Morning Commute

May 29, 2007 at 5:07 pm | In Commuting, Drivers, Traffic | 3 Comments

Let me describe my morning commute. Of course, it’s the reverse of the evening commute but the conditions are a little different.

  • I leave my neighborhood – Spicewood and go north on Sare Rd. Sare Rd has a quick downhill and I usually get 25+ mph on it.
  • Then – the narrow, high-speed portion of the ride – about .25 mile where I try to exceed 20 mph because of vehicle traffic.
  • Next, a four-lane high speed street. The posted speed limit is 30 mph but cars regularly exceed 50 mph. The right lane is wide, so there’s plenty of room for a bike.
  • I need to make a left turn off the street, so as I approach the turn, I continually check behind me for a clear spot. When I find one, I dash across the two lanes to a turn lane.
  • Then, through a quiet neighborhood with 2 short uphills.
  • Past a shopping center, cross a four-lane street, and into a quiet neighborhood.
  • When I leave the neighborhood, I have a short ride through grass, through a parking lot, and then a 50 yd walkway to the bike rack.
  • Finish at Eigenmann Hall.

The commute is a little more than three miles. It seems more uphill going to campus than going home. My biggest challenge is to arrive without sweating too much. Many summer mornings, I’m kinda damp when I arrive.

Traffic in Bloomington

May 29, 2007 at 3:09 am | In Drivers, Long Rides, Morning Rides | Leave a Comment

 Memorial Day 2007 

I didn’t ride today. It was raining this morning and I expected the “48 hour bonk,” so I decided to stay off the bike. I’ve been running/riding for more than 30 years so I know that 48 hours after a hard effort, I bonk. I’m rarely wrong.

I ran about 4 miles at an easy pace. Kept my HR at 130 or lower except for a small hill where it went to 135. However, if someone asked me to estimate my HR during the run, I would have been way off. My legs were stiff and tired today, so a short run was just the right thing to do.

During the run, I noticed how little traffic there was. In general, my rides have relatively little traffic. It might be because of the time and routes I chose to ride. For example, on the big ride on Saturday, my daughter and I rode side by side for most of the ride because few cars passed us.

When I talk to friends and colleagues from other parts of the country about riding, they often comment on how traffic conditions affect their riding. I realize how nice it is in the Bloomington area to ride without having many concerns about traffic.

Unfortunately, the drivers are not as nice as the traffic conditions. That’s another post.

Recovery Ride

May 28, 2007 at 12:20 pm | In Weekend Rides | Leave a Comment

Today was a recovery ride – about 12-13 miles at a comfortable pace. I rode Old 446 – a fairly standard local ride. It’s often a morning ride for me. I usually see other riders on it. It’s flat and uses relatively comfortable roads.

During the last hour of my big ride yesterday, my HR stayed high – over 150. I guess I had passed the LT and was not recovering. So today, I watched my HR to see if it stayed relatively low and it did. About 100 – 130 for the ride.

I’ve been reading about bicycling for the past few months and I’ve just learned about HR, LT, recovery rides, and other terms I didn’t know. I attribute my high HR yesterday to lack of base (another term). I need to get in more easy miles now to prepare for the summer.

The Long Ride

May 27, 2007 at 3:09 pm | In Long Rides, Weekend Rides | Leave a Comment

Saturday May 26, 2007. 8 AM – 12:15 PM (approximate). 

The long ride is over and it was successful. My daughter and I rode almost 62 miles. I didn’t know if I could do it without a long death march for the last 10 – 15 miles.

A brief description of the route: Spicewood, Smith Rd, 45, Boltinghouse, Anderson, up the Forest Rd, Hindustan, cross 37 to Bottom Rd, Maple Grove to Ellettsville, Thomas, Oard, past the airport, cross 37 again at That Rd, Fairfax, Schacht, out to the water treatment plant,  back to Harrell, to Jackson Creek school, home on Sare.

When we turned onto Sare at Jackson Creek school, the computer said 60 miles and 15.2 mph. That was enough for me, I warmed down the last 1.5 miles. My daughter’s goal was 4 hours, 60 miles, 15 mph, so we reached it. She’s training for an IM and that was her coach’s recommendation for the ride.

It was by far my longest ride this year and at a pace that I don’t often ride by myself. I wasn’t exhausted but at some points, I could feel the legs go soft. My toe hurt at times, especially on hills, but not bad.

Overall, I was pleased with the ride.

Visit to the LBS

May 26, 2007 at 2:41 am | In Bikes, Equipment, Repairs | Leave a Comment

Today, I returned to my LBS to get help with the last pump/cage installation. They got longer screws and it worked. I also bought shoes for off-road riding, tube patches, and a lock for my new rack. I spent a lot over the past two days. I don’t check the prices much because I trust the LBS employees to sell me the equipment appropriate for my needs.

I sometimes use my commuting bike for road rides up to about 30 miles. This bike has toe clips and straps, so it’s not ideal for long rides. The off-road shoes can also be used for the road rides on my commuter bike.

The stiff off-road shoes should help reduce injuries to my feet when I fall off the bike like I did two weeks ago.

Tomorrow, the long ride with my daughter. I’ll report in the evening.

