fellowshipofthechainring.org

The next time you’re jonesing to get out and ride, but You’re tired of always doing the same ride, check out one of the many rides in Oregon on bikely.com’s Bike paths in Oregon. The site contains user-submitted rides. When you click on a ride, you’ll see a Google map with a route highlight of the ride. You can “walk” step by step through the route or just look at the entire map.

The next time you’re jonesing to get out and ride, but You’re tired of always doing the same ride, check out one of the many rides in Oregon on . The site contains user-submitted rides. When you click on a ride, you’ll see a Google map with a route highlight of the ride. You can “walk” step by step through the route or just look at the entire map.For instance, someone submitted a Hagg lake ride, and rated it difficult. I was about to pooh-pooh the difficulty level until I saw that the return portion of the ride went up Laurelwood road. It’s definitely accurate (on that ride at least).

So teaching web design has many perks (I get to learn new technology, I get to share what I learn, I am never bored with a room full of pure teenage energy), but I hadn’t thought about how it might help by mountainbiking.

I just found out that there’s a network of mountainbiking trails just outside of town, called Horning’s Hideout. I’ve asked various friends and cycling shops of places to go, and the closest anyone would mention was Scappoose, Stub Stewart State Park, or Forest Park.

Forest Park is the closest (or so I thought), but it’s either almost flat or a fireroad that drops straight down, which forces you to either start by divebombing and then of course, having to turn around and climb a steep pitch (not my kind of fun), or begin with a steep pitch. If there was single track that had something in between the two extremes, that would be different.

But now, through a student’s blog entry, I have discovered that there’s a network of trails in my backyard, so to speak. Horning’s Hideout Just north of highway 26 as you’re leaving Hillsboro (in North Plains).

I’ll have to check it out, and I’ll post on how it was.

I did my last training ride before Saturday’s MS Bike Ride through the covered bridges. I decided to do some hill training, so I took Little Joe up to Mt. Calvary Cemetary at Barnes & Skyline. It was a fun, albeit short (20 miles) ride. I managed to ride the entire hill without stopping (except for street lights), and I managed to keep from going into granny gear.

The Stats:

• Distance: 20.9 miles
• Time: 1:39 (hey, it was a decent hill and it was in the heat of the afternoon (so I’m not Ricco; sue me!)
• Top Speed: 39.1 mph  

I would have done better on my top speed coming down Barnes Rd., but my shocks in front occasionally cause my computer to ding the magnet, knocking it off. I heard the sound and instantly knew my computer was not giving me a read. I can’t stand not knowing my top speed, so I stopped to fix it (it took me a block to stop). Had I been completely unfettered, I would have easily topped 40.

Route:

• Take Baseline (from Aloha) to 158th
• Left on 158th & head north to Cornell Rd.
• Right on Cornell Rd & head to Barnes Rd. (aka Salzman for a moment)
• Turn right on Barnes (it’s a light just before Salzman)
• Take Barnes up the hill
• Turn to the right when Barnes turns into Burnside (it’s a right and quick left)
• Continue on Barnes to Skyline
• Turn around and have fun coming back

The Lowdown

Most of the route has a beautifully wide shoulder, but the traffic is heavy pretty much everywhere until you turn from Barnes to Barnes (to avoid Burnside). Be careful on Barnes about a mile past the hospital as the shoulder virtually disappears.

 

Yes, you heard me right. The Vancouver Discovery Walk was actually a bike ride, and a walk, and even a swim. Those zany Vancouverites! Apparently, it’s mostly a walk, but I am happy that they choose to include a bike ride option; it gave me a perfect excuse to join with friends and hit the road.

Triguy was there, but El Cap could not make it. Unfortunately, my bride wasn’t able to share the joy. She’s recovering from bronchitis, and I don’t know about you, but I definitely recommend avoiding cycling while suffering from a lung illness.  

According to the website, the ride is a 50K ride, but in reality, the map (and my cyclocomputer) shows that it’s really only 48K. I was okay with that because I already had an extra 4.7 mile pre-ride and a 5 mile post-ride.

I highly recommend doing the ride, whether you join in the Discovery Walk festivities or you simply want a scenic (albeit flat) ride. We started on 6th and something (near the Hilton) did a loop around the downtown area (I think just to add to the mileage). Unfortunately, I don’t remember the street names, but that part can be modified or skipped. It’s the second section that’s more interesting. We turned left onto Mill Plain Blvd, rode over the train tracks (saw some piratical-looking transients), and then turned onto Lowell River Rd. and took it to the Vancouver lake park.

