I thought about writing today about how awesome my rides were this weekend - a 25 mi ride averaging 17+ mph (which is fast for me) and a 39 mile ride w/ lots of hills and fighting the wind. But, something better happened yesterday.
On Saturday, I was talking w/ my 21 y.o. step-son about going for a bike ride. He is interested in biking to add some aerobic work to his routine. He's going to be using my old Schwinn. We decided to do a ride Sunday morning. My 9 y.o. daughter wanted to join us. Sunday morning started with coffee, the paper, and the previous day's stage of the Tour of California. As others woke up, we made breakfast (waffles, from scratch) and started getting ready.
At 10:00 the three of us headed out to the garage to get the bikes ready and head out. I was on DB, my commuter bike, Olivia was on the trailer bike attached to DB, and Ryan on the Schwinn. We had a great ride! It wasn't the fastest, but we had fun. We went about 5-3/4 miles in town. I was real happy that Olivia wanted to go along.
She enjoys riding with me and likes it when I pick her from school using the bike too.
After we returned home, I switched bikes to my road bike and Ryan I took off again. We rode together for about 4 miles before he pealed off to head home. I'm glad he rode, too. He seemed to like it. So, maybe there are a couple more people in the family who are Loving The Bike.
My tales from the saddle of my bike, starting with preparing for my first *big* ride - the 2010 RAGBRAI. Now, I'm trying to make cycling a regular part of my life.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Been too long...
Well, it has been an interesting, but not especially productive month since my last post. For those of you hanging with baited breath for this next post, sorry for the delay. Raise your hand if that includes you... Bueller... Bueller... Bueller. Ok, for everyone else (basically, everyone), here it is anyway....
When I last left you, I had just completed a 40-mile ride and was looking forward to the Feed the Need Ride in SW WI. I had signed up for the 75K ride (just under 50 miles), and the weather was not looking too friendly. Turns out there were only a few riders scheduled (less than 40). When the organizers surveyed riders about cancelling due to the weather (predicted snow), 90% said they would cancel. So the Feed the Need Ride was cancelled.
That didn't happen though two weeks later. Both the LaCrosse (WI) Fitness Festival ride and the Minnesota Gran Fondo (MGF) went off on schedule.
Though the weather conditions were not much better than they were earlier in April.
For the Saturday ride (April 30) in LaCrosse, the temps were in the 40s and it rained. It was a 32 mile ride that I completed in just over two hours. The rain didn't start until the second hour of the ride. By then, I was warmed up enough that the rain wasn't too bad.
The one downside of the ride was the feeling I got that the ride was an after-thought. Parts of the course weren't marked very well, particularly in town itself. In addition, riders returning from the 32-mile course were arriving at the same time as the 5K run/walk was going on. A 5K run only takes about 15 minutes, and this event could have been scheduled to start at 8:00 instead of 9:00. Or the bikes could've started at 8:00 instead of 7:00.
From LaCrosse, I followed Hwy 61 north to the Twin Cities for the MGF. Check in was on Saturday at the State Fairgrounds in St Paul at the Minnesota Bike Expo. At the Expo I got meet Jeff, another member of the Groucho Sports team. Another great guy! (No surprise.) They also had a sample Loving The Bike kit there. It looks even better than I had imagined it. A pre-sale order has been placed and it will be generally available here starting in June.
I spent the night at my brother's (Thanks Chuck!), before heading out to Lakeville, MN for the ride. For the ride, I signed up for the timed ride, the Gran Fondo. We lined up at 7:30 and had an escort out of town. The 68-mile ride went west for about 23 miles to Jordan, before tunring south and east to Lonsdale. From there, we traveled north and east back to Lakeville.
The weather that day was 34 when we started at 7:30. By the time I rolled back into Lakeville, it had warmed up to 37. The cold, though, wasn't the issue, it was the wind. The wind speed was in the 20-25 mph range, gusting to 35 (at least that's the data from MSP airport, 20 miles north - it may have been higher out in the open farm country). And it was coming straight out of the west. In other words, for the first third of the route, we were riding into the teeth of a difficult headwind.
It. Was. Nasty.
I actually contemplated giving up and SAGging back to the start/finish. Quitting. My feet were cold and I felt like I was dragging a parachute. Staying to the right, I jealously watched other riders pass me on the left, cutting through the wind like a hot knife through butter. (Or so I thought.)
