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.

 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.

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.  

 Winter Riding

Generally, I think Bloomington has good riding weather. The summers can be hot but the temperatures are tolerable. The fall and spring have nice weather, for the most part. And, it’s possible to ride through most of the winter. For me, I don’t ride often in the winter but I still try to commute each day.

However, some days, the weather makes riding too difficult for me. Today was one of them. It was about 4^o this morning. That’s colder than I care to ride but I know that it can be done. My fellow Bloomington bicycling blogger, apertome, rode this morning. I didn’t ride for three reasons. First, it was too cold and I’ve been recovering from a cold. Second, yesterday’s snow caused some ice and snow buildup along the sides of the roads. For the parts of my commute on Sare Rd, it’s dangerous enough without losing the sides of the road. Third, I had to go to the far side of town for an errand before going to campus.

While I don’t get to ride outdoors much in the winter (besides commuting), I often ride a trainer. For a long time, I had a trainer but didn’t use it often. I didn’t much enjoy spinning indoors because it seemed almost pointless. Last year, I got a few indoor bicycling DVDs and my attitude changed. The DVDs provide the structure needed to make a workout work.

I think that my time on the trainer using a DVD is more efficient for improving my bicycling than most outdoor rides. I noticed on my ride last Sunday that let my mind wander while riding and often forget to push a little harder or use correct form. (By the way, I think that’s a good thing for the most part.) Indoors, the instruction and changes during the workouts require focus. I find the time goes fast. The room I exercise in is generally 50^o or cooler in the winter and I am completely sweated after 30-40 minutes.

So, while I miss riding outdoors, I don’t miss riding.