bikejournal.com journal

4/1/2007
(Sun)

67.88

04:37:47

44.50

14.60

0

15

492

2,709

Min: 46
Avg: 50
Max: 52

229

5682

0

140

159

0

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Metric #6! (my goal was six in 2007 -- now increased to 20)
Total time: about 6:05
Thermometer day.
New personal best for one-day and three-day distance! Also, this ride is the longest time I have spent pedaling.
Hillsboro to Salem by way of Yamhill, Carlton, McMinnville, and Amity. Another beautiful day for a ride, although cool. Took backroads for the first half, and then 10 miles on Hwy 99W before getting back on sideroads. Mostly flat except for three fairly short climbs at the end. Scenery was lush green fields, a little bit of transition forest, orchards, and nurseries, with the occasional vineyard thrown in.
Also of note is Laughlin Road, just before I got to Yamhill. What a beautiful cycling route -- and wonderful smooth pavement.
Had lunch in Yamhill at Zippy's Pizza (had pizza last night, so I ordered a very tasty pastrami & swiss on rye). Service was good, food was good, and the place was cyclist-friendly. In addition to bottomless glasses of lemonade, they have Guiness on tap (for future reference...).
Road with a fellow named Ken (I think) for several miles on Tongue Lane (yes, that's really the name of the road) early in the day. Nice guy out for a Sunday ride with a group -- he sprinted ahead to catch up with me. It's fun to be the rabbit.
Chatted extensively with Dave from Portland at lunch who was on his first overnight ride. He had hoped to get to the coast yesterday on the Nestucca River Hwy, but his legs told him "no" at the summit. He was on his way back to Hillsboro today. Sounds like he didn't fuel the furnace adequately....
Wildlife spotted: redtail hawk, killdeer, osprey, robins, crows, bluejays, Canada geese, redwing blackbirds.
Interesting non-wildlife: a small herd of buffalo, two burros, lots of lambs, and goat kids, too. Oh, and a working draft horse farm near Yamhill.
Wardrobe used: DeFeet Woolie Boolie socks, Lake MX60 shoes, Craft T-shirt, Specialized fingerless gloves, Headsweats long-bill cap, Adidas bike shorts, Gore leg warmers, and Specialized arm warmers. It was chilly in the shade, and lovely in the sun.
Food and water: one granola bar, one box of raisins, 2+ liters of water, 4 glasses of strawberry lemonade, pastrami & swiss on sandwich, and a pickle wedge.
Bike notes: Lost the front chain a couple more times (forgot to adjust it before I left and was too lazy to fix it on the road). An intermittent click/creak in the right front wheel appeared on Friday, and continued today. I stopped in Amity to tweak the brakes a bit and thought to check the headset. It was not quite as snug as it should be, so I fixed that. The mysterious noise seemed to improve slightly. Hmm....

Weather Conditions: Partly sunny, dry (except for one raindrop). Calm for the first several hours, then westerly breezes beginning just south of Amity (helped push me home).

4/2/2007
(Mon)

5.47

00:25:04

24.10

13.10

0

100

Min: 40
Max: 52

230

567

0

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: commutes

Weather Conditions: Partly cloudy, dry. Calm.

4/3/2007
(Tue)

1.65

00:07:57

26.30

12.60

0

50

Min: 49
Max: 50

230

260

0

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: errand

Weather Conditions: Overcast, cool, dry. Calm. A few sprinkles on the way home.

4/4/2007
(Wed)

3.84

00:15:26

25.40

15.00

0

60

Min: 53
Max: 64

230

343

0

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: commute

Weather Conditions: Clear, dry, beautiful. Light southerly breezes.

4/5/2007
(Thu)

28.97

01:47:03

31.80

16.20

0

550

Min: 62
Avg: 67
Max: 76

231

2711

0

145

169

0

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Out State Street to Cordon, north to Lardon, east to 89th(?), south to Sunnyview, and then to campus. (17.0 mph avg on this loop!)
Then a series of errands, and back home.
Then to church for choir practice and service, and then home again.
Beautiful day.
Wildlife spotted: I was jamming along pretty good in the rural areas, so no critter sightings .
Wardrobe used: DeFeet Woolie Boolie socks, Lake MX60 shoes, cotton T-shirt, Specialized fingerless gloves, Headsweats long-bill cap, Adidas bike shorts.
Food and water: about 2 liters of water (all day).
Bike notes: I think the right front wheel creaking is a crack in the fender. Still not positive.

Weather Conditions: Sunny, dry. Light northerly winds (5-10 mph).

4/6/2007
(Fri)

49.65

03:04:50

37.50

16.10

0

7

460

1,185

Min: 56
Avg: 74
Max: 76

231

4600

0

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Two commutes to campus, then left on a lovely Good Friday ride.
Rode by the salle, and then went Sunnyview to Cordon to Silverton Road to Howell Prairie Road to Saratoga Drive to Church Road to Mt. Angel (17.1 mph avg!). Saratoga has been reported to be a nice route for cycling, and it certainly is -- lovely small farms, many of which have been there for over 100 years -- and gently rolling terrain, with a couple of lovely shady stretches.
From Mt. Angel, rode up the hill to the abbey (stations of the cross on the way up). Spent a few minutes in the abbey, had a snack, then headed back, getting a screamer down the hill.
Came back Church Road to Saratoga Drive to North Howell Road to Nusom Road to Scism Road to Shannon Road (after a short detour due to a wrong turn) to Silverton Road to Desart Road to Kaufman/Lardon Road (the opposite direction that I usually travel) to Cordon Road to Sunnyview Road and back to the salle for a lesson (17.3 mph avg!), and then home.
If I would have had more time, I would have tried for another 12.5 miles to make it a metric. Probably just as well, as I was pretty tired from having pushed so hard -- plus, I am not used to the warmer temps.
Wildlife spotted: redtail hawk, killdeer. I know there was more, but that's all I can remember.
Interesting non-wildlife: a burro.
Wardrobe used: DeFeet Woolie Boolie socks, Lake MX60 shoes, cotton T-shirt, Specialized fingerless gloves, Headsweats long-bill cap, Adidas bike shorts. Sunscreen was very helpful (SPF 15).
Food and water: two granola bars, three boxes of raisins, 2+ liters of water. No cramping, but I should have eaten more before heading to Mt. Angel.
Bike notes: The mysterious creak in the right front wheel is still there. Don't think it's the fender. I now suspect the spokes. Time for more expert help, I think.
Also, I learned that when you hear an unfamiliar noise, it is wise to stop and check it out. In this case, it was the tube and bite valve from the hydration system (which I had forgotten to clip on) dragging along the road for several miles. Ooops.
Forgot to take my HRM.

Weather Conditions: Sunny, dry, warm. Light variable breezes.

4/7/2007
(Sat)

30.03

01:58:42

32.90

15.20

0

276

683

Min: 58
Avg: 61
Max: 63

226

2463

0

134

149

0

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Personal best for 7-day mileage!
Out Sunnyview Road to Corban Road to Silverton Road to Brush Creek Road, and then south to Kaufman Road to Howell Prairie Road to Conifer Street to 78th Avenue (note to self: 78th is gravel!) to State Street and home. Somewhere on this route is a can of Halt! that vibrated off ('nother note to self: never rely on stuff that clips on).
Focused on keeping HR in zone 3, including using the HR alarms on the Edge 305. That seemed to work well. Zone 3 felt good. Averaged more than 17 mph on outbound leg, thanks to some help from a tailwind for part of the way. Then I hit 6 miles of headwinds.
Got caught in a short cloudburst around Lancaster and got soaked.
Had an undetected slow leak that went flat on right front, but didn't notice until almost in the driveway. The Marathon Plus tires are so stiff and thick. I was wondering why the trike was behaving oddly, but had mostly written it off to fatigue. I suspect that I started losing pressure 78th, as I was unable to find a puncture -- it looks like the tube developed a pinhole leak at the seam on the outer side by the valve stem. 78th was gravel with some washboard, and that might have done it in.
Wildlife spotted: redtail hawk, killdeer, a small yellow-breasted bird, crows.
Interesting non-wildlife: the burro on Silverton Road, the large white "runs in circles" dog at 78th and State.
Wardrobe used: white cotton "Fred" socks, Lake MX60 shoes, cotton T-shirt, Specialized fingerless gloves, Headsweats long-bill cap, Adidas bike shorts.
Food and water: less than 1 liter of water.
Bike notes: Mysterious creak is still there, but I confirmed it isn't the spokes when I fixed the flat. It's something in the headset, I think.
BAD NEWS: While fixing the flat and chasing the mysterious creak, I discovered that the front weld connecting the main tube and the crossbar has a 1.5" long crack!!! Nooooo! Fortunately, Catrikes come with a lifetime warranty on the frame, so I have put the wheels in motion for that.
In the meanwhile, I'm stuck riding my mountain bike. Ugh!

Weather Conditions: Initially partly cloudy and dry, changing to showers. South winds 17-18 mph outbound, shifting to SW at 12-14 for the return leg.

4/13/2007
(Fri)

3.02

00:00:00

0.00

13.40

0

228

169

0

Road: Flat

Giant Iguana
XC Rigid

Clydesdales

Comments: Six days with no ride. Yuck. Walked to campus and drove to the salle. Finally got the MTB in running order.
Commute to salle on MTB
I now remember exactly why I went 'bent....
Oh, well. It's better than no ride at all.

Weather Conditions:

4/16/2007
(Mon)

6.10

00:00:00

0.00

13.40

0

230

345

0

Road: Flat

Giant Iguana
XC Rigid

Clydesdales

Comments: Commutes to salle and campus, plus an errand

When, O when will my new frame arrive?
Moan.

Weather Conditions: Mostly cloudy. Light breeze.

4/18/2007
(Wed)

3.62

00:00:00

0.00

13.40

0

230

205

0

Road: Flat

Giant Iguana
XC Rigid

Clydesdales

Comments: commute to salle and back
My frame shipped yesterday! Yea!
Unfortunately, by ground, despite offering to pay for 3-day air. Sigh.

Weather Conditions:

4/19/2007
(Thu)

3.63

00:00:00

0.00

13.40

0

229

205

0

Road: Flat

Giant Iguana
XC Rigid

Clydesdales

Comments: commute to salle and back
Frame has left Jacksonville, FL....

Weather Conditions:

4/20/2007
(Fri)

3.65

00:00:00

0.00

13.90

0

228

216

0

Road: Flat

Giant Iguana
XC Rigid

Clydesdales

Comments: commute to salle
Only a few more days....
Dang this wind noise. I didn't realize how much quieter the wind is on my trike.

Weather Conditions: Sunny, dry. Nice

4/22/2007
(Sun)

6.92

00:28:36

26.70

14.50

0

5

171

150

Min: 57
Avg: 57
Max: 57

230

589

0

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Rode out to Pringle Community to do a "workshop" on car-free living for Earth Day.
Took it easy because of the cracked weld. Debated driving with the trike in the truck, but decided to give Trikey one last ride before he gets a skeleton transplant (hopefully the new frame will arrive Tuesday).
Sooo much better than the MTB. Sigh. Only a couple more days....

Weather Conditions: Partly sunny, threatening clouds, dry, light breeze. Serious cold front moving in -- hit a literal wall of warm air (10 deg warmer?) on the way home near the train station.

4/23/2007
(Mon)

5.17

00:41:07

22.80

7.50

0

Min: 49
Max: 67

229

168

0

Road: Flat

Giant Iguana
XC Rigid

Clydesdales

Comments: Commutes to campus and salle, then downtown and home.
Low avg speed is do to walking bike home after dinner downtown (Kim was on foot).
New frame arrives tomorrow! W00t!