Frustration with Cages and Pumps

May 25, 2007 at 3:25 am | In Repairs | Leave a Comment

Today, I visited my LBS and bought a variety of bike accessories including a new hitch rack and a pump. More about the rack later.

This evening, I decided to move around the various pumps and cages on my three bikes. I have six cages and three pumps. I did not realize how much variety exists with allen sizes, screw lengths, and pump holder shapes.

After about 1.5 hours, I got five moved, changed, and installed. But, it was frustrating trying to get the pump holders installed because it required longer screws than I had. Parts manufacturers should be more consistent. I think the pump holder I couldn’t install is designed for small tubes and my down tube is oversized.

Oh, well. At least I learned something.

Morning Ride Thursday May 24, 2007

May 24, 2007 at 12:46 pm | In Drivers, Injuries, Morning Rides | Leave a Comment

My big toe still hurts but I am a little more confident that I can do the “Big Ride” with my daughter on Saturday. Here’s why:

  • I learned that a little slower speeds, a bit more spin, and pointing my toes up on the downstroke seem to reduce the discomfort.
  • I took ibuprofen before starting. About 45 minutes into the ride, the pain was reduced. However, it might be the endorphins rather than the meds. I say so because during the ride, a driver pulled out in front of me and I chased her to the next stop sign. I rode up to her window and reminded her of good driving behavior and described my feelings regarding bad drivers. While chasing her, my toe didn’t hurt.
  • I also learned that I shouldn’t take ibuprofen on an empty stomach.

 The ride was pleasant. I repeated a hill in a local neighborhood (Sherwood Oaks) to determine the best way to climb. I rode for about an hour. I had to stay local because I don’t have spare tube. I’ll get one later today when I visit my LBS (Bicycle Garage) to get a hitch rack and some needed supplies.

My Evening Commute

May 24, 2007 at 12:46 am | In Commuting | 3 Comments

Let me describe my evening commute.

I work in Eigenmann Hall at Indiana University. To get home, I

  • Ride about 50 yards on a walkway.
  • Ride through a parking lot.
  • Ride through a short stretch of grass.
  • Ride through neighborhood streets for about .5 mile.
  • Cross Third St – a four lane street with a stop light. I can trigger the stop light but generally cars are waiting.
  • Travel a long block beside a shopping center.
  • Ride through a very shady, quiet neighborhood with a nice downhill that has sharp left at the bottom. I generally aim to go around the turn at more than 20 mph. Usually, it’s faster than cars can do it.
  • Ride up the other side of the hill. Often I push to keep the speed about 16 mph.
  • Finish the neighborhood portion and end at stop light.
  • I turn left onto a fast four lane street. While the speed limit is 30 mph, the actual speed is greater than 40 mph.
  • I have to make a lane change to the left lane because the right lane becomes a right turn lane. Often this lane change is challenging and it takes some planning.
  • The four lane street ends at a stop light. When I cross the street, I start to pick up speed for the next .5 mile. This portion of the road is narrow and high speed. When I’m tired and the wind is from the south, I ride in the low 20s. When I get a good start and the wind is from the north, I can reach 30 mph. Most times it’s about 23-25 mph.
  • A hill follows. Because there’s a sharp right turn and the road narrows on the hill, I have to keep a fairly good pace up the hill.
  • Finally, I turn into my neighborhood.

 The ride is a little more than 3 miles. I usually enjoy it but it’s not fun when I’m racing a thunderstorm.

My Big Toe Hurts

May 23, 2007 at 1:11 pm | In Injuries, Morning Rides, Off-road | 1 Comment

Wednesday May 23, 2007 

I hate to start this post with a whine but my big toe hurts and it’s affecting my cycling. 

Why my toe hurts – because I hurt it 10 days ago as part of an off-road crash in Rum Village near South Bend Indiana. I was turning a 90 degree plus blind turn and saw a relatively small log (first time on the course). I chose a path that like would have been successful except I saw a root with an acute angle about 6 inches beyond the log. At the last second, I made a dumb decision to turn away from the root before I crossed the log. Down I went. I jammed the fingertips on both hands and the big toe on my right foot. The toe had amazing colors last week. 

I was traveling last week, so my only ride was a commute on Monday. I walked a few times as exercise last week and my toe remained uncomfortable.

Yesterday, I did a short ride on my commuting bike and it hurt some. This morning, I tried my first ride in biking shoes on my road bike. It was uncomfortable at best and painful at times. I stayed out for awhile hoping to beat the pain into submission. It sorta worked. I’ll ice the toe today and try some ibuprofen before riding tomorrow to see if it helps. 

Why it matters – because my daughter is coming this weekend and she wants me to accompany her on a 4 hour ride. Since I have not been on the road bike 10 times this year, the distance alone would be a challenge. With a painful big toe, it will be a death march.  

However – it was pleasant to be out on the bike again. I haven’t been on the road bike since Little 5 weekend and I missed it. 

Hello world!

May 21, 2007 at 8:30 pm | In Welcome | Leave a Comment

Welcome to the Bicycling in Bloomington Blog. Most posts are about biking and related issues in the Bloomington Indiana area. I base them on my biking experiences. Most will be commentaries about the rides I take but many will have thoughts on biking conditions in Bloomington.

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