Weekend's Ride: July 15 & 16 - Time to get the miles!

Another great weekend of rides!  This is usually the worst ride of the year in terms of pure feeling like you are cycling through an oven set on slow roast. But it was not as bad as in previous years, so cheers all around.

Saturday:  Today we headed out for the Jemez Dam Ride* - a 65 mile out and back through the picturesque Rio Grande Valley, then back through Corrales and then back home (route here).  We were 15 strong as we headed out of O'Neill's early, and picked up another 4 riders as we headed out 313 heading north.  After our first rally in Bernalillo, we surprisingly picked up an additional 2 riders represented by the Los Alamos contingent of the team (more on them later) just before heading up to the dam.

Or rather, tried to head up to the dam.  Last summer the ride was cut short by a gate and guard who informed us that a dispute between the Pueblo and the Corp of Engineers had closed the road.  I hoped for the best this year, but this year they actually closed more of the road.  Boo!  Need to find a new route for next year.

At the aborted attempt to ride to top.

After this we headed out into Breaking Bad vistas for the 20 mile loop out through the dusty high desert before heading back into the valley near Corrales.  The biggest surprise of the ride was the impromptu stop at the wonderful Hardy house just before our traditional refuel stop.  We were treated to fresh baked cookies and plenty of water.  

At this point the group split into two, with the first group (those who didn't get cookies) rolled on just before the second group caught up to them.  The second group had two flat tires in the space of about 5 miles which delayed them significantly.  But all arrived safely at back at the ride start where a few stayed for a post ride brunch at O'Neill's.  The captain is happy to report that the Bloody Mary's are as delicious this summer as last!

*Dam not included.

Yay cookies!

Sunday: A quick jaunt around the city (route here). Ali, Rhea, Ryan E, Blythe, Cap, and Liz started out from O'Neills at 6.  A beautiful and cool morning.  We picked up Stacey at the start of the diversion channel and headed north.  We had a surprise meetup with Greg about half-way up Tramway and Nellie at the top.  A brave few headed up the base of the tram.  Kudos to Nellie for her first-time climb!  A great ride, with great company.  Thanks to all for joining.

Headed up the tram spur

Regrouping at Tramway before heading home.  We missed you Gary!

Editors note: due to a miscommunication Good Gary headed in the opposite direction and cranked out the full city (50-mile loop) like a rock star!

Weekend's Rides 7/8 & 7/9 - While the captains away....

Thanks to our two volunteer ride captains - Ryan H. on Saturday and John M. on Sunday.  I appreciate that you wanted to step in and guide the cat circus through Albuquerque!

Saturday's Ride:   As relayed by ride captain Ryan!

First Officer's Log, July 8th, 2017 AD

We had as many as 21 riders at the start. We followed the course down to University Blvd where one of us developed a flat tire. After fixing the tire outside of Wise Pies Arena a.k.a. The Pit, we continued down University Blvd, crossing the dirt at Kirtland Park (as they do on the Albuquerque Century). We didn't have to wait long for all the riders to arrive at the University & Rio Bravo intersection, from where we continued down to the south loop of the Bosque Trail. There were many other riders, runners and walkers out on the Bosque this morning, making it difficult for a group to ride through. We took relatively short breaks at the train station at Tingley Beach and the Alameda/Rio Grande Open Space. From there, one of us took Rio Grande Rd to go home, and the rest of us cut through Guadalupe Trail and Camino del Bosque where we saw two bikes being offered for free (there were no takers). Continuing up Roy Avenue to Tramway Rd, some of us stopped at the Bien Mur Travel Center, where Laura's front tire went flat and had to be repaired. The rest of us continued up Tramway Road to the County Line Steakhouse where Carollan stayed behind to direct riders. I went up to the terminal, got water, waited for some other riders, headed back down and waited for everyone who had not broken off to go home. Good Gary had to add pressure to one of his tires before heading back down. On our way down Tramway Blvd, I had a tire blow-out myself. While we were repairing our fourth flat, Laura's rear tire burst and had to be repaired. Followed was the easy part of the ride, downhill along Tramway Blvd and down through the neighborhoods on the southeast side of town. 

After 52 miles and 5 flat tires, a few of us arrived back at O'Neill's. A handful of those riders joined us there for brunch.

Thanks everyone for riding. As a team, we need to work on staying together, and both keeping in a single file and slowing down and waiting until it's safe to pass on the Bosque Trail.

Artist rendition of Saturday's ride

Sunday's Ride: 

Reports of an uneventful ride.  Sometimes that is a great enough report.  And they took a photo:

From the base of the tram!

Weekend's Rides: 7/1 & 7/2 - A fine windy NM morning

A great weekend of training.  Then again, I always think heading out for some exercise with friends is great, so call me biased.

Saturday's Ride:  This weekend we did the modified counter clockwise city loop (route here) - a 37 mile jaunt around the city, heading north on Tramway with a little punishment of heading up to the base of the tram.  This is followed by a long descent back to the valley floor before picking up the diversion channel and back to the ride start.  We had 15 riders total head out for the ride from different locations.