Weather Conditions: Partly cloudy, dry, nice.

4/24/2007
(Tue)

1.28

00:05:50

21.50

13.20

0

229

72

0

Road: Flat

Giant Iguana
XC Rigid

Clydesdales

Comments: commute to campus
Frame is here! Now to get it rebuilt....

Weather Conditions:

4/25/2007
(Wed)

8.73

00:39:36

23.90

13.20

0

229

492

0

Road: Flat

Giant Iguana
XC Rigid

Clydesdales

Comments: commutes to campus and the salle, plus two trips downtown
Have most of the rebuild done... just a few adjustments left.

Weather Conditions: Mostly cloudy, a couple of light sprinkles.

4/26/2007
(Thu)

1.45

00:07:18

17.70

11.90

0

228

76

0

Road: Flat

Giant Iguana
XC Rigid

Clydesdales

Comments: Commute to campus and back
Last ride on my MTB! Trikey is back! Whoo hoo! Yea!
After all the grumbling about my MTB, I have to say that while it began horribly, the last several days have actually been kind of fun. I was thinking pretty hard about selling my Giant, but I think I'll keep him. I don't want to ride him very often, but it was fun to swoop through turns and hop speed bumps again. The Giant isn't a flying lawn chair, but it's so bad after all....

Weather Conditions: Clear, sunny, and dry.

4/26/2007
(Thu)

4.32

00:19:22

26.30

13.40

0

78

Min: 55
Max: 63

228

393

0

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Commute to campus, then the salle and home, combined with a couple of test runs up and down the street.
First ride on new 2007 frame (warranty replacement for cracked weld in original frame). I hope to get a little bit longer ride in tomorrow and get the kinks out of my quads, which I thrashed with all the hands-and-knees work on the new frame. Ow.
New frame has some design changes, including a lumbar curve in the seat (good), 1 inch wider track (hard to fit through the door now, but I like the ride better), and a stiffer boom (good so far).
The new boom seems to absorb less energy in boom flex when I stomp on the pedals, with some of that energy being transferred to the entire frame. I suppose this is good, as it will encourage smoother pedaling even under heavy acceleration. Subjectively, I think a little bit more power is already going to the drive wheel.
Either compressing the headsets more or the wider track has resulted in a joyous event: NO MORE SHIMMY! Hooray!
All in all it is very nice to be back on my trike and not fighting that blasted self-made wind so much -- quieter, too!

Weather Conditions: Clear, sunny, and dry. Lovely.

4/27/2007
(Fri)

20.34

01:29:23

26.80

13.60

0

237

300

Min: 55
Avg: 67
Max: 70

228

1142

0

140

156

0

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Commutes to campus and the salle, a quick little shakedown cruise after reinstalling my neck rest (with a cut-down post) and adjusting brakes and rear derailleur, followed by an out-and-back to Silverton Road via State Street and Cordon Road.
Nice to get out and ride for a bit, even with the traffic noise of Cordon Road. Had a bit of a learning curve remembering how I used my instruments. Funny how just two weeks off the trike leads to forgetfulness.
My first time: A woman pulled over a few hundred feet ahead of me on Cordon Road and flagged me down to ask directions. She was very grateful and apologetic for stopping me. Guess I don't look very threatening!
Wildlife spotted: There was a Canada goose standing atop the peak of the roof of the forestry building honking loudly. Never seen that before. Otherwise too distracted by new frame.
Interesting non-wildlife: None observed.
Wardrobe used: DeFeet Woolie Boolie socks, Lake MX60 shoes, cotton T-shirt, Specialized fingerless gloves, Headsweat, Adidas bike shorts, amber and smoke AiroShield lenses.
Food and water: Just a little bit of water. Should have drunk a bit more, but distracted.
Technical notes: First ride with AiroShield visor. I'm not used to riding with sunglasses or any vision tinting, so it was interesting how open my eyes were without the need to deal with glare. I get a little bit more wind noise with the AiroShield, but it's worth it for the half-face physical and UV protection. I used the smoke lens and switched to amber as it got darker. Result: I need to get a clear lens for twilight and darkness (they were out of stock when I ordered).
This was also my first non-commuting ride with the new frame. This frame feels faster, but that's subjective. I like the slightly wider cockpit. The seat angle feels more reclined (and it is, after checking the specs 37 deg instead of 39). The seat was comfortable before, the additional recline and the small lumbar curve just make it more so.
Unfortunately, the changes in the frame have effectively increased the height of the bottom bracket for me, so I am having trouble seeing over the fairing. I have the fairing as low as it can go without touching my toes (I have size 15 feet), but I am still looking through it rather than over. More experimenting needed with seat position, boom length, etc., possibly including modifying the fairing mounting.

Weather Conditions: Partly cloudy, dry, pleasant. Force 4-5 crosswinds on State Street inbound from Lancaster to the prison, otherwise light WNW winds.

4/28/2007
(Sat)

4.33

00:19:04

24.00

13.70

0

67

0

228

410

0

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Commute to salle via La Marg (errand) and home

Weather Conditions:

4/29/2007
(Sun)

68.55

03:58:54

40.40

17.20

0

11

199

994

Min: 50
Avg: 57
Max: 63

230

5898

0

138

166

0

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Metric #7!
Total time: 06:59:15
Thermometer day!
New personal bests for average speed and distance!
First organized ride ever
31st Annual Monster Cookie Metric Century
Rode the few blocks to the start point at the Capitol Mall, then the route, with a side trip to Willamette Mission State Park on the way back, then rode home. The route was mostly flat, except for a couple of short little hills and some rollers. Lots of people, all friendly. Got to see some of the OHPVers. Rode about half the ride with bike2work and youngbentrider, the other half solo. Also met DebbieBikes. Nice ride from Salem to Champoeg State Park and back, mostly on familiar roads. Ride was well organized and well marked. Good snacks. I think I will take my own lunch next year, as this one was a bit skimpy for the money (but a good ham sandwich, all the same). Quite a few recumbents, but only a few trikes, including a red 2005 Catrike Road and a yellow Zoomer.
My first time: MFT riding with so many people (>1,000). Was quite cool.
Wildlife spotted: Turkey vultures, redtail hawks, and a nesting pair of osprey (at Willamette Mission).
Interesting non-wildlife: None observed, except for the wide variety of people, clothing, and bikes.
Wardrobe used: DeFeet Woolie Boolie socks, Lake MX60 shoes, cotton T-shirt, Specialized fingerless gloves, Headsweat, Adidas bike shorts, smoke AiroShield lenses, Specialized arm warmers in the morning.
Food and water: About 2 liters of water on the road, plus several cups of CytoMax at rest stops, which sat well. Bagels and cream cheese or peanut butter at rest stops, plus orange slices (on return leg), which really hit the spot. Lunch was ham sandwich, a little bit of pasta salad, and half-dozen grapes. Began getting very hungry in north Keizer and speed began to drop. Almost stopped to get a granola bar, but was only a few miles from the end. Monster cookie at the end was very tasty, as was the free Liquid Sunshine Paley Bar (included in packet).
Technical notes: Trikey ran well. There's one gear on freehub that doesn't shift as smoothly as it should, and I get major chain drag on the crossbar on the granny ring, making it unusable. Oops. Forgot to fix this. Fairing adjustments worked well -- I think I'll stick with it as is for awhile and see how it works.
Got a number of questions about my AiroShield (I should get a commission!), as well as positive comments about the DiNotte taillight.
New frame design is quite comfortable.

Weather Conditions: Mostly cloudy in the morning, partly cloudy in the afternoon, dry, beautiful. Light variable winds.

4/30/2007
(Mon)

6.19

00:24:50

28.10

14.50

0

98

Min: 56
Avg: 59
Max: 61

228

540

0

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Commute to salle, plus an errand.
Oops. Looks like I broke the speed limit downtown -- 28.1 in either a 20 or 25. Will have to check on that....

Weather Conditions: Overcast, dry, mild. Light variable winds.

5/1/2007
(Tue)

27.60

01:39:45

37.90

16.60

1

12

500

905

Min: 59
Avg: 59
Max: 59

228

2452

0

135

157

0

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Rode out Pringle/Battle Creek to Parrish Gap Road to Hunsaker Road to Marion Road to Turner and home.
Was thinking that I was not in the groove really until I headed north for home, but I see from the altitude profile that the real issue was just gravity! 500' of climbing in the first 5 miles, followed by rolling hills. When I headed north, coincidentally it was all downhill from there, with the last 12 miles being -0.1% average grade. My avg speed for this section was 19.8 and I just felt like I was flying. I came home sweat-soaked and exhilarated.
The only black spot was a jerk in an SUV who refused to pass and insisted I pull off the road to let him/her by on south end of Battle Creek Road. After some horn honking, I finally pulled into a driveway and let it go by (with more horn honking).
My first time: MFT riding this route once I got on Hunsaker Road.
Wildlife spotted: A raptor of some kind, killdeer, blue jays, Canada geese.
Interesting non-wildlife: Llamas, an emu/ostrich/rhea (not sure which), cows, sheep (and lambs), horses.
Wardrobe used: DeFeet Woolie Boolie socks, Lake MX60 shoes, cotton T-shirt, Specialized fingerless gloves, Headsweat, Adidas bike shorts, amber AiroShield lens (really would rather have had clear).
Food and water: About 0.5 liters of water.
Technical notes: Before the ride, I tinkered with the rear derailleur to try to get rid of the hesitation in certain gears. Couldn't get satisfaction with cable tension adjustment. Remembered that during the build I had tried flipping the idler pulley around for less resistance, and recalled that the idler mounting was not symmetrical. Ah-ha! Flipped the idler wheel back around and the problem was solved. It made just enough difference in the chain line.
Also tightened up the chain to make the granny gear usable again. Still not entirely happy, as the changes in the new frame geometry result in the power side of the chain rubbing the crossbar a little bit in the 30T -- no matter what chain length. The only fix I can see is to either shorten the boom (I like the current setting very much) or add chain tube or a second idler wheel. I think a phone call to TerraCycle is in order....
Continuing to get used to the reversal of brakesteer behavior with the new frame (the old frame had reverse brakesteer).
May have detected a very faint shimmy at about 35 mph. Will have to carefully monitor steering at higher speeds to make sure we don't have a high speed shimmying problem, which would be bad.
Now there is a chain-related clicking in the rear end when using the big ring above about 60 rpm. When adjusting the chain length today, I replaced about 18 inches with a new section that was leftover from original chain. I think this is the section that is click-free.... Hmmm. Puzzling.
I continue to be impressed with the GPS analysis software I'm using: Ascent (Mac only) from Montebello Software. Every time I use it, I find some cool new thing. And they frequently release new versions with feature enhancements. Very cool.

Weather Conditions: Overcast, dry. Light breezes. 60% humidity.

5/2/2007
(Wed)

4.51

00:16:46

27.70

16.20

1

3

220

84

Min: 44
Max: 51

226

505

0

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Commute to salle and back.
Managed to dodge the rain both ways, except for damp streets.

Weather Conditions: Overcast with intermittent thunderstorms and pea-sized hail, wet pavement, winds from west at 15 gusting in the 20s on the ride in, southerlies of about 10 on the ride home.

5/3/2007
(Thu)

4.23

00:16:36

25.60

15.40

0

65

Min: 47
Max: 51

227

400

0

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: commute
Got to the salle just in time to avoid a massive cloudburst -- a deluge, even. Hail, rain, and some cats and dogs, too.
Light rain on the way home.

