Bike-commute day 77—to work

Wednesday, 31 August 2011

It was kinda threatening rain this morning as I left. I had expected rain last night, as advised by WeatherForYou, but nothing materialized. Then upon seeing the heavy cloud cover this morning, I checked the weather radar, and found a line of lighter showers on their way across eastern Indiana. Judging by their progress over an hour and a half, they wouldn't reach Dayton until after 9 a.m. So I decided on riding.

It's been dry here even through close to noon.

I observed carefully how I felt in my ride. It seems strange how my feelings of energy vary througout the ride, though the waves of energy ebb and flow much the same every day. On the first two miles, which is predominantly downhill and in residential areas, I feel great and often think, Well maybe today I'll do some strength training with several sprints.

But by the time I have crossed the Monument Avenue bridge and descended to the river, that feeling dissipates first into managing the descent with little hand braking and more cadence controlling the down the hill, then into maneuvering the double corner and gaining momentum as I pass by the low dam. Then come several minor technical points with the transition from asphalt to concrete below the YMCA, a patch of weathered concrete detritus at the end of the YMCA landing, a culvert underneath Main Street, a hop over the lip of concrete at the west edge of the Riverscape area, and another hop over the gravelled transition from concrete to asphalt at the east edge of Riverscape. Finally, I press my lap button as I pass the roadway markers at the bottom of the zig-zag up to the Green Bridge.

The Webster Street bridge marks the first point where a sprint might be possible because fewer technical concerns need attention. The bikeway maintains a nearly flat course for this 1.4 miles to the Findlay Street bridge. By this point, I've ridden nearly twelve minutes and it is during this portion that I can best check how much energy I have for the day. Usually at some point along this mile, I feel the first exertion and my body's response with a very dull ache in my shoulders. Often I glance at my HR reading at this point, interested in the momentary comparison of subjective and objective experience. It is usually 125 to 130 bpm, only about 78% of my maximum.

When the bikeway reaches the Findlay Avenue bridge, it takes a slight rise and then a curving dip below the bridge and up to the Findlay Plateau. The little climb is usually my first opportunity to rise off the saddle and provide strength to move my cadence from its momentary drop into the 60s. And the plateau is my first opportunity to try a sprint—if I feel ready for it. The plateau continues for about 0.9 mile with only two small curves and a finish with a slight drop, onto the bikeway above the concrete embankment.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 62 to 67°F at 07:30
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm to 5 mph, variable from the north and east
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:44:16 for 11.93 miles
Heart rate: 123 bpm HRave, 138 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 9 cyclists, 13 pedestrians, 2 dogs
Playback of the ride

Bike-commute day 76—to work

Tuesday, 30 August 2011

Yestereday's forecast indicated rain storms this evening, but the skies are clear and the air is chill this morning. Only after I had ridden for the block along Princeton did I notice that I hadn't changed the bike profile on the Garmin device, so I stopped before the corner to make the change. Once more on the road, the speed and cadence righted themselves.

My route through Dayton View is also the route for several school buses now. Some of the drivers must be still asleep at 8 a.m., to judge by the strange driving choices they make. Last week, as I was stopped on Superior at Broadway, a bus driver turned left onto Superior, and his arc came to my right since a street crew was chopping down a tree on the left side of the street. This morning, another bus only slowed for the 4-way stop signs at Oxford. I guess that the drivers need only a regular license and a clear background of driving. But it seems the requirements for school bus driving should be more rigorous.

Finally safely removed from traffic once I reached the descent from the Monument Avenue bridge, I had the way to myself until meeting the first cyclist just outside of Eastwood Park. And I met the New Zealand couple just as they connected to the bikeway coming from the west at Woodbine.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 54 to 60°F at 08:00
Precipitation: none
Winds: mostly calm
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:43:49 for 11.95 miles
Heart rate: 124 bpm HRave, 140 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 9 cyclists, 7 pedestrians, 1 dog
Playback of the ride

Bike-commute day 76—to home

Monday, 29 August 2011

My first ride of the day was the evening commute home, since I had driven my bike to work this morning. After lunch I took the car to a dental appointment with Dr. Mark Buchwalder in Xenia. He talked about taking part in the Hotter 'n Hell Hundred around Wichita Falls TX. He had just returned Sunday from the event that he and his wife had taken in. My hygenist Marilyn also spoke glowingly of the bike rides she's had recently and the trips she splans through the end of the year, including a trip to the north rim of the Grand Canyon, Bryce, and Canyonlands Park.

