Bicycling in Bloomington

I registered for the Coach Hep Cancer Challenge for next Saturday. I plan to do the 40K ride and 5K run. So, it was time to get on my road bike. The last time I rode the road bike was in the Hilly Hundred, 6 months ago. I got the bike off the trainer and did some minimum maintenance last Saturday evening.

Sunday, I rode the “airport” ride. It’s a dependable 2 hour ride. I live southeast of Bloomington and the ride goes through Bloomington to the northwest end of town. Then across 37, south on a variety of roads, east and north at the south end of town.

I’ve done the ride very often in the 20+ years I’ve been in Bloomington. Today, I had to wait for a long train on Kirby Rd near the airport. The airport ride crosses a number of railroad tracks and this is first time ever that I’ve had to wait for a train.

I did the ride in about 1.75 hours (27.5 miles) which isn’t bad for a ride that has many traffic lights and stop signs. After the ride, I ran a long 3 miles. I did a little more than I will need to do on Saturday. For those who don’t know - a “brick” is a ride and a run. I have no idea how the term originated.

Overall, I didn’t feel too bad for the first focused road ride of the year. I think that 1.75 hours is about as fast as I ever do it. Traffic was fairly light. The temp was 41 when I left and 47 when I got home. I dressed for a warmer day and when in the sun, I was comfortable. A nice ride.

Wednesday and Thursday, I had to go to a few places in Bloomington that I don’t often go to. Wednesday, I rode to Landmark on the east side of town for a medical appointment. It’s about 5 miles from my house, so it’s not a long ride. The streets I choose to ride are easy to ride, except the last .5 mile on Second St. There, the street is narrow and traffic is heavy. Fortunately, I can generally keep up with traffic.

 I noticed that Patterson St is no longer marked as a bike path. At one time, the shoulder had a clear bike path line and bike path signs. They are no longer there. I guess it’s because the shoulder was so full of dirt, gravel, debris, litter, and all the other things that make Bloomington streets so filthy. Most of the year, Bloomington streets are filthy. In late spring, they are very filthy. It would be difficult to ride safely on the shoulder of Patterson St. so it’s good that it’s no longer a bike path.

Thursday morning, I left my car for maintenance at a dealer on the far west side of town. I took my bike so that I could ride home. I chose an indirect route, going south of town before turning east and then north. It was a pleasant morning for a ride. I put some extra loops in the ride until I started to be concerned about the time. Maybe 10 miles.

I went back for the car about 4:00 PM. I had to ride on west Third St. Third St. was even more filthy than Patterson. Third St is a narrow road with very heavy traffic, especially late afternoon. With the debris and gravel, riding on the narrow shoulders wasn’t always possible. I was able to keep up fairly well, so it wasn’t a bad ride.

In fact, I consider it a 3 B ride (brains, brawn, and balls). During the ride, I felt fully engaged - both mind and body. Riding on tight roads in traffic is challenging but fun.

When I drove back to town, I realized again how bad driving is in Bloomington. Riding at 20 mph or more in traffic is fun. Driving at that speed is very annoying. In all honesty, drivers have more problems than bike riders in Bloomington because of the poor traffic system.

Bloomington is a paradox. It appears to be a nice, modern, progressive city and it often is. But, in many ways, it resembles a poor city in a developing country. Bikes are more appropriate transportation in cities with poor transportation systems.

Well, sorta.

I haven’t posted for almost three weeks. During the past three weeks, I’ve commuted every day except one and that day, I had to go between an appointment way off-campus and a campus meeting in about 15 minutes. Not possible on a bike.

The weather has been fine for biking. The long winter delayed spring, so we had a compact spring. Almost all spring flowers, shrubs, and trees bloomed in the past three weeks. This happens every few years in Bloomington and it’s generally spectacular when it does. It almost makes up for the long winter.

However, I have not been able to ride much besides commuting. Last week, I rode about 30 minutes in the local neighborhoods one morning. Another morning, I rode the Jackson Creek off-road trail for about 30 minutes. “Rode” might not be correct because I had to step down and / or get off regularly. I have no idea how anyone can ride that trail. I would certainly like to see it done.

I was in South Bend the past two weekends. The first weekend, I got in a long run. Last Saturday, I did a mountain bike ride in Rum Village near South Bend. Overall, it was fun and I felt good after it. However, my skills were terrible. I stopped far more than usual. But, I had only three mountain bike rides last year, so some problems were expected.

I rode with my son-in-law who is a much better rider. To put our skills in perspective, going down one hill, he said he was shifting to the big ring to get up the other side. I was braking while he was in the big ring.  

The past two days I had interesting rides around town to run errands, etc., that are more relevant to biking conditions in Bloomington. I’ll report on them next.

 The Little 5 bicycle races are part of what make bicycling in Bloomington interesting. I’ve attended the Little 5 mens and womens races just about every year since 1988. The Little 5 weekend is my favorite sports weekend in Bloomington. This year, the race was more interesting for a couple reasons.

