Moronacity Cycling Journal » Entries tagged with "Spring"
Hard Work Ahead
With the most recent snow melt, and temperatures reaching the 60s in the Keweenaw, cyclists have already gathered together to ride the road. I just thought about riding, but I fully intend to begin my spring training this coming weekend. Tomorrow and Wednesday, I am going to hit the pavement for a couple of short rides ranging from 60-90 minutes. This will be a little wake-up call for my body – a little message that hard work is coming pretty quickly. Jake (cross bike) and I will be heading down to Marquette, next weekend. I am going to visit a friend, but I’ve decided that this might be the perfect opportunity to try out the bike paths in and around town. My goal is to … Read entire article »
Filed under: Cycling
Spring is Just Ahead
I caught a glimpse of spring. It is such a tease. Clear, blue skies were such a welcome sight after months of dumping snow. We’ve had two nice snow melts within the last month and I even got out for a bike ride. Of course, spring isn’t here just yet. Many of us wait for March 21st so we can lie to ourselves that warmer weather is just ahead. The harsh reality is that an April snowstorm will probably hit us hard. Either way, bikes are being taken out by the crazy few. We know that riding days are just ahead. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Lifestyle
Serious Bike Love
Springtime is here. Yes, I totally know you needed me to state the obvious. If your bike is like mine, it is sloppily shifting and sluggishly braking. The cables are grimy and loose from cyclocross season and spring road riding. It needs some serious love, much like my body after riding to Copper Harbor (43.5 miles of hilly ouch). I rode to Copper Harbor yesterday and met my parents there for … Read entire article »
Filed under: Road Riding
Brrr
It snowed today. We didn’t get a lot, just a dusting. It is currently 30 degrees F – a big difference from the 60 degree weather we had a couple days ago. I didn’t ride yesterday or today, so I am getting dangerously close to laziness. If I don’t ride tomorrow, I will have motivational issues. The problem is the weather. I have posted a ride on the Red Jacket forum for tomorrow at 1:00 pm. The temperature is expected to be 35 degrees, and the wind about 18 mph. I could handle 35, but 18 mph along with it? Uh, no. I am canceling the ride. In fact, the next three days are cold with snow expected. I most … Read entire article »
Filed under: Road Riding
Weather-Induced Rest Days
Rest day. That special day in between workouts that allows your body to repair itself and prepare for another hard workout. Magazines often provide workout programs that tell you which days to ride and which to rest. It’s a no-brainer. These rest days are necessary to prevent overtraining. Another guideline I really like is resting heart rate. No, it is not your heart rate while sitting in front of the television watch the most recent episode of Grey’s Anatomy. It is your heart rate before you get out of bed in the morning. Recently, mine has been between 55 and 60 beats per minute. If I wake up to a heart rate that is significantly higher, 75 or 80 bpm for … Read entire article »
Filed under: Cycling
Spring Training is Here
I woke up this morning with one thing in mind: long ride. I wanted to do a moderate ride for about three hours. I had three goals in mind:1. Average about 15 mph2. Maintain an efficient pedal stroke3. Ride for three hours I ate a healthy breakfast:* Malt-O-Meal* Yogurt with raspberries, vanilla, and chocolate chips * Grapefruit* 2 slices of toast* Water It took me longer than expected to get my lazy butt out the door, so I had a salad:* Leaf lettuce* Tomato* Croutons* Homemade French dressing I made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, cut it in two, wrapped the halves, filled two water bottles with Heed and left. I didn’t meet the first goal. I took it fairly easy starting out. I maintained a speed of … Read entire article »
Filed under: Cycling
Keweenaw Awe
I am very fortunate to live in an area that never ceases to amaze me in a truly wonderful way. In a place where very few can hack it, true beauty is found in the serenity of the Keweenaw Peninsula. My teammate, Pat, and I returned to Calumet yesterday morning from our race. I hopped in my Pathfinder and took the back roads home as usual. There was a clear sky … Read entire article »
Filed under: Road Riding
Inaugaral Mountain Bike Ride Of 2008
The third great Keweenaw blizzard of the year began yesterday. The whole state of Michigan had fallen victim to rather unhappy weather. It didn’t change our plans, though. My friend, Pat, and I drove through the blizzard, then the winter storm, then the rain. We completed our trip this morning and did a 10 a.m. ride at Pontiac Lake Recreation Area. PLRA is, in my opinion, the best trail in … Read entire article »
Filed under: Mountain Biking
My Pipe Dream
The fact is I know better. When living in the Upper Peninsula, expecting not to see any snow in early April is a pipe dream. Just as the wheel tracks in my driveway were opening up to muddy potholes, the heavy, wet snow began falling from the sky. Driving down my driving, I noticed how beautiful the view was. Two inches have fallen already. The bright side is that I … Read entire article »
Filed under: Cross Training
Give Me Wings, Or Give Me Wheels!
When I was a kid, I used to have a dream that ended with me flying through the air like Superman. It didn’t matter that I was only flying two feet above the ground. Oddly enough, it was in the direction of my favorite park. A little bird was caught in my porch the other day. He watched me go out through the door, and later tried it himself. I recalled that … Read entire article »
Filed under: Commuting
