Today - It's all about the bike

Tuesday, March 18, 2010

I climbed on the bike thinking this would be a pleasant ride. It was sunny and there was no breeze, but I quickly discovered it was about 45 degrees. I returned to the house and donned my long-sleeved t-shirt. Good decision.

I only had an hour. I was scheduled to see the “Twilight” movie with Holly – that series about vampires – and the chicks that dig them and I don't want to be the reason if we're late. That's always been Holly's job. I’d seen the first one, though I haven’t read the books. It was okay, but I go more for realism – stuff like “Rocky”. Anyway, I had to hurry.

In the past, I have found that I get into halfway decent cycling shape after two to three weeks of consistent riding. I had been feeling better on all workouts, particularly the running. I tend to notice my conditioning on rides with rolling hills, which is what I was on today. I hit the first series and did the first longer, gradual ascent with ease. By the time I’d completed the set and was flying down a steep hill, I knew I’d made it.

It’s a great feeling – being on a bike with your legs pumping like pistons that feel like they will never tire. There’s something special in powering a vehicle, be it only twenty-five pounds, faster than anything else around that doesn’t have an engine attached. I love flying down country roads, wind whipping past my folically challenged head, dogs giving chase and an occasional car passing, but driving well over the posted speed limit because they figure they should be going faster than a mere bike!

For me, biking is the aerobic activity of choice for the sheer volume of calories I can burn. I’ll do rides