Lonnie already mentioned this, but it is worth noting again because it's really a great event. The Hawkeye Bicycle Association's Swine Trek will take place on Saturday, June 21, beginning at 7:00 a.m. Pleasant Creek Recreation Area near Palo is the registration and starting point, and there are four distances to choose from. Bob and I rode the 50-mile ride last year and I was quite impressed by the organization. For RAGBRAI virgins, it's a good preview of an 'organized ride' (stops in small towns and more than a few of you on the road); for everyone it's a good opportunity for a longer, safer road ride. The registration form is at http://www.hawkeyebike.org/special_rides/Swine_Trek_2008.pdf
I'm slowly getting back into bike mode after running a half-marathon in early May. I've probably only logged about 50 miles so far, so I'm hoping to kick it into high gear soon (despite the disheartening news from Northtowne last night that they're at 2 weeks for tune-ups...).
Seems like I've been tied up on a lot of weekends, but perhaps those of us in the CR area can get together for a few evening or weekend rides in June. Looking forward to seeing you all!
Coe College meets RAGBRAI -- Iowa's greatest college tackles the nation's greatest bike ride.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
Personal best
Now this won't seem like much to the speedsters among you, but I was surprised to have set personal bests for average speed my last two times out. Losing 44 pounds since January has undoubtedly helped, but I also notice a different approach to my biking. Instead of logging miles just for the sake of logging miles, I seem to be riding with a purpose. Not speed, necessarily, but I want to make sure that each ride is a workout.
Between May 21, 2005 and this past Saturday, I've ridden a bike on 185 days. Whether it was the 2+ mile round trip to work or the 85.5 mile day from Sheldon to Estherville (in the hail, as I recall) in 2005 or anything in between, the best speed I could muster was 13.7 mph in a six-mile ride on Sept. 24, 2005. (Obviously, I'm anal about recording my rides.) Typically, I've plodded along at 12 mph. Until Saturday, when I averaged 14 mph in a 24.7 mile ride home from Urbana along the Cedar Valley Trail. That record didn't last long as tonight, after mowing the lawn as a warm up, I averaged 15 mph on an 11.5 mile ride.
That 3 mph jump will save me more than an hour in the saddle each day of RAGBRAI. I also plan to take spinning classes leading up to RAGBRAI, which should make me faster yet (or, at least, make the hills less difficult).
I've always stressed that RAGBRAI isn't a race, and it's not. But I'm going to save a fortune on Chamois Butter and Gold Bond if I can cut my time in the saddle from 5-6 hours to 4-5, and so can you.
P.S. With 87 miles logged over the last 11 days, I'm now at 178 on the year. Last year, I didn't hit that mileage until July 4. In 2006, it wasn't until July 23, day 1 of RAGBRAI! In 2005, when I caught this bug, it took me until June 24 (although I didn't start until May 21). After three straight years of declining mileage (from 933 in 2005 to 633 in 2006 to 613 last year), 1,000 miles looks like a reasonable expectation.
Between May 21, 2005 and this past Saturday, I've ridden a bike on 185 days. Whether it was the 2+ mile round trip to work or the 85.5 mile day from Sheldon to Estherville (in the hail, as I recall) in 2005 or anything in between, the best speed I could muster was 13.7 mph in a six-mile ride on Sept. 24, 2005. (Obviously, I'm anal about recording my rides.) Typically, I've plodded along at 12 mph. Until Saturday, when I averaged 14 mph in a 24.7 mile ride home from Urbana along the Cedar Valley Trail. That record didn't last long as tonight, after mowing the lawn as a warm up, I averaged 15 mph on an 11.5 mile ride.
That 3 mph jump will save me more than an hour in the saddle each day of RAGBRAI. I also plan to take spinning classes leading up to RAGBRAI, which should make me faster yet (or, at least, make the hills less difficult).
I've always stressed that RAGBRAI isn't a race, and it's not. But I'm going to save a fortune on Chamois Butter and Gold Bond if I can cut my time in the saddle from 5-6 hours to 4-5, and so can you.
P.S. With 87 miles logged over the last 11 days, I'm now at 178 on the year. Last year, I didn't hit that mileage until July 4. In 2006, it wasn't until July 23, day 1 of RAGBRAI! In 2005, when I caught this bug, it took me until June 24 (although I didn't start until May 21). After three straight years of declining mileage (from 933 in 2005 to 633 in 2006 to 613 last year), 1,000 miles looks like a reasonable expectation.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Bike to work: turtles, trains and automobiles be damned
Today was the official "Bike to Work" day, but you'd hardly know it by the delays encountered on my noon ride along the Cedar River trail.
Even as gas prices jumped to $3.69/gallon locally, vehicular traffic seemed to be heavier than usual on a day that was perfect for riding a bike, walking, or most anything besides driving a car. After meeting up with Tom Hicks and Brian Farrell, we took our usual path to the trail -- only to be blocked by a slow-moving train. (In this case, by slow-moving I mean back and forth.)
We headed downtown to catch the trail there, battling winter-worn streets and residual sand. Downtown was where we encountered the most vehicular traffic -- and these drivers didn't seem the sort to share the road with cyclists. After taking the turn at the now-closed landfill, which was particularly ripe today, we were slowed again, this time by a turtle. A big turtle! I wished I had brought my camera at the time, but I'm just now realizing my cell phone has one. D'oh!
In addition to the usual encounters with geese, we passed a snake on the return to campus. No deer on this trip, but Tom told of a recent occurrence.
I support efforts to encourage a healthy and environmentally friendly alternative form of transportation. Hopefully as more people begin riding bikes something will be done about all the obstacles.
We had a good 15-mile ride, don't get me wrong. But I'm craving the open road. Tomorrow I'm planning to bike home from my son's baseball games in Vinton, about 30 miles away. As Hayden Fry said, "You have to scratch where it itches."
Even as gas prices jumped to $3.69/gallon locally, vehicular traffic seemed to be heavier than usual on a day that was perfect for riding a bike, walking, or most anything besides driving a car. After meeting up with Tom Hicks and Brian Farrell, we took our usual path to the trail -- only to be blocked by a slow-moving train. (In this case, by slow-moving I mean back and forth.)
We headed downtown to catch the trail there, battling winter-worn streets and residual sand. Downtown was where we encountered the most vehicular traffic -- and these drivers didn't seem the sort to share the road with cyclists. After taking the turn at the now-closed landfill, which was particularly ripe today, we were slowed again, this time by a turtle. A big turtle! I wished I had brought my camera at the time, but I'm just now realizing my cell phone has one. D'oh!
In addition to the usual encounters with geese, we passed a snake on the return to campus. No deer on this trip, but Tom told of a recent occurrence.
I support efforts to encourage a healthy and environmentally friendly alternative form of transportation. Hopefully as more people begin riding bikes something will be done about all the obstacles.
We had a good 15-mile ride, don't get me wrong. But I'm craving the open road. Tomorrow I'm planning to bike home from my son's baseball games in Vinton, about 30 miles away. As Hayden Fry said, "You have to scratch where it itches."
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