Thursday, August 26, 2010

Sweet New Ride

I am so happy!  I got a new ride today!  It's a Mongoose Impasse 29er.  I recieved it as a belated birthday gift, and I took it for a nice break-in ride.  I went 20 miles and it rides like a dream.  LOVE IT!

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Frustration

Okay time to rant...

Bike lanes are just that... BIKE lanes!  They are not parking lots. They are not loading/unloading zones. They are not sidewalks for pedestrians. THEY ARE NOT TURN LANES FOR CARS!

I ride more than 200 miles a month for my commute to and from work, and it frustrates me to no end to see the above misuses of bike lanes!  Those are put there for the CYCLIST's protection, giving us a "safe" place to ride on a busy road.  When they are misused like this, we are forced to join into the flow of traffic, increasing our chance of an incident with a car, and generally making both the cyclist (me, in this case) and the drivers of the cars who - mistakenly - believe bikes don't belong on the road, frustrated.

A frustrated driver and a cyclist are a bad combination.

The other side of this rant is aimed at those idiots on bikes who seem to think that laws don't apply to them.  If we, as cyclists, want other drivers to accept our presence, and give us the rights and respect we deserve, WE HAVE TO FOLLOW THE RULES TOO!

Every single time a cyclist blows through a red light, it makes us ALL look bad.

Come on, people.  Let's all work together to make cycling a SAFE, ENJOYABLE way to commute!

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Update on Cycling Goal

Well, it's been most of a month. I have ridden over 200 miles so far, but am still about 60 miles shy of my 300 mile goal for the month.

It has been WINDY!!!  It has made the rides so much harder, and I have had to take a few days off from riding due to my knee ( I tweaked a muscle ), but I'm back in the saddle again! 

I need to repair or replace my bike. It has been slipping gears, and the chain keeps coming off. It really hurts when that happens during a climb!  Oh, well.  We'll get there.

I found out my endurance has ramped up quite a bit when I was wrestling with a friend on Saturday.  He is heavier than me, and almost got me pinned a couple of times, but then he "ran out of gas", and I won.  I was barely breathing hard, and felt like I could have gone on a lot longer!  I love that!!!

Well, I will pull another 20miles tonight before Tai Chi, on my way to 300 for the month.

Keep on pedaling!

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Hit and Run!

Just after I crossed 2700 W. on 4100 S. on my commute home last night, an RC Willey delivery truck passed me.  He didn't give me the 3' clearance required by law, and in fact the side panel of his truck struck my elbow, causing me to lose control of my bike and end up in the gutter. 

I was able to keep from a total wreck, but I wrenched my back pretty good in the process, and I have a small abrasion on my left elbow where the truck bumped me.

I couldn't reach RC Willey corporate offices, but I was able to get the truck number, and filed a report with the West Valley Police.  I am going after that driver, and pressing charges for failure to give adequate passing distance, and hit and run.



I was in a LOT of pain this morning when I woke up, and considered calling in, but I thought "No. I'm not letting this beat me!", and got back on the bike for a quick 5 miles before work.

I am about 10% of my goal of 300 miles in 30 days.  I WILL get there!

-PB

Monday, August 2, 2010

Update

I've been working hard on losing weight the past few months by watching what I eat, and increasing my exercise.  I've been cycling to the train in the morning, then 20 miles after work most days to get 25 miles every day that I work.  I was able to cycle a total of 250.2 miles for the month of July!

I have signed up for the 300 miles in 30 days challenge at http://www.mapmyride.com/ and I started off this morning with 5 miles.  I will try to keep this blog updated with my rides and such.

Oh, and I have lost 34# so far!

-Papa Bear