Just west of Eastwood Park, one rider of a couple cyclists said, "Oh so you're here!" and before it registered, we had passed each other. I recognized the voice and face of Ellen, a frequent client at Cardinal Fitness. So I turned around and caught up to them before they reached the concrete embankment. Ellen introduced me to her boyfriend Glenn, and when she said she had just bought the bike for him as a birthday present, I began singing The Birthday Song but stopped before I had to pay royalties. Ellen excused her relatively lower frequency at the gym by way of their cycling together from home in the Oregon district, and I mentioned that this was my twice-daily route to work..

Ride conditions
Temperature: 76 to 80°F at 18:00
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm to 10 mph from the northand east
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Trek 750 hybrid
Time: 00:46:55 for 12.95 miles
Heart rate: 123 bpm HRave, 139 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 19 cyclists, 18 pedestrians, 3 baby wagons
Playback of the ride

Bike-commute day 75—to gym and home

Friday, 26 August 2011

My commute home was some four hours earlier than usual. Kodak has announced new austerity measures that preclude working and billing for overtime. Since I had already put in five hours in late evenings through the week, I was advised to take the afternoon off in lieu of billing for overtime.

I left the Garmin device on while doing my 8-exercise weight training. The result was a confusion of spikes and lows in HR counterposed with strangely fluctuating speeds from 0 to3 mph.

At my third checkpoint, I left the bikeway to grab an iced coffee at Press so I would have sufficient energy to do a bit of gardening before the evening shadows lengthened..

Ride conditions
Temperature: 77 to 82°F at 12:45
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm to 10 mph, variable
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 01:16:179:27 for 18.32 miles
Heart rate: 122 bpm HRave, 152 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 5 cyclists, 9 pedestrians, 1 dog
Playback of the ride

Bike-commute day 74—to work

Wednesday, 24 August 2011

Last evening I was preparing myself for a rain day and commuting by car. But it was clear this morning, and the weather radar showed that the storms had bypassed Dayton further to the north. Our only storm effects were higher winds from the southwest that apparently worked to move the wet clouds away from Dayton. So I set out for a bike-commute after eating breakfast, which I had started before I checked the weather.

Thanks to the fast southwest winds, the second leg of my commute was extremely fast today. With almost no exertion, my cadence reached 104 rpm and speed 25.3 mph on the Great Miami and Mad River bikeways. In the remaining parts of the ride, I had good speeds in the sheltered areas, but slower going on the open stretches of the Creekside and Iron Horse trails.

After I crossed Linden, I saw Millie and Gladys up ahead. I slowed to a stop as I reached them. Millie had a new perm, and her freshly colored hair was under a fine net. We joked about the likelihood of a hot date in her future, and I kidded Gladys that I could make an approintment for here to get a tight perm too. I asked them if they often stopped to talk to some of the regular walkers, and they named a few that they shared conversation with. Then Paul jogged by, this time without his dogs, and I said goodby to Millie and Gladys.

I pulled beside Paul to ask about his dogs, whom he said had walked earlier with him, on their usual course about 2.5 miles around the circle of the bikeway and Woodman Avenue. Paul walks his dogs daily, starting on the bikeway because of its convenience to his home to the west of the bikeway and north of Woodbine.

Once again on the way, near Woodman I saw a woman on her bike with a small dog running beside her. The bike had an extension off to the right that held the dog's lead, and the dog had some sort of harness. "Nice setup for both of you," I said as I passed them.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 75 to 79°F at 09:30
Precipitation: none
Winds: 10 to 15 mph from the southwest
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time:  00:41:34 for 11.92 miles
Heart rate: 129 bpm HRave, 149 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 5 cyclists, 9 pedestrians, 3 dogs
Playback of the ride

Bike-commute day 73—to work

Tusday, 23 August 2011

Hurricane Irene has developed and its landfall is forecast for Satuday over the Carolinas. The forecast here for tomorrow and Thursday includes rain and thunderstorms, though I doubt it has any connection to the hurricane activity. I'm expecting that Saturday and Sunday will both be stormy here, expressing the further reaches of Irene as it breaks apart.