Those of us that started at O'Neill's faced a fierce headwind (a sustained 10 mph with gusts to 20 mph) for the first 7 miles until we got to the fist rally spot at Smiths at Tramway and Central. We picked up another 5 riders at headed north, sideways to the wind.  At the top of Tramway, some of us headed up to the base of the tram up the steep 1 mile road for a challenge, while others headed on their way.

Heading up to the base of the tram.

Special thanks to Ryan who rode at the end of the group and ensured everyone made it to where they were supposed to go!  We got pretty spread out as we departed the top of the tram, but eventually all made it back to the ride start.

At the top!

Sunday's Ride:  4 of us started out on beautiful morning to do the inner city loop.  Kudos again to Evil Gary and Ryan for doing both training rides this weekend.  We had a peaceful ride along the Bosque, and probably the least busy I've ever seen.

At the 25-mile mark, Bex peeled off to head home, having cleverly staged a car at the Paseo train station.  Congrats on doing your longest group ride!

Gary, Ryan, and Ali headed back, and many thanks to those two for letting me draft until we hit a wind break.

Other Rides 2017

At the Taos Gran Fondo 2015

One of the great things and new things for me is branching out from the Pedal los Pueblos to do some other great rides in the area.  Last year a few of us did the Fall Blaze (RIP - they have changed the ride, click the link below to see) and it was great to go up with some great teammates and friends to do a destination ride.  I would like to do something similar this year!  Anyone have any favorites in the list below?

Ride	Location	Date	Day	Distances
Enchanted Circle Century	Red River, NM	9/10	Sunday	25/50/100
Tour de Acoma	Acoma, NM	9/17	Sunday	25/50/100
Canon City Bike & Brew/Royal Gorge Century Ride	Canon City, CO	9/23	Saturday	31/62/100
Mountain to Desert	Telluride, CO	9/23	Saturday	70/100
Tour de Ruidoso	Ruidoso, NM	9/23	Saturday	45/62/100
Tour of the Rio Grande	ABQ, NM	9/24	Sunday	39/62/100
Santa Fe Gourmet Classic	Santa Fe, NM	10/7	Saturday	65
Day of the Tread	ABQ, NM	10/29	Sunday	12/24/54/64/80/100
El Tour de Tuscon	Tuscon, AZ	11/18	Saturday	40/55/75/104

Weekend's Rides: 6/24 & 6/25 - Not quite so hot

Another great weekend. This weekend we had both our Saturday and Sunday rides head out!

Saturday's Ride: The Saturday ride met bright and early at O'Neill's at 6 am.  It was a brutal week, with a heat wave parking itself over ABQ and slowly sizzling us with a few days in a row of 100+ degree temperatures.  But by Friday, the heat wave had broken, and we all gathered in the cool morning for a quick ride around the city, taking the inner city loop (route here).

There were 14 of us that headed out: David, Andrew, Olga, Evil Gary, Matt H., Becky, Dennis, Rhea, Tina, Ryan E (nickname needed!), John, Celeste, Brian, and Gordie.  El Jefe caught up with us half way and finished out the ride.  Overall a good ride, a good way to stretch our legs and get a little mileage in.  Didn't get any group photo this week (bad captain!), but I did get a good team picture of everyones shadow!

A picture of all our shadows waiting for the light on Rio Bravo.

Sunday's Ride: Sundays ride left a bit later and featured quite a few repeat riders from Saturday.  Ryan E., Brian, Celeste, Blythe, Bobbie(sp), Rhea, Bex, and Evil Gary headed out for a quick out an back to Balloon Fiesta Park.  Another cool morning and a bunch of balloons launching along the way.
From Balloon Fiesta Park, two riders wanted more mileage and headed off for more fun and the rest of us headed back.  Half the back got distracted by the smells coming from the Waffleria and opted to stop for breakfast and the rest of us broke off for home.  A beautiful inaugural Sunday ride and, for some of us, first ride of the season.  Looking forward to more fun Sundays!

Weekend Ride 6/17: A quick jaunt for coffee....

Yeah!  Training season!  Waking up before dawn!  Sore butts!  Sunburn!

Wait.  I need to make this sound appealing.

Yeah!  Training season!  Getting exercise! Meeting great people! Enjoying the sunrise! Adventure! Camaraderie! Exercise induced euphoria!

It's that time again!  We headed out for first training ride - a quick 26 mile ride up the diversion channel over to the diversion channel, then south on the Bosque trail until at mile 19 we hit up the wonderful Bike in Coffee.  We stopped there for some food and refreshments, before heading uphill on Indian School to get back on the Diversion Channel trail and then south and back to the beginning.

For a first ride we had an impressive turnout!  We had 22 riders join us for the ride, including 8 brand new riders to the Penultimates.  A great start to the 2017 training season.

Drinking and eating and resting and getting bit by mosquitos

The crew!

On the fence about the Bike MS?

I only have one thing to say to you -