PaddyWagon
PaddyWagon
Originally uploaded by browsermetrics.
First day of the season
About 10 miles in 45 minutes averaging close to 14 mph around my normal, simple route: out to Soldier’s Delight ride around the block. How did it feel?
Boy the working out since Jamuary really made this easy! Looking over my logs from last year and I am running about a mile quicker around the same distance. The hills weren’t bad or tough, and almost didn’t have to be used. I felt like I was using a larger gear.
One thing though was my form was awful. I may be somewhat stronger, I may be somewhat fitter, but my control of my bike was off. Breaking, shifting, and pedaling was off. It’s going to take a few turns to get better.
Being fit also makes 10 miles somewhat easy. I might have to go out for an hour, and that means entering the scary forests. This will be a fun season.
Green and lean
This is nice thing to hear about. Oregon representative Earl Blumenauer introduces some resolution to aid in making bicycling a viable means of transportation in the US.
We need some of this type of stuff so that a)we begin to mitigate our reliance on gasoline, b)we offer ourselves an alternative means of transportation, c) we give ourselves some exercise to win our own fat war, and d)we make nicer communities.
Yo, CapitolSwell! Get to work!
Cycling is your politics
Barack Obama is your new bike. I don’t get it but it has a little to do with cycling. Or at least a bike. And that’s all good.
(via BikeHugger)
Cycling will make you happy
I assure you, my readers, that it will.
I’m not talking about those damned stationary bikes. Those things fixed inside a room are a faux simulation of cycling. They are a means of administering some insidious form of abuse on the mind. Those things will make you really, really sad even if you do get the same endorphin high.
No, cycling in the great out doors will make you happy. If you do it on a busy thoroughfare, I’m sure you won’t be so happy scared about the cars, but you’re much better off than indoors on a stationary bike.
Why?
Remember when you first learned to ride a bike? Remember the thrill keeping it upright. Wobbly at first. Then your pedaling smooths out, the front wheel straightens, and then, you’re cruising! You probably had a wide grin across your face. You probably also squealed. Nothing as delightful as that moment.
So, why aren’t you riding your bike more? You don’t have to ride in the road. Ride around your neighborhood. Ride in the woods out back. Ride the local rail to trail conversion. Just go out and ride.
You’ll like the breeze in your face. You’ll relish the hill to climb, because of the down hill and the speed to come. You’ll enjoy the rush from the exercise. You’ll breathe in the fresh air. You’ll be invigorated. You’ll be happy. I guarantee it.
Let’s go!
Cycle Lift
Sometimes on my bike I wish I had this cycle lift to help me up hills. That’s fucking cool. Of course you find these in a city in Europe. Us Americans don’t need that. We have cars.
Cycling in Copenhagen
When theSeed, CapitolSwell and I were on the infamous cruise of 2001, the first city was Copenhagen, Denmark. One of the first things I noticed about that place was the amount of cyclists on the road. I was surprised to see dedicated bike lanes for them. Later on I find out that Copenhagen is one of the more cycling friendly of world cities.Here's a blog about the cycling culture there: http://cycleliciousness.blogspot.com/.Here's another about the girls over there cycling: http://copenhagengirlsonbikes.blogspot.com/.I'm so envious. What a way to commute! It's probably much better going on a bike to any activity that involves a car. Going to the cine on a bike. Going to a pub. Drunken biking afterwards. Tooling around the city shopping. Then drinking some café au laits. Even in the winter it sounds like fun.I've got to get on my bicycle soon.
Team Slipstream
Here’s a nice little segment from ESPN about the Slipstream Cycling Team. Looks as though ESPN is doing a reality series about them. They’re trying to compete as a clean team. No performance enhancing drugs ever.
That’s pretty noble of them. I think they’ll have it easier this year because of the crack down on banned substances in the sport. So many people are going to be testing, poking, picking and prodding the professional cyclists that it would be ridiculous to be caught using. Or hopefully that would be the case. Seeing the turbulence in the sport these last few years has made me cynical. Was Armstrong tainted? It feels weird and the uncertainty of it all is the worst.
Team Slipstream has a reformed cheater in David Millar. He’s now trying to lead the way for clean riding. He’s a vocal advocate for anything that would make cycling more clean. He freely admits his mistakes and he tries to be a good example of a reformed user. He rides clean and is competitive.
