Commuting - Gearing up for the commute

I figure I am about a month away from starting my daily commute. I can't commute do a commute yet - because I just am not that good at stairs (my office is currently in my home. :rolleyes: )

But, since it has been about 3 years since I was riding a bike regularly - and because the roads here are definitely more of a challenge, I have started a simulated commute. I go out in the morning and the afternoon, just like I will be in the future - starting off slow so that my lungs get used to working again.

Today wasn't bad - I have a pretty steep section after about 10 minutes. I almost made it. :D

A nice mix, some is packed fine gravel, concrete pavement and river rock road surface. I survived. When I road my bike home yesterday - I went over the river rock and it felt like riding on marbles - which wasn't a fun feeling, but I let out a lot of air and it was much better.

Sure feels good to be back riding! :D

Congrats and keep us updated on your addiction.

Thanks - one of my motives on starting the thread is so that I will be embarrassed if I don't go every day and have a report.

Hey good job on getting back to it! I look forward to seeing your progress.

What is interesting to me is how much better I feel after the ride (okay - a about 5 minutes after the ride - once I can breathe again...) How is it is to forget that great feeling of well being that comes from a good workout!

Thanks for the encouragement - looking good so far.

What is interesting to me is how much better I feel after the ride (okay - a about 5 minutes after the ride - once I can breathe again...) How is it is to forget that great feeling of well being that comes from a good workout!

Thanks for the encouragement - looking good so far.
Body likes to have those fluids moving throughout your body, getting recycled and reinvigorated or replaced :)

Not only that - the endorphins shoot up - make you feel good all over. Hmm, I wonder if people knew that you could get "high" by riding a bike that we would have more commuters? ;)

Ssssshhhh! Don't tell them... more for us. And how are you sleeping?

DanO

Sleep - what is that? Sleep - it is for the weak... (Old Programming Proverb)

We will see if it helps with sleep, but my family tends to need less and less sleep every year. I think I sleep about 6 hours a day - sometimes less.

Day Two! I think winter has set in - or perhaps. Now, not what you expect up your way. Down here, we have two season, winter and summer - and they have nothing to do with heat. Our winter is starting now and will continue for about 8 months, it is the rainy season. The summer is when it stops raining, but it is generally a little cooler because it is the same time as you winter months.

I love it! Imagine biking in a warm rain - I swear the showers (most homes don't have hot water) are colder. Today was a steady shower. Felt great. No chance of over heating.

Pushed it out a little further and I am getting much better on the rocky roads. Come to find out, you can find a line through it most of the time. Granted, it keeps your speed down, but 10 MPH is doable. Currently I am doing about 25 minutes. I figure the real thing will be 30 going, and 45 returning, but I suspect after a month or two it will be 30 and 30 because the limiting factor will be the rock roads - not my lungs and legs.

I rode over and saw a good friend, Hermes, today in his furniture factor. I swear, he has the best furniture factory I have ever seen. We talked about building a vacuum kiln together for drying wood. One of the best things in the world here is that here is a very successful business man and he just thought it was neat that I rode over on my bike. Of course, we had to talk bikes for a bit. :)

I actually felt pretty good today. Lungs worked well, legs are remembering how to pedal, etc. I am only riding. Oh, and the rear end was just a little tender - not bad at all.

Today, I also went AFTER breakfast which will be what I plan on doing for the commute. A little food goes a long way.

Speaking of which - I need a touch more!

You may feel even better if you slow down and take it easy. If you're having trouble breathing during/afterwards, methinks you're pushing too hard. You may find after a couple days/weeks of this that you're just not enjoying the biking.

I've been through this several times while trying to get back into biking. I'd give up because I was trying to bike fast and it just wasn't fun.

This time I've been taking it easy and enjoying the ride, not caring how fast I go. I'm LOVING it.


What is interesting to me is how much better I feel after the ride (okay - a about 5 minutes after the ride - once I can breathe again...) How is it is to forget that great feeling of well being that comes from a good workout!

Thanks for the encouragement - looking good so far.

The inability to breathe comes from the fact that Costa Ricans don't believe in gravity. First of all, the average Tico male is about 120 lbs and they grew up hoofing these mountains. We have one older guy (53) who when he is walking up a hill that looks like the Matterhorn, whistles. I had to explain to him that this doesn't make the Patron feel good...

