Education Explosion

Hi All!

Today, I met with the UC Cycling team's adviser, Dr Bruce Jayne, to talk about bike maintenance and to get some general training tips. The meeting began at 5:30pm and due to our joint interest in the topic and the endless list of things to talk about, we did not part ways until 9:30pm. It was for all intensive purposes a 4-hour crash course in everything bike related. And by everything, I mean a very small portion of everything. There is so much to learn it's impossible to fit it all in in only 4 hours.

Here are some things I learned about Bike Maintenance:

1. Clean EVERYWHERE. In the past, I'd done the occasional sweep of some paper towel over the visible parts of my bike mainly for aesthetics but as it turns out, a lot more is needed for regular upkeep. Of course this should have been intuitive considering the sheer number of moving parts on a bike and their exposure to the elements. But of course I didn't think about it. Here are just some of the things that should be cleaned on a weekly basis:

• the chain (it should also be lubed and excess lube wiped off)
• all parts of the frame
• the brake pads
• the cogs and chainrings
• the derailier
• the spokes
• the wheel rim
• the tire

You get the idea... Basically the entire bike needs to be cleaned. Every part has a specific reason for needing to be cleaned. A dirty wheel rim causes uneven wear on the break pads as well as jolty breaking. A dirt chain causes wear on the chain and cogs/chainrings. Aside from just cleanliness to avoid excess wear, going over your bike and cleaning it gives you the opportunity to inspect your bike up close and personal. This helps notice anything that may be amiss such as small cracks in the wheel rim, unbalanced wheels, uneven break pad placement, etc.

So there's the cleaning and general maintenance of the bike, then there's all the individual tweaks that make the bike suited to your particular needs. The handlebars, break horns, suicide bars, bike seat, can all be adjusted to fit different body types and cycling needs.

Here's an interesting factoid: The height of your seat should be 110% of your inseam.

Here's another interesting factoid: The height of my inseam (I'm 5'2") is only 1.5cm less than Dr Jayne's (he's 5'7")... I always knew I had long legs but that's essentially a 6" difference in torso length! Also learned today that my thighs are proportionally longer than most people. Take this plus the slight scoliosis (uneven shoulders, hips, and back), left-handedness, and the fact that I'm a female in the construction industry... I'm basically just an oddball. Thanks mom and dad! <3

I'm sure you all are bored to tears by now with all of this rambling so I'm going to wrap things up. Just wanted to share a snip-it of some of what I learned today. Talking with Dr Jayne got me all ramped up even more about cycling and made me realize just how much I have to learn.

Interesting Factoid #3: Most road cyclist ride at a cadence of 95rpm... Right now, I ride at most at around 75rpm. I have strict instructions to stop that immediately and bike at a higher cadence.

So the moral of today I guess is there are about a million and one things to learn bout cycling and then, once you think you have got that down, you find a thousand more. If there is something you are interested in, don't just do it. Get involved in it. Try to understand it. Get your hands dirty. Literally! Dig in and get involved because you never really know what it is you're saying you like until you delve into all the nuances and culture of it.

~"Supposing is good but finding out is better." -Mark Twain

The Lost Cyclist

Hello Again!

So I know I already posted today but since that was about my first day of riding, this is going to count for the Day 2 post...

Today's ride was ... Interesting. Day 2 of any exercise routine for me is usually pretty good. I am in a good mood because I usually had a good day the day before and I'm feeling like I can do anything if I put my mind to it. I mapped out the ride the night before, looking at it for long enough that I felt comfortable with the seemingly simple directions. I look at it again this morning and confirm that I am completely confident in my abilities to find the three streets I need to turn on for the entirety of the ride.

Everything runs smoothly from the moment I wake up. I avoid hitting the snooze button, excited to get going and get my ride started. I drink a tall glass of water, down two of my Cliff energy blocks, chewy and sweet but filling, and get all of my gear on in record time. Looking at the clock it's only been 15min so I brush teeth, check tire pressure, put my shoes, leg warmers, arm warmers, helmet on and sit by the door. 5min to leaving time... I can't wait any more so I leave a few minutes early.

