Well, in an attempt to improve my riding skills I'm going back to basics and starting a new training schedule- a Beginners' one.  It has me working up to about 150 miles a week, alternating days rather than riding nonstop for weeks at a time. Since I didn't do it last year, I'm more determined than ever to make that century.  I'm still pretty bummed I can't be in New York for the 10th anniversary of 9/11, but maybe I can do a mock-tour; go 60 miles a day for a few months, camping overnight a couple times, until I make 3000 miles.  Another ride I want to finish is that ride up to Wrightwood. I'm thinking with the weather warming up I better step on it. I may cheat and take the bus to Phelan, though. 

My new schedule starts off downright wimpy- I did five miles today, may or may not do any tomorrow, 7 fast miles the day after, then a mandatiory day off, then five more miles.  On Saturday I'm supposed to make about 15 miles and about ten on Sunday. But by the end of eight weeks I should have worked my way back up to 50 miles in a day.

Clear roads, tailwinds, and many miles to you all!

It's pretty clear. There aren't enough bike lanes to service the High Desert. Apple Valley and Hesperia have plenty, but Victorville and Adelanto don't have any. What's a cyclist to do?

Yesterday I had the pleasure of participating in the 5th Annual Bike Ride for Bike Lanes. It was to leave the Victorville Lowe's parking lot at 6:15 PM on May 2nd, 2011. 

Living in Adelanto, 11 miles away from the starting point, I had to leave early. I got a little carried away and left at a few minutes before 4 PM. It was a good thing too, because it was a slight uphill and crosswind the first 8 miles and I was lucky to make 10 MPH.  I arrived at my destination at about 5 PM. I was tired and hungry and had run out of water so I munched the energy bar I'd brought, rested up for a bit, and refilled my water bottle in the Mall, which was right across the street.

As I rolled back across the street, I noticed two more cyclists arrive- both of whom I recognized as members of the local cycling club. I explained my absence from the group rides, and there was no teasing about either that or Pepper (the bike, don'cha-know?   .

One by one cyclists continued to arrive- men, women, and children on bikes of all descriptions including road bikes, mountain bikes, two tandems, and a recumbent.  We were organized, had our makeshift bibs pinned on (peices of printer paper reading 'SHARE THE ROAD' in red), had a quikc prayer, and were off!

I fell back almost immediately but had the pleasure of riding with several ladies most of the way. The ride went pretty well except for two things...

The first was a bunch of stupid BMXers who kept weaving in and out of traffic and tailing us- no helmets, of course- blatantly disregarding the message to obey traffic laws and be courteous. I could have....

The second unpleasant thing was the fact that I hurt my right ankle.  I think I pushed myself too hard or stepped down wrong or something, because by the time we hit the end I was limping. Some ice and an overnight wrap in an ACE bandage did the trick.

Waiting at the end of the ride was all manner of tasty carbs, including oranges, granola bars, fruit bars, trail mix, even cake! There was also water.

All in all, it was a fun ride. I can't WAIT for the next event, which is either the Breast Cancer Awareness Ride in October or the Tour De Apple Valley.

Pics will soon be up under 'Bike Pics' on the 'Where I've Been' page.

YIKES! Has it really been two months since I last posted?  Well, here's a brief recap.

I made 220 miles in March and 200 miles in April. Why so low? It's a combination of moving (AGAIN!!!), bumpy roads where we moved to, and WIND! It has kicked in with a vengance, gusting regularly between 30 and 50 miles per hour. A day with 'light winds' (5-10 MPH) only happens about three times a week. Other than that the weather has been OK; the highs go as low as 60 and as high as 80; this week they're supposed to get up to 90.  Hello, sunscreen!

My 'Operation Exploration' plans have been temporarily scrubbed, at least for the time being.  I have to walk my road bike (which is, ironically, working better than my mountain bike except for the brakes) about two blocks before the road is smooth enough to ride, and the moving and weather really put a crimp in my plans. I'll still be videotaping any bike adventures I have, like the Ride for Bike Lanes. More on that in the next post.

I'm not in nearly good enough shape for it but I am so dying to get that century done!  With the hot weather and little money for snacks or sunblock, it's kind of put a crimp in my plans. If anyone I knew had enough gas it could be cool to just ride out 100 miles on 395- I'd get halfway to Bishop, LOL. First of all, though, I'll need to work up gradually- first a five-day century (20 miles a day five days in a row), then a four-day (25 miles a day), then a three-day (33 miles a day), then a two-day (50 mles a day), then 75 miles in one day, then, finally,  100 miles!

OK, time to post the mileage report from February:

155.90

I know. Pitiful.

But with all that cold weather (including snow!) what could I do? Hopefully March will be much better. 

A little over a month ago, a cycling friend (Raul) took my old roadie home to fix it. He was finally able to return it today, and WOW!

She's still that disgusting brown, but the rear brakes FINALLY work from the hoods (turned out to be just a lube problem). Other than that he installed a new seat, new pedals, and new handlebar tape. And get this- he didn't charge! I'll put up pictures of the new-and-improved Rhoda when I can. She still shimmies a little in the back and still has that divot up front, but it's not at the point of being unsafe. And she pedals SO SMOOTH!  Hopefully with enough practice I'll be able to join my pals at VVBC again soon.

WHEE! Now I can choose which bike I want to ride, not just ride mountain or road all the time.

Well it looks likely that I'll be out of work in a week or less and not moving after all, but I've got a remedy for that.

I figure I'll look for work during the week and on the weekends, pick out a direction on the compass, and follow it until I run out of road, energy, or time to get before before dark...and record EVERYTHING on video. After I'll edit it and stick it up on YouTube as a web-series.  

I mean, hey, I might as well do something constructive with my time. Better than moping around the house getting flabby.  I'm thinking it might be better to do this on Fridays instead of Saturdays, though- Once I get my roadie back (still haven't heard back from Raul about Rhoda...) I want to get back into the group rides with the VVBC and try and record THOSE on video. Music-video material!

Oh BTW, my miles for January were 265.  My excuse is the snow, the road rash, then the flu (which also cut into my riding time this month).

Today I went mountain biking for the first time!

Yesterday one of my cycling pals, Raul, asked if I’d like to go mountain biking today. I said sure. He picked me up at 8 AM and we were off. Since I was a newbie and could handle sand better than rocks, we headed to Oak Hills. There was a network of trails and roads at the end of the pavement.

Since my mountain bike is basically junk, he brought along a spare for me to ride. He let me practice while he got ready.

Nice bike! This was a red Specialized Stump Jumper-the original mountain bike!  It had pneumatic suspension and weighed about half of what Pepper does. The seat was rock-hard, but the suspension made up for it.

The shifting system was unlike anything I’d seen before- the rear metal lever made the gears go to a larger gear, the front plastic lever made them go to a smaller gear. The brakes were what really caught me off guard. I quickly learned that they responded to the slightest pressure- the hard way. I was nearing the edge of the road and didn’t turn soon enough, so I reflexively squeezed the brakes. Bad idea!

It was like something out of an old cartoon. I came to a dead stop and inertia sent me sprawling onto the rough pavement.  Ouch! I inched my way out from under the bike and managed to pick it up and walk shakily back to the truck.
“You okay?” asked Raul.
I nodded, though everything on my left side hurt, from my knee to my shoulder. My elbow was absolutely on fire.  Lifting my sleeve I found out why. It looked like it had unzipped. It was at least an inch long and an eighth of an inch deep.  Raul grabbed what looked like an old, clean t-shirt from his truck and held it against the wound, which was dripping blood. He asked what happened, and I replied testily that I’d fallen. Duh!  He asked cautiously if I still wanted to ride today and I nodded, saying I’d brought a first-aid kit. I smeared some ointment onto a band-aid and slapped that on, stretched a little, and hopped back on the bike. I wasn’t going to let some old road rash stop me! Besides, my mom was a former medical assistant and certified in first aid, so she could fix me up. I could only imagine the look on her face, though.  That was one ugly wound.

After a bit more practice, we set off, hopping a road barrier and setting off on the dirt. Immediately it was a fairly steep downhill. I chickened out and walked it most of the way.

I walked on and off the whole way while Raul rode and encouraged me to ride through, too. One steep ascent we both had to walk- and hated it. “Man, this climb is killing me!” he groaned at one point.  I had to agree. But, there was a nice little downhill afterward, and we kept going.

The trail was in pretty good shape- mostly hard-packed dirt with a few stretches of sand, rocks, and water damage. The views were amazing, though, and I was kicking myself for not bringing my camera.  At several points we could see the freeway, Mormon Rocks, and the local snowcapped San Gabriel mountains. The hills themselves were starting to green up and look a little like something up North. There were a few mud puddles, but we skirted them and rode on through.

We reached the halfway point at ten minutes to 10 AM, and admired the view and drank some water. He told me about this place farther on with an even more incredible view, and I drooled.  We both agreed we had to do this again sometime and next time I’d bring my camera. He sent me on ahead so he could conclude some business with nature, and while I was nervous, I rode off.

The ride back was WAY easier than on the way there- mostly downhill. After a while I was getting the hang of things and stood up for the bumps- one was so deep I thought my head would snap off from whiplash, but the bike handled it easily and before long I was getting up to a pretty good speed and having the time of my life.

I was still pumped full of adrenaline on the way home but after I got my elbow dressed (Mom cringed the whole time and kept wincing in sympathy) and went to work, I got dog tired. Raul also took a look at my road bike and took it to his house to work on it. I should be getting it back next week.

It was a good day, though, and I was more than willing to try that again. Maybe next week.

Well, that's one thing off the 'What-to-do-before-I-move' checklist.

After 8 months of riding, 7 months gathering dust, and 3 weeks of telephone tag, I've FINALLY given the Bianchi racing bike back to its' rightful owner.  He was very forgiving about the condition of the handlebar tape and front tire- says he's got loads of both at home- and offered to take a look at either of my bikes and work on them before the move, seeing as how he works as a bicycle mechanic.

I still feel kind of bad handing it back in that condition, but at least he wasn't mad and it's out of the way now.

It's also gotten me thinking about which bike I really want to take with me. Pepper's perfect for the rotten roads and steep hills here in the desert, but for the rolling hills and smoother, possibly more bike-friendly streets up north, a road bike may be better. My best bet is actually a commuter or a hybrid, but I really can't afford to buy another bike.  I could get some narrower tires for the mountain bike, but it doesn't hold a rack very well and that's what I need to do any sort of running around town by bike.

Well, I've still got at least two months to decide.

2010 brought with it its' share of disappointments and encouragements. On the negative side, I didn't reach my goal of making 3600 miles. I came tantilizingly, infuriatingly close, though- 3578 miles- within 22 miles of it!  But, with the crazy weather (cold and wet in Winter, windy in Spring, and hot in Summer), plus three colds and a full work schedule, I suppose I have plenty of excuses. Maybe next year moving to a different climate (Bay Area or LA) will help.

Anyway, here are the totals:

3578 miles for the year,
298.16 miles per month,
68.87 miles per week,
9.8 miles per day.

On the bright side, I trounced last years miles. I made 2210 in 2009, which makes a difference of 1,368 miles.  Using that as a reference, if I have a bit more time next year and better weather, it stands to reason I'll probably be able to make about 4500 miles in 2011...well, maybe.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!