Wind Chill Riding

With the fall season getting ready to become winter, my rides are getting colder and also tougher to figure out what to wear on my early morning rides. The summer was easy. Just put something on that was light and breaths well and store up on water bottles. It's a lot harder now during these colder temperatures trying to wear something that both keeps you warm in the beginning of the ride but not over cook you as you get well into your course. Another factor that you have to take into account is not only the outside temperature but also your riding speed which can add some serious wind chill. Here is a simple chart that one can use while doing a pace of 20 mph.

Riding Speed = 20 miles per hour

Outside Temperature Wind Chill

40 Degrees F = 30 Degrees F

35 Degrees F = 24 Degrees F

30 Degrees F = 17 Degrees F

25 Degrees F = 11 Degrees F

Now if you're some kind of road speed demon and cruise the streets in the high 20's mph. Be prepared to turn heads and race cars and also freeze your damn toes off!

Keep riding and stay warm!

Virtual Riding Game Across the U.S.

As we come into the holiday season I can't help but reflect on this year and how many great miles I rode. I kept a daily log of all my rides showing how far I rode each day. What was the weather like? How I felt during each ride and what was my time and distance. Based on what I have already done for 2009, I should finish the year with a little over 4,100 miles logged. So as a fun little "Virtual Riding Game", I can map out a course across the U.S. to put things into perspective.

My 4,100 miles is like riding from Charleston, SC to Atlanta, Ga. From Atlanta I continue to ride northwest to Memphis, TN. After checking out Graceland I head to Little Rock, AR. Next stop, Oklahoma City, OK. Then on to Amarillo, TX where I can store up on some good solid protein (Steak!). After some good cowboy meals I ride to Albuquerque, NM for some local Margaretta's. Then I ride by the south rim of the Grand Canyon being careful not to get a flat tire. Then it's a straight shot to Los Angeles,CA where I check out the Pacific Ocean and say hello to Hollywood. Sign a few autographs and I head Northeast to Las Vegas, NV. After I lose most of my money I keep heading east to the Rocky Mountains and Grand Junction, CO. Get a small breather and then take off over the mountains to Ogallala, NE. My last leg is to Pierre, SD. This awesome trek is just about 4,100 miles.

Now I'm sure that no one on Lances' Team Radio Shack has to look over their shoulder worrying about losing their spot to me, but it sure has been a fun year. For 2010, my goal is to do 5,000 miles. With that, I will be able to hit Seattle, WA and check out the Great Lakes on my return trip home!

Lets have the Legislators Ride

What a great day to ride in the Lowcountry, just plain awesome! The temperature was in the mid 70's, low humidity, and hardly any ocean breeze to hit you in your face on your return trip back home. Today was a day that allowed you to get into some kind of serious rhythm to hold your speed. A perfect day to set best times for your marked course. Its days like today that make cycling one of the coolest activities that anyone who loves the outdoors can do. Kind of makes you wish that the state had a day set aside just for riding your bike around the countryside.

I figure we have about another month left before these kinds of days are behind us. Then we will have to wait till spring. I should feel fortunate because my fellow riders north of the Mason Dixon line are just about already done for the season. They can go ride, of course, but they have to start loading up on cold weather apparel because with the speed it makes it tough to enjoy the wind you generate, it gets a little chilly. So lets all think about asking our state legislators to set up a law to have one weekend day a month for just riding. It just might clear their heads!

Mother Nature Doesn't Forget

What a weekend for riding, the weather was picture perfect! Blue sky, middle 70's, little breeze, low humidity, even the dogs didn't bark as you rode by they just wagged their tails. The Lowcountry this time of year is the best place to be in the Nation, no question about! But come this Tuesday, we get reminded again of what can happen living here on the Carolina Coast. A little disturbance by the name of "Ida" is going to pay a little visit to our area. The good thing is that Ida won't be a Hurricane when it gets here, just a Tropical Storm. But get ready for some serious rain, and I mean rain. One of the amazing features of these systems is the amount of rain they produce. Unlike big fronts and storms that produce large amounts of rain that will eventually drain their system of water, Hurricanes and Tropical storms are like engines that keep generating and producing rain. The only way that the rain stops is when the storm moves out of the area!

So come Tuesday, better get back inside on your trainer because unless you like riding in nonstop hard rain, it's going to be a mess outside. We just about made it this year. The Hurricane season last from June to November and we had clear sailing (or ridding) this whole season. I guess this is Mother natures way of saying, "And you thought I forgot about you?"

