Every Day in May - Day 15

After sailing in the morning and doing yard work all afternoon, I decided to take a quick loop around the block with Maya before hitting the showers. All went well until we were almost home. She had gotten out to the end of her lead and then suddenly jerked left, pulling me over. I tried to fall into the grass at the edge and the leash got wrapped around the handlebars. I had a soft landing but there went Maya, running up the road dragging my bike! She was scared but I caught up to her and made it all ok. The bike was ok too. We finished the loop - no harm done. I'll have to make sure she doesn't get out to the end of the leash!

Bike: M
T: 10.28
O: 20.5
M: 12.7
A: 7.9
D: 1.38

Every Day in May - Day 14

I decided to go for a longer ride in the afternoon/evening, heading out to the western part of Chester County. The weather was warm but pleasant, although some spotty rain showers were predicted. I got off to a nice start but found one bridge out (on Shadyside road west of Marshalton-Thorndale road) and decided to detour out towards Coatesville to get around it. Then I came back through Mortonville and out Apple Grove Road. This provided my first clear view to the west and boy did the clouds look dark! I clipped the westernmost loop off my planned route and headed towards home along Embreeville Road. The rain caught up with me just as I reached Embreeville - big huge flashes of lightning and big splashes of rain. I stopped underneath the bridge at the ChesLyn Preserve and watched the rain approach, get heavy, then finally slack off. A hiker came by and hid out under the bridge with me during the worst of it. Finally, it seemed to become a tradeoff between getting wet or having to ride home in the dark, so I pushed off and quickly got soaked. Fortunately it was still warm. All in all, it was a nice Chester County bicycling adventure.

Bike: R
T: 2:28:12
O: 112.5
M: 41.0 (zooming down Strausburg Road into Embreeville, trying to beat the storm)
A: 12.9
D: 31.97

Every Day in May - Day 13

The weather today got nice and by the time I went for a late afternoon/early evening ride it was in the low 60's and partly cloudy. I wanted a hilly workout so I chose a route that included Skelp Level Road - which is anything but - level that is. One section got so steep that I had to move up on my saddle and lean into the bars to keep the front wheel on the ground. It was about a 10 minute ride. I need to adjust my bike computer because it is reading about 1-2% too high, at least as compared to IPhone GPS. Here is the bike computer data:

Bike: R
T: 45:45
O: 80.5
M: 39.5
A: 13.4
D: 10.26

Here's the map and some elevation data from mapmyride.com:

Every Day in May - Day 12

It's still raining and cold - 52F and 91% humidity, so no big ride for today. Once again, around the block with Maya. She does love it, though! Good dog!

Bike: M
T: 9.36
O: 19.1
M: 13.5
A: 8.7
D: 1.40

Every Day in May - Day 11

This weather sure isn't cooperating. When I thought of "every day in May" I thought the weather would be warm, pleasant and typically May-like. It has been very cold! It was even raining a little by the time I finally got outside to go, but since I made this commitment, out I went. I did a short loop that took me on a cold downhill run to Valley Creek, then a "warm" climb back home, about 300' vertical climb.

Here is a map of my route from mapmyride.com:


Bike: R
T: 24.59
O: 70.2
M: 37.7
A: 12.4
D: 5.18

Every Day in May - Day 10

Tonight was just a quick night trip around the block with Maya. I used a new bike light that works pretty well, but I think I prefer the headlamp because it turns to focus on whatever I want to look at, rather than just straight ahead like a fixed headlight on a car.

Bike: M
T: 10.04
O: 17.1
M: 12.9
A: 8.4
D: 1.41

Almost Every Day in May - Day 9

OK - I tried really hard but I blew it. Pat and I worked on the yard all morning yesterday and then went out with Chili to a used bookstore in Phoenixville. After a few good buys, we went to the Chester Springs Creamery for excellent ice cream. Yum! Then it was home, some TV and before I knew it I was getting into bed and had not ridden...Oh well...I really tried.

So not to be defeated, I'm back on my bike today. I'll keep trying to ride every day in May. But today was a challenge - high winds and cold. But, in keeping with a saying I heard this winter while working in the unheated sail house at the sailing club, "the heat is in the tools." So I put more effort into the pedals and warmed right up. I rode out to meet Pat, Chili and Maya at the ChesLyn Preserve in Embreeville. The wind made some flat sections seem like uphill and some uphill sections seem flat. Once at the park the four of us did about a 1.5 mile walk (run for Maya) and drove home together. A nice afternoon break.

Bike: R
T: 52:12
O: 65.0
M: 33.4
A: 14.0
D: 12.24