Here's where things start to get interesting. As is usually the case with new routes, I felt much more confident of my ability to find the roads on the map than I do while actually riding. And as I expect, I get to the point where I am no longer familiar with the roads and, thinking I've passed my turn, double back and turn on a different road, hoping to cross the road I was looking for. This doesn't happen.

Instead of my "natural directional intuition" leading me to my preferred route, it leads me to one man taking out his garbage, two women on a walk, and one cyclist at a red light, all of whom tell me I am going the wrong way.

Aside from getting lost three times, I did get to revisit some places in Cincinnati where I may have gotten lost before... and realize the importance of being confident in the route I am going to take and knowing the roads near my turns.

Overall, it was still a great ride. I met some very nice and helpful people, who pointed me in the right direction continuously only to have me confuse their directions and get lost again =P And, it extended my route so I got a great workout!

Moral of the story is, know your route and don't be afraid to ask for help if you get lost. People are usually understanding and everyone can use a laugh at the expense of a lost and confused cyclist =P

~ "Getting lost is just another way of saying 'going exploring'" -Justina Chen Headley

The Beauty and The First Ride

Hello All!

Today marks the first day of a new chapter of my life. A chapter where I invite cycling back as a regular part of my life. In the words of cyclist Jim Burlant, "Cycling is like Church. Many attend but few understand." And he is absolutely right. Cycling is more than a means for transportation or a way to relax outside on a sunny weekend. It's the most beautiful, refreshing, exciting, sometimes exhausting and absolutely simple way of travel. Bikes have somehow mastered the perfect speed to travel at. The speed at which you can get from A to B but still manage to catch snip-its of conversation from people as you pass by. You can take in the beauty of the world around you.

Cycling is not only beautiful because of the aesthetics of the sport though. In a similar way to rowing, cycling gives a feeling of exhilaration that can only be achieved by sports that rely on pure power. It can be argued that it takes some degree of skill and knowledge of gears and the way bike work and the roads you are riding on ans what ever other factors you want to come up with. The bare-bones of the matter however is half way up the climb when you feel your legs start to scream and you consider stepping off and walking but instead, you feel your legs press up and suddenly you're standing and climbing faster and the pain becomes white noise and the only thing you hear is the quickening pace of your breath in time with the spinning of the pedals. This is the real beauty of the sport. The moment of truth when we find out what we are really made of and how hard we are willing to push ourselves to get to the top. And then, when you feel like you can't push another second, you look up and the top is right there in front of you. It's that moment when you stumble off your bike after the climb and sit down and begin to hear the birds around you and the fact of what you just accomplished starts to sink in. Very few things are quite as satisfying as breaking a physical barrier you did not know you could break.

So as you probably guessed, I'm pretty much a cycling fanatic. I mean this in the very loosest of terms. I absolutely love biking with every facet of my being. The only problem is, I have not devoted much time to it. It's easy to forget how much you love something when you're not doing it. So... I've decided to start cycling again, regularly and document my adventures in this blog so I never forget how much I love it. And hopefully, others will get to experience some of this joy along with me.

This week I have started officially training for my very first Century ride! My first ride of the week, yesterday, I biked the 16.2mi to Shelter Cove Marina (the marina the University of Cincinnati Rowing team practices out of) and back to my house by UC. It's a great ride for the first day of training because its familiar, fairly straight, directions are not challenging, and includes a major climb. Speaking of Collins...

Cycling Achievement #1: First time riding all the way up Collins! (5/21/2012)

The ride to the marina was great and reminded me just how much I love to bike, even when its painful and I'm feeling like I might start rolling backwards...

For all you cyclists out there, spread the word about the best way to travel! Because there really is nothing better than a bike =)

For all you potential cyclists: You never know how great it is until you try it with someone who's already fallen in love. Find a cyclist you know and go for a ride with them. Ask questions. Get in their head. They will tell you just how great it is.

A rediculously long first post but the future ones will be shorter, I assure you =P

~ "Nothing compares to the simple pleasures of riding a bike" John F. Kennedy