Friday, November 16, 2007

25.45 miles - City of Lakes Route - 11/16/07

The City of Lakes route is only doable when there are few people on the trails. It is a roundabout of the four Minneapolis lakes - Hariet, Calhoun, Lake of the Isles and Cedar Lake. Peak time the Lakes are busy with walkers, runners, inline skaters and the like. Granted, there are walking and biking paths that parallel each other, the inline skaters and slow bikers (especially w/ kids) can slow you down and be a great annoyance. So, this is a good time of the year to take the Lakes Circuit and have fun.

I rode Bullit and took the SW Corridor down to Lake Calhoun and veered east off the trail at 38th st.(?) to have a coffee at CRC (Cars-R-Coffins coffeehouse) on Lyndale Ave. When I finished my two Italian roasts and a chocolate chip coookie Iheaded back to Lake Clhoun to tour the Lakes and head home.

The weather was November chilly with a SEastern headwind, but overal it wasn't a diifcult ride, even though I took a muscle relaxer earlier in the day for a very kinky neck.

25.45 miles

16.8 avg

26.9 max

810.6 cal

580.5 odo

1.30.26 hours

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

16.63 miles - Lake Calhoun Quick Route variation/night ride - 11/14/07

Night rides are exhilarating to say the least, especially when it is flurrying and there is a steady and strong Northwesterly headwind. I was very comfy in jeans over bike shorts, a wicker thermal long sleeve with a cotton shirt and biking jacket. I also don a Pearl Izumi skullcap and gloves. I wore my old Solomon trail shoes with hiking socks - surprise, no cold toes. The only real problem with the setup is the gloves. I need a layer under them. They are supposed to be windproof, but they hardly are. Maybe I will do an accessory review later.

The ride was great. I turned off of the SW Corridor heading North to City Hall. It will be great when the ped bridge is opened up over HW7. I came back to the Corridor and headed east down to Lake Calhoun and veered off into MPLS and spent some time at Dunn Bros on Hennepin Ave in South Uptown (next to Calhoun Cycle). Then headed home by way of the Lakes and the Corridor. I met about 5 other bikers in the dark - even a recumbent - who looked like commuters. I guess the numbers on the trail is going to be dwindling - including my time on the trails. I will be spending most of my saddle time on trainers at the gym - yeah, I know so don't grill me!!

Anyway, I rode The Bullit and can't wait to get my anti-chain suck mechanism for the front derailleur, so I don't ever have to stop and put the chain back on. THAT REALLY SUCKS AT NIGHT - trust me!

Its gonna be a long winter....

16.63 miles

15.9 avg

28.5 max

505.7 cal

555.1 odo

1.02.47 hours

13.38 miles - Hopkins/MPLS Lakes Route

The Hopkins\MPLS Lakes route is another short route that is easy to fit into your day. Going out of my neighborhood and right onto the SW Corridor, as soon as you get into Hopkins' territory, you swing north into St. Louis Park via the Hutchinson Spur trail and follow that around to Cedar Lake in Minneapolis. Then follow that to Lake Calhoun. Go around Lake Calhoun and back west up the SW Corridor to my neighborhood.

This is one of my favorite routes due to the lack of biker traffic and a great "downhill" behind Peter Hobart Elementary School. It has some fast turns and has some quieter spots. Today was a slow easygoing ride that was quiet and enjoyable. I rode Bullit.

13.38 miles

16.9 avg spd

31.1 max

439.4 cal

538.4 odo

0.47.19 min

Sunday, November 11, 2007

12.69 Lake Calhoun Quick Route

Took a morning pre-work quick ride down the SW Corridor to Lake Calhoun and back home with deviating from the trail. Could've probably gone furthur but my cleat was plaquing my knee. Since I broke my femur as a kid and it set slightly crooked, my knee aches if my cleat isn't set properly. When I don't clip in it is fine.

The ride was great. There were a lot of people out on the trails. It was around 50+ degrees at 10:30AM and sunny.

I rode The Bullit.

12.69 miles

17.4 avg spd

23.2 max

432.6 cal

525.1 odo

0.43.33 minutes

2.41 miles - total crap decision

Terrible luck. Bike shoes kept slipping around on a standard pedal, even with a lot of sole on the spd shoe. I got upset and turned back - ran out of time for a ride.

