Commuting - Very long commute club: Week 20

It's amazing -- 5 months of the very long commute club are behind us. Time and the miles are just flying by!!

Now that the TdF is over and "just like Lance" fever is everywhere I thought I might take my own measure against Lance.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Me

Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Bike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . custom built road bike weighing . . . . . .Fuji Supreme hybrid
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . slightly more than a postcard
Resting heart rate . . . . . . . . 34 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .I just keep mine consistently high
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . to avoid wear and tear
% body fat . . . . . . . . . about the same as a . . . . . . . . . . . . . More than Lance but less than Homer
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . glass of skim milk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Simpson
Cadence . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Miles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,242 on TdF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,678 year to date
Riding time . . . . . . . . . . 86 hrs. 15 min. 2 secs. . . . . . . . . . . .123 hrs. 48 min. 36 secs.
Wife/girlfriend . . . . . . . . 43 year old multi-platinum, . . . . . . . . 41 year old who listens to Cheryl Crow
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . multi Grammy award winning . . . . . . . music
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . recording artist

Well with that stock taking episode behind me I launch into another week of commuting. I hope everybody has a great ride next week. And if like Monument, you're back in the commuting game tell us how the return is going for you.

Well, I'm out this week. I'm covering for a guy who's on his honeymoon this week (why'd he have to go do that?) and his schedule is not condusive to cycle-commuting and getting enough sleep.

Y'all keep on ridin' though! (Done w/ my best southern drawl)

My VLC last Friday night took in the Sydney Criticall Mass ride, it was Sydney's 10th anniversary CM. We had a party afterwards at the local town hall, what a blast! It added about 50 miles to my commute for the day.

Well, I'm finally back in it - after getting wiped out with a virus 2 weeks ago. I was amazed though, I think all the biking helped me kick it fast! I had this stomach virus, and after feeling HORRID for 24hrs, I was up and around and feeling better within 72 hrs. My co-worker, who gave it to me, was still trying to kick it after 10 days!!! I swear, it's the biking...

Then, I thought I'd have to build back the miles back up slowly, but on my first 42km ride, it was like I didn't have a 2 week break at all! I felt great and barely sore! Man, what am I gonna do when our -25C winters hit!?!? Bundle up and still ride?? Go for studded tires? I think I'll be in major withdrawal if I don't.

Anyways, heading home on a nice cool, somewhat cloudy night. Hope it doesn't rain - forgot my rain jacket!!

Good to hear you guys are still at it! It's a great boost for me.

My husband and I checked out a slightly shorter VLC today -- about 14.5 miles -- but it involves about half a mile on a high-speed four-lane U.S. highway with very narrow shoulders and left turns coming and going. It also involves a slight trespass onto private property -- going around a fencepost shrouded in heavy brush. On the up side, it has about a mile of offroad riding which my electric MOUNTAIN bike really loved! :)

However, I think I'll stick to the longer route on public roads. Most of what is cut out on the shorter route would be flats and except for crossing the highway, the longer route consists of rural roads with speed limits up to 45 MPH tops.

I'll get a chance to do the entire commute for the first time Tuesday as I have cancelled my evening class, which means I'll be able to get home before dark. I'm really excited about giving this a try!

Well, I'm finally back in it - after getting wiped out with a virus 2 weeks ago. I was amazed though, I think all the biking helped me kick it fast! I had this stomach virus, and after feeling HORRID for 24hrs, I was up and around and feeling better within 72 hrs. My co-worker, who gave it to me, was still trying to kick it after 10 days!!! I swear, it's the biking...

Sorry to hear that you were sick! I got a bug earlier this summer and it was a week before I could ride again and another week before I felt 100 percent again. Glad to hear you're back on the road! :)

Thanks Longhorn! I'm feeling pretty good now. It does take a while to feel yourself after a nasty bug like that. But I think I'm back in it - I was SUPER pumped for the whole ride home, despite the rain... knew forgetting my jacket would catch up to me! The tailwind and my energy level helped give me my best time home this summer. Yeehaw!

Mtn_Chick, glad to hear you are up and cycling again. There are a lot of things one can do to make winter commutes not so bad. If you would like any help just say so and we can start about winter time preparations.

