Pages : 1
10.31.07
Circling
Posted by: isquub
Distance from my House to my House: 0 miles.
Distance Ridden around in Circles: 4.56 miles.
Ascent: ~208 feet.
Duration: 30 minutes.
I live on a mountain. In driving terms I've always said, "Up a hill." But I'm on a mountain. Leaving my door, there's nowhere to ride that's flat. I can immediately plunge down the hill I had to walk up with my bike two days ago, or I can ascend a moderate hill to get to the end of my road up here and follow another road just a little distance. I did the latter today, and discovered that that road continues as a sort of dirt road back into the woods. I followed that until it dead ended at a chain-link fence at a point overlooking I-68. There's a good bit of junk back there, including a riding lawn mower. There are houses right before the road turns into that non-road road, so I imagine some of the stuff belongs to someone in those houses. It's also obvious that some people use the area to drop off junk.
Nowhere to go from there but back. I rode down the other side of the mountain this time (there are two roads up, one on either side.) These hills are steep, and I was thinking I probably should've had the bike shop give me new brake pads. I've never changed them on this bike. As a result of that and the fact that I wasn't comfortable enough with the terrain, I kept my speed just below 30 mph, as far as I know, for the descent. That descent will be a lot more fun when I'm in shape enough that I'm not thinking about what a nightmare the return's going to be.
I followed some of the side roads halfway down the mountain, eventually coming to another dead end. Backtracked again until I ended up on Greene Street, the closest thing to a main stretch around here (and a hint about my location for those who know the area.) It was Greene Street that comprised the bulk of my under 2 mile ride Monday, another gradual incline but enough of one that I could feel the burn in my legs again (and, oddly enough, somewhere around my kidney. Awesome!) There's a parking lot there that I wheel around in for a while (did the same thing the other day.) This time instead of attempting the big hill to my house right away I went past it, up another gradually inclining road and past (I think) the house where I lived with my parents for most of the first five years of my life. Don't know if I've mentioned that -- my parents' first house is on a street parallel to the one on which I now live, but at the bottom of the hill. Unfortunately, I'm unable to pick out said house, although I've driven by it with my mom in the past and had her point it out to me. I thought I'd be able to recognize it while I was on my bike, as that makes it a lot easier to check things out, but I didn't. Everything looks the same down there. It's possible that I didn't pass it at all, as there's a section of the street that I skipped.
I turned around at the end of that street and rode downhill toward the foot of my hill. This time I turned before getting there and headed up another road which goes about halfway up before leveling off to run parallel to my street, halfway between it and the street I'd just been on. I made it up that hill on the bike, then coasted downhill to where the street I was on meets the road that climbs to my street. I turned and rode up that street, but stopped when I got to the intersection with my street. That's more hill up, and I didn't quite have it in me. Had to walk the fifty yards, give or take, to my driveway. But this is a lot better than I'd done Monday, so I assume I'll be able to make it next time if I push.
This has gone longer than I'd intended.
I used MapMyRide again to figure out the basic ascent figure. It's a nice interface for entering routes. I don't have a GPS, so I basically trace out a route on a map by clicking point after point.
Here's an elevation profile.
Distance Ridden around in Circles: 4.56 miles.
Ascent: ~208 feet.
Duration: 30 minutes.
I live on a mountain. In driving terms I've always said, "Up a hill." But I'm on a mountain. Leaving my door, there's nowhere to ride that's flat. I can immediately plunge down the hill I had to walk up with my bike two days ago, or I can ascend a moderate hill to get to the end of my road up here and follow another road just a little distance. I did the latter today, and discovered that that road continues as a sort of dirt road back into the woods. I followed that until it dead ended at a chain-link fence at a point overlooking I-68. There's a good bit of junk back there, including a riding lawn mower. There are houses right before the road turns into that non-road road, so I imagine some of the stuff belongs to someone in those houses. It's also obvious that some people use the area to drop off junk.
Nowhere to go from there but back. I rode down the other side of the mountain this time (there are two roads up, one on either side.) These hills are steep, and I was thinking I probably should've had the bike shop give me new brake pads. I've never changed them on this bike. As a result of that and the fact that I wasn't comfortable enough with the terrain, I kept my speed just below 30 mph, as far as I know, for the descent. That descent will be a lot more fun when I'm in shape enough that I'm not thinking about what a nightmare the return's going to be.