We ate some cookies and apples at the stop at the park. The highlight was the overweight retriever that begged for food. The people working the stop had their dog with them, and the dog panted non-stop the entire time we were there (the poor dog’s heart must be working overtime). I gave it praise and affection, but not food.

From there, we backtracked to Lower River Rd. Yes, we took Lower River Rd to get to Lower River Rd.; that’s because a mile before the Vancouver Lake park, Lower River Rd. splits in half. Anyway, we turned right on Lower River Rd instead of continuing on Lower River Rd. We then took Lower River Rd. all the way to the end of the road, where a poor sign was shot so many times, that you almost could not read the sign any more.

The second Lower River Rd. was the best part because it followed alongside the Columbia River. It also passes Frenchman’s Bar Regional Park (no Frenchmen were to be found) and Caterpillar Island Recreational area. The interesting thing about that area is a dilapidated shack that’s perched precariously at the edge of a steep enbankment that drops down into the slough (one little push would probably send it plummeting down upon the poor boats below). 

At the end of the road, we had our second and last stop (cookies once again, but no dog). We chatted then turned around and rode back.

The weather was perfect, the fellowship was grand, and the traffic was minimal. Fun was had by all.

Bicycling magazine has a 4-week crash course regimen for preparing for a century, called “3 Workouts to Save Your Butt“, and after having ridden today’s 18-miler, I can tell that the training finally seems to be paying off.

The regimen includes 4 rides per week, with 3 of the rides being 1-hour rides, and 1 long ride per week. The long ride (weekend rides) is more to get in saddle time and preparing the body for the beating it will take, and the 3 1-hour rides are mostly standard rides. Mostly…

You see, the bread and butter of the training ride is the weekly, “911″ interval ride. That involves a 10-minute warm-up, 15-minute quad-pounding, 80% maximum heart-rate, lung-bursting power ride, 10-minute recovery, 15-minute muscle-searing, 80% maximum heart-rate, “what-was-I-thinking” ride, followed by a 10-minute cool down.

I never knew how long 15-minutes could be until I tried sustaining my heart rate at 80% of maximum. I also never knew how short 10 minutes could be until I sandwiched 10 minutes between the abuse of those 15-minute stretches.

The article said it would make a difference, but I wasn’t sure until today. I had already been doing the regimen for two weeks now, and I’m beginning week three. Today’s ride was the non-kill-yourself one-hour ride, and I wasn’t sure what kind of shape I was in until after I did a hill (I took 170th from Farmington up to Bany and then rode up Bany to the “something Granada something” park) and then took off down Farmington. My legs just felt great, and I kept extending the length of my ride, until I found myself heading on Rood Bridge Road towards the park.

About three or four times on the last stretch of about 6 miles, whenever I was tempted to let off on the speed, I decided not to let up, but work it more. I used every excuse to push it instead of let up. I purposely took the route on a section that would have some uphill just so I could work my legs some more, and when I finished I felt great!

I just can’t wait to get on the next ride…uh, wait…I mean the ride after the next (my next ride is the 911 ride).

Celebrity Look-Alike Tribute

I would like to add a little “shout out” to today’s celebrity look-alike. It goes to the woman in the car waiting to turn left at Farmington near 189th. She looked just like Janice from “The Muppet Show,” who, incidentally — or possibly purposely — looks a lot like Carly Simon 20 years ago, who also incidentally, looks like Mick Jagger 30 years ago.

Way to go, Janice!

As my quads were still not on speaking terms with me last night from my 40-miler training ride, I watched the first Harry Potter film. Dumbledore’s warning about the third-floor corridor reminded me to warn you all about the mistake I made on the ride I did that day. At the end of Dumbledore’s beginning of the year speech, he said,

And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a most painful death.”

I will therefore pass on this warning to you:

I must tell you that Laurelwood road from Laurelwood to Bald Peak road is out of bounds to every cyclist who does not wish to die a most painful death.

It’s a bit exaggerated, but just like with Harry, Hermione, and Ron in the movie were able to make it, you too can survive that hill, but once you stop riding up the hill, you will have to walk your bike the rest of the way. I’ve ridden on some steep hills, but I’ve never been on anything like Laurelwood road. You see, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s department, There are a lot of sharp turns on SW Laurelwood and a 17% grade. Yes, you heard it: a 17% grade. And I thought Bald Peak road’s 8% grade was bad enough.

