@ Betsy Thanks for the heads up on the Oct 29 supported ride out on Beeline...I will definitely get registered to participate! Curious to heath r the cause of your 2 flats out there yesterday? Is there just a ton of debris on that route?
@ Gary The Cards were AWFUL today...hard to watch Carson throw all those interceptions when we were knocking on their doorstep...That ain't super bowl caliber offense! Regarding your comments about your tired neck muscles after your long rides....after a month or so of long rides, your neck should be adapting to the aero position...if you're feeling significant discomfort, it could be a result of your fit/position on the bike. There's definitely a learning /conditioning curve here for your neck muscles, but don't torture yourself.
After a long session on trainer yesterday I opted to go on a MTB ride with some friends early this morning and a tempo run to follow. Body is feeling good after a solid week of training. Looking forward to what next week has in store. The weather is finally coming around here in the desert, so I'm looking forward to a big upcoming bike week!
Congrats to all of the AZ people getting the long rides in. The supported rides on the beeline sound like a great opportunity for supported, on-course riding. Take advantage of that if you can.
My weekend went very well as I finally managed to complete a back-to-back ride that I've wanted to do for years but have never done before. Day one is 74 miles of limestone chip rail trail with an average grade of 1-2% and then with a final 12 mile push on the road, but with ~2000 feet of net elevation gain! Day two is the reverse, 12 fast miles on the road and mostly downhill and then the 74 miles of chip rail trail but this time with a -1-2% grade.
I tried this back-to-back last year and had a major mental breakdown, which cascaded into a physical breakdown and I threw in the towel after ~50 miles on day two. This year I managed to get it done! Now I'm hoping to do it again in a couple of weeks.
is the Beeline safe for riding before race ? I might arrive on Sunday before race and would like to ride 2-3X and looks all the cactus ! (haha tourists)
@FP - LOTS of people will be riding the beeline in the days leading up to IMAZ. I, for one, will not be one of them. To your specific question about safety, I think it can be safe if you are careful and if you ride smart. If you plan to go, bring spare tubes and be prepared for a flat.
@FP-yes the beeline is safe IMO. It makes my husband crazy when I say this, but riding the beeline is a lot like the Queen k highway in Kona. 2 lane divided highway, very wide shoulder where two can cycle side by side (most of the way). The difference is Your vistas are desert and saguaro, instead of lava rock and ocean. I frequently ride it by myself, the only place I will ride by myself. We ride 10 miles north of Shea (north turnaround) to bush highway turnoff then down to McDowell (south entry point) and back-a 42 mile loop. It has been relatively debris free until last weekend, the southbound Shea to McDowell had more tire tread, large rocks than usual. Yes they sweep well before ironman. We also have he whole southbound lane to ourselves so you don't even race in the shoulder. As for my flats, both happened right below Shea. My first was rear, and I never found a thorn. The second was same place, last loop, and I did find a little thorn in the front tire.
I would recommend driving to the highway and parking. Do not ride the route out from tempe, too dangerous with traffic. The gas station at McDowell(south entry point) is closed. I recommend driving up to shea, there is strip mall parking on shea just west of beeline.
Comments
@ Gary The Cards were AWFUL today...hard to watch Carson throw all those interceptions when we were knocking on their doorstep...That ain't super bowl caliber offense! Regarding your comments about your tired neck muscles after your long rides....after a month or so of long rides, your neck should be adapting to the aero position...if you're feeling significant discomfort, it could be a result of your fit/position on the bike. There's definitely a learning /conditioning curve here for your neck muscles, but don't torture yourself.
After a long session on trainer yesterday I opted to go on a MTB ride with some friends early this morning and a tempo run to follow. Body is feeling good after a solid week of training. Looking forward to what next week has in store. The weather is finally coming around here in the desert, so I'm looking forward to a big upcoming bike week!
My weekend went very well as I finally managed to complete a back-to-back ride that I've wanted to do for years but have never done before. Day one is 74 miles of limestone chip rail trail with an average grade of 1-2% and then with a final 12 mile push on the road, but with ~2000 feet of net elevation gain! Day two is the reverse, 12 fast miles on the road and mostly downhill and then the 74 miles of chip rail trail but this time with a -1-2% grade.
I tried this back-to-back last year and had a major mental breakdown, which cascaded into a physical breakdown and I threw in the towel after ~50 miles on day two. This year I managed to get it done! Now I'm hoping to do it again in a couple of weeks.
Strava links:
https://www.strava.com/activities/723653436
https://www.strava.com/activities/725211793
Here for IMMT they clean the road with Zamboni everyday on race week..
It has been relatively debris free until last weekend, the southbound Shea to McDowell had more tire tread, large rocks than usual. Yes they sweep well before ironman. We also have he whole southbound lane to ourselves so you don't even race in the shoulder.
As for my flats, both happened right below Shea. My first was rear, and I never found a thorn. The second was same place, last loop, and I did find a little thorn in the front tire.
I would recommend driving to the highway and parking. Do not ride the route out from tempe, too dangerous with traffic. The gas station at McDowell(south entry point) is closed. I recommend driving up to shea, there is strip mall parking on shea just west of beeline.