Become a Speed Demon Next Spring

If there is a bright side of coming off of Daylight Saving time (getting dark at 6pm) it is that your training gets into another "mode of workouts". This is the time for some serious inside training on your bike trainer. Forget about jumping on your bike after work to ride a good 20 miler. That won't happen for another 5 or 6 months. You need light from the sun, not car headlights. So, as I mentioned, the bright side of this change with inside training is that you can really build up a spinning base for next season. The trick is to plan out a training schedule based on time spinning to give you long solid days of fast cardio and leg conditioning. One hour a day on your trainer for just 4 or 5 days can really prepare yourself for some serious results in the spring.

Weather permitting, you can still set aside a good ride outside for Saturday or Sunday. But on the weekdays, try to keep a log of your time (instead of miles) that you train. You can log about 120 hours for these off season months putting down some fast pedaling speed. You do this and come next spring you will be the road riding bullet of your town.

Great Weekend Riding

It's hard to beat an early Saturday morning ride. I rode into Charleston down along the Battery and it could not have been more glorious. The water was glass smooth, the water birds were flying low over the water in their V formations, and the sun was just coming up giving the surroundings a cool golden glow. Looking out at Fort Sumter made me think that I was looking at a post card. Very little traffic and the weather was perfect, the temp was in the high 60's, and very low humidity. There were a good number of people either walking, running, or riding which is always fun to see. I stayed on East Bay all the up to the Ravenel Bridge and rode it over to Mt. Pleasant. Once I got over into the village of Mt. Pleasant, I was able to look across the Cooper River at the city of Charleston. The morning sun really made the rooftops glistened. What a marvelous city and what a way to start your day.

Today after church, I rode my regular 20 mile course here in West Ashley which I never seem to get tired of. Neat neighborhoods and an awesome stretch along Wappoo Rd next to the Stono River. There was a family crabbing as I rode by and the dad had pulled up a net with a couple of blue tip crabs showing his two little boys. It brought back memories of crabbing we used to do with our three sons. I did my course in 1 hour 7 minutes and 57 which for me is pretty darn fast. All and all, this has been a great weekend for riding and taking in the awesome scenery of the Lowcountry.

A Nice 120 mph Tail Wind

Today could not have been any prettier for riding my bike. Blue sky, nice ocean breeze coming off the Stono River, big full puffy clouds out over the Atlantic, and a nice easy little tail wind. Just a bit different than the tail wind we had here 20 years ago today, like about 120 mph difference. September 21, 2009 marks the 20th anniversary of the direct hit from Hurricane Hugo. And boy did that bad boy do some kind of hammer down damage in this part of the State. Hugo actually kicked everybody's ass and I promise he didn't take any names. The eye of the storm passed right over Charleston. Not only did the wind cause awesome damage, but the worst destruction was from the storm surge that came ashore. The photo of me riding down Wappoo Rd was about six feet underwater. About 30 miles up the coast (north of the city)is where the north quadrant of the eye hit and it brought a storm surge of 18 feet. It carried shrimp boats more than a mile in from the coast.

Hurricane Hugo was bad enough, but the real pain and I mean pain, were the weeks that followed. The whole county was devastated. No cell phones, no local radio stations, no TV's, no water, no food, NO POWER! The only thing that worked were the underground land line telephones. The only way anyone could get information was from a radio station in Jacksonville, FL which was 200 miles away. Someone would call the station and tell their location and then a neighbor or someone else close by could come to their rescue. It took 2 1/2 weeks before we had electricity and we were lucky. Riding today and reflecting back on this date of 20-years ago, I couldn't help but feel pretty fortunate especially with that nice easy tail wind that helped push me down the road today.

Gotta Love These Lowcountry Mountains

Gotta love these Lowcountry Mountains. You know it's getting close to fall by the days you "climb" these big stretches. I know you are wondering: What the heck is this knucklehead talking about? Well, what we call, sorry, what visiting cyclists complain about is this steady ocean breeze that we have here, especially in the fall months. It's funny to hear them comment on how tough it is riding against a steady 15mph+ headwind. They always say, "I'd rather be riding up some long mountain road in western North Carolina than to ride in this mess".

Imagine riding along flat roads, and for good stretches you are riding out of the saddle to move forward. You better get used to it here. It's amazing how this kind of riding helps build that particular endurance one needs in order to climb. So many times when we local cyclists go to other rides in hilly areas, we do surprisingly well. It's this tough steady head wind coming off the Atlantic that gets our legs in shape for those long, killer mountain rides. And you know what's really cool? We can get off that Lowcountry Mountain just by turning left or right. So come on, Ocean Breeze, keep 'er coming.

