The Birds and the Bees (and the Bikes)

We are riding bikes, farming our backyard, and losing weight

The Birds and the Bees (and the Bikes) random header image

Gold Rush Randonnee

Here is a list of all the posts with analysis of the GRR route, links to reports and photos from the previous editions, and more.

2 Comments

2 responses so far ↓

  • 1 Dr Codfish // May 17, 2009 at 10:31 am

    Marcello:

    The thing I recall, more than anything else is the heat. let’s say it was ‘burned into my memory’.

    We (Dave Read, Duane Wright, and I) drove down from Olympia together and the closer we got the more the news was about the heat wave.

    They were settng up cooling stations in schools and other public venues. We took a little ’stretch your legs’ ride the afternoon we got there. I recall checking my watch (it has a thermometer) and it said something like 106, might have been 108. I can’t remember but I know it was pushing 110.

    I also recall that there was a run on tires.
    We rode out on the route and back the next day, it was hot (did I mention?) and we stopped at a bike shop back in town. There was a run on tires. I had considered putting on new tires, the ones I had on were OK, not great, but OK.

    There were a couple guys getting new tires, they had had multiple flats from goat head thorns. My decision was instantaneous: I put on two new Conti Gator Skins. I didn’t have a flat the whole ride, porbably mostly as a result of laco of worry.

    Luck to you –

    Yr Pal Dr Codfish

  • 2 Marcello // May 17, 2009 at 9:23 pm

    Thanks for your input, Dr. C.

    I heard about the brutal heat in 2005 from other GRR anciennes. Heat is going to be a problem, but since I can’t control the weather, I am not going to stress about it. Yet. Getting used to riding in the heat is not something that I’m able to do here in Oregon.

    My most important lesson learned from attempting a very hot Shenandoah 1200 last year is that the fast riders have the option of riding at night, have the options of stopping and cooling down. Slow pokes like me have to ride all the time, and we end up spending more time in the heat. So my plan this year is to get faster. Not as fast as the fast guys, but fast enough to be able to take a break in the shade once in a while. We’ll see if that works.

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