Cyclaholic, what a great way to end a week.

Well I decided to be a cager this morning and my wife drove me to work. I do have a couple of reasons as I went to Wolftrap Park to see Elvis Costello and Emmy Lou Harris, great concert which started at 8pm and did not finish till 11pm. That is right, Elvis Costello payed for 3 hours straight. One of my weekend training partners gave me a nice surpise last evening at the concert, he and his wife are giving me a set of Nimble Spider wheels www.nimble.net. The wheels will only be used for long distance racing and weigh a mere 1351 grams, which is 2 1/2 lbs less than my commuting wheels and 3/4 lb less than my Mavic Ksyriums. I cant wait to try them on a ride.

The second reason why I caged in was that I did my super hilly loop yesterday, 105 miles with 7 decent climbs, the shortest is 1/2 mile at 9% and the longest was 1 1/2 miles at 7% with no flat roads in between the climbs.

Tibike, as a casual commuter I think you might be a little nuts doing that hilly loop. Some things are just to difficult to even think about. I thought that was an interesting concert pairing at Wolf Trap, I' glad to hear it was good.

Mtn-Chick welcome back and I hope you're fully back to your old self soon.

Longhorn, in your shoes I'd probably make the same decision. A longer but somewhat safer route with more subdued traffic is probably going to be more comfortable and relaxing. My own route is not the most direct, but using a MUP keeps me away from most of the traffic and allows for a relaxing ride. I think that unless you are already comfortable riding in traffic.ost commuters would be more comfortable on quieter streets.

I had a nice ride in this morning. I also found that my bike computer works even when not mounted to the handlebars. Before I put my bike in its storage shed, I pull the computer off and toss it in an empty water bottle that I use to haul gear and it goes in a cage on my seat tube. This morning I was rushing around forgot to pull the computer out and put it on the handlebars. About a mile from the house I realized it wasn't there so I pulled out the bottle and sure enough the computer was registering speed, distance and time even on my seat tube. Kind of hard to see down there, but go to know its range.

I pull the computer off and toss it in an empty water bottle that I use to haul gear and it goes in a cage on my seat tube.

I have thought about using the second water bottle cage to hold some kind of container for stuff that I usually stick in my wedge saddle bag. Do you just use a regular water bottle? What do you normally carry in it?

It felt good to be back on the bike this morning. It is Monday though, which means a loaded up backpack for the weeks worth of stuff. Ugh. I'll get that rack and panniers someday...

Hubcap,

I use a cheap water bottle cage and a cheap wide-mouth plastic bottle so it is easier to get stuff in and out. In the bottom of the bottle I put a plastic shower cap that I use to cover my seat when I park it and it looks like rain. I made up a pouch out a soft polishing cloth that on one side has a pocket for the clip-on sunglasses I use when riding (one more sign I am not the coolest of riders) and on the other side has a pocket to hold some cash a metro card and emergency contact info. Also in the bottle go my keys and when not on the bike my computer. Sometimes when it is raining very hard I put my cell phone in there as well. If it weren't for the sunglasses, the bottle could probably hold the necessary tools for road repairs, but since I've always got my pannier on for commuting it didn't seem necessary. I think the cage and bottle together cost $5-6, and could have been less had a hit a dollar store or someplace really cheap for the bottle.

I posted a link to a sattelite view of my commute at the end of Week 19. I thought I'd post it again here. I created it through the sueandpaul.com/gmappedometer tool which allows you to double click waypoints over the top of google maps. Cool! Zoom in and out and drag it around.

ANwyay a really poor showing for me last week with 0 commutes. I got my new car though so now I should have much more time on my hands. Today it was pouring in the AM so I didn't ride. :( Tomorrow? Let's hope. This weekend I did another fun climb ride, ascending 1500 vertical feet over a 4.3 mile route, with sustained grades of 9% and some grades over 20%. It's a real tough climb for me especially with my gearing and my heavy steel bike.

