I wasn't sure I would be cycling today since my left knee has hurt since the day after my Juniper Pass ride. I had planned on meeting Jeff Bland at 9:00am in Morrison at the parking lot across the street from the Conoco (just down the hill from Bandimere Speedway). At 7:30am I called Jeff and told him that my knee was still hurting (even after several days of ibuprofen), and that there was no way I was going to make it. To make the long story short, I wandered over at about 10:45 and thought I'd just see how I felt with a short ride. I stretched, and then started riding up the hill toward the bike path. I ran into some other cyclist who was patient enough to tell me which roads/paths to take for wherever I wanted to ride in the Morrison area. My knee wasn't hurting while I was riding, so I just kept going. At some point, I turned around and my riding friend was gone. I figured I'd keep riding around to see where I'd end up. I followed Lariat Loop around and soon enough ended up at the foot of Lookout Mountain. I still felt good (after seven miles), so I went ahead and rode the Loop. The Lookout Mtn. ride was much hotter than Juniper Pass, and a little steeper. It's much shorter, so the ride felt much easier. On the way up, I passed five other bicyclists and a unicyclist. The guy on the unicycle was amazing, I didn't have the strength to pass him going up the steep parts, but as soon as I was able get out of first gear, I cruised on by. As usual, the ride down (Hwy 40) was fun and fast. I ended up being out for two hours. My goal for Monday is to ride Mt. Evans (Bergen Park Park & Ride to Mt. Evans, down to Idaho Springs, then back (the short way - 15 miles) to Bergen Park. Hopefully my knee will feel good by then... Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 6478 ft Location: Morrison, CO, Elev. Gain: -7 ft Date: 06/24/10 Up/Downhill: [+3188/-3195] Time: 01:00 PM Difficulty: 5.0 / 5.0   Weather: Fair   82 F temp; 32% humidity   80 F heat index; winds WSW 6 mph Performance Distance: 23.55 miles Time: 2:03:53 Speed: 11.4 mph Pace: 5' 16 /mi Calories: 957 Map   Elevation (ft)   Speed (mph)   Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 5' 18 +0' 02 11.3 -0.1 +33 ft 2 5' 31 +0' 15 10.8 -0.6 +115 ft 3 6' 45 +1' 29 8.9 -2.5 +187 ft 4 5' 50 +0' 34 10.3 -1.1 +79 ft 5 3' 15 -2' 00 18.4 +7.0 -135 ft 6 6' 59 +1' 43 8.6 -2.8 +105 ft 7 3' 34 -1' 41 16.8 +5.3 -249 ft 8 5' 05 -0' 10 11.8 +0.4 +29 ft 9 10' 13 +4' 57 5.9 -5.5 +324 ft 10 10' 12 +4' 56 5.9 -5.5 +315 ft 11 8' 57 +3' 41 6.7 -4.7 +285 ft 12 10' 13 +4' 57 5.9 -5.5 +312 ft 13 8' 27 +3' 11 7.1 -4.3 +177 ft 14 7' 14 +1' 58 8.3 -3.1 +187 ft 15 4' 22 -0' 53 13.7 +2.3 -33 ft 16 3' 06 -2' 09 19.3 +7.9 -144 ft 17 2' 49 -2' 26 21.2 +9.8 -158 ft 18 2' 08 -3' 07 28.0 +16.6 -253 ft 19 2' 02 -3' 13 29.4 +18.0 -279 ft 20 3' 17 -1' 58 18.2 +6.8 -197 ft 21 2' 00 -3' 15 29.9 +18.5 -219 ft 22 1' 59 -3' 16 30.0 +18.6 -170 ft 23 2' 05 -3' 10 28.8 +17.4 -164 ft end 4' 29 -0' 46 13.4 +2.0 -49 ft Versus average of 11.4 mph

