Biking and Biking

4.5! Yup, that's how many hours I rode today! Roughly, 70 miles, I think. Obviously my longest by far. Not including last weekend, that doubled my previous max.

I went out for 2h15min solo in the morning, had a two hour rest, then out again with a group. It was fantastic to have great company! Patrick, Kate, and Ryan (my roommate, his girlfriend, and the guy downstairs) all are quite fit and able to cover the distance without a problem. For instance, in the two-family house where I live, there are 4 people - and 15 bikes!

Biking and Building

I started the day bright and early on the roof of a house scraping paint, and ended the day with a 2 hour easy ride. I was one of about forty people helping to reface a house in Lowell with Rebuilding Together. We scraped paint, I replaced some siding, and then we painted. It gave me a good feel for how the blitz build projects may go this summer. They were a great crew to work with. (see the Lowell Sun article)

Pictured left is Nolan, who is reaching the top of the window thanks to 10-fingers from me and 10 from Elana. See Rebuilding Together's photos.

Busy Week - and New Bike!

My new bike came yesterday! I can't wait to have the time to put it all together at the right measurements! (Anyone have a good deal on bike fitting?) I love it already!

I did get out for a 35min run on Tuesday (thanks Mark!), which was apparently not long after the weekend's riding, based on how tired my legs still felt.

I didn't manage to get on my bike other than a little bit today. For some reason I'm not psyched to bike to work. I think I may just drive to work (I know, I know, the gas inefficiency bugs me too) and then bike around Concord before of after work. The roads I would commute on with my bike aren't as biker friendly as the ones closer to Concord.


During lunch I walked to a few places in west Concord and talked about my trip, asking for donations for the Community Night at O'Naturals in Acton on May 15th (4-8pm). I got the standard refusal lines from some shops, and some unexpected interest from others. I'd like to particularly thank Mari-Anne from Enclave!

The pictures here are from a small spot during my short rides today. I dropped my car off to get tuned, and used the opportunity to then bike to work from there, and then back afterwards. It worked out to be a great warm up... just a quick short jaunt.

"I Love Hills!" and 46.8

Saturday, I went on a great hill tour around the Westford area with my mom (who is training for her second PMC). We rode easy (for me) most of the time, and then I would branch off for a few minutes whenever I saw a hill on a side street. I was quite proud to have done my longest ride to date with my mom, 40.2 miles. I felt great afterwards, except a bit winded in my lungs. I think I'm not yet used to this gorgeous 80º sunshine.

Today, I rode with the president of Swing Ltd. around the whole state (not quite, but the 46.8 miles felt far). My legs felt great throughout the first 25 miles, even on the uphills. But as we drew on towards mile 35, I couldn't demolish the inclines as I would have liked. My left hip was sore roughly halfway through, and aggravated by powerful spinning. Oh, and I learned not to eat a salad and fish within an hour after riding. That didn't end so well.

Lovin' the biker's tan though!

Come Hell or High Water

I can't even count the number of times this title had gone through my head while riding to and from work yesterday. I had already run to the gym, worked out, and run home, before getting on my bike at 8am to head to West Concord. Needless to say, I started out a bit slower than usual.

The title started out as a mantra about riding through being tired and through any weather. On my way home, it became more of a demand for the challenges to come and find me!

I must say, yesterday was quite tiring as I only had a bit of time to rest before tackling the tasks that needed attending at home.

Special thanks to Mom and Dad for helping out with my wearable gear, it would hardly be possible without it. Thanks!

Trek 1500!

I ordered the bike today! The 52cm Trek 1500 (with and Alpha SLR Aluminum frame, Bontrager Approved carbon fork, Bontrager Select wheels, Shimano 105 52/42/30 crank, and Shimano 105 rear derailler.)

I got out for a quick ride down the bikepath and back this morning, in the drizzle (37º). A bit slower than Saturday's ride by 7min or so, but not bad for 7am.

Thanks to those who comment on this blog and all those who support me in this trip! It's an oasis of thought during the long stretches of road.

Bag Gloves

Surprisingly, I wasn't that tired when I pulled myself out of bed at 6:08 (after less than a full snooze button cycle). Nor was the cold wet weather too harsh on my sleepy muscles. A quick jog down to the gym, a few weights lifted (not as aggressively as after a frustrating commute) and a quick jog back. Somehow I had figured this would take until 8:15. Somehow I got back at 7:15. Had I been able to calculate this, I would have enjoyed a nice warm stationary bike ride at the gym while reading up on the latest Runner's World for inspiration. That not being the case though....

