As I was waiting at the hospital the other day to pick Pam up for our commute home, I ran into Cheryl.
We’ve known her for several years. She has a storied history in Springfield’s cycling community, and was a huge distance rider in the past. We first met her at Cox Fitness Center, where she continues to lead spin classes, and have ridden with her on the road few times.
It was good to see her again!
God bless…
TW
OK. I give. I can’t do it.
When I got my first road bike years ago, I read an article talking about some guy named Lance’s techniques. It basically said that the secret to his success was his use of fast cadence and lower gears to “spin” as opposed to “mashing” bigger gears (yeah, right…). I figured there must be something to that, so I set out to learn to spin. Over that first summer, I mastered the technique, and have blissfully spun my through thousands of miles.
What that really meant is that on the two road bikes prior to this one, I rode in the middle chain ring (they were triple’s) 99.996% of the time. That’s where I was comfortable, I could ride relatively fast and efficiently, and life was good. When we got the tandem, that continued to be the case.
Then, two summers ago, I won that bike from Fatty. I decided to go with a compact double instead of a triple. After all, I am a decently strong rider and climber, I never used granny gear up front, and rarely used the big ring. Besides…all the “serious” cyclists ride compact doubles.
Well, let me tell you, I almost regretted that decision. It took me a heck of a long time to get comfortable with that compact double crank. The little ring was too small, and the big one was too big. I was so relieved when I finally got it figured out and figured out how to spin comfortably without having to constantly think about it. Life was good again.
The problem is…I get myself into trouble by thinking. Last fall, I decided our average speed was dropping. I don’t know why, but it just felt like it. I decided to try riding in the big ring more, and gave it a try on a ride we did out to Strafford. It was kind of awkward, and seemed to cause my legs to burn a little more than normally, but I figured I could get used to it. Interestingly, as I look at the average speed from that day, it wasn’t actually much faster than we normally ride on the tandem, but I thought I was on to something.
As we’ve been getting the tandem out more the past month or so, I’ve continued my efforts to acclimate to the big ring, but the results have been horrible. I feel like I’m wearing myself out on hills and rides that were a piece of cake in the past. It’s not been fun at all. The straw that broke the camel’s back came Monday evening on the way home from our first tandem commute during Bike to Work Week. We had a little head-wind, but were riding across the flatness of our fair city and I was dying again. About half-way home, I gave up and shifted to the middle ring. It only took me a few minutes to start berating myself for being so stupid and hard-headed. That ride home started feeling nice almost immediately. Needless to say, I’ve been “stuck in the middle” most of the time since then.
I guess the good thing to come out of the experiment is that I’m now a lot more conscious about knowing when it makes sense to jump into that big ring for a few minutes instead of just blindly spinning along in the middle ring.
God bless…
TW
For the last several years, Pam has joined me in riding our tandem to work for Bike To Work Week. This year is no different, and based on our combined experience, getting both of us to work via the tandem is no big deal.
We both enjoy the week, and in the past Pam has continued on a part time basis through the summer, but in reality, both of us commuting by bike can get to be a little much (in fact, she would tell you that my commuting by bike full time can get to be a little much!), especially for her. Last night was a good example:
So, with that said, we’ll enjoy the week and the extra time together, but two full time bike commuters in the family just isn’t practical.
God bless…
TW
On Saturday, Pam and I met Mike for a ride out through Billings and Clever on a beautiful morning. She was feeling quite a bit better than the day before, but we still cut our planned route from the original 49 miles to 43 in anticipation that she might fade at the end. Luckily, that didn’t happen, but our shortened ride was still for the best because Mike had a work call to deal with and we ended up with an unplanned opportunity in the afternoon that we wouldn’t have wanted to miss.
We were feeling a slight breeze in our faces as we left Battlefield and passed by Wilson’s Creek. That breeze ended up getting pretty strong by the end of the day, which really plays havoc with us on that big bike. Luckily, it was a tailwind later in the ride, so it didn’t hurt us as bad as it could.
We started the day out by losing Mike within the first four miles. He was in front of us and missed a turn. We yelled and waved, but couldn’t get his attention. He was heading uphill, so there was no way we could have run him down, so we made the turn and stopped at the top of a hill where we would have a good view to see him when he figured out he was alone. That didn’t seem to happen quickly, so we decided to move on after trying and failing to reach him by phone. He knew we were heading to Billings, so we hoped he would find his way there.
Unfortunately we didn’t get very far before we found our path blocked by a low water bridge that had been taken out. I looked for a way over it, but couldn’t find a way to do it with dry feet so we headed back the way we came and followed Mike toward the next intersecting farm road that would take us over to County Line Road. Just as we were about to make the turn, here comes Mike with a sheepish grin on his face. I presume he went just about all the way into Republic before he headed back to look for us.
With those issues resolved, we continued our trek to Billings, but within 10 minutes we had lost him again! Same scenario, except this time Pam pulled out the air horn to try to get his attention. It didn’t work. Again, we kept going…this time without bothering to wait. Pam laughingly said she expected him to beat us to Billings.