My commute, from space (http://www.sueandpaul.com/gmapPedometer/?centerX=-71.23260498046875&centerY=42.52879629320373&zl=6&fl=s-e-h-0&polyline=ob%60cGxvjrLvEiCdKvIpDfXhE%7CEd@xJkC%60O%7EB%7CSbBrGnEyBdAxFDdEdBaC%60IuAfHf%5C%60J%7BC%7EM y@bXwXfI%7DAnEaCrMwQ%60Zwg@pTqJdOeMbR%7DW%60%5BmWnXs%5EhT%7BQdP%7BS%60%5CgUbVcPbUqFbVcOhVi%5E%7EQgQ% 7E%60@wXd_@iUf%5EaKvWhFfZwB%60MQt%5ByBpRzGlLmBfJsd@pDvAxQyCzJ%7DDx%5Dor@lr@cjAtq@yg@%60l@_O%60Pct@xL %7Ba@xPe_@lNae@hKkZbYih@z%5BaNhm@%7DgAhKeI%7C@kq@hK%7Dx@tEse@lPiY%7EQ_aA%7CF_MdBiLzJuHfOcHtKuI%60J%3 FrOiJpUwItK_Fn%5DeJLgJlNp@jTbOnJwIhu@gpBzIqH%7CFeP%7CDwB%7CCbAn_@%7C%5B%7E@eQJ%7BKvFeElMa@v%5CgBlPdE tLgCtLkVnHmpBwBqYk%5CijBwXkGyV%7BA%7DA%7DEJuD%7DFmBiEyFaMf%5CwYgUiK_%60@fDoB%7EBeBv@%7DBeLmGq@vBsFgC Sx@%5ET)

Monument, it is nice to see other people who are addicted to hills. I much prefer a hilly ride to a flat ride. Does your commuting route use a MUP and if so, how did you map this part?

Newbie, I am training for two double centuries, Nightmare Tour Ride which circumnavigates Lancaster County, Pa on August 13th and the Death Valley Double Century on October 29th. Each ride has over 12 thousand feet of climbing. I can then do more normal rides after these two events.

Does your commuting route use a MUP and if so, how did you map this part?


You can see trails fairly easily if you switch over to satellite or hybrid mode.

I have played with this tool before and think it's a great way for those new to commuting to experiment with selecting a route using roads you usually don't drive.

You can see trails fairly easily if you switch over to satellite or hybrid mode.

I have played with this tool before and think it's a great way for those new to commuting to experiment with selecting a route using roads you usually don't drive.

TIbike you're just too crazy! 12k vertical feet of climbing along a double century, well you're the just hte total hoss. Wow.

This tool I used is great to plot running and cycling and walking trips because it doesn't rely on the road networks, you just click waypoints on the map, and it spits out the distance. It does not take altitude into consideration, although that is farily small. If you climbed 12k vertical feet you would have to add 2 miles to the trip if you plotted it on this tool. Since it doesn't rely on the roads, I can click directly over my MUP, if I could guesstimate exactly where it is. Sometimes it is difficult to see among all the rest of the roads. Tomorrow is hopefully going to be a "back in the saddle" day for me. Just finished a 3 mile run to try to keep the juices flowing. Tomorrow my life hopefully starts to get back to normal again.

Monument:

12K of climbing is not that bad for a double. The difference in the two rides is quite large as the Nightmare Ride http://www.dreamrideprojects.org/Nightmaretour.html has short Eastern US type climbs eg Steep, where as the Death Valley Double
http://www.adventurecorps.com/deathvalley/northernroute/pages/dvd2003profile.htm
has long Western US Type climbs. I made a mistake the Death Valley ride has 9K of climbing.

The main thing for me is to mainatin a constant pace and try not to push too hard. The VLC and everyone's stories has been great to keep me going.

Flatted today in almost the exact same spot as a couple weeks ago. I'm talking within 20 yds. I will have to check out the spot on my way home to see if there is something I am rolling over. I couldn't find anything in the tire either time, just the little cut/hole.

Hubcap, that is indeed bad luck. Hopefully you'll find something on the ground that will explain it.

Tibike, I'm glad we're keeping you motivated, but I still think you might be a little bit nuts. But to each his own. Good luck in your training and the races. Remember you race not just for yourself but for the glory of the VLC as well!