It's Fun To See the Results

A good thing about the long Labor Day weekend, is just that, a long weekend where we can do those extra things that we wanted to do. It is the official end of summer. And what a good summer it was. I have put in some serious long rides and have really built an excellent endurance base. Now with fall knocking on the door I can change my riding workouts a bit. With less sun and cooler weather ahead, I can start to focus on some good interval training.

When one has a good base of miles under their belt (or on my rear end)they can start doing some harder speed work and have the stamina to build on that kind of workout. I can start doing more speed bursts during my workouts which in turn will allow me to get accustomed to riding at a faster pace over a longer period of time. I will also be doing some more of my personal TT's. Even though there will be less daylight, the workouts will be better quality. By the time spring and early summer comes back around, it's going to be fun to see the results of adding interval work on top of the solid endurance base that I built over the summer.

This fall is going to be fun and fast!

The Smell of the Lowcountry

Wow! What a difference a week makes. Last week riding in late August felt just like that, late summer in the Deep South. You would go through your water bottles like a plow horse in the middle of a cotton field. Today, it was overcast and in the mid 70's. What a change! Without the sun and the heat wrapping around you like a glove, my 20 mile ride today was easy, peasy.

I don't know whether or not it was the change in the weather, but on Wappoo Road (this is the part of my course that goes along the Stono River)there was this distinct smell of the Lowcountry Water thick in the air. The breeze was coming off the Stono and it brought all the wondrous fragrances from the resident marine wildlife. The oyster beds and other sea inhabitants were at full throttle. Very strong. But I do like it I must say because it's definitely something you only find when you live by the ocean. I guess someone who lives in Iowa, they can take in the smell of corn fields. Or someone in Wisconsin, they take in the smell of cheese. And then again, someone in Oklahoma can take in the smell of tornadoes. And even someone in Colorado can take in the smell of Aspens. But down here, we relish the times when we get to take in the smell of sea creatures (some dead, some alive).
And believe it or not, this is another cool feature that brings so many people to the Carolina Beaches to vacation.

AND I WENT DOWN

Peace of Mind with the ROAD ID




Gotta back up to Saturday a week ago:
So I went back to the scene of the crime. AHAAA!!! Flags are there now. What am I referring to, you ask?
Well, coming back around Patriots Point Saturday before last, I've got a picture perfect view of the Yorktown (the infamous WWII US Navy Aircraft Carrier) on my left,



and beautiful blue skies and a bright sunny morning. Then BAM and I am down. A bit stunned, I see the guard from the guard house running towards me as well as several others who were close by. I haven't crashed in a while so I was a bit shaken. Good thing I had my helmet on. I was on pavement and going at a good pace around the corner, really enjoying the day and the ride. I saw the orange traffic barrels. There must have been 4, maybe 5 across the road. My intent was to go between the middle ones and proceed on. Little did I know that there was a cable (rope, cable, whatever it was it wasn't going to let me go through) going across from barrel to barrel. With the bright sunlight I couldn't see it...well, until it was too late. Down I went. I sat up, looked around, saw I was in one piece with no bright red stuff oozing from anywhere, figured all was good...which it was. I was okay and able to get back in the saddle and finish the ride (especially good since this is only the half way point).
When I went back this past Saturday, I noticed there are now flags hanging on the cables between the barrels! That was the ahaaa moment.
All okay. The only real damage done, if you could call it that, was a really sore wrist. I guess I tried somehow to break the fall??? did I let go of the handle bars??? I'll never know. I do have a bruise and a scratch on my thigh but that will heal. Thank heavens for my helmet. And my family gave me the Road ID bracelet (http://www.roadid.com) for Fathers Day. I always wear it.

It has personal info including my blood type, emergency phone numbers, my physicians name and they had a personal message engraved....LIVESTRONG WARD! What a great gift. Thanks fam! Had things not turned out so good with this crash, it would have been a blessing to have this form of identification on.
Alls well that ends well.

End of Summer

Another great weekend here in Charleston, SC. Rode my 40 mile course (see map of my ride on Aug 23 blog) on Saturday which took me downtown Charleston...(a view of the Harbor from the James Island Connector)


(then a view looking back at the Connector from Lockwood Blvd downtown)



...over the Ravenel Bridge into Mt. Pleasant and back again. I never get tired of the view of the Harbor and the whole area from the top of the bridge. Just awesome!
Here are a few pics of where I ride:

The first two are taken from The Battery and the last two are from my ride down East Battery...the historic homes overlooking the harbor.






