| Ride Stats |
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Distance:
6.50 miles
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Time: 00:00:00
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Avg Speed:
0.00 mph
|
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Route:
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Altitude Gain:
350 ft
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Calories Burned: 146
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Max Speed:
10.80 mph
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Weight:
349
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Category: general: leisure -
solo
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Terrain: Off: XC
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Bike: Specialized Crosstrail (Retired) 700c Hybrid
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Club: Blackhawk Bicycle and Ski Club |
| Weather Conditions: Cloudy to partly cloudy skies, wind ESE at 9 mph, temperature 34°F |
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Distance:
13.22 miles
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Time: 01:48:00
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Avg Speed:
7.34 mph
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Route:
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Altitude Gain:
1,170 ft
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Calories Burned: 297
|
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Max Speed:
29.60 mph
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Weight:
349
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Category: general: leisure -
solo
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Terrain: Road: Steep
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Bike: Specialized Crosstrail (Retired) 700c Hybrid
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Club: Blackhawk Bicycle and Ski Club |
| Weather Conditions: Overcast, wind SE at 6 mph, temperature 46°F (Around freezing at higher altitudes, especially in the shaded valleys.) |
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(See first row of pictures) I did my first and last off-road ride of the year this morning. I rode the logging trails on the Phoebe Hollow property near Rector, PA. There had been quite a bit of rain recently. That, and the melting snow, caused a lot of run-off on the trails. My 700-35C tires just sank in until they hit rock. This trip would have been much easier with a true mountain bike and wider tires.
The grand-kids rode up in an ATV to meet me near the top of the ride. That was fun. Most of the tire tracks were filled with water---standing water in the flat areas, and running water in the sloped areas. Very challenging riding conditions for a novice like me.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
(See second and third rows of pictures.) Later in the day I took a road ride up into Linn Run State Park. I gained about 1200 feet over 6.5 miles. The sheltered valleys get very little sun, so some of the roads were ice covered. I fell while trying to cross the lane to get to ice-free pavement. If you look at the pictures closely you can see the horizontal gouge marks that my studded tires made while trying in vain to dig in. At any rate, I ended up laying on the pavement checking myself for injuries. There were none, except for my pride.
I learned a good lesson on the limits of what studded tires can (and can't) do. Fortunately for me, I learned this lesson while going uphill at 4 mph. Learning the same lesson while going downhill at 25 mph would have been much more problematic. First, I don't bounce well at my age. And second, I was riding on a closed road, so no one was going to be driving by to help me.
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