Bicycling in Bloomington

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.

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.

 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.

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.

 I have not been on the bike since last Tuesday. It’s the weather !!

I don’t particularly mind cold weather and wet weather is generally fine. But, cold, wet weather causes problems for me. My morning commute from home to College Mall Rd has a number places where the road is narrow and shaded. There are a few consistently dangerous spots on Sare Rd that seem to gather moisture during the day and freeze overnight. If Sare Rd had little traffic, it would be possible to avoid the ice but the road is heavily travelled, and narrow and curvy in places.

I have some experience riding in ice and snow and after doing it for awhile, I decided it wasn’t much fun. Of course, it’s not much different from off-road riding in many ways. Last Friday, it snowed and iced. I drove my spouse to work and was driving towards my office when I saw a bicyclist riding on 7^th St. I’m fairly certain it was my fellow Bloomington biking blogger - Ear to the Breeze. The look on his face was similar to what I feel riding down a rooty, rutty, rocky hill on a mountain bike. His words.

A second reason that I don’t commute in wet weather is because I often need the car to arrive a meetings in clean clothes. I work in a building that is more than a mile from most of my meetings. It’s always faster to ride than drive to the meetings. When the roads are dry, it’s fun to ride. But, I don’t like to arrive at meetings with wet, gritty pants from wet roads.

Together, the cold, wet weather has prevented me from riding for a week. I’m happy that I can ride the trainer and run occasionally. And I’m looking forward to better weather.

 I was able to commute to campus yesterday and today. Yesterday, I waited until the snow stopped in the morning and had a pleasant sunny ride in. During the afternoon, a number of heavy snow showers covered the ground and made the roads wet. The temperature dropped over the day.

The snow and colder temperatures caused my drive train to be covered with frozen snow. It seemed to function well after the crust broke. The ride home was in a snow shower but it wasn’t terrible. I am always concerned about drivers when snow or other conditions might distract them but the commute went fine.

This morning, it was 13^o when I left for campus. It was sunny but windy. I wasn’t cold except for my hands but they weren’t as cold as last week. I tried a different pair of gloves. This evening’s commute was cold but I was glad for the chance to be riding outside.

Interesting thing happened on the way home. I stopped for the light at College Mall and Moore’s Pike. While waiting my turn behind 6 cars, a bicyclist passed me and rode to the front of the line. After the light changed, I figured that I should catch up to him so there weren’t 2 bikes 15-30 yards apart and causing problems for cars on the narrow part of Sare Rd. He wasn’t riding as fast as I was, so he slowed traffic. As a result, a car was caught beside me and had to drive partially in the other lane. Even worse, as the cars slowed for him, I didn’t so I was going faster than the cars and creating more problems. A bad situation. If he had waited in line, he would have done the right thing, and we could have travelled the narrow road together for more safety. Oh, well.

Tonight, snow is predicted, so I guess that I might not ride again for a couple days.  

 I rode outside only two days this week. Monday, I commuted to campus. It was 12^o when I left home. When I started up the street, I noticed that my chain and cogs were completely rusty. The last time I rode, it was muddy and wet and I forgot to clean the bike. Also, my front tire had little air. I forget about maintenance when I don’t ride often.

The low air was a benefit in a way. Gravity usually takes me up to about 27 mph going down the hill on Sare Rd. Monday, I reached only 20 mph. It was so cold that I was grateful to go slower.

I was warm riding in with a sweater and a windbreaker. But, my hands got cold after 2 miles. The third mile really made them cold. When I got to campus, I struggled to make the cable and lock work in the cold and with cold hands.

I also commuted to campus on Saturday. It was a nice day, so I was happy for another chance to ride to work. The rest of the week, the road conditions were not so good or I had commitments that required a car.

As usual, I rode on a trainer most mornings. So, my bicycling is doing fine, even if my riding isn’t.

This coming week looks like more of the same. Wet weather predicted for tomorrow. It’s possible to ride through the winter in Bloomington because it rarely gets too cold but the wet, cold weather makes riding on the busy roads a bit challenging.

 This week was reasonably good far for commuting. I was able to commute Monday - Wednesday. Today, the snow was too wet. Tuesday, however, I had to transport the bike home. When I got to a stop light about 1.5 miles from home, my rear brake would not work. Squeezing it felt like on the cables were moving and the calipers were stuck. I checked to sure the brakes weren’t rubbing and continued to work.

When I got to work, I tried to diagnose the problem. Almost immediately, the brake cable went limp and I couldn’t seem to fix it. It was about 20^o, so I decided that it would be better to fix it at home. My wife picked me and the bike up on her way home from work. When I got the bike into the garage and re-strung the brake, it worked fine.

Wednesday, a similar problem occurred on the commute to work but I decided not to be concerned about it. Going home, the brake worked fine. I guess the problem is related to the cold weather. I need to stop by the Bike Garage and ask them about it.

Mitch Rice, a fellow Bloomington biking blogger, wrote an article for the IU News Room that describes his winter commuting - Bike Riding, Weather or Not. I recommend it.  

Mitch is more likely to ride on wet days than I am. I don’t mind the wet much but the possibility of frozen fingers on the roads makes me cautious. I can’t remember how many times I said to myself - a body in motion stays in motion - as I crossed an ice patch that I hadn’t seen in time. I generally ride home as the sun is setting and on the shady parts of Sare Rd, the ice causes serious concerns.  

So far this year, I’ve been fairly active even though I haven’t been out on the bike often. I rode the trainer or ran 5 days each week. This year, I decided I needed to be more flexible, so I started doing yoga. It’s harder than I thought but I’m starting to see some benefits. I hope that when biking season starts, I am better able to look behind me and that my leg muscles are more flexible.

Enjoying all the weather but looking forward to the warmer, sunny days.

 Today was the first commute on my bike for what I guess might be almost a month. Some minor health issues, holidays, bad weather, and the need to run errands that couldn’t be done on a bike resulted in a long break from commuting. I think that most years, I have an extended period when I don’t commute. I hope that my regular commuting pattern is back.

Today was relatively pleasant. I had sun and mild temperatures both directions. Got home just at sundown. Any day on a bike for a few miles is a good day.

 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.