Weather Conditions: Thunderstorms. Variable breezes.

5/4/2007
(Fri)

28.39

02:01:34

41.90

14.00

0

11

373

831

Min: 53
Avg: 56
Max: 57

225

2432

0

143

164

0

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Commute to salle and home, then out Battle Creek to Kuebler to Cordon to Hazelgreen to Salem Parkway to Commercial to downtown to meet my wife for dinner.
Average speed includes the pokey pace home with my wife (she was on foot). Heart rate data only includes the 22.5 mile loop.
Averaged 16.6 on 22.5 mile loop, including those #($@ hills on Battle Creek and Pringle.
A nice ride, although windy.
Got to a new low weight today! 225 was my interim goal. Next goal is 215 and we'll see how that feels.

Weather Conditions: Partly cloudy, mostly dry pavement, westerly winds 10-15.

5/5/2007
(Sat)

103.10

06:41:07

41.70

15.40

0

13

540

2,783

Min: 47
Avg: 55
Max: 59

225

8791

0

130

155

77.2

122

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Metric century #8
Statute century #1 (1st ever!)
Double thermometer ride
Personal bests: 7-day mileage (242.57), 2-day mileage (131.49), calories burned (8,791), and avg HR (130)
State Street to Howell Prairie Road to Saratoga to Hook to Mt. Angel Hwy (bypassed Mt. Angel proper) to Downs to Gallon House Bridge to Hobart to Wilco Hwy to Silverton Road (bypassed Silverton) and then to the salle.
Then home for lunch. Checked e-mail, discovered that cadence sensor for Edge 305 had arrived. Installed new sensor. Friends stopped by to show off new car. Anyway, it was more than 2 hours before I got on the road again.
Pringle/Battle Creek to Parrish Gap to Wintercreek (nice climb, with a lovely ride down into the flatlands) to Jefferson Hwy to Ankeny Hill and across I-5.
Stopped at the overlook at Ankeny Hill NWR for a snack, and I realized that I should have topped off the FastBack during lunch, as I was almost out of water. I decided to seek water from the first people I saw outside who weren't using power equipment.
Headed south on Buena Vista Road through beautiful farmland. Got to the ferry, but no water. I was now out of water and getting actively thirsty. Bad.
Asked the ferry operator about sources of water nearby. She gave me two suggestions, and then, on impulse, gave me a bottle of her own water. Oh, did that taste good! Blessings upon her!
Her first suggestion, the little park just up the hill, turned out to have water but it was shut off for the winter. Argh. Worse, the entrance to the park was at the top of the hill, with a 10% grade (although I swear it was steeper!) leading down to the non-working faucet. And, in this case, what goes down must come up. Double argh.
I didn't get to the ferry operator's second suggestion, because at the end of the street coming off the ferry I spotted a woman unloading groceries from her car (Ah-ha! No power equipment!). She graciously let me fill up from a faucet with "good Luckiamute water" and even offered to fill the bladder and bottle inside in the sink. She asked if there was anything else I needed and waved me on my way. What a nice lady. And good cold water, too.
I was so happy to have water again, that I forgot to make the turn at Buena Vista to end up at Helmick State Park and ended up at the intersection of Corvallis Road before I realized the error. I was less than two miles south of Independence, so I decided to change my route and put in an extra leg to Dallas to get the miles I needed for the century. I called Kim to check in, and then continued north to Independence.
I was just about to head west to Monmouth when I spotted a new pizza joint that had opened up in the old hardware store at the stop light. A piece of a pizza sounded really good right then, as I was just beginning to feel some fatigue (at mile 73, already a new distance personal best). In I went.
It was an omen: they had cartons of chocolate milk in the cooler behind the counter. Yea! And salted peanuts on the tables (throw the shells on the floor). Double yea! And nice people and decent pizza to boot! And Widmer Bros. beer on tap (for future reference).
27 minutes later, I headed west to Monmouth, happily digesting a piece of Hawaiian pizza, etc. I tried to keep my heart rate down to facilitate digestion, but I couldn't stand riding that slowly. Fortunately, my stomach tolerated the food just fine.
From Monmouth, I headed north on the multi-use path paralleling Hwy 99W. I will consider riding on the shoulder next time, as the path was pretty bumpy. Right on Orrs Corner out to Dallas, through downtown and back on Ellendale Road to Rickreall.
I was starting to think about the end of the ride by then, and noticed that my average speed had slowly been inching up past 14 as I got into the flatlands on the west side of the river. I decided to try to finish at 15 mph average. It's a steady gentle upgrade (a bit less than 1%) from 99W to Dallas. You can't see the grade, but you can feel it in your speed. I gained ground on my average speed. And then gravity repaid me as I headed east again for home, and my average speed broke 15 and slowly kept going.
I rode Rickreall Road to 22 at the bike overpass, and then back to Salem on the shoulder of 22.
I stopped on Hwy 22 opposite the cemetery to change batteries in the taillight. I was starting to get tired and mentally encouraging myself with the you're-almost-home game. I noticed that my jersey, arm warmers, and parts of my leg warmers were blotchy white with salt. Hmmm... note to self about electrolyte replacement next time....
I broke 100 miles in West Salem and let out a whoop -- and kept pedaling.
I had spent the last few miles debating which route to take home -- the familiar one through downtown, with the need for short sprints to handle lane changes and traffic lights in the one-way grid, or the less-familiar bypass route with smooth pavement, a bike lane, and higher speed traffic. I was starting to get a little punchy, so I opted for familiar.
I got home safely and arrived just as Kim was putting the pasta in to cook. What timing! Kim took my "triumphant" photo, and then we had a lovely supper of baguette with tapenade (salt!), locally grown organic greens, fetuccine with fresh local mitake mushrooms, and chocolate milk for dessert. Heaven.
I was tired, a little sore, and very happy.

My first time: MFT riding a century, wearing a cycling jersey, on the Buena Vista Ferry, and riding across a covered bridge.
Wildlife spotted:Nesting osprey (with chick! KEEEEEEEP! KEEEEEEEP!), turkey vultures, a harrier, redtail hawks, redwing blackbirds, robins, bluejays, crows, killdeer, Canada geese, ducks of indeterminate species (backlit and flying).
Interesting non-wildlife: The 3 corgis chased me again (whoo hoo!).
Wardrobe used: DeFeet Woolie Boolie socks, Lake MX60 shoes, new BJ jersey, Specialized fingerless gloves, Headsweat, Adidas bike shorts, smoke AiroShield lens, Specialized arm warmers, Gore leg warmers. Temperature never really warmed up.
Am going to have to replace all my cycling shorts pretty soon, as I am "undergrowing" them and starting to get skin-to-skin contact and mild chafing in some tender places. Also, the right arm warmer caused two-inch long red mark on my upper arm that blistered. Hmm....
Food and water: About 3.5 liters of water (not counting lunch and pizza stops). Two bowls of cereal for breakfast. Leftover fettuccine (in a tomato cream sauce) for lunch. Two boxes of raisins, two granola bars at Ankeny. One slice of CB&P pizza, a large handful of peanuts, and two half-pint cartons of low-fat chocolate milk in Independence.
Need to take more food next time. Need to take electrolyte replacement next time. Get 3-liter Nalgene bladder.
Technical notes: Trikey behaved well, except for the beginnings of chain squeak about 70 miles in. Also need to add another idler wheel to get the chain off the crossbar in the inner chainring (don't like to do that, but no choice given how far the boom is extended).
Installed cadence sensor for Edge 305 40 miles into it. Can't use the speed sensor on a recumbent without heavy rewiring (may consider doing this later). Am pleased to have the cadence data recorded now (still use the Cateye Astrale 8 for real-time speed and cadence, as well as final distance and time data).
Still a faint shimmy at speed without hand pressure.

Weather Conditions: Mostly cloudy with sunbreaks. Chilly in the morning, and slightly warmer in the afternoon. Occasional light breezes.

5/6/2007
(Sun)

10.93

00:40:50

30.80

16.00

0

5

218

181

Min: 67
Avg: 67
Max: 67

223

1107

0

132

151

90.5

115

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Personal bests: 3-day mileage (142.42) and weight since age 21 (223 lbs)
Quick ride out to Roberts to get the kinks out after yesterday's ride. Felt pretty good, but I didn't push except for a couple of sprints to deal with traffic in town. A little bit of muscle soreness, but all in all, a nice ride.
My first time: MFT riding the day after a century.
Wildlife spotted:Nothing of note.
Interesting non-wildlife: Ditto
Wardrobe used: DeFeet Woolie Boolie socks, Lake MX60 shoes, cotton T-shirt, Specialized fingerless gloves, Headsweat, Adidas bike shorts, amber AiroShield lens.
Food and water: About 0.5 liters of water.
Technical notes: Need to lube the chain!

Weather Conditions: Mostly cloudy, calm, dry roads. About 60% humidity.

5/7/2007
(Mon)

3.87

00:17:09

20.80

13.54

0

5

0

49

Min: 78
Avg: 78
Max: 79

227

358

0

92

110

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Commute to salle and back.
Warmest day cycling yet this year.

Weather Conditions: Sunny, dry, north wind 16-17, gusty.

5/8/2007
(Tue)

8.61

00:44:38

22.70

11.60

0

200

Min: 65
Avg: 68
Max: 70

227

398

0

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: test rides at TerraCycle, two trips to LBS

Maintenance: Replaced chain (at 2,090 miles on Trikey's odometer) with two new sections of SRAM PC951 and a partial section of PC991 (that's the best two LBSs could do today). I'll see how the PC991 does, but given how much stronger that chain is, I am considering switching to the PC991 for the next replacement.
Was stunned at how rapidly the old chain wore from the last time that I checked it for wear (about 600 miles ago). The old chain was >1.0 mm overlength in 10 links -- not good. I now have a chain wear gauge that I can easily use every couple of hundred miles. This explains the increasing plague of drivetrain noises. Duh.
Middle and outer chainrings are showing wear and will be replaced soon. 30T Q-ring looks great. Rear cogs show a little wear, but should last through another chain, I think.
The drivetrain is now blessedly quiet except for the satisfying whir of....
TerraCycle idlers. I spent the morning at TerraCycle, which got me home too late for the final WU club ride of the year (but I needed to get this stuff done.... sigh). Pat went way beyond the call of duty to come up with a solution to the chainline problems of pushing the Road's frame geometry to its limits (I have the extra-long boom at full extension). I now have two power-side idlers, one return-side idler, and a piece of floating chain tube (with beautifully fluted ends, I might add). Both sides of the chain now run under the crossbar. And best of all, I have the use of all three chainrings once again.
On Pat's advice, I also dropped the back end of the TailSok a couple of inches.
Pat also supplied me with the new Catrike "locking" boom clamp, as he had an extra. It's verra nice.
Many thanks, TerraCycle!

Weather Conditions: Sunny, dry. Calm in Portland. Windy in Salem.

5/9/2007
(Wed)

4.01

00:17:58

21.80

13.50

0

4

0

55

Min: 66
Max: 54

228

348

0

77

111

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Commute to salle and back.
Went 17th to D instead of my usual route. Was better for traffic at that time of day. New route home via Chemeketa is good, too.
Driveline is much quieter now, but am occasionally getting a gear jump on the rear. Hmmm.

Weather Conditions: Clear, sunny, dry, northerly breezes.

