Monday, September 5, 2011
Saturday, September 3, 2011
The Rules of Bike Commutting
Rule #1 IS NOT, "Rike like you are invisible", it is, "Ride like everyone sees you but doesn't give a crap if they kill you".
Rule #2, "The most dangerous thing in the world is a woman, talking on her cell phone, driving an SUV with kids in the back."
Rule #3,"If it looks like someone is about to do something stupid that will endager your life, then plan on them doing it".
Rule #4, "It doesn't matter how many lights, how much reflective, or how much hi-vis you wear, some idiot still won't see you"
Rule #5, "The breakfast burrito in that fat dudes mouth driving the truck is far more important to him than your life".
Rule #6, "When in doubt, stop, get out of the way, hide behind an immovable object, or turn and ride the other way very fast"
Rule #7, "Stay off the sidewalk. That is where the teenage girls drive"
Rule #8, "It doesn't matter who is right or who was in the wrong, The car ALWAYS wins."
Rule #9, "You will never see anyone driving a car with a smile on their face. Smile and they will wonder what you are up to."
Rule #10,"Your mother loves you, but don't ever begin to believe that anyone else on the road does."
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Cache Valley Century
Another great year at the Cache Valley Century. As with the other two times that I have participated in the CVC, this ride was well supported. They had great rest stops with plenty of food, Gatorade and water. The best snack was certainly the raspberry bars in Preston. Lunch was very similar to the last two years. Pasta salads, chips, salsa and make your own burrito. I had lunch at the end. The hot food was hot and the cold food was still cold. I thought the support team did a great job overall.
At the beginning of the day, the winds were calm, but as the day progressed, a stronger wind out the the southwest picked up on the west side of the valley. The wind was certainly not as bad this year as in the previous years, particularly from Clarkston to Mendon. The temperature in the morning was just right, but as the day wore on, the heat became a challenge however, even a hot day in Cache Valley isn't too bad. I don't think we could expect any day to be a better day for a century.
Because of the construction on 10th west in Logan they had to change the route this year. We ended up going out to Mendon and then coming back on the same road for several miles until we could head east past the Benson marina. No one likes to double back on a century ride, because of the increased bike traffic and challenges with traffic on country roads. Fortunately there were not many cars and most of the riders stayed single file on both sides of the road. Because the route changed, the ride was a few miles shorter. My computer said 99.4 miles when I got back to Richmond. However, I didn't feel cheated because I didn't really like riding along busy 10th west in Logan anyway. The route they selected was lightly traveled and mostly good roads.
Areas for improvement. I only saw one support vehicle the entire day. Maybe I missed the other ones, but I felt like there should have been a few more vehicles out on the road to help stranded cyclists. Also, some help crossing the highway in Franklin would be nice. That is a dangerous road crossing. Fortunately no one was hurt.
Overall a great day and a great ride. It is still one of the my favorite all time century rides. Hopefully next year we can get a few more Wheelmen to participate.
LP
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Getting ready for Bike the Bear
After a month of knee pain (IBT band) I believe it has subsided. Did a couple short test rides this week. One with Kris, my newest cycling partner and wife on Friday and then one on Sunday because the knee was feeling pretty good.
On Friday we left Roy to head out on a short 10 mile ride and ended up riding to Plain City from Roy (26 miles). No pain and very enjoyable on my Friday off from work. I concluded that I need to take more days off before the riding season ends.
Sunday's ride was pretty light and easy. Still have a fear of major pain creeping up. The previous ride before this was so painful I had walk home 9 miles.
The solution to all my knee problems have been stretching, low and slow miles when I can't stand it and two or three days between rides. I've also made some adjustments to my shoes and seat height (taking some time to adjust).
During Bike the Bear I hope to do 100miles, but I'll at least do 50 miles with the scouts and support them. I have a personal goal to finish at least three centuries this year as well as 2000 miles for the summer. I've only completed two so far. In St. George I failed because of horrible weather (snow), I completed the Salt Lake Century and the MS Bike Ride (where the knee pain developed).
Dwayne
Friday, July 22, 2011
Nice Friday ride
Purchased the Edge Garmin as a present to myself for sticking to it on the bike.. Took it for a spin today.
The only disappointment is my knee continues to bother me. If it doesn't improve soon I may be packing it in for the season. Usually I try to ride 30-35 miles a pop but can't do it with pain.
Lets hope it better soon because I want to enjoy this new tool (Garmin Edge) and track my progress. Right now my best estimate is that i've ridden well over 1,000 miles this year. Well, I think I'm hooked.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Police Bike
At the Centerville parade on July 2nd there were several police officers on bikes. I took a picture of one and decided to find out a bit more about the bikes they ride.
Here is the link to Trek's web site: Trek Police Bike
I guess I was a bit surprised that these bikes didn't have higher end components. At $1260 it seems that Trek is trying to avoid sticker shock at the city council meeting. In reality these bikes don't get used that much so perhaps that is a good strategy.
Here is the link to Trek's web site: Trek Police Bike
I guess I was a bit surprised that these bikes didn't have higher end components. At $1260 it seems that Trek is trying to avoid sticker shock at the city council meeting. In reality these bikes don't get used that much so perhaps that is a good strategy.
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