These are a few of the Mt Pleasant Shem Creek and Pitt Street pier area...










I like that bumper sticker.
Hey did anybody notice in the picture of the tree, the moon (barely visible on the left) by the palmetto tree? hey, that's a great idea for a flag........ :)
That guy in the pic is Sanel, my son. Dont know how he got there!!!...that's the bridge over Shem Creek, Mt. Pleasant.
The shrimp boats are on Shem Creek also.

Today after church I rode my 20 mile course here in West Ashley which gave me a total of 60 big ones for the weekend. For all you readers not too familiar with this part of South Carolina, the city of Charleston is on a peninsula with the Cooper River on the east side and the Ashley River on the west side. These two rivers form the Atlantic Ocean according to Charlestonians...(bet you didn't know that!).

View Larger Map
The Ashley River is on the left of the peninsula and the Cooper River to Mt Pleasant is on the right. The bridge going over the Cooper is the Ravenel Bridge I ride over.
I live on the west side of the city or as we Lowcountry residents say: I live in "West Ashley"....across the connector or the bridge above (the Ashley Bridge) which leaves the peninsula on the left.

One more week and we are into the Labor Day weekend and according to The Joint Chiefs, FBI, NASA, most members of 4-H, and all State Fairs, this means summer is officially over. And with summer at the back door, that means it's college football knocking at the front.


I love college football...expecially SEC football.


I just love the fall. Great weather for neat outdoor activities (like serious riding). Now my long Saturday rides can finish just in time for Game Day! Just one more week of summer riding my friends and then we can lighten up on the number of water bottles we carry, and enjoy the great season that's coming upon us!

All photos property of moi, ward irvin !

Road Racing Clowns

Wow! Great day today!

I guess you could call it a 20 mile TT, because I put the hammer down from the get go. Did my 20 mile course in 1:08.19 (17.1 average) which for this senior cyclist is darn good. I know Team Radio Shack isn't holding any special emergency meetings to put me on the team but it's a good feeling when I do turn in a good time. Besides, it's always fun to pretend when I'm by myself and I kick it up a notch. I just imagine myself flying down the road with Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen giving out my splits to the rest of the cycling world. I got it! With real pros going more than twice as fast as I go, I could be the Rodeo Clown of cycling. All I need to do is trade in my spandex for some clown shoes and pants, paint my face, heck, I just might make the team after all. I can just see it now, every team has their own rodeo clown (we'd be called Road Racing Clowns)to help work all the fans along the road. Funny what a good time can make you think about!

Glorious Weekend to Ride

A GLORIOUS DAY FOR CYCLING IN CHARLESTON


Saturday was an early morning ride of 40 miles from West Ashley over the James Island Connector to the Battery, along East Bay to Ravenel Bridge.
I almost stopped at the top of the bridge because the sky was so clear and the view of Charleston Harbor was magnificent. I did go slow however between the two Towers so I could look over towards Fort Sumter. Boy what a sight!

Then I rode over to the village in Mt. Pleasant and all the way down Pitt Street to the pier. What a great view of Charleston. It looked like a post card. With the sun low, the whole city just glowed. I then rode around Mt. Pleasant for a while before heading across the Bridge over to the Peninsula. Took East Bay back to the Battery and over to the Jame Island Connector back to West Ashley and home. Three hours of awesome Saturday morning cycling.

This film footage from the 2003 TDF kept me motivated!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzFeo2WdsQc&feature=related





Today I did my usual 20 mile course in West Ashley after I got home from church. The ride on Wappoo Rd. was especially cool because it was high tide and the water was up to the edge of the road as I approached Edge Water Park. It was like riding on a causeway. Beautiful sky with puffy white clouds. The usual gang of locals were there fishing and of course they all gave me high fives and smiles as I rode by. You bet, it was a glorious weekend in the saddle!

A CHANGE OF PACE FOR TODAY!

Not bicycle pace, mind you, but a different perspective from a guest blogger!

I hate cancer. Cancer Schmancer...isn't that the title of a book by The Nanny? I've been following Lance Armstrong for years. Check out his foundation website: http://www.LAF.org. My son, Ward ran the NYC Marathon to raise money for LAF. I also follow a blog called the fat cyclist....http://www.fatcyclist.com. Fatty's wife, Susan, just died of metastatic breast cancer. My prayers go out to the family and all they are dealing with at this time. Fatty has done a lot to bring cancer awareness to the forefront through his cycling and his blog. Another one is http://www.blamedrewscancer.com. Here are three guys who have raised a ton of money for cancer research. Log on to them, follow them, and support them. They are great people doing great things.

