So week two of the Bike to work program is here. Today's trip went about 5 min faster than the last one. This was due to a couple of things. Firstly since I left 30 min earlier than before, some of the traffic was less than before, so I didn't have to wait at some unlighted intersections as long as I had to last week.
Secondly, I did a better job of pacing myself and recovering from hill climbs. I cannot stress enough the importance of pacing. So fo example, I did not pedal down hills this time. This conserved energy for the final hill. I'm not going faster than 30 MPH so, it make little sense to pedal when I'm already moving at 26 or so MPH.
lastly is proper cadence control. a lot of people, including myself often use too hard a gear for going uphill. They put a lot of stress on their knees and legs pushing a hard gear. Instead i is better to get a good cadence going that allows you to maintain a decent speed with decent turnover where you're not fighting the bike and gravity.
On a closing noteI have to say that there are some really rude people on the road. It's not cool to put the nose of your car into an intersection when a bike is approaching. It's scary and it pisses me off. Also, check your mirrors when pulling out of parking spots. You should assume that the bike is moving faster than you think it it's moving. In most unrban settngs we can hit the posted speed limits.
I think next week I will start doing this twice weekly. I will need to get a portable fridge for my office because sports drinks from vending machines are pricey.
Showing posts with label Bike to work. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bike to work. Show all posts
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Friday, May 30, 2008
Bike To Work
And so today marks day one of my summer bike to work saga.
Last year I wanted to bike to work, but two thinigs stopped that. First and foremost my office was, at the time far away from any lockerroom with a shower. There was no way I was going to stop at the gym, change and shower and hen get back on the bike and bike anther mile or so to my office and get sweaty again. Nor was I going to go to my office and be smelly all day. Now my office is within walking distance of the gym so it's on.
The trip is 12.5 miles (half my usual weekend ride). It is mostly up hill. with the last portion being entirely up hill. That portion is about .5 miles but it is not good for someone who really doesn't do too much hills. I expect that within the next 3 weeks or so I will be able yo get up the hill without a drink break. The problem is that it is about a half mile from another longer but less steep hill. So all that back to back hill climbing is not good riht now.
We had a little incident this morning though. I went off course to attempt not having to cross a road, when I rn outof road. Apparently some overgrown bushes had cut into the shoulder and rigt beside me was a NJ transit bus. Needless to say I will not be going that way again.
Overall it took me abot 1 hour to make the trip. That is slow by my nomal standards, but then again my normal standards do not include these kinds of hills. I expect to drop these times by end of summer.
Anyway, big props to Maemomapper, GPSlim and a Nokia N800 which I used to map out the route. I will ge the elevation changes a-la-Tour de France.
And for those wondering, this is not an attempt to save on gasoline though by calculations I save at least $4.04 (current price of premium unleaded) per day of biking to work. The plan is for twice weekly trips so the savings on gas work out to bout $10 bucks a week. However, the purchasing of energy food and drink serves to offset some of that savings.
Last year I wanted to bike to work, but two thinigs stopped that. First and foremost my office was, at the time far away from any lockerroom with a shower. There was no way I was going to stop at the gym, change and shower and hen get back on the bike and bike anther mile or so to my office and get sweaty again. Nor was I going to go to my office and be smelly all day. Now my office is within walking distance of the gym so it's on.
The trip is 12.5 miles (half my usual weekend ride). It is mostly up hill. with the last portion being entirely up hill. That portion is about .5 miles but it is not good for someone who really doesn't do too much hills. I expect that within the next 3 weeks or so I will be able yo get up the hill without a drink break. The problem is that it is about a half mile from another longer but less steep hill. So all that back to back hill climbing is not good riht now.
We had a little incident this morning though. I went off course to attempt not having to cross a road, when I rn outof road. Apparently some overgrown bushes had cut into the shoulder and rigt beside me was a NJ transit bus. Needless to say I will not be going that way again.
Overall it took me abot 1 hour to make the trip. That is slow by my nomal standards, but then again my normal standards do not include these kinds of hills. I expect to drop these times by end of summer.
Anyway, big props to Maemomapper, GPSlim and a Nokia N800 which I used to map out the route. I will ge the elevation changes a-la-Tour de France.
And for those wondering, this is not an attempt to save on gasoline though by calculations I save at least $4.04 (current price of premium unleaded) per day of biking to work. The plan is for twice weekly trips so the savings on gas work out to bout $10 bucks a week. However, the purchasing of energy food and drink serves to offset some of that savings.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