I pulled over at a church to get out of the wind, collect myself and munch on a granola bar. After a few minutes of rest, I clipped back in and pushed on towards Jordan. I was as glad to arrive there as I was at Quasky on Day 6 of RAGBRAI last year. It took 2:15 for me to cover the 23 miles. A distance I normally cover in 1:30. I was cold. I was tired. I was sore. I was relieved to be there. I rested for 20 minutes or so, grabbing some snacks to refuel on and using the facilities.
I will say that the ride organizers and the local community did a FABULOUS job with the rest stop! Thanks for your hospitality, Jordan HS!
Despite turning south, the wind was still a nasty element for much of the rest of the day - at least the parts where we were peddling south and north. Going east was, understandably, pretty darned nice. The crosswinds though were difficult to ride in. I rode the 22 miles to Lonsdale in just under 1:30. At the rest stop there, they had a wide assortment of snacks, plus pasta! I wasn't planning on eating there, but it was good. In retrospect, a protein would have been a better option, but the pasta was pretty good.
From Lonsdale, we rode north and east back to Lakeville. As we entered town, I was caught at a red light with a few other riders. One said he'd let us go first up the hill as he was struggling. I didn't believe him. But as we took off, I turned to someone riding with him and said I was jealous of their ability to cut through the wind. He responded that it was tough for them too. That made me feel a little better. And gave me a boost of adrenaline that I used to try to and keep up with a couple of these more fit riders. A well placed red light helped with that. But I did ok on those closing miles.
I covered the last 23 miles in 1:26 and arrived back at the start/finish 6:20 after I left. I was 134th in time (which included the stop time at the rest areas). Out of 165. Bottom 20%. Ok, I knew I didn't have a good ride. That confirms it. Guess Team Radio Shack won't be calling anytime soon.
But, I completed the 68 miles. I made it back to Lakeville. On my own. I didn't quit. I didn't SAG. I made it. And here I am back at Lakeville North HS:
The next rides I want to do are a 75-mile ride in Milwaukee (Miller LiIte Ride for the Arts) on 6/5 and a 50-mile ride in July for the Boys and Girls Club in Madison. Until then, I need to get on my bike more. While I have been riding my commute bike 9 mi/day, I haven't logged any miles on the road bike since the MGF. Time to ride!
When I last left you, I had just completed a 40-mile ride and was looking forward to the Feed the Need Ride in SW WI. I had signed up for the 75K ride (just under 50 miles), and the weather was not looking too friendly. Turns out there were only a few riders scheduled (less than 40). When the organizers surveyed riders about cancelling due to the weather (predicted snow), 90% said they would cancel. So the Feed the Need Ride was cancelled.
That didn't happen though two weeks later. Both the LaCrosse (WI) Fitness Festival ride and the Minnesota Gran Fondo (MGF) went off on schedule.
Though the weather conditions were not much better than they were earlier in April.
For the Saturday ride (April 30) in LaCrosse, the temps were in the 40s and it rained. It was a 32 mile ride that I completed in just over two hours. The rain didn't start until the second hour of the ride. By then, I was warmed up enough that the rain wasn't too bad.
The one downside of the ride was the feeling I got that the ride was an after-thought. Parts of the course weren't marked very well, particularly in town itself. In addition, riders returning from the 32-mile course were arriving at the same time as the 5K run/walk was going on. A 5K run only takes about 15 minutes, and this event could have been scheduled to start at 8:00 instead of 9:00. Or the bikes could've started at 8:00 instead of 7:00.
From LaCrosse, I followed Hwy 61 north to the Twin Cities for the MGF. Check in was on Saturday at the State Fairgrounds in St Paul at the Minnesota Bike Expo. At the Expo I got meet Jeff, another member of the Groucho Sports team. Another great guy! (No surprise.) They also had a sample Loving The Bike kit there. It looks even better than I had imagined it. A pre-sale order has been placed and it will be generally available here starting in June.
I spent the night at my brother's (Thanks Chuck!), before heading out to Lakeville, MN for the ride. For the ride, I signed up for the timed ride, the Gran Fondo. We lined up at 7:30 and had an escort out of town. The 68-mile ride went west for about 23 miles to Jordan, before tunring south and east to Lonsdale. From there, we traveled north and east back to Lakeville.
The weather that day was 34 when we started at 7:30. By the time I rolled back into Lakeville, it had warmed up to 37. The cold, though, wasn't the issue, it was the wind. The wind speed was in the 20-25 mph range, gusting to 35 (at least that's the data from MSP airport, 20 miles north - it may have been higher out in the open farm country). And it was coming straight out of the west. In other words, for the first third of the route, we were riding into the teeth of a difficult headwind.
