# Saturday, July 25, 2009
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Saturday 25 July 2009 - Seattle Century
posted by: Martin Criminale
Hours Sleeping: 6
Pulse (waking):  
Pulse (rising):  
Difference:  
Weight:  
Body Fat:  
Time of Day: 7:00 AM
Distance: 92 miles
Time (total):  
Time (moving): 5:12
Time (stopped): 1:15
Speed (moving): 17.7 mph
Speed (overall): 14.2 mph
Total Ascent: 3474 feet
Weather: 80, mostly sunny, dry, not much wind
Workout Type: tandem ride

Breakfast: 6:30 AM - yogurt, banana
Lunch: 1:30 PM - green salad, bread, butter, salmon, asparagus, 3 beers
Dinner: 8:30 PM - pasta salad, Cheese It crackers, water
Workout Food: water, nuun, banana, cheese sandwich, Marion berry pie, Talking Rain Power

Course: official route
Results: We finished and had a great time, yeah!
Comments: A great day, great company and pretty good legs made for a fantastic ride.

Shelley and I hooked up with Andy G again and contrary to the forecast from a couple of days ago, it did not turn into a cooker and instead was rather pleasant.

The last two tandem rides have not feel super for me but today was much different. It was cooler than expected (read: not scorching) and the cloud cover kept us very comfortable even though I was fine in a sleeveless jersey.

The organizers support this ride really well. There is a food stop about every 15 miles and we hit them all except for the last one. We did not always eat but it was nice to just hop off the bike for a couple of minutes and stretch, I think it made a big difference.

We did eat in Duval - they had real sandwiches there. Yum! And in Carnation, that was where they had pie. :)

The only mishap was one flat that Andy got riding through Cherry Valley but we got it fixed in short order and were on our way in no time. It was a nail! I am still blown away by the fact that a nail can somehow get lodged in a bicycle tire. And it's always completely perpendicular to the ground, like someone was holding up up waiting for you to ride over it…

At the finish of this ride they have a fantastic meal which is included in the ride registration fee. Nice. Just like last year it was a delicious mixed green salad, grilled asparagus, chicken, salmon, super bread, pasta salad and brownies for dessert. Did I mention that there was a beer garden and that your ride number was worth two drink tickets? Yes! And people were giving me tickets left and right…! I could not drink that much beer and in turn had to give some away myself. :(
Equipment: Co-Motion tandem, 30/42/53, 12-27

Yesterday I upgraded the bike from 9-speed to 10-speed, swapped the 12-25 for a 12-27, put on a new chain and replaced the 55-tooth chainring with a 53.

I had recently upgraded my race bike from the older 10-speed STI shifters to the new ones (all cables under the bar tape) and so once I got a new cassette and chain for this bike it was time to wrench.

We had been having some major shifting problems on the tandem… it was really hard to get the chain to climb up into the big ring. It looked like the limit screws and cable tension were fine so on a whim I put on this new 53. Bingo! Shifting was a dream. I checked out the 55 and all the pins that help pull the chain up were worn totally smooth and all rounded off. Duh… And after riding the 53 I think it is fine. Sure, there are times when the 55 is nice but we are not racing and I am not missing those two teeth in front.
Clothing: shorts, sleeveless jersey, cap

Here are some pictures.

Technorati Tags:
tandem ride
Saturday, July 25, 2009 2:31:00 PM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [0]  |  Related posts:
Sunday 18 July 2010 – Seattle to Portland
Saturday 17 July 2010 – Seattle to Portland
Sunday 4 July 2010 – ride
Sunday 30 May 2010 – Mt St Helens ride
Sunday 23 May 2010 – St Helens ride
Sunday 16 May 2010 – Urban Assault Ride

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