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29 April 2011

Bike-commute day 17—gym and home


The shining, bright sky outside my cube window beckoned. Fleecy cumulus suggested a cool breeze. How much I wished work ends at 4 p.m. My co-worker Kay slipped on her jacket, said, "It's five o'clock somewhere," and headed off to her weekend

This afternoon ride was a test of how the Garmin Edge 705 treats a long period of quiet in the middle of a ride. I left the 'puter live in my bag, unable to receive GPS connections, while I worked out at the Cardinal Fitness gym.The result was OK, but it could have been better. This technique keeps all the information together in one ride, of course. The details of speed, elevation, heart rate, and cadence seem fine—without indication of the pause—when viewed with an x-axis of moving time or distance. But using the x-axis of time reveals the pause with a calm portion of a sinewave that shows a curving rise from the stopping point to resuming the ride.

This break fails to record the weight training as a contributor to the period of exercise, and, while the 705 is on but inactive with a heart monitor alarm on, the 'puter makes a frequent alert to its presence. I think for now I will create a break in the ride, and allow it to record as two separate activities.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 57 to 66°F at 15:57
Precipitation: none
Winds: 0 to 5 mph from the west
Clothing: 2-layer top, skinsuit; ankle socks. open-finger gloves.
Bike: Trek 850 hybrid
Time: 00:44:50 for 10.74 miles
Bikeway users: TBD
2nd Garmin day. Playback.

Bike-commute day 17—to work

What a nice ride! Today two motorists stopped at a crossing to let me negotiate the intersection. The first was at Airway, the second at Woodbine.


Ride conditions
Temperature: 45 to 47°F at 07:10
Precipitation: none
Winds: 5 mph from the west
Clothing: 2-layer top, 1-layer bottom; ankle socks. Open-finger gloves.
Bike: Trek 850
Time: 00:46:11 for 12.00 miles
Heart rate:135 bpm average, 154 bpm maximum
Bikeway users: 1 pedestrian
Here is a playback of the ride. 2nd Garmin day, cadence installed

28 April 2011

Bike-commute day 16—home

Ride conditions
Temperature: 57 to 63°F at 17:43
Precipitation: intermittent rain, usually light
Winds: 10 to 15 mph from the west
Clothing: 2-layer top, skinsuit; ankle socks. open-finger gloves.
Bike: Trek 850 hybrid
Time: 00:44:50 for 10.74 miles
Bikeway users: none

Split information Note that I forgot to press Start until I reached the turn from Spaulding onto the bikeway.

Bike-commute day 16—to work

Ahhhh. The first day of cycling weather (that didn't have necessary errands or a dicey weather forecast) in two weeks!

Since my last bike-commute, I bought and installed a Garmin Edge 705 cycling computer that is GPS-enabled and with a heart rate monitor and cadence-speed sensor. For further product information:
  • The Garmin sales site offers the basic device+HR for $500, +HR+cadence at $550, +HR+cadence+topo at $600, and +HR+cadence+street at $650.
  • I purchased my device at a 40% discount at Amazon.com. I researched lower prices considerably, and one site had a lower price, although they had no 705s in stock.
  • I'm able to use the device without maps for now, since my riding is in familiar territory. 
  • I'm looking for the best deals on mapping to load to the device. Since I plan to use the device in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, California, and perhaps Arizona and Pennsylvania, the mapping may become fairly expensive. 
  • Selecting the mapping add-ons is likely the most complex part of using the device, with options for road riding, trail riding, and geographic location.
  • Setup took an evening, including charging the main device, setting up an online account for keeping statistics on my rides, setting up the main device, installing the device mounts on two bikes, and figuring out the mounting of the cadence sensor.
  • I'm having trouble for the moment installing the cadence-speed sensor on my Trek hybrid, because the sensor doesn't seem to span the distance between the cadence magnet on the crank arm and the speed magnet on a rear-wheel spoke. I've contacted Garmin support online, which promised a reply in 3 days. This is the 2nd day of waiting for the reply. —There's no such trouble for the cadence-speed sensor on my Lotus fixed-gear. The trail bike may have a similar problem.
I've been riding—I'm beginning to think limping along—without a cyclometer (cycling computer) for about 3 years. Since my racing days, I've relied on a computer to help me keep track of mileage and timings. I also used a heart rate monitor while I was racing, ever trying to develop my stamina and capacity. But my last cyclometer failed when its cabling broke down and severed the connection between the speed sensor and the computer on the stem.

The cyclometers always failed first in the cabling. As the cabling on each bike successively failed, I thought then that keeping track of ride statistics was just giving in to a tendency toward obsessive-compulsive activity. I counteracted by giving in to inertia, and decided not to fulfill either a need or a desire to repair the computers.

But I've missed the statistics, and I've been ready to feed my OCD for some time. Back when the first cyclometer failed, wireless devices were beginning to be available, but they were pricey. Like all technology, prices have been coming down while features were piling on. Since last Autumn, when I decided it was time to upgrade to a wireless cyclometer, I've been searching out and comparing the many brands and models available. I finally decided on the Garmin 705 when I found it available at steep discounts that made its price more competitive with other brands that had fewer features.

