Windy ride to Miamisburg

Sunday, 10 March 2013

I started out an hour later than I planned, but that was no problem. The late departure meant that I met Martie Moseman on the trail—and met her friend (Mark?) and saw the runner Mike Nedeff long enough say hello. I had stopped at the rise to East River Road to remove my undershirt; the temperature was so warm today.

Martie stopped, said hello and mentioned her need to suggest a hike or bike activity for the Five Rivers Metroparks volunteers. I suggested a hike in Taylorsville Reserve, perhaps to include a guided history lesson on Tadmor and the aquaduct over the Miami River. It turned out that her ride partner Mark knows the area and its history well, and we had a good Q&A session on the area to clarify my understanding of what I had seen yesterday.

I continued south, into a windy and slow ride to Miamisburg. Tired of the wind, I decided to turn back instead of going to the trail's end in Franklin. I took a breather with a short tour of downtown Miamisburg, photographing many buildings along South Main Street. I wondered if Miamisburg is among the best examples in Ohio of an original, commercial area from before 1900? Just in the commercial area is a 3-block length of buildings that were built roughly from 1875 to 1895. A few are derelict, but most have an active storefront and occupants in the upper floors.

1875 map of Miami township

On my wind-sail return, I had energy to spare and could observe the course of the Miami and Erie Canal on the east side of South Dixie Drive, just to the west of the active railway. As the bikeway heads more northerly at the edge of West Carrollton, I noticed rough-hewn stones underneath a bridge, apparently where a canal lock had allowed the Hydraulic Canal to wind around the towns known in 1875 as Alexanderville and Carrollton. I lost track of the canal as the modern-day sewage treatment plant overtook its former routing before it joined with the Great Miami River.

Meanwhile, the Miami and Erie Canal was also overtaken by the growing city. Where it had neared the Miami River and turned north toward Dayton, now Alex Road, East Dixie Drive, and Interstate 75 have overtaken its path. And in what had been Van Buren township, the canal may have been disguised by a series of lakes that are bounded by the bikeway and East River Road. As I passed the lakes going north, 

1875 map of Van Buren township

I wondered if they had been built to supply canal water. But the 1875 township map reveals that the lakes did not exist back then and that the canal had flowed unimpeded through the area between the river and the hills to the east. Then finally the river and canal near each other where there is now a low dam and the Interstate 75 overpass. From there, the canal enters what is now Carillon Historical Park, where you can see a fully restored lock and a good segment of restored canal. 

Back some four miles, I had passed a cyclist going the opposite direction who was wearing a 1994 jersey from the old Dayton Cycling Club. I had yelled a hello as we met, though I didn't recognize the rider. But as I descended from East River Road to the flood plain, that rider caught me and introduced himself as Scott Weber. Sometime before the crash that had stopped my bike racing, I had sold him some special rims, and he had recognized me from that transaction. We rode together to Veterans' Park, where he dropped down to the river and I bypassed the closed bikeway to head home along clearer paths.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 60 to 67°F from 15:15 to 17:55 
Precipitation: none
Winds: 18 to 22 mph, gusts to 28 from the south-southeast
Clothing: Skinsuit, longsleeve undershirt, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed 48x16 
Time: 02:10 for 30.19 miles
Heart rate: no data
Bikeway users: 20+ cyclists, 12+ pedestrians

Second ride with the World Gym group

Sunday, 11 December 2011

I met up with the group from World Gym/Palm Desert on Mesquite as they crossed Crossley. Several riders greeted me by name, among them Cheryl from Tri-a-Bike, Anthony from World Gym, and Craig. Then a woman who had not been with the group last week rode up and introduced herself as Tracy. Off and on during the ride, Tracy spoke of some of the best trails for off-road riding (Art Smith, Goat Trails with an access from Cathedral Cove, and up around Pinyon Flats).

We rode as a group through Palm Springs to The Coffee Bean on North Palm Canyon, rested there a bit—this was a half-way point for them, and headed through the airport roads back to Dinah Shore Drive for the return to the Palm Desert area. Some discussion aimed at a breakfast at Aqua Pazza fizzled at the end of discussion, since several riders had plans with their families or preparing for the holidays.A couple of the riders (Roger and —) were heading back to the World Gym meeting location, and I tagged along to find the best way there from The River. Then I headed back to Palm Springs as a solo rider, following streets with marked bike lanes or separated bikeways.