5/10/2007
(Thu)

30.84

01:48:11

33.70

17.10

0

7

496

855

Min: 53
Avg: 67
Max: 68

227

2990

0

141

164

93

126

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Commute to the salle, and a nice ride north on Capitol/Portland Rd to Pine to Cherry to Salem Parkway to Hazelgreen to Cordon, then south to Kuebler and back on Liberty.
A nice speedy ride: 17.1 avg is a PB for urban/suburban riding.
Trike behaved great. Adjusted cable tension on the rear derailleur and life is good now. Moved the boom in 1/8" and my Achilles tendons really were much happier (especially the left). GPS mount is cracked, so ordered new one today after GPS fell off twice (once last night, once today).
My first time: Some new streets, but no real MFTs.
Wildlife spotted: None.
Interesting non-wildlife: None.
Wardrobe used: DeFeet Woolie Boolie socks, Lake MX60 shoes, BJ jersey, Specialized fingerless gloves, Headsweat, Adidas bike shorts, smoke AiroShield lens.
Food and water: No food, but 1-1.5 liters of water.

Weather Conditions: Clear, sunny, dry, northerly winds at about 10 mph. Should have used sunscreen. Oops.

5/11/2007
(Fri)

3.95

00:14:22

24.00

15.70

0

3

0

64

Min: 62
Avg: 64
Max: 67

223

311

0

78

122

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Commute to salle and home
17.9 mph avg on return trip!

Weather Conditions: Dry, overcast, calm.

5/12/2007
(Sat)

4.11

00:15:05

23.12

16.40

0

85

0

226

541

0

94

120

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Commute to salle and back.

Weather Conditions: Overcast, dry.

5/15/2007
(Tue)

7.30

00:33:03

30.80

13.25

0

7

0

177

0

227

375

0

85

117

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: commute to salle and back, plus a couple of errands

Weather Conditions: Sunny, dry.

5/19/2007
(Sat)

145.55

09:26:54

43.20

15.40

0

16

676

4,527

Min: 48
Avg: 58
Max: 61

227

13468

0

134

162

92

116

Road: Rolling

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: First-ever double metric century!
Metric century #9
Statute century #2
Double thermometer ride
Total time: 13:00:43

This was the 17th American Lung Assoc. of Oregon Reach the Beach fundraising ride (I raised more than $1900 -- thank you, supporters!), with an unspported return trip home from the beach.
I left the house at 7:30 a.m., picked up my registration packet at North Salem HS, and I was off. The route through Salem and Keizer was poorly marked and the cue sheet was confusing, resulting in a some extra distance, but I got back on the route on the north end of Keizer. North to the Wheatland Ferry, across the river to the first rest stop at Maude Williamson SP. Then north a bit and west over the Eola Hills to Amity and the next rest stop. Then west to Sheridan and the next rest stop. From there, southwest along Business 18 through Willamina and then onto Hwy 18/22. I had several miles of rumble strips, which left me only a few inches on either side. Yuck.
It was a relief to get to Valley Junction and head northwest on Hwy 22 -- less traffic and much prettier. Grand Ronde Agency was the lunch stop. Kept looking for Aero_Diva or kirkej, but no sign of them.
Continued west on 22 to the summit (676' asl). Let out a whoop and began the sled ride to the beach. Skipped the last rest stop at the turn-off for the Little Nestucca Hwy. and kept going, as I was about an hour behind schedule. The Little Nestucca Hwy was even prettier by bike than by car. The "sled ride" had one little bump in it, though: a 1/4-mile climb with 16% grade.
After that little surprise, it really was a sled ride to Hwy 101 -- albeit one with a headwind -- and the turn-off to Pacific City and the beach.
The finish line festivities were a zoo, with only mediocre food and not enough of it (only one pass through the line allowed).
In accordance with my plan, I ate some food, checked out the sponsor booths, and then evaluated how I felt. It was an hour later than I had hoped to arrive, but I felt pretty good and I would have a tailwind all the way home. I called Kim, donated my bus ticket back, and headed home.
The trip back was actually more fun than the trip over. Most of the folks I passed going the other way smiled, waved, and/or said hi to me as they went past (even a couple of whoo-hoos!), in contrast to the trip over when I was lucky to get a grunt from most people when I passed them. And I finally saw Aero_Diva and kirkej headed to the beach -- just time for a shouted hello as we passed.
After about ten miles, the bike traffic thinned out and there were stretches when I had the road to myself. Green, lush, and sunlit.
I stopped at the Little Nestucca Hwy junction rest stop just a few minutes before the course closed, knowing that I was on my own from here on out.
I pedaled off and soon reached the coastal summit, where I had planned to call Kim to check in: no cell service. I had a snack and headed downhill for the reverse sled run to the valley. Unfortunately, I forgot to restart my GPS until 4.5 miles later. My average speed started to pick up and I gained confidence that I would be home before dark.
I stopped at Grand Ronde Agency to call Kim and have a snack. A friendly ride volunteer on his way home stopped and let me pick through the extra food loot from his station. A group of three 20-something riders asked me which way to the coast and how far. Shaking my head, I told them, and let them know they were on their own, as all the support stations were closed now. Undaunted, they headed off. Hopefully they made it without incident.
I refueled, I set out again. I was closer to Salem than I realized and soon was back on Hwy 22/18. Thankfully the eastbound shoulder as wider and free of rumble strips. Note: next time, go south on Grand Ronde Road to Hwy 18 and use the crosswalk rather than turning left at Valley Junction.
At the Willamina junction, I headed for Salem on Hwy 22. It was noisy because of the traffic, but it was smooth and the shortest route. I got over the two small climbs and had several snack breaks. I incited the interest of a herd of llamas, who actually trotted after me for a 100 feet or so. Other than some spots with lots of gravel on the shoulder, it wasn't bad. Even got to enjoy the scenery during the breaks in traffic.
I called Kim from Rickreall -- now on very familiar ground -- to give her a 45-minute heads-up. Exactly 45 minutes later, I rolled into the driveway, with daylight to spare. I was tired and very, very happy.
My first time: MFT riding a double metric century, MFT going so far west, MFT riding to the ocean, MFT being chased by llamas, and MFT riding with a vidcam.
Wildlife spotted:Turkey vultures, redwing blackbirds, robins, bluejays, crows, killdeer, barn swallows.
Interesting non-wildlife:Llamas (see above)
Wardrobe used: DeFeet Woolie Boolie socks, Lake MX60 shoes, new Mt. Boarah jersey, Specialized fingerless gloves, Headsweat, new Pearl Izumi bike shorts (size L, now!), amber AiroShield lens, Specialized arm warmers.

Food and water: About 2.5 liters of water, plus 1 liter of Powerade (worked well). Two bowls of cereal for breakfast. Two half PB&J sandwiches, 2 bananas, 1 boxes of raisins, two granola bars, 3? Clif bars (free), a very tasty organic apple, a Gorge Delights PearBar and a JustFruit bar (yum to both), ham & cheese sandwich, dill pickle spear, rigatoni with tomato sauce, rice, and a fajita. And one chocolate chip cookie.
Did I really burn 13,468 calories, or is my Edge 305 pulling my chain???
Technical notes: Trikey behaved very well. Intermittent squeak, possibly front left pedal or crank. New chainline worked great.
Helmet cam setup worked pretty well, but I didn't get quite the battery life out of the ARCHOS I was expecting. Need a clip for camera wire to back of jersey. Would like to try a thigh strap for the ARCHOS for easier monitoring. No one even seemed to notice the camera. Backup battery for GPS worked, but apparently there is a slight drain on the batteries even when it isn't plugged into a device, as they were almost dead. GPS battery last almost to Rickreall, though, and I was able to cannibalize 2 AAs once I realized I would get home before dark (taillight went the whole trip one set of batteries).
Need to get lighter weight rain pants (carried mine, but didn't need them).
Actually, I need to really lighten up for my next long ride, as trike, gear, food, and water weighed in at more than 70 pounds! Yikes!

Weather Conditions: Mostly cloudy, dry. Winds westerly and 5-10 mph in the valley, with 10-15+ mph winds on the west side of the Coast Range.

5/21/2007
(Mon)

18.13

01:13:54

28.10

14.70

0

7

0

454

Min: 61
Avg: 60
Max: 60

227

1463

0

125

153

90

119

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Recovery ride (a day late)
State Street to Cordon to Swegle to Hampden to Sunnyview to Howell Prairie to Conifer/Fruitland/Center to Hawthorne. South on Hawthorne with a cut through the new Geer Park (nice ballfields) to emerge on State Street and then home.
Nice tailwinds outbound, which meant, you guessed it, headwinds coming home. But it wasn't that bad, as I wasn't pushing that hard.
Took it easy. Had a nice ride.

Weather Conditions: Partly cloudy, dry. Steady west winds at about 15 mph.

5/23/2007
(Wed)

3.85

00:18:11

23.50

12.70

0

5

0

85

Min: 59
Max: 64

227

244

0

90

118

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Commute to salle and back

Weather Conditions: Clear, sunny, and dry on the way in, with very light breeze. Mostly cloudy and wet pavement, calm, on the way home.

5/24/2007
(Thu)

4.54

00:19:22

29.80

14.10

0

5

0

82

Min: 65
Max: 71

226

454

0

90

122

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Commute to salle and back, plus a short errand.

Weather Conditions: Clear, dry, sunny. Light breezes/calm.

5/25/2007
(Fri)

22.32

01:26:54

28.10

15.40

0

1

0

226

1552

0

96

122

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Commute to salle and back, followed by a stripping down and tire-changing session for Trikey in preparation for racing this weekend -- and a shakedown cruise out to Cordon Road and environs, with an errand thrown in. The new Stelvios worked well. Loc-Tited the nuts on th tie rod and generally tidied up loose ends.

Weather Conditions: Partly cloudy, dry, calm

5/26/2007
(Sat)

36.08

02:13:18

29.40

16.20

0

225

Min: 57
Avg: 72
Max: 73

226

2631

0

163

172

98

128

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Oregon Human Powered Vehicles

Comments: Oregon Human Powered Vehicles Human Power Challenge at Portland International Raceway

What a great day -- my first bike race ever! Mileage includes practice laps, as well as actual race mileage.

Classification: Men's Super-street
Subclassification: Trike

Events:
200m drag race - 1st (of 2)
Due to the small size of the class and the abundance of racers in other classes, we only had one heat. Bike2work had a mechanical problem that took him out just before the finish. My top speed by my speedometer was 29.4 (official time pending). Fun, but I wish I had gotten to do more heats.

1-hour/50k road race - 3rd (of 4)
The other competitors in my class were riding two-wheel fully-socked recumbents (a Bachetta, a Calfee Stiletto, and something else) and were very strong riders (bike2work being one of them). I didn't stand a chance with two of them, and surprised myself by laapping the third one about halfway through. My real competition was a Go-One velomobile -- and myself, as I had set a goal of maintaining at least a 20 mph average speed.
The Go-One is a beautiful vehicle. The rider was a friendly fellow who lives and works in Portland. He got about 100 or so feet ahead of me and stayed there for (I think) the first three laps, until I managed to catch up to him going into turn 1. I was maintaining my average but I was getting some early fatigue, so I slipped onto his rear wheel to see how much of hole there was.
It was an excellent choice. I sucked his wheel for the next three laps, at times coasting. I started feeling a lot better. I pulled out around him, thinking I would return the pull for a few laps, but his speed just dropped like a rock and I left him in my mirror. I felt good and just kept things going through the slight gradients and the northwest wind.
The streamliners lapped me at least three times, and bike2work lapped me twice. The streamers just purred when they passed -- amazing machines.
I got a white flag one lap earlier than I should have and powered into the home stretch only to get another white flag. Curses came out of my mouth and I hoped I had enough gas in the tank to push for one more lap. As I came into turn 1, I spotted the Go-One and set myself the goal of trying lap it. Toward the end of the backstretch, he must have seen me coming. I gained ground rapidly, especially in the home stretch (26.3 mph sprint), but finished 20-30 feet behind him.
My unofficial average speed (by GPS) was 20.36 mph. I'm a very happy cyclist.

