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Post by Brandon on Jul 15, 2010 18:15:18 GMT -5
Beginning next Thursday, July 22nd we will have a new ride on the east side of town!!!
Meet at Lifetime Fitness: 3850 Richmond Road, Beachwood; just off I-271 near the intersection of Beachwood & Harvard Rd.'s. Meet near the front entrance at 6:15 p.m. We will push off at 6:30.
We will have 2 or 3 groups, depending on the riding abilities and numbers of those that come out to ride. Maps will be provided.
"A" Group - will ride 25-35 miles at 18 mph+ with no regrouping. You have a map. It is every (wo)man for themselves.
"B" Group - will ride 20-30 miles at ~15-18 mph avg. pace.
"C" Group - will ride 10-20 miles at ~10-15 mph avg. pace.
You do not have to be a Lifetime Fitness Member to attend the ride, but the facility (showers, pool, etc.) will only be available to Lifetime Fitness members. We welcome any and all ability levels to this ride!
Questions? Post 'em here or e-mail me: ebhenneman at yahoo dot com.
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Post by Kim Zepp on Jul 15, 2010 18:25:37 GMT -5
So, you finally passed all the tests? ;D
When I drove past that place earlier in the week I was thinking about you saying there would be a ride there. Glad to know it's happening!
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Post by Janet E on Jul 22, 2010 7:21:39 GMT -5
Brandon, that is awesome that the east side has another club riding opportunity!
See ya tonight! (I think I got Joey conned into coming too, even after being super exhausted after Saturday's rev3 ride). Hope to see some other CTC peeps out there!
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Post by philjolliff on Jul 22, 2010 8:06:46 GMT -5
I am excited about this one! Thanks for setting this up Brandon. I should be able to join you in 2 weeks.
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Post by Brandon on Jul 23, 2010 9:29:50 GMT -5
7-22-10 Ride Report
Thanks to everyone who came out to the first Thursday night Lifetime Ride (Phil, looking forward to seeing you in a couple of weeks!)
Ten of us pushed off out of the big parking lot at Lifetime Fitness on a very humid evening. Heading through the high traffic area in the 1/2 mile surrounding the club we claimed our stake to one of the lanes of the road and smiled at all of the motorists (well, at least I was smiling at them). The overcast skies finally gave us some reprieve from the heat, but rain (and darkness) were threatening.
Once we got out of traffic we split into 2 groups. Those of us in the second group came up with good (or poor) excuses to skip out on the Fairmount climb and opted for Berkie instead, what with it's more gradual gradient. I'll give you all my excuse...I was "no where close to recovered" from my long run the day before. The Berkie group put in 25 miles on the east sides' rolling terrain.
Those brave (and strong) riders that tackled the Fairmount climb ended the day with ~1000 ft. of ascending in a little under 30 miles. It seemed appropriate to climb one of the Chagrin Valley's more epic ascents on the same day Le Tour riders ascended the Tourmalet. Heading west up Fairmount is a nice little climb...but the Chagrin Valley sure ain't the Pyrenees.
We all arrived back at Lifetime at dusk and whilst loading the bikes onto the car racks the rain came. Narrow escape...
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Post by Brandon on Jul 29, 2010 10:59:28 GMT -5
Thursday night LT Ride is ON for tonight! Meet in front of Lifetime Fitness at 6:15. We will push off at 6:30.
Planning a gently rolling route with less climbing than last week. See you there!
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Post by Brandon on Jul 30, 2010 16:55:43 GMT -5
7-29-10 Ride Report
Week #2 of the Thursday night ride began with a small group of us heading off towards the Cleveland Metroparks. As soon as we pulled out of the parking lot we added one additional rider to the group. He gets the ‘multi-tasker of the week’ award for riding up to the group, in traffic, whilst putting on his cycling shoes and gloves. This is not advisable, although it is an astonishing feat.
The four of us were all riding about the same pace and we went at a good clip on the slightly downhill route towards Tinkers Creek. Early into the ride I began to wonder if it would turn into a hammerfest, but came to the conclusion that you needed at least 15 riders for a hammerfest to ensue, which we didn’t have. So, let’s call it a ‘steaty-state ride.’
Tonight was one of those near perfect evenings for a ride. Sunny. Warm but not hot. The setting sun sending its rays through the trees to flicker patches of light on the roadway. We rode by someone painting the sunset through the trees. Seemed like a perfect night for a painting also. We bombed down the freshly paved descent to the point that Tinkers Creek runs directly alongside the Parkway and stopped to regroup. Somehow we lost a rider off the back. Chris, I hope you made it back ok. You were right there with us and then…..poof. Gone. We didn’t wait long and turned to head back hoping to find Chris on the ascent.