Today's ride now is documented thoroughly with little effort. Before today, I kept refreshing the list of timings, memorizing them as I rode from home to work and from work to home. But today's ride had no memory work, other than the reminder to press LAP as I passed each established checkpoint. I could focus instead on whether I was really pushing the edge of what I could do, since I had set an alarm to indicate when my heart beat below 136 bpm or above 167 bpm. (I never heard that "too high" alarm today. Gotta find out what it sounds like some day soon.)

Then, at my desk after a shower, I plugged in the USB cable from the 705 to my computer, accessed my account at Garmin's site, and downloaded the commute data. The data crunching is instantaneous and immediately understandable.

Route with charts of all statistics and graphs of speed, elevation, and heart rate along an axis of time. You can also display the graphs of speed, elevation, and heart rate along an axis of distance or timed movement (tosses out those seconds or minutes spent at stop lights).
Chart of split statistics.
Route with a graphed comparison of speed and elevation. A playback of the entire ride moves red markers through the chart and through the route, while the momentary readings of time, distance, elevation, speed, and heart rate vary at the bottom.


 Route with a graphed comparison of speed and heart. A playback of the ride is also available here.



Ride conditions
Temperature: 45 to 48°F at 07:50, 52 to 55°F at 11:00
Precipitation: none
Winds: 10 to 15 mph, gusts to 20 mph from the south
Clothing: 2-layer top, 1-layer bottom; ankle socks. Open-finger gloves.
Bike: Trek 850
Time: 00:46:26 for 11.94 miles
Bikeway users: 2 pedestrians, 1 dog
1st Garmin day

17 April 2011

Bike fun day—Sunday to the gym

Though the sun was shining, the wind hasn't been told that it's no longer March. I benefited from the gusts up to 20 mph on my way east and south to the Cardinal Fitness at Smithville and Forrer, but I got a challenge for my ride back.The wind coming up the Mad River and Great Miami River was especially tough, and I had no gear to shift to on the Lotus fixed gear.

Since I planned to work in the garden all afternoon, I decided on stopping at the Brunch Club for a late breakfast. My indulgence included Eggs Benedict and a side of two pancakes. My gardening included transplanting a Japanese mum, pulling out several crabapple volunteers and diseased junipers, and planting a forsythia, two peonies, and three Calla lilies.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 51 to 63°F at 11:30 and 15:15
Precipitation: none
Winds: 10 to 15 mph, gusts to 20 mph from the west and south
Clothing: 2-layer top, 1-layer bottom; ankle socks. Open-finger gloves.
Bike: Lotus fixed-gear
Time: 1:37:00 (approx.) for 25.39 miles
Bikeway users: no data

11:50—departing from home.
12:04—passing the zig-zag down to the Mad River Bikeway.
12:12—passing the west gate to Eastwood Park.
12:25—passing the trestle remains at Linden.
12:39—arriving at Cardinal Fitness.
 49 minutes
13:31—depart from Cardinal Fitness.
13:44—trestle remains at Linden.
13:55—west gate to Eastwood Park
14:08—passing the zig-zag up from the Mad River Bikeway.
14:19—arrive at Brunch Club.
48 minutes
Last leg home not timed, approximately 10 minutes.

15 April 2011

Non-biking day, just for the heck of it

I guess I just want to experience the SPEED, the POWER, the INVULNERABILITY of driving a car today. And the humility to use those attributes with courtesy.

For more information, see a superb posting related to a Columbus Dispatch article on cycling.

OK, there is a reason I'm driving instead of biking: the beginning of a saddle sore needs some cautionary rest. It's in a new place, if you can bear with TMI (too much information). I've noticed over years of experience that a saddle sore appears in the same specific place, without variation by even a fraction of an inch. This continuing location makes me wonder whether dermatologists have recognized that, at least in some persons, the sites for acne flare-ups and other skin manifestations are the scene of repeated concern. But this irritation site is new for me. I hope it doesn't mean a chance of double-zit problems.

14 April 2011

Bike-commute day 15—errand, weight training, and home

The first segment of this ride was by my trail bike, which I dropped off at Kettering Bike Shop for adjustment of its derailleurs and cables. I picked up my Lotus fixed-gear, which I used for the remainder of the ride.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 67 to 71°F at 19:45
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm to 5 mph
Clothing: 1 layer (skinsuit); ankle socks.; open-finger gloves.
Bike: Mongoose MGX D40 and Lotus fixed-gear
Time: 1:14:00 for 17.61 miles
Bikeway users: ~12 cyclists, ~25 pedestrians, 2 dogs

17:11—depart from work.
17:30—arrive at Kettering Bike Shop.
17:51—depart from Kettering Bike Shop.
18:01—arrive at Cardinal Fitness.
18:52—depart from Cardinal Fitness.
19:03—trestle remains at Linden.
19:15—west gate to Eastwood Park
19:23—passing the zig-zag up from the Mad River Bikeway.
19:37—arrive home.

Bike-commute day 15—to work
Time for the Spring tune-up

I rode the least likely bike for good times today, so I can bring it to Kettering Bike Shop for a minor tune-up. I've been planning a biking trip for Easter weekend: drive to Mammoth Cave KY and do some road biking on Good Friday, take the Grand Avenue tour and meet some members of the Bowling Green Bicycle Adventures for riding the Sal Hollow Trail on Saturday, and take the Introduction to Caving and perhaps some road biking on Easter Sunday, then drive back to Dayton late that day. And this bike, meant for stump-jumping and challenging trails, needs some alignment of its shifting. The small sprocket in front doesn't keep the chain well, and sometimes an energetic shift will throw the chain off the big sprocket. In the cassette cogs, there is a lot of sloppy action when the chain is forced to cross from the inner cogs to the outer front sprocket.