2.41 miles

Friday, November 9, 2007

Over the Hills:
A Midlife Escape Across America by Bicycle
by David Lamb
1996

"The Bicycle was the first vehicle designed to move man without relying on animals or other humans. Though social historians seldom even acknowledge their existence, bicycles a century ago revolutionized travel and recreation in America, affected how we dressed and socialized, and challenged Victorian values: property versus pleasure, mature reserve versus youthful exuberance, femininity versus liberation." David Lamb

This book shared similarities with “Walking to Vermont” in that the author was beyond middle age and spent a lot of time reflecting on his life and achievements. Both were journalists – LA Times and NY Times. Both were very mature in their writing. Both were merely in the same physical condition. Both met up with old friends along the way. Both had a knee ailment. Both had doubts about making it and were told they were nuts by friends. Both made it! I enjoyed both books, but “Walking to Vermont” was more interesting.

Lamb took the Trans Am route across the lower states ( URL here ) where he met many characters who were generally quite friendly and helpful. The rural characters tend to be quite charismatic in their own way. In Alabama two toothless and intimidating grimy young men befriended Lamb and helped him across a dangerous bridge with heavy traffic and then disappeared into the hills.

The book was full of well-researched bicycling history which was downright fascinating. He points out many times how bicycling changed the face of the United States and was influential in the Women’s Liberation Movement, establishing a better transportation infrastructure and before the auto provided a means of transportation and economic gains for the country. These facts lend the idea that cycling has gone full circle within the one and a quarter century since the “safety” bicycle came into full production.

The trip was rather uneventful, which we surprisingly wonder how the book is even not dull, but Lamb in fills with so much info that you get lost and sidetracked when the focus isn’t on the personal story of riding across the country.The inspiration of his journey is due to his age. If a man over 50 can bike across the country in a couple of months, it can be accomplished by mostly anyone capable of climbing aboard a touring bike. Character and stamina are both built along the way.

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

8.26 miles - Quick Route (Bass Lake) - 11/5/07

Quick route to Bass lake and back with a very bitter and strong headwind from the NW. When I left it was flurrying. The "Quick Route" is a loop that I use when I have less than 30 minutes to ride for the day. The loop around Bass Lake is 1.4 miles and I can simply go around it as many times as I have time for on that day. There was only time for two loops today. I rode Greenpeace.

8.26 miles

16.5 avg

24.8 max

259.7 cal

509.9 odo

0.29.52 minutes

27.54 miles - Sunday morn ride - 11/4/07

Today I made some breakfast for the family and then went off on a ride to S Minneapolis - had a coffee at CRC (Cars R Coffins) on Lyndale Ave. I then rode by the Walker Art Center, by Blake School and under 394. I took the walking bride over to Bryn Mar, then to Theodore Wirth and next I went South to Cedar Lake and back around to Lake Calhoun and then home.It was chilly and there were many people on their bikes in every area I rode. I took Greenpeace again.I think I am going to put my Trek 2100 on craigslist and save up for a Paprad or a Felt cyclocross bike....
Anyway, my stats:

27.54 miles

avg 16.6

max 32.3

cal 882.3

odo 501.7

1.39.11 minutes

Friday, November 2, 2007

20.73 miles - Double Cedar Lake Loop -11/01/07

What a winderful day for a ride. In the afternoon rode west on the Sw Corridor and looped over to the Hutchinson/Spur (?) trail in Hopkins and took that to Cedar Lake. I decided to take on a few miles ad see what the distance of a loop around Cedar Lake would be - it turns out that it is 3.3 miles around the Ceadr Lake. Then I did Lake Calhoun to Trader Joe's, Bass Lake and home again. I rode the comfy and reliable Greenpeace again.

20.73 miles

avg spd - 15.9

mx spd - 28.7

cal - 642.2

474.1 - odo

1.18.06 hrs

13.15 miles - Holloween Ride10/31/07

Very chilly and windy ride (southern headwind) on Holloween Day. Rode the SW Corridor to Lake Calhoun through Linden Hills and to Trader Joes and back home on Greenpeace.

13.15 miles

avg spd - 15.7

max spd - 26.3

405.4 - cal

50.02 minutes

453.4 - odo

Thursday, November 1, 2007

44.08 miles - Cannon Valley Trail, Cannon Falls, MN - 10/22/07

Wonderful crisp fall day. Very cold toes. I need to get something to keep my toes warm on days below 55 degrees. Very few people were on the trail today. Mostly older people cruising the trail. This was my longest ride of the season thus far - believe it or not.

Welsh was a sprawling metropolis of a total of five or six buildings. One an ice cream, coffee and cafe parlor...but everything was shut down for the season. Really cool, really quiet, really scenic.

I rode Greenpeace.


44.08 - miles


time - 2.37.00


Avg Spd - 16.8


max spd - 27.9


odo - 440.2


cal - 1392.0