OHPV did a nice job. Met nice folks on all kinds of bikes. I just wish there were more super-street trikes.

I think I now have experienced bonking. Despite efforts to get some carbs and calories into me after the race (and a recovery lap), I was seriously stupid and fatigued by the time I got home. Glad that didn't happen while I was riding.... Yuck.

Tomorrow I have the flying 200m sprint, autocross, and a five-lap (almost 10 miles) time trial. Hope my legs are up to it after today's punishment.

Wildlife spotted: a pair of Canada geese and a great blue heron on the infield.

Technical notes: Trikey performed well, with Schwalbe Stelvios and a way stripped-down frame. I'm glad I didn't put the 62T chainring on. HRM was only working intermittently during road race. New sunblock (Neutrogena UVA/UVB SPF 45) is superb.

Weather Conditions: Partly- to mostly cloudy, dry, northwesterly winds 8-12 mph.

5/27/2007
(Sun)

28.81

02:25:50

33.00

11.80

0

3,000

Min: 54
Avg: 56
Max: 60

226

2085

0

153

173

91

125

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Oregon Human Powered Vehicles

Comments: Final day of the Human Power Challenge at Portland International Raceway.

Another great day! Mileage includes practice laps, as well as actual race mileage.

Classification: Men's Super-Street
Subclassification: Trike

Events:
200m flying sprint - 3rd (of 4)
I still had some juice left in my legs this morning for the flying 200. I made two runs, and my first one was my best, with an average speed of 31.37 mph.
Although I entered the trap at my target speed on the first run, I underestimated my top speed and found myself continuing to accelerate through the trap. As I exited the trap, my speedometer read 33 mph. So, with more experience, I could go faster. As far as I can tell, my speed is a track record for a super-street trike.

Autocross - 4th (of at least 15)
This event was a lot of fun, with riders segregated by gender and age (adults and juniors) into heats of four, with the top two in each heat advancing. I made it to the final heat, with Rob English riding a Bike Friday in all three of my heats (man, is that guy fast!).
In the final heat, I was holding a solid second place, with Lonnie breathing down my neck on his LWB. But Lonnie's racecar experience stood him in good stead as he made a beautiful move going into the slalom. The slalom could be entered either direction, and I had always entered from the right, as that was slightly faster. Lonnie passed just as I was going in and went left into the slalom just ahead of me. I ran out of gas shortly after that and the other rider passed me on the straight. I almost caught him on the final straight, but I was spent and had to settle for fourth place. Lotsa fun.

9.575 (10 laps) time trial
This event was tough. I used a lot of my gas up yesterday, and just felt slower. My results show that I was, in fact, 0.5 mph slower, but I think a lot of that was actually due to stronger winds, which I misinterpreted as fatigue. Funny how psychology works -- if you feel slow, you probably will be slow.
I had never done a time trial before, so it was interesting being out there by myself. I learned a lot, so I should be able to do a better job next time.

At the awards ceremony, I had the most points in the trike class (which I had anticipated). But I was very pleasantly surprised to be third in points in the super-street class, too! So, I came home with some cash, which is always nice, as well as some nice pats on the back.

Today there was no bonking, but I discovered that my gut does not appear to like Clif Shot Blocks. Ugh.

Technical notes: HRM behaved better today. I think the contacts just got a little dried out yesterday. I noticed in some of the photos that I appear to be angling my knees in slightly while pedaling. Need to keep an eye on this....
In analyzing the data from my GPS, I think I want to change the mounting point for it when racing so that I can use the lap button and use the data a bit differently on the track, as well as post-race. Also realized (afterward) that I could have downloaded data to my PowerBook and used Ascent to see which lines were faster.

Wardrobe used: Same as yesterday, except wore BikeJournal jersey and Gore leg warmers (all day), with Gore jacket in between events. Wished I had brought my arm warmers. Got pretty chilly at times when not racing.

Weather Conditions: Overcast, with occasional sunbreaks. Dry, except for a very brief sprinkle. There was an 8-12 mph NW, which acted as quartering tailwind for the 200m sprint (it canceled out for the time trial and autocross). Wind and cloud cover made it chilly.

5/29/2007
(Tue)

41.90

02:49:12

44.72

15.80

0

13

1,128

2,030

Min: 85
Avg: 87
Max: 88

226

2085

0

147

167

92

135

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: A beautiful ride on a warm, sunny afternoon. And this ride puts my 2007 mileage at exactly 2,000 miles. Whoo hoo!

Rode out State to Howell Prairie to Sunnyview. Then east on Sunnyview through Pratum to Cascade Hwy. Then a dogleg to Riches Road to Victor Point Road, followed by another dogleg to Fox Road, then up to Drift Creek Road and north to Silverton. Finally home on Silverton Road to Cordon to Center to Hawthorne to State.

My first time: MFT on Fox and Drift Creek. The views were so fine that I had to stop several times just to look. And there was fabulous 5.3 mile downhill run into Silverton.

Wildlife: A pair of California quail near the end of Sunnyview, and the first swallowtail butterfly (I think that's what it was) of the season (on Drift Creek). Also Canada geese, various unidentified songbirds

Non-wildlife: the burro on Silverton Road, plus a very friendly horse (American Cream?) on Fox Road (I think). And bees -- lots of bees happily pollinating -- enough for me to zip up my jersey, close my mouth, and slow down a little bit.

Technical: Had a (pinch?) flat on Center Street coming home. Trikey is still mostly in race configuration, so I was out of my usual routine and forgot to take my ID, etc. Oops.
With the addition of the second FastBack for food and first aid kit, plus taillight and flag, the race config works pretty well for touring.

Clothing: Used plenty of sunblock. Neon green Mt. Borah jersey, Adidas cycling shorts, Specialized fingerless gloves, DeFeet Wollie Boolie Socks, Lake MX60 shoes, Headsweat. Should have used sunscreen on lips, too.

Food and water: This was my warmest ride yet. 2 liters of water, 1 liter of Powerade, 1.5 pkgs Ritz peanut butter crackers, 2 Quaker granola bars. I thought I was doing fine on water, but by weight I was still at least 1 liter low on fluids when I got home. Have to drink more, I guess.

Weather Conditions: Clear, sunny, warm, dry. Northerly breeze 5-10 mph.
Highest low temperature and highest average temperature for a ride to date.

5/30/2007
(Wed)

17.53

01:08:02

29.90

15.40

0

4

0

281

Min: 72
Avg: 83
Max: 86

225

1464

0

132

157

91

142

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Dentist appointment, commute to salle, a trip to the LBS, and a short ride out to Keizer Station via the MUP on Salem Parkway.

Converted Trikey back to commuter/touring setup. Changed rear tire and tube back to Marathon Plus; will do front tires tomorrow. I left the front fenders off for now, as it only takes a few minutes to put them back on and they scoop a lot of air.
Bought three new 20 x 1.5/1.75 tubes today, as I realized I had been running the MPs with 20 x 1-1/8 tubes before. Oops.
Also bought a presta-to-schraeder adapter and stuffed it in my Tailrider for gas station air pump use (when I'm feeling lazy and running 120 psi tires, which are no fun to top off with a frame pump).
Clothing: Basically the same as yesterday, with plenty of sunscreen (I should buy stock in the Neutragena Company).

Weather Conditions: Clear, dry, sunny, variable breezes 5-10 mph.

5/31/2007
(Thu)

40.70

02:36:36

46.80

15.60

0

16

1,000

1,682

Min: 58
Avg: 75
Max: 84

224

3831

0

124

165

92

120

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Monthly personal bests:
Miles: 600.86
Time in motion: 39:45:17
Average speed: 15.11 mph
Commute to salle and back.

My first time: MFT on Gibson Road/Eagle Crest. MFT through construction zones with flaggers. MFT intentionally riding at night for non-commute (fun!).

Started by running an errand downtown and then continuing over the bridge and out Hwy 22 to Oak Grove Road, then up and over Orchard Heights Road to Eagle Crest to Gibson to Bush College Road to Wallace Road and to the salle from there.

Oak Grove and Orchard Heights had beautiful new smooth asphalt. (Wow! Thanks, Polk County!) Gibson and Eagle Crest were, unfortunately, nasty chipseal.

Gibson Road is an absolute screamer -- 2.2 miles of downhill with an average grade of -5.8%, including a 3/4 mile stretch in which I averaged 41.3 mph. There are no crosstreets and virtually no driveways, as well as low traffic. The only drawbacks are the rough chipseal and the fact that a number of turns have a slight reverse camber, requiring careful steering and braking on a trike. But fun, fun, fun!

I also got a surprise on Brush College, which had a stretch torn all to heck with a short detour. Unfortunately, the detour was uphill in loose gravel. I couldn't get traction and had to suffer the ignominy of towing my trike up the hill behind me.

Rode home after work, unfroze the coils on the A/C (not fun), and then rode over to the industrial park off of McGilchrist to get a few more miles in on a quiet loop of smooth pavement. That got my mileage for May to just over 600 miles, which was my goal! The moon was almost full, the air was cool -- it was a very nice speed ride (I just treated it like a one-hour time trial -- 14.2 miles in 46:43, avg of 18.2, max 26.5, HR 140/155, cadence 93/116).

The industrial park has a nice rectangle (including a short stretch of McGilchrist) that forms a 1.25 mile loop. Pavement is good, it's fairly well lit, and traffic is generally very light (except at shift changes). I did get a bit overconfident coming back onto McGilchrist and ended up doing a stoppie (cross traffic, even at night, isn't as visible at 40+ mph as I thought. Oops.). I also discovered that 22nd Street is a very nice way to get home from there, as it is very smooth and flat and has a camera-driven signal to cross Mission Street.

Notes: This was the first time going over Orchard Heights with both the GPS (with working altimeter) and the 30T Q-ring. So, here's the data:

Beginning of Orchard Hts to summit:
1.6 miles
570' elevation gain
6.9% average grade
15.8% max grade (steepest I have ever climbed)
0% min grade

From Oak Grove/22 to summit:
3.8 miles
774' elevation gain
3.8% average grade
15.8 max grade
-5.6% min grade

The worst stretch is in the middle, with 0.3 miles of 12% grade right after a short flat stretch. There is a short stretch that is steeper shortly before the summit.

In looking through my records, the only historical data I have for the route is speed. The last time I rode this route was 3/13/07 (19.2 miles, 13.9 mph avg, 138/169 bpm, avg 51 deg F.). Comparing roughly apples to apples (I took a different descent), today was 19.2 miles, 14.1 mph avg, 140/165 bpm, avg 83 deg F. So, I was a little faster in substantially hotter weather. Perceptually, I felt like I wasn't thrashing my legs as much on the climbs. When you come right down to it, I like the way the Q-ring feels -- smooth -- and that's worth it even if the speed gains are very modest.

Clothing: Used plenty of sunblock, including lips this time (much better!). Neon green Mt. Borah jersey, Adidas cycling shorts, Specialized fingerless gloves, DeFeet Wollie Boolie Socks, Lake MX60 shoes, Headsweat.