But today I enjoyed another day of cycling weather, along with the 10 other cyclists I saw on my way to work. Only the New Zealand couple and the tandem-riding Gary and Amy were familiar cyclists, though most of the walkers were well-known.

At the Findlay Avenue bridge, I began to feel up to more intensity. It was hardly a sprint, though I did maintain a 150 HR for about two minutes. Then I held higher-intensity stretches for the two mile-long sections between Airway and Burkhardt and between Burkhardt and Linden.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 57 to 65°F at 06:45
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm to 5 mph from the south
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:41:58 for 11.94 miles
Heart rate: 130 bpm HRave, 152 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 10 cyclists, 11 pedestrians, 1 dog
Playback of the ride

Bike-commute day 72—to gym and home

Monday, 22 August 2011

All day I've had this dull ache in the upper back, focused between my spine and right scapular. I couldn't pinpoint any twist or strain that might have caused it, so I attributed it to a lack of rest or sleeping "funny." As I left work today, I considered whether any weight training would make it worse or if very light training would help relieve it. I opted for the latter, but only within a minute of taking the turn on Woodbine.

The workout was brief and gentle: two bench press sets with an empty bar and then carrying 20 pounds; dumbbell flyes with a set of 10 pounds and a second of 12.5 pounds; dumbbell military press at 12.5 and 15 pounds; two cable row sets at light weights; two cable pulldowns at light weights, and two sets of reverse flyes. The back muscles felt a bit better, less tense after the gentle use. Let's see how a good rest helps too.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 79 to 84°F at 18:30
Precipitation: none
Winds: 5 to 10 mph variable from the west
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 01:00:22 for 15.83 miles
Heart rate: 116 bpm HRave, 135 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 31 cyclists, 20 pedestrians, 1 dog
Playback of the ride

Bike-commute day 72—to work

Monday, 22 August 2011

Very few people on the bikeway this morning, and only a couple of the regulars. The most notable was a cyclist who headed parallel to me just outside of Eastwood Park. I rode the bikeway immediately adjacent to Springfield Street, and he took the right edge of the right lane. His pace was just a bit better than mine, and he passed in front of me as I took the crossing into the winding creek path.

I passed the Kiwi and her younger riding partner, this time with us going in opposite directions near the DPL executive golf course. And I passed Paul in the curve between Woodbine and Woodman. I stopped and u-turned to ask the names of his two dogs: Ruby and Bettis-the-Labrador. Pet names can tell a lot about a person, and I surmise that Paul was a Steelers fan about ten years ago.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 55 to 60°F at 07:30
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:43:22 for 11.95 miles
Heart rate: 119 bpm HRave, 140 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 6 cyclists, 5 pedestrians, 3 dogs
Playback of the ride

Bike-commute day 71—to home

Friday, 19 August 2011

I decided to buy a lottery ticket at the Shell station that's adjacent to the bikeway on Woodman, and as I left the convenience store, I decided that I would add a few miles to my commute instead of going to the gym. So at the trestle checkpoint, I turned east toward Beavercreek. Was it Matt who described with such pride and astonishment the tribute installation of rusting girders from the World Trade Center? That will be my turnaround point,  maybe five miles out.

The slight but continuous climb to the gazebo at I-675 is matched by a gradual but continuous descent to the Beavercreek Station. What exertion I made on the first half was matched by exhiliarting ease on the second. Similarly, after the turnaround and quick appreciation of the massive verticals of the deep red beams rising above the bikeway, the way back had its canonic structure and a finish with easy speed.

The finish, back on my typical commute route, was strong also.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 84 to 90°F at 17:55
Precipitation: none
Winds: 5 to 10 mph, variable from the west
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 01:12:55 for 20.55 miles
Heart rate: 124 bpm HRave, 138 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 35 cyclists, 24 pedestrians, 2 dogs
Playback of the ride

Bike-commute day 71—to work

Friday, 19 August 2011

I started my commute with an errand to mail a package with a failed wireless router. If only our local post office would decide to have better hours—they opened a couple minutes after 8:30.

