Christmas Day Ride

Cool, gusty and sunny...a So Cal Christmas. The best time to ride, streets are empty as the sun rises into the sky.

Today also marks the 3rd anniversary of my Christmas Day heart attack. Happy anniversary to me...ride on!!!

Perfect Autumn Day on the 700

Today was one of those perfect So Cal Autumn days when you don't want the ride to end. So I took two breaks at the local parks. Below are some pics of my "Black" Catrike 700 taken at Oak Canyon Community Park in Oak Park.

It was back in February of 2013 that I sold my old 700 with the 16" front wheels and bought the new version with 20" front wheels. To date I've put 2,352 miles on my "Black" 700 while at the same time taking a break to have two hip replacements.

First Ride Catrike 700 "Red"

I cut short my planned 20 mile first ride on my Catrike 700 "Red". The right brake caliper was poorly aligned my yours truly and I didn't want to stop on the road to re-align it. I tolerated the annoying noise emitting from the right brake all the way to JRA's Bike and Brew and met Carrie for a coffee and tea and then a lift home. The caliper is now aligned for the next ride.

Everything else checked out perfect except for my helmet. My road helmet with the exaggerated point in the back kept hitting the front of the pannier rack. I kinda expected it but I wanted to test it out before I popped on a new recumbent friendly helmet.
After a couple more rides I'll compare the "Red" with my Catrike 700 "Black". For now I will say it was a short but sweet ride. I look forward to many more rides on this awesome machine.

20 Miles

Doesn't sound like much...20 miles but it was my first ride over 15 miles for some time now. The last 20 mile I pedaled was a few months ago while I was still on pain killers for my hip replacements. That ride was easy enough thanks to my little friend hydrocodone. But I paid for it later in the day with considerable soreness and a reprimand from my doctor.

Today's ride was exactly 20 miles with 903 feet of gain (no steep climbs). I rode at a relaxed pace and averaged 14.0 mph. At the end of the ride I felt good and feel like I can do more as long as I don't push the pace.

Beautiful day to start pushing the miles.

Progress?

The short section of quiet rode I often take to get a break from traffic will soon no longer be quiet. In the name of "progress" and tax revenue for the City of Westlake a big box is born and a small business dies leaving space for another Sushi Restaurant.

As is customary there is no accommodation for bicycle traffic within this monster of a parking lot.

After

Before

Riding the 700

It's hard not to want to go fast and push myself when riding the 700. I enjoy keeping up or passing other cyclists while on my rides. I know that some of them take a strike to their ego when an old guy on a tricycle passes them. It shows in their body language as they lean forward a little more and start to rise off their seat to get a bit more power. What can I say old guys need to get their kicks and I do it while riding my 700. But I need to slow down...just a little.

My legs are getting stronger as I slowly break in my new hips. However I do pay a price for pushing a little too hard on my rides. The hips get sore and I have to take it easy for a day or two. On the last couple of rides I made up my mind not push hard and I put my head and body into cruise control. The rides turned out to be the most enjoyable rides I've had since my hips went titanium. As it turned out my average miles per hour suffered by less then 10% and the hip  soreness was minimal. The only real difference in my riding style was taking the hills a little easier by gearing down more then usual and I avoided pushing hard to make a signal or to pass another cyclist. Just keep a nice steady rhythm. Also when stopped by a signal I'm now in the habit of gearing really low so my take off is easy with minimal pressure on my hips. From the time the signal turns green and I'm through the intersection I'll have geared up through 4 to 5 gears. The SRAM 500 bar end shift levers make shifting easy and fast.

The facts (nothing special but for me it's pretty good): Since my hip replacements my rides are generally short, less then 15 miles. The average gain is 500 feet. That hasn't changed. The change is in my average miles per hour along the same route (more or less). It went form 15.5mph to an average of 14.5mph.

I ride 3 to 4 times a week.  I'll continue to keep the pace steady when riding the 700 and focus on adding more miles.

Climbing with the Expedition

I took the Expedition out today without Betzi to get some climbing in. The low gears on the Expedition are better for climbing hills while still breaking in the new hips. Slow and steady was the plan for the day. I'm good with  moderate hills but I found out that the steep grades, no matter how short, are still not a good idea for right now.

I forgot how much fun it is to ride the he Expedition without the added weight of a trailer and a dog. In the past almost every one of my rides on the Expedition has been with Betzi in tow. Without her extra weight the Expedition can really move.