It. Was. Nasty.
I actually contemplated giving up and SAGging back to the start/finish. Quitting. My feet were cold and I felt like I was dragging a parachute. Staying to the right, I jealously watched other riders pass me on the left, cutting through the wind like a hot knife through butter. (Or so I thought.)
I pulled over at a church to get out of the wind, collect myself and munch on a granola bar. After a few minutes of rest, I clipped back in and pushed on towards Jordan. I was as glad to arrive there as I was at Quasky on Day 6 of RAGBRAI last year. It took 2:15 for me to cover the 23 miles. A distance I normally cover in 1:30. I was cold. I was tired. I was sore. I was relieved to be there. I rested for 20 minutes or so, grabbing some snacks to refuel on and using the facilities.
I will say that the ride organizers and the local community did a FABULOUS job with the rest stop! Thanks for your hospitality, Jordan HS!
Despite turning south, the wind was still a nasty element for much of the rest of the day - at least the parts where we were peddling south and north. Going east was, understandably, pretty darned nice. The crosswinds though were difficult to ride in. I rode the 22 miles to Lonsdale in just under 1:30. At the rest stop there, they had a wide assortment of snacks, plus pasta! I wasn't planning on eating there, but it was good. In retrospect, a protein would have been a better option, but the pasta was pretty good.
From Lonsdale, we rode north and east back to Lakeville. As we entered town, I was caught at a red light with a few other riders. One said he'd let us go first up the hill as he was struggling. I didn't believe him. But as we took off, I turned to someone riding with him and said I was jealous of their ability to cut through the wind. He responded that it was tough for them too. That made me feel a little better. And gave me a boost of adrenaline that I used to try to and keep up with a couple of these more fit riders. A well placed red light helped with that. But I did ok on those closing miles.
I covered the last 23 miles in 1:26 and arrived back at the start/finish 6:20 after I left. I was 134th in time (which included the stop time at the rest areas). Out of 165. Bottom 20%. Ok, I knew I didn't have a good ride. That confirms it. Guess Team Radio Shack won't be calling anytime soon.
But, I completed the 68 miles. I made it back to Lakeville. On my own. I didn't quit. I didn't SAG. I made it. And here I am back at Lakeville North HS:
The next rides I want to do are a 75-mile ride in Milwaukee (Miller LiIte Ride for the Arts) on 6/5 and a 50-mile ride in July for the Boys and Girls Club in Madison. Until then, I need to get on my bike more. While I have been riding my commute bike 9 mi/day, I haven't logged any miles on the road bike since the MGF. Time to ride!
Monday, April 11, 2011
Odds and Ends
Last week I was successful in climbing into the saddle each day. It was a good week for commuting for the three days I was in the office. I was out sick on Wednesday, but by the end of day, felt well enough to ride a couple miles. On Friday was at a conference, but hit the fitness room at the hotel for 45 minutes on the stationary bike. I capped the week off with two great rides this past weekend.
On Saturday, I rode almost twice as far as I had all year. I went 39.35 miles in just under 2-3/4 hours with a couple of decent climbs. The day was cooler than predicted and overcast. I let the bike decide where to go, and by the first 1/2 mile had already gone a different direction than I was thinking I would when I saddled up. From Waunakee, I ended up riding through Cross Plains to County Hwy S back to Madison. Heading south of of Cross Plains on Cty P was the first big (relative to the any others to date this year) was ahead. When I reached the top, I was smiling from ear to ear. Felt GREAT to conquer the hill. After coming back down the other side, I turned to head east to Madison. I wasn't sure where I'd come into town, but I knew I'd get there. Just over 6 miles later, I arrived at the strip malls and mega-churches. I turned north and let the tailwind push back to Waunakee.
On Sunday, the air had warmed into the upper 70s but the wind had kicked up from the S-SW. Of the almost 27 miles I rode, about 11 were into the wind and only 7 had it at my back. And at 6'1", 225, my body acts like a sail when I have a tailwind, but a parachute when riding into it. This explains why my average speed was under 15 for the ride.
On another note, THE #BIKESCHOOL JERSEYS ARE HERE! THE #BIKESCHOOL JERSEYS ARE HERE!
These are the ones that I designed with the help of some twitter friends and the good people at Groucho Sports. The jerseys can be ordered here if you are interested. This is really exciting to see my vision come to life as a jersey. And it's for a great cause! Part of the profits go to the World Bicycle Relief. A $114 donation was made just from the pre-order.
