First OWLS Ride

June 25, 2008 at 9:46 pm | In Long Rides, OWLS | 2 Comments

June 25, 2008

Last night, I rode with the Bloomington Bicycle Club OWLS (Older, Wiser, Little (bit) Slower. We did the ABC ride.

The ride was well-organized. That is, it was organized well for safety and fun and at the same time, it allowed for both personal and group achievements. Some chat but not continuous; riding with different people was fun; all riders seemed roughly the same level of fitness; and they have a strong appreciation of what bike riding should be. Also, I observed some things that others did that I thought were my personal quirks. They might be generational things.

The route was reasonably challenging with three hills. Much more traffic than I experience on my typical rides but it wasn’t really a bother. I was a little concerned that we could cause some problems for drivers when we were climbing Old 37 (Firehouse) because it has many curves and it can be a challenge to get around 13 riders. But, the cars seemed to manage.

It was a night of firsts for me: 

  • 1. First group ride (more than 4 riders), except Hilly Hundred and Hoosier Hills, in about 30 years  
  • 2. First long evening ride 
  • 3. First time I rode a bike for more than 1.25 hours on a work day.

 I hope to make the Tuesday OWLS ride a regular part of my riding.

Other Rides

Actually not much to report about other rides. Last week, I commuted only one day because of travel and other commitments. Last Sunday, I rode 26 miles at 16 mph. I pushed a little on a series of 3 local loops – Old 446, Water Works, Clear Creek. I tried to stay within 130 – 145 bpm on my HRM. It was a nice morning and I think I will call it my June Day.

This week, I’m doing fine with commuting. I took my commuting bike to the Bike Garage for a much needed tune-up, so I’m using my mountain bike to commute. It always feels a little uncomfortable to ride the bike on the roads but not so uncomfortable off-road. Maybe because I’m concentrating so hard when off-road riding that I don’t notice the positioning.  

Overall, the weather has been great and especially this evening. It was a little surprising for the ride to finish cooler than it started. Since all my other rides start in the morning, they usually end warmer.

I now feel the summer riding season has begun.

Biking Woes Continue

June 17, 2008 at 9:18 pm | In Equipment, Long Rides, Weekend Rides, weather conditions | 1 Comment

June 17, 2008

Again, not much biking to report, to include fewer commutes by bike than usual. A variety of factors are getting in the way and will continue to do so until the end of this week. For example, today may be the only day this week that I rode to work.

Last Saturday, I rode with my daughter. We rode just a bit less than 45 miles. We finished the first 42 miles in about 2.66 hours. The last few miles, we meandered through back streets and parking lots which slowed our time considerably. However, at the end, it was enough riding for me. The weather was humid to start but less humid by the end. There was more traffic than usual. We rode a longer version of the airport ride.

Sunday, I did a 4.5 mile run by myself and then a 1 mile run with my grandson. Sunday was probably my “June Day” for the year. I planned to ride with the Bloomington Bike Club OWLS (Older, Wiser, a Little Slower) on Tuesday evening but my road bike has a flat – a “garage flat.” I don’t think it was flat when I finished the ride on Saturday but it was flat on Sunday morning. This morning, I replaced the tube but broke the valve stem when trying to inflate the new tube. I didn’t have time to change it again and I think my floor pump might have caused the valve stem to break.

I considered using my commuting bike for the ride but I can’t shift the rear derailleur without causing unanticipated changes. It seems to change gears intermittently and randomly, so I don’t shift often. A trip to the bike shop is coming soon.

Addendum: Later in the afternoon, I considered riding my commuting bike on the ride and using the three rings for up, flat, and higher speeds. On my ride home, I tested the small ring. The front derailleur wouldn’t take it down that low. I would have experienced some tough cycling on the hills If I tried to use the bike. Also, I changed the tube on my road bike tonight with no problems. I guess I wasn’t careful enough this morning.

 

Lots of Water; Little Biking

June 12, 2008 at 2:36 am | In Street/Road Conditions, weather conditions | Leave a Comment

The Bloomington area has experienced a exceptional amount of rain lately. Last Thursday afternoon, many locations in the Bloomington area flooded. I believe it was the most amount of rain I’ve ever seen in a 1/2 hour. Friday night, the Bloomington and surrounding areas received 6″-7″ of rain. The combined storms have damaged many of the rural roads that I typically ride.

Our house and back yard had a few water problems that didn’t cause any damage but required that I clean up after them. The clean-up prompted me to do a lot more both with landscaping and cleaning, so last weekend and this week, I’ve been doing household tasks instead of riding. I miss riding but I’ve been so busy that I don’t miss it a lot.

My daughter is coming this weekend and she insists that we ride 50 miles on Saturday, so I guess I will get started again, even if I’m not ready. I haven’t approached 50 miles yet this year.

I’ve often mentioned that Bloomington has filthy streets. The flooding in downtown Bloomington last week was partially attributed to blocked inlets. Filthy streets cause many problems, not just for bicyclists. A few years ago, the city renovated its downtown storm water collection system. They found out last week that the carrying capacity is sufficient but the inlets for storm water are too few to fill it. So, as I’ve often said – stupidity does not disqualify anyone from elected or appointed positions in Bloomington.

Moving Along But Not Much Biking Activity

June 4, 2008 at 7:51 pm | In Weekend Rides, weather conditions | Leave a Comment

I haven’t posted in a couple weeks because off travel and work. In fact, there is nothing especially new or unique about my bicycling to report. I’ve been commuting just about every day for the past two months when I’ve been in town. My weekend rides have been sporadic because of travel.

Two weekends ago, I was in Allentown PA to attend a wedding. While there, I ran about 6.67 miles in the Little Lehigh Parkway. The running course was inside the park. It reminded me that Bloomington is the only place I’ve lived where I didn’t have a running path that was quiet and away from traffic. One of the reasons I like to ride on Sunday mornings in rural Monroe County because it is possible to find some spaces that are quiet and without traffic at that time.

Last Sunday, I rode an old standard – the Airport ride. The ride is 27.5 miles and I averaged 15 mph. I noticed on the ride that there are very few stretches without a traffic light or stop sign. It takes me almost 30 minutes to go from my house SE of town to cross 37 on Kinser Pike, NW of town. Then, except for 3 stretches of 2-3 miles, I stop regularly. It’s almost “stop and go” traffic for a bicyclist. However, traffic was light.

Each year that I’ve been in Bloomington except last year, it seems that I’ve had what I call my June Day ride. It’s a day when the temperature is cool but pleasant, the air clear, skies bright, and little humidity. Sunday was fairly close to that. A few high clouds and a little humidity but not bad. I hope for a real June Day before the month is over.

 

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