Ride conditions
Route: major roads of Dinah Shore, DaVall, Frank Sinatra, Country Club, Bob Hope
Temperature: 62 to 66°F at 11:30
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm 
Clothing: Bibshorts+jersey, undershirt, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Trek 3700 trail bike
Time: 02:10:31 for 30.68 miles
Heart rate: 134 bpm HRave, 160 bpm HRmax
Playback of the ride

Gym commute day 01—there and back

Monday, 28 November 2011

Today was a trial run for getting to World Gym at Sunrise and Vista Chino. I thought my way could be pretty direct and without much traffic, and I found that to be true on my return home. Each direction took the same time, about 16 minutes

On my way to the gym, I first headed north on El Cielo, which is the usual direction by car. I turned west on Baristo and then took Cerritos and intervening curved streets always in a north-bound path. Finally at Tacheva I had no choice but to cut over to Sunrise, where I found a bikeway that runs parallel to the sidewalk—though it was a swerving expanse that goes all the way to Vista Chino.

The return trip was straightforward: Sunrise south to the Desert Chapel at Warm Sands, and then east along the golf courses to home.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 59 to 73°F at 08:45 and 10:45
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm 
Clothing: Skinsuit, open-finger gloves
Bike: Trek 3700 off-road bike
Time: 00:32:05 for 7.19 miles
Heart rate: 125 bpm HRave, 144 bpm HRmax
Playback of the ride

Bob Hope climb and tour of Araby Cove

Sunday, 27 November 2011

Man, am I out of shape! Before I left home, our discussion of when I should be back included my statement, "I'll probably make a few repeats of the climb" up the hill toward Bob Hope's mansion on Rimcrest. As it was, I made only two attempts, and both included a recuperation stop at some point below the top of the climb. So much for the long time of inactivity for the bike commute.

I'll give myself one or two days of rest and then make the attempt again.. Clearly I'm not fit enough for any successful outing on the Goat Trails, so a week of training on the Bob Hope ascent and a few commutes to the gym may help in regaining any lost ground.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 58 to 68°F at 08:45 and 10:35
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm 
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Trek off-road bike
Time: 01:00:50 for 10.13 miles
Heart rate: 129 bpm HRave, 156 bpm HRmax
Playback of the ride

Bike-commute day 95—to home

Monday, 24 October 2011

I had driven to work in the morning, and so I pulled my bike from the car for the evening ride. My start at 18:07 was later than it should have been. I knew that it would be well into dusk when I would arrive home.

My Garmin device began losing its signal below Riverscape and continued to do so through the rest of the ride. I wondered if something had happened to one of the satellites, but realized only at the end of the ride that the wheel magnet had swiveled to perpendicular with the wheel. Its position was too distant to be adequately registering my speed, and without speed in my Lotus setup, the device assumes I've stopped. So it stops.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 60 to 65°F at 17:45
Precipitation: none
Winds: 5 to 10 from the northwest
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: (elapsed) 00:43:20 for 11.95 miles
Heart rate: 135 bpm HRave, 148 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 4 cyclists, 11 pedestrians, 4 dogs
Playback of the ride

Bike-commute day 86—to home

Tuesday, 27 September 2011

Though the temperatures were in the cool part of the 60s, I decided not to wear the longsleeve undershirt on the ride home. I was a bit uncomfortable at the start, but I soon built up enough warmth to become comfortable. The paths were lightly travelled, covered with yet more fallen leaves and walnuts. I kept reminding myself to avoid the scattered leaves, since they might cover a walnut. At one point, while passing a couple and their dog, I was forced to the left side of the path, and rode over a large stick on the path. For the next mile, I worried that my tire was getting flat. But though the tire certainly had less air after the encounter, it never flatted.

On this morning's ride, I noticed the renewed smells of each segment of the way, and tonight some of those scents were still enshrouding the bikeway: a skunk's protective spray bolstered the natural area between Airway and Smithville, a small foundry's burnt-carbon funked the plateau between Eastwood Park and Findlay Avenue.

