Back to Webster Park

This afternoon I again rode at Whiting and then ventured into Webster Park just like the good old days. I rode my KH 24 this time. As expected it was little slower but easier that my fat tire 26.

The KH 24 is way more maneuverable and that makes it more fun to ride in technical situations. Hill climbing was easier but I'm still out of shape and out of practice. I'm not used to the quicker cadence of the smaller wheel and it threw me off a bit. I had a lot of dismounts due to fatigue on hill climbs.

Also it seems like the trails got 25% more rooty in the past few years. This actually may be true due to erosion. Certainly some lines on technical trails have changed which I especially noticed in Webster Park. That place really is great for muni. Overall I was impressed with my riding but I have a long way to go.

I rode 5.74 miles

I brought a "Pulse Oximeter" with me and checked at several points: at home, in the parking lot, during my ride, and back at home. My oxygen went from 98% before the ride to 96% during and after. My highest pulse that I checked was 156 bpm.

Whiting Has Changed

Look at me, getting out again for a ride!

I went to Whiting. Wow things have changed a lot since I was last there. Both the trails and myself!

There's a new (to me) Black trail branching off from Blue and cutting across the Orange loop, leading to the new (to me) Pink trail. Black seemed easier and has a several bridges and one boardwalk, if I recall. Pink is more difficult with some root covered steep sections. The Pink trail has a lobe that's still considered Pink that I did not try. The small part I saw at a glance looked even more challenging.

I rode the Blue, Orange, the easy portion of Yellow, Black, and Pink. I rode 3.5 miles.
MapMyRide

Orange and Pink really showed how out of shape I am. How did I ever climb that big hill on Orange?!! I could hardly even give it a real try. Although there were still a number of respectable climbs that I did accomplish. Like a different one on Orange that a mountain biker apparently witnessed from the bottom. A minute after I made it up, as I was stopped leaning on a tree to catch my breath, he pass by and said "That was impressive!". Well ok, but what is impressive to me is past Buzz being able to climb that hill and ride on without stopping to rest.

I think I may have found what will drive me to continue muni and get into shape. I really want to get back to being able to climb these hills, and also not puss out on some of the scary downhills.

To maybe give myself a little credit, I was riding my fat tire muni. That's a 26" tire but measures 28". My 24" muni measures 24" and is what I would normally ride at Whiting in the past. A bigger wheel is like a higher gear, making it harder to climb with. On the other hand the fat tire muni has 165mm cranks versus the 137mm cranks on the 24", and longer cranks should help in climbing.

Big Field Again

Once again I let weeks go by and I haven't ridden. Work, home, and family keep me busy.

Today I combined riding and family at the Big Field. Amy and Kessa joined me on bikes.

They were faster than me and waited a few times in the shade for me to catch up.

I may have even pushed a little more to try to keep up, but alas.

My MapMyRide app was the worst as it would not respond when I started or even after restarting my phone. It did allow me to start a few minutes into my ride, but then at the end I couldn't finish it! Grrr. At home the website showed my ride, so that's good, but it added in my previous ride's mileage. Ugh.

Anyway, we rode two laps and then I rode and the ladies hiked to accompany me to the more difficult side trail.

MapMyRide

The side trail was easier for me than last time, in terms of cardio. I wouldn't have expected that after waiting weeks between rides.

Quick video of a hill climb:

Big Field of Dreams

Working toward my dream of getting back into muni shape I rode again, this time I went to the Big Field trail. I rode my fat tire uni again and rode 3 laps with a diversion into the single-track side trail.
My ride was 3.7 miles.
The Big Field trail itself had me huffing and puffing on the three short climbs it has. The side trail was a bigger challenge and while I did fine, it confirmed I have work to do. Nothing is super crazy there, but the downhills worried me more than they should and the uphills had me redlining. There's an uphill switchback at the end that I UPDed on about 3/5 up and it took me a few solid minutes to catch my breath before continuing. I think I'll use this short trail to measure my progress. I should be able to ride this with no UPDs and come out breathing hard but not seeing stars.

This ride felt a lot different than my Hojack rides, making me tired more quickly in my muscles and breathing and less sore in my seat.

Monociclo de Mayo

I decided to go for a ride today. It was sunny out but still only about 45°F. I was shocked to see it's been a full month since I rode. Time flies.

I wanted to push myself a little more than last time and decided to ride the Hojack again but this time starting from home. It was a little much and I was feeling spent on my way back with 3 or 4 miles left. I pushed through but was a bit dizzy and saddle sore by the time I got home. And the part on the road was especially boring.

My total ride was 12.6 miles.

The muddy sections were wetter and thicker than a month ago. Though some work has been done to one section. Crushed stone had been packed down like a roadbed. That works but the mud is kind of fun. Oh well.

I remembered to take some pics!

Muni Reboot?

I've been sedentary for a long time now.  So for exercise I've been toying with the idea of getting back into muni. For muni to be fun I need to be in shape and that takes time, effort, and self-motivation. I'm not going to kid myself and say I'm totally getting back into it, but today I at least made the first step of getting out there for a ride.
I rode the easiest trail in my area: the Hojack. I started at North Ponds Park and rode to the west trail end and back, 7 miles. It was about 51°F out which is pretty nice for exercising and keeping cool.

I forgot to take pics on the trail. I rode my fat tire 26" Oregon.

MapMyRide link

The trail was in good shape aside from about three muddy sections. I forgot how draining those are to push through: heave ho heave ho heave ho. After the 10-20 seconds it took to fight a mud section I was out of breath and concentrating on just continuing on. I'm out of shape.

Hiker and biker traffic seemed at the normal level I remember for a busy day, something like an encounter every half mile. When passing I was thinking about corona virus social distancing, but really I just normally give people as much space as possible anyway.  I kind nodded instead of saying hello and breathed less and more shallow as if to avoid inhaling the possibly infected air. I don't know how scientific that is, but whatever.

I feel good about getting out and can see myself getting out again soon.

Grease is the Word

Yes, I am still selling grease for the Schlumpf hub.
Click here for the order page.