If I suffer much, I take a break - I have been through this before. That is why I am starting early. ;)

Thanks for the pointer - in about a week I will be just fine. I am really happy how quickly it seems to be coming back. I am pretty active down here (walking, riding horses, ATVs, etc) so it isn't like I am a coach potatoe - but I am carrying about 20 to 25 lbs more than I want right now. But it will go away quickly most likely. Like I said, been there, done that.

The roads often are straight - up and down - no concern for ice here - so they don't allow for it. Nor do they allow for middle aged bike riders. :rolleyes:

Some tips: Vary your routes from day to day, keep it fresh. Also vary your intensity. If you feel like hammering and keeping a steady driving pace today, try an easy pedal cruise tomorrow. You'll appreciate the ride more, and you'll avoid getting into a rut.

I admire your idea of the faux-commute! :)

Thanks guys. So far, every day has been a different route. Tons of roads, tons of places to go. Except on the main road through the city (40,000 - not a big city) very little traffic. Drivers of cars give you a lot of room.

Something you probably would like - Costa Rican law is this - hit someone with a car and the car immediately has a lien on it - they can not sell it until they pay off your hospital bills - and in the case of really hurting someone, a stipend for them to live.

Makes the drivers of cars really pay attention!

This morning when I first went out I thought - "Just a small ride - just do what you did yesterday" but I started riding, the muscles warmed up and the rain felt so good, it was a good thing I stopped to talk with Hermes or I might have ended up about 20 miles away - which probably wouldn't have been good.

I am using the computer on my bike to be sure that I don't over do it causing me to bag it.

Tomorrow I will have to ride in the evening because I have a 7:00 am meeting 1 1/2 hours away - by car.

No ride today - didn't get in from the fincas until too late. I might get a ride in Sunday, but tomorrow I am going to be hoofing it over 70 acres for about 4+ hours. Probably a good thing I didn't ride today. :rolleyes:

Great ride this morning! (okay, it isn't a weekday, but I really wanted to ride - which is a good sign). Since it was an off day, I decided to treat myself to smooth roads - had a really good cadence going, really early, no traffic. After riding around for about 20 minutes on a good warm up - I ended up in front of "the hill". There is a neighborhood on top of a hill (most of Costa Rica looks like it was churned - this is the result of being very young land - usually volcanic) and there is a small dip just before you head up. Hmm, I wonder how far I can make it up without my lungs bursting?

The answer - all the way! Okay, I did get off to attempt to kill a few dogs who decided I was very slow prey (4 miles an hour grinding it up the hill) but I figured it didn't count because I didn't stop to rest and it broke my cadence and I had to startup again.

The rise is about the same as between our new place and my office - except instead of being gradual, with level sections, this just goes straight up. I can't believe I was able to do it in only a week. :-)

One thing though, I have one of my front disk brakes rubbing, so I have to check before tomorrow to see what is wrong. I have a stand clamp on order to make it easier to work on the bike - but I should be able to resolve this quickly.

More progress made - first of all, I went through the bike and freed up the brakes (took the disc brakes apart and cleaned, put back together and realigned - now they are perfect) and did some tweeks - I assume this might be a weekly activity? Do you commuters clean and tweak your bikes on Sundays?

It was nice to start with a clean bike - it didn't last long! It was raining this morning. A light rain, warm, felt good. I road 6 kilometers, about 3 of them steadily up hill. I did it all in about 25 minutes, which was better than I had hoped. I actually sprinted up the last hill home too - which was also a good sign that my endurance is getting back. I really didn't feel anything from Sunday's ride - which was a surprise.

Of course, having the bike to where the brakes don't drag probably helped a lot!

No traffic to speak of - but lots of people either walking, or on bikes early this morning. Everything is feeling pretty good now - so I am seriously contemplating adding an afternoon commute. If not this week - for sure next week.

Hopefully I am not boring people (too much), but it does help me keep motivated to write the experiences.

Do you think I should start posting this on the daily commute thread, or just continue here?

Sleep - what is that? Sleep - it is for the weak... (Old Programming Proverb)

We will see if it helps with sleep, but my family tends to need less and less sleep every year. I think I sleep about 6 hours a day - sometimes less.

Getting adequate sleep is important for fitness and for general quality of life. You're probably tired a lot of the time. Fitness isn't just about formal exercise, it's also about being active during the day...popping upstairs to get a pen or down to the corner store to get a paper, or doing a little impromptu salsa dance with your spouse in the kitchen. If you're tired from lack of sleep you're more likely to be a couch potato instead of doing those things. Get 7-8 hours of sleep and it'll really help you be more productive, more fit, and more fun.