You’re probably thinking the lactic acid got to my brain, and you might be partially right, but in the back of my head, I knew better, but took it anyway. I should probably explain why I would commit myself to such folly.

I think I remember being warned about that hill, by Triguy, but I thought he was exaggerating. The problem stems from the false sense of security that Portland Velo’s map of the westside (rev. 2) gave me. I don’t put any blame on Portland Velo, but I do recommend a change for rev. 3.

If you look at the map’s legend, you’ll see the ‘>>>’ marking denotes a steep climb. Some of the roads that get that marking are Unger Rd, Laurel Rd (not to be confused with Laurelwood), and Mason Hill Road. I don’t know about Unger, but I have ridden down Laurel, and I’ve already climbed Mason Hill road three times. While Mason Hill is totally doable Laurel Rd. is definitely more intimidating. Although I haven’t yet had the nerve to try climbing it, I at least know what I would be in for, and I would climb it if I had to.

So, when I noted that there was no steep marking on Laurelwood Rd, I assumed that even though it probably would be tough, it couldn’t be that bad. My assumption was that if Laurelwood was as bad as Triguy suggested, then Portland Velo would surely mark that road as steep.

Apparently, my assumption was false, and the reality is that the wonderful folks at Portland Velo already know the insanity of attempting that hill, so they figured that marking it as steep would only encourage crazy riders like me to attempt the “wall.”

Anyway, I set out to ride on a new route, so I decided to explore some of the roads I would be riding on the HealthNet MS Bike Ride, especially to ride on Spring Hill Rd. I began — like most of my Washington county rides — by heading out to Rood Bridge Park (to and from Rood Bridge Park makes the perfect warm up and cool down).

I took Rood Bridge to Burkhalter, rode past Oak Knoll Winery, and headed to 219. Let me also warn you not to stay on 219 any longer than you have to. I turned right on 219 and took it to Tongue Ln., but I should have either turned onto Grabel road (just before 219) and taken that to just a few hundred feet south of Tongue, or I could have taken Simpson to Johnson School road (the route that the MS ride usually takes).

219 was nasty. Even though there was a wide shoulder, the traffic was horrendous with many large trucks. There already was a headwind, but every truck coming towards me gave me more work to do.

I turned left on Tongue (I was only too happy to leave the highway). Tongue had only a little shoulder, but it was scenic, and the traffic was much lighter. I turned right onto Golf Course road, which was, low and behold, right at the parking lot of the golf course.

Take a left on Blooming Fern Hill. This was one of the highlights of the ride. There’s a great hill to climb, that is when there isn’t a car that won’t pass you like in my case. Just at the top of the hill, you can see another hill. It looks worse than it is because you get a quick downhill, which gives you enough momentum for half of the next hill.

After that comes the fun part: the downhill. I wasn’t even trying, but before I knew it, I was going 39 mph (and that’s on my mountainbike). Unfortunately, there’s a stop sign at the bottom of the hill. I still hadn’t tightened my rear disk brake, which had been a little loose to accomodate the rack I had for commuting, so as I was careening towards the stop sign, I had to lean back and begin applying the front brakes, just enough to stop, not enough to do an endo.

I turned left onto Fern Hill road, and then turned onto Spring Hill road, and marveled at the beauty. I couldn’t help but admire the scenery as I wound through the valley; however, I kept eyeing the hill to my left and the infamous Bald Peak.

I kept hoping for the best, which still looked bad, but I knew that I might not end up with a forgiving hill. Unfortunately, I kept getting closer to Bald Peak and steep hillsides with no Laurelwood road in sight.

When I finally got to Laurelwood road, I knew that the hill was probably going to be bad, but I held out hope. If the road would just head enough to the south of Laurelwood, the town, then I just might survive. I had some little ups and downs and wound through Laurelwood, the town.

As soon as I got out of the town, I rounded a corner and whabam! There were two nasty and very steep corners. I had no time to think; I had to get into my smallest chainring and fast! Just like the horror movies where the victims are trying to get into their cars and fumble with the keys, my front derrailleur fumbled. Chink-chink-chink-chink. Rattle rattle rattle. It wouldn’t go!

I got around the first corner, and out bounded a doe onto the middle of the roadway — probably to find out what the racket was all about. She stared at me for a moment, wondering what I was thinking trying this hill, and then bounded up off the side of the road. I had no ability to appreciate the fine moment where I met nature face to face in an intimate moment. I didn’t care! I still wasn’t in the granny gear. As I neared the next corner, there appeared a little faun, who also stared at me before leaving the road. Again, I didn’t care.