So, on to my point...
With all the fuss over the Obama health care reform going on, I thought I'd promote a few ideas of my own. Well, maybe not my own, but ones I agree with.

Whole Foods CEO, John Mackey, has some ideas that are being scrutinized to the point of boycotts on the store. Have any of these boycotters read his plan? http://www2.wholefoodsmarket.com/blogs/jmackey/
Am I missing something here? Whats the big deal?
I'm surprised there is so much outrage over his ideas. Is there so much venom between the right and the left that no matter what anyone on the opposite says, it's just simply wrong? even if some of it is right?
The one thing I know is that John Mackey supports good, healthful, eating habits. If this were to be implemented in all of our lives maybe health care reform would be a bit senseless. If there were less consumption of processed foods, sugar, transfats, fast foods, convenience foods, hmmm...you know what I mean......maybe, just maybe (well actually, there is no maybe here), we could eliminate a lot of the health care problems. An idea??? A novel idea. Maybe I should write a book. That's a novel idea.
Do you get the gist here? I'm not boycotting Whole Foods. NO WAY. That would be craaaazeee...tommy noble. Got a bit sidetrack ted there. HaHa Sanel...did you get that?

So, here I am, promoting good eating habits instead of the proposed government health care reform. That's not to say I dont think we need health care reform. (oh my goodness, I'll have protesters out front in no time). NO, but we need HEALTH CARE REFORM! Does anyone get what I'm saying? I've had cancer twice so this hits me hard. I needed health care reform........not from the insurance company, not from the doctors, and definitely NOT from the government. I needed my own health care reform. Now do you understand?

What do I wish for with health care reform? For all of us to take charge of our own lives. It's the only one we get. Dont waste a minute. Stop eating JUNK. Okay okay I'm getting on my soapbox big time.

An interesting website is http://www.naturalnews.com. Mike Adams, the health ranger, has information "all things healthy" geared to help ease the world of "dis" ease. I encourage all who are interested in improving their own health to get on his site and check out his articles. He's got great free e-books. He believes you are what you eat.
So, read his take on reform.........let us know what you think below in the comments.
http://www.naturalnews.com/026887_health_food_health_care.html
Mike even has his own Health Care Petition going. Here's a link: http://www.healthrevolutionpetition.org

And here's another great website for health related info:
http://www.blaylockreport.com ........this one will cost ya but it's worth it.

Another great website for super duper eco friendly cleaning products is http://www.melaleuca.com. Contact Ward for info on that if you're interested. Great home based business. Nothing to lose there.
Check out this YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmfLU5QVa8Y

So, this is my story and I'm stickin to it..........like glue. I'm for healthy eating, healthy living, and all things green...veggies, that is!
And as my son says..........."TV? Turn that thing off and go outside." (of course, he lives and works around Yosemite National Park...how hard is that to get outside, huh?)
So come on.....get movin......whip up a green smoothie.....lace up your shoes.......get on your bike.......go outside.
AND dont forget to LIVESTRONG.
Back to you Ward. Oh, and what do you want for dinner? Shall I go to WholeFoods?

Dog Days of August

Yes, the Dog Days of August are amongst us for the Senior Cyclist, I'm ready for some cooler weather. Being stuck in the Dog Days here along the coast of SC, I wonder if Cesar Millan (The Dog Whisperer) would enjoy riding here in the Lowcountry this time of year.

I shouldn't complain too much I guess because there are trade offs no matter where you live, but man, sometimes it's just hotter than a cow's butt at fly time around here in August. I just keep telling myself just get through these hot days and the rest is easy peddling. Super fall and spring days, and even the winter, now that's good riding weather. One good thing about riding in the months of summer, is that it gives riders here in Charleston a good base for steady riding in the heat and humidity. And when the Northern tourists come to the Beaches of South Carolina for vacations, we look like heroes to them. And that's pretty cool, because when they see us go by we can bark like the big dogs on the road!

Roll With the Punches

Monday, well here we go, another week with lots of appointments, driving, phone calls, and setting up the rest of the week. Trying to line up everything so it's a productive week. The key though, is to be flexible and able to roll with the punches because 80% of what is planned will end up being tweaked, changed, and pushed way back down the calendar. I guess that's why they call it the rat race. But all that aggravation flies down the road at the end of the day as I get on my bike and ride. Depending on the day, frustration a lot of times determines the speed. Funny how it works that way!