Posted from bimactive.com

I finally made it up to the mountains. I rode from the Bergen Park Park-n-ride to the top of Juniper Pass. The BiM log is mostly accurate, but the elevation gain was (only) about 3400 feet. There are points where there is no cell phone coverage, so BiM doesn't guess where I've been. I stopped twice on the way up. Once at about 9.25 miles, and again at around 12.5 miles. At the 9.5 miles mark there is a sign warning of steep grades and sharp curves. Steep grades ahead? What exactly have I been riding for the past 9.5 miles? I gained a new appreciation for steep grades... I drank about 48 ounces of GU Brew on the way up. I ate a PowerBar before I began the ride, another PowerBar at 9.25 miles, and a GU Sports Gel (I at either 9.25 or 12.5). Overall, my legs kept moving. I was a little surprised that I made it to the top - I averaged over 6MPH, which was faster than I had planned (I had guessed between 4.5 and 5.5). Including stops, it took 2:20 to ride the 15 miles up. After taking a few photos and making a phone call (Hi, Honey, I'm still alive...), I headed back down the pass. There were a few stints of 40+ miles per hour, and I think I may have topped out around 45 or 46 MPH. It took only 30 minutes to get back down to the car. Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 9486 ft Location: Kittredge, CO, Elev. Gain: +10 ft Date: 06/21/10 Up/Downhill: [+4235/-4225] Time: 04:23 PM Difficulty: 5.0 / 5.0   Weather: Partly Cloudy   77 F temp; 39% humidity   77 F heat index; winds NNE 7 mph Performance Distance: 30.22 miles Time: 3:00:24 Speed: 10.0 mph Pace: 6' 00 /mi Calories: 1196 Map   Elevation (ft)   Speed (mph)   Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 8' 42 +2' 42 6.9 -3.1 +157 ft 2 8' 32 +2' 32 7.0 -3.0 +223 ft 3 7' 35 +1' 35 7.9 -2.1 +177 ft 4 9' 10 +3' 10 6.5 -3.5 +240 ft 5 9' 36 +3' 36 6.2 -3.8 +246 ft 6 8' 35 +2' 35 7.0 -3.0 +230 ft 7 7' 52 +1' 52 7.6 -2.4 +138 ft 8 9' 40 +3' 40 6.2 -3.8 +276 ft 9 14' 13 +8' 13 4.2 -5.8 +325 ft 10 9' 31 +3' 31 6.3 -3.7 +265 ft 11 9' 31 +3' 31 6.3 -3.7 +239 ft 12 8' 42 +2' 42 6.9 -3.1 +227 ft 13 13' 30 +7' 30 4.4 -5.6 +259 ft 14 8' 53 +2' 53 6.8 -3.2 +187 ft 15 7' 40 +1' 40 7.8 -2.2 +147 ft 16 4' 53 -1' 07 12.3 +2.3 -151 ft 17 3' 54 -2' 06 15.3 +5.3 -36 ft 18 1' 52 -4' 08 31.9 +21.9 -295 ft 19 1' 50 -4' 10 32.6 +22.6 -279 ft 20 2' 07 -3' 53 28.2 +18.2 -193 ft 21 1' 43 -4' 17 34.9 +24.9 -295 ft 22 1' 55 -4' 05 31.2 +21.2 -282 ft 23 2' 08 -3' 52 27.9 +17.9 -262 ft 24 2' 36 -3' 24 23.0 +13.0 -161 ft 25 2' 09 -3' 51 27.9 +17.9 -256 ft 26 2' 26 -3' 34 24.6 +14.6 -269 ft 27 2' 10 -3' 50 27.5 +17.5 -243 ft 28 2' 13 -3' 47 27.0 +17.0 -187 ft 29 2' 12 -3' 48 27.2 +17.2 -243 ft 30 2' 37 -3' 23 22.8 +12.8 -177 ft end 7' 16 +1' 16 8.2 -1.8 0 ft Versus average of 10.0 mph