I've tried adjusting the shift movement myself in years past, but it is a frustrating chore if you have neither patience nor practice. The better alternative is to have a reliable bike shop do this for you. Typically the cost is under $35. You can find several websites that guide you in adjusting the shifters and brakes—almost too many offer their advice. Here are some sites for adjusting the shifters, and each has a connecting link to information for adjusting brakes.
The sloppy shifting comes from a couple sources. The most common source is the gradual stretch that shift cables naturally go through for the first few months of use. This stretching is recognized by bike shops, who encourage you to return for a tightening a month or so after receiving new cables. Another source of sloppy shifting comes near the end of a cable's useful life, when the metal breaks down, becomes brittle, or frays at friction points. In addition to the cable, the mechanical assemblies that hold the cable to a shifter, derailleur, or brake can loosen or fail. Your bike mechanic will notice and repair the developing failures of cables or attachments, but the cost of materials may increase the basic price for a cable tune-up.

Because commuting by bike from March through October can total almost 3000 miles, I usually take each bike in for a tune-up once a year.

Housekeeping notes
  • Creekside Trail had small amounts of broken glass at several locations between Fairpark Avenue and Airway Road.
  • Creekside Trail had a fallen tree across the path about 0.4 mile north of the trestle ruins.
  • Iron Horse Trail had broken glass about 0.1 mile north of the pedestrian access at Arcadia Avenue.
  • Iron Horse Trail had broken glass at the bridge as the bikeway joins Spaulding Road.
Ride conditions
Temperature: 37 to 43°F at 07:10, 51 to 56°F at 09:15
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm
Clothing: 3-layer top, 2-layer bottom; ankle socks. Goretex full-finger gloves.
Bike: Mongoose MGX D40
Time: 0:56:00 (approx.) for 11.86 miles
Bikeway users: 1 cyclist, 2 pedestrians, 1 dog

08:16—departing from home.
08:29—passing the zig-zag down to the Mad River Bikeway.
08:41—passing the west gate to Eastwood Park.
08:56—passing the trestle remains at Linden.
09:12—arriving at work.

13 April 2011

Bike-commute day 14—gym & home

When I was back on the bikeway after stopping at the gym, I used my body clock to check that I had enough time to make it home before dusk. I stretched my left arm out toward the sun, thumb up and little finger out horizontal at the horizon. The sun was a good 3 inches above my thumb tip. I was sure to arrive home at least an hour before sunset. I know it will be a race with the light if the sun touches my thumb.

My day is often regulated by the sun: I wait for full sunrise before I start out; I feel the first warming rays at my desk as I close up my computer at work; I measure the sun's distance from the horizon to judge how much effort my ride home must explore. No wonder that my day seems less purposeful when the skies are overcast.

Temperature: 63 to 68°F at 17:15, 61 to 66°F at 19:45
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm
Clothing: 1 layer (skinsuit); ankle socks.; open-finger gloves.
Time: 1:02:00 for 15.77 miles
Bikeway users: 43 cyclists, 29 pedestrians, 2 dogs

18:11—depart from work.
18:29—arrive at Cardinal Fitness.
18:54—depart from Cardinal Fitness.
19:05—trestle remains at Linden.
19:16—west gate to Eastwood Park
19:25—passing the zig-zag up from the Mad River Bikeway.
19:38—arrive home.

Bike-commute day 14—to work
The 7-headed Hydra

I'm back on the bikeways after a couple of rainy days. Sunday this week was clear and warm, even into the 80s, and the start of warmer days reminds me of the need for hydration.

The experience of competitive athletes and their trainers has revealed the easiest way to improve training and racing performance: maintain sufficient fluid levels in your body. Most people function well enough with a bit of dehydration, but even slight dehydration can be a problem for the active person. And it gets worse, much worse, as the daily temperatures exceed 80°F.

If you've been cycling during the early Spring, your body has been using the generated heat from exercise to keep your extremities and core warm. Typically you'll sweat little in cold weather. As the air temperatures warm, though, your body shifts from warming to cooling. Sweating increases, and the sweat works to cool the body by evaporation. Athletes are able to sweat sooner and more profusely. But sweat depends on a proper balance of hydration, and it works even better with a tip toward overhydration.

Body fluid levels are important for smooth joint movement and efficient muscle contraction-release also. With dehydration, most of your tissues shrink slightly, much like a drying sponge. Fluids aren't available in enough quantity to lubricate the cell-to-cell interaction, and your strength and stamina both suffer.

