#2wheels2travel

[2wheels2travel]

Rides 10 and 11

By the end of my last 41 mi. ride, I had noticed that me knee was starting to feel a little tight.  I had attributed this to just being tired.  The next day when I went for a ride, the trouble persisted.  I wound up calling it quits after only 16.7 mi. and my knee hurt for the rest of the day.

I figured that this pain was either due to over stressing my knee or an improper fit on the bicycle.  In order to test this out, the next day I went for a run instead of a ride.  This different action did not bother me.

My ride on the day following the run went smoothly.  I went 21.6 mi. in 1hr. and 23 min. (I would have gone further, but had to go to work). and averaged 15.5 mph.  My knees felt fine and the weather was great.  I think that the best thing to do at this point is to alternate between a ride over 30 mi. and running each day.  I may also want to get my bike fitted, but that will be a little down the road.

[2wheels2travel]

Ride 9

It has been a little while since I posted.  I was working on breaking down a set and then I went home to Asheville to visit my brother, best friend, and girlfriend for all of their respective birthdays lined up in a row.  I did ride some in Asheville, but it was primarily for commuting.

Today I started with my normal Stone Mountain circuit.  It felt good to be riding again.  I felt more professional today because I picked up a bib and jersey in North Carolina.  I did the 32.6 mi. in 2 hr. 8 min. and averaged 15.2 mph.  Shortly after returning home, I decided to run some errands on my bike.  I ended up riding an extra 8.8 mi.

This culminates in a grand total of 41.4 mi. with an elevation change of 1,932 ft.  This is a new day record for me.

[2wheels2travel]

Ride 8...?

I have trouble calling this one a ride because it didn't go smoothly at all.  Long story short, almost twelve miles in I got a flat tire.  Now, up until that point it had been great.

Bringing a pump and patch kit have always been on my agenda of things to do, I just hadn't actually done it.  So as a result I found myself walking my bike back, barefoot, (I was wearing cleats and decided barefoot would be easier to walk in) and waiting for a kind room mate to pick me up.  She did, which was awesome.

This had been preceded by camera tests along a beautiful hiking trail up the summit of Arabia Mountain.  Or at least that was my plan.  Instead of the Arabia mountaintop trail I wound up on the Arabia Mountain Trail which turned out to be six miles of glorified sidewalk.  I got the footage that I needed though which is what is important.  I'll be back to get that hike in.

Now that I have fixed my bike and am ready to go, it brings me back to another issue.  Work.  I just got called to work on a short film from now through Monday.  This is followed by breaking down a set on Tuesday and then picking up another day of the short film on Thursday.  In this industry twelve hour days are typical, so it seems unlikely I'll be able to bike during this week.  Ah well, a man's gotta work.

[2wheels2travel]

Ride 7

So today's ride was significantly slower than yesterday's and I believe I have a few reasons why.

For starters there was a good amount of wind almost the entire way.  This plays a huge amount in how efficiently I am able to pedal.  In addition to this I don't believe I was fully recovered from yesterday.  I was definitely struggling to maintain my speed.

I also believe that I didn't have the correct nutrient balance going into the ride.  Around half way I got hungry.  It got difficult to pedal because my legs just weren't operating at maximum efficiency.

I think that a day of rest may help.  This will allow my body to recharge and recuperate.  

[2wheels2travel]

Ride 6

I took yesterday as a rest day because it was looking like thunder storms and after I got about 2 mi. in my knee started feeling tight and achy.  I am glad I took yesterday off because I felt great for today.

I did the same route to Stone Mountain (with the safety detour) resulting in a total of 32.63 mi. in 2 hr. and 10 min.  I averaged 14.7mph this time.  I seem to be consistently improving so I'll keep doing this route as a time trial to monitor my improvement.

This was a fun one because I got into a spur of the moment race with another cyclist.  It began after I passed him, then he sped up to pass me, and then couldn't maintain his speed so I passed him again.  This continued on for a good portion of the Stone Mountain Trail.  I'm not too certain at what point he either turned or I lost him.

I decided that competitive spirit helps while training.  Therefore I approach everybody that is faster than me as "I need to be able to match them" and everybody who is slower as "I bet they have come from further so I need to improve to their imagined level."  This way everybody encourages me to improve.

Today was a good ride and I'm looking forwards to tomorrow.

[2wheels2travel]

Ride 5

Today I charted my fifth ride.  This was by far the hardest and fastest yet.  I managed to travel 33.37 mi. in 2hr. and 19 min.  In addition to getting stronger I have seen a noticeable improvement in my pedaling technique.  If I keep going, I'm hoping to be able to do the whole stone mountain ride in under 2 hrs. and then increase the distance.

[2wheels2travel]

Cause #2

I want this documentary to help argue for a very important topic: alternative transportation.  I know that it is talked about a lot and that bringing it up will make most people psychologically groan, but that is exactly the problem.  Sure infrastructure with public transportation can always be improved and gas efficiency of vehicles can be improved, but those are just excuses for a bigger problem.  It is the social attitude towards the matter that needs to change.  Society as a whole is terrified to wean itself away from its dependency on gasoline powered vehicles.  I know this sounds harsh and I know that it is a "passion statement" so anybody can argue against me and say I'm wrong but that's not the point.

What I want this documentary to do is inspire others to take up the mantle in search of alternative transportation.  The 30 miles that I have been riding are not actually that much.  Sure it takes about 2 hours, but have you ever been stuck in rush hour on the highway?

Maybe you're saying 30 miles isn't much for someone who is physically active.  My solution to that is get physically active.  The activity releases endorphins, your body will be healthier and feel better, and you will sleep better.  Maybe that's a solution to road rage also?

I'm not saying we need to get rid of cars altogether.  That would be silly.  I'm just saying that not everyone on the road really needs to be there. 

[2wheels2travel]

Ride 4

I feel significantly better today since I have gotten some sleep. Today I rode a very erratic 26.42 mi. over the course of 2hr. 9min.  I don't know if I'm picking better paved roads or I'm getting stronger, but I feel like I am able to travel faster than when I started.

I have been making an effort to learn my way around the back roads in order to avoid some of the ridiculousness of Atlanta traffic.  There have been way too many cars that will just fly by within a foot of you.  It is really quite scary.  I can't imagine what rush these people must be in to jeopardize another's life. 

This is the reason for my erratic route today.  I was just exploring and trying to find safer paths to get to the beautiful stone mountain park circuit.  I eventually got turned around and decided to go to the Piedmont park instead.  They seem to be setting up for an arts festival and so it was very difficult to bike there.

The residential back roads that I have been taking are also more hilly.  They are an excellent place to practice ascending steeper climbs.