Perhaps 50 riders were assembled in the parking lot of Eastwood Park this morning—a traffic jam on the bikeway! I asked a man in a Five Rivers MetroParks jersey what the group was, and though he seemed to have some authority, his naming of the group was corrected by another rider standing nearby. ACS? AFC? All the solid information I gathered was that the ride was sponsored by some group at the airbase. My number for bikeway cyclists is probably made larger by this group ride, from which several may have taken an early start. Any other counting occurred only after I left Eastwood.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 66 to 71°F at 08:00
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:41:18 for 11.75 miles
Heart rate: 125 bpm HRave, 143 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 19 cyclists, 9 pedestrians, 4 dogs
Playback of the ride

Bike-commute day 70—to work

Thursday, 18 August 2011

It was a slow, easy pace today, perhaps I need to recover from last night's ride of higher intensity. Overnight, I woke perhaps four times with cramps in my right calf, which is another sign of a higher level of performance yesterday. So I enjoyed the time on the bike without pressure to make a good time.

I stopped to introduce myself to one of the regulars, Paul (yet another Paul) and his dog Stinky. We talked a bit, and I found he's been using the bikeway to walk his dog ever since it was built. Back on my way, I saw Gladys and Millie on their way to Linden Avenue and Gene and his dog Patches under the Haverfield Canopy.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 73 to 77°F at 07:55
Precipitation: none
Winds: 5 to 10 mph from the north
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:42:35 for 11.92 miles
Heart rate: 123 bpm HRave, 144 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 32 cyclists, 8 pedestrians, 1 dog
Playback of the ride

Bike-commute day 69—to home

Wednesday, 17 August 2011

I had hoped to go to the gym on my way home tonight, but I left work too late (leaving my desk at 17:30 and the locker room around 17:45). Perhaps just as well, since Chuck wants me to help him prepare for his trip to the GNI gathering, for which he's leaving tomorrow morning. And to give me time to prepare a nice going-away meal for us. I think there are skinned chicken breasts thawed in the refrigerator and a package of pad thai noodles and sauce in the pantry. I'll garnish it with Italian flat-leaf parsley instead of cilantro, roasted whole peanuts, and the half-lemon still in the fridge.

I took the route that last year was my usual commute, which takes a different route from the river bikeway to my home. At my last checkpoint, I headed up the zig-zag and to the Riverside Drive bridge, then around the Veterans' Memorial Park and down to the bikeway on the right bank of the Great Miami River. I followed the river to cross Wolf Creek and then took the bikeway west from there to the gravel-grass ramp to Broadway Avenue. I took an alley and a block of ---- to reach Broadway and then crossed the Broadway Avenue bridge. I turned left on Riverview, and then right on --- to Superior Avenue. From that point, I joined what has been my typical route this past year up Bryn Mawr and to my home.

The bikeway on the right bank still suffers from inattention. A few patches of sand and gravel, a couple instances of glass debris, and the still-lousy shape of the grass-gravel ramp up to Broadway make this a problematic route for my Lotus and its skinny tires. It will be better to take this route on my Trek hybrid bike, since its tires are more impervious to the stones and litter.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 84 to 91°F at 17:05
Precipitation: none
Winds: 5 to 10 mph from the south, variable
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:44:37 for 12.90 miles
Heart rate: 128 bpm HRave, 145 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 16 cyclists, 12 pedestrians, 4 dogs
Playback of the ride

Bike-commute day 69—to work

Wedensday, 17 August 2011

I left early for once, at 07:50, to have time to shower and prepare for a 9 o'clock meeting. The ride was rushed, barely enough chance to recognize the few regulars on the way. I was planning topics to discuss in the coming meeting.

Once in the conference room, I waited ten minutes before deciding my colleague wouldn't show. And when I got to my cube and started up our email and meeting scheduler software, I found the meeting had been rescheduled.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 55 to 64°F at 07:05
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:41:25 for 11.93 miles
Heart rate: 135 bpm HRave, 146 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 6 cyclists, 9 pedestrians, 3 dogs
Playback of the ride

Bike-commute day 67—to home

Monday, 15 August 2011

I left work very late—leaving my desk at 18:45, as the ever-earlier sunset rules me now. And as I rushed from the locker room in my cycling kit, Dave Stephens asked me as he approached the exit also, "What are those things on the bottom of your shoes?"

I lifted my heel as I held momentarily at the door. "It's a kind of cleat that mates to the pedals on my bike. Here, I'll show you at the bike rack."