We never found him, but my hope that is that since he knew we were riding an out and back he just turned around (are you out there in cyberspace? did you make it back ok?). The rest of us rode back to Lifetime Fitness at a ‘steady-state’ pace as the sun set behind the trees. A bit of conversation about 100 mile rides and runs, food and training (or lackthereof) helped the miles pass. Logged a little under 30 miles in about an hour and a half of ride time. Not a bad way to spend a Thursday night. Looking forward to next week…
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Post by Brandon on Aug 5, 2010 10:11:33 GMT -5
Weather is looking good, so the Thursday night LT ride is ON! Meet at 6:15 in front of Lifetime Fitness. We'll push off at 6:30. If bad weather rolls in I will post a cancellation here, otherwise will be riding down the Valley Parkway.
We will ride the same route as last week, which is an out and back on the Valley Parkway so everyone can do as little or as much (as daylight allows) as they would like. I will have just under 30 rolling miles mapped out with one little climb on a freshly paved road.
See you tonight!
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Post by Brandon on Aug 6, 2010 12:36:04 GMT -5
8-5-10 Ride Report
We had gathered in front of Lifetime Fitness at 6:15, per usual, and just as we were within seconds of pushing off we added another rider. So, we decided that the A-group would shove off and the B-group would shortly give chase, although we were unlikely to see them until after we arrived back in the parking lot.
The A-Group (as I later found out) was off for the Chagrin River Valley. The B-group was riding an out and back along the valley parkway through the Bedford Reservation and planned to cover just under 30 miles. It seemed like an inconsequential ride heading out. Not too hot. The threatening clouds that loomed just before the ride gave way to the sun by the time we left the parking lot. Conditions were perfect for a ride, although it seemed like traffic was unusually heavy on the way to the parkway. Soon enough we hit the calm park road.
We rolled along without incident. We hit the turn-around….and turned around. When we got within 7 or 8 miles of the club it seemed to be getting dark earlier than expected. I made the mistake of commenting on the lack of rain this summer. I was glad to be near the end of the ride after a couple drops of rain fell and gray skies appeared on the horizon.
Then, without much warning there was a torrential downpour. It hit us just a few miles from the club. It was raining HARD. It stung my skin. It was cold. The road was turning into a river. The SUV passing in the opposite direction sprayed what must have been at least 2 tons of water all over me and my bike. I could barely see. The raindrops on the lens of my glasses were causing the tailight in front of me to send red beams of light flashing across my entire field of vision....imagine about 30 red lazers flashing in every which direction. We peddled on.
And just as quick as it disappeared the sun returned, if only for a moment. It quickly set just before we rolled into the parking lot, still dripping wet. It was the first time I've gotten rained on in a long time...perhaps the first time this summer in 1500 or so miles of riding. Hopefully it will stay dry next week....
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Post by Brandon on Aug 12, 2010 13:57:51 GMT -5
Thursday night LT ride is ON! We have a ~23 mile route mapped out with one of the fastest descents in the Chagrin Valley included (yes, you could probably hit 40 mph) The route also includes one gradual climb that will slowly but surly take you up 400 vertical feet over a couple of miles....gotta get up and out of the valley somehow  Meet at Lifetime fitness in Beachwood at 6:15. We'll push off at 6:30. |
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Post by Brandon on Aug 13, 2010 10:18:54 GMT -5
8-12-10 Ride Report
Another warm and sunny Thursday welcomed us for our Thursday night ride. I think we all might be getting spoiled a bit this summer, what with all of the great weather. We had a couple of new riders this week (welcome Dave and Melissa!) which included the first mountain bike to join our road ride.
We decided to take a new route out of the parking lot today, which seemed to backfire when we needed to go straight and the intersection we were at had 2 right turn only lanes. That is it. No forward. No left. We made a group decision to go straight anyways, which (although we made it through safely) was probably not the brightest idea. Traffic laws typically exist for a reason, including this one.
We rode as one group this week. I think I hit 40mph on the descent down Old Mill. The ride down Chagrin River Road is always nice, although traffic seemed a bit heavier than usual this evening. We hit our only real climb of the day at the Valley Parkway. Fresh pavement and 400 ft. of ascending over 3 miles makes for a nice gradual climb. Most of us did the climb 1 ½ times. Then a long false flat back to the parking lot to complete the day. My computer read 26 miles. I’ve come to expect warm and sunny weather riding weather here in Northeast Ohio (what else would we expect?).
Until next Thursday….
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Post by dave_r on Aug 13, 2010 13:09:35 GMT -5
Great ride Brandon, according to the Garmin, we hit 42.2 mph.
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Post by Brandon on Aug 19, 2010 14:14:27 GMT -5
Thursday night LT ride is ON!!! Planning about 25 rolling miles (parkway out and back) with an optional climb for those brave (and fit) souls.
Meet at Lifetime Fitness at 6:15. We'll push off at 6:30.
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Post by Brandon on Aug 26, 2010 10:38:29 GMT -5
Thursday night LT ride is ON for tonight!!!
Planning a 25 mile loop tonight, as daylight will no longer allow 30 miles as it did just a few weeks ago. We'll head down to River Rd., from which we'll take Berkie for an easy climb up and out of the valley. Old Mill is an optional climb for anyone seeking >10% grades.
Meet in front of Lifetime Fitness at 6:15. We'll push off at 6:30.