Without drugs - if you can figure out how I can do that, I will be much obliged. I went to bed last night at 10:00 PM - and I was awake at 2:00 AM - and started working at 3:00 AM

I am not tired - and I tend to work about 14 hours a day. No, I am old. (47) I am not growing any more, so therefore, I need less sleep. My family tends to get down to about 3 hours by the time we are 60. Not a bad thing. We eat very healthy too.

If anything, when I start really exercising, I sleep less. It is okay - I really don't enjoy sleeping anyway. I would prefer to be doing things.

I'll argue with you one more time, then let it drop. If you get up and work at 3 am you are disrupting your natural circadian rhythm. If you use sleeping pills regularily you become mildy dependent on them and you won't sleep well without them.

Practise good 'sleep hygeine'. Go to bed and get up the same time every day. Stay in bed in the dark through the night even if you're awake, because if you get up and turn on the light you are training yourself to be awake then. Don't exercise late at night before bed...instead wind down for an hour or two with some light reading or music. Don't use alcohol too close to bedtime...alcohol may make you sleepy but it gives you a short, non-restful sleep.

(EDIT) Also..if you're working 14 hours a day because you like to work, fine. But if you're putting in those hours because you're tired and not concentrating well, and it takes you longer to do stuff than it should...getting more sleep may help you get your job done in fewer hours.

BTW, I'm older than you, FWIW.

Cooker - I understand your concern. The truth is, I have never needed that much sleep. Some people are wired that way. If I get tired during the day - I take a nap.

I never use an alarm clock. But I refuse to stay in bed tossing and turning, I prefer to just get up and work. I love my work, which is why I do too much of it. A lot of the time the problem is that my work is so interesting that I can't sleep - except when I have to.

When I need sleep, I just sleep - not an issue. Since I am the president of the businesses I work for (and owner) no one complains. ;)

I do normally try to go to sleep at the same time - but I am afraid that I sleep until I am rested - and then I am wide awake. I supplement with small naps as needed.

I don't drink, so that isn't the problem. I won't take sleeping pills - why would I? I feel rested almost all the time - if I actually feel tired, I take a nap.

Usually how I get myself to sleep is to read a book I have read before. Preferably in Spanish. This tends to do the trick. A new book that is interesting is a great way for me not to sleep!

Well Cooker, I can't believe it - I slept from 8:00 PM last night until about 5:00 AM this morning - this was a marathon for me! I feel pretty good too today, even after the bike ride. Perhaps I will start sleeping more - time will tell.

Today - I went over to the back side of Ciudad Quesada, I road up a rocky road to the bus station, up a hill that is pretty much a freefall (granny gear, but I made it), into a barrio (neighborhood in Spanish) and then down, down, down through countryside by the construction of the new road. Mud city.

Coming back, I had to stop a couple of times because the mud was making me pedal harder - oh, and once so I didn't get ran over by a stallion, a mare and a filly (the filly was really cute). The filly looked only about a month old. Any excuse to take a breather.

The whole ride was about 50 minutes. I find my recovery time is improving, but I am noticing that I don't recover as fast as I once did when I start breathing really hard (generally because of poor judgment on what gear to be in) It used to be that I could just keep pedaling and recover (a few years ago) - but I find now that if I push too far, I really do have to stop and let my lungs catch up.

The legs are doing fine - and I have dropped 2 1/2 lbs in about 1 1/2 weeks - which is great. My daughter has a wedding in September, I want to look good for the required pictures. I know I will have a good tan working!

Beautiful scenary - the volcano was very clear this morning and the tropical jungle all fresh due to the start of the rainy season - but the sun was hot this morning! I need to have water with me.

Here is a good example of what it looked like this morning, except where I was riding had less houses, more jungle - need to remember the camera.

http://www.fincaleola.com/Arenal%20Volcano/DSC01194.JPG

We will see if it helps with sleep, but my family tends to need less and less sleep every year. I think I sleep about 6 hours a day - sometimes less.

6 hours a day is pretty good. I sleep about 6 hours each night, but my boss gets upset if I nap for more than a couple hours during the day :)

I actually get loggy and sleepy if I sleep too much!