At some point soon (I hope), the Loving The Bike jersey and shorts will be on sale. And a third design may see the light of day too. This one for #30DaysOfBiking.
Though it is likely that if this one is made it will be different from this. (Though I love this one!)
Anyway, this coming Saturday is the Feed the Need ride in SW WI to raise money for food pantries in that part of the state. I signed up for the 75 kilometer (about 46.6 mi) ride. Having just done almost 40 a couple days ago, I am more confident about this ride. Though I did look at the profile today, and there are four Cat-5 hills to climb. But, I'd rather have hills to climb than wind to cut through. Hopefully the weather will be better than what is currently in the forecast - overnight low of 24, high of 44, with some... SNOW! Not sure I'll be showing off the #bikeschool jersey. But I'll be wearing it.
Have an incredible week! Thanks for reading. Comments welcome.
On Saturday, I rode almost twice as far as I had all year. I went 39.35 miles in just under 2-3/4 hours with a couple of decent climbs. The day was cooler than predicted and overcast. I let the bike decide where to go, and by the first 1/2 mile had already gone a different direction than I was thinking I would when I saddled up. From Waunakee, I ended up riding through Cross Plains to County Hwy S back to Madison. Heading south of of Cross Plains on Cty P was the first big (relative to the any others to date this year) was ahead. When I reached the top, I was smiling from ear to ear. Felt GREAT to conquer the hill. After coming back down the other side, I turned to head east to Madison. I wasn't sure where I'd come into town, but I knew I'd get there. Just over 6 miles later, I arrived at the strip malls and mega-churches. I turned north and let the tailwind push back to Waunakee.
On Sunday, the air had warmed into the upper 70s but the wind had kicked up from the S-SW. Of the almost 27 miles I rode, about 11 were into the wind and only 7 had it at my back. And at 6'1", 225, my body acts like a sail when I have a tailwind, but a parachute when riding into it. This explains why my average speed was under 15 for the ride.
On another note, THE #BIKESCHOOL JERSEYS ARE HERE! THE #BIKESCHOOL JERSEYS ARE HERE!
These are the ones that I designed with the help of some twitter friends and the good people at Groucho Sports. The jerseys can be ordered here if you are interested. This is really exciting to see my vision come to life as a jersey. And it's for a great cause! Part of the profits go to the World Bicycle Relief. A $114 donation was made just from the pre-order.
At some point soon (I hope), the Loving The Bike jersey and shorts will be on sale. And a third design may see the light of day too. This one for #30DaysOfBiking.
Though it is likely that if this one is made it will be different from this. (Though I love this one!)
Anyway, this coming Saturday is the Feed the Need ride in SW WI to raise money for food pantries in that part of the state. I signed up for the 75 kilometer (about 46.6 mi) ride. Having just done almost 40 a couple days ago, I am more confident about this ride. Though I did look at the profile today, and there are four Cat-5 hills to climb. But, I'd rather have hills to climb than wind to cut through. Hopefully the weather will be better than what is currently in the forecast - overnight low of 24, high of 44, with some... SNOW! Not sure I'll be showing off the #bikeschool jersey. But I'll be wearing it.
Have an incredible week! Thanks for reading. Comments welcome.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
#30DaysOfBiking
April is the month for 30 days of biking! Or so a couple guys (Patrick and Zach) from the Twin Cities want you to believe. Through Twitter, they have spread the word. And this year (it's second), over 1700 people worldwide (87 countries are represented!) agree with them and have registered to commit to riding their bike at least once a day. Then, you're supposed to tweet, post on facebook, or write a blog post about your day.
The 30days website is a celebration of riding and tweeting. The home page tracks all tweets with the #30daysofbiking hashtag flying around the internets. Patrick reported earlier today that over 100 tweets per hour are coming through.
Today, April 5th is (obviously) the 5th day of the challenge. and I am 5 for 5 so far. As I have been doing pretty much every day since I started my new job in Madison in Feruary, I have been riding my bike part way to work and back. (The scheduling to get the daughter to school and still get to work on time isn't working with riding all the way in. Of course, the weather hasn't been conducive to it either.... I know, excuses, excuses.) So, I am driving into Madison, parking then riding the rest of the way. For now.
This past Saturday, I was able to log in a "real" ride of more than hour, covering 16.7 miles. It was a real good ride. A bit of wind, but a gorgeous day and it was wonderful being on the bike. Making progress towards being ready for those rides I signed up for.