By the time we got to Billings, I was glad to take a break. From the time you cross Wilson’s Creek until you stop at Casey’s (because we always stop at Casey’s), it’s generally a steady uphill grind. On Saturday, that grind was into the wind, so I was really glad to have that leg of the ride done! Then, as we pulled into the c-store, Pam was right! Mike had beat us. Since he doesn’t ride with a computer, we wondered how many extra miles he had on us. After that one, he seemed to learn the lesson: If you don’t know the route, don’t ride off the front!
From Billings, we turned to the south, then back to the east for a while to circle our way to Clever. I really like those roads out there, even though they can get kind of hilly. Most of the time they’re pretty nice rollers that the tandem handles reasonably well, and the wind was more favorable going south and east. We passed lots of pretty, rolling pastures, woods, and farm houses that were old when I lived there as a boy. Needless to say, those twelve miles passed all too quickly!
We made another c-store stop for good measure. I shed the last of my warm clothes and Pam finally started shedding hers. While we were there, Pam couldn’t resist the temptation to check Facebook for new baby pictures, but she was disappointed to find nothing new.
The final fifteen miles consisted of the steep and long climb out of the Terrell Creek Valley, followed by the rollers over County Line Road, the monster hill on ZZ, then the second crossing of Wilson’s Creek. We’ve ridden that so many times that it seems kind of anti-climatic, but there aren’t really any other reasonable options to get from Clever to Battlefield by bike. The only other way I know involves a long loop to the east that would add a lot of miles.
As we were slowly climbing the hill on ZZ, Pam spotted a deer just across the ditch. Because that’s the battlefield, they’re pretty used to people, but this one did something I’ve never seen one do before. It just stood there watching us as we went huffing and puffing by, but it also kind of squatted with it’s back legs. I don’t know if we caught it taking a dump or what, but I sure thought that odd. It never did run from us. Pam managed to grab a slightly fuzzy picture of it, and I think you can see it’s still partially squatting.
We finished the ride with almost 44 miles at exactly noon. You can click the map above for the full GPS track.
God bless…
TW
I swear, I can’t say enough good things about what a good sport my wife is. She’s been under the weather most of the week, but we were off on Friday and she wanted to do something for exercise. We figured running was not an option because of her head and chest congestion, so that left walking or riding.
She chose to ride. And, she chose to do our Strafford loop instead of the shorter out and back to the High School.
I’m so proud of her for getting out, especially since the weather was cool, gray and dreary again. I don’t think she ever got warm, but aside from that, we actually had a pretty decent ride. I was afraid she might be hacking and coughing the entire trip, but I didn’t really hear a peep out of her for the entire 29 miles.
From the condition of my legs afterward, though, I could tell she wasn’t nearly at 100%, but I wasn’t complaining.
You can click the map for the entire GPS track on Strava.
God bless….
TW
I took off late Thursday afternoon to ride part of the route I had planned for the solo century that got preempted by the grandbaby earlier in the week. I had planned a southern leg that went down through the outskirts of Ozark to nearly Sparta, and a northern leg through Strafford and Fair Grove. Because the southern leg was some newer roads to me, that’s what I chose. Pam was at a work function, so I knew I had at least a couple of hours before I would be expected back.
With forecasts for rain later in the evening, the skies were a dreary gray and there was a little wind from the northwest. Between those things, it wasn’t the most pleasant day to be out, but it was at least warm enough for shorts and a long sleeve base layer.
I was pedaling easily, and the miles just flew by. Before I knew it, I had passed down Smyrna road, up McCracken, had wandered over and beyond J Highway and was crossing the Finley river for the second time. I was right with the world, and the world was right with me. Traffic was virtually non-existent, and the dogs behaved as well.
As I passed through Rogersville, I encountered a bit of an obstacle to my progress:
Yep..a train stopped on the siding. As I approached, I was pretty sure I could hear a westbound train coming, so I figured it would be just a few minutes. Sure enough, within about two minutes, here comes the westbounder, and it was a long one! It finally passed, so I patiently waited for the eastbound train to clear itself out of my way. And waited…and waited…and waited. Finally, I decided it must be waiting for another westbound train, so I turned around and headed back to FR183 to get around it.
When I got home, I was astounded to see an 18 mph average speed for the 40 miles. I felt like I was riding fairly easily, and although there were some fairly flat spots around Rogersville, it was hilly further south. I guess it just goes to show that a day off every now and again is beneficial!
You can click the link above for the full GPS track.
God bless…
TW
Well, next week is Bike to Work Week here in Springfield. For me, it’ll be just like any other week, except maybe I’ll see more bikes out on the road. For others, however, it might be the first time they’ve attempted to ride their bikes to work. This post is for those people, so if you’re not one, you can go ahead and zone out now. I won’t be offended.
