Bicycling in Bloomington

 Tomorrow I leave for a short vacation, so I won’t be back on the bike (except for my commute home tonight) until Monday. This morning, I did my usual ride - Old 446 but it was both cautious and quick.

Cautious first - a few years ago, I crashed my bike and broke my collarbone on the day before we were scheduled to go on vacation. It was during a period when I was doing more off-road riding. I was testing my skills by riding at the edge of a road that had a curb and trying to keep the bike within a foot of the curb. Going down a hill, I saw an unexpected road hazard (it shouldn’t be unexpected in Bloomington). I swung out to avoid it but quickly remembered that I hadn’t been monitoring the road for approaching cars. I swung back and caught the wheel in a little crack. It caused me to go into the curb and over the handlebars.

I broke my collarbone. I walked home (about .75 mile), and drove a manual transmission car to my doctor’s office. It was challenging to shift without being able to move my arm. But, it’s not nearly as impressive as Tyler Hamilton who rode most of 2003 the Tour de France with a broken collarbone.

So, I rode cautiously today. I waited a little longer before crossing intersections, and I didn’t make any quick decisions. I experienced a very considerate driver today. Travelling west on Moore’s Pike, I needed to turn south on Smith. I kept looking back for a break in traffic but there were many cars behind me. A driver slowed to let me pull across the lane for the left turn. I wonder if he was also a rider who could see what I needed to do.

Quick second - I did the ride in about 45 minutes, which is as fast as I ever ride it. I think it was quick because my legs weren’t tired from a long ride on Sunday. Also, I put air in the tires. I’d guess that I last put air in them in April. Yesterday, I stopped on my ride to work to see if the rear tire was flat because the rim was almost on the road.

My speed was consistently over 18 mph and my HR was in Zone 3 which is about 140 - 150 for me. The ride was essentially 6 - 8 long sprints. The speed was about 2-3 mph faster than my typical ride. I’m already looking forward to getting back on the bike on Monday morning.

I didn’t ride yesterday (Sunday) because of the weather. I was up very early to be prepared to start early but the rain was heavy and thunderstorms were predicted. So, I attended a tai ji workshop. I attended the workshop Friday night and Saturday but was going to miss it Sunday so that I could ride. It’s a shame when interests are in conflict but sometimes having multiple interests allows me to have alternatives when needed.

This morning, I dropped the car off for an oil change and other maintenance at a shop at the far end of town from where I live. I used my new bike rack for the first time to transport my bike to the garage.  I combined my need to get home with a morning ride. 

I took a long ride home - about 17.5 miles. I went south on Curry Pike which becomes Leonard Springs Rd. (More in a later post about how often roads change names unexpectedly in Monroe County.) Then, — That Rd, Clear Creek, Schacht, Harrell, down to Lake Monroe and home. I reached the highest speed ever on the commuting bike - 46.2 mph going down the Moore’s Creek hill.

The ride reminded me how the weather can differ across Monroe County. It was moist and misty on the west side of town and much drier down by the Lake. Usually, it’s just the opposite - wetter, cloudier near the Lake and sunnier near town. 

Weather can also change fairly quickly. I wore clear lens this morning and it worked for the ride. Other times, I’ve started with clear lens but after an hour or so, I wished for dark lens. The morning fog and clouds often go away about 9-10 AM. At least for me, it’s rare when the ride starts sunny but ends cloudy and raining.

 I have similar and overlapping reasons for the two types of riding I do - commuting and recreational.Commuting. I much prefer to ride to campus than drive. It gives me time each day to be outside and experience the weather. It provides some exercise on days when I don’t have time for other forms of exercise.

Cars are great tools and I enjoy long trips in cars. But, for travelling to campus and getting around Bloomington, I much prefer a bike. Parking on campus and downtown can be challenging. I know that travelling by bike from my office to other campus or downtown locations is generally faster by bike because of parking issues. In addition, traffic problems seem much less frustrating when on a bike.

And, there’s a sense of accomplishment, uniqueness, and doing good for the world that comes from using a bike instead of a car.

Recreation. I like my recreational rides for two complementary reasons. First, it’s a good aerobic exercise. It uses many large muscle groups and contributes to my overall health and fitness. Second, and more importantly, I enjoy being outside and on the bike. It really is “recreation.” I like to be part of the weather, feel hot and cold, see the scenery, and think about riding and not about other things. Of the two reasons, the latter is more important. The fitness and health is just a benefit of spending time on the bike.