I followed some of the side roads halfway down the mountain, eventually coming to another dead end. Backtracked again until I ended up on Greene Street, the closest thing to a main stretch around here (and a hint about my location for those who know the area.) It was Greene Street that comprised the bulk of my under 2 mile ride Monday, another gradual incline but enough of one that I could feel the burn in my legs again (and, oddly enough, somewhere around my kidney. Awesome!) There's a parking lot there that I wheel around in for a while (did the same thing the other day.) This time instead of attempting the big hill to my house right away I went past it, up another gradually inclining road and past (I think) the house where I lived with my parents for most of the first five years of my life. Don't know if I've mentioned that -- my parents' first house is on a street parallel to the one on which I now live, but at the bottom of the hill. Unfortunately, I'm unable to pick out said house, although I've driven by it with my mom in the past and had her point it out to me. I thought I'd be able to recognize it while I was on my bike, as that makes it a lot easier to check things out, but I didn't. Everything looks the same down there. It's possible that I didn't pass it at all, as there's a section of the street that I skipped.
I turned around at the end of that street and rode downhill toward the foot of my hill. This time I turned before getting there and headed up another road which goes about halfway up before leveling off to run parallel to my street, halfway between it and the street I'd just been on. I made it up that hill on the bike, then coasted downhill to where the street I was on meets the road that climbs to my street. I turned and rode up that street, but stopped when I got to the intersection with my street. That's more hill up, and I didn't quite have it in me. Had to walk the fifty yards, give or take, to my driveway. But this is a lot better than I'd done Monday, so I assume I'll be able to make it next time if I push.
This has gone longer than I'd intended.
I used MapMyRide again to figure out the basic ascent figure. It's a nice interface for entering routes. I don't have a GPS, so I basically trace out a route on a map by clicking point after point.
Here's an elevation profile.
10.29.07
Just Like Riding a...
Posted by: isquub
What's a good phrase to use for the
Fuck that, too out of it to think.
Wife dropped me off at the bike shop.
Cost to Get Bike in Riding Shape: $9.15
Distance from Bike Shop to my House: 1.86 miles.
Ascent: ~300 feet.
Duration: 15 minutes.
Amount of Mental Energy Spent Wondering if it's possible to throw up after less than 2 miles worth of ride: ALL OF IT.
I haven't ridden in over a year. It might be over two years, I'm not sure. What I didn't include in the breakdown up there is the fact that I walked the bike for the big hill up to my house. Nearly the entire ride was uphill, mostly a gradual ascent. Halfway (that's, what, .9 miles?) into it, I realized just how little work my legs have done in the past couple of years. .9 miles and my thighs were burning.
It's about 55 degrees outside; I was comfortable in that sense. But by the time I was walking my bike up my driveway, I was seriously wondering if I was going to throw up.
The bike is still outside leaning against the garage door. I feel almost good enough to go bring it in the house now. I AM THE MASTER OF EVERY.
I used MapMyRide to calculate the elevation.
Fuck that, too out of it to think.
Wife dropped me off at the bike shop.
Cost to Get Bike in Riding Shape: $9.15
Distance from Bike Shop to my House: 1.86 miles.
Ascent: ~300 feet.
Duration: 15 minutes.
Amount of Mental Energy Spent Wondering if it's possible to throw up after less than 2 miles worth of ride: ALL OF IT.
I haven't ridden in over a year. It might be over two years, I'm not sure. What I didn't include in the breakdown up there is the fact that I walked the bike for the big hill up to my house. Nearly the entire ride was uphill, mostly a gradual ascent. Halfway (that's, what, .9 miles?) into it, I realized just how little work my legs have done in the past couple of years. .9 miles and my thighs were burning.
It's about 55 degrees outside; I was comfortable in that sense. But by the time I was walking my bike up my driveway, I was seriously wondering if I was going to throw up.
The bike is still outside leaning against the garage door. I feel almost good enough to go bring it in the house now. I AM THE MASTER OF EVERY.
I used MapMyRide to calculate the elevation.