Posted from bimactive.com

Ugh. This was a hard ride. I had only two hours, so I thought I could make another 30 miles. What's up with a headwind both ways? And a 5MPH wind - as reported by the weather service? Felt like a 15 MPH headwind every direction I went! I ended up with 27 miles, but probably had a hard time because of yesterday's evening ride. I ran into three other cyclists, and I am happy to report that none of them passed me. Going the opposite direction had something to do with it! Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 5598 ft Location: Aurora, CO, Elev. Gain: +0 ft Date: 06/15/10 Up/Downhill: [+1259/-1259] Time: 01:41 PM Difficulty: 4.8 / 5.0   Weather: Sunny   74 F temp; 21% humidity   74 F heat index; winds SE 5 mph Performance Distance: 27.30 miles Time: 2:00:55 Speed: 13.5 mph Pace: 4' 27 /mi Calories: 1249 Map   Elevation (ft)   Speed (mph)   Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 6' 14 +1' 47 9.6 -3.9 +52 ft 2 4' 25 -0' 01 13.6 +0.1 +27 ft 3 3' 45 -0' 41 16.0 +2.5 -49 ft 4 3' 55 -0' 31 15.3 +1.8 -43 ft 5 4' 04 -0' 22 14.7 +1.2 +7 ft 6 2' 46 -1' 40 21.6 +8.1 -50 ft 7 3' 17 -1' 09 18.3 +4.8 -6 ft 8 3' 35 -0' 51 16.7 +3.2 -30 ft 9 4' 52 +0' 25 12.3 -1.2 +62 ft 10 5' 14 +0' 47 11.4 -2.0 +59 ft 11 4' 40 +0' 13 12.8 -0.7 -36 ft 12 3' 29 -0' 57 17.2 +3.7 -36 ft 13 3' 12 -1' 14 18.7 +5.2 -52 ft 14 4' 30 +0' 03 13.3 -0.2 +3 ft 15 4' 40 +0' 13 12.8 -0.7 +50 ft 16 4' 49 +0' 22 12.4 -1.1 +20 ft 17 5' 38 +1' 11 10.6 -2.9 +78 ft 18 4' 00 -0' 26 15.0 +1.5 -63 ft 19 2' 54 -1' 32 20.7 +7.2 -68 ft 20 3' 39 -0' 47 16.4 +2.9 -6 ft 21 4' 47 +0' 20 12.5 -1.0 +29 ft 22 4' 42 +0' 15 12.8 -0.7 -23 ft 23 5' 22 +0' 55 11.2 -2.3 +50 ft 24 5' 25 +0' 58 11.1 -2.4 +33 ft 25 5' 37 +1' 10 10.7 -2.8 +49 ft 26 4' 24 -0' 02 13.6 +0.1 -3 ft 27 4' 45 +0' 18 12.6 -0.9 -36 ft end 6' 53 +2' 26 8.7 -4.8 -17 ft Versus average of 13.5 mph