I had a pleasant, unremarkable ride this morning. Yesterday and today I've just been rolling along covering the miles without any particular goal in mind. Not recovery rides, just riding at a pace that I can maintain at about average effort. This morning there seemed to be a wealth of people on the MUP doing annoying things (riding and walking two abreast, riding singly but all over the lane). I guess the nice weather brought them all out. Other than a mild annoyance, no real problems. I hope everyone has a good ride this afternoon.

Monument and Newbie:

You are not alone if you think that I am nuts, as my wife thinks that I am certifiable but is supportive of my activities. She knows that my mental health and the happiness of our family is directly proportional to the amount of endorphins that I release on a regular basis.

You were correct that this morning was quite a pleasant commute. A couple of times I was just floating down the bike path and taking in the scenery. This morning was especially nice wtaching the sun rise over the Washington Monument from the Virginia side of the Potomac. I am a little sad as I will have to break out the lights this week, as it is too dark to ride from my house to the bike path. I guess we will all have to start to think about winter clothing etc.

A friend of mine sent me an interesting link for people that can never get their feet warm in the winter. The link is for battery operated heated footbeds, http://www.therm-ic.com/

Hello fellow VLCers!

This morning there was a thick marine layer, and I got thoroughly "misted" going to work. That's OK, but it made it a little cooler than I would have liked. No sunrise for me!

I saw several other cyclists at around 6:30 this morning, and they all had rear blinking lights, and a couple had headlights going. I was thinking I should have put my lights on because it did look a liitle dark, but then I realized it was because I was wearing sunglasses! Evenso, I guess it won't be long before the lights are necessary.

Hit a new top speed of 48.0 mph on Saturday. Yes it was downhill :)

Alright today was a wonderful day in the saddle. Actually achieved a speed record today on the route home, although I took an abreviated 24 mile route instead of the normal 32 mile route. I felt pretty strong which was suprising since I haven't been getting as many miles in the last few weeks. But my miles have been HARD miles. So maybe that's worth something? Maybe the new route is easier? Actually there's several climbs, so it's not really easier, but it might have less stopping. It is a road ride the entire way instead of the MUP which has stops every so often. Did the entire route home over 20mph. And it was gorgeous! And I didn't have a headwind!!! Hmmm, note to self, maybe headwind is a big component of today's speed....

Hoping to get in the saddle again tomorrow but you never know.

Tibike, the climbing stuff is definitely addictive. It's brutal on my legs, but the sense of accomplishment is just fantastic. Even a few weeks later I'm still astonished I was able to push myself over some of those hills. I'm looking into doing the Mt. WAshington Century - I don't konw how much vertical it does in 110 miles. It's not an absolute ballbuster with super steeps but lots and lots of long steady ascents.

Today was my first attempt at the full 17 miles on my electric bike. Everything went absolutely GREAT till the last three miles. Then my motor cut out and though it would come back on if I turned the battery off and back on, it would only last about ten seconds. I think it was overheating and the controller cut off but I'm not sure. It was about 97 degrees and both the bike and battery had been out in the heat all day. I'm waiting on answers to my post at a Yahoo Power Assist board. (There's a board for everything these days, you know! ;))

I was really disappointed because I was on track to get home in an hour and 15 minutes, which was my goal. And the trip was a lot of fun, even though there was more traffic than what I'm used to. I even "took the lane" for the first time as cars backed up at a stop. A big truck was turning left on the U.S. highway so it took longer than usual and there wasn't enough room in the lane and no shoulders so I waited my turn. Fortunately, I was taking a right and I only have to stay on that highway for 0.2 mile. Then I'm back on rural roads.

I saw a burnt-orange Longhorn grazing on the other side of a fence right next to the road. Next door were two chickens! And deer running everywhere! If only I could have done the entire trip without having to call Mr. Longhorn. He road the bike home, though, so he got some exercise, too. And that bike rides like a tank with that heavy motor and batteries when the power assist isn't working!

