Showing posts with label omv. Show all posts
Showing posts with label omv. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Thursday, July 10, 2008
The OMV thunder ride
Every Wednesday, a group meets up for a bicycle ride called Oh Melo Velo. I've mentioned this ride before. It's a neat concept -- leave at 6 pm, ride until halfway between 6 o'clock and sunset, turn around and ride back the same way. Last night's turnaround time was scheduled for 7:14.
Before heading to the ride last night, I checked the local weather radar. I could not really tell if storms west of here were going to go north of us or not and I decided to go anyway. I checked my e-mail and I got a note from a friend who often does this ride.
Six o'clock came and we all left. We rode west for maybe 30 minutes and it got darker and darker as we proceeded. When to a turn, one of the riders pulled up and said, "I heard thunder." A small group of us -- I think there were seven of us -- turned and headed back on Olive Chapel Road.
Going east, the sky was much brighter and I started to doubt our decision. Then we approached downtown Apex and as we crossed NC 55, there was a huge lightning bolt to our left. We continued through a residential section and made it to the train tracks before the first drop fell. A train was crossing there; pulling into the CSX train maintenance facility. I could tell that it might take a few minutes and told the other riders that I was heading home and was going around a different way. I went down 1010 Road. It was more than an hour before sunset yet pitch dark. I was nervous on my bike. I had no lights. When I got to my neighborhood, the sky opened up with icy cold buckets of rain and massive lightning bolts. The reverberations of thunder could be felt as I opened the garage door.
That was almost really good timing but in the end, I was soaked.
Before heading to the ride last night, I checked the local weather radar. I could not really tell if storms west of here were going to go north of us or not and I decided to go anyway. I checked my e-mail and I got a note from a friend who often does this ride.
You OMVing tonight? I am worried about the weather ....I said that I was getting ready to leave and off I went. I've been riding my bike to the group's meeting place. It's less than 10 minutes away by bike. I got there and the turnout was pretty good. Six o'clock came and we all left. We rode west for maybe 30 minutes and it got darker and darker as we proceeded. When to a turn, one of the riders pulled up and said, "I heard thunder." A small group of us -- I think there were seven of us -- turned and headed back on Olive Chapel Road.
Going east, the sky was much brighter and I started to doubt our decision. Then we approached downtown Apex and as we crossed NC 55, there was a huge lightning bolt to our left. We continued through a residential section and made it to the train tracks before the first drop fell. A train was crossing there; pulling into the CSX train maintenance facility. I could tell that it might take a few minutes and told the other riders that I was heading home and was going around a different way. I went down 1010 Road. It was more than an hour before sunset yet pitch dark. I was nervous on my bike. I had no lights. When I got to my neighborhood, the sky opened up with icy cold buckets of rain and massive lightning bolts. The reverberations of thunder could be felt as I opened the garage door.
That was almost really good timing but in the end, I was soaked.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Wednesday night OMV ride
Last night Oh Melo Velo (OMV) was great as usual. I saw k1v1n there as well as several of the people that I ride with most weekends -- Jim, Sandra, Mark, John-on-the-single-speed -- and several OMV friends -- Eugene, Lisa, John, Sandra H.
The route for OMV is always an out and back. The turnaround time was 6:48 last night. The route last night went in a different direction than it has for the first few weeks and I really enjoyed it once we got across the railroad tracks. A train must of come just before we arrived because traffic was all jammed up and we were there for two light cycles. Even so, my average heart rate for the ride was quite hight.
I hung with the fastest group for the first 10 miles and then was in contact with them for the next three or so and completely lost contact just before the turnaround. I saw them coming back as I approached the turnaround and almost got back on but there was traffic where I needed to turn left so the last half of the ride was solo. I was pretty happy with how I rode and I didn't mind riding along but was a little embarrassed to come into the parking when I did. I just said that I was playing at being sweeper.
All in all, I had a nice time again this week.
The route for OMV is always an out and back. The turnaround time was 6:48 last night. The route last night went in a different direction than it has for the first few weeks and I really enjoyed it once we got across the railroad tracks. A train must of come just before we arrived because traffic was all jammed up and we were there for two light cycles. Even so, my average heart rate for the ride was quite hight.
I hung with the fastest group for the first 10 miles and then was in contact with them for the next three or so and completely lost contact just before the turnaround. I saw them coming back as I approached the turnaround and almost got back on but there was traffic where I needed to turn left so the last half of the ride was solo. I was pretty happy with how I rode and I didn't mind riding along but was a little embarrassed to come into the parking when I did. I just said that I was playing at being sweeper.
All in all, I had a nice time again this week.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Oh Melo Velo
Last night I participated in my first Oh Melo Velo ride -- and the first OMV ride of 2008. The way that it is organized is really cool. At the beginning of each ride they provide a cue sheet listing an out and back route and a Magic Time. Last night the time was 6:40 because the ride always leaves at 6:00 and sunset was 7:20.
The ride is sort of two rides in one. The OMV "fast group" and the Slow Spokes group which is 12-18 mph.
The ride was really fun and it seems like a good group of people. I saw Jim, K1v1n, Lisa, John, Ralph, Zonda and met Frank and Fred and Eugene. The only bad thing is that I lost my bike computer somewhere in the last mile or so. It must have popped off when I was going over a bump on Old Raleigh Road because I was averaging 18.6 and then I looked down a few minutes later and it was gone!
Jim went out somewhat further than I did and he said that he did 24 miles. K1v1n didn't go quite as far as me and he said 24 miles as well. I'm writing 24 miles down in my training log. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
After work today, I retraced the route from James Street to the BP on Old Raleigh Road. Nothing. I turned around at the BP and came back and what was in the middle of the street but -- my bike computer! Woo hoo!
I don't think that it will work though. Time to head to the local bike shop for a replacment...
The ride is sort of two rides in one. The OMV "fast group" and the Slow Spokes group which is 12-18 mph.
The ride was really fun and it seems like a good group of people. I saw Jim, K1v1n, Lisa, John, Ralph, Zonda and met Frank and Fred and Eugene. The only bad thing is that I lost my bike computer somewhere in the last mile or so. It must have popped off when I was going over a bump on Old Raleigh Road because I was averaging 18.6 and then I looked down a few minutes later and it was gone!
Jim went out somewhat further than I did and he said that he did 24 miles. K1v1n didn't go quite as far as me and he said 24 miles as well. I'm writing 24 miles down in my training log. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
After work today, I retraced the route from James Street to the BP on Old Raleigh Road. Nothing. I turned around at the BP and came back and what was in the middle of the street but -- my bike computer! Woo hoo!
I don't think that it will work though. Time to head to the local bike shop for a replacment...
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