Posted from bimactive.com

The sky cleared up nicely in the afternoon, and brought with it temperatures in the 60's. I had planned on riding to Watkins and back, but I felt strong and continued on. I turned north toward Front Range Airport, and rode a mile or so up the road. I thought about going the three or four extra miles to the airport, but wasn't sure I'd make it back with (what I thought would be) a headwind. This was my first time using Gun Club Road (north of Murphy Creek), and in spite of the traffic and narrow shoulder, I much prefer it over the bumpy Powhatan Rd. If you look at my route map, you can see I rode up Powhatan a bit. I was pleasantly surprised to see that they are resurfacing part of the road. I couldn't tell how far south they were going, but Powhatan would be a great road if it were smooth. Not much traffic. My average speed keeps going up - even with the increase of mileage. If I can ride every day, I'd like to average 18 or 19 miles an hour over 50 or 60 miles. If I and the weather hold out, and if I can get my real estate work finished in time, I'll ride out to Front Range Airport tomorrow. That will be 40 miles. Bennett is 46 miles R/T, so maybe I can hit that on Wednesday or Thursday. Strasburg on Saturday would be 60 miles, but that might be pushing it... Today was my first ride where I had planned stops. I ate a Clif Bar just past my halfway point, and brought some Gatorade (found some years' old powder in the storage room). I felt much stronger throughout this whole ride. I need to spend some time to determine what works best (energy-wise...) on the rides. Many years ago, I rode around Utah Lake (not the Great Salt Lake...). I hit the wall after about 65 miles. No energy to pedal, and nowhere to stop and beg a peanut butter & Jelly sandwich. I finally made it Santaquin (yeah, where Gary Coleman lived), and bought a loaf of cheap white bread and a couple bottles of Gatorade (I wasn't too high-tech back then...). I downed most of that and continued on. I was still struggling, but after stopping for a few minutes to fix a flat tire, I got back on the bike and it felt like I had never even ridden that day. 100% energy. Nice physiological experiment! Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 5593 ft Location: Aurora, CO, Elev. Gain: +0 ft Date: 06/14/10 Up/Downhill: [+1469/-1469] Time: 08:00 PM Difficulty: 4.9 / 5.0   Weather: Partly Cloudy   66 F temp; 45% humidity   66 F heat index; winds SSW 4 mph Performance Distance: 32.42 miles Time: 2:10:05 Speed: 14.9 mph Pace: 4' 02 /mi Calories: 1531 Map   Elevation (ft)   Speed (mph)   Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 6' 28 +2' 26 9.3 -5.6 +46 ft 2 3' 36 -0' 25 16.6 +1.7 +33 ft 3 3' 02 -0' 59 19.8 +4.9 -46 ft 4 4' 16 +0' 14 14.0 -0.9 -46 ft 5 3' 48 -0' 13 15.7 +0.8 +10 ft 6 2' 50 -1' 11 21.1 +6.2 -53 ft 7 3' 58 -0' 03 15.1 +0.2 +23 ft 8 3' 50 -0' 11 15.6 +0.7 +7 ft 9 4' 20 +0' 18 13.8 -1.1 -23 ft 10 4' 04 +0' 02 14.7 -0.2 +52 ft 11 4' 04 +0' 02 14.7 -0.2 +33 ft 12 2' 52 -1' 09 20.8 +5.9 -75 ft 13 3' 17 -0' 44 18.2 +3.3 -33 ft 14 3' 08 -0' 53 19.1 +4.2 -10 ft 15 3' 29 -0' 32 17.1 +2.2 0 ft 16 4' 14 +0' 12 14.1 -0.8 +10 ft 17 3' 55 -0' 06 15.3 +0.4 +20 ft 18 4' 15 +0' 13 14.1 -0.8 -33 ft 19 3' 44 -0' 17 16.1 +1.2 -3 ft 20 4' 21 +0' 19 13.8 -1.1 +36 ft 21 4' 26 +0' 24 13.5 -1.4 +30 ft 22 5' 01 +0' 59 12.0 -2.9 +82 ft 23 4' 13 +0' 11 14.2 -0.7 -42 ft 24 2' 56 -1' 05 20.4 +5.5 -88 ft 25 3' 49 -0' 12 15.7 +0.8 -10 ft 26 4' 12 +0' 10 14.2 -0.7 +26 ft 27 3' 38 -0' 23 16.5 +1.6 -23 ft 28 4' 24 +0' 22 13.6 -1.3 +46 ft 29 4' 37 +0' 35 13.0 -1.9 +36 ft 30 4' 22 +0' 20 13.7 -1.2 +42 ft 31 3' 58 -0' 03 15.1 +0.2 -3 ft 32 4' 35 +0' 33 13.1 -1.8 -36 ft end 5' 26 +1' 24 11.0 -3.9 -7 ft Versus average of 14.9 mph

Posted from bimactive.com