Barack Obama appeared at the womens race on Friday afternoon. He arrived just prior to the race and stayed through a few laps. I attended the race with my wife and my daughter and her family. Everyone except me shook his hand. It was very exciting for my granddaughter to shake his hand.

 The mens race was interesting for the weather. The Little 5 was held a weekend earlier than usual this year. The temperature Saturday was in the mid-40s with an occasional shower and even a little snow blew through. It was the coldest Little 5 I’ve attended; more like a mid-November football game.

Both races were similar to other years. About 1/2 way though, a small number of teams that might win had clustered together. And, for both races, in the last five laps, one rider “broke away” from the others and won easily. Delta Gamma won the womens race; the Cutters won the mens race.

I did little cycling last week - just a few commutes. The weekend weather kept me inside spinning. The weather will improve this week and I should get to ride more.

Sunday, April 06, 2008

I got out for a ride today. Very nice weather. I started about an hour later than usual because I wanted to wait until the sun had a chance to warm the air. I left about 9:20. It was 46^o  when I started and about 62 ^o  when I finished about 2.16 hours later. More traffic than I normally find on Sundays but not terrible.

I had about 4 possible rides when I left home but I didn’t ride any of them. Instead, I started out to ride northeast of town. I went east on 45 and then north on Bethel Ln. I planned to go down Boltinghouse but completely missed it. My mind was wandering. I also planned to turn down to Griffey but missed it, too. At Old 37, I went north to Robinson. Up Robinson, Tunnel, and back to 45. I added the Russell Rd detour to get a little more distance and another hill. I had a very strict 11:30 deadline, and I just made it. I added a couple side trips to look at some things. Nothing planned but sometimes unplanned rides are fun.

Highlights – not many. Russell Rd is always a challenge but it was very sandy on the downhill side. Uphill, it was fine. The sun was bright and I had just enough clothes. I may not get out for another long ride until June, so this 29.5 mile ride might be my distance record for some time. My computer distance is longer than Mapmyride because I didn’t record all side trips.

My riding is getting more steady now. I was able to ride to work 4 of 6 days last week. I got out for a Sunday ride, and I got in a weekday short ride. Spring has arrived.

 Sunday, March 31, 2008

After a good start to the week, I didn’t get as much riding the rest of the week. Thursday, it rained. Friday, I was home most of day doing my taxes. Saturday morning was sunny and bright, so I rode to work instead of driving which I usually do on Saturdays. I’m actually happy that I got ride my bike to work 4 of 6 days this week.

Today, I hoped to do an interesting ride. Last night, the weather report indicated that the rain wouldn’t start until the afternoon. But, when I checked weather.com before starting, I could see rain in Greene County. So, I chose to ride the same ride as last week.

However, when I got to the south end of Harrell Rd, the rain started. I turned around instead of going to the water treatment plant. When I got to Jackson Creek School, it wasn’t raining hard, so I decided to join the ride I did earlier this week. By the time I got to the apogee of the ride near Bloomington Speedway, the rain started again.

Overall, the timing was good. As I opened the garage door, I heard the first thunder and the heavy rains started. The ride was a couple clicks less than 25 miles and I rode for 1.75 hours. A little more than the intended 1.5 hours but I was glad to do as much riding as I could on a not so cheerful day.

The Bicycling Comic

On Friday, a member of the Bloomington Bicycling Club posted a message about a new bicycling comic on its listserv - Yehuda Moon and the Kickstand Cyclery (http://www.yehudamoon.com/). I think it’s pretty good. It’s helpful to start at the beginning of the series to understand the characters. It won’t take long to view all the daily comics.

I also listened to an interviewer with the comic’s author - Rick Smith - on a podcast on The Fredcast (http://www.thefredcast.com/). Rick Smith mentioned that he is focusing some on the differences between the utilitarian cyclists (Yehuda) and the more intense cyclists (Joe).

I see a lot of Yehuda in my fellow Bloomington bicycling bloggers (Ear to the Breeze and Biking the Hoosier Uplands. For me, I guess I’m closer to Yehuda on Monday - Friday (or Saturday) and more like Joe on Sunday. Overall, I can see a lot the bicycling in Bloomington reflected in the strip.

 Wednesday March 26, 2008

While the temperature this morning wasn’t spring-like, I felt a need to go for a ride - my first morning ride of the year. It was 38^o and the sun was coming up when I left. I hoped to ride a standard morning ride - to the south end of Old 446 (Knightbridge) and back but I decided to send a couple more emails before leaving so it cut into my ride time. Old 446 is usually a 45-50 minute ride. I rode about 40-45 minutes in the neighborhoods around my house.

My riding was better than Sunday. The ride has a many stop signs and hills. I used them to do sprints, out of the saddle climbs, etc. I felt like I had some “snap” today. Maybe spring is coming in many ways.

Last week, I was able to commute three days. The two days I missed it rained very heavily. This week, I’ve been able to commute all three days. Along with this morning’s ride, it indicates spring is arriving, even if the nice weather isn’t quite here yet.    