Another beautiful morning in the Nations Capital. Few people on the MUP which made for an easier ride. Rode my fixed gear today, due to mechanical problems on two of my other bikes. The fixed gear was a nice change and I think that I will start commuting on this bike two days a week. 40 miles a day on fixed gear is a great workout.

Monument: Does the Mt Washington Century go up the mountain or do you just ride to the mountain?

Another beautiful morning in the Nations Capital. Few people on the MUP which made for an easier ride. Rode my fixed gear today, due to mechanical problems on two of my other bikes. The fixed gear was a nice change and I think that I will start commuting on this bike two days a week. 40 miles a day on fixed gear is a great workout.

Monument: Does the Mt Washington Century go up the mountain or do you just ride to the mountain?

The Mt. Washington Century does not ascend the Auto Road, which is the hellish, "please kill me now" 7.6 mile, 5000 vertical foot ascent which *averages* 12% grade, with extended 18% sections and even exceeds a whopping 23% (!) for short sections. They only allow bicycles on the Auto road two times each year, once for the training ride and once for the annual Mt. Washington Hill (sic) Climb. The record was set by Olympic Gold Medalist Tyler Hamilton but was shattered by a young American a few years ago who beat Tyler's time by over a minute. They don't even let you ride the bike down the road, for fear of death due to bad brakes and flying off the road. In order to be allowed to ride to the top on race day, you have to have a car available at the summit for transportation back to the base.

The Mt. Washington Century basically rides around the Presidential range, and has a few 1-2000 foot ascents, certainly lots of climbing but definitely nothing on the order of the auto road.

Monument man: Cool view! Thanks for sharing it.
Javaman: Funny thing about the sunglasses. I've done that a few times. Or wandered around the house for 5 minutes looking for them before I realized I was wearing them. Done that w/ my regular glasses too, or thought, "I really need to put in my contacts," when I already have them in--that's when I know I need to get my prescription updated...
Longhorn: Don't you love seeing wildlife on your commute?

I'm going to try a different route to my new job today. I have a better feeling about this one; I think it might be safer. It's a little shorter (14 miles each way, maybe?) unfortunately, but according to my denver bike map, it crosses a bike path that I might be able to incorporate into a longer ride home a couple times a week. I don't start work until next Thurs., though, so I still have some time to experiment.

Hi, Christie: Yes, I sure do enjoy seeing the animals up close. I've noticed the deer don't run off as quickly when they see me as they do when I'm in my car. It makes me feel like I belong out there with them. :)

I hope the new route works out well for you!

Thanks Longhorn. The new route was nice. Much safer than the previous one I tried, and about the same length. As an added bonus, I get to cross the Secret Bridge (very very narrow!), ride through the Field of Broken Dreams (lots of glass, graffiti, and prarie dogs), and pass by a sort of urban horse farm. There's also a great mountain view on the mostly downhill ride home!

It's still not as fabulous as my old VLC, but the new job is so much better that I think it'll make up for it.

Somehow I missed those landmarks when I visited my daughter in May. Maybe we'll catch them the next trip. ;) She lives on Evans near Sheridan.

I saw lots of cyclists while we were there and wished I had my bike with me!

Longhorn, sorry to hear about your bike fizzling out. I actually rode behind a guy on an electric bike the other night. It was the first time I have ever encountered one. The bike seemed fine except for a high pitched whine as he accelerated. That and the fact that for the mile or two I was behind him he hardly pedalled, just talked on his cell phone and held the throttle. He was also one of those obnoxious people who speed up every time you get to a place where you could pass, otherwise I would have only been behind him for a short distance. I'm sure you're a more courteous rider.

Missed the VLC yesterday when I took my son up to Baltimore to play tourist at the Inner Harbor. If you're in Baltimore I reccomend it.

Today's ride was uneventful but I did have to stop and tie my rack on, since I lost a screw. Fortunately, that worked although it looks goofy. It was already too hot and humid in the morning. This afernoon is going to be obnoxious. I think the heat is even driving away all of the interesting wildlife -- I haven't seen a deer or anything other than squirrels and birds for a few weeks.