I made it home well before sunset, though the actual horizon was obliterated by a building blue cloud bank that foretold a night of rain.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 62 to 66°F at 18:25
Precipitation: none
Winds: 5 to 10 mph from the south
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:41:07 for 12.01 miles
Heart rate: 138 bpm HRave, 154 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 8 cyclists, 12 pedestrians, 1 dog
Playback of the ride

Bike-commute day 84—to work

Tuesday, 20 September 2011

Though the sidewalk and street at home seemed dry after the light rains overnight, much of the bikeway remained damp due to the high humidity. Wherever the path was asphalt, it tended to retain a sheen of moisture; where concrete, it was completely dry. So my first bike-commute since last Thursday was gentle, tentative.

Few others were on the bikeway, but the regulars included Gary and Amy on their tandem and Millie and Gladys on their morning stroll. But making up for the low numbers of cyclists and pedestrians were the gnats.

It is gnat time! Their presence means slight changes to how I bike: keep my mouth shut and breathe through the nose, keep my sunglasses tight up against the helmet front, ziip up myskinsuit to the neck, and get used to the gentle strikes on the bare face, arms, and legs. These critters swarm together in whatever rays of sunlight they can find, often just at the edge of a shady bend. The swarms can have hundreds of gnats, and often that means that a dozen or more strike me when I pass through the swarm.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 62 to 64°F at 07:15
Precipitation: less than 0.1 in since midnight
Winds: calm to 5 mph from the northwest
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:43:14 for 11.93 miles
Heart rate: not available
Bikeway users: 4 cyclists, 6 pedestrians, 1 dogs
Playback of the ride

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 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 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 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 53—to work

Thursday, 14 July 2011.

Ce jour-c'est le quatorze de juillet, la fête de la Bastille, et je suppose que les courreurs feront une étape française aujour-d'hui. Yes, I've been watching the Tour de France, avec horreur parce-que ces écrasements choquants.

Yesterday morning was the first day in July that I noticed another cyclist with Tour colors, and I called out, "Hey, it's the yellow jersey right here!" as we passed each other. I think I saw the same rider again on my return commute, and I noted his yellow jersey was actually a jersey  that advocates a 3-foot passing space for autos. A safety-yellow jersey.

My performance today was low-energy, probably due to the sleep deficit I've developed because of watching the recorded Tour broadcasts.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 59 to 64°F at 06:45
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm to 5 mph from the north
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves.
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:43:39 for 11.93 miles
Heart rate: 129 bpm HRave, 150 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 17 cyclists, 7 pedestrians, 5 dogs
Playback of the ride.

Bike-commute day 46—to work

Thursday, 30 June 2011.

The day started with a bad omen: I forgot my backpack, had to turn around to retrieve it, remove my helmet to reach the house keys around my neck, and return to the ride by doubling back through two blocks. But the omen was false. The only other problem was the crowds of Canadian geese who were commuting en masse along the banks of the Miami River at the confluence from the Mad River. These commuters are a messy bunch. You can always tell when they've been around.

As I approached Riverscape from the Monument Avenue bridge, a gaggle of geese waddled with some haste down the grassy bank, on a tear to beat me to the bikeway on the river's edge. Before the leaders reached the concrete path, I called out "Hup! Hup!" The first geese halted. I continued, calling "Hup!" frequently. All but a few of the 3 dozen geese stopped short of the bikeway, and I passed by without problem.

Not 100 yards distant was another gaggle. This time, all were resting well in full occupation of the bikeway. Have I found the Dayton Tahrir Square? Why do these interlopers feel such a birthright to the bikeway? were my thoughts as I slowed and resumed my warning barks to clear a path through them. Then just before the fountain jets, another gaggle, this time with two- and three-month-old goslings learning their rights as squatters.

I've found the Canadian geese, Branta canadensis, typically rest within sight of water, and they avoid locations that fail to provide for a quick flight either over or away from the water. (For example, seldom do I find geese at the concrete-walled bikeway below the YMCA, at the curve around the meadow near the Findlay Avenue bridge, or on the plateau between the Findlay Avenue bridge and the end of East Monument Avenue. And never on the bikeway from Eastwood Park south to the Iron Horse Trail.) Some exceptions may be larger expanses of asphalt parking areas, which may be mistaken for still waters from the air. It seems that a grass barrier about three feet tall at the water's edge is enough to make the geese feel uncomfortably distant from the water body.