I led him outside to my waiting bike, and then twirled the Shimano pedal. "The pedal is the same on both sides, for easy clipping in."

"Oh, so you can pull up as well as push down on the stroke!"

"Well, actually so I can apply power throughout the stroke, not only up and down, but also pulling back at the bottom of the stroke, and using the full circle of movement to apply power."

"Well that makes sense, to tie your leg to the machine."

"But that's not the only way to make the man-machine more efficient. You see the gears? It's just one gear on this bike, and it's a fixed gear—there's no coasting. When I pedal, the bike moves. And if I would happen to pedal backwards, that's the direction I would go."

By this time, I had turned on the Garmin, clipped it onto its pedestal, unlocked and recurled my padlock cable. I pulled the bike our of the rack and set it beside me, ready for the hop on.

"Well," Dave said, "I have to take the top down on my convertible. And you have the top down all the time, perfect for a day like this." He headed on to his waiting auto.

I gave Dave a whoop of a goodby and a wave. We were both looking forward to the commute home.

So with this fresh reminder of the importance of a circular, fluid stroke, I had additional power against the north winds that had open stretches to build their strength for the short ride along Spaulding Road before I turned into the Haverfield Canopy. I wondered if Dave's engineering background would incite thoughts of how the man-machine efficiency I experience compares to the power and joy of driving his vehicle.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 76 to 82°F at 18:15
Precipitation: none
Winds: 5 to 10 mph from the northwest
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:41:09 for 11.95 miles
Heart rate: 135 bpm HRave, 152 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 30 cyclists, 17 pedestrians, 1 dog
Playback of the ride

Bike-commute day 67—to work

Monday, 15 August 2011

By the time I reached the concrete embankment on the Mad River, I thought, Well it's Monday, so there's no point in aching over the time or cadence or heart rate. And as soon as thought, I glanced at the Garmin device to check my speed, cadence, time, and heart rate. I was pleasantly surprised that all were a level above my typical ride last week.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 64 to 66°F at 07:25
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm to 5 mph from the south
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:41:35 for 11.93 miles
Heart rate: 132 bpm HRave, 154 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 4 cyclists, 4 pedestrians, 1 dog
Playback of the ride

Bike-commute day 66—to work

Friday, 12 August 2011

The ride today was laborious, so much so that I asked myself often, Are you coming down with something? Didn't you get enough sleep? Are you run down or overtraining? Or is it that last night's dinner didn't have enough calories for this morning's ride? I'll wait out the day to see how I feel...

Late in the afternoon, after a larger lunch than usual, and after a large cup of fluids, I feel better at my desk. Since I'm driving home, there's no road test for me tonight. But my guess is that the lowered food intake for dinners is resulting in a lower energy store.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 56 to 61°F at 07:20
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:42:40 for 11.94 miles
Heart rate: 127 bpm HRave, 142 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 3 cyclists, 11 pedestrians, 3 dogs
Playback of the ride

Bike-commute day 65—to home

Wednesday, 10 August 2011

It all seemed so labored this evening. I left my desk at 6:30, called Ch to alert him to a later arrival than usual, and wondered what is available to cook. Maybe a pizza with the Boboli shell? No, too much bread for Ch's taste. And he perhaps overate at lunch, since Russ was over for the afternoon. What else? Pasta with fresh pesto? Nah, there's probably not enough basil ready, and Ch might object to the pasta. So a fish grilled, and maybe a vegetable. See what's there when I get home. You would think that my running commentary on food would draw me away from cycling, but the dull ache of my laboring heart and leaden legs pulled me back to the work I was doing. The heavy traffic up and down Woodman, across Woodbine and Airway nagged at my attempts to reach above the labor of the ride.

Just some rides aren't pleasant at every moment. This was one. Lots of larger groups walking on the bikeway, some confused about which side of the way to clear toward, some barely even in control of the children in their horde. Finally, along the Mad River was a nicely open stretch, though the westerly winds made this, too, a slog. One pleasant highlight: I saw Rick-the-Walker again after a couple months' absence. And then below Riverscape was a group of 30 (or more!) young people using the steps, banks, and bikeway as part of their training program en masse.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 78 to 81°F at 17:45
Precipitation: none
Winds: 5 to 10 mph from the west
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:43:24 for 11.96 miles
Heart rate: 128 bpm HRave, 138 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 21 cyclists, 31 pedestrians, 1 dog
Playback of the ride

Bike-commute day 65—to work

Wednesday, 10 August 2011

In memory I was replaying the C Minor prelude from Bach's WTC volume 1 and using that insistence of sixteenth notes to keep my cadence and heartbeat high. Then, after I left Eastwood Park and cornered to parallel Springfield Street, I saw the Northbound Trainers coming my way, though they were on the pavement of Springfield Street. Ah-hah! A chance to find out the habits behind their weekly ride, if they have the time to stop! As I slowed. I called out, "Would one of you stop?"