Food and water: two Ritz peanut butter crackers, 1 liter of Powerade (all during daylight), 2.5 liters of water. Felt like my hydration level was better this time.

Wildlife spotted: Turkey vultures (I'm sure there wee other birds that I spotted, but nothing of note).

Technical: Trikey behaved fine, except for a slight shimmy at higher speeds. I probably should have readjusted the toe-in for the Stelvios, but they are coming off soon. Also, need to adjust the cable tension on the RD and the inner stop on the FD (can be hard to get onto inner ring under load).

Weather Conditions: Clear, dry, sunny, light variable breezes.

6/1/2007
(Fri)

4.05

00:17:48

23.50

13.80

0

65

Min: 75
Max: 89

220

471

0

86

123

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Commute to salle and back.

Weather Conditions: Clear, dry, sunny. Variable breezes.

Hottest ride to date.

6/2/2007
(Sat)

2.78

00:17:58

22.70

9.30

0

50

Min: 56
Max: 79

225

89

0

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Rode to fencing tournament and back. I guess that counts as a commute for me.

Weather Conditions: Warm and muggy. Dry. Variable breezes

6/4/2007
(Mon)

26.51

01:36:02

43.20

16.60

0

10

682

1,176

Min: 61
Avg: 64
Max: 66

227

2327

0

91

138

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Out State Street to Cascade Hwy, the south to Waldo Hills Dr and west to Edmunsen Dr/Deschutes/Macleay Road to Cordon to State and home.

A nice ride. Like many shorter rides lately, I didn't really have a destination in mind when I left the house. I stopped at Howell Prairie Road to make up my mind where to go next.

I am definitely getting stronger. The hills on State Street past Howell Prairie used to seem interminable. Now they aren't that bad at all.

Hadn't ever been on Deschutes/Edmunsen/Waldo Hill before (MFT). Pretty farmland, with nice rollers and turns. I especially liked the short stretch through the oak grove on the eastern end.

Non-wildlife spotted: Got to see the burros at Macleay and Howell Prairie! OMGBBQP0N13S!!! Cute little guys....
Also, the amazing large whit dog on State Street that spins in circles has two clones -- there are actually three of these ridiculous spinning beasts in the same yard!
Had my can of Halt in hand for the first time ever today as a chocolate lab was loose on the shoulder out around Edmunsen. But the dog just looked at me and decided to mind his own business. Good dog!

Technical: Trikey did great today. I suspect there is a bit of chain rub goin on in a couple of gears, so I need to track that down. I still haven't swapped the front tires yet. Maybe tomorrow?
Had trouble with the Edge 305 cadence sensor. Maybe Torka's theory about high humidity has some grounds, as humidity was 63-72% during ride. It seems like the magnet was just a millimeter too far away from the sensor. Will be curious if it's better in lower humidity.
Also learned that it is easy to become insanely distracted/confused when using two alternate data layouts on the Edge 305 if one has a similar but different piece of data displayed in the same field in each layout. In this case, I was getting cadence (layout 1) confused with HR (layout 2), as I didn't have my HRM with me and the cadence sensor was being flaky. I would see a blank field for HR and think the cadence sensor was being flaky, forgetting which layout I was on. Ugh. HR needs to be in the same place in both layouts!

Wardrobe used: Neon green Mt. Borah jersey, Pearl Izumi cycling shorts (I really like these!), Specialized fingerless gloves, DeFeet Wollie Boolie Socks, Lake MX60 shoes, Headsweat.

Food and water: one Quaker granola bar and about 1/3 liter of water.

Weather Conditions: Overcast, muggy, dry except for a couple of sprinkles. Warm southwesterly winds 10-15, gusting to 20 mph.

6/5/2007
(Tue)

30.32

01:48:30

32.00

16.70

0

5

152

610

Min: 57
Avg: 58
Max: 62

227

2400

0

123

155

92

125

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Stopped by the LBS to order new rear wheel with Capreo hub and cassette, then north on Commercial to Salem Parkway to Hazelgreen to Cordon to Lardon to Howell Prairie to State and home. Dried off a bit, then commuted to the salle and back (and stayed dry both ways).

Another nice ride, with dramatic contrasts in the sky between clouds and blue, with occasional brief sunbreaks. I got caught in two cloudbursts and sprinkled on another time, but otherwise dodged the rain. Still ended up soaked, but my feet stayed dry until I stood up and the water ran down my legs.... Even with the rain, still a nice ride.

Wasn't watching my average speed, and was only pushing a little bit, so I was very pleased that the day's average speed (including commute) was so high.

The new "golf ball" water tank at Keizer Station only has one panel to go. It's been interesting watching it being built over the last few weeks.

Technical: Trikey did great today. I still need to track down the chain rub issue. And I still haven't swapped the front tires yet. Maybe tomorrow?
Cadence sensor for the Edge 305 behaved fine today -- even in pouring rain. On the other hand, the Edge shut itself off for no apparent reason. Turned it back on and it seemed happy again, though.

Also, this was the first rain test for the AiroShield -- two thumbs up! Rain stayed off my glasses (except for a couple of drops) and streamed off the shield. Kept my face warmer and more comfortable, and had much better vision.

Wardrobe used: BJ jersey, Adidas cycling shorts, Specialized fingerless gloves (switched to neoprene gloves for commut in order to get warm), DeFeet Woolie Boolie Socks, Lake MX60 shoes, Headsweat, Gore jacket.

Food and water: one package of Ritz peanut butter crackers and about 1/4 liter of water (plus however much rainwater I drank).

Weather Conditions: Overcast with occasional sunbreaks. Wet pavement and cloudbursts. Variable winds 6-10 mph, gusting 16-18.

6/8/2007
(Fri)

44.64

02:36:28

32.80

17.10

0

8

407

600

Min: 68
Avg: 71
Max: 72

227

3501

0

136

156

92

118

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Ran an errand and then headed south to Lebanon for tomorrow's Strawberry Century after finally getting through delay after delay in hitting the road at 5:00 p.m.

A nice evening for riding! Headed south on Turner Road, through Turner to Marion Road to Marion, then southwest to Greens Bridge Road, then south to Jefferson-Scio Road briefly before heading south on Kelly Road for a few miles to Gilkey Road. Kelly and Gilkey had nice farmland. Passed a rollover accident that had police on site -- apparently no one hurt -- lucky people. Continued south on Gilkey to Crabtree.

Crabtree is a former railstop cum wide spot that time and the highway have semi-bypassed. The goin' concerns include a church, a post office, a fire hall, and a tavern. There are also several long-abandoned storefronts indicating that Crabtree was once more prosperous. The tavern was doing a good business, and if I had had more time, it would have been interesting to quaff a pint. The place needs a Wikipedia article. Next time I'll take a camera and have a beer....

Continued south on Cold Springs Road (more nice farmland) to Brewster, and then followed Brewster (which was not especially memorable) across the South Santiam River into Lebanon.

There was a narrow 25-mph construction zone around the bridge that prompted some bozo to try to pass a 20-mph trike. Fortunately, he/she thought better of it. After crossing a yucky 50-meter patch of gravel, I was in Lebanon, whereupon I proceeded to miss a turn and end up in strip-mall land on the south side of town. I had directions, but no street map of Lebanon and was on a moderately hostile stretch of 5-lane road when I spotted a familiar street name and a sign for the high school where the ride would begin tomorrow.

Properly oriented again, I stopped at the Safeway store and bought a half-gallon of chocolate milk, which I managed to strap onto the top of my Tailrider. A few minutes later, I arrived at my friends' house. We visited and played games until far too late (note to self: don't do that again the night before a century).

My motel (Shanico inn) was only a mile or so away, so I got checked in just before 1 a.m. by a friendly night clerk (the owner, I think). The place was reasonably bike friendly. Rooms were inexpensive ($40 including tax) and clean, if slightly shabby. My room included a small 'fridge and a microwave and a reasonably comfortable bed. I washed clothes, plugged in battery chargers, and slept beautifully.

My first times: MFT riding that far south; MFT ever on roads between Greens Bridge Road and Lebanon; MFT on an unsupported overnight ride.

Wildlife spotted:Goldfinches, killdeer, crows.

Interesting non-wildlife: The usual livestock.

Wardrobe used: DeFeet Woolie Boolie socks, Lake MX60 shoes, Mt. Borah neon yellow jersey, Specialized fingerless gloves, Headsweat, new Pearl Izumi bike shorts, smoke AiroShield lens.

Food and water: the aforementioned 1/2 gallon of chocolate milk, about 1 liter of water, 1 liter of Powerade, 1 package of Ritz peanut butter crackers. Chips and salsa with Wes and Carol, plus some heavenly smoked almonds.

Technical notes: Installed new middle and outer chainrings: 40T and 52T, both Q-rings. Also adjusted position of inner ring, which I neglected to do when I built up the new frame. A change in ring size means a front derailleur adjustment. And that's when the fun started (I actually started installing the rings on Thursday!). The FD didn't have enough capacity to handle the extreme downward angle on the power side of the chain. So I tweaked and twiddled and bent and adjusted and... broke my FD.

I called the LBS, and they had a Shimano 105 FD in stock. But I knew I was going to have the same problem. After about an hour of tinkering, I found the only other possible location for my second idler wheel and re-routed the power side of the chain to its original path between the tie rod and the crossbar. The idler fits exactly behind the boom clamp, making the water bottle holder a bit awkward (even with a CatCage holder mounted on its side). Installed the new FD and, voila! All is well. Finally.

Also changed the front tires back to my MPs. That put the front-end geometry back where it should be, so no shimmy at all now. Having the frame tipped forward slightly with an MP rear and Stelvio fronts must have been just enough to make things unhappy (I did not ever try to adjust the toe-in to compensate, as I knew it was a temporary thing.)

Rings behaved well on the ride down, except I need to shorten the chain a few inches. New chain route worked well, too, except that I need to make sure the water bottle cage doesn't rub against the front idler.

Used my FastBack 4.0 for cargo, which worked well.

Weather Conditions: Clear, dry, sunny, light variable breezes.

6/9/2007
(Sat)

142.00

08:52:49

40.30

16.00

0

14

876

3,524

Min: 52
Avg: 56
Max: 60

225

11883

0

134

160

91

102

Road: Hills

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Double metric century #2
Metric century #10
Statute century #3
Double thermometer ride
Total time: 12:26:50

Personal bests:
Weekly and 7-day mileage: 243.47
2- and 3-day mileage: 186.64, which is more than 40 and 20 miles better respectively
Weekly avg speed: 16.3 mph, which blows away the previous best of 15.8

Strawberry Century and the ride home

Click here for ride details (long)

Things I learned:
A bright taillight (DiNotte) is a great conversation starter for other cyclists -- possibly even better than a trike!

Fairings are Very Good Things in the rain.

Eat. And keep eating steadily all day.

Don't visit with friends whom you rarely see the night before a ride (I only got 5.5 hours of sleep).

I still have a lot of work to do on my pedaling technique (all push and very little pull).

My first times: MFT riding that far south; MFT ever on all roads in the century except for Hwy 20; MFT on an organized century; my first century in unpleasant weather.

Wildlife spotted: A chipmunk and some ground squirrels. And a hummingbird and a few other birds. Mostly, it was too wet for critters to be out.

Interesting non-wildlife: The usual livestock.

Wardrobe used: DeFeet Woolie Boolie socks, Lake MX60 shoes, Mt. Borah neon yellow jersey, Specialized fingerless gloves (wished I woulda brought 3- or 4-season gloves), Headsweat, Pearl Izumi bike shorts, amber AiroShield lens, Specialized arm warmers, Gore leg warmers, Gore jacket (last part of century only), Showers Pass rain pants (new -- wore only on ride home).

