill was the only thing that managed to make it feel better. Weird. Anyway, it has been feeling better, and I actually took the opportunity to ride in such foul weather on purpose. I loaded everything that I plan on packing during the coast tour this summer, and ventured out to test how everything would stand up during the worst case scenario. I'm glad I did it, because it gave me the chance to see where the chinks were in my armor. Thankfully, there weren't many. Mostly, I found that there are a few items I need to pack differently, and discovered that the bike handles quite well when fully loaded with at least 50 pounds of stuff. Let me tell you, I absolutely flew down the hills with all that extra weight, hitting 45 m.p.h. and almost passing a car on Holly Lane! Having said that...going up hill is a KILLER! Upon arrival back at the house, I set up the tent, and prepared to camp as if on the road. It rained all night, and was colder than a well digger's brass monkey, but me and all my stuff stayed as dry as a bone! Now, if the knee would hurry up and heal, I will be ready to hit the road and travel in any kind of weather fair or foul.

Considering a Recumbent?

Patrick:

I recommend riding several bikes before deciding on one. Take them for LONG rides and throw some hills in there, so you can be sure you're getting what you want. The guys at Coventry are very willing to let you do this, as long as you give them some form of collateral like your driver's license or something. There is a bit of a learning curve to begin with, especially when riding at slower speeds with longer wheel based bikes, but I'm sure you'll have no problems. I have let many people ride mine, and most just get on and go like old pros. Some things to consider before making the commitment to buying a recumbent: One, sticker shock. 'Bents tend to be more expensive than conventional bikes. Two, they can be heavier than a conventional bike. Three, you have to build up your "recumbent muscles", as you use different muscle groups than you do for a diamond frame (DF) bike, although this takes most people only a few weeks at most. Four, pulling hills can be a challenge at first, but once you get your new muscles built up, I see no difference versus riding a "wedgie" up hill. Obviously, you cannot stand up on the pedals, but you can push back against the seat, which can give you a tremendous amount of power. Going down hill, though, is awesome! Finally, getting your bike around can be a challenge depending on what kind of vehicle you have. However, there are plenty of options for that as well. Overall, I think a 'bent is the better choice for me. I do still ride my mountain bike, but most of my riding is done on the road over long distances. For this purpose, I feel that a 'bent cannot be beat! There are no issues with sore, numb hands or neck, back, and butt. My limit on a DF is around 60 miles before I have to get off the bike for a while to rest all my sore parts. On a 'bent, I can easily go 100 miles in a day. Sure I'm tired, but definitely not sore! Also, the considerable potential health problems, especially for men on a "wedgie" can be avoided when riding a 'bent. 'Bents are certainly not the end-all-to-be-all, but for me I don't think I'll ever go back to riding a DF other than when taking the MTB off road.

By the way, you should come ride with us. I will add you to the riding group email list, if that's okay with you. I cannot seem to reply to your emails, though. My email address is allsupd@hotmail.com, so I'm not sure if your antivirus is blocking me?

Take care,
David