I jumped on my bike with shorts and short gloves and pushed the wind for a few miles. I am obviously still learning how poor my estimation of windchill is though, as my fingers went to ice within minutes. I stopped by a Starbucks for some warmth and water... but that wouldn't help the icy digits on the way back... Aha! What about a bag over them? I swung into Walgreens and nabbed some "thank you for shopping" bags, tied them up to be the right size and, voila! My new windbreaking "gloves" worked beautifully! (It wasn't until the last few minutes that they were painfully cold again.)

I bet this whole "bag glove" idea will prove to be helpful somewhere between Providence and Seattle as a solution in a pinch.

Lunch Rides

So we finally got out for some lunch rides after the cold snap. Leave it to New England to throw some snow in the mix between sunny 60º days. "If you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes."

(Pictured left: The two "Swing"ers I ride with at lunch. Yeah, we don't shower afterwards, and surprisingly no complaints yet...)

Yesterday felt really tough, more than just fighting the headwind that never let up. Today, felt much better. I sunk in behind Keith and James for a bit at the beginning, and it reminded me how incredibly effective slipstreams are at increasing speed and longevity of a ride! Needless to say, I soon cranked up to the lead and pushed the wind the rest of the ride. Hey, there were hills, what could I do? Not attack? Ha!

Oh, I'm going with the 52 despite some advice to go smaller. Most have agreed with the rationale that I can always get smaller components to fit the bike to me best. On the other hand, a friend says that it'll be tough to work up to the core strength (abs and traps) for good posture - and she's a P2S alum working as a physical trainer. I hope my core strength's pretty good, or I'll have to just thank her for the unheeded advice.

Sunday Ride

I took a nice 2 hour ride with Bela out to Lexington center from Westford today in the brisk 37º weather (a max of 47º). Beautiful (albeit a bit windy) return ride through the cranberry bogs and Great Brooke Farm. My fingers weren't too bad thanks to the borrowed gloves from Pops.

Bike Options and Cold Weather

On this sunny, yet deceivingly cold day, I tested the fit of the Trek 1000 and 1500 in both the 50cm and 52cm sizes from Belmont Wheel Works. Previously I had anticipated that the 50cm would be the best fit, in accordance with the online frame calculator based on inseam. However well it did fit, it felt somewhat similar in size to my current midget of a bike. In contrast, the first few minutes of the 52cm were quite awkward as I clumsily tried to understand this new size. Soon, though, the 52 started to feel like a Cadillac – with the luxury of room to stretch about, without being detrimental. I must say I'm a bit torn between the two based on sizing. I might need to compare them again unless some good advice justifies erring on either side.

Regarding the rest of the test ride, I particularly noticed the lightweight, ease of shifting, a bit more responsiveness on the hills, and a bit more throw from the roadbumps. Obviously either the 1000 or 1500 would be a great fit in either size, but it will take a bit to get used to the different way that it will ride. It'll be great to have one bike that I can leave at work for lunchtime rides and one for longer weekend rides.

Please leave a comment if you have some good advice on this comparison.

I'm a bit bummed I didn't get out much on the bike this week. I partly blame the weather, but know that I could have ridden indoors. I have to figure out the cold finger issue if I'm going to tough it outside, as yesterday's ride was painfully cold on my fingers despite doubling up on gloves! Hopefully this upcoming week will permit riding to work once or twice as this would be the easiest way to fit the time into my schedule.

Happy Easter Everyone!

Trek 1000

I stopped by Belmont Wheel Works to test out the Trek 1000 and learn about it. After much discussion with Fabio, we concluded that it really is a good fit for me. Somewhere between the T1000 and the T1500 in either the 50cm or 52cm. I think a 51cm would be perfect... but since this isn't an option, I will most likely go for the smaller of the two as it seems to be calling to me. I'm pumped to get to test ride these on Saturday! (Hopefully I'll be able to get some sponsorship from them as well!)

Mark your calendars: O'Naturals Community Night event scheduled for Tuesday, May 15th from 4pm-8pm. They will be donating 10% of all proceeds to Bike & Build in my name!

I will be participating in Rebuilding Together day in Lowell on April 28th to fulfill half of my "sweat equity" requirements.

Some possible freelance web work on the horizon to help fund this trip! (Check back for more on this later.)

Bummed about the cold snap preventing lunch/evening rides! I guess it's back to the stationary wheels for me today.

Need Warmer Fingers

In the name of preparing for 2 months of consecutive days of riding, rain or shine, I intentionally challenged myself with this morning's cold and rainy commute to work (from Westford).

After my face became accustomed to the cold wind, the only part of me that was frigid was my fingers. In fact, they still don't feel quite right. They were so numb and bitterly cold I had to stop to warm them up. Breaking was almost scary without full control of my fingers. I'm glad I am learning about my limits before I hit the road in Providence.

On the plus, the new shorts that I bought yesterday at Belmont Wheelworks annual sale were well worth the price, as I had no discomfort whatsoever from my seat.

I hope it's a bit warmer for my fingers on the ride home!