If you are thinking about riding your bike to work next week, I understand. It’s a scary proposition the first time, but I find it very rewarding. Here are some of my “helpful tips” to get you through the week.
Bike to Work Week Tips
1) Plan your route ahead of time. If you’re in Springfield, here is a great resource for planning a safe route to wherever you need to be. We’ve got upwards of 50 miles of streets that are designated bike routes, another few miles of marked bike lanes and the Greenways trails that all provide what I consider a safe route through most of town. You don’t need to ride on Glenstone, National, Sunshine, or Kearney.
The one caveat to that is if you live south of James River Expressway and need to come north. There aren’t many options to get across that sucker without getting into a bunch of traffic. I really wish the City would address that, but it’s not a cheap or easy fix. Hopefully, you don’t live out there.
Also…be aware that traffic will be heavier in the evening than in the morning, so if you decide to only ride one way, do it in the morning. The evening commute is also the time that the problem drivers wake up and come out. You might encounter one…but if you do, just shake it off as an encounter with an unintelligent life form walking around with some kind of chip on his or her shoulder. My point is that morning is a much more pleasant time to be out and about on the streets. That’s usually the time I stop and smell the flowers. I swear there are days that it’s a miracle I make it to work at all!
2) Plan Ahead. I pack my work clothes and breakfast/lunch every evening for the next day. Until you get your system down, lay out the clothes you’ll be riding in as well. Check the weather and round up any contingency items like jackets, gloves, hats, and rain gear so you won’t be scrambling at the last minute.
3) Your Bike. I have a dedicated commuting bike, but you can commute on just about any kind of bike, as long as it’s well maintained and everything is working. Got a mountain bike? Ride it! Roadie? It’ll be fine. Hybrid? Good as gold. Single Speed/Fixie? Perfect. Beach Cruiser? Well, I probably wouldn’t do that, but to each his own.
4) Carrying Your Stuff. I use a rack and single pannier to carry my clothes and food back and forth every day. If you don’t have those, a backpack or messenger bag works great! I personally use the pannier because I don’t like carrying stuff on my back and because of the sweat factor.
5) Bike Repair. You don’t need to be a certified bike mechanic to be a bike commuter, but for heaven’s sake, make sure you’re carrying what you need to fix a flat tire. I carry two spare tubes and a CO2 inflator with spare cartridges. If I see you stranded on the road, I will be glad to stop to assist, but chances are that I won’t see you out there. Carry your own gear and make sure you can use it! If you’ve never changed a bike flat, practice at home first, rather than trying to figure it out on the road. There are lots of YouTube videos out there to show you how.
And…if you should have a flat, when you fix it, make sure you thoroughly inspect your tire to be sure the offending rock or piece of glass is not still embedded in the tire waiting to puncture your spare tube.
6) Ride Safely. You’re a vehicle on the road. Understand that. Understand that your responsibility is to operate that vehicle in a safe and courteous manner. That means you need to obey traffic laws and signals. One of my pet peeves is to see a cyclist run a red light instead of properly waiting for that light to change. For Pete’s sake, you wouldn’t run that light if you were driving a car, would you?
Missouri law says you should operate your bicycle as far to the right as safely possible. That last phrase leaves it to your discretion to determine what is safe. I’ll give you a clue. You’re generally safer riding far enough to the left that cars have to partially pull into the opposite lane to pass you than you will be if you hug the right curb trying to leave them room to pass. The vast majority of motorists in Springfield will pull out and pass you safely and courteously in that situation. Once in a blue moon you’ll encounter someone who gets offended at you, but I generally consider those few people to be uneducated morons who don’t understand your situation. If you hug the curb or ditch, you’re basically telling the drivers it’s OK to squeeze themselves into the space that you have left…and they will. Trust me on that.
Oh…and stay off the freakin’ sidewalks. You may feel safer up there, but you’re not. You’ll be crossing driveways and intersections, and frankly, drivers aren’t going to be watching the sidewalks for fast moving vehicles like a bicycle. You wouldn’t drive your car, motorcycle, or even scooter on the sidewalk, so why should you drive your bike there.
7) Cleanup. I’m lucky in that I work someplace that makes a locker room and shower available to me. If you aren’t that lucky, there are still alternatives. Cox Fitness Centers and the Y will let you use their showers next week free of charge. If that’s not convenient, you can take a “sink bath” with a washcloth and soap, or even use a wet-wipe to clean up in your office if necessary. I you need to do that, the key to success is to start clean! Yes, that means taking a shower before you ride to work. The culprit in causing the sweaty funk smell we’re all too familiar with isn’t the sweat. It’s the bacteria already on your body. If you start clean and then clean off any sweat as soon as you can, you should be OK.
So, there you have it. My seven suggestions for a successful bike to work week. I’m sure there are probably dozens more I could have made, but I’ll call it good for now. If you would like to chime in with your own bike commuting tips, or have any questions, please feel free to use the comments.
Have fun out there, and God bless…
TW
