Week 47

Date
November 23rd, 2013

Distance
103 Miles

Time
6:44:39

Route Map/Profile

Weather

Picture

Ride Report
I haven't been out on Red Rock Road for a while, and today was the perfect day for it. The sun was shining all day long and there wasn't any wind. It was super cold in the morning, but that's to be expected this time of year. Things warmed up nicely after an hour or two.

Believe it or not, there are only 5 weeks of the year left. It's a difficult time of year with the holidays and the possibility of bad weather, but this is when the century-a-week goal really pays off. The last thing you want to do is come up short after 47 weeks of riding. The end is so close, making it a little bit easier to push through a difficult day or two. I'm a real wimp when it comes to the cold and I lose my motivation a little bit this time of year, but riding a century per week keeps me on track and stops me from getting too far out of shape.

Strava Link

Week 46

Date
November 16th, 2013

Distance
106 Miles

Time
6:29:34

Route Map/Profile

Weather

Picture

Pinenut Rd

Ride Report
I did a Fish Springs Rd/Pinenut Rd loop in Gardnerville that I've never done before. I'm not sure why I've never ridden it before. It's a nice little loop and I've been through Gardnerville many times. It makes me wonder what other roads there are in the area that I've been missing.

Strava Link

Week 45

Date
November 9th, 2013

Distance
108 Miles

Time
6:32:16

Route Map/Profile

Weather

Picture

50

Ride Report
It was warm, sunny, and there was no wind. You couldn't ask for better Reno weather in November. I did an out-and-back route, mostly on US 50. It's a flat stretch of road that seems to take forever when it's windy, but I haven't been out that way in a while and there wasn't any wind, so today it make for an enjoyable ride.

I have a list of rides in my head that I'd like to do some day, and riding across Nevada on US 50 is one of those rides. It's about 410 miles and I'm not fast enough to do it in one day, but it would make a fun 2-day ride. I've done most of it (Reno to Ely) by car and the scenery is great. However, the list of rides that I'd like to do some day is pretty long and this one isn't a super high priority. On the other hand, it is very close to home and the cost of doing it would be pretty low, so maybe I should try to get it done next year. This year is almost over and it won't be long until I'll start putting together my list of goals for next year.

Strava Link

Week 44

Date
November 3rd, 2013

Distance
102 Miles

Time
6:25:55

Route Map/Profile

Weather

Picture

Deer

Ride Report
It was a cold day and I'm not in good shape right now anyway, so I stuck with a flat ride. The good news is that the wind wasn't very strong, which made it a fun ride.

Even better news: my schedule is finally freeing up, which will give me more time to (a) sleep and (b) ride. I've been short on both lately and it's hard to decide which deficit has made me more cranky.

Strava Link

Week 43

Date
October 27th, 2013

Distance
110 Miles

Time
6:48:24

Route Map/Profile

Weather

Picture

Ride Report
The weather was nice enough for one more ride out to Lake Tahoe. I know I said it last time, but this one probably is my last ride by the lake until spring.

Off-bike things have been a little crazy lately, so I really enjoyed my time out there. The next two weeks will probably be the same, but things should settle down after that.

Strava Link

Week 42

Date
October 18th, 2013

Distance
105 Miles

Time
6:56:33

Route Map/Profile

Weather

Picture

Fresh oil on 6 Mile Canyon

Ride Report
It was a beautiful day out there, so I went out to Spooner Summit and added in 6 Mile Canyon and Gold Hill. I didn't feel like riding hard today, so I took it easy. You know, there are times in cycling and in life when you don't feel like pushing all that hard. I love cycling because it gives me the opportunity to face those times and to overcome the desire to be lazy or to take it easy. There have been a lot of days when I didn't feel like going hard, but I pushed through it and was glad I did. Today wasn't one of those days.

I'd love to make excuses for it, but the truth is that I simply wasn't mentally strong enough today. My body was capable of going harder than my mind was willing to push it. It's a real shame to waste potential like that. There might be a life lesson in all of this. Truth be told, I am much more willing to push myself past my comfort zone on a bike than in life in general.

Strava Link

Week 41

Date
October 13th, 2013

Distance
103 Miles

Time
6:44:16
Route Map/Profile

Weather

Picture

6 Mile Canyon

Ride Report
Today started out with a flat ride to Carson City, then out to 6 Mile Canyon. I did 6 Mile Canyon, then Gold Hill, then another 6 Mile Canyon loop. 6 Mile Canyon is beautiful in the fall when the leaves are yellow and the sun is shining through just right. I'm not a good photographer, so I've never been able to truly capture it in a picture. That can be a good thing, though. It encourages me to enjoy the moment and soak it in instead of worrying about taking the perfect picture. Besides, it's a lot more fun to replay the moment in your mind than to look at photos.


Strava Link