Where has December gone?

Wow! Time flies by once again. It doesn't seem like over a month since my last post.

The current plan... is still the plan to use the trainer as much as possible. The trike is really easy to turn into a trainer because all you have to do is get the front wheel off the ground.

I'm on my second design for the homemade trainer, more information will be added once I get a little further along on the progress.

Ok... I am back to add some more information about "Red Neck Trainer Model II". A milk crate, yep that's the whole big design. It works pretty good when combined with felt pads.

The felt pads idea came from the Schwinn exercise bike my folks have. It has felt brake pads instead of the roller wheel mounted on top of the other wheel. This was a great design, the wheel never wears out and all you have to do is change the pads, very good for keeping costs down for the customer.

The problem, Schwinn no longer makes the pads and you can't even find them on eBay or using Google!

So... the solution for the trike trainer was to get some self-sticking felt pads from Lowe's. Total cost for this version of the trainer... $2.90 including tax (I forget where I got the milk crate, I've had it since around 1989!).

Train on!

Better late than never...

It's been quiet on the blog for a while. We've been putting in our time with training but just have not been too good at adding an update to the blog.

Last weekend Joanne and I got in 10 miles walking on the trail. I was able to put some more miles on the hand cycle this week. It's getting too dark too soon to put in a lot of time after work so I've got a plan to get more time on the HC indoors.

Check back later for a picture (if the idea works out).

OK... here is my "Red Green" or "Redneck" trike trainer. The "umbrella stand" taken in for the season works great as brakes for the trike.

 

 

Great day for 21... miles and gears!

It was a great fall day today!

The ride started off by fueling up on Casa Mia Pizza (thanks mom and dad!) then starting at the Woodard Bay end of the Chehalis Western Trail. I rode the 5.3 miles to where the trail is under construction at Martin Way, turned around and headed back. The ride back was almost 15 minutes less then the ride to Martin Way. I didn't realize how much of the trail was up hill until the ride back.

Then... I loaded HC into to van and drove over to Chambers like to ride another 10.5 miles (mile 7 to 12.25 (by my estimate). So that's about 21.1 miles, the most amount of miles in a single day. Next I need to go for 25 miles to see what one quarter of one day riding in the STP will be like.

It took getting into the 21st gear and flying low on the way back to keep up with gravity. I learned that during the fall you want to make sure you have eye protection from the pine needles filing up at you.

Also learned was... smile with your mouth closed when zooming down the hill!

Joanne's training the last few days involved heavy lifting in Everett... plus lots of stairs again.

Back on the trail for training.

Joanne and I hit the trail this afternoon. She headed out to walk 5 miles while I headed out to ride 10 miles. The pace on HC was better than 8 miles per hour. The 8 mile mark was passed at 58 minutes into the ride. It took about 2 minutes at the start of the ride to turn around and encourge a snake off the trail. A gal walking didn't want to walk past it and was trying to scare it off the trail with rocks. Joanne and I met up again for the last 3/4 of a mile of our training. HC is in the back of the van ready for action if it doesn't rain too much. The new fender worked out great to keep trail goo off of me during the ride today (lots of leaves on the trail now).

Ready to ride in the rain...

Well, I don't know about riding in the rain we have had the last two days! There have been some real soakers.

HC has a fender now to keep too much goo getting to me when it is wet out. The fender can be removed with the flip of a switch, so I'll remove it next spring HA!

It looks like I might be more of a fair weather rider but that'll have to change to be ready for the STP. Guess I'll go google "riding booties" :)

Got some riding in Yesterday

Yesterday was a great day once the sun came out. Took HC out at lunch for a good two mile ride then rode again after work for about seven miles. It was easy to tell the bike trail has an uphill grade into Rainier from Military Rd. The ride back from Rainier to Military Rd took ten minutes less than the ride in!

Got the truck back yesterday, thanks again Shannon! The hot tub was still full of water after work last night, thanks for helping with the leak Shaun!

Joanne was in Everett yesterday exercising but going up and down stairs all day. She'll do some more cleaning today before heading home.

I'm going go for an eight or nine mile ride today and Joanne and I will try to get a ride in tomorrow morning. Time to go load HC back into the van for our ride later today.

BTW - "Mellow Yellow" is now HC (hand cycle). I'm still working on getting to a 10 mph pace.

All we have do is...

July 17-18 2010

Total distance (miles) 202.25

Uphill distance (miles) 30.87

Uphill altitude (feet) 1,951

Maximum altitude (feet) 463

No biking today

I was going to go for a bike ride, but then I sat at the computer to check my mail, facebook, and now the blog. So, now it is too late...I am going out to the garage after I get some tennis shoes on and ride the cardioglyde and bike in the garage for one hour.

Training this weekend

Here's what we know so far...

Shaun worked out at the gym Friday afternoon (so he was still vertical Saturday). Shannon was on the bike for 1/2 an hour (a.k.a "maybe" but we'll call it 30 minutes) :) Shannon did a scrambling trip on Sunday! She can give the details on the trip.


Joanne and I walked 5 miles on Saturday. Joanne rode 28 miles on Sunday. I rode 12 miles Sunday and 18 on Monday. The van needed work so I rode home from work. At 6 mph, it took me 3 hours to get home. The first 15 miles went great with two Gatoraid breaks. The last 3 miles were challenging but once I was up and over the last hill I caught a second wind to make it all the way home.



The arms felt good today and not sore at all as I thought they would be after the ride home yesterday.

Ah, now I see

So Mellow Yellow is the new hand bike. Very cool. Wasn't sure what was in your garage since I'm driving Old Goldie. Now I know. Nice looking bike and you're logging miles, very cool.

Nice to know somebody on the team is getting in some bike time. But I'll still kick butt, cuz that's what I do! Oh yeah! (Please don't burst my bubble.....)

Upcoming training

Our team is growing and now we will need to start to think about when we can do some peddling together. I for one, need some serious time in the saddle and some work on hills...that I know I need to peddle up, and not push my bike up. Tommorrow, I am going for a 34 mile ride, and if the weather cooperates, then next week I'm hoping for some more peddling time!

Peddle On!

P.S. Loanna is my Hawaiian name.

The 1st 5 miles on Mellow Yellow

Yesterday (Oct 2nd) was the first time I could get a ride in on the new handcycle from Intrepid Equipment. The first few miles was pretty mild. A bicycle rider visiting from Canada asked me about the new ride so we rode and chatted the first half mile. Then "Biking Jon" (a retired school principal from Virginia) riding a Sun trike asked me about the handcycle for the next half mile. The next four miles were rode without conversation and gave me a chance to work out setting a pace and trying more of the gears. Turning around on the bike trail at the 2.5 mile mark was a little tricky for me. I'm sure it will get easier for me with more practice.

Today Joanne and I will get in a walk if the weather allows and go for a ride tomorrow afternoon since it is supposed to be nice (around 4:00 is my guess).

I'm here!!!

Now I have to learn how to blog. :-\
But I'll muddle along just fine in the meantime.
Be seeing you, Team.

(This is exciting. We've got a team for STP 2010.)

What?! Another blog... Here we go again.

Team Rock Ranch is (in alphabetic order)...

Duane
Joanne
Kristie
Shannon
Shaun

formed and beginning the journey to ride in the 2010 STP!

This blog is now ready for action