I find bosses get real upset if you nap in their meetings, but it always seemed to be the perfect time for me. ;)

Very good bike ride today - it was a repeat in direction, back over to Hermes, but he wasn't there. Amazing number of people on the road walking to school and work - and lots of cyclist.

Physically, I am feeling pretty good - and lo and behold, my sleep pattern is starting to smooth out... I sure hope it continues. Legs feel a little tight every morning, but that is gone almost immediately.

Anyway, my weight continues to plummet now - another half lb today (I have one of those fancy percentage of body fat / weight scales - a gift from our daughter, who I think was suggesting something for her wedding... as in Dad, lose weight!) If I can maintain 2 lbs a week on weight loss, I will be happy. I am eating very well, it is easy in a place where things grow year round.

Except for the main road, traffic is very aware of pedestrians as well as cyclist. When driving here - you go slow on secondaries. You probably don't have the right of way, and besides, there might be a cow around the corner, or a child, or a bunch of people walking. Cars sort of thread themselves through the foot traffic. Much easier on a bike.

The fastest mode of transportation of rock road secondaries is a motorcycle, but down hill, I am as fast as they are now - even on the stony roads. Going up hill is another matter, but it is getting better.

Having walked most of the streets I am riding, I know them pretty well, so that helps me anticipate the hills a bit since I know how big they are.

Today, I came down a hill, and saw a cyclist grinding his way up a hill, I knew the hill was only a rise of maybe 70 feet, so I just dug in and sprinted up. I passed him like he was standing still.

There is probably nothing worse than being passed by like that and seeing that the person who did it has nearly completely white hair... :-)

I am really enjoying the ride out to Hermes - the land is as we say
"muy quebrado" which means very broken, It is like riding a roller
coaster, except you are providing the power. We currently live on the
side of an ancient, hopefully dead, volcano called Platanar. So, I
assume I am pedaling around on old mudslides and lava flows - none of
which are much older than 2500 years. This means it hasn't smoothed
out yet. About half the ride is on pavement, the other half, river
rock. It is not uncommon for me to have to assume a "pounce" position
on some of the hills so that the bike doesn't flip on me!

The Costa Ricans are very friendly, especially when you aren't zooming
by in a SUV but out there like everyone else using human power
(granted, my bike gets second looks when they get close - but it is
usually so dirty it don't look that expensive - and the paint is flat
black - so it doesn't look that special)

I get a lot of smiles and comments on my riding. Now that my lungs and
legs are recovering, I tend to attack the hills instead of just endure
them. I don't ride a long distance (about 6.5 kilometers now) so I
want to really go at it if I can.

It really is nice how fast the body remembers how to do things. I am
still too heavy (10 kilos), but that is dropping fast - and of course,
the more fun I have, the longer I want to go. I just don't know if
what I am doing is commuting, or mountain biking, sure feels like the
later!

Changed the route today to ride up to Soda Lorena. When we first arrived in Costa Rica, this was my morning haunt - my Spanish was awful, so I would go up there and subject the very tolerant Ticos to my attempts to communicate - and they were very willing to help out. Then we moved further away, so the daily walk became more than I wanted to do.

Just walking to the soda, I had lost about 25 lbs in about 3 to 4 months. It just melted off. Then, I stopped walking, and I started gaining again. Now, with the cycling, it is going away. Hmmm, you think there is a connection?

Stopped at the Soda and chatted with William for a while, and of course, had a cafe con leche. They make the best, but I know their secret - they add a touch of chocolate! It is a lot cheaper than Starbucks too. Like 200 colones for a cup. Taste better too. (200 colones = 40 cents)

It requires me to ride the main road through town, but since it was about 6:00 am, it wasn't really a problem with traffic. The only exception was the driver of a tour bus who got too close. He was passing a large commuter bus on the inside - with me on the inside too. He missed me, but not by enough to make you feel comfortable.

On the positive side, I was pumping it up the hill and twice, cars waited for me to pass by them who were turning onto the main street (they had time to cut in front of me). They smiled and exchanged greetings. Very nice. One of the more pleasant things is that, except for those to carter to tourist (who believe that everything should be on the dot or no tip), most people here believe people are more important than speed. It is a beautiful thing for a bike commuter. I am told however that the central valley isn't the same as out this way, I am not sure.

All in all, the fake commute is going very well. My shoulder was killing me over the weekend, but I think it was either I slept wrong or, it was that 1 meter deep hole I was foolishly helping dig for an electrical pole...

