Little Engine that Could

Found something interesting today for bikes that need a little extra power for getting up steep hills. This small gas powered bike motor is a really cool idea for those who need the extra power. The only drawbacks would be noise, and perhaps the tendency to rely on this motor for smaller hills. Not a 0 emission solution, but may be worth the extra cash for those with a long commute.

Feeling Sick

Planning to ride today, but decided to stay home due to sickness. After four trips on my route, my body is holding up pretty well. So far I've logged about 120 miles on my bike. At this rate, I will average around 240 miles per month.

Drivers Turn to Alternative Transportation

An interesting article on CNN about people ditching their cars for biking to work and other modes of transportation. Great news to learn I'm not the only one.

Biking to Work: Day 3

Today started out a little harsh. I peddled as fast as I could while the weather was dry to get to work in time. Minutes later, the dark clouds moved in and started to pour. One bright spot that I would have missed in the car was a female deer with her two baby deer. I also missed some rain on the way back too. Lucky! Still need to find a better route for the way back to avoid a large hill.

Oh, one thing I forgot to mention from last week was a Ford Excursion that drove past me and the passenger shouted a profanity something to the effect of "... get your F@#! bike off the road ... ". I'm not surprised, but didn't think it would happen on the second day of my ride.

Still no bike helmet mirror

Getting ready for day three of my bike ride and still have not found a good mirror to attach to my helmet. Walmart and Target both have a generic attach-to-the-handle model that is too bulky for my liking. Ordered this helmet mirror online.

After two days of riding to work and running a 4 mile race over the weekend, my body seems to be holding up. This week will be the test. I will be riding tomorrow and hopefully Thursday if the weather is decent. The heat seems to be subsiding, so it should make for a comfortable ride. I only wish more people would see the enjoyment of biking to work. This sure beats traffic on route 271 north every morning.

Biking: Day Two

Decided to leave a half hour earlier, which was a good decision. The traffic was much lighter, the air a little crisper. I had a little more energy this time. Made it through the first half of my ride in great time. I think I've figured out how to shift my new bike. Took a little practice.

I started to feel my knee cramp up a bit about 2/3 of the way on the route on the metro parks bike trail. Hopefully this is not chronic. It looks like two 30 mile trips a week will be my max for a little while.

Ok, so I'm thinking of a different route for the way home. I hit a hill on the way back that just kills my knees. Hopefully this little detour will work out.

Not today

Ok, so after eating wings the night before, my body was in no shape to take on the ride. There's always tomorrow.

Day After

Today I feel a little soar, but everything is in check. My left knee is not up to par, but I am hoping with some Advil and rest everything will be ready to go by my next bike ride... tomorrow?!

First Day

Well, the first day of biking to work was a little rough. The morning commute was actually really nice. The sun was out and the birds were singing. A little chilly, but not too bad. Not much traffic on the road at 6:30 in the AM. My commute is about 14 miles each way, so the first half was fairly easy. I reached my midway point and had a quick drink of water at the top of a hill. I continued down a hill and reached the bike path portion of my commute. This is the safest part of the journey with about 5 miles of smooth bike paths and metro parks trails. After making it through the metro parks, I reached the 3 mile city portion of my ride. Still not much traffic in the AM, so I coasted by to my destination at a local fitness center. Got ready for work and I was on my way.

The trip back was a little crazy. I left around 4:00 PM thinking I could beat traffic, I was wrong. The traffic started to pick up around 4:45 and didn't let up until I got 3/4 of the way through my trip. I definitely need to think of an alternate route or leave at a different time of day. In all, it was a good first day. I'm planning out my next trip, which will likely be Wednesday, if my knees hold up.