Well, today was the second time I rode my bike the 26 mile trip to work. Heaps better than the first. Just because I was doing it again. It seems that the more you ride your bike, the more you like riding your bike. It was raining when I woke up at 5, but I kept saying to myself, there are very few perfect days to ride bike, and when one comes along, I'll probably have to take my truck to pick up something or other after work. Everyday I could come up with some pretty good reasons not to ride. Cold, windy, rainy, blah, blah blah. . So, again, Damn the torpedoes, today, we ride.
I took my Allez this morning and what a difference it was. Friday when I rode I took my old Bianchi that I found in the recycling yard. The issue with that bike, is that I haven't even cleaned the chain since I picked it up. I put on some bars, fenders and a rack, but usually if I find a bike, I like to clean and re-pack the bottom bracket, headset, clean the chain everything. I do notice that the Bianchi isn't up to top shape. Going from that to a perfectly tuned race bike the difference is huge. 1 hour 45 minutes on the Bianchi, 1 hour 26 minutes on the Allez. The downside, my arse is much more happy on the Bianchi. Oh well. I was ever so tempted to take the fixie, but I'd like to get a few more commutes on a geared bike while studying my gear-changing frequency. Just to make sure that I'm not going to end up walking half the way.
Again, I couldn't get over the hills. You don't really notice hills when you're driving. Especially with the cruise on and tunes cranking.
Everyone at the office couldn't believe that I've ridden my bike all that way. It's not all that far really. Maybe for a commute, but for a bike ride, no. My wife even said she was expecting a call asking her to come pick me up! I'm thinking that if I ride 3 days a week, 52 miles a day, that would get me into pretty good shape and be a huge boost to my marathon training. More than that, it's a blast.
Ride yer bike.
6 comments:
Good for you, Jerome. Zillions of people around here have a 90+ minute commute, so why not bike for that long? I love coming home and having a beer knowing my workout is done for the day.
Try a good pair of bike shorts if you haven't (baggies are ok if you are modest) if you haven't. They'll help with the sore caboose. Personally, I really don't like to wear cotton undies and pants much, but for my eight miles each way, I'm not going to bother changing. For 26, I would. Oh, and if you aren't used to riding that kind of distance multiple days in a row, don't beat yourself up if you need a break for a few days to recover. I felt beat down after the first four days of my commute because I wasn't in that kind of shape. My mind laughed it off, but my legs had other feelings.
-Ryan
Hey thanks. I think I'm going to look into some cycling shorts. I don't really care about modesty either, there are probably a total of 1 or 2 people that will ever see me off the bike between leaving home and showering at work. I'm drinking a lousy Kokanee(cheep western Canadian beer) right now, wish so bad I had some SNPA, or a Fat tire right about now. Cheers buddy.
I've read about some people that do long miles without cycling shorts, but personally they're a must for me. I forgot my shorts a few weeks ago and ended up wearing cotton underwear underneath my tights. It was very uncomfortable. Not only do you get padding in the right spot, but you get much better moisture management. Spend some money too. I've been very happily using the Pearl Izumi stuff lately.
Like you say...it's best to stick with it. I've been having a hard time getting back into my commute. It's not the ride so much as the hwy traffic. Once I get riding though I love it. Thanks for the inspiration!
Thanks Jeff. I was looking at the prices and they aren't cheep. But it is like most things. You get what you pay for. Besides, a few trips and their paid for in gas savings right? I'm having a blast on Ebay right now with that thought process. Cheers.
Man, 26 miles each way... that's so awesome! Go you!
Thanks for the cheer veg*triathlete! I've some gumption to get into triathlons soon (one of my life-goals is to complete an iron man) so I may be soliciting you for advice soon. Cheers to you!
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