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 91—to home

Friday, 07 September 2011

A cyclist was coasting along the block parallel to Springfield Street..As I passed him, I said as gently as possible, "Hey there, you know that if you coast, you can only go downhill."

"Yeah, coasting is a quick way to catch my breath. Good thing there aren't many hills to climb on the bikeway."

He has a point. The bikeways of the Miami Valley might seem very flat, but typically a ten-mile ride will include a total of about 250 feet of climbing or descending. Usually, though, the climbs are gentle, 30 feet at a time or spread over a couple miles.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 77 to 83°F at 15:30
Precipitation: none
Winds: 5 to 10 mph from the north and east
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:59:27 for 15.85 miles
Heart rate: 128 bpm HRave, 146 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 18 cyclists, 11 pedestrians, 0 dogs
Playback of the ride