Go into each workout—or each commute—with a reserve of body fluid levels. Your performance and cooling ability will benefit greatly.
  • Drink fluids throughout the day, including with each meal or snack. Also sip about 20 oz. of water in the evening to replenish your levels through the off-time.
  • Weigh yourself immediately before a ride of 45 minutes or longer, to help measure the body fluids lost during exercise.
  • While cycling, drink 12 to 16 oz. each half hour. Alternate between a bottle of water and a bottle of sports drink to replenish electrolytes. 
  • Weigh yourself at the end of the ride, to find the difference in weight before and after the ride. Take in 1.5 times that difference in fluid oz. of water. (Each pound lost equals 24 fluid oz. water to replenish.)
Some of this information comes from advice provided by Chris Carmichael of Carmichael Training Systems.
Temperature: 35 to 41°F at 06:35, 51 to 55°F at 09:15
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm
Clothing: 3-layer top, 2-layer bottom; ankle socks. Goretex full-finger gloves.
Bike: Trek 850
Time: 0:49:00 (approx.) for 11.86 miles
Bikeway users: 2 cyclists, 4 pedestrians, 1 dog

08:05—departing from home.
08:19—passing the zig-zag down to the Mad River Bikeway.
08:29—passing the west gate to Eastwood Park.
08:42—passing the trestle remains at Linden.
08:54—arriving at work.

12 April 2011

Rain day #14

Again rain. Need I say more? (Yes. This rain is welcome in a way, which allows me to drive to work and from there to a 5:45 dinner with KB and Nancy.)

11 April 2011

Rain day #13

At 06:30 this morning while guessing the future movement of a line of thunderstorms shown on weather radar, I hoped that I might actually be ready to leave soon after 7, and perhaps lead the rain to work. But within a short time wind billowed the budding trees outside, and rain began pelting the windows.

Change of plans: get into the shower and dress for a drive to work. I had had a nice weekend of biking to the farmers' market and yoga class. So there's no need to carp about a day of rain.

Just in case, I loaded the Trek 850 into my van, though I had other plans in case the rain held through the day. For one thing, I need to make a side trip to Lowe's to pick up garden items, including annuals, herbs, and starts for vegetables. Another errand: mail the tax forms a few days before the due date.

08 April 2011

Rain day #12—and a welcome rest day

Thunderstorms started booming their way into the Miami Valley last night. A light rain falls even this morning, though the online weather radar shows most heavy rains are much further to the north. It's a day for driving, and a chance for rest that I can use well. Not only am I tired from lack of sleep, my butt has started to develop saddle sores. (I'll write in more depth on saddle sores.)

And a chance for errands, including picking up the Trek 850 from Kettering Bike Shop and leaving off the Lotus, which has developed a worrisome click in the bottom bracket. I need to shop for food too, at least for the staples of a week's breakfasts and dinners. And Practice Yoga has a special Vinyasa this evening with live music by BJSR, a cooly supple musician-yogi I've seen beside me in class.

07 April 2011

Bike-commute day 13—home

As I closed up work this afternoon, it was threatening rain. But not according to the radar site. So I planned to go to the gym for another short workout. But it was windier and cooler and more ominously rain-ready when I was on the road. So I decided to forgo the gym, so I would still have time to drop off some CDs that were due at the library before any drops might fall.

Temperature: 59 to 62°F at 17:25
Precipitation: none
Winds: 5 to 10 mph variable direction
Clothing: Top 2 layers (longsleeve undershirt, skinsuit); ankle socks.; open-finger gloves.
Time: 0:51:00 for about 12.5 miles
Bikeway users: 13 cyclists, 18 pedestrians, 4 dogs

18:31—depart from work.
18:44—trestle remains at Linden.18:55—west gate to Eastwood Park
19:06—library delivery done
19:22—arrive home.

That's my story
and I'm sticking to it.

I've enjoyed the bikeways and trails around Dayton ever since the first loop around the Miami River was developed. Even before that, I used the city streets and rural roads for commuting, running errands, and athletic training. Back then, some 30 years ago, I lived in Fairborn and on Wright-Patterson AFB, and the bicycle was my sole means of transportation. I used a good-sized leather backpack for my trips to the supermarket, I rode to work daily, and I rode my bike often to Yellow Springs, Xenia, and Dayton—even during the winter. On occasion, I took city streets to the Miami River and enjoyed the much calmer and safer biking down below the busy city. I wished then that I could have the same safety far away in Fairborn and Greene County.

I lived in Los Angeles for a couple years around 1985, and one home was pretty close to a bikeway along the Santa Ana River. The L.A. bikeways at that time were actually an afterthought, an opening up of the maintenance roadways that paralleled the open concrete drainage systems that are called "rivers" there. The access points were very distant from each other, and often hard to find. The bikeways passed through rough neighborhoods, and the many underpasses along the bikeways were homes to transients or meeting places for neighborhood gangs, dangerous on occasion. But the bikeway also passed near where I worked as a technical writer, in Anaheim. It made great sense to me to avoid the freeways—and the streets—by biking to work.

In comparison to the Los Angeles bikeways, the Dayton system was better engineered, well maintained, with better access, and the security was absolutely superb. When I returned to Dayton in 1987, I was ecstatic to see the further improvements and added mileage in the bikeway system.

Around 1989, I decided to compete in cycling events in the 1990 Gay Games that were to be held in Vancouver BC (Canada). I joined the Dayton Cycling Club. I started training with their racing team. I joined the United States Cycling Federation (USCF) and applied for a competitor's license. And I competed in regional cycling races. Perhaps the most arduous was a 100-mile race that started in Spartanburg SC and ended near the top of 6684-ft Mt. Mitchell, near Asheville NC. I competed in Vancouver in 1990, including an nine-mile hill climb up Mt. Seymour that I silver medalled.