They also have a wonderful kit. I have the first year version of the jersey. They had a contest for this year’s model. It’s argyle as well. I wish they would also sell that. This time I am getting a size bigger. Mine is a tad bit too snug, but this past winter I packed on some pounds. I expect to be blowing apart the seams of that jersey unless I lose some weight.
On The Road: Easton is flat
This sunday I participated in a ride furnished by Atlantic Cycling in Easton, MD. They guaranteed 60 flat miles of cycling. They delivered. And how!
Now if you asked me what type of road courses I like to ride, I would’ve unequivocally said, “flat.” Not for me anymore. Flat courses are crazy boring. I hate riding on my indoor stationary trainer for more than five minutes. Imagine that but for four hours. In the hot sun. On a humid day. Fun but it’ll tax your mental toughness.
I had my bags packed the night before. All I did was wake up and shower as usual for a ride. Then I ate a breakfast of oatmeal and yogurt. I don’t know if that’s the correct fuel for the day, but oatmeal I can stomach. I then put everything in my car and drove the hour and a half to Easton stopping only at McD for coffee and a nature break.
It was already humid there. The skies were threatening to rain, but it didn’t, and the clouds provided welcome umbrage from the blazing sun.
I pedaled off around 8:30 following a group of 20 riders. We coast through Easton blocking traffic until reaching the open roads. The asphalt is nice in this part of the state plus they have dedicated bike lanes.
The group splits up some charging off at about 20 mph and some hanging back at around 14 mph. I lit out on my own at around 17 mph. Can I maintain that pace? No really, but it’s worth a try on such flat roads. The only hill comes on a bridge over a creek. I’m happy to see it and crank up it almost blazing over a slower couple. I pass them on the downhill side going 23 mph!! That’s as fast as I get all day spending the rest of it between 18 mph and 13 mph.
We cross through St. Micheals. I want to stop for some ice cream and look at the antiques.
The first rest stop comes 17 miles in at a Claibourne Landing, a place to put your boats into the bay. I grab water and some Gatorade. Around mile 14 my left calf twitches with the first pangs of cramping. Perhaps the two weeks off the bike before this ride wasn’t such a good idea. I coasted in all worried about cramping, so I drank tons of Gatorade and ate bananas and oranges for their potassium.
I leave the rest area and head towards Tilghmann 10 miles down the road. Being smug I pass some dudes and tried cruising for a decent 18 mph clip. A mile down the road, these dudes pass me after sitting on my tail and realizing I don’t go so fast. They cruise away at perhaps 21 mph and are gone quickly. Another group goes by me. Man does everyone ride at 20+ mph? I suck!
Around this time some other groups of cyclists pass me by on the other side of the road. They must be doing their weekly ride or something. Sadly, no. There’s a U-turn awaiting us before we cross Tilghmann island. It’s another 10 miles back to the rest stop where I load up again on water and Gatorade. Again, before coming in my calf feels all crampy. I tried to stretch it out, but doing so made my right thigh get that cramping feeling. Uh-oh.
There is no final rest stop just the parking lot at the end of the ride. It’s twenty some miles in hot, humid, sunny weather. Will I have enough to drink and to keep this cramp from happening? This leg makes me feel the hell that my brother felt on the last ride in Thurmont. I was wishing for the end. It wasn’t that my legs felt dead like they did during the Civil War Century last year, but that the heat and the tedium of pedaling was getting to me. I have spent more time in the saddle this year, so I have the legs to make it. The cramping part and worrying about it affected my riding. I didn’t feel saddle sore either. That mileage this year has prepared me. Hopefully it would for longer rides.
The best part was the ferry crossing. We got to rest while waiting. The somewhat sea breeze also was refreshing. But still no water. That was had from a general store in Oxford. I get some Gatorade and begin the trek home. Again, I marvel at how smooth the road is. If I could I would’ve been going fast. This part I go about 13 mph. Slow, but still faster than some others. I leave them behind and it’s just me plodding along. I stop for a breather, but push on.
Nearing Easton, I clean myself up to look presentable. I zip my jersey up. My pace quickens. I am traveling around 16 mph when I make it back to the parking lot. Someone asks me, “How was it?” “Brutal,” because of the heat. I cool down while changing. I feel alright, but tired. Not enough sleep and being in the sun exercising will do that.
On my way home, I get stuck in the traffic heading back home from Ocean City. That’s an unfortunate end to this adventure. When I get home, I fall asleep for the rest of the day. I must’ve been really tired. I can’t wait for my next ride.