Distance: 8.69 miles
Nancy and I went for a more relaxed "exploratory" ride tonight, heading up to Kearsarge. But the ride ended early after I broke a spoke and we had to turn around.
This was my first ride (other than the ride back from the bike shop) with the new stem installed, and I really like it. It gives me an additional inch or so of rise in the front, without making the reach too short. My hands fared much better after tonight's ride.
Distance: 8.29 miles
Average speed: 15.2 MPH
Ugh. I didn't stretch or do a cool-down walk after last night's ride, and even though it was an "easy" ride, I really felt it this morning. I wanted to do at least 10 miles, but struggled to get in what I did.
Distance: 5.63 miles
Just a short, slow cruise around town tonight. I found and put the toe clips back on the pedals last night, and adjusted them during tonight's ride. During the last couple of "harder" rides, I noticed my feet moving around a bit, so hopefully the clips will help keep them in place.
Distance: 7.45 miles
Nancy and I cruised around Calumet tonight for a "recovery ride". We took it easy, which was hard for me, but also good for me, since I need to figure out how to pace myself.
I also put another three miles in this morning, riding to and from the bike shop, and then trying out some different stems. I found one that I liked, but it had a crack in it, so another is on order. Anyway, my total distance for the day is around 22.7 miles.
I bought a fancy new pressure gauge, and discovered that I was running between 85 and 90 PSI instead of the 100 I was shooting for. Tonight's ride was at 100 PSI, and I could feel the difference.
Distance: 12.22 miles
Top speed: 34.4 MPH
This morning's ride was an exploratory one. I rode some roads I'd never been on before, but spent a lot of time turning around and waiting for traffic. My GPS doesn't stop averaging when I stop moving, so I didn't record an average speed today. I put my top speed above for the purposes of bragging.
I was on a lot of rough pavement and some short gravel patches today, and my new tires held up fine. They're stable in sandy corners, and fast on the smooth stuff.
This morning, I am in awe at the natural beauty of this area. Tamarack Waterworks Road passes through marshes, with thick grass and cattails swaying in the breeze. I rolled by a flock of geese, sleeping on the edge of a pond, not six feet from my path. I don't think I'll ever get tired of the Keweenaw.
Distance: 10.50 miles
Average speed: 14.8 MPH
Today was my first extended ride with my new road tires. They're much faster; I feel like I can maintain 20 MPH now at the same effort it took for 16 MPH before. My average speed would've been higher today if it weren't for a still-mounted chain untangling and the return climb from the first section of the "Death Coast to Hancock".
I'm happy with the width and performance of the tires. I went with the 1.5-inch width, and feel like they'll handle the cracked pavement without sacrificing too much speed. I had them at 100 PSI for today's ride, and will try 110 tomorrow.
This was also the first trip out for a new pair of gloves. They didn't help, and hand numbness is still the biggest distance limitation for me. I think it'll have to be a new stem, to get me more upright and take some weight off my hands.
Distance: 8.05 miles
Average speed: 14.2 MPH
I awoke this morning to my bedroom window fan blowing out of the window and crashing to the floor. I fought that same wind all the way out on my ride this morning. It was fun coming back—I did a mile or so at 21 MPH—but overall it drained my energy.
I'm still having trouble with numbness in my hands at the end of the ride. That's pretty much the limiting factor to the length of my ride at this point. I'm planning to swap in a stem with some rise, but haven't had time to try out a few at the local bike shop.
