hp's blog

The Bicycling Paradox

nobody@vox.com(hp) — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 14:23:18 -0700

The Bicycling Paradox: Fit Doesn’t Have to Mean Thin - New York Times

http://www.nytime...

The best cyclists going up hills are those with the best weight-to-strength ratio, which generally means being thin and strong. But heavier cyclists go faster downhill. And being light does not help much on flat roads.

Interesting article in the NY Times about the fact that body type is a poor predictor of cycling ability (unlike running, where overweight individuals are at a serious physical disadvantage).

I know in triathlons, I've had some very fast heavier gals and guys zip past me in the bike segment.

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Breezy morning ride

nobody@vox.com(hp) — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 12:36:08 -0700

It was probably a better day for this:

Sailing on Lake Union

But I still had a good ride this morning. When there is wind, it's usually at my back on the way out and blowing against me on the way back. Which serves to make me feel like hot stuff for the first part of the ride and a hopeless slow poke on the way back.

We have friends visiting from Montana who are going sailing today; they should have excellent conditions.

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Sammamish River Trail Ride

nobody@vox.com(hp) — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 20:40:53 -0700

Despite a very poor night's sleep and an odd crick in my lower back, I pulled myself together for my planned bike ride.

Drake and I drove up to Kenmore, where our good friends Karen and Phil live -- he dropped me (and my bike) off -- I did my ride while he visited with P&K (I joined them later after my ride).

Riding the Sammamish River trail is my favorite ride in the Seattle area. It's north of the city and quickly gets you into (relatively) wide open spaces.

I had hoped my back would loosen up with the ride, but that wasn't the case. I can count on one hand the number of times I've any any problem at all with my back, so I was surprised the stiffness persisted. As a result, I kept the ride short and easy.

On the way back, I had a er, riding companion. He was a friendly enough guy and I didn't mind the conversation, but when I got back to the parking lot he asked for my phone number and suggested we could go riding together sometime. I was a bit flummoxed by that -- he seemed to be a serious cyclist and I wonder if rather than going to bars, he just rides the trail looking for gals riding on their own. Who knows - it might be a great strategy. Of course, I politely declined.

Despite my uncooperative back, it was a great day for a ride - mostly sunny and mid-50s. Not shorts weather yet, but it's getting there.

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Thwarted bike rides

nobody@vox.com(hp) — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 17:45:09 -0700

I just can't seem to get an "outside ride" in this week.

Sunday, I got out on the trail early, only to see an absolute wall of people walking towards me. It was the MS Walk. I thought I might be able to cycle through them (it is a multi-use trail, they should have made room for me), but alas it was completely impossible. Usually when there is a big event using the trail, they post signs the weekend before. In this case, that didn't happen. I was not the only frustrated cyclist.

This morning I had the bright idea to ride before work. I normally just do the trainer on weekday mornings, but since my schedule was free of meetings I decided to go for it. The weather was cloudy, but otherwise looked OK. Fifteen minutes into my ride: downpour. Downpour to the extent I couldn't see in front of me. I don't mind wet conditions (I live in Seattle after all), but this was crazy. So I turned around and rode slowly and carefully back. Of course after that morning storm, it's been beautiful and sunny all day. Sigh.

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First outside ride

nobody@vox.com(hp) — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 15:07:13 -0700

Last year, I rode pretty much all winter. This year, it didn't happen. I fell off-track with my calf injury, then got so busy at work... and the next thing you know it's April and I haven't been on my bike since mid-October (before my hernia surgery).

Today was the day, though. Sunny and beautiful starting out, but then, just as I headed back, a stiff headwind. It made for a long return trip. It gave me a good idea of where I stand physically with my cycling. Um, not-so-hot.

Lots of people out on the trail today, not surprisingly. After the ride, I walked a bit around Gasworks Park to loosen up. Gasworks is the most convenient place for me to pick up the Burke-Gilman Trail, where I normally ride. The original gasworks hardware remains in the park.

Gasworks

And the wind, while less enjoyable for cyclists, made for some very nice kite-flying at the park.

Kites

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I am a bike dork

nobody@vox.com(hp) — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 19:13:13 -0700

Bicycle planter

I received the fall Terry Bicycles catalog today, and along with the usual very nice cycling attire, there was this - a bronze bike planter. I think it's adorable and I have the perfect place for it on our deck. The dimensions are 27"x13"x18" so it's not too big. Drake will probably think it is dorky, but hey, I am a bike dork.

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Today's ride

nobody@vox.com(hp) — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 17:30:35 -0700

My ride

I love the maps that I get with my Garmin. This is my bike ride today. I drove my bike up north a bit, to Matthews Beach, and then rode from there. It was a pleasant change of scene and being a weekday there was very light traffic on the trail. Afterwards, I hung out at the beach for a bit (in the shade!) with some ice-cold Gaterade. If I had been smart I would have brought my bathing suit and a towel. A quick dip in the lake would have been perfect!

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