I went back the route toward Hermes today because it is most similar to what I expect to be my actual commute - except perhaps worse. What I am hoping is that when I start my actual commute that I will be amazed how easy it will be - if not, well, there is always hitching a ride on a horse or cattle truck...

Anyway, I went much further today, past Hermes, dropped down the hill and then rode for a while up another hill. What is very interesting to me is how short the distances really are. I think this is because the roads are rough enough that even with a car you aren't moving that fast. 25 kilometers an hour is pretty good speed in a car over most of these roads if you don't want to loose your fillings - and replace your suspension. That is only about 15.5 miles per hour - which is easy to do on a bike. I figure I am getting very close to 10 MPH over the rough roads - but it requires me to keep on my legs, not on the seat. Here in Costa Rica - we generally don't measure distances in kilometers - but in time.

I knew that up the hill a ways is a farm that feeds Lapa Verdes (Great Green Macaws) and Lapa Rojas (Scarlet Macaws). I figured I wouldn't make it because it was a ways up - but it would be a good direction to go.

Before I knew it, I was there! I even went past it a bit. Very nice, then coming back, I stopped for a while to watch the Lapas. When you first see a Scarlet Macaw you really can't believe that they are for real. The colors are so vibrant you are sure that it is someones idea of a fake animal. And then they move. Or worse, they make a sound. Someone once said that they think that the sweetness of a birds call is inversely relational to how pretty they are. Well, the Lapas are good proof of that theory! Imagine someone ripping sheet metal in two - now imagine something worse. I probably exagerate - but not by much. But, watching a bird fly that looks like a mad painter was loose is wonderful. The farm has about 50 Lapas, both Rojas and Verdes.

I rode for about an hour today - about 3:00 pm. Good ride, but I need to bring water - nothing dries you out like the tropical sun. My speed continues to improve and so does my endurance. I am not where I was 4 years ago, I used to ride 4 to 5 hours at a time, but I am very happy with my progress. Besides, this is much more challenging to ride. One really nice thing is that my legs and lungs are starting to look at the hills as fun, instead of pain. I really want to get to where I can go 20 to 40 kilometers and think nothing of it. Living in one of the best places in the world for MTB and not riding seems to be a waste.

Bike is in serious need of cleaning and lube today - so I will mess around with it tonight.

There is probably nothing worse than being passed by like that and seeing that the person who did it has nearly completely white hair... :-)
Yeah that would reinforce to me the years wasted on a sedentary life of luxury. ;)

The picture of the countryside is beautiful. I've had a couple of folks from my church go to Costa Rica for vacation and tell me how beautiful it is. Now I see through the camara's eye that they are right.

Where in Costa Rica are you? What took you down there to live?

Peter

We are up in the Northern Zone - find Ciudad Quesada and that is where we live for the next two weeks - after that, go further North and find Guatuso, or San Rafael (same thing)

We are involved in reforestation and so we wanted to live near what we were doing. Also, my wife always wanted to get fluent in Spanish - so I after her pursuing my dreams for years, I decided it was time to make her's happen. It is why the company is named Finca Leola - Leola is her middle name and finca = farm. So literally, it means "Amy's Farm"

So, this is all her fault... ;)

Costa Rica is incredibly beautiful - except the towns which are just thrown together. Ah well, we live in a frontier area - so it is to be expected.

By the way, I am not as old as my hair - I am only 47.

Great to hear your sleep is better, and Wow! that view of the volcano is spectacular (and a little scary)

When it blew back in the 60s, it killed 80+ people and they say about 50,000+ cows.

Yeah, it is a bit scary. Recently it got pretty active for a bit, a few hotels had to clear out - but nothing much.

it is always erupting some - makes a great tourist destination - and pretty safe. The drivers here are more dangerous. But, for those who live in the predicted lava path - it is just a matter of time. However, this is one of the most watched volcanoes in the world. (by scientist)

Cycling report for today: Did well, even after yesterdays ride. No soreness or anything. I am very glad to hear this because it looks like we are only two weeks away from the move, and the real commute!

I am seeking out really steep sections of road with rock now during the ride. Yesterday we drove the road up to the house and it is looking less steep all the time - this is a good thing!