Marylandnewbie, you're right, I don't ride like that at all! I pedal ALL the time, never talk on my cell on my bike, and only use the motor on hills. I've never had another cyclist riding the same direction as me (and only three going the other way in the six weeks I've been commuting!) but if someone did come up behind me, he or she would have no trouble passing me, even with the motor running. :) But you're right, the motor does whine -- better than me whining up those hills, though! ;)

I just got a call back from the shop and they want me to bring it in to see if it's a voltage problem or an overheating motor.

I've been trying to do 2x week commute for the past several months..it's 17.5 miles one way. This week has been a wash for cyclomuting (new word?) as I've had to drop my daughters off at gym, etc.

Hope to get back to it next week; good to see other people doing this as well! I really enjoy the ride, I save money, and it's "free" training time that I would otherwise spend in the car.

[QUOTE=christie133]... The new route was nice. Much safer than the previous one I tried, and about the same length. As an added bonus, I get to cross the Secret Bridge (very very narrow!), ride through the Field of Broken Dreams (lots of glass, graffiti, and prarie dogs), and pass by a sort of urban horse farm. There's also a great mountain view on the mostly downhill ride home! ...QUOTE]

Glad you found a route that is safer, Christie. I love the way you named several sections of your ride. If you ever come to SoCal, I want you to ride my commute with me and name the landmarks! :) .

This morning it was even cooler and darker than Tuesday. I had to wear a vest, but it was a great ride nonetheless. I don't remember seeing any other bikes this morning...odd...maybe I just didn't notice them because I was having too much fun!

...only use the motor on hills...

You can't imagine how many times I've wanted to do that! If there was some motor/battery I could strap onto my bike for use on hills, I could ride 5 days a week (180 miles) without wearing myself out. As it is, I can only manage 2 or 3 days a week right now.

I did commute all 5 days once, but it was too much. Exercise is supposed to relieve stress, but that many miles actually added stress to my life!

I think everyone (with the exception of Tibike and possibly Monument Man) would appreciate a motor assist or even a rope tow like the have on ski slopes for some hills. Like every other tool, electric bikes are only as good as their users. Obnoxious self important type + electric bike = obnoxious electric bike rider. Longhorn, maybe if the problem is just an overheating motor you could carry a CO2 fire extinguisher or a block of dry ice to keep everything nice and frosty. I like the CO2 extinguisher since it would create a wonderful image. As you are chugging up the hills, you could let off little clouds of steam as you periodically hit the CO2 to cool the motor. Just like the steam engines of old! But I think if the electric bike gets you (or really anyone) riding when you might not otherwise then it is a good thing.

Christie, I like your place names as well, but I don't see my ride being conducive to clever names. The MUP I ride does boast "The Bridge Over Nothing" but that's the extent of clever names.

Newbie and Longhorn: My heart is my motor, so it is pretty big :D I do like the idea of the fire extinguisher......

Christie: The only interesting names that I could come up with for my commute would be;

Corkscrew Hill: A hill that is about 200 feet long with 2 switchbacks

Suicide Downhill: People bombing down hill to a stop sign

Electrified Path: High power tension lines overhead, one day I would like to bring a Gauss Meter to determine their effects

...Electrified Path: High power tension lines overhead, one day I would like to bring a Gauss Meter to determine their effects

Hey, I ride through electrical interference, too! It's a stretch about 3 miles long. I know because my heart monitor stops recording until I turn onto a different road. What would you call that, Christie? Radiation Avenue? Interference Alley? High Tension Street? The Voltage Vortex? Hey, this naming stuff could be pretty fun!

My old commute went under a buzzing electrical mess, too! I found it disconcerting. Instead of naming it, I just kept my gaze steady and forward and rode quickly under it. But JavaMan, I love Voltage Vortex (alliteration rules!). And Radiation Avenue is good, too; it smacks of the possible dangers from getting too close!

Tibikefor2: Suicide Downhill? Sounds thrilling! Reminds me of the sledding hills in my backyard when I was a kid--Suicide Hill and Murder Mountain (guess I've been naming stuff for a while now). I used to build jumps out of snow to make them even more deserving of their names.

