Sunday, November 25, 2007

Trevors' ride #4

Every Sunday morning 7:30am it's time to roll out into the cold, PyZahl just made it up the damn steep little hill just leaving his home -- it hurt and was all so cold, about zero Celsius, frost on some cars windows -- but on top he just bumped into the first rays of sun, that felt good. The first few mile are always a pain and every time again he wonders why he does it again.... but all worries are gone by the time he warmed up and meet the others.


The sun felt really good and it warmed up nicely, so he could get rid of one warm layer. Again little temping to go with the early group, but nope, he did not -- waiting 15min (this would be one point) -- and stayed with the fast group and this was once more the right decision.

He thinks a group of 12 of usual riders moved out and they worked really nicely together. A few of the so strong riders were doing a great job and shared pulling with all others, but took a major part of the work. Especially on Sound Ave after shooting down at over 35mph and up Boy Scout Hill, a great steady and fast move out east, really enjoyable and visually so impressive and good looking pace line -- imagine as fast moving well ordered and close spaced chain of 12 cyclists moving north east at about 28mph, the sun still low from right, dropping 12 shadows of the cyclists silhouettes on the road to there left. Looked like an award winning photo or movie... (still to be taken o-)

Further hauling down Osborne at about 28mph... and catching the 15 min earlier leaving group at Mill Rd :-) Just awesome and great work of our leading riders!

This group ride was once more a most excellent one, they all took care of each other, still working hard, no one got dropped for most of the ride (he is not sure about the very last section). PyZahl really loved today's ride, hard work at times, but always a little room to hang in and take a few short pulls, just dosed right.

This made his Sunday -- now is a good time to chill a bit ;-)

The ride in numbers and on map (please note: only laps 3+4 are part of the group ride (~84km), the group average speed was 35.6 km/h or 22.1 mph), and in brief:

Saturday, November 24, 2007

RP2IPBP - Freezing Cold & Crystal Clear

The first sub zero C ride. -3C at the time he rolled out of his yard. But sun and crystal clear sky. Photo perfect day, so he packed his big lens. 1st time he added the warmest layer of his wardrobe and he needed it to stay in comfort. However, it took all the hilly route out to Wildwood to get some what warm and shed the outer wind breaking layer off.

Here are a few impressions seen from Reeves Ave.


the road at the golf course


And at IPBP:




Back on the road, a nice yellow tunnel...



The temp does slowly rose up a bit, but the wind and air was still cold. But the sun made it nice and warmed his face a bit. On the way back a little more head wind and two stupid big patches of black ice -- half the road was frozen over, as some dude must still water his lawn (and the road) -- not to mention honking drivers on this little road (Middle Road) as he used a bit more of the road usually to share with the cars, as 1/2 of this lane was all frozen over -- is not safe going on ice. But some how honking is good, tells Py the driver recognized him :-)

And, last note -- this ride adds 13 points (almost 14, but it was too cold -- the waiting hot shower and Pineapplecheespuff in his backpack were too tempting -- for completing the missing 5 minutes some where around the block) for a total of 112 and put PyZahl up to position 1 in his Winterpokal. 89km in the cold should do it for today.

Friday, November 23, 2007

RP Cross Bike Laps

This Black Friday PyZahl took it easy and went out just after noon for an good hour of some different workout on his special Stonie Cross Bike for some hilly warmup cruising around his hilly neighbourhood and four speed laps up that hill around his house. A good 40m climb within a 1km lap.

It was a really nice sunny but chilly (5..7C) and quite windy day. The trees still looking very nice:


And some well Cross Bike suited rough roads to play around on....

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Pre Turkey Dinner Ride

A tropical warm south wind, 17C, wet roads, sunny -- a good time for short 1 1/2 hour recovery ride to make space for the Turkey dinner. Py did a little modified hill ride in easy gears.

Many leaves on the road, asked some extra caution. The trees still having some really bright colored leaves and the so warm and humid morning filled the air with a taste of freshly fallen leaves.

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Gotverdelli

PyZahl is shocked.

This is hard to be leave but unfortunately a true sad story "not typical commute home" even so luckily ending. There are stupid idiots around us, not only the 4+wheeled steel boxes with so often crasy drivers, even more dangers out of the dark... no more words finding.

Little dreaming...

Far far away friends of PyZahl already can enjoy the first days of winter activities, a so nice variation of things to do with the change of seasons -- like XC-ski or snowboarding... Py can only dream about for now :-( Zzzzzzz -- but sooner or later he will get there again to see friends and hopefully more snow this season!

Recent views (central CH):



Photos (C) by Cyclo.

Trevors' ride #3

One more Sunday ride with the East End Team on Trevor's route. The forecast was once more wrong about chances of snow and rain this morning and PyZahl found it nice and relatively warm with 5C at 7:30am as he left to ride to the meeting point for Trevor's ride. Little tempted to leaved with the slower group, but he did not and he did right. The two Babylon riders were not showing up today, just the common birds. The ride started out comfortable constant paced and kept going a like -- this was very welcome to Py today, this ride actually needed less effort than the RP2IPBP ride the day before, as there was also no wind today, very nice :-) And the cloud cover kept temperatures reasonable warm in the early morning. Nevertheless there were two fat stops, some extra recovery time ;-) The second fat occurred to G as he unluckily hit some big piece of glass, may be one more broken beer bottle... -- Py thinks beer bottles and any other glass on the road really suck, can people not think about what they are doing, looks like some can not -- what left a big cut in the tire side and gave G a hard time to fix....

The ride statistics:

Saturday, November 17, 2007

RP2IPBP

A just little cold (5..7C) and windy ride out to to IPBP for two.... MB data as ready now... (in brief: 84km/2h40 + 5km warmup/cooldown to/from start) Bringing PyZahl up to 70 points for his ISMBAT winterpokal.