Part of the training for races included long group rides that passed through the many rural areas and small communities around Dayton. We never used the developing bikeway system in the training, even though our favorite rides passed over or along the developing bikeways between Xenia, Spring Valley, and Corwin. The bikeways are very level, with long, low-change grades. That's not what a competitive cyclist wants, but rather challenging hills, plenty of opportunities for pack sprints, and occasional easy sections for recovery after a hard one- to three-minute interval. The rural roads are perfect for that training.

I was training for cycling in the 1994 Gay Games, a week away from going to New York City for the competition, when a car hit me during a training race on roads north of Middletown. The driver sped away in some state of flummox, but returned to the scene; but all the racers and race organizers fled, since no local authorizations had been sought for the race. A resident on that country road called 911, and an emergency van took me to Middletown Regional Hospital for trauma care, two surgeries, and two weeks hospitalization. Because all the riders had left me on my own, the emergency center was uncertain of my name and completely unaware of whom to contact as my next-of-kin. I was unconscious, or drifting in and out, and a nurse was able to reach my partner Chuck a long four hours after the collision, just before I was wheeled into surgery to relieve bleeding in my brain. He arrived while I was in surgery, and friends he called arrived sometime before the surgery was complete. But though he referred to being identified in a signed medical power of attorney, he was required to show the paperwork the next morning after he could call our attorney, who had the original documents.

It took several years after the collision for me to feel comfortable on a bicycle. Since then, I've shied away from roadways. I make certain that I carry a cellphone and emergency contact information on every ride. Both Chuck and I carry a miniature copy of both of our medical powers of attorney, and I always wear my RoadID bracelet. This bracelet has an internet address that I maintain with all my important medical and contact information.

The bikeways have greatly expanded to over 300 miles in the Dayton area, but the development has taken 17 years. Finally around 2002, bikeways nearly linked my home to my office in Research Park. With the opening of the Iron Horse Trail, my route by bikeway is 85% of my commute, except in times of river flooding that covers the bikeway. I have about two miles of cycling in lightly-travelled residential areas near my home and only a quarter mile on streets in Research Park.

I commute by bike 12 miles each way nearly daily from March through November, except for the few days when icy conditions make a ride unsafe or heavy rain makes a ride uncomfortable. Although my ride begins in a residential area of inner northwest Dayton, I join the bikeway system at either Wolf Creek or the Monument Avenue Bridge. The bikewayMetroparks staff, and city and park response is attentive to the need for improving the pavement after seasonal uplifts and washouts.

Bike-commute day 13—to work

What a nice day to ride a bike this morning!

Temperature: 40 to 44°F at 07:20, 47 to 50°F at 09:15
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm to 5 mph
Clothing: Top with 3 layers (Lycra longsleeve undershirt, skinsuit, arm warmers, light jacket); Bottom with 2 layers (skinsuit, Lycra tights); ankle socks. Full-finger Gore-tex gloves. (A bit too warm.)
Bike: Lotus fixed-gear
Time: 0:51:00 (approx.) for 11.86 miles
Bikeway users: 2 pedestrians

07:59—departing from home.
08:14—passing the zig-zag down to the Mad River Bikeway.
08:25—passing the west gate to Eastwood Park.
08:37—passing the trestle remains at Linden.
08:50—arriving at work.

06 April 2011

Bike-commute day 12—home and weight training

At 17:20 I wondered, To the gym today? Maybe so, it's early enough, and I closed down my workplace by 17:30. So today is the first timed record of the commute with a "rest period" for a light weight training.

This weight training was pretty light, since I haven't been to the gym for about 10 days. Three sets each of bench press, prone flyes, military press, dumbbell curls, cable rows.

My typical workout that's part of a commute focuses on upper body, and if I go a second day in a row, that workout focuses on the abdominal core. It's usually only during the winter that I pay much attention to weight training for the legs.

Temperature: 69 to 74°F at 17:15, 66 to 68°F at 19:45
Precipitation: none
Winds: 10 to 20 mph
Clothing: Just 1 layer (skinsuit); ankle socks.; open-finger gloves.
Time: 1:05:00 for 15.77 miles
Bikeway users: 11 cyclists, 22 pedestrians, 1 dog

18:01—depart from work.
18:18—arrive at Cardinal Fitness.
18:44—depart from Cardinal Fitness.
18:54—trestle remains at Linden.
19:06—west gate to Eastwood Park
19:17—passing the zig-zag up from the Mad River Bikeway.
19:32—arrive home.

Bike-commute day 12—to work with Wagner

Somewhere before checkpoint 2, Richard Wagner's Tristan und Isolde took hold of my rhythm, and it carried me through to halfway between checkpoint 3 and the end of my commute. My mind's eye pictured the score for the famous Sehnsucht (longing) theme,

...and my mind's ear heard the Act 2 "Prelude" repeatedly. But my memory carries the conducting of Daniel Barenboim and the voices of Siegfried Jerusalem (Tristan) and Waltraud Meier (Isolde)—from the better recording I own of the opera. I also have the Bayreuth performance under Herbert von Karajan, with Ramon Vinay (Tristan) and Martha Mödl (Isolde); but this is a poorly produced document of a live performance that lacks much presence. On the other hand, Meier and Jerusalem through truly believable sparks between each other.