The geese around Dayton are no longer migratory. I've seen one male with an injured wing for at least three years, year-round. The same pair of geese has taken the Kodak parking lot for three years as a favorite location for their annual brood of three to seven goslings.

It is indeed correct that Canadian geese are a protected species, and killing or capturing them is a felony. [Note on 2011.09.13: My information here dates from a publication of 1996. Since writing this, I found that Canadian geese are allowed early, fall, and winter hunting seasons in Ohio. The hunting must be licensed and along strict guidelines. The season dates vary by year and location.] Occasional exemptions have been granted to states and other jurisdictions to cull an exceptionally overgrown population. If only, I think each Thanksgiving, I could have roast goose for dinner!

Much further into the commute, I found Gladys and Millie on their daily excursion, joined by a third woman. I slowed to talk, pedalling slowly as they introduced me to their visitor from North Carolina, Ethel.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 59 to 64°F at 07:10
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves.
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time:  00:44:16 for 12.23 miles
Heart rate: 131 bpm HRave, 160 bpm* HRmax
Bikeway users: 7 cyclists, 12 pedestrians
Here is a playback of the ride.

* False report of "176" to "193" for 14 seconds.

Bike-commute day 43—to work

Monday, 27 June 2011.

So is that person ahead walking toward me or away? I wondered as I crossed the Monument Avenue bridge this morning. As I approached, I could tell her direction and called out loudly "On your right" from about 100 feet away. No sign of hearing me. Then again, less of a loud call, from 50 feet. Still no sign. Then louder than conversationally, my outdoor voice, from 15 feet, "On your right." She looked to her left, pivoted almost 270 degrees before she saw me. And jumped at the surprise of a passing cyclist.

Was she wearing earbuds? I don't think so. Was she in her own world? I think clearly yes. Should I have given my shrill whistle instead of calling out from 100 feet away? Perhaps, but on a sidewalk along a roadway, I think a whistle is threatening instead of warning. And it provides no detail, just an approaching presence. Especially on streets and sidwalk crossings, a voice warning is better. I think.

On the bikeway, though, I tend to announce my approach first with a whistle from about 500 feet, a tenth of a mile. If the pedestrian (or cyclist) gives no acknowledgement, I whistle again at about 250 feet. Then it's verbal information if necessary. These biekway users who need two, three, four announcements of my approach are frequently the ones who turn to the left when I call out, "On your right!" What gives with the confusion of left and right, I wonder?

When I pass a walker with earbuds, I wonder how safe they think they are, shutting out contact with others on the way. Drowning out all traffic noise, too. And ignoring nature.

I have no patience at all with cyclists who do the same. Too much can happen in the quick traverse of 18 feet per second (12 mph). When I pass a cyclist who's obliterating his aural connection with the road, I have a strong desire to yank the buds out of their place. But I exercise restraint. And enjoy watching them jerk to attentiveness as I pass, after they had several audible signals of my approach. Audible to everyone but them.


I've been seeing more of the tandem cyclists, the father and daughter Gary and Amy, in the last couple weeks. Today I saw them in Eastwood Park, riding toward downtown. I hope I soon see them riding the same direction, so we can catch up on what's happened since we talked last year. Last year, Gary proudly announced as they passed me the number of consecutive riding days they had reached. He hasn't done that yet this year. Maybe he's saving up for some record number to announce.

At Airway Road, I let two cars from the east pass the crossing before I moved to the island. A car from the west, though she had 300 feet of approach, whizzed on through the crossing without a hesitation. Her license plate reads EQN 8226, for those of you who can check the Ohio vehicle registrations online.

