Riding Bikes

That looks like an amazing trail to ride.

 

How soft is the Cowboy Trail ? I hope to ride it next year.... for that matter how busy is hwy 20 in case rain changes my plans ?

 

Went for a run on the Cowboy trail a few weeks ago. Not too far from the truckstop behind the saloon, and I noticed they have bikes for rent where the trail crosses downtown.

I usually park up the highway, but that truckstop has a bunch of parking.

 

I will be on trike, so width is sometimes issue on soft surface. Thats why i was asking about 20. Some stuff i had read mentioned softness of trail and using 20 when that happens. They had bridge washout few years ago

 

Sunday was a really tough day on the bike, at 90°F and full-sun. My buddy had to bail out at ~65mi, because he underestimated the heat and the effects it would have on him. He was really struggling and I was worried about him suffering a heat injury(*). I ended up leaving him at a house with shade trees and he phoned support to pick him up. This is exactly why I routed us in a loop.

I’ve been on a road bike ~17yrs, so I have a lot of miles on my body versus him only being on a bicycle a couple months. Plus, he has a lot of disadvantages, compared to me, with his weight and style of bike. Those disadvantages really come to the surface, as miles pile up or conditions aren’t ideal. It definitely wasn’t easy for me, either. And, I didn’t even want to ride, because I knew how tough it’d be. But, I vowed to support him and he has to learn so he’ll know what he can and can’t do, in the future. People grossly underestimate the effects of the sun, wide-open spaces, and reflective heat off the roadway, with cycling. That’s what Sunday was for him.

*He later admitted his HRM showed 190’s for his final ~8mi. Today, we had a conversation about dangers of riding in rural/remote areas, heat injuries, death, and communicating with me everything going on, since I’m responsible for him. I’m unwilling to be put in a compromised situation of him dying on a remote roadway, while having a wife and three kids. This bicycle crap isn’t that important, but life is.

 

Dang! Sounds like your buddy was close to having trouble. That's a serious heart rate to maintain very long, especially for those less fit.

You might suggest he look into zone 2 training. It would be much safer for him, while building endurance.

The doctors say it best. Aerobic function is not like building muscle. You have to bump it up from the bottom, not pull it up from the top.

 

He’s normally in the 130-140 HR range. That’s why after his text last night, I decided to have a conversation with him today. He didn’t understand how quickly that heart rate, combined with those conditions, can result in death.

 

Yeah. I never realized how dangerous it was till I started wearing a Garmin watch and seeing it every once in a while.

I was decently fit then, and on a long climb I just happened to look at my watch. I was 195, and that was on a day I had a slower than normal pace on that climb.

No telling what it was before. I try to keep it in roughly the same range as you mentioned now, 125-145 for me is coversational.

My endurance has definitely gone up.