Memorial Day @ Hawes

Distance: 9+ (cyclometer blanked for a bit)
Fellow Riders: Mike
Notes: First time back at Hawes since I broke my face on New Year's Day. It was good to be out on one of my favorite trails. But as always, there is never enough time to ride all the routes I want. I'm going to have to come out here alone sometime, when I don't have to worry about anyone's schedule but my own.
We rode it a little different this time. Same route as usual up to the mine, but then we turned around and went back down. It was interesting trying things a little differently.

Road Ride

Distance: 15.3
Ride Time: 49:08
Aveage Speed: 18.6
Notes: It was cloudy, rainy and cool all day. I was able to slip out at 4:30 for an afternoon ride.

FINS

Distance: 7
Fellow Riders: Mike & Spencer
Notes: So I managed to slip out for a quick mountain ride at FINS tonight. The weather was cool but quite windy, we almost got blown off Grunt.

Finally Back in the Saddle

Distance: 21.4
Ride Time: 1:08
Average Speed: 18.9
Weather: Cloudy & 80 degrees
Notes: So after a week and a half since the 100 miler, I finally climbed back on the road bike. (Oh, I have taken the girls for a couple of spins around the neighborhood with them on the handlebars, but that was only a couple of miles of riding.) I just felt like I needed a little break. But then I got into the bad habit of sleeping in, so I it was harder to back out. Even today, I slept until 7:40 and didn't get in the saddle till after 8:00.
I rode out to Estrella Parkway and back. I had a tailwind going out and therefore a headwind coming back, but still I felt really good the entire ride. I've decided I would like to a mountain bike race this year. Since there is only one race left this season, I guess that will be the one I do. It is the State Finals in Flagstaff and will be on June 13. I am hoping to get up and pre-ride the course within the next couple of weeks so the race won't be my first time on the trail. I'll just have to see what I can talk Bettijo into.

FINS: The Photoshoot

Distance: 5
Average Speed: 7.9
Fellow Riders: Mike
Notes: My first ride after the century and the flu. I didn't want to push it too hard, so Mike and I went out for a ride at FINS with Bettijo's camera with the purpose of taking some good photos.

Wickenburg 100

Distance: 106
Ride Time: 6+ hours
Average Speed: 15 mph
Fellow Riders: Dad B., David Wiley & Ryan Broderick (for 1/2)
Notes: So this was it, my first century ride. We started shortly after 5 am along the 60 in Surprise. The morning was beautiful and a comfortable cool temperature. I was wishing that could be our riding condition all day. The first 50 was quite easy. It was kind of hard for me to ride at the pace everyone else was going. I broke out a couple of times and then found a shady spot to wait.
The second half of the second 50 was where it started to get a little rough. I never got really physically tired, but the heat was starting to get to me (we finished at a temperature of about 104 degrees). Also, I was feeling tingly in my taint, legs and feet. I've got to figure out what about my bike seat is pinching nerves.
My total mileage was a little over 106 miles. I had double-backed at one point to check on the other riders and at another point I took a wrong turn, so between those I pushed my overall mileage a little higher.
I'm glad to say that I have accomplished a century. I definitely want to do it again, but next time it will during a cooler time of year.
Start:

Lunch:

Finish:

Welcoming Committee:

TOTAL MILEAGE THIS WEEK: 130.5

Road Ride

Distance: 19.5
Ride Time: 1:06
Average Speed: 17.5
Notes: After spending the day cleaning up the office and organizing Bath by Bettijo stuff I really needed to get out. Bettijo had a friend come over to tie-dye so I sneaked out for a evening ride on the road bike. I put my headlight (which is total junk and will be returned to Target shortly) on the aerobar and put my flashing taillight (from the mission) in the netting of my backpack. I road out to Indian Wells Road and back. I got a little extra mileage because I missed a turn in the dark and had to do a u-turn. I felt pretty safe the entire ride except on the way back I got buzzed pretty closely by a pickup pulling a horse trailer.

Easy Riding

Distance: 4.8 miles
Notes: I just got my road bike back today from Estrella Mountain Cyclery. I have to note here that Estrella Cyclery is my favorite bike shop in the entire Valley. Granted, I have not visited every bike shop, but I have visited four others just within the last week. Estrella Cyclery is the most unpretentious bike shop around. The owners and employees are down to earth, polite and completely unstuffy. It doesn't matter if you're a pro or a complete rookie, they talk to you with respect and without passing judgment. They don't look down their nose at you for not riding the lines they carry. They don't imply you should be riding on beginner trails when they find out you are not riding a top-of-the-line bike. They don't subtly ridicule you for not being an expert at bike maintenance or for not knowing every stinking detail about the sport or the equipment. And they are real from the very beginning, not just to their friends. I liked Estrella Cyclery the first time I visited there. But after this last visit I have become a life-long customer. Even when we move to north Glendale, I will continue to drive down here to have my bikes serviced. I'll probably even buy a Giant from them for my next bike. Of course, it won't be hard to get me to make the drive since I'll still be coming to ride FINS.
After picking up my bike I did some long awaited projects on it. I swapped out the pedals and finally reinstalled my bike computer. Once I was done with that I took it out for a spin around the neighborhood. Piper came out so I threw her up on the aerobars and she had a heyday riding around with me. When we got back to the house Attalie came out and asked for a ride. So I took a loop with her (while Piper was throwing a fit), then came back and did it with Piper again, then Attalie again.
My last project of the night was to figure out how to attach my iPod to the aerobar so that I can change songs, volume, etc. without having to get into my pack. I created a rather ghetto contraption made from a light switch plate and duct tape. That's right, a light switch plate and duct tape. I connected it to my aerobar with zip ties. It ain't pretty but it does the job. I even put a flap on it so that my iPod won't be exposed to the hot Arizona sun for 8 hours this Saturday as I do my first century ride.

FINS

Distance: 7.44
Fellow Riders: Spencer
Notes: After doing a garage sale all morning, Spencer and I sneaked out for an afternoon ride at FINS. I was reminded of why we normally do morning rides in Arizona. It's not summer yet and still it was about 93 degrees out there. Spencer was struggling a bit because he hasn't ridden in 2 weeks. He also is nursing an injured ankle that throbbed every time he bumped it. We kept it short at just under seven and a half. I nearly lost it bombing down Northstar. On the last jump at the bottom of the hill my landing went off the trail and into the rocks and cactus. I was having visions of stitches flash through my mind, but I was able to guide my bike between two rather large rocks and ride it out safely. My only injury: a one inch thorn through the front tire, which fortunately the slime sealed up.

TOTAL MILEAGE THIS WEEK: 27 (All Mountain)