On Sunday, I had hoped to get in a long ride again that day - after all I am trying to get ready for a 75K (46.6 mi) that I signed up for... and is happening in less than two weeks! But the day was spent with the family! And there are NO regrets about that. So, when it was time to run to the grocery store, I hopped on DB (the bike I use to commute to work on) and off we went. The new trunk bag worked out great for hauling a few things back.
It doesn't matter if it's around the block, to the store and back, commuting to work or school, training for upcoming rides or professional racing. Just get on the bike! I am and I love it.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Spring Rides
So I'm looking at the calendar trying to figure out when and where I can ride an organized ride that isn't too far away. There are three coming up in the next 6-1/2 weeks that I am really interested in. Two are on the same weekend (4/30 and 5/1).
The first is a charity ride, Feed the Need Ride, raising funds for local food pantries in SW WI. That part of the state has always struggled economically for as long as I can remember. (I grew up in Dbq, IA which is just across the Mississippi River from this region.) So, this is a great cause. There's a 12-mi family ride option, two 50K rides (morning and afternoon - or you can do both!), 75K, 100K, or a 150K. I am thinking I'll sign up for the 75K ride.
The next ride is a part of LaCrosse Fitness Festival the weekend of April 29-May1. In addition to a marathon, half-marathon, and cycling criterium, there is also a bike tour of the Coulee Region on Saturday of the weekend, with 32 and 62 mile options. The website describes the rides as "a liesure, noncompetitive, untimed event." But goes on to describe the 62-mi route as having "rolling hills and a few major climbs. Incredible scenery and great cycling for the experienced rider!" I am torn. I would like to do the 62, but...
The next day is the Minnesota Ironman Bicycle Ride and Minnesota Gran Fondo (MGF). The Gran Fondo is a timed ride, with 68 and 100 mile options. The riders ride the same course as those doing the untimed Ironman Ride. The Ironman also has 17 and 30 mile options. There is a limited number of riders for the MGF, but if I can't get in that, I can still ride the Ironman. The only difference is the timing mechanism. And the reg fees for the MGF include the jersey. The Ironman jersey is sold separately (and I might not buy it - not a great design, imo).
I could do a 62-mi ride in LaCrosse on Saturday and a timed 100-miler on Sunday if I were back in RAGBRAI shape. But, I'm not. Right now, I'm riding 3-miles twice a day during the week and getting in a 12-15 mile ride in on the weekend.
If I didn't have other commitments after-work, maybe I could devote more time to riding a couple/few hours each day and take longer rides on the weekends and it wouldn't be a problem. But, I don't know if I can get enough serious ride time in to be ready for a 100K and a 100-mi on consecutive days.
What do you think?
a) 62-mi in LaCrosse + 100-mi MGF,
b) 32-mi in LaCrosse + 100-mi MGF,
c) 62-mi in LaCrosse + 68-mi MGF, or
d) 32-mi in LaCrosse + 68-mi MGF?
If I were to be conservative, I would (and maybe should) choose D. I would like to choose A, but don't seriously think I'll be ready in time. What would you do?
Later in the spring, on Sunday, June 5, I'll be in Milwaukee for the Miller Arts Ride for the Arts pedaling the 75-mi route. I know I can be ready for that!
If you are in the neighborhood of any of these rides and want to meet up, follow the links above and let me know. I'd love to ride w/ you. Or at least watch you ride away from me.
The first is a charity ride, Feed the Need Ride, raising funds for local food pantries in SW WI. That part of the state has always struggled economically for as long as I can remember. (I grew up in Dbq, IA which is just across the Mississippi River from this region.) So, this is a great cause. There's a 12-mi family ride option, two 50K rides (morning and afternoon - or you can do both!), 75K, 100K, or a 150K. I am thinking I'll sign up for the 75K ride.
The next ride is a part of LaCrosse Fitness Festival the weekend of April 29-May1. In addition to a marathon, half-marathon, and cycling criterium, there is also a bike tour of the Coulee Region on Saturday of the weekend, with 32 and 62 mile options. The website describes the rides as "a liesure, noncompetitive, untimed event." But goes on to describe the 62-mi route as having "rolling hills and a few major climbs. Incredible scenery and great cycling for the experienced rider!" I am torn. I would like to do the 62, but...