The strong NWN wind made the usually so quite sound looking little rough and let two riders C,P (no QM or parity flaw here) working a little more on there way back home. But luckily the return was better protected by some nice roads winding in the woods, like Mill... so they gained a little wind power! One more late fall or winter, is it already??, ride - trees still holding on to there last colorful leaves, very enjoyable.


The ride histogram:

Monday, November 12, 2007

Just some fun in maze of trails of SHN

A grey fully overcast day, no wind, about 10C. Py just went out for a little fun at SHN on his Lightrider. Got a good 2 1/2 hours of riding in and felt so much better after that done ;-)

This is the amazing hilly maze..., logs root leaves sand loose rock all over, slow, some what technical and different to other trails. Get in, keep going and follow your nose... and eventually you find out again.

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Trevors' ride #2

One more, one down. A freezing cold Sunday morning. 7:30, 2C. PyZahl had put on his long cold weather suit again, one extra insulation layer than the day before. Riding LRPL, NC... towards Port Jeff, the sun just visible at a few open spots, just cold, he was spinning and moving quite good, what helped to warm up, and if only a little. However, the layering seamed just right. He got to the start early, as moving faster than planned. But there was already little going on and some riders showed already up -- in there cars. Py looked for a tree in the back... Eat a few bites of a freaking cold and hard Cliff Bar, hard to get down, sucks. Stowed the remainings away in his rear pocked -- for later on the ride. The usual faces showed up by the time it got closer to 8:30. The slower A group had left the plot. Sitting in the sun felt good, he was debating to take that one extra layer off, but did not. Time to roll. The usual run up and down on NC to RP and further via WR to Wildwood SP and out on Sound Ave, fast and no stop until the 1st light on the turn out east onto Sound Ave. Some using that stop for peeling off a layer, Py don't, felt just fine. Flying out East on Sound. Py following one of the two Babylon riders, getting up to position three and then two -- for a long time. This riders are incredible, strong and fast -- just by looking how they are build, scary. That duo on front of him pulled out almost all the way on sound, into the wind at warp speed around 22..23mph -- some how great, but you need to know, even not pulling, the third and especially the second position takes noticeable more power to hang on than more behind. Then, turning into Osborne, with that tail wind component, he still sitting at position two, speed went up to 26..30mph. Working hard and enjoying the flight. Approaching the light, the second quick stop was in sight, he grabbed his (still hard frozen, even in his rear pocked) Cliff Bar and tried to chew it some how, at least a tiny little two bites of it, hard to eat, still that chewy stuff in between his teeth and trying to dissolve it with some sips of (by the time also cold) drink, did not worked out so well, the light turned green and he had to hang on, quickly stowing the remaining food away in his pocket. Still working on that chewy stuff -- that sucks. Seams like there is a point in having that gels... But he was OK, as his bottle #1 had a little heavier mix of sustained energy. The ride proceeded at a good pace and for one further long section on South St. he got up to position two again. He did not took long pulls, just for few to 10 seconds or so, but participated in the rotation, as this makes it so much more fun than just hanging out at the tail. Working hard, on Main St. he really felt some pain but kept going for the last little pull, drifting back to the end and trying to hang on. That suddenly was hard as some one took over with a fast pull -- damn it, a little gap and this seamed hard to catch up. He lost them, but was able to keep them in sight with a almost constant gap until the turn into the winding E.Bartlett. He worked hard and saw them again, almost got them by seconds, at the light on 25 and followed the group very close, but just not close enough to catch up and hang on. As they turned onto Miller Pl. Mt. Sinai Coram Rd into the wind -- he lost them, no way, impossible -- so what, he just rode all the way back to NC and home on his own, a good tough ride -- 110km for Py.



Saturday, November 10, 2007

Solo RP2IPBP into the wind

Today PyZahl went a little later at 11am alone for a easy base training into a long ride into the strong NO wind... from RP out to IPBP.

One the way still beautiful foliage


And some little rough water in the sound...

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

17P/Holmes

Some times Py does no work and not bike... and explores things above like the amazing 17P/Holmes, an old Comet, unexpectedly getting much brigher and looking like a really cool fuzz ball on the sky. Just look out north, about 45 degrees (8pm) above the horizon (around 8pm..11pm is a good time) in the sky in Perseus, close to Mirfak, there you can spot with the naked eye a blurry fuzzy object, it is the Comet 17P/Holmes.

Here a few photographs:

17P/Holmes


345mm @ 35mm equiv, f5.6, 30s, ISO 1600, D70


And few wider angle sky views...



Sunday, November 04, 2007

Trevors' ride #1

This Sunday the Early Birds meet for Trevor's ride at Rt 112 about 1/4 mile north of 347 at Bagels and a whole lot more. For this ride Py rode a good warm up pace to the start, some extra 40 minutes. It was a while ago he rode there last time and he missed the turn into Columbus, but figured it quickly and got in time to the start. 8:30 Wintertime, the real time again, they moved out of the lot, two of the Babylon riders were around -- let's see how the first ride on that route of the winter season develops... This time Py was prepared, little extra energy dose in his water and an half eaten Cliff bar ready to grab in his back pocket -- as there is no food stop on this ride, usually one little slow down and "self feeding area" at the turn around point. -- He really hates that eating on the go --
They all rode at a great moving pace on the northern hilly route out east towards Osborne, there was a gap opening just after Boyscout hill, Py recognized that little late and had a hard time to catch up, but did it :-) This was the hard working part, from now a little less power did the job and he was riding pretty comfortable, but just took very short few seconds pulls, never know, be safe.

He the total stats, including his warmup and ride back home -- a total of 110km today: