Bicycle Diaries
30 years riding, 15 years writing
Under Armour Skull Cap
Found something better than a headband.
A headband is a necessary accessory for me, without one I have sweat pouring down my forehead and stinging my eyes. While watching football I started noticing players wearing a skull cap and I thought it would be great to wear one under my biking helmet.
The Under Armour skull cap I settled on is a headband with a moisture transport system fabric that covers your head. It’s perfect for riding in the woods, keeps my head dry and those pesky gnats from getting into my hair.
Rode for 12.73 miles, average speed was 12.5 mph.
Track Meet
The McAlpine was packed with runners today.
When I came upon the lake I was met with hundreds of high school runners attending a track meet.
It was an afternoon of ringing the bike bell and balancing on the bike so I didn’t have to clip out of my new pedals.
After a couple of laps I decided it was not worth continuing, I’ll ride again when there’s less of a traffic jam on the trails.
Rode for 12.81 miles, average speed was 12.1 mph.
Forté Campus Pedal
This past Friday I received a postcard from Performance Bicycle announcing their new Charlotte store, it doubled as a $20 dollar off coupon.
On Saturday morning I headed over there to check it out. I ended up buying the Forté Campus Pedal, since I’m not the only one that takes the mountain bike out for a spin, and a pair of Shimano SH-MT20 shoes.
Went out for an easy ride today, a sort of test run. The pedals work great, easy to get in and out of, I did increase the tension a bit from the factory settings. The shoes look and feel good, I just need to get used to a full circular pedaling motion again.
Rode for 13.98 miles, average speed was 12.0 mph.
Putting on the weight
Gained back 3 pounds since the last ride.
More weight, more energy, made a world of difference today. I was able to ride farther and still feel good at the end of the ride, I had enough energy to have done more miles if I had wanted to.
America is obsessed about shedding pounds and here I am putting some more on. That’s the beauty of bicycle riding, you can eat all you want and still fit into those old pair of comfy jeans.
Rode for 21.85 miles, average speed was 12.7 mph.
Bonking
When glycogen stores in the liver and muscles are depleted.
Starting the second lap, I had that familiar taste of metal in my mouth. I knew I would have just enough energy to finish up the lap, much less start a third one.
My body has reached the stage where I have to eat more than usual to continue riding effectively. Whatever excess body fat I had 6 months ago is all gone, time to carry some food with me.
Rode for 12.75 miles, average speed was 12.6 mph.
Cross Country
My bicycle bell was working overtime.
The High School Cross Country teams were out in full force today. Every trail I went down, there they were, shoulder to shoulder, running in unison.
It brought back memories from my High School years, I ran cross country in the fall and did track meets in the spring. I became rather good at long distance events, it had it’s benefits, I could outrun the school bullies.
Rode for 18.42 miles, average speed was 12.5 mph.
When the body says No!
Even though the mind says Go!
The weather was great, the trails were dry but my body was not up for a long ride. Can’t figure it out, I had a good meal last night, I was properly hydrated and I got a good night’s sleep.
There’s no rain in the forecast till Tuesday, so I’ll try again in the next couple of days for that elusive long ride that burns the quads, cramps the toes and makes your butt sore for days.
Rode for 12.43 miles, average speed was 12.6 mph.
Baby it's Fall outside
The weather invited me out for a ride.
Left the keyboard behind and went for an early ride today. Low 70’s and it was even cooler in the trails, glad I wore a long sleeve undergarment besides my riding jersey.
I’m getting used to longer rides, I can see the muscles in my legs starting to develop and I’m not that tired after a ride. I’ll continue riding 18 miles during the week and pick it up on the weekends, 24 on Saturday and 30 on Sunday.
Rode for 18.43 miles, average speed was 12.3 mph.
Ernie visits Bert
Tropical Storm Ernesto put a damper on riding.
With all the rain we received from Ernesto, I decided to take a break. I gained back some of the weight I had lost in the summer sweat, a whole 7 pounds.
It was nice and cool this afternoon, one large water bottle lasted me the entire ride. The trails were dried up by now and cleared of any debris that the storm may have generated.
Rode for 18.41 miles, average speed was 12.1 mph.
Shocking discovery
Took the Trek Fuel 70 in for service.
Mike, of Ultimate Bicycle, had mentioned that I should bring the Trek back to him after a month to check it out. Well, I was having such a good time riding it, that 4 months had passed since I purchased it.
It’s a good thing I decided to bring it in after all, cause the RockShox rear hydraulic shock wasn’t working right. Mike and his mechanics installed a temporary rear shock while mine was returned to Trek.
This is my first full suspension mountain bike, so I had completely forgotten what a smooth ride the rear shock originally gave. I didn’t want to get off the bike this afternoon, I could of ridden all the way to South Carolina ;)
Rode for 18.51 miles, average speed was 12.6 mph.
Charlotte, NC
Spent 10 years in Charlotte, a block away from an entrance to the McAlpine Creek Greenway.
Switched to a mountain bike from the road bikes I was accustomed to riding for 15 years.
The time spent on these trails was most appreciated.
Trek Fuel 70