Today I did something I’ve never done on a ride - sprints. I think bicyclists call them sprints. When I was a regular runner, I would have called them intervals for fartleks. It was a good day for them because I will be off the bike for 72 hours.

I rode Old 446 and it seems almost ideal for that type of riding. It’s relatively flat. It has a number of stretches that are just right for 60 and 90 second sprints.

What I learned:

1. Use the big ring. I did the first few in the middle ring (I ride my commuting bike for morning rides). I couldn’t keep a smooth spin when sprinting. Maybe I’ll learn after I do some more.
2. While time and HR seem to be what should determine the length of sprints, I found that I had to recognize that stop signs and spaces to rest before the next sprint also determined how long to sprint.
3. Pay attention. I was surprised twice when pedestrians were on the road. Going north on the north portion of Old 446, there’s a right turn. I was sprinting around it and found 2 women and a dog occupying the lane. I had to make quick decision about how to avoid them. Scared me for a second.

My next challenge will be to do some sprints in areas that are not so flat - most of my rides in Bloomington.

Before reading this post, you should read the earlier post on riding on Bloomington streets. In Part 1, I describe street surfaces and conditions. In the addendum to Part 1, I further describe the conditions that lead to the sometimes dangerous streets in Bloomington. In this post, I describe traffic control and traffic patterns.

Traffic Control: The stop signs and traffic lights in Bloomington are not predictable. Caution is needed before crossing any street. At most intersections without traffic lights, one to four corners have stop signs and the number of stop signs is not predictable. After some time in Bloomington, bicyclists and drivers know which streets are signed on each corner so they can anticipate problems.

For the most part, drivers stop but sometimes they miss the signs; often because the signs are hidden by shrubbery. Bicyclists need to be cautious before proceeding through any intersection with stop signs.

Traffic lights are generally triggered by wires below the street surface or by video cameras. However, the main north and south streets - College and Walnut - are completely timed. Some lights are timed during certain hours and triggered at other times.

Bicycles and bicyclists can trigger very few traffic lights. The wires are generally not sensitive enough to have bicycles trigger them. The video cameras don’t see bicyclists.

About a year ago, I complained to the Bloomington Public Works department that a repaving covered a wire that sometimes could trigger a traffic light. I also mentioned a number of places that I am unable to trigger lights. The response was - we can’t do anything about it. Bloomington city government likes to say they are bicycle friendly but their actions are very different.

So, when approaching a traffic light in Bloomington, bicyclist should assume that they won’t be able to get a green light without help from a vehicle to trigger the light. Since there is always a lot of traffic on Bloomington streets, a vehicle usually arrives quickly. If not, and if it’s more than a minute, assume that you won’t get a green light and proceed when safe.

It’s a stupid system but it’s consistent with traffic management in Bloomington.

Traffic Patterns - Again, Bloomington has strange patterns that can create dangerous situations for bicyclists. Very often, streets will, without warning, change into turn lanes. Roadside signs are lightly used, very small, and hidden. Most indicators of lane changes are arrows on the street. Very often, drivers unexpectedly find themselves in lanes that will change direction but the driver didn’t want to change. In these cases, drivers make hasty decisions and bicyclists can be endangered.

A good example is a street that I travel each day on my commute. Travelling south on College Mall Rd, where cars routinely travel 50 mph, about 30 yards before street ends, there’s a hard right turn. It is not until after the turn that drivers can see the traffic light. And, almost without warning, the right line becomes right turn only. Drivers expecting to stay on the street continuing south must quickly change lanes at high speed. There is a small grey sign, well-camouflaged by a grey building, that warns of the lane change. The lane changing at the intersection often looks like a NASCAR race. Instead of a little sign, an urban interstate overhead sign is needed. This stupid traffic design is consistent with other traffic management decisions made by the city.

As a regular cyclist, I know what to expect at that intersection and most others in Bloomington. Cyclists new to town could find themselves in a dangerous situation because of the traffic patterns.

 Each year, it seems that I have one ride in June that is almost perfect for weather. It comes after a rain so the trees and other green things are really full and green. The day is clear with low humidity and a little cool. I call it my “June Day” because it happens most years. I don’t think it will happen this year. 

