Bicycling in Bloomington

 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.

Sunday March 9, 2008 

Every winter, I usually take one or two long walks as my Sunday exercise. Most times, the walks are part of a recovery from a cold or bad weather that made it difficult to bike or run. I thought this year I might miss the walk if I waited for a similar day, so I decided to walk on Sunday. The walk had some bicycling connections.

The day was reasonably warm and sunny. I walked through the goat farm which is at the end of Winslow and High Streets. Then, I crossed over to Sherwood Oaks Park. I checked a path along west side of Jackson Creek that has usually ended in a muddy mess. I’ve taken my mountain bike on it a couple times. It hasn’t changed; still muddy.

Then, I walked up the path towards Olcott Park. A few weeks ago, fellow Bloomington biking blogger Mitch Rice mentioned that mud covered part of the path. The mud is mostly removed and straw bales were put on the side of the path to prevent more mud. A typical Bloomington response to a problem - an unattractive solution that is bound to fail and doesn’t solve the real problem.

About half-way up the hill, there is a series of paths that appear to be used both for walking and off-road riding. The paths continue to be developed. But, many places on the path a rider would have to dismount to cross the obstacles. Good riders could ride over obstacles that I can’t, but some just don’t seem possible to ride.

While on the path, I stopped to talk to Mitch Rice. He and Jojo were on the path. They stopped to throw snowballs.

I finished the walk on the east side of Sare Rd. A new biking / walking path has been laid down near the small creek east of Sare Rd. My initial review indicates it will be maintenance problem, just as is the biking / walking path near Sare Rd. I guess the developers say they are doing something and then dump the problem on the city. Some things never change in Bloomington.

Bloomington has many off-street paths that can be used by bicyclists but they are poorly maintained.