As I crossed Linden Avenue, I saw Gledys & Millie coming toward me on their morning constitutional, and I greeted them with "Happy Monday" as I rode by.
The weather forecast for today gives a 50% chance of rain today. Based on the radar animations, the day will have a period of light to heavy rain from 10:45 through 13:00, followed by about 2:15 of no rain, and an evening of moderate to heavy rain. I'll either call Chuck to pick me up in time for getting to the film or actually leave work early enough to arrive home before the second line of heavy rain arrives—it's too early now to predict from the radar, but possibly as early as 15:30 or as late as 17:30.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 60 to 63°F at 07:15
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm to 5 mph from the southwest
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves.
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time:  00:42:31 for 11.98 miles
Heart rate: 133 bpm HRave, 153 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 4 cyclists, 18 pedestrians
Here is a playback of the ride.

Bike-commute day 40—to work

Monday, 20 June 2011.

I had left the Garmin device on over the weekend, unused but attached to my bike. ...such was my cycling activity over the weekend. As I started out today at 08:22, the device displayed a warning that the battery was low. Within 90 seconds into the ride, the device went blank. I turned it on again at my first checkpoint, and it came to life only for about 15 seconds. Though I tried again at each checkpoint, the device remained dead through the rest of the ride.

The clock in the locker room read 09:08 when I arrived.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 62 to 70°F at 07:15
Precipitation: none, but threatening
Winds: calm
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves.
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time:  about 00:56:00 for 11.97 miles
Heart rate: no data
Bikeway users: 4 cyclists, 7 pedestrians, 2 dogs
Here is a playback of the ride.

Bike-commute day 37—to work

Tuesday, 14 June 2011.

The initial leg of my commute from home is often a source of misjudging how the ride will go. Since it is downhill through my crossing of the Monument Avenue bridge, it's easy to feel strong and fast. This morning was no different on the descent to the river, and it was during the route along the Mad River that I thought my legs feel like iron weights, and not at all like powerful steel pistons. After the exhilarating ride with Jeff Collier yesterday, my body today was exercising some grudge against me, avoiding any successful push to reach again the higher performance level.

Every aspect of a bike ride has its yin and yang. Today, as I approached and slowed for the Airway Boulevard crossing, an auto driver from the east slowed, stopped, and waved me forward. There were no other cars from either the east or west, so I resumed my spin and waved and mouthed a Thanks! to her as I crossed. Then as I slowed to approach the Burkhardt Avenue crossing, a black sports car from the east also slowed without clearly intending to stop, and I applied reverse pedal effort to stop my fixed gear before reaching the marked crossing. The car continued its slowed traverse of the crossing, the driver glared. I read his license plate "LTH 1" clearly as he continued to the west.

The last leg of my route, perhaps the most sociable part, is where I often meet the most people that I know by name. Today Millie was walking south to bring Gladys to their morning walk, and Paul (who I had fictionalized his name as Double-Dog-Jason) was heading north with his two dogs. Today's ride included a short errand off the bikeway—a jaunt across three parking lots to a Shell gas station to buy lottery tickets. One of my past lotto numbers was a winner of a whopping $2. So no retirement nest egg from the last purchase.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 54 to 59°F at 07:55, 64°F at 10:00
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves.
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:45:35 for 12.30 miles
Heart rate: 124 bpm average, 143 bpm maximum
Bikeway users: 4 cyclists, 6 pedestrians, 4 dogs
Here is a playback of the ride.

Bike-commute day 36—to work

Monday, 13 June 2011.

Shortly before I reached Eastwood Park, Jeff Collier alerted me to his overtaking me. We rode together through to his turn east to parallel highway 35. He spoke of his 180-mile ride this past weekend, with a group that rode from southern Dayton to Kentucky. It was mostly flat, he said, and they ended the ride with a few selected hill climbs to make the ride worthwhile.

Hmm. His pace had me puffing a lot, not very able to keep up half of the conversation. My afternoon review of the commute showed me why: my HR was over 143 and ranging up to 155 throughout our ride together, with a short exception for a full stop at Springfield Street for heavier traffic than usual. But that I kept up and maintained a high HR for the duration shows that I've been easy on myself as a lone rider. Time to step up to what I really can do.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 56 to 60°F at 07:55, 63°F at 10:00
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm to 5 mph, variable
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves.
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:42:25 for 12.03 miles
Heart rate: 129 bpm average, 183* bpm maximum
Bikeway users: 1 cyclists, 3 pedestrians
Here is a playback of the ride.
* not reliable, a more likely HRmax was 154.