Today’s ride was close but not it. I rode about 47 miles. Kept a reasonable pace. I rode a version of the ride I’ve been doing lately. I didn’t go down Anderson Rd and up Bean Blossom into the Forest. Instead, I stayed on Old 37. For the Hilly riders, it’s part of the difference between the 40 and 50 mile Sunday ride. In my world, I call it the Orchard Ride.

At Vernal and the Bypass, my average was 16.2.  I added a section so that I would get a few more miles. I turned right on Harrell, went to Moffet and Stipp, down to the Lake, and up Moore’s to Rhorer. At the end, I averaged 15.2. I slowed for the last part because it was darn hot and because I wanted to cool down.

I rode reasonably well. I kept my HR at 135 or below for most of the ride. When I was over 135 it, I eased up. I’m still building my base. 

I counted the cars passing me on the ride until I got back to Bloomington. Only 6 cars passed me until I reached town (about 29 miles). In town, a bunch passed me. However, from Batchelor Middle School until I reached Rhorer, only 2 cars passed me. The low traffic volumes make riding so much more fun.  

Bloomington has many good days to ride. Some are really nice, some are fine. Some winter and summer rides allow bikers to feel the extremes of weather. But, there are only different kinds of good weather. The bad weather days aren’t so bad and they make the good weather days feel so much better.   

  I had to run a couple mornings this week because of limited time. During the runs, I observed the streets in my neighborhood and a few nearby neighborhoods. The experience reminded me that I did not fully describe the causes of Bloomington’s dirty (and sometimes dangerous) streets in the earlier post.

Much of the problem of dirty streets can be attributed to the local lifestyle.Cigarette filters are a high proportion of the litter on Bloomington streets. Indiana has one of the highest smoking rates in the country and its smokers happily and quickly throw their trash in the streets. I’ve observer smokers throwing cigarette filters on their own property.

Another lifestyle characteristic that creates dirty and often dangerous streets - Bloomington residents deposit their yard waste in the street. Many residents put their grass clippings in the street. While this isn’t particularly dangerous, it can hide hazards. The over-fertilized grass clippings often block drop inlets creating little dams that trap dirt, mud, etc on the streets. The grass clippings cause problems for the local water supply but that’s a different issue.

Perhaps the most dangerous behavior is putting leaves on the street. During the fall, many Bloomington residents rake and blow their leaves into the streets. These leaves sit, sometimes for months, decomposing, blocking water flow during rains, collecting other litter, and generally making the streets even dirtier. The city has an ordinance prohibiting the practice but it’s not enforced.

For bicyclists, this practice causes some serious problems. After rains, the leaves are wet and can be very slippery. The most dangerous problem is that the streets become narrower, often creating one lane (or less) for traffic to flow. In Elm Heights, just south of campus, the streets are already narrow and the leaf piles on the street make it dangerous for bicyclists and cars to pass in opposite directions. On my commute, the streets in Covenanter are sometimes so narrow that one car can’t pass through easily.

The leaf piles cause drivers to make strange decisions and prevent bicyclists from using the right side of the road. When there is one lane (or less), drivers assume they are entitled to the lane, even if they have to cross the center to use it. I’ve often faced drivers who cross the middle and force me off the street because they are avoiding leaves. The fall is a dangerous time for bicyclists in Bloomington.

Bloomington claims to be bicycle-friendly community but its behavior is far different from its words.

 It was a reasonable week for riding. Mountain biking in Wapehani on Sunday and Old 446 Wednesday and Thursday. Friday is typically a rest day for me. I’ll commute by bike most Fridays, except when my legs are tired. Saturday, I practice tai ji in the morning; sometimes I ride, sometimes I drive.

My highlight for the week was new speed PR on my commute home. Wednesday evening, on the tight, high speed part of Sare Rd, I reached 34.8 mph. It’s at least 4 mph faster than any previous ride. The traffic was fairly heavy when I reached the tight part, so I decided to pick up speed to stay with the cars. Cars generally travel a little slower when there’s a lot of traffic.

When I first looked at the computer, I was going over 30 mph. I decided then to really hammer to see how fast I could go. I reached 34.8 but couldn’t hold it long. I was able to stay above 32 mph until the road widened. I wondered if the computer was wrong because I didn’t think that I could reach that speed in the gear I was using (52/14 or 15). My spin must have been very fast to go over 30 mph.