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Post by Brandon on Aug 27, 2010 14:46:51 GMT -5
8-26-10 Ride Report
Tonight we pushed off and left the fitness center behind a couple of minutes past 6:30. We took our typical route to the Valley Parkway and then turned east towards River Road. We picked up a couple of riders along the way, one of which was looking to turn the ride into a hammerfest after asking if he could join our group. What resulted was one very hard interval to one of the traffic lights on River Road.
This was another ‘typical’ group ride, really...nothing too out of the ordinary. The good weather and light traffic allowed us to ride and talk about bikes, how preparations are going for that “A” race and life outside of cycling. We rode up the false flat on River Road, near Shaker Boulevard, and spun past a painter. On his canvas he was recreating the landscape to our right; a horse farm and the western flank of the Chagrin River Valley. This is the second time in the past couple of months that we have ridden by someone painting on the side of the road on this Thursday night ride…possibly the only two times I have ridden past someone painting in thousands of miles of riding.
The group split up when it was time to climb from the valley floor up to Gates Mills Boulevard on the Western ridge. A couple riders took Berkie and the rest of us took Old Mill. After ‘milling’ around at the bottom of the climb, those of us on Old Mill took the approach to “spin up” (as best we could) the western slope, which has a 10%+ grade. Once we got to the top it was a steady effort back to Lifetime Fitness, so that those of us that had to ride home still had a little daylight to ride in. The days are getting shorter and the headwinds are becoming brisk. Today marked the 2nd time this summer I wore a base layer underneath my cycling jersey and I reguarly need my tailight when riding after work.
Until next Thursday….
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Post by jen on Aug 27, 2010 15:30:45 GMT -5
Thanks for writing these up Brandon! I enjoy reading these and keep saying I need to come but Thursdays are not a riding day. Which leads me to ask, how long will you keep doing these?
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Post by Brandon on Aug 28, 2010 20:37:12 GMT -5
Glad you enjoy the ride reports Jen, but the rides themselves are MUCH more fun ;-)
The plan is to keep going into October....hopefully you can make a ride once you are done racing! Beth came out last week...she's one of the folks we picked up on the ride. She was not the one trying to shake everyone off of her wheel though....which is not to say she sat on the back telling jokes and making everyone laugh.
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Post by Brandon on Sept 2, 2010 10:48:01 GMT -5
Thursday night LT ride is ON!!! The heat of this summer is not letting up yet!!! I am planning to ride ~20 miles at a moderate pace with no climbing (taper time!). There is an option for climbing Old Mill (in both directions!) if you are up for it....but bring your granny gear if that is your plan  Meet in front of Lifetime Fitness at 6:15. We'll push off at 6:30. Questions? Post them here or e-mail: ebhenneman at yahoo dot com |
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Post by Brandon on Sept 9, 2010 7:51:52 GMT -5
Time to break out the arm warmers....the Thursday night LT ride is ON!! Since myself (and quite a few others from our group) are racing the REV3 on Sunday the planned route will be between 15-18 miles with no climbing.
Hammerheads are still welcome. The route will take us to the top of Old Mill where you can get plenty of climbing in. We'll meet in front of Lifetime Fitness at 6:15 and push off at 6:30. Questions? Post them here!
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Post by Brandon on Sept 16, 2010 9:18:33 GMT -5
Weather is looking a bit sketchy for tonights LT ride. I will post an update later this afternoon on weather conditions. If we ride the route will be the same as last week....~20 miles with no climbing (for me) and an option to climb Old Mill if you are up for it.
If we don't ride I will still be at Lifetime at 6:30, but will be inside the building behind the front desk/near the TV and sofa's. If you are coming in for a "rain plan" workout stop by and say hello. I'll likely head to the cafe to relax with a drink ~6:30.
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Post by Brandon on Sept 16, 2010 15:58:54 GMT -5
Well folks, I thought we might be able to get our ride in but, alas, Mother Nature wins this one. The Thursday nigh LT ride is cancelled due to weather. I'll still be at Lifetime at 6:30. I'll be doing a little stretching and sipping on a smoothie from the cafe.
The ride will continue next week and into October.
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Post by Brandon on Sept 23, 2010 11:19:00 GMT -5
Well, it might feel like summer, but tonight will be a great night for a fall ride!!!! Who knows how many more riding days we'll get before breaking out the tights and windbreakers.
The Thursday night LT ride is on. Meet at Lifetime Fitness in Beachwood at 6:15. We'll push off at 6:30. The plan is to get in ~20 miles before the sun sets.
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Post by Brandon on Sept 30, 2010 8:06:02 GMT -5
We are ON for the Thursday night LT ride! This will be the last Thursday night ride (enter tears). But, for those of you who aren't afraid of Northeast Ohio fall weather, we are working on setting something up on the weekends until the snow flies. Stay tuned for that....
As for tonight, it is looking like nice riding conditions, but we are running out of daylight. Meet at Lifetime Fitness in Beachwood at 6:15. We'll push off at 6:30. Planning to ride about an hour because that is all the sun will allow. Post yer questions if you got 'em.
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