They all slowed, or perhaps had slowed already to navigate the turn into Eastwood Park. A couple looked my way as I planted a foot on the bikeway, and one or two actually hesitated, considering what I was up to. But the leader kept going, and they all decided to follow him.

I completed a u-turn before the last one turned onto the park's roadway, and I caught the tail-end of the group under the trestle just inside the park gates. I asked the caboose, "Do you have an email address, so I can ask you about the group?" He replied negatively, and I accelerated to the next group of three. The one man I asked directly was evasive, referred me to the Dayton Cycling Club website for more information and maybe a contact person. Even after a rather quick explanation of my hope to interview him for this blog, he gave only an address for the club rides. I sped to the lead rider, who was more forthcoming. We went back and forth on the details of his email address, and I committed as much as needed to memory. 

By this point, we had reached the concrete embankment over the Mad River, and I turned quickly to resume my commute. As I passed my second checkpoint a third time, I heard the Garmin automatically register yet another lap based on my GPS coordinates.


Ride conditions
Temperature: 62 to 66°F at 02:25
Precipitation: none presently, heavy rain early last night
Winds: calm to 5 mph
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:44:44 for 13.31 miles
Heart rate: 134 bpm HRave, 154 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 11 cyclists, 6 pedestrians, 1 dog
Playback of the ride

Bike-commute day 62—to home

Monday, 01 August 2011

A direct ride home so Chuck and I can continue work in the front yard. 


Ride conditions
Temperature: 91 to 100°F at 11.93
Precipitation: none
Winds: 5 mph from the south
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves.
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:42:07 for 15.85 miles
Heart rate: 126 bpm HRave, 140 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 17 cyclists, 8 pedestrians
Playback of the ride.

Bike-commute day 62—to work

Monday, 1 August 2011

Like most Mondays, the ride was lower intensity while my body accustomed itself to another week of bike commuting. Several times, I turned my attention to the cadence, to the spin, and particularly to the arc from 5 to 8 o'clock. Pull through, get some advantage from the hamstrings flex. And it worked for a bit, until my attention was pulled elsewhere.

On the Mad River plateau, a group of riders approached me from Eastwood Park. They were likely members of a similar group I had seen Friday morning in the clearing by Miami Valley Manufacturing, which then was 6 riders. Today the group had 5 cyclists whose control of the road and apparel implied their presence was a training ride, perhaps an LSD (long, slow distance) ride. I almost u-turned to ask them if they have ridden together over a long time, their typical start time and distance, and other details of their ride. ...But the need to arrive at work had precedence, and the questions were left unanswered. Perhaps over a few similar meetings on the bikeway, I can glean at least how much of our routes covers the same points. Or, on some day that I start out much earlier, I might afford some time to ride with them and ask my questions. For now, I'll name them the Northbound Trainers.

A couple miles on, a half mile north of Burkhardt, I said good morning to a couple of women whom I had greeted and exchanged some information perhaps a week ago. One of them, the older who is about 55 or perhaps as old as 65, is from New Zealand and is the more outgoing of them. The other is no older than 40, more athletic in appearance, more reserved.

As I neared the end of my route, I saw a single rider ahead of me at the turn from the Haverfield canopy onto Spaulding. He was about 25 seconds ahead of my own turn at the same corner, and once on Spaulding, I saw him approach and overtake a pair of other riders around the drive to the water treatment plant. All three were new on this stretch, as far as I knew. And all three had reached the bend toward County Line Road by the time I headed off the bikeway into Research Park.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 68 to 73°F at 07:30
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves.
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:42:05 for 11.92 miles
Heart rate: 127 bpm HRave, 146 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 12 cyclists, 6 pedestrians, 2 dogs
Playback of the ride