Bike Month! Get out and Ride!!!

Just in time for national ride your bike to work week I got my bike back from the Andy and the fine folks at Blimp City Bike & Hike. with a geeky new handlebar and a minus a cheezy suspension seat post, this fine machine is all tuned up and ready for many more miles. I ride year round but think that the bike month events are a great way for the cycling community to get the word out.

I don’t do a very good job of where my mileage really comes from in that I take pleasure rides on my commuter and occasionally commute on my road bike. That said the odometer for the year says 2297 for the commuter and 1110 on the road bike. My mileage grand total for 2010 is 3407 miles biked. Not bad for a single year. My goal is just to outdo myself in the coming year.

I’ve been pretty slack on my diet and exercise the past few months but starting tomorrow I’m “back on the program” and will be keeping a little closer track of what I eat and more intentional about exercising.

To kick things off I’m running in the Great New Year’s Eve 5K today and riding in the A Bi-Cycling Dandy Excuse For Getting Hibernated In January! (ABCDEFGHIJ) ride tomorrow afternoon. 24 miles.

I wouldn’t call this a resolution so much as just getting back into the swing of things now that the holidays are over.

How are you going to change things up for January?

My shoulder and wrist are still pretty jacked up from my fall on Monday but I’m starting to get a little more range of motion already. That’s a huge blessing. Since I can’t ride for a while I”m going to start running more. It’s been about 5 or 6 weeks since the last time I ran at all. I did manage to make it a rather slow 3.5 miles today. The weather was actually warm enough that I ran in shorts which was nice.

How do you train/stay in shape when injury stops you from partaking in your favorite activity?

Yeah, so about those new tires I posted about the other day… Someone didn’t take into consideration that they might entirely change how the bike handles. I was riding with my hands off the bars while adjusting my gloves on the way in to the office on Monday and the front tire turned in really quickly, throwing me over the bars. I got back on and rode the rest of the way to work because that’s how I roll. My left wrist and right shoulder are a little jacked up right now which makes simple things like showering and getting dressed challenging.

I went to the doctor and was told my wrist was probably just sprained and not broken but got an order for an x-ray this morning. Fortunately the docdor’s suspicions were confirmed. I guess full reovery from a sprain can take a while, but at least I won’t be needing surgery or a cast. Just a brace that I can take off as needed.

The bike survived like a champ. A quick look just revealed a scratch on the bar end, but I’ll have to take a closer look when I can lift the bike by myself. I was a little bummed that I couldn’t volunteer at the bike co-op last night for sure.

So I’ve been fortunate enough that this is about the worst injury that I’ve had resulting from working on or riding bikes. What is your worst bike related injury?

This morning and afternoon I did the Sweet Corn Challenge, my first 100 mile ride. It was overcast/drizzling most of the ride which helped to keep from getting too hot and dehydrated. My body feels exhausted, but when I tried I couldn’t fall asleep to take a nap. It was exciting to ride and and reach a goal that I’ve been working all spring and summer to prepare for. I don’t see any need to ride that far more than once a year or so.

So last Sunday I rode in my first orgainzed (and SAG supported) ride ever. I planned to do a 62 mile/100K ride. I rode on the Amazingly Beautiful Country ride that started in Medina, went down to Norton, and then looped back to the starting point. The loop had to be a little more than 62 miles to get back to the start and a group of us missed a turn and added a few miles to the ride. In total I rode 67 miles/108k. It was a fun day and a constant battle to stay hydrated out in the beating sun. Now I’m really looking forward to my 100 mile ride on July 25th…hopefully I’ll be in good shape for it.

Good job organizing the ride Akron Bike Club…but next time no chicken salad for lunch mid ride, OK.

Last night I rode out to meet my wife and some friends for dinner and then rode back home just as it was starting to get dark. About 35 miles. This morning I got up early and did a 75 mile ride. I’m tired, but feel good. I’m riding a century tour on 7/25 and realized that I’ve really only got a few more weeks to prepare. I think I’ll be ok though.

PS. this is my 100th tumblr post already.

Just a quick update. For my commuter bike mileage I crossed 1200 miles for the year. Also I hit commuting 60% of the work days for the year this week.

New Whip!

I bought a 2009 Fuji Cross Comp. I got it for a steal since it’s last year’s model. The components are better than any of the bikes I was looking at that cost 50% more. I had the shop put on a set of slicks and plan to get out on the open road as soon as I get a few free hours of daylight. This bike should be great for transitioning from the hybrid to road riding and still versatile enough to use for commuting should I decide to use it for that. I’ll post real pics when I get a chance to get some photos.