My lungs were exploding. I was at the lowest cog of my freewheel (the mega-range cog), and as I rounded the next corner and saw that, rather than let up, the road kept going at the same steep grade, and as I was still not in granny gear, but was pulling wheelies as I tried to keep going up the hill, I knew I was either going to fall over on the road, still clipped into my SPD cleats, or I could make a break for a dirt driveway on the left of the road. There were no cars in sight or in hearing, so I made for the driveway.

I let my lungs calm down a bit, and then I tried to ride once more. I made it to the next driveway before I saw that the road was going to continue like this indefinitely. Once I got to the second drive, I tried once more to ride, but I didn’t have enough room to get clipped in and riding. If you’ve tried crazy hills like that, then I don’t need to tell you that once you stop, you probably won’t be riding again until the road lets up, and that’s what happened to me.

As I walked up the rest of the hill, I decided that I wasn’t being a wimp; I was just cross-training (hiking and riding). After all, El Cap will tell you that you aren’t really mountain biking unless you have to walk your bike part of the way. I know; I know; I was road riding, technically speaking, but I think when the road is a 15+% grade, you’re out of the traditional road riding realm and into new territory.

I ended up walking that bike about 3/4 of a mile (I know because I started walking just a little after the sign that read 15 mph for the next 3/4 miles). When I finally got past the worst part, I was able to get back on the bike (it was just a little before meeting up with Bald Peak Road. As I approached the intersection, I looked at Bald Peak road to my right, and shook my head ‘no.’ I wouldn’t be riding to the top of the hill that day. As I looked to the left, there was a woman in a car at the intersection who smiled as if to say, “good choice.”

I turned left at Laurel road (Laurel and Bald Peak become one and the same for a bit), and climbed just a little more (it was more of an incline than a hill). Now came the fun part: the ride down Laurel Road. Laurel road descends for about 1/2 a mile before Bald Peak road breaks off to the left and Laurel drops down the hillside.

Now typically, I ride up Bald Peak and at the lower intersection, I turn left and descend Laurel. On those rides, I don’t have to pedal to break 40 mph down the hill. Well, by the time I approached that intersection, I already had a 39-mph head start. I lost my nerves (probably from coming up Laurelwood), so I slowed my bike down. At some point, I figured I would get myself into more trouble slowing than just making sure I was stable and alert, so I let off the brakes and tried some of El Cap’s tips on descending, and just tucked and kept myself steady. When I did finally look at the computer at the bottom of the hill, I had made it to 44.9 mph as my top speed. I can only imagine what it would have been if I never breaked. Needless to say, it would have been pushing 50.

By now, my quads were jellied and complaining. I didn’t have the heart to tell them they still had 10 miles to go. I also had to continue on Laurel to 219 (Bald Peak Road was closed at the 219 intersection). This added an extra mile or two, which turned out for the best at the end because it got my ride to 40 miles as opposed to 38, which just isn’t the same.

The rest of the ride was uneventful except the company I got from a fellow cyclist who caught up to me on Rood Bridge road. We chatted about this and that. He was the first to inform me that Laurelwood’s grade was so steep. I hadn’t even thought about how bad it was (I was thinking 10-12% grade). I felt better about my “cross-training,” and I made a new friend.

It turns out that his wife has MS, so there’s one more reason why I’m glad I’m preparing for the HealthNet MS Bike Ride. Just don’t tell my quads that I’m planning on riding the century.

El Cap here with an entry from Ft Collins CO.  I got here about a week ago and have been bike commuting the kids to their summer kids camp all week, but it wasn’t until Friday that I got out for a ride.  I started at our apartment and went north to Overland Trail.  As I turned south, I remembered that it did not go through to Horsetooth, so I had to back track a mile before I got on the right road.  I took a right up towards Horsetooth reservoir and started UP.  There is a stretch of road with a switchback that all of the drivers look at you strangely as to why you would chose to go up that steep hill.  Well, to get to the top of course!  At the top I turned right and went across the east side of the reservoir.  After a few hundred yards of enjoying the beauty of the reservoir, I started up again, this time even steeper.  But as you avid cyclists know an uphill is just the pre-payment for an exciting downhill ahead.  As I crested the hill I could see my wonderful descent ahead!