The private concert ended when I saw Pat again with his two dogs, before I crossed Woodbine. I stopped to tell him my nickname for him here: Double-Dog-Jason.

Temperature: 43 to 45°F at 07:20, 48 to 49°F at 09:15
Precipitation: none
Winds: 5 to 15 mph from the south
Clothing: Top with 3 layers (Lycra longsleeve undershirt, skinsuit, arm warmers, Lycra-wool jacket); Bottom with 2 layers (skinsuit, Lycra tights); ankle socks. Full-finger Gore-tex gloves. (A bit too warm; unzipped top layer before checkpoint 2, unzipped middle layer after checkpoint 2.)
Bike: Lotus fixed-gear
Time: 0:51:00 (approx.) for 11.86 miles
Bikeway users: 2 pedestrians, 2 dogs

08:12—departing from home.
08:27—passing the zig-zag up from the Mad River Bikeway.
08:37—passing the west gate to Eastwood Park.
08:49—passing the trestle remains at Linden.
09:03—arriving at work.

05 April 2011

Bike-commute day 11—Linh's restau and home

Tonight's ride home was a bit weird.  I decided in the locker room to dress with only two layers, and I packed all four layers that I had worn this morning. Yeah, I knew that it was cooler than 50°F; yeah, I even asked Hunter Everett if he had been outside and whether I should add at least the Lycra tights.

But I found myself walking to the Lotus and thinking Well, it's not really cold, but it sure is cool. By the time the whipping winds took hold of my ride at the north edge of Research Park, I told myself I can stop anywhere, pull out a layer, and add it to my kit. I stopped at the Grismer store at Woodman, ripped off my shoes, pulled out the Lycra, pulled on the tights, tugged the crotch up, and then pulled the wool-Lycra jacket out, and put it on.

The wind and chill changed my mind about going to the gym, and determined my commute would include a nice, hot dinner at Linh's. So 15 minutes into my commute, I was seated and enjoying two goi cuon, and anticipating a steaming bowl of Hu Thieu ga saté (Chicken-shrimp noodle soup). Dayton marketing guru and political activist David Esrati came in with his family and knew that I was stopping at the best restau in Dayton on my way home from work.

Fully satisfied, I resumed my commute and arrived home after a leisurely ride.



Temperature: 46 to 50°F at 17:35, 46 to 48°F at 19:45
Precipitation: none
Winds: 10 to 20 mph
Clothing: Top 2 layers (Lycra longlseeve undershirt, skinsuit); ankle socks.; open-finger gloves. Then top 3 layers and bottom 2 layers.
Time: 0:xx:xx (no timepiece) for 11.86 miles
Bikeway users: 0 cyclists, 11 pedestrians, 5 dogs

17:55—depart from work.
—trestle remains at Linden.
dinner at Linh's
—west gate to Eastwood Park
—passing the zig-zag up from the Mad River Bikeway.
19:45—arrive home. 

Bike-commute day 11—to work
How not to smooth auto-bike traffic

The rains stopped last evening, and the roads were dry in the morning. But as I crossed the Monument Street bridge, shielding my eyes from the bright sunshine, I saw the river was overflowing to the bikeway. Since I was on my Lotus fixed-gear, taking the gravel concourse above the river was out of the question, and I took the sidewalk—slowly, careful of two pedestrians and one with a vacuum cleaner in tow—against the flow of traffic in the street. At the ziz-zag down near the Green Bridge, I saw that the Mad River was living up to its name: an even higher and stronger flow was coursing into the Miami, and the bikeway was flooded at least to the railroad trestle near Valley Street.

So I took Monument Avenue through the light manufacturing area.

One pickup driver did everything possible to thwart his easy entrance to Monument from a service yard. As I rode along Monument going east, a pickup driver pulled to the street from a Rumpke service yard, stopped, looked both ways, apparently saw me, and released his brakes enough to coast an additional 3 feet. I interpreted his coasting as impatience and potentially a sign that he had not seen me approaching. I slowed a lot, expecting him to pull into the street. He stopped again. It was clear he had seen me, and he had just anticipated moving into the street prematurely. His impatience (my inference here) resulted in a few more seconds of stopping before his turn onto Monument, and (I infer again) increased what impatience he already felt.

Bikeway crossing (magenta) at Airway Rd, Riverside OH
Then another pair of drivers exhibited their at-any-cost ownership of the road at the bikeway crossing at Airway. This crossing is well marked with pedestrian slashes embossed on the street, auto signs posted for the approaching two lanes of autos from each direction, in-path signage for the approaching bikeway users, and a pedestrian island placed to allow a pause in the crossing. As I approached the crossing from the north (top of image), the street was clear of traffic from the east, and two vehicles approached from as far away as Linh's Restaurant. —At about the location of the green car in the image.— I crossed the two westbound lanes, and saw neither of the two roadway users were slowing. So I stopped at the island. The near driver, of a pickup marked Extermital, sneered and flipped me off. Do I infer again some attitude of impatience—or dominance—from this driver?