Afterwards, I wondered if I had ever in my life hard-pedaled to that speed. Generally on my rides, if I reach 25 mph, I think it’s fast enough and don’t push harder. Last year, I was talking to someone who trains and races and he told me that he pushes to 30 mph on Sare Rd from Jackson Creek School to Rogers. I told him that I couldn’t reach 20 mph on that stretch. He told to push myself and I might be surprised. Maybe I should?

This morning I did my typical morning ride – Old 446. Nice morning and I kept moving at a fairly good pace. I allowed my HR to stay in the 130s. I enjoyed the ride because I had to run the previous two mornings.

On the ride, I saw three other older males riding the same route. All were dressed better than I. They had nice bicycling clothes. That’s not surprising because my family always questions how I dress. I couldn’t tell much about their bikes. 

 All three other older males had facial hair. Over the years, I’ve noticed that older bicyclists (both riders and commuters) tend to have facial hair. It’s certainly seems true that facial hair is a requirement for riding a recumbent or a tandem. As an older male (60+), I think I’m unusual not to have facial hair and nice bicycling clothes.

  Sunday June 10, 2007I decided today to ride my mountain bike in Wapehani Mountain Bike Park. The weather was nice - cool and it hasn’t rained much in the past week, so the trails were mostly dry. I had a long to-do list for the afternoon, so a long road ride wasn’t possible.

Wapehani has three sections (or at least I categorize them that way). The section to the right/west of the parking lot is very technical (for me). It has many rocks, stumps, roots, branches, logs, tight turns, and narrow trails. At this time of year, the trails are very narrow. I wore a long-sleeve jersey to reduce the slashes from branches, vines, thorns, etc. It was needed. I usually start my rides in this section.

A second section is a series of steep hills on the other side of the lake. Generally, I attempt three hills. Sometimes I do a fourth but that’s rare. Sunday, I rode only two hills (more later).

The third section is to the left/east of the parking lot. It has trails that are similar to most single-track off-road trails. The trails have a few challenges and a few very short steep hills. It’s the easiest section for a beginner to ride. I usually finish my ride in this section because it’s the most fun for me.

My riding was awful, for the most part. had to step out in places that I rode over in my first ride of the year, about a month ago. The hill climbs told me it was a bad day. On the first hill, I can usually make it to the top stepping out only for an 8 log barrier in a steep part. I have yet to figure how to ride over the barrier. But, I got thrown a couple times. In fact, I started over a couple times to see if I could make the section but wasn’t much more successful the second time.

The second hill, I can usually climb. The second hill is much steeper and has a significant number of roots, rocks, etc., but I’ve learned a path that I can ride to the top. In my earlier ride, my HR was 170 at the top. Yesterday, I spun out on rocks and roots a couple times. I seemed to lose control and not be able to get it back.

After two bad hills, I didn’t try the third hill. The third hill very steep hill and I’ve only ever climbed about 2/3 of it before losing traction or the front wheel. Last year, I got further than ever before and got so excited that I might make it that I lost focuse and pulled my front wheel too high to recover. Someday I’ll get it.

Finally, I chose a long path in the third section and rode it twice. That was fun. I rode it much better the second time.

I was frustrated with my (lack of) skills. I attributed partially to being tired and partially to spilling on my last off-road ride in Rum Village in South Bend. I seemed to lack “spirit.” When I met an obstacle or spun out, I gave up rather than pushing past it. On the second loop in the easy part, I finally felt I was getting better but I got thrown off for the second time in a rutty, rooty, twisty climb that I usually can manage.

The trails were in pretty good shape which they usually are after they dry out in the spring. I am always the first rider on the trails on Sunday mornings, so I broke through a lot of insect work that was done overnight. I continually had to clean webs, etc. off my face. The park was dark and I regretted the amber glasses for the first hour (8 - 9 AM). I often couldn’t see very far. I should have worn clear lenses.

Despite my poor performance, I still enjoyed the ride when it was over. It’s nice to do something different on a bike.

Here’s a link to an old, abandoned website that somewhat describes Wapehani. By now, most of the trails have eroded so that the roots on the right in the picture extend across the trail. There are many more trails now.

For those new to Wapehani, if you have good technical skills and good climbing skills, you will enjoy the park and be reasonably challenged in two parts. For those with fewer skills, the trails on the left/east side of the parking lot can be a lot of fun, even for a beginner.