At the bottom of the hill and around the corner I saw a line of cyclists going up the next hill.  There were two stragglers at the end and I decided I was going to catch up with these locals.  At the top of that hill was a pull out parking area where the pack had regrouped.  It turns out they were there for the week at a training camp.  One of them explained that many of them were trying out for the US National team.  As they were pulling out I joined in and road with them for a while.

After the next big hill they regrouped on the side of the road.  I pulled over with them and that is when I found out that one of them was the coach.  He began to go through the mechanics of the Aerotuck position.  When he finished he asked them “did you get that?” to several of the riders.  Then he turned to me with a smirk (obviously not part of the group, the only one with a mountain bike, a camelback and about twice the age of these riders) and asked if I got it.  I grinned and replied, “Got it!”

Let’s see if I can recreate the aerotuck instructions.

1. Your thumbs are hooked below the handlebars.  When you are going Mach speed down a hill, if you hit a bump, you want something below the handle bars to lock you on the bike and keep you from launching.  This was a little tough for me with my mountain bike because my rapidfire shifters are intentionally placed where my thumbs are for shifting.  So for the downhill I moved my hands closer in on the bars to get my thumbs under the handle bars. Anyway, if I am using the aerotuck position, I will probably be going aver 30 MPH, so I am already in my largest gear combo, no need for shifting.

2. Feet in platform position.  He didn’t use that term, but for a mountain biker, that is the default resting position anyway.  For the rest of you, that means you have your crankarms parallell to the ground.  On a trail it is to make sure you have the greatest clearance.  My guess is that it helps you balance your weight as opposed to the one pedal up, one down that makes you want to lean on your bike.  Leaning at aerotuck speeds is a recipe for a hospital visit followed by months of rehab.

3. Legs are pressed in against the top tube.  Maybe I’m not flexible enough, maybe mountain bike geometry is different enough that it’s not as practical as on a road bike.  Don’t know, I just couldn’t get my knees in that far.  But I tucked them in as much as they would go.

4. Bottom only lightly touching the front of the saddle.  Again, maybe I need to move my saddle back, maybe it’s a Mt bike thing, maybe I was supposed to lean further forward over my handlebars than I really wanted to.  But I wasn’t able to pull this one off.

5. Elbows tucked in and touching your thighs.  No problem.

The pack took off in front of me.  I was excited, because this stretch was one of the reasons I choose this route.  This was the location of one of my previous land speed records - 46 mph.  I decided to go last.  These were professional hopefuls and I didn’t want to get in their way.  I started down the hill and quickly shifted up and cranked like I was launching a rocket.  At a certain point my 44×11 gear combination maxes out and the only way I can get faster is by tucking.  I did a mental check list of the new instructions I got at the top of the hill.  I was thinking as I was going down the hill that this is not as steep, or as long as Laurel hill (see Memorial Day Ride to Laurel), so whatever I can get here I should be able to top back home.  I never check my computer for speed when I think I am going a top speed.  All my attention is on the road.  I felt like I was going pretty fast and yet felt extremely stable.  I assume the aerotuck coaching not only gives you speed, but control and stability also. I kept up with the pack fairly well.

As we leveled out and pulled together as a pack, I started clicking through my stats, looking for max speed.  My previous land speed record was set on Laurel hill at 48.8 MPH (see Bald Peak State Park)  It could have been the instructions on the areotuck or it could have been that I wanted to keep up with these young bucks, but it finally happened; I broke 50 mph!  My bike computer logged it at 51.0 mph on that descent!  So my new personal land speed record was set.  I was chatting with one of the other riders on his sweet racing bike and he said he made a personal best of 53 mph.  I was feeling pretty good that this old codger could keep up. (this is NOT the time to think through your physics and figure out that my 175+lbs are naturally going to propel me faster down the hill than his maybe 135 lb frame.)

We took a right at the next road, Bingham hill.  A route I had taken many times before, so I stayed with the group.  It wasn’t very far up the hill that the pack started to pull away from me.  (A side note on how to figure out the terrain from a map that doesn’t show topography.  If it has the word “hill” in the name of the road, it’s probably not a flat meadow inviting you to pick flowers.)  By the top of the hill, they had gone on to the next turn in the road and I never saw them again.

That was OK.  I was spinning home in the glory of knowing I set a personal land speed record. Enjoying my first real ride in Colorado.  Having ridden for a while with future National team hopefuls.  Drinking in the beauty of God’s creation here in Colorado.  All in all a great ride!