The next day is the Minnesota Ironman Bicycle Ride and Minnesota Gran Fondo (MGF). The Gran Fondo is a timed ride, with 68 and 100 mile options. The riders ride the same course as those doing the untimed Ironman Ride. The Ironman also has 17 and 30 mile options. There is a limited number of riders for the MGF, but if I can't get in that, I can still ride the Ironman. The only difference is the timing mechanism. And the reg fees for the MGF include the jersey. The Ironman jersey is sold separately (and I might not buy it - not a great design, imo).
I could do a 62-mi ride in LaCrosse on Saturday and a timed 100-miler on Sunday if I were back in RAGBRAI shape. But, I'm not. Right now, I'm riding 3-miles twice a day during the week and getting in a 12-15 mile ride in on the weekend.
If I didn't have other commitments after-work, maybe I could devote more time to riding a couple/few hours each day and take longer rides on the weekends and it wouldn't be a problem. But, I don't know if I can get enough serious ride time in to be ready for a 100K and a 100-mi on consecutive days.
What do you think?
a) 62-mi in LaCrosse + 100-mi MGF,
b) 32-mi in LaCrosse + 100-mi MGF,
c) 62-mi in LaCrosse + 68-mi MGF, or
d) 32-mi in LaCrosse + 68-mi MGF?
If I were to be conservative, I would (and maybe should) choose D. I would like to choose A, but don't seriously think I'll be ready in time. What would you do?
Later in the spring, on Sunday, June 5, I'll be in Milwaukee for the Miller Arts Ride for the Arts pedaling the 75-mi route. I know I can be ready for that!
If you are in the neighborhood of any of these rides and want to meet up, follow the links above and let me know. I'd love to ride w/ you. Or at least watch you ride away from me.
Monday, March 14, 2011
The Advent of Spring!
Sometime in the middle of night we lost an hour this past Saturday. If you went to bed at 11pm and got 8 hours of sleep, you woke up at 8am. I've been mulling this antiquated change over the last couple days and haven't reached a conclusion about it. One thing's certain, the change in chronography has harkened the start of spring, with the "longer" days and all.
Temperatures have been climbing as well. After an overnight low of 19, it climbed to 45 this afternoon. (Tomorrow, it's supposed to hit 50 and by the end of the week it should get up to 60!) This creates a challenge for bike commuters. Clothing required for temps in the low 20s are dramatically different from what's needed in the mid 40s. Today, when I got back to the car, I was sweating pretty heavily, in my Columbia coat and two layers on my legs.
So, it seems clear, this is the advent of spring. The snow is melting. They days *are* getting longer. The air is warming up. It's a pleasure to ride any time, but the spring time is especially nice.
I am happy to report that last week, I did ride 5 of 7 days (4 of 5 park-n-cycling to work + a ride over the weekend). And I love how I feel when I finish even the short rides. The adrenaline... and the endorphines... have kicked in. It feels great. I'm loving life and #lovingthebike.
And here is the bike I use on the commute. Meet DB:
Just added the fenders this week - a good thing, with the melting snow. Next up a rear rack and panniers, so I don't have to sling a messenger bag over my shoulder.
Something like these would be perfect - and they're only about 25 bucks!
Are you ready to ride this spring? If you are, keep the rubber side down! If not, I encourage you to dig the bike out of the garage and tune it up. Spring is here! Happy cycling!
Temperatures have been climbing as well. After an overnight low of 19, it climbed to 45 this afternoon. (Tomorrow, it's supposed to hit 50 and by the end of the week it should get up to 60!) This creates a challenge for bike commuters. Clothing required for temps in the low 20s are dramatically different from what's needed in the mid 40s. Today, when I got back to the car, I was sweating pretty heavily, in my Columbia coat and two layers on my legs.
So, it seems clear, this is the advent of spring. The snow is melting. They days *are* getting longer. The air is warming up. It's a pleasure to ride any time, but the spring time is especially nice.
I am happy to report that last week, I did ride 5 of 7 days (4 of 5 park-n-cycling to work + a ride over the weekend). And I love how I feel when I finish even the short rides. The adrenaline... and the endorphines... have kicked in. It feels great. I'm loving life and #lovingthebike.
And here is the bike I use on the commute. Meet DB:
Just added the fenders this week - a good thing, with the melting snow. Next up a rear rack and panniers, so I don't have to sling a messenger bag over my shoulder.
Something like these would be perfect - and they're only about 25 bucks!
Are you ready to ride this spring? If you are, keep the rubber side down! If not, I encourage you to dig the bike out of the garage and tune it up. Spring is here! Happy cycling!
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