Recumbents

Persimmon Loop - 11.6 Miles (2004 YTD: 70.4)

I topped off the battery for my light system on Thursday night. The battery came with a charge, but I was not sure how "full" it actually was. I also forgot to mention I had mounted a 7 LED red light to the back of my seat. This thing cost like $12.00 and has steady, flashing or chasing modes. It is supposed to run for 100 hours on two AA batteries. It is really bright and seems to get noticed, however I wish I had purchased two of them.

Tonight was my first ride on the Speedplay Frog pedals and my new MTB bike shoes. How sweet it is! It is so nice to not have to hold your feet on the pedals. Once you clip in your feet can just hang from the pedals, but a small swing of your heel to the outside releases them easily, which is important on a recumbent. After reading lots of reviews by other recumbent riders, the Frogs seemed like the most popular because of the float - a full 20 degrees. I must say the sensation was a bit strange, but by the end of this ride if felt pretty natural. I will write a longer review of the pedals and shoes when I get a chance.

I saw a six point buck walk across the road about 30 feet in front of me. He stopped in the other lane and just looked at me as I rode by. Then about 1/2 mile further I saw another single spike buck standing on the side of the road. Both of these were on west bound Hedge Lane. Pretty cool.

Persimmon Loop - 8.3 Miles (2004 YTD: 58.8)

This was my first night ride with a my new light system. My good friend Lowell wrote to me a week ago with some really good recommendations on light systems. He made me change my mind on the cheap LED system I was going to go with. I ended up getting a dual light system with a NIMH rechargeable battery from Performance. This thing rocks. Tonight I was riding down a busy street in our neighborhood and had the "brights" on - a car that was approaching me actually flashed their headlights at me like mine was to bright! I will write a full review with pictures when I get a chance.

Back in the Saddle (2004 Miles: 50.5)

Finally got a chance to get back out today. I went for a really nice ride around the lake nearby. It was really nice until I was on the last mile and half - then it got really steep! I had to walk the bike up the hill, for probably about 1/2 mile. It totally wiped me out - this hill was huge! My long range goal is to get in good enough shape to ride up this hill. I saw about 5 diamond frame riders in a group going around the lake.

This week I will be ordering a light package, some clipless pedals and shoes! I will report on them once I get them.

Average pace - 10.1 mph | Trip Dist - 6.6 miles