Bike-commute day 34—to work

As I finished my commute this morning, I thought I had arrived with a personal best time. That achievement countered my experience during the ride, since it was a set of frustrated attempts at raising my heart rate above 150. (Notes to self: Use the hybrid bike or the geared road bike when you want to do heart training and sprints. Also make sure you're well rested the night before the sprints.)

• My first unsuccessful sprint was about two minutes out from Eastwood Park. I reached 140 bpm quickly with a cadence of 95 rpm, but the slight changes in elevation and turns kept me from reaching more than 146 bpm. 2:10 minutes were over 140. 
• My second sprint was around the former Multi-Service plant, where I had only 1:47 over 140. 
• I started the third sprint almost immediately, after I had crossed Airway, but it was only 2:23 for an HRmax of 145. 
• The fourth sprint, between Burkhardt and Linden, was again 2:23 with an HRmax of 145. 
• The fifth was a half-hearted 1:08 that only reached 141 HRmax before I slowed for Woodbine Avenue. 
• The sixth was a short 0:58 at 141 HRmax before I turned to parallel Spaulding Road. 
• The last sprint attempt was an exact 2:00 with a 144 HRmax that stopped at the Patterson Boulevard traffic signal.

The repeated attempts at reaching an HR of 150 bpm did have a payoff: The overall time for my commute was 2:59 lower than my average time of 0:46:19.

Special Note: World Naked Bike Ride
There must be some of you out there, either intrigued by or participating in the World Naked Bike Ride. The closest local event is in Columbus, Ohio. Here are the specifics.

• Saturday, June 11, 2011 at 11:30pm (yes, just before midnight)
• Third Hand Bicycle Cooperative
• 174 East 5th Ave
• Columbus Ohio
• Secure storage for items not worn during the ride
• Free body paint and costuming
• Each cyclist makes an individual choice about the amount of nudity they are comfortable with and no one is required to be naked
• Bring a bicycle, unicycle, long board, scooter, set of rollerblades or anything human powered
• Dance after-party just down the street.
  
  "We ride in solidarity with people around the globe to point out the vulnerability of cyclists to automobiles, advocate for less oil-dependent transportation in our cities, and celebrate the human form."
  

Ride conditions
Temperature: 59 to 63°F at 06:55
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm to 5 mph from the east
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves.
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:43:08 for 11.98 miles
Heart rate: 130 bpm average, 146 bpm maximum
Bikeway users: 10 cyclists, 12 pedestrians, 3 dogs, 2 deer
Here is a playback of the ride.

Bike-commute day 31—to work

Today is bike to work day for Research Park, so I'd not taken more than coffee for breakfast at home. Despite the lack of carbs, I had more than enough energy for the ride—maybe I should resume carrying a bagel for a breakfast at work instead of taking time to eat before the commute.

The storms from last evening continued intermittently through the night, with one lightning and wind event around 02:30 that woke me up from dreams about a whole-world epidemic of the Spanish flu. However, the skies had light clouds in the morning, the radar showed no approaching rain storms, and the street was dry down the block. So I set off to work.

As I crossed the Monument Avenue bridge, I could see the river was up, but not close to the bikeway. So I dropped down to the bikeway at the Monument Ramp and headed north and east. Within 50 feet of the ramp up to the YMCA, water covered the bikeway. I slowed, and entered the water to test its depth. It was clearly more than hub deep, so I turned around and ascended the Monument Ramp to take the crushed-gravel path that parallels the river to Main Street.

Across Main Street and into Riverscape, I could see the bikeway under the gazebo was flooded to about a foot, though the way was clear a bit upstream at the zig-zag ramp below the Green Bridge. So I took it down.

Before the Webster Street bridge, the path was flooded except for a two-foot portion, but beyond the bridge, the path was fully flooded to bottom bracket depth. I slowed to avoid much splash, and did a few flutter pedals to impel my "craft" and avoid getting my feet wet. The rest of the bikeway route was mostly dry, with a few areas under the tree canopy still damp or wet.