One of the cool sections on my 20 mile course is on a road that runs along the Stono River. This is just one of the rivers here in the Charleston area that flows to the Atlantic. There are always a couple of cars parked on the side of the road where some of the locals do a little fishing and crabbing. I really enjoy this area because they recognize me and cheer as I ride past. It's like I'm riding in the Tour de Wappoo Rd. Kind of fun! Probably won't be able to ride tomorrow because I'm heading out of town to Florence, SC for the day. But we'll see, just have to roll with the punches and see what happens!


photo complements of my son reeve h irvin

"Knock on Wood"

Now just wait a minute. You mean to tell me that just two days ago I mentioned in my Friday Blog that "here we are in the middle of August and there are no storms yet this season." And here it is Sunday two days later, and guess what? Three named storms; Tropical Storm Claudette about to say hello to the Panhandle of Florida, Tropical Storm Ana just off the Leeward Islands, and Tropical Storm Bill out in the Atlantic soon to be Big Bad Bill. http://www.goes.noaa.gov/HURRLOOPS/huvsloop.htmlI guess the magic words I used were "Knock on Wood". Bamm! Three of those rain churning, wind blowing , mess everything up storms. Maybe I'm on to something here! OK, "Knock on Wood", that the Clemson Tigers and the South Carolina Gamecocks don't play each other next January in the BCS Championship Game in Pasadena, CA. How about this, "Knock on Wood", that Trek decides not to let me test ride a new 2010 Madone 6.9 bike for a year. Hell, while I'm at it, "Knock on Wood", that I don't win the Power Ball this week (that might take care of the Madone).

Oh well, got that "Knock on Wood" out of my system, but it sure makes me think! Had a good easy ride today. Call it a great training ride, two times on my 10 mile loop course. It was a nice 20 miles but more importantly, it was an hour + in the saddle. The temp was good, in the low 80's and the humidity was no big deal. It gave me a weekly total of 111 miles. Not bad for this Senior Rider!

Ready to start another week, do my thing, give people the protection they need and want. I just have to remember to, "Knock on Wood".

I Like Fridays

I like Fridays, they are the front door to the weekend. And of course the weekends are the R&R's for the month. No work worries, no quotas to make, no song and dance, just chill for two days. So I ride, Ride Free!

Nice day today. Did another 20 miles at a nice easy pace. Did not worry about time, just enjoyed the scenery here in Charleston and there's bunches of that. I did notice some pretty big cloud formations out over the ocean and the wind coming in South by Southeast, which means, they were coming my way. Watching the whole dark blue eastern sky did make me think about how quiet the Atlantic has been this year. Here it is the middle of August and so far, no Tropical Depressions, no Tropical Storms, and of course the big mama of all, no Hurricanes. Not one storm, nada, nothing! Believe me for us citizens of the South Carolina Coast, that' s important because nothing tends to dampen (and I mean dampen) your day like a Hurricane (Hugo '89)...coming up on the 20 year anniversary...is this something we celebrate??? hmmm. It does have a tendency to mess things up for a long time! So knock on wood all the way to the African Coast, stay the hell away from here!

Off to see the 33s (http://www.myspace.com/the33snsd) tonight, should be a great show. Has to be,
it's Friday! photo of my son Nathaniel, lead singer of The 33's

A Break In The Heat

What a difference a day makes. The temperature was down in the low 80's, the sky was overcast, and it felt like a fall day. Imagine that! It's amazing what 15 degrees cooler feels like when you're riding your bike along a Lowcountry road. I was really cruising well at a great pace. I did 20 miles in one hour and ten minutes flat. Good time for this guy!

I know, I know, living here in Charleston, this break in the weather is only a fire drill. We have till mid September before these hot afternoons give way to some good "write home about days". But that's OK; I'll take these hot summer days of Coastal South Carolina knowing that we can still ride all winter long.

Riding Against the Wind

Another hot day here in Charleston, SC. Mid 90's with high humidity. But that's OK 'cause I had plenty of water with me on my ride of 16 miles. I could see big thunderheads moving in and I tried to get home before they hit. Strong head wind which is what we call "The Lowcountry Mountains".
Plenty of time out of the saddle going against this wind. But any day is a good day if you get to ride on the pavement.

Today was hot, hot, hot!

Did 15 miles before a big Thunderstorm blew in. Thank goodness it did because the temp was in the high 90's with high humidity. I was using up my water bottles like crazy.