Longhorn: Evans and Sheridan? Very cool! I live a bit east and north of there; downtown, basically. The next time you come out to visit, stop by the school where I work (very close to the airport--you can see the school from Pena Boulevard), and we'll ride into town together: Through the Field of Broken Dreams and over the Secret Bridge.

KendallF: Cyclomuting. Excellent!

Mountain biking tomorrow, then lots of hill climbs (I loves me some hills, too) and long road rides between now and next Thursday. Must enjoy these last days of my summer vacation before it all starts up again. Safe and happy riding, everyone!

JavaMan: They actually do make kits you can add to your bike to electrify it. They range from $150 to over $1000. I would have had to replace the aluminum suspension fork on my Trek 7200 and I just didn't want to mess with my pretty Trek so I got a complete electric bike. Here's what it looks like, only mine only has a half-front fender and I have a seat-mounted rack:

http://www.electric-bikes.com/lashot13.jpg

I consider it a training tool until I'm strong enough to do the commute on my Trek. I can't "build" my commute because it's all rural with no safe place to park my car, once I get past the church where I'm parking now (six miles from work.) Anyway, after my experience the other night, even with the electric bike, I've got a ways to go before I'll be able to the round trip in one day. My legs felt like lead! The bike weighs 76 pounds with the battery and motor.

My HRM cuts off whenever I use the throttle. After I check to make sure my heart is still ticking, I don't worry about it too much since the motor is helping keep my heart rate under control.

I've enjoyed all these name suggestions, though I'm not too creative myself. Exhibit A: Current or past pets' names: Kitty (yes, he was a cat,) Callie (calico), Sandy (guess what color he was!), Sparky (twice! And the current one almost got electrocuted when he was a puppy!,) and Buddy (my favorite-- a white lab.) We even had a dachshund named Brutus (who just died last Saturday :() but he was named when we got him. "Rover" would be creative for us!

Another beautiful morning in the Nations Capital. An interesting week commuting as I did every day on my 42x17 fixed gear. It definitely makes me work harder on the hills.

Longhorn: The electric bike looks cool.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend.

Longhorn, nice bike and it seems like a good training plan. I guess in some circumstances a heart rate monitor serves the same function as reading the obituaries in the morning to see if you're listed so you can skip work.

Tibike, it was a nice morning although I'll be happier with lower temps.

Last night I ran into the most annoying thing yet. On the rough and gullied gravel part of the trail a woman was walking along in the same direction I was going. She was swinging a long bamboo pole and as I found out later had headphones on. As I approached I repeatedly ring my bell -- no response. I slow down since the pole runs from one edge of the passable trail to the other. I yell at her that I want to pass -- still no response. Finally I ride up slowly beside her and grab the end of the swinging pole. That finally gets her attention and she pulls the pole out of my way so I can pass. It set a new record for annoying. Here's hoping tonight is more normal.

Newbie:

you need to start carrying a machete so you can get through your jungle...... ;)

Thanks for the encouragement, y'all! :) Now that my breathing doesn't limit me, I'm feeling the commute much more in my legs, really working those muscles.

MDNewbie (still waiting on that new SHORTER name! ;)) -- you need an AirZounds horn! I got one a week or so ago -- haven't had to use it yet but, dang, that thing is loud! Your description of the event with the bamboo pole makes me smile. I could see the whole thing in slow motion, like a scene from "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" or one of those other stylistic martial arts movies. Only in the scene in my head, neither of you lets go and you ride around her in circles, your eyes locked in a glare. She finally lets go and you ride off, the bamboo stick held over your head in victory! :D

Longhorn, you have an eye for the cinematic -- of course that sort of ending would have been less annoying and more entertaining. I've heard about the AirZounds and if I road on the roads more extensively I would consider it. She is the first person I've encountered who both blocked the trail and was unperturbed by my normal alerting methods.

Longhorn, thanks for the info - I'll see what's available on the web.

Tibikefor2, I also have a suicide downhill of sorts - It's a 40+ mph descent with a tight cloverleaf turn at the bottom, complete with sudden stop.

Marylandnewbie, I admire your patience with the bamboo pole weilding, IPod wearing woman. The movie could be called, "Patient Rider, Clueless Walker".