No ego from me (for once) feels offence. No shift in mood. And my mood was heightened not more than a couple miles down the bikeway, at the corner of the DPL Executive Golf Course. My happy whistling startled three beautiful, strong deer who looked up from their grazing beside the bikeway. They glanced at each other, then scattered into the trees that line the bikeway. Four more deer inside the DPL compound galloped in the opposite direction toward the tree-lined creek.

At Woodbine, I saw Two-dog-Jason approaching the crossing from the south. Since I had to stop for a car, my crossing was slow. I introduced myself and Two-dog-Jason told me his name: Pat. It's been at least three years that we've seen each other on the bikeway during my morning commute. Finally there are real names for us to add to our hellos.

Central Park, New York City
In New York City's Central Park another controversy is developing. In the hardcopy version, the article was titled "Neither Pedestrian Nor Auto." (It is otherwise titled in the online edition.) But the summarized assertion of the original title exhibits a basic misunderstanding of the position of the bicycle in the mix of transportation. Absolutely the bicycle is a vehicle. The cyclist is also a pedestrian—when a cyclist dismounts, the transformation is then complete. But nevertheless, all—motorist, cyclist, and pedestrian—must obey posted traffic signage. At issue for cyclists using Central Park are the questions of courtesy and obeying the hierarchy of trail usage. (In trail usage, cyclists must give right-of-way to pedestrians and horses; pedestrians must give right-of-way to horses; horses must give freedom-from-road-apples to everyone.)

From the few visits I have made to Central Park, it is not the best location for bicycle training. The number of strollers who also use the streets and paths that are closed off from vehicular traffic is too large for developing power, heart strength, stamina. The park is, though, well suited for the casual, pleasant Sunday ride with the family. Begging for attention is whether any convenient location exists on Manhattan Island for cyclists to train, free from the traffic snarls, exhaust, and stop-and-start progress of the streets.

Temperature: 37°F at 07:20, 29 to 39°F at 09:15
Precipitation: none
Winds: none
Clothing: Top with 4 layers (Lycra longsleeve undershirt, skinsuit, arm warmers, poly fleece vest, Lycra-wool jacket); Bottom with 2 layer (skinsuit, quilted tights); ankle socks. Quilted gloves. (Comfortable at first, but zipping down 3 of the top layers by the time I reached Woodbine. Moderate sweating in chest & back.)
Bike: Lotus fixed-gear
Time: 0:55:00 (approx.) for 11.86 miles
Bikeway users: 3 pedestrians, 4 dogs, 7 deer

07:50—departing from home.
08:xx—passing the zig-zag up from the Mad River Bikeway.
08:xx—passing the west gate to Eastwood Park.
08:xx—passing the trestle remains at Linden.
08:45—arriving at work. (No checkpoint times available.)

04 April 2011

A wet Monday

The rains were coming, according to the online radar that I checked at 07:00. And they arrived just when my normal bike ride would have been half over. I was out the door after coffee, a bagel, and a shower. The rain was momentarily heavy as I crossed to the garage. Didn't even bother to pack in the fixed-gear Lotus, since rain is forecast through the night.

A news article on cycling to work appeared in this month's Dayton Business Journal.

01 April 2011

Addition to Dayton Daily News article

In the middle of March, Robin McMacken of the Dayton Daily News asked me to answer several questions. The answers became the basis of an article that appears today in the Life section. There were other questions too, and here are my answers.

How long have you been riding?
I've been riding a bicycle ever since my mom & dad refused to drive me to school, when we moved to town for me to attend fourth grade—my first nine years were as a farmboy. So since I'm 59 now, this year is the golden anniversary of bicycling for me! Thanks for that revelation.

What have been the advantages and challenges to commuting via bike?
My use of a bike for commuting really started with my daily bicycling to elementary school, and when I had part-time jobs in junior high and senior high, I got there by bike and then biked to school. Then in college and in my jobs to support my college education, I used a bicycle to get around.

When I was without a car, I did everything by bike. I went to the grocery store more often, but I would have my large leather backpack filled as much as possible. The biggest challenge is the city itself, especially a city that is not cognizant of alternate modes of transportation. I lived in Houston a short time, on special duty in the Air Force and also for a short-term assignment to write for a Lockheed proposal for NASA. I tried cycling there for a week, but it was too dangerous because of the traffic.

The biggest challenge for centering your transportation around the bike is following the arts venues. I’ve always been interested in the arts and I like going to a concert, movie, or an art gallery or studio. But if I were to have only a bicycle to attend such events, it would be a challenge to balance such a sweaty mode of transportation with that part of my life. After all, that milieau expects attendance by a leisured person, or at least someone who doesn’t have the “aura of exertion” about him. So enjoying a broad cultural experience is almost anathema to the active life of a devotee of cycling.

What impresses you most about our area bike paths?
I love how interconnected our communities are by the bikeways. Of course, the connections aren't always direct, and some important paths are yet to be developed, but I can take bikeway to almost every part of the metro area—the greatest exceptions are Centerville, Oakwood, much of Kettering, and the mall shopping areas. The Five Rivers Metro Parks staff take great care of the paths and keep them clear of overgrowth, and the paths are safer than the roads and streets, both for cyclists and pedestrians.