The rain pants were a bit snug in the seat, so I had my doubts going into the ride. But they worked very well. The lycra in the knees was really nice. I didn't feel significantly restricted, and I was much more comfortable with them than without them. As I continue to lose weight, I think the fit will improve and I'll be even happier with them.

I want to try treating the AiroShield with Rain-X. I actually was getting a sore neck from peering out under the visor to see past the raindrops on it (but it was sure nice to have a mostly dry face).

Food and water: I honestly lost track. I know I had two helpings of strawberry shortcake and ice cream, a bag of jerky, 1 liter of Powerade, one box of raisins, two packages of Ritz peanut butter crackers, one Quaker granola bar, about 2 bananas, 3 or 4 fig bars, several cups of Gatorade and All-Sport, a cookie, a helping of pasta salad, a whole bagel with PB&J, and about 1.75 liters of water. I think that's about it.

Technical notes: The shorter chain worked well. I might need to take out one more link, though.

The middle chain ring is not set correctly. I think I marked it backwards, so it is not in phase with the other two.

The ID tag pull thingy is working great to keep my bite tube accessible but out of the way while not connecting me to Trikey.

I don't think my Marathon Plus tires had any negative impact on my speed except for the extra 1500 grams or so (about 3.3 pounds total) when climbing. But, I didn't have to worry about flats in the rain.

I was puzzled at the end of the ride by a faint dusting of bright blue on my left leg and my instruments. I eventually figured out that the rubber/silicone seal around the mouth of the water bottle was pilling up (like a pencil eraser) from rubbing against my leg.

The Garmin cadence sensor was very unhappy and only rarely worked today. I think I need to put in a shim to bring it a millimeter closer to the magnet.

My Garmin HR monitor was also cutting in and out every few miles, but not as badly. It would resume working if I just repositioned it a little. Not sure if it was just losing skin conductivity on my chest or if I need a new battery. I tried moving my cell phone away from it, but apparently it isn't an interference problem. I use the HRM data more and more, so not having it reliably there was quite distracting.

Weather Conditions: Overcast, drizzle/mist almost all day, southerly winds to 10-15 mph all day.

6/10/2007
(Sun)

19.60

01:30:04

27.90

13.00

0

7

292

473

Min: 60
Avg: 61
Max: 61

225

518

0

106

135

89

97

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Okay, now THIS was an interesting ride....

Personal bests:
3-day mileage: 206.24
7-day mileage: 263.07
A 20-mile improvement for both

Rode out State Street to Howell Prairie, then north to Pratum. I have always just ridden through Pratum (what there is of it), so this time I decided to go TO Pratum and poke about.

That took less than five minutes. A couple of short side streets, a fire hall, a school, and grain elevators.

After checking out the grain elevators, I stopped, facing southwest, in order to rest for a minute and have a snack.

There had been a cold-core funnel cloud sighted at 2:20 p.m. about 10 miles NNE of Salem Airport (it was spotted from the control tower). These cold-core funnel clouds occur a few times a year in the Willamette Valley, but very rarely touch down. This would be at about Howell Prairie Road and Hazelgreen, just a couple of miles north of Pratum.

So, I had been watching the clouds on my ride, but hadn't seen anything more ominous than dark rain clouds, with steady winds of about 10 mph out of the WNW (a nice quartering tailwind for the first part of my ride).

I was just watching the clouds at about 5:00 p.m. when just west of directly overhead a small area of cloud began to exhibit counter-clockwise motion, with gradually more wisps of cloud spinning slowly. The center of this motion was open to higher clouds, covering an area roughly the size of my fist held at arm's length (possibly smaller). I thought, "Holy crap! That's a funnel cloud forming, and I'm looking right into the core of it! Yikes!"

The wind on the ground where I was abruptly increased in speed and quickly went through the compass points to come out of the east -- opposite what it had been a moment before -- and even then the direction was not especially stable (I used my bike flag to watch wind direction, as I wasn't moving).

As I watched, the funnel got a bit larger and more defined, but still maintained a clear inner edge. The winds got stronger on the ground -- strong enough to buffet me and the trike a little bit -- and it felt, well, very weird. While I knew that this would likely dissipate in a moment, it was just way too creepy for me to sit there exposed in a parking lot with a funnel cloud forming above me.

So I pedaled about 100 feet to under a sturdy tree in front of the school and within easy reach of shelter and went back to observing. The funnel quickly passed eastward and apparently dissipated -- all in the time it took me to change position. The weather still felt very unsettled -- unlike anything I had ever experienced. The wind went back to blowing out of the west, but was still gusty and shifty.

About ten minutes later, another counter-clockwise motion began overhead, but it never was well defined and dissipated after a minute or so. There was no change in ground wind, except for a possible brief slight increase in intensity.

The experience of even a dinky little cold-core funnel cloud forming very close to me made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I think being anywhere in the vicinity of an actual tornado would be terrifying. I would still like to see a tornado someday, but from several (many?) miles away.

I needed to get home for supper, so I headed west on Sunnyview with a strong quartering headwind all the way to Cordon Road. I took Cordon South to Center, Center to Hawthorne, Hawthorne south, cut through Geer Park to State and then home.

My first times: MFT seeing a funnel cloud up close and personal.

Food and water: I honestly don't remember. Yes, and yes.

Wardrobe: Gore leg warmers, Gore jacket (first few miles, then it stopped raining, so I took it off), bike shorts, DeFeet Woolie Boolie socks, Lake MX60 shoes, BikeJournal jersey, Headsweat, Specialized fingerless gloves, amber AiroShield.

Weather Conditions: Mostly cloudy with sunbreaks, damp pavement, a brief bit of rain for the first few miles. Winds 9-14 from WNW, except for stronger shifting winds under the funnel cloud (yes, you read that right -- see above for details). Very unsettled weather.

6/11/2007
(Mon)

3.86

00:19:05

20.50

12.20

0

55

Min: 64
Avg: 64
Max: 64

225

348

0

84

115

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Commute to salle and back

Weather Conditions: Party cloudy, dry, light northerly breezes.

6/12/2007
(Tue)

36.15

02:16:20

31.60

15.90

0

10

350

629

Min: 70
Avg: 74
Max: 76

227

2243

0

90

121

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Heading to downtown, had a close call at Bellevue and Winter. I was in the bike lane at just under 24 mph and about 100 feet from the intersection when an SUV pulled even with me... and stayed there. I glanced over and saw the front right turn signal blinking. It nosed ahead about 1/2 car-length (I'm still beside it) and began slowing down to turn right as we entered the intersection. It got two good blasts with the AirZound, which got the driver's attention. I passed and threw my arms up in the air in a "whaddaya doin'?" gesture (using all fingers), and I noticed that the driver had the nerve to look surprised. I couldn't see if the driver was on a cell phone or not, but I suspect driving while distracted.

Rode out Hwy 22/Rickreall Road to Hwy 99W, then north to Coville Road, which is a gravel road that leads into Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge.

Bumped my way along at 5-6 mph on Coville Road to the NWR parking area and then spent about 15 minutes just sitting and listening to crickets and birds and the wind. And I had a snack.

I continued on Coville (more gravel, including one short hill that I had to walk for lack of traction) to where it meets up with Kings Valley Hwy and Hwy 22. I crossed Hwy 22, having arrived exactly when there was a long break in traffic, and headed south on Kings Valley Hwy to Dallas. Nice smooth pavement....

I headed east on Ellensdale Road when I got to Dallas and rode back to Rickreall and then home by the same route I took outbound.

I had a little bit of tailwind at times on the way home, but my legs felt great, so I just flew along at 19.0 mpg average, setting a new personal best (by more than 1.5 mph) for Rickreall to the Edgewater exit.

My cadence sensor was still giving me grief, so I don't have data, but my average cadence during that stretch was 100-102 instead of the usual 90-92. I was really trying to use my glutes and hamstrings more, and I think that helped. I also think I am going to be a bit sore tomorrow....

I caught almost every light green all the way home through central Salem. Whee!

My first times: MFT riding to BSNWR; MFT riding on that stretch of Kings Valley Hwy.

Wildlife spotted: harrier, swallows (rusty red breast), Western meadowlark, dragonfly, bumblebee, bluejay, ground squirrel. Heard but not seen: crickets, mourning dove. Was hoping to spot deer or coyotes, but no joy.

Interesting non-wildlife: alpacas! And lots of goats.

Wardrobe used: DeFeet Woolie Boolie socks, Lake MX60 shoes, Mt. Borah red jersey, Specialized fingerless gloves, Headsweat, Adidas bike shorts, smoke AiroShield lens (amber would almost have been better).

Food and water: 1 package of Ritz peanut butter crackers, 1/3 liter of Powerade, 1/3 liter of water.

Technical notes: I forgot my HR monitor and couldn't be bothered to go back and get it.

I added a shim to the Garmin cadence sensor mount, which helped for a few miles until it apparently shifted position and only worked intermittently. Argh. More work needed.

I repositioned the middle chainring. I'm not sure what I was thinking when I mounted it last week, because it was nowhere close to correct. Huge difference -- now it's nice and smooth. And, surprise! It shifts onto the big ring much more smoothly now, too.

Overall, the 52T Q-ring seems to be just a little bit lower gear ratio than a 52T round. I want to get some solid cadence/speed data from it to compare with historical data to be sure.

The GPS unit itself was also giving me trouble. Apparently I forgot to plug it in last night. I tried using backup power, but it was a bit flaky and I had problems with vibration on the gravel road disconnecting the charger. So, I dismounted the charger and the GPS and put them both in my jersey pocket and it worked fine.

Weather Conditions: Scattered clouds, dry, with light westerly breezes.

6/13/2007
(Wed)

6.54

00:34:13

21.50

11.50

0

3

0

144

Min: 57
Max: 66

227

339

0

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Commute to the salle and back, plus some errands.

Well, another interesting ride... And not "good" interesting.

My first times: MFT being hit today.

Here's the short version: I was riding in the traffic lane (no bike lane) in downtown Salem. A guy in a minivan stopped in the traffic lane immediately ahead of me. I stopped about 10 feet behind him. Then be puts the car in reverse. I blast my AirZound long and hard (115 db). He backs up. I have nowhere to go. I start yelling. He hits my front fairing and caves it in before he stops. I am unhurt, but a bit shaken. He sticks his head out the window and says he's sorry and mumbles something else about parking, and then drives off. Thinking he is going to find a safe place to pull over and exchange information, I punch my fairing back out (wince!) and pedal after him. He wanders through a parking lot and I'm blocked by a median. By the time I get into the lot he is in, he's off down the street again. Then around the corner. Then I lose sight of him. Disgusted, I head back to my original destination -- the LBS, ironically. As I ride down the alley, there's a familiar looking minivan. Hey! It's my guy nonchalantly unloading stuff for his shop. I point out the damaged fairing and mounting bar, and he goes instantly from, "I'm sorry" to "You shouldn't be on the road." And his wife(?) was much worse. There was the usual anti-bike baloney, plus some new ones I hadn't heard before. At first, he didn't want to give me his information. Eventually, I got his name and the phone number of his insurance agent. And I found a witness.

The Mueller Windwrap XT fairing certainly saved my bike from serious damage. It probably also saved me getting hurt, as Catrikes have a high bottom bracket. I never thought of a fairing as a crumple zone, but I'm sold on it for that purpose now.