When I rolled home I had gone 22 miles in my first round of High Altitude training.  Signing off from the Colorado training base camp

El Cap

El Cap and I hopped on our trusty steeds and headed up Bald Peak Rd. to Laurel. We started in Aloha and rode up 209th to Farmington. We were cruising down a descent when a truck that was coming towards made a left hand turn. I don’t think he realized we were going about 30 mph, so he turned in front of us.

Then, the driver seemed to pause like a squirrel about to be run over. I had to pull to almost the center line and begin applying brakes before he finally finished the turn, and I could resume on the shoulder again. It’s one thing to turn in front of a cyclist coming your way, but quite another to slow down during the turn like somehow you’re making amends by slowing up.

Anyway, most of the ride was uneventful. We took Farmington westbound until highway 219. Turned left (south) and then a quick right at Bald Peak Rd. We took that up the hill to Laurel Rd.  I forgot how many hills within a hill there are. Every time you crest a hill and turn a corner, there seems to be another one.

We made it to Laurel without stopping. The sign at Laurel Rd. said we just came up an 8% grade for — I think — 1.5 miles. It seemed much longer, but I never did have to stop. According to Google calculator, 1.5 miles of an 8% climb works out to 633 ft of vertical climbing. That felt about right. Anyway, the whole point to doing the ride is to ride down Laurel Rd. It’s a great straight shot down. You can see the bottom of the hill (600 feet below). Even with knobbies, I topped out at 42.9 miles per hour. El Cap got 47 mph, but he has slicks on his bike.

We then rejoined highway 219 and took it to Scholls. We then turned left at 210 and took that to Scholls Ferry Rd. We took that all the way to El Cap’s neighborhood in Tigard.

The last good event was hammering the bike down the hill towards Murray. The last time I looked at my speed, it was 37. That’s a fun hill to descend (provided the light a Murray is green).

All in all, the ride was 26 miles, and fun was had by all.

Yesterday I went for one of my long runs, which is entirely on Farmington Rd. I am pleased to announce that the roads have been swept from 185th to Tile Flat Rd. Sure, there was one fresh roadkill near Tile Flat, but other than that the road is as clean as clean can be!

And if you are one to do endo’s into ditches, those also have been dug out and cleaned on the south side of Farmington. Sure, this makes for a harder impact, but at least you won’t be swimming in who knows what!

Back to Bald Peak today, since I now have my bike computer up and running (see previous post for that drama). Okay, so it wasn’t completely up and running, but you will have to check out that post to understand why.

I felt much stronger heading up the hill…I guess that is what a little regular training will do! (Mental note: “Training makes the hills easier…”) Anyway, since I felt stronger I decided to continue on up to the Bald Peak State Park, getting a few more miles of hills in. The weather was just perfect, at least for a hard workout: cool and cloudy, yet no precipitation. There were some runners out, which it was nice to see. Oregon really starts to wake up once spring approaches.

Once at the top, I didn’t really take a break since I was eager to experience the downhill. Halfway down, two cars passed me. Soon after, however, I noticed that they were slowing down. SHOOT! there was a stop sign at the base of one of the hills! I came within 15 feet of slammed into the rear car! (Mental note: “Remember where the stop signs are.”) On I went, approaching the famous Laurel Rd. Without pedaling, just keeping a tight tuck, I was already up to 45 MPH* by the time I reached the Bald Peak Rd intersection. A little bit farther, and I started to pedal, and pedal hard. I was up to 58 MPH* and still had the steepest section ahead. But again, there was a car in front of me, only going about 52 MPH…didn’t want to play tag with him, not again.

Coming back around to the lower part of Bald Peak Rd, I saw about 50 cyclists go by…it was the Portland Velo riding group (side note: I love the “And The Point Of The Helmet Is…?!?” photos on their website). They were on their way up Bald Peak Rd. I decided to join them, even though it would take me back UP the hill I just did.

I must say that going back up that hill the second time is much harder than the first…hmmm, go figure. We all came back down Laurel Hill, though I waited for a good break in the people going so I wouldn’t have to slow down for anyone. I still ended up passing a guy at 52 MPH*, which surprised him. At the bottom he caught up and asked how fast we were going…must have been his first time.

Yes, Samwise, it was a good day to ride.

*The 45 MPH and 58 MPH were faster than I was really going, since I was still calibrating my bike computer. The 52 MPH should be right on, though. So I still haven’t broken my old speed record…yet.