I saw Tom Helbig, the outdoor recreation and special events coordinator of Five Rivers MetroParks, and Dan Sahli, the new FRMP cycling coordinator, waiting for traffic to pull out as I turned to the Research Park training center. It was an opportunity for a quick introduction of Dan and some jabber about the weather and the development of the ZooBomb event and Sprockettes troop. Tom laughed when I suggested that he, Andy W, Kevin T, and I would make a great gender-fuck version of the Sprockettes. When I suggested it could be a mixed-sex group, he said there were some women who likely could be interested in it. ...All we need are the kids' bikes and costumes.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 61 to 64°F at 06:50
Precipitation: none, after very heavy rains overnnight
Winds: calm to 10 mph from the south
Clothing: Skinsuit; ankle socks. Open-finger gloves.
Bike: Trek 850
Time: 00:49:52 for 12.45 miles
Heart rate: 131 bpm average, 149 bpm maximum
Bikeway users: 6 cyclists, 4 pedestrians, 0 dogs, 0 goslings
Here is a playback of the ride. 15th Garmin day.

Bike-commute day 30—to work

Today was to be a sprint day, but my body wasn't into the ride at all as I pedalled along the lower river bikeways. It wasn't a time to push myself because of basic tiredness. Maybe a contributing factor is lower than optimal hydration. I remember thinking as I climbed into bed I should grab another glass of water; no, I want the juice-water mix, and it's too much trouble... and I was asleep.

So this morning I bought an 8-oz "juice beverage" to mix with a full styroglass of ice and LaCroix water for an all-day sippie. Perhaps I'll feel up to sprints this afternoon, though the bikeway may be too congested to do them. Maybe the best plan is one sprint on the curve from Woodman to Woodbine, another sprint up the hill near the frisbee golf course, and a third near the Kettering apartment village—all before I get to the gym and on less-used bikeways.

Three notable things happened this morning: several geese were conducting an école maternelle for about 35 goslings at the Green Bridge, I saw Millie and Gladys out on their walk for the first time this year, and I assisted a young woman who had taken a wrong turn and didn't know where she was.

Millie and Gladys are in their 70s, both with husbands at home who are affected by long-term health issues. I've known Gladys for perhaps three years, and Millie for at least two. Gladys lives in the area bounded by the bikeway and Woodman Avenue, somewhere a little south of Woodbine. Millie lives just west of the bikeway and about a block north of Woodbine. They walk together along the bikeway, and I usually see them in the stretch from Woodbine to Linden. Gladys is by far the more devoted to her morning exercise, and she is always the more forthcoming in what is happening in her life and the more inquisitive in how I'm doing. Millie has had periods off from walking, to allow recuperation from torn ligaments in her knees and the apparently poor surgical repairs to them. I described and performed several knee exercises for her this morning, which I prefaced with an explanation that they help strengthen the tendons that hold the patella in place and relieve achiness at the top and inside of the front of the knee.

While we three jabbered on the bikeway, a woman in her 20s passed us, going south. I had never seen her before in the morning, and her passing made me aware of the need to eventually get to work, so I said goodby to Millie and Gladys soon after. As I approached Woodman, there was the woman looking first at the bikeway signage, then up and down Woodman. As I passed I asked, "Are you lost? There aren't many ways to go here." She laughed and said, "Well, I think I really am lost. I rode from the Beavercreek hub this morning and went into Dayton. But I must have taken a wrong turn when I came back—I don't know how, though. And I really don't know where I am now." So I turned around, and told her that she mised a turn at the trestle, which she recognized as a landmark. Then I told here the simplest way back to the correct way home would be to turn back, cross two streets, and turn right at the T intersection beyond the trestle. She remembered the graffiti wall, and I used that as a landmark to place Linden Avenue for her, and to relate the trestle as being a block's distance north of Linden.

She seemed confident in the correct way home, so I took off for the remaining 2 miles of my commute.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 62°F at 06:55, 66°F at 07:55, 68 to 70°F at 10:20
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm to 5 mph from the southwest
Clothing: Skinsuit; ankle socks. Open-finger gloves.
Bike: Trek 850
Time: 00:45:33 for 11.89 miles
Heart rate: 132 bpm average, 147 bpm maximum
Bikeway users: 12 cyclists, 5 pedestrians, about 35 goslings
Here is a playback of the ride. 14th Garmin day.