At least the guys at the LBS were sympathetic (as have been friends and family). It was just a shock that this guy and his wife so instantly decided to blame the victim for their illegal actions.

So far, their insurance company has been nice to deal with. It's only a coupla hundred bucks for the claim, and it sounds like they're (hopefully) just going to pay it.

I certainly have no desire to be in that position of utter helplessness again watching a car back into me, but after replaying it many times in my mind, I don't see what I could have done differently with the information I had at the time, other than simply not be there.

Not 30 minutes earlier, I had a close call with a panel truck who turned left onto the street I was on without looking my way. I ended up pushing off of his bumper. At least he was genuinely sorry. And, no blood or paint scrapes, no foul.

I think my idiot magnet is stuck in the on position....

Weather Conditions: Partly cloudy, dry. Light variable breezes.

6/14/2007
(Thu)

3.87

00:19:18

19.70

12.10

0

2

0

87

Min: 65
Max: 71

225

415

0

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Commute to salle and back.

Weather Conditions: Clear to partly cloudy, dry, light variable breezes.

6/17/2007
(Sun)

101.34

06:16:49

33.90

16.10

0

10

218

1,350

Min: 61
Avg: 65
Max: 67

225

6470

0

136

162

0

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Metric century #11
Statute century #4
Thermometer ride
Total time: 7:23:47

A very pleasant ride. First 25 miles was solo. I headed north to Salem Parkway (water tower just needs paint now). Hopped on the MUP up to Keizer Station (bottom of bike path still unfinished, with NO warnings!). North to Quinaby, then west to River Road. North on River Road to French Prairie Road (past the remains of a fiery car crash), and then on to Champoeg, where I met OregonKC. Averaged just over 17.2 mph from home to Champoeg SP.

Middle 50 miles was with OregonKC at a comfortable 14.5+ mph. We rode west from Champoeg along the river to come in to St. Paul from the northwest.

Along the way, I had to use Halt! on a dog (first time ever). Direct hit on the nose with a half-second burst. Worked beautifully. No whimpers of pain. The dog just stopped in its tracks with a very surprised expression. I hope it will stop chasing bikes now.

Otherwise, we went at a leisurely 13.4 mph average, mostly side by side chatting. We rolled through farms and orchards with a wide variety of crops, including, of course, hops (which are not green bean plants). We came into St. Paul and stopped by the church for a photo before continuing south on River Road.

On River Road, we picked up the pace. I pulled us along at a 17.3 mph average, at times aided by a light tailwind. We stopped for a snack at the Grange Hall just before we got to French Prairie Road.

We made a dogleg on French Prairie to St. Louis Road and continued east. The road was quiet enough that we spent a fair bit of time abreast. We paused at the 1847 church in St. Louis, crossed I-5, and rolled through Gervais. Gervais was clearly built as a railroad town, but travelers on Hwy 99E or I-5 will be oblivious to this fact. Nice little town. 15.0 mph for this segment.

From Gervais, we headed due north and caught a headwind on Butteville Road. At I-5, we headed east on Parr Road, which took us into the south end of Woodburn. We rode in on Settlemeier, which has some nice early homes and lovely old trees lining the street. It almost felt Southern. We averaged 16.5 for this segment.

We headed east again through Woodburn's mall sprawl on Hwy 214/211 and crossed Hwy 99E. We continued east, crossing the Pudding River. This was the least pleasant portion of the ride due to high speed traffic. The road had good pavement and shoulders except for the last bit up a hill where our shoulder vanished and a few drivers made stupid passes. We were glad to reach Meridian Road, our next turn. Speed through here was 17.1.

Meridian Road was a huge relief. The pavement was chipseal, but that was fine. It was quiet and low traffic. It was also one of the nicest legs of the ride, with small farmsteads one after another, gentle rolling hills and occasional gentle turns in the road. We came into the crossroads of Whisk(e)y Hill and passed 91 School (that's really the name of the school). Just north of the school was an airpark, which was interesting. Meridian kept going north, with the occasional turn to follow some natural feature (here's some background on Meridian Road's name). On we went until we got to our turn at Lone Elder Road, which we followed down a nice drop to the Pudding River again. Sometimes we rode side by side, sometimes with me pulling. Thanks to some short but moderately steep climbs, we only averaged 15.1 mph through here, despite two 30 mph descents.

We re-crossed the Pudding on Hwy 99E and came into Aurora, which is a very nice old town. We stopped at the Aurora Colony Museum Park for a snack, but it was closed. So we settled for a snack in front of the Presbyterian Church across the street. I did a quick oil job on my chain (didn't have time before I left) and was (as usual) startled at how much quieter the driveline was.

We had to wait for a slow freight train to pass through Aurora, and then we headed west again for the final leg of the loop. Ehlen Road wasn't a whole lot better than Hwy 211/214 out of Woodburn, but the shoulder was better at least. 2.8 miles later, we crossed under I-5 and headed north again on Bents Road. Nice and quiet. A right turn at Arndt Road brought us into Butteville with a nice 28 mph descent.

Butteville is just a few houses now, but it held an unexpected treat: a historic general store operated by Oregon State Parks. And it gets better. The store has fresh-baked pie! One piece of strawberry-rhubarb pie (a la mode) later, with the help of a Tillamook strawberry yogurt smoothie, I was a happy rider sitting at a picnic table outside! The store also serves sandwiches, soup, hot dogs, etc. Open 9-6 p.m. 7 days during the summer. We averaged 15.0 for this stretch.

There is a bike path from Butteville to Champoeg SP, which we decided to check out as a possible future family ride for OregonKC. There are a couple of short hills on this paved multi-use path. There are also plenty of tree root ridges in the pavement, unfortunately, which affect recumbents more than uprights. But the path is very pretty. It is heavily shaded for most of the way and goes along the river (limited views).

That brought us back to Champoeg. We rode up to the day use area where OregonKC's car was parked. He did one more lap around the parking lot to get his 50 miles, and then he was all smiles, reporting that for the first time in years he actually felt good after that long a ride.

I bid him adieu and then headed back to Salem on almost the same route I had taken up. I took River Road all the way into Keizer to Cherry Avenue. Traffic was light, and when the bike lane of River Road vanished, I just took a lane and went for it. It worked. I had a lovely tailwind for most of the way, averaging 18.2 mph from Champoeg to Salem Parkway.

I averaged of just over 17.3 mph from Champoeg all the way to home -- even faster than the early afternoon northbound run when I was fresh. Musta been the pie!

My first time: MFT riding with OregonKC, MFT using Halt!, MFT having pie on a ride, MFT on almost all of the roads OregonKC and I rode on (except for River Road south of St. Paul).

Wildlife spotted: Osprey (in nest), robins, bluejays, crows, killdeer, redtail hawks.

Wardrobe used: DeFeet Woolie Boolie socks, Lake MX60 shoes, Mt. Borah lime yellow jersey, Specialized fingerless gloves, Headsweat, Pearl Izumi bike shorts, smoke AiroShield lens.

Food and water: About 2 liters of water, plus 1 liter of Powerade. Two bowls of cereal for breakfast and a cheese sammich just before the ride. 2-1/2 packages of Ritz peanut butter crackers, two granola bars, a piece of strawberry rhubarb pie a la mode, and a Tillamook strawberry yogurt smoothie (kefir, basically). Was tired when I got home, but not bonky.

(The Edge had an issue with calorie calculation, so the stat is from BJ.)

Technical notes: Trikey behaved very well. Left pedal needs oil on the clip mechanism (squeak on just one side of the pedal). HRM continued to skip in and out, but would resume after some repositioning.

I relaxed my upper body more -- especially on the solo parts -- and leaned back into the recline. Felt good, except that I started getting neck fatigue on the final 25 miles. Need to adjust neck rest.

Weather Conditions: Mostly cloudy with sunbreaks. Dry, except for one or two raindrops. Wind wandered between north and WNW, with speeds from 0 to 7 or 8 early, strengthening to 10-14 later.

6/18/2007
(Mon)

21.06

01:26:04

30.30

14.70

0

8

308

476

Min: 69
Avg: 70
Max: 71

225

1229

0

122

142

0

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Recovery ride.

This ride puts me over 2,500 miles for 2007. Yea!

Out State Street to Howell Prairie, then north to Lardon, west to Cordon, south to State again and home.

Headwinds on Howell Prairie meant lovely tailwinds on Cordon -- my reward for taking it easy.

Notes to self:
1. Double-check that the Tailrider is zipped shut before leaving.

2. When you think you hear something falling off the bike, stop to see what it was -- don't just dismiss it as a piece of gravel and keep riding.

Weather Conditions: Clear, dry, sunny. Northerly winds 8-15 mph.

6/21/2007
(Thu)

5.91

00:29:56

23.70

11.90

0

3

0

146

Min: 61
Avg: 74
Max: 75

225

271

0

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Commute to the salle and home, plus an appointment.

Felt very good to ride.

Weather Conditions: Sunny, dry. Nice. Light variable breezes.

6/22/2007
(Fri)

27.01

01:38:13

33.70

16.50

0

8

278

661

Min: 65
Avg: 67
Max: 68

225

2226

0

138

159

0

Road: Flat

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Rode out Hwy 22 to the bike overpass, got onto Rickreall Road, then headed south on Greenwood Road to Hwy 51. Rode through Independence, which I always enjoy, then over the bridge and back to Salem via River Road and Riverdale Road. Met Kim downtown for dinner and walked Trikey home with her (miles not included).

Weather Conditions: Sunny, dry, variable westerlies at 6-9 mph.

6/23/2007
(Sat)

28.22

02:03:51

41.10

13.70

0

12

699

1,437

Min: 64
Max: 69

227

1458

0

Road: Hills

Catrike Road
Trike

Team Catrike

Comments: Rode to CHAOS and back for the asthma fair (was the featured speaker and no one showed up... hmmm!).

Then was determined to shake my blahs, so rode a bog loop: east on State to Cordon, then south to Kuebler, then west to Skyline. I was not in the best of moods. There was a lot of traffic noise, and the GPS kept shutting down. And I had a headwind all along Kuebler. Ugh.

I then went south on Skyline to Vitae Springs Road, climbing as I went. (Actually, the climbing started on Kuebler and just got more pronounced.) Once I got onto Vitae Springs, my mood lifted. There was no traffic to speak of, and the scenery was pastoral. I hit the summit and was rewarded with a fine view to the west. I happily called Kim to give her an update.

Then I headed down for a nice descent. The road was a bit rough, so the GPS unit continued to give me problems. The heavy shade interspersed with patches of sunlight made visibility a challenge at times.

Toward the bottom, I turned north on Riverdale Road and continued descending (other than a couple of small rollers) through more small farms all the way to River Road (at Roberts). From there, I rode home.

On a whim, I tried riding on the MUP on the last stretch of River Road before it comes into Salem. I'm not doing that again. Cracked pavement and tree root humps galore -- so bad that it lifted a wheel at one point. Yuk!

Wildlife: There was a deer grazing by the side of River Road. I slowed down, concerned the cars behind me would spook it into leaping the wrong way. I passed with ten feet of it and it just looked at me with big, well, doey eyes. Theere was also the usual assortment of hawks, crows, turkey vultures, and songbirds.

Technical: GPS unit! Argh! Seems to be shock related.

Wardrobe: the usual.

My first time: MFT on Skyline, Vitae Springs, and the upper art of Riverdale; MFT being that close to a deer.

Food and water: 1 Quaker Oats granola bar, about 1/2 liter of Powerade (I think), about 1.5 liters of water.

Weather Conditions: Clear, dry, westerly wind 5-15.