A stop at the park for a lunch break.

Finally...A Ride With Betzi

Other then a few laps around a school parking lot back in February the last time I took ma doggie Betzi on a ride was September 19th of 2013. I had my first hip replaced September 31, 2013 and the second hip replaced December 23, 2013. Finally it was time to test the new hips with Betzi in tow. I hooked up the Doggyride trailer to my Catrike Expedition and hit the road with a slow 8 mile (503 feet of gain) ride. I was not anxious to tow 100 plus pounds of dog and trailer with my new hips but all went well. I'll be doing more rides with the ole girl.

Ready to go!!

Woof

Watch out folks the circus is back in town

Just like the "old days" taking a break at Oak Canyon Community Park

Ready to head home

The Miles Are Coming Back...Slowly

A lot of short but sweet rides so far this year. The new hips feel good with short minimal elevation gain rides. All but one of the rides this year are on the 700. The short ride I took with Betzi convinced me that I shouldn't push to hard. I'm going to keep riding the 700 another month or two before hooking Betzi's trailer up to the Expedition. The short rides (one in particular, a 12.2 mile with a 577 feet of gain) allow me to ride a little faster, a little harder and with a respectable  miles per hour average with minimum stress on the hips. 

The Catrike 700 is a pure joy to ride. It's fast and light (for a trike) and still brings on the endorphin rush even though I've had to back off during hip recovery. I take the steeper hill climbs slow and easy and say a friendly "how do you do" as riders pass me only to give a wave as I pass some of them on the flats or scream past them on a nice downhill. It's all in good fun and with many of the riders I come in contact with I have chance to have a fun but short conversation. 

Strength is Coming Back

My ride today was 20.1 miles, 1,230 foot gain, top speed 45.8 mph and an average speed of 14.4 mph. It's not much but for me it's my longest ride since I started the double hip replacement process back in late September 2013. It's been eleven weeks since the replacement of my last hip and my strength is coming back faster then expected. I still take it easy on the climbs, grinding up hills puts the most stress on my new titanium hips. I'm back to getting cheap thrills passing DF's on the flats and flying past them on the downhill runs. At 60 years old I'll get my thrills anyway I can.

Ibuprofen time!!

My Catrike 700 has made my hip recovery process easy.
I love this thing.

By the end of this month I'll be comfortable putting an extra load
on my hips and I'll start taking Betzi on rides with my Expedition.

Pic Of The Day

A cool picture from my ride today on the 700. 

The all mighty California lawn...what drought?

10 Weeks

It's been 10 weeks from today (12 weeks being the magic number when I can start riding stupid) since my final hip replacement. To celebrate I upped the mileage a bit and added a few extra hills. I did 16 miles and 1,004 feet of gain. Average speed was 13.2mph. 

During the first 10 months of last year my average gain per mile was 87 feet. Today's ride was 62 feet of gain per mile. I'm getting there.

I still get stiff and a bit sore but no real pain like I would get before my hips went titanium. Back in the day I would not be able to ride two days in row. My hips would hurt to much. That's not a problem anymore as long as I keep within my limits.

I'm working my way back with at least three rides a week. Ride on!!

Crossing over Hwy 101 in Thousand Oaks

Trike, Bike and Walk

Taken it easy. We loaded up and went to Westlake Village for a little  family time cruising and walking. Carrie took a walk while I rode my trike and Byron his bike. We ended our day with smoothies at JRA's.

Me and my boy Byron.

Carrie with Byron.

Riding Again With My Trik'n Buddy

First ride with Betzi since I had my hips replaced. During hip recovery I've been riding the 700, it's light and oh so fun. Towing Betzi is a big step up in weight. It's been exactly 8 weeks since getting my new left hip and 4 and 1/2 months for the right. It's time to get my triking buddy back on the road so I took her out for a short ride today. So good to have the ole girl join me on a ride!!

Ma Doggie

My rig...Catrike Expedition and Doggyride trailer.

Happy dog working off a few lbs she gained over the last few months.

Happy dog...happy triker...that's all folks.

Have Trike Will Travel

Climbing is not yet an option. From my home there is nothing but hill so I load up my ride and travel down to the flats. No pucker up downhills but it's still nice to be riding.

Getting ready to ride around the lake at Westlake Village. The roads are wide and make for a nice flat ride. On any given weekend you'll find plenty of cyclists riding the roads around the lake.