Trials and TOSRV-ations

This year’s TOSRV was truly one of those times where I marvel at how I managed to push myself through to the end of the ride. First, this spring left very few good days for training. I was less prepared for the ride than I’d ever been since I started doing TOSRV every year since [...]

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Once more into the breach: TOSRV 2010

I was a bit apprehensive about TOSRV this year. All week, the weather forecast for Saturday was not looking very good: temperatures in the mid to upper 50s with a huge “Windy” label as a description of the conditions for the day. For most of the week, the wind forecast was W-NW at 20-25mph with [...]

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Bring it on: Signed up for TOSRV again

If you aren’t one of my Facebook friends or you weren’t with me all weekend as I obsessively checked the TOSRV website for online registration to open, I am writing to announce that I once again signed up for my annual lesson in suffering and torture. I’m rider #104, meaning that I was the fourth [...]

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The wind is not my friend: TOSRV 2009

I know it’s a great source of natural energy and, as a liberal, it is my duty to praise it for its promise of green energy. I’ve even contemplated buying wind energy as part of my electric mix. However, I wish the wind would blow in lands I’m not destined to pedal amongst. Like Siberia. [...]

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TOSRV Training: Pre-Easter Ride to Hiram

The route (roughly): &<span class=”blsp-spelling-error” id=”SPELLING_ERROR_0″>lt</span>;a <span class=”blsp-spelling-error” id=”SPELLING_ERROR_1″>href</span>=”http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/oh/stow/894123957624950976″>04/12/2009 Route&<span class=”blsp-spelling-error” id=”SPELLING_ERROR_2″>lt</span>;/a>&<span class=”blsp-spelling-error” id=”SPELLING_ERROR_3″>lt</span>;<span class=”blsp-spelling-error” id=”SPELLING_ERROR_4″>br</span>/>&<span class=”blsp-spelling-error” id=”SPELLING_ERROR_5″>lt</span>;a <span class=”blsp-spelling-error” id=”SPELLING_ERROR_6″>href</span>=”http://www.mapmyride.com/find-ride/united-states/oh/stow”>Find more Bike Rides in Stow, Ohio&<span class=”blsp-spelling-error” id=”SPELLING_ERROR_7″>lt</span>;/a>NOTE: We took the Portage Country trail from Judson to the Franklin Connector, and then the Stow Bikeway to get back to my house at the end, [...]

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TOSRV Terrors

What a cyclist dreams (has nightmares about): getting up too late and being one of the last riders to leave the starting point, forgetting to pack proper cycling clothes, bike mechanics laughing at her. Oh, yeah, and the good part of the dream: I bought a chain tool for measuring chain wear from a Century [...]

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Glimpses of TOSRV

Last night, Michael and I looked at the still pictures he took at TOSRV as well as viewed–for the first time!–our video footage of the tour, which mostly consisted of us reporting our status at each rest stop and reading our stats. It’s kind of funny to watch because you can see how unhappy I [...]

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My first TOSRV: 210 miles and the chafing to prove it!

NOTE: I apologize profusely for the rambling length of this entry… I just got carried away with describing my experience! I think I got to experience the best and worst of TOSRV weather this past weekend, though I’m sure there’s been worse weather than Sunday’s on/off rain showers. Saturday was absolutely the best biking weather [...]

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Tragedy for a cyclist on TOSRV

I’m going to write an entry about my experience on TOSRV, but first I wanted to relate this bit of tragic news I learned mid-ride while leaving Waverly (the first stop) on Sunday morning in the rain. A car driven by what I assumed to be people from the town slowed as I was pedaling [...]

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400+ miles and feeling good!

Yesterday, as a final act of training for TOSRV, Michael and I joined Medina County Bicycle Club’s annual freebie ride called KLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ! (this name is supposed to correspond with their New Year’s Day Ride, which they have called ABCDEFGHIJ!). Unofficially coined as a TOSRV training ride, which the ride’s leader and inventor told us started [...]

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