Last Weekend of Riding in Dallas

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With this past weekend being my last weekend in Dallas I wanted to get a good ride in on Saturday. One of the first rides I did here was a complete loop of White Rock Lake, plus the trail north, with one of my readers Cliff. I wanted to do the same ride again to basically close out my riding time here in Dallas.

Saturday morning broke very nice with sun and no clouds. I took off from the house at about 9:00 AM and made my way down to where I access the lake or trail. Instead of heading straight to the lake I hit the northbound trail first to really mix things up. It was awesome! I hadn’t ridden this section of the trail (past the tennis courts) in a long time and on an early Saturday morning it was great. There was some water puddles and mud due to train the previous night that got both me and the bike pretty grimy but it was still good. I made it up to the turn-around point, took a short water break and watched some kids play soccer, then took off again.

[pullquote]By the time I hit the lake the wind was gusting to 30 mph.[/pullquote]

As I headed back towards the lake I could feel the wind starting to build. And build it did. There was a reason the lake was covered with sail boats. I just dealt with it and kept on turning the pedals and enjoying the ride.

All said and done I rode 30.28 miles on Saturday morning in 2 hours and 19 minutes.

Sunday morning I only rode the lake portion which was 16.44 miles in 1 hour and 20 minutes. The wind was even worse on Sunday (really) and my legs really started to give me some trouble from the previous days ride. Still, it was great to be out there. For the week I rode right at 100 miles.

Bottom Bracket/Crank Arm Problem

As with anything we buy used there’s usually a problem that pops up after we’ve had it a while. My bike is no exception. I’ve noticed on my last few rides that my bolt-on (left-side) crank arm keeps coming loose. I’ve put it back into position and tightened it but after a few rides it would come loose again. On Sunday’s ride it really started to give me problems and I had to stop twice to re-tighten it. The crank is made by Sugino so there could be some issues with the brand, age, or an indication of poor maintenance by the previous owner. Whatever the reason, it’s going to require a trip to the bike shop to get corrected. I’m going to wait until I return to Florida to take it in and probably look at a better crankset too.

The Future

I had hoped to be able to get a couple more rides in this week (today is my normal rest day) but it looks like I won’t . I’ve just too many things going on (plus the crank problem) as I close out this chapter of my life. I’ve got to get my car to the shop for some work before I leave, finish packing, I’ve got a guy buying my furniture who will come pick it up, and I’ve got to get Cliffs trainer back to him. Not to mention several other small errands that need to be done. It’ll be a busy week.

When I return to Florida my plan is to return to cycling as quick as possible. I don’t want the base I”ve built up to go to waste and I want to get right into training for a century again. Don’t be surprised if I’m absent for a couple weeks as I get myself moved, start my new job, get settled in, and spend some time with the family. My wife will say it isn’t necessarily spending time with the family but getting me re-trained to being at home. I could agree with that!

Image courtesy of rutlo.