Moronacity Cycling Journal » Entries tagged with "Road"
I Will Ride
Let’s ride bikes! HIGHS: Wednesday: 52 degrees Thursday: 60 degrees Friday: 60 degrees Anyone interested in doing some social road rides over the next three days? Wednesday at 6:15ish pm is good for me. I’m free all day Thursday, and I can ride [finishing] before 1:30 or starting after 4:00, Friday. Di This was the email I sent out, today. It’s now or never. It’s time to ride. Two people are interested in riding, Thursday. I sent out the confirmation email for Thursday’s afternoon ride. The meeting place is only six miles from my house, so I will ride in on that beautiful, sunny, 60-degree day. I can’t wait. It is going to be [almost] what I’ve been hungering for [mountain biking being the epitome of that … Read entire article »
Filed under: Motivation
Jake and Di’s Little Excursion
I looked out the window, yesterday, and saw some little birds flying around my trees. It took about two seconds for me to realize that I hadn’t seen birds for a couple of months. It has been too cold and snowy, and I don’t feed them so there is no reason for them to hang around. The thermometer reached 38°F, today, and I saw the little birds, again. It is a … Read entire article »
Filed under: Road Riding
Ghost Bikes Are Sadly Common
The battle between cyclists and drivers continues, and it even worsens in some areas where driving is the predominant mode of transportation, as in Southeast Michigan. With high fuel prices and a dragging economy, the bicycle has become a popular mode of transportation. Unfortunately, many roads were not built with the cyclist in mind; bike lanes are not very common. Therefore, cyclists must share a lane with automobiles, which is the law … Read entire article »
Filed under: Advocacy
Copper Harbor Girls’ Day Out
Amanda is a good friend of mine in Copper Harbor. She manages the bar at Zik’s and does a lot for the Copper Harbor Trails Club. She doesn’t have a lot of free time. Friday was to be her only day off for Labor Day weekend, so we chose to make it a girls’ day out. My day started with a reminder from Sam and Chris that I was going to … Read entire article »
Filed under: Cross Training
Perpetuem
This past cyclocross season, I received a sample packet of Hammer Nutrition’s Perpetuem. Perpetuem is a drink mix intended for endurance rides. I finally decided to use this sample during yesterday’s four hour ride. I ran out of Perpetuem before the end of my ride, and started slowing down before I got home. Of course, I don’t usually do thirty mile mountain bike rides, but I felt it was a great opportunity to put this sports beverage to the test. It passed. I fully intend to place an order for Perpetuem this weekend. When taken frequently, I felt great and was able to keep going. It seemed to give my body what it needed to keep the greatly feared bonk at bay. The key is … Read entire article »
Filed under: Health and Nutrition
47.6 MPH
That was my top speed, today. Heading toward Eagle River from Ahmeek, Pat took off in a mad sprint down a hill and I chased after him. We reached almost 40 mph and I joked with Pat about his sprint. He told me that he had to try to reach 40 mph after watching those guys in the Tour de France doing 50 mph. It wasn’t until later in our ride that we rode a great hill with new, smooth pavement heading toward Lake Linden that we hit 47 mph. It was incredible. The three of us, Jerry being the third, shifted into our hardest gears to make the most of the hill, but we had no idea what was going to happen. Pat rode by me … Read entire article »
Filed under: Road Riding
Superior Bike Fest: 35-Mile Road Race
This was my first real road race. We began with an easy roll-out led by a beautiful, red Corvette that took off signaling the start of the race. The riders immediately separated and I stuck with the lead peleton only for a couple of minutes. We headed up a long, very gradual hill as I lost speed. Before I knew it, I lead the second peleton and they invited me to drop to the back to take a break. We split apart as we tackled the hill in front of Marquette Mountain. I led the downhill, but the long, steep climb quickly forced me behind the other riders. I thought this was it: we were riding alone. Mid-climb, I began feeling better and … Read entire article »
Filed under: Racing
Superior Bike Fest: Twilight Criterium
I was nervous. It was my first crit, and my first road race. I worked a twelve-hour shift, Thursday, so I had no time for preparations that day. Friday morning, I packed up my bikes and my dogs. Unfortunately, it took much longer than I expected and I didn’t arrive to Marquette until 4:00 p.m. I had very little time to get my packet, get ready, and start my race. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Racing
A Di Day
We live in such a society where it is beyond the understanding of many that God simply wants us to slow down. In such a society where multi-tasking, economy, efficiency, and so on are paramount to our role as citizens, we have no idea how to not do anything. Even when we are completely wasteful of our time, producing absolutely nothing besides excess fat, we consume our minds with stimuli from video games, … Read entire article »
Filed under: Commuting
Review of Monthly Goal
As we enter our last week of National Bike Month, I hope you have found the inspiration to stand up for cyclists’ rights in a diplomatic manner and, least of all, ride your bike. I hope you have found new ways, partly inspired by this blog, to enhance your cycling experience or think about it in a new light. Earlier this month, I mentioned setting goals. My goal was to reach 400 miles. I’m a tad bit away from that at 228 miles. That means I need to do a lot of road riding this week. We were supposed to have thunderstorms today. However, the sun came out and it was a beautiful 60 degree F day. It’s trying really hard. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Cycling