I lived in Los Angeles for a couple years from about 1985 to 1987 and I used what they called bikeways, which were actually paved access roads to the concreted river system in the city. Believe me, the Dayton system, even then, was more extensive, a better transportation mode, and safer. I have never seen scores of homeless living near the bikeways here, nor neighborhood gangs. But in L.A., they were common.

What are you favorite trails in the area?
I enjoy the MOMBA trails. They are well cared for, compact, and they have a nice mixture of ease and challenge. Usually I bike there the same day that I help maintain the trails, which is the 3rd Saturday afternoon each month. I have a special place in my heart for the loop from Wegerzyn Gardens to the Green Bridge at Deeds Point. That's actually my partner Chuck's favorite area, and I have special memories because of times there with him. I really love all the trails, but I enjoy them mostly because there are enough to ride a lot and yet not repeat the same experience. —My commuting is the exception, though. Twice a day I take the same route, unless the river is flooded or a bridge is being reconstructed, and I always see some new detail, some change, some fresh indicator that Spring has come.

What kind of bike do you ride?
I have several bikes. I have a Serotta Colorado road bike that I bought for racing, with thin tires and a touchy shifter set, that I actually seldom ride now. I have an old, old Trek mountain bike, very basic, very durable, that I ride early in the year, before the streets and bikeways have been cleared of the Winter detritus. I have a bright yellow mountain bike with suspension, knobby tires, and heavy-duty gears and chain that I ride in MOMBA, near Huffman Reserve. I have a converted Lotus fixed-gear bike that has been with me a long time, at least since 1975, and I love it most. It has seen a lot of good times, and it's been with me in bad times too. I have what I call my "Beater Bike," that I have on vacations to ride off-road in rocky single-track.

Any safety tips you can give our readers to ensure their safety?
Always follow the laws for vehicles, and always ride defensively! Expect the worst from auto drivers, and you'll never be disappointed. Never leave home without a cell phone, some ID, preferably something like RoadID, which has medical emergency information and a website for detailed medical and contact data. And if you're a gay man or lesbian, carry the medical power of attorney you've worked out with your partner and lawyer. Accidents, real accidents, can happen anytime, anywhere. Be ready to help yourself and the emergency crews when you can't answer a simple question.



What health benefits have you enjoyed during your riding history?
Hmmm. My partner Chuck would ask what health hazards have I met head on: a car hit me in 1994 and nearly killed me—that's no exaggeration. In 2009, I slipped on a gravelly corner on the bikeway and found that I had osteopinea (a "mild" form of osteoporosis) because of the broken hip that occurred. And an inattentive driver hit me on a downtown street during a commute last September.

But I am an optimist, cock-eyed perhaps. My fitness and general level of health are greater than most people my age.

How many miles do you log weekly?
I commute from March to November, and I commute an average of four days a week. That's 100 miles almost exactly. Then I'll take a light ride with Chuck and maybe a longer solo ride too on the weekend. So perhaps my average is 150. That's pretty low compared to some cyclists I know, but I have a life off the bike too. Almost all of that milage is on the bikeways. My commute starts with 2 miles of quiet residential streets, then 10 miles of the bikeways before I have a quarter mile on Research Park streets.

Do you enter any races? If so, which ones are they?
I raced as a "kid" in my 40s. I wasn't any strong contender for a road racing title. Far from it; there wasn't a criterium that I wasn't pulled out of before being lapped by the advancing pack of younger riders. I started racing because I wanted to compete in cycling events in the 1990 Gay Games in Vancouver BC. I double-silver-medalled there, though the divisions by age were so narrow that I seldom had more than 5 competitors. Then after another four years of racing, when I was a week away from competing in the 1994 Gay Games in New York City, a car hit me in a training race held on open, rural roads under the auspices of the Dayton Cycling Club, but not authorized by any of the local sheriffs or other authorities. That put an end to cycling for me for several years, out of respect for all the concern and heartache that the surgeries and recuperation cost Chuck, and me too, of course.

Since that collision 17 years ago, I’ve become more cautious, and I ride when it's wet only if I’ve biked to work and rain comes before I can leave for home. I do ride on city streets occasionally, because the bikeways near the rivers may be flooded or bridge and road construction projects over the bikeways don’t typically provide an off-road bypass for cyclists. I try to choose those alternate streets as carefully as possible—Is there little or no traffic? Is there adequate lane width to separate cars from me? Is the distance short to another part of the bikeway?

My friends have asked why I continue cycling. I love the sense of freedom and independence, the multi-modal aspect of exercise and commuting, the beauty of enjoying and sensing every moment. And there are other, important things, like the low impact on the environment, the savings on car maintenance and fuel, and the certainty that this avocation is a healthy and fulfilling one.

Nice day—so far—for a bike ride, at Courteous Mass

The sun is shining, the winds are mild, the temperature is warming (low 50s). Nonetheless, today was not a day for a bike commute. Too many errands:
  • Pick up several copies of the Dayton Daily News, because an article by Robin McMacken was published in the Life section. (The article includes portions based on an interview of me.)
  • Leave the Trek 850 at Kettering Bike Shop for some adjustment.
  • Carry my Pedro's floor pump back to work.
  • Change the clothes in my locker at work.
  • And then this evening, if it's not raining by then, I can also take my Lotus fixed-gear to ride in Courteous Mass.