Bicycling in Bloomington

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

I hoped to do a mountain bike ride in Brown County State Park on Sunday, but the pervasive Bloomington rain prevented it. Saturday morning was rainy but late morning and all afternoon were bright, sunny, and warm. When I got home from work on Saturday, I adjusted the mountain bike for off-road (dropped the seat and lowered tire pressures). Saturday evening, I went to a show at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater. During the show, the lights went off and on and it wasn’t part of the light show. Various booms were heard that were not part of the music. A very strong storm came through. No mountain biking.

Sunday morning was cool, crisp, and sunny. It was my first ride of a route I did a few times last year - 45,  Bethel, Boltinghouse, Old 37, Anderson, through the Morgan Monroe Forest, Old 37, Chambers, Dittemore, Bottom, and home through town.

The roads were fairly dirty with a lot of blow-down. Broken branches blocked at least 1/2 of the road in 5 places. It was a day when riding into corners or shadows called for caution.

The pace was fairly good based on how little riding I’ve done this year. At Kinser Pike and the Bypass, the average was 15.3 (~37 miles). It was 15.0 when I got home (42.7 miles). From the Bypass to home, almost every corner seems to have stop sign or traffic light.

The hill in the Forest seemed a lot steeper than last year. All hills seem to require more than I did at the end of last year. I measured by my heart rate at the top which was consistently in upper 140s to low 150s on the big hills.

Little traffic as usual. Three pickups passed me on 45. From Bethel through to end of Bottom, 3 cars passed me. The county roads on Sunday morning are a bicyclist’s pleasure.

When I’m riding alone, I don’t shift often. I categorize my climbs sorta like the Tour, based on the rear cog. I generally ride in the 6 cog (I’ve never counted the teeth). There are two 4 hills on Anderson, the Forest hill and Old 37 are category 2. Climbing from Bottom to 37 is a category 3. I don’t think I shifted 10 times during the ride.

The rain prevented a mountain bike ride but the road ride but the road ride was darn nice, anyway.

July 11, 2008

The OWLS ride earlier this week was mostly on roads that I ride regularly except for the Leonard Springs. The ride was pleasant and challenging. Rockport Rd is always a challenge with its rolling hills. (I reported on ride last year on Rockport Rd.) The hills are just as steep this year.

The group is always pleasant. Light banter. Pace varies but is never too hard or too easy. Tonight’s ride was mostly on low traffic roads so side by side riding was possible. The pace was a little slower but Rockport seems to slow the pace substantially.

I’m starting to learn more about how to ride in groups. I haven’t yet figured out how to maintain a pace that is equal to others. I seem to brake more than others. I also don’t yet know the norms about stopping at stop signs. Sometimes we seem to stop and gather, sometimes part of the group goes through without much of a stop. It will come to me after a few more rides.

Weekly Riding

I seem to be developing a pattern - longer ride on Sunday morning, OWLS on Tuesday evening, and easy ride Thursday morning. Along with runs on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday, it’s a good exercise pattern.

I have not commuted this week - rain, tight schedule, errands, and a trip have prevented it. I hope to start again next week.

Mountain Biking

It’s been dry for a couple days so this evening (Friday), I started to plan for a trip to Brown County for mountain biking on Sunday. Then, I looked at the forecast. It looks unlikely again because rain is predicted for tomorrow. It seems like I won’t get out this summer.

The weather in Bloomington this year has been exceptionally wet. It’s often annoying to miss a ride or commute because of the weather. It is even more annoying to not be able to mountain bike.

July 4, 2008

July 4 and more rain. I’ve had two sorta traditions on July 4. When I was in State College PA, I had a 60 mile ride that I did on July 4. That was (by far) my long ride for the year. For a couple years in Bloomington, I did a mountain bike ride (including one in Brown County State Park) on July 4. This year, I ran because of the rain.

It was raining when I left around 9 AM. I ran a loop that took me to two sites in small nearby forests. The first set of trails was near Jackson Creek School. I’ve written previously about the too-challenging off-road route that runs through it. I wanted to see how muddy it was to get a sense of what the other off-road trails might look like. It was fairly muddy.

I then went through Sherwood Oaks to near the YMCA. When I first arrived in Bloomington, I would often run in the Winslow Woods trails. About 12 years ago, part of the woods was developed and I stopped running in it. Today I tried it again and it was a lot of fun. It would be a nice easy off-road bike course, too. I don’t think the mountain bike riders have discovered it because I did not see any chainring marks on the trunks that cross the paths.

It was raining when I started, slowed through most of the run. When I was in Winslow Woods, the rain started heavily. As I left, I heard thunder. I ran hard to get home.

Two things I remembered:

• Bloomington is the only place I’ve lived where I did not have easy access to long running trails in the woods. Every other place, I could go into the woods within a mile of my residence.
• Catching one’s breath after running really feels good; better than a recovery on a bike. When I got home after pushing hard, I felt good as I recovered.

The twisty stuff without roads are the trails. I’d guess that I ran more than the mileage because I was on each trail for awhile.

Yesterday, I did a short ride before the rain. I rode on the nearby streets somewhat similar to the run. I got wet but not soaked by the time I got home.

Rain, rain go away. I don’t want to run another day. I really want to go mountain biking.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

 The Little 5 bicycle races are part of what make bicycling in Bloomington interesting. I’ve attended the Little 5 mens and womens races just about every year since 1988. The Little 5 weekend is my favorite sports weekend in Bloomington. This year, the race was more interesting for a couple reasons.

Barack Obama appeared at the womens race on Friday afternoon. He arrived just prior to the race and stayed through a few laps. I attended the race with my wife and my daughter and her family. Everyone except me shook his hand. It was very exciting for my granddaughter to shake his hand.

 The mens race was interesting for the weather. The Little 5 was held a weekend earlier than usual this year. The temperature Saturday was in the mid-40s with an occasional shower and even a little snow blew through. It was the coldest Little 5 I’ve attended; more like a mid-November football game.

Both races were similar to other years. About 1/2 way though, a small number of teams that might win had clustered together. And, for both races, in the last five laps, one rider “broke away” from the others and won easily. Delta Gamma won the womens race; the Cutters won the mens race.

I did little cycling last week - just a few commutes. The weekend weather kept me inside spinning. The weather will improve this week and I should get to ride more.

 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.