ADDENDUM - The Snap is Back. This evening, on my commute home, I was able to get in a line of cars going about 30 mph on Sare Rd. It might be cheating a little because I was drafting the car in front. I thought for a moment about bump drafting the car but decided it wouldn’t be a good idea. (For those who aren’t NASCAR fans, read down the drafting article to see what bump drafting is. ) I was surprised that I was able to get up to 30 mph so quickly and maintain it.

 Sunday, March 23, 2008

Today was my first road ride since early January. I rode a fairly simple ride - to the south end of Old 446, back north on 446 to Swartz Ridge. At the bottom of Swartz Ridge, I rode south to Monroe Lake to see the flooding. It’s high but not the highest I’ve seen it. I turned around and rode up Moore’s Creek and then to the Water Treatment Plant. (My fellow Bloomington bicycling blogger calls it the Water Works ride - a nice Monopoly title.)

I forgot to start the computer (a regular problem for me) when I left but based on a couple observations, I assume the ride was 26-27 miles. It took 1.83 hours. I planned to ride about 1.5 hours, so it was reasonably close. Overall, I felt a little sluggish and didn’t have the “snap” I will have later this year when I get to short uphills, etc.

The temperature was 28^o and it was cloudy when I started. By the time I got home, it was 36^o and sunny. Traffic was light but a little heavier with Easter church traffic than is usual for a Sunday morning.

It seems that 28^o feels much colder in March than it does in November. I dressed warmly and was a little concerned that I was overdressed. I wasn’t. Towards the end, I was warm when riding hard and cool when going downhill. Just about the right balance.

Overall, it was good to get outside again.

 Sunday March 16, 2008

This morning, my ride was different from any that I have ever done. Inspired by Mitch Rice’s descriptions of rides off paved roads (Dubois Ridge, McGowen Rd), I decided to do something similar.

From my house, I went to Moore’s Pike, crossed over 446 and down Lampkins Ridge Rd. The road was paved but very gravelly. At the end, I turned right onto Friendship Rd. Soon after I arrived in Bloomington (21 years ago), I rode down Lampkins Ridge on my road bike. I was very surprised to find that Friendship Rd was gravel. It still is gravel and it has relatively big gravel. I wouldn’t ride my commuting bike very far on the gravel that big. I would walk my road bike.

Friendship Rd has 2 dead ends near Lake Monroe where the road was closed to let the birds rest. The roads open on April 15, so I’ll try again then. Riding on Friendship Rd is mildly challenging and a few times my off-road skills made it a little easier to keep riding.

On the return, I went up Gross Rd that is gravel most of the way to Old 446. It has one steep hill that wouldn’t seem especially challenging on a road with a road bike but was challenging because of the gravel. The last 30 yards were especially challenging because the gravel was much thicker and washboardy. The road conditions changed 2-3 times with each pedal stroke. As I got to about 15 yards from the top, the washboarding became very tight, so I decided to increase my cadence to get through it. It didn’t work and I spun the rear wheel out. Maybe I should have dropped a gear and pushed through it.

Gross Rd is paved near Old 446. When I got back to Old 446 I started riding faster because I had exceeded my 1.33 hour limit that I allotted for the ride. The ride took about 1.66 hours. I don’t know the distance because I forgot to start the computer. About a mile into the ride, I got off the bike to adjust the seat height, reset the computer, and adjust my toe straps. I didn’t know that I had to restart the computer, so I didn’t record the distance. I have 3 bike computers and there is little consistency among them.

Overall, the day wasn’t bad. It was 35^o when I started and about 38 when I got home. Cloudy but little wind. Traffic very light on the paved roads.

This summer, I expect to do more off-road road rides like today.

Friday March 14, 2008 

This was spring break week at Indiana University. For many people, spring break is a trip south. For me, spring break was a ride to the south end of 446. We take what we can get. 

This week, the weather has improved in Bloomington. I was able to commute Monday to Wednesday. On Wednesday morning, I rode Old 446, a standard morning ride. I decided that I would take a little time off to do the ride - my spring break. 

Spring break has another meaning to me. It is time to think more about riding outdoors. Since Indiana started DST two years ago, it’s hard to get out in the morning before work. But, every so often I can arrange something. My preference now it to ride outside instead of on the trainer but I will be on the trainer until late April. 

I reviewed my training log for the year. It’s pathetic. I had two rides by January 6 and Wednesday was the first since then. Only about 80 road miles. Also, I’ve commuted to work only about 10-12 times. (I often forget to include commutes in my log.) Most years, I might not be able to commute about 20 or so days from January through spring break. This year has been awful. 

I was not able to commute the past two days because of a minor injury that I think was the result of an attempt to do a strange yoga stretch.  

I estimate that I have 35 hours on the trainer so far this year. And, I have reasonable number of running miles. (I estimate that I did about 50 hours of yoga and tai ji.) But, as much as I like the diversity of working on the trainer and running, I don’t enjoy them as much as outdoor riding. However, both are more efficient forms of exercise. When I’m riding outdoors, I don’t focus on training but focus mostly on all that’s going on around me. Some days, like Wednesday, I use the ride to think about work or other issues. 

Spring arrives next week and I expect that my riding time will improve substantially. I’m looking forward to it.