After dealing with annoying people like that for about 7 years, I now stay completely off trails unless I am doing a very slow, easy recovery ride. I'd rather deal with annoying drivers!!

Hey, long time no VLC. I've been checking in from time to time but not posting because my mileage has been way down. Well, I guess I've been doing it once a week. On Fridays I ride the 30 mi. into work then take the train half way home. It gets me over the berry, berry bad climb that would turn the round trip into a forced march. I also try and get out for 30 or 40 mi. on Monday, which is my day off.

Tue, Wed and Thu I've been riding with my wife. For a while we were riding 12 mi. to the train station, taking the metro to work and back, then riding the 12 mi. home. Round trip train tickets for the both of us started to add up in a hurry. Now we ride about the same mileage and meet a coworker who takes us back and forth. He just picked up a NICE '06 BMW. I dig the train, but the beemer is pretty comfy. Needless to say, I am very careful about not breaking a sweat on the way to meet him.

Sometimes my wife gets pretty sore after three consecutive days and wants to quit - especially when she doesn't see any more weight coming off. Last night I made the mistake of not sprinting ahead and fetching the car like she had asked me to, in a subtle kind of way. I was in big trouble!... felt like a turd. One of those situations only a few hours of healin' time fixes. I think we might have to park her car down at the bottom of the canyon in order to avoid that climb in the evenings and keep her spirits up. We can always ride a loop or something.

Hey, I gotta go. Keep the faith. DanO

It's hard to be patient about losing the weight but I keep telling myself that losing it this way -- through exercise and sensible eating -- is the best way and I'm more likely to keep it off. Plus, I remind myself that even if I didn't lose an ounce, it has to be healthier for me to exercise than not. If I wasn't bike commuting, maybe I'd be gaining! :eek:

That said, I've lost about eight pounds since I started riding in March, though I didn't start bike commuting until June. I've lost inches and I'm more toned. And really, really tan! ;)

My own experience is that I changed shape before I lost any real weight. My pants and shirts fit more loosely for a few weeks before I saw a dip in the scale. Also after about a week I noticed that many muscles in my core were sore liike I had been doing situps and such (which I hadn't). So even though we think of biking as mostly an activity for the legs, if you are out of shape chances are your whole body will get a workout.

Also it is a sad but true fact that men lose weight somewhat faster at the outset of any diet or exercise plan than women. Eventually it evens out and weight loss is pretty even. And of course muscle weighs more than fat, so perversely getting in shape at first shows little or no weight loss. Longhorn is right that any exercise -- even if it is not resulting in big weight losses -- is better than no exercise. So keep the faith and keep riding.

Longhorn - you must just FEEL better in terms of overall health due to commuting right? I sure do - most recently noticed when I knocked off that virus after a mere 3 days! Yeah, MDNewbie is right - men have it easier!! Ah, they always will when it comes to weight. But since commuting this summer, I've noticed a loosening of the clothes, definite TAN as well, and just feeling generally stronger. Not to mention, much more confident and happy (ex. with the evil headwinds!). Plus leg muscles have appeared that I hadn't noticed when I used to commute to university!! It was much shorter though...

I doubt you'll notice a big weight loss quickly, because no doubt you're gaining muscle. I have lost between 10-15lbs, not a ton, but what can't be measured by a scale is just how much better I FEEL!!

Yes, I really do feel better, mtn chick. I have an entirely different attitude.

For example, earlier this summer, my husband and I went to San Antonio for his 50th birthday (I match him later this month! :) ) San Antonio is a fun, beautiful place just over an hour from us and one of our favorite cities. But it is also HOT and HUMID in the summer. Normally, I would have dreaded being outdoors but this year, I realized that I was used to the heat. I found myself thinking, "So I'll be hot. So what?" We drank lots of water and sweated but did the Riverwalk and then went to the Texas Folklife Festival, an outdoor music and art fair. A couple of frozen sangrias helped. ;) I know my change in attitude came from spending more time being active in the heat.

Knowing that I'm becoming more physically fit has helped me be patient with the slow weight loss. And clothes ARE getting a little looser and muscles ARE beginning to show!