By the way, while talking with our builder, I notice a cute little snake. Before people freak - yes, I know what it is - but it is still very pretty. (and no I didn't play with it)

I didn't ride deliberately Saturday and Sunday just to simulate my commute better. WOW - with a couple of weeks under my belt - and my bike tuned up well - I really was moving today. Instead of endurance - I am now nearly sprinting a lot of the time (after all, it is only 5 kilometers) Speed keeps going up, and I am having more fun all the time.

This week I definitely have to start the two a days since in two more weeks - the commute starts for real. Clothes are fitting much better too.

Any time I start riding regularly - once I get through the inertia, I start to wonder why I ever quit? Well, won't have much option where we are going.

I really wanted to ride yesterday afternoon but a big thunder storm came rolling in and stayed for a couple of hours. I seriously thought about riding, and then seriously thought I was nuts when a bolt hit near the house (thankfully I was still inside)

So, I decided this morning to do a harder ride - what a ride! Still suffering a little from it. First I headed straight down the hill to the foot bridge - which is damaged and is at a bit of a cant... Not going to go that way again! I then powered up the steep rocky road and saw a sort of road heading to the right. No place to go and no appointment to get there so I followed it. It first went through a wannabe soccer field and then continued on what looked like an abandoned Jeep trail (had to hop a barbed wire fence on the ground).

Heading down the almost road, I started wondering about making it back - it was steep. Well, perhaps I can keep going and connect to a road somewhere (stupid idea - this almost never happens here). Moving along, the local inhabitant was giving me a pretty strange look. I guess the horse hadn't seen a lot of cyclist. So I continue - and it is getting worse. I have to get off my bike because there is a section that looks like steps carved into clay - with a little sand (thankfully). I proceed to "walk" down - seems obvious that it goes somewhere...

Yes it did - to the river. And, it wasn't a person who made the trail - but the horse. Did you know horses are capable of going where people can't? (Unless you are willing to get on your hands and knees for traction)

I felt like I was rock climbing again - but it is harder when you have a bike with you.

Anyway - this called for a retreat, so I did - I swear the horse was laughing at me. Anyway, I grind it up to the top and I am not dead yet, so I decide to see how the new road is going - and besides, it is down hill. I head on down hill - mud flying and everything. Of course, the inverse to the old rule is, the commuter that goes down, must come up!

So I proceeded to grind back up the hill - and of course the mud was making it harder than it should have been. I finally crested and stopped and worked at breathing and recovering. I am doing that a lot better than before now - but I found I needed to put my head between my legs for a bit (just a couple of minutes) so I am sure I forced it too hard. I have no fear for my heart - but my lungs are wimps.

I wouldn't have gone so far down except that the volcano this morning looked incredible. One of those mornings when it looks like Jurassic Park down here.

http://www.fincaleola.com/images/soft%20dawn%20arenal%20volcano.jpg

Coming back there is a very steep section with lots of loose larger rocks. There is a slight downhill just before it - so, I dug in and then hit the steep section, pounced up a little toward the front so the front tire would rise - and shifted my weight back and forth throwing rocks and gravel like a dirt bike - and made it to the top.

There was a older gentleman watching from the top - with open admiration (I love Costa Ricans - they show emotion!) and then a pair of runners came by (I was still on the bike but focused on just breathing while I coasted) and one said "Que valiente!" (How Brave!)

Talk about making me feel good!

Last week of the fake commute. We are moving house, office, and bikes (importance not necessarily in that order) this week. I suspect the first week of the real commute will be harder - but then again, perhaps not. It will surely be different. My current route is among lots of people - the new route will be around cows and horses. Less pavement, more rocky road. Steeper incline (I think) in one area - but much more flat areas too. Here in Ciudad Quesada - nothing stays on the same level, you are either going up or down. In the actual commute - most of the time, it will be on a level. There are two rises of any size (1 kilometer and another 1/2 a kilometer) but everything else is either flat or rolling hills.

My speed is such that I can keep up with the delivery trucks up hill now - but not too close (first of all, they are really slow) - they tend to spew diesel smoke, so I keep my distance - I felt like passing one today.

That reminds me - I was coming home one day and I saw one of the big tractor trailers crawling up the mountain to Ciudad Quesada (2 to 3 MPH is a good guess). Behind it, a cyclist had grabbed a stalk of sugar cane and was letting the truck haul him to the top! Perhaps not the safest thing to do - but I could surely understand it with that hill!

I didn't notice if he perhaps had another stalk for chewing...

If the slope is too much for me, perhaps I can lasso a horse or something. ;)