Good Weather but Little Biking

May 23, 2008 at 2:07 am | In Commuting, Morning Rides, weather conditions | Leave a Comment

The spring weather has arrived but not the warm spring weather. Mornings are still cool but not cold. Despite the nice weather, I haven’t been on the bike much.

Last week, I commuted the two days I was in town. This week, I’ll commute all five days. I had to get a ride home Monday because of the rain. Today, I rode out to the Water Treatment Plant. It’s a 14 mile ride from my house. I rode a respectable 16.5 mph but I felt sluggish. It’s been almost two weeks since the last time I rode. Very little traffic.

After this weekend (another long trip), I hope my riding becomes more regular. Most years, I am in better shape in January than June. This year it’s the same. But, if I have a good month, I’ll be able to start longer rides in July.

By then it will be warm weather and more biking.

Coach Hep Challenge

May 14, 2008 at 2:22 am | In Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Last Saturday, I rode and ran in the Coach Hep Cancer Challenge. Overall, it was very nice event. Lots of helpful, committed volunteers.

I rode the 40K ride. However, my computer said that I rode about 30.5 miles, so it was closer to 50K than 40K. I’ve been on the route many times although it was backwards of how I generally ride through the Morgan Monroe Forest. The route was marked with dan henrys but only a few at the intersections. It helped to know the route and I think most riders were familiar with it.

The run was scheduled to start at 11 but it was delayed because a number of people spoke to the runners. They had important things to say, so the delay was fine. The run was supposed to be a 5K but we got re-routed and it was probably about 4 miles.

Coach Hep often said “Don’t Quit” and it was the theme for the Challenge. Increasing the distances taught us not to quit.

The day was very pleasant. Cool but not cold for the ride. The roads were relatively quiet; more than usual for a Saturday morning. I did the ride in less than 2 hours which was good considering the hills and that I haven’t been riding much this year.

But, it felt a lot warmer during the run. I ran about 10 minute miles; slower than I usually run but I didn’t care.

Overall, a very nice experience. Next year, it’s scheduled for May 16. I hope to participate again.

Other Riding

My riding is getting more routine now. I commuted four days last week. Last Thursday, it was raining too hard. This week, I rode both days. I also got out for Old 446 rides one morning last week and this week. Spring has arrived and the mornings are just right for riding.

On the Road Bike Again, With a Brick

May 7, 2008 at 2:55 am | In Weekend Rides | 1 Comment

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.

 

Traveling on Bloomington Streets

May 4, 2008 at 2:47 am | In Commuting, Morning Rides, Street/Road Conditions, Traffic | Leave a Comment

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.

 

It’s Spring So It’s Biking Time

May 2, 2008 at 2:13 am | In Commuting, Off-road, weather conditions | 1 Comment

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.

Blog at WordPress.com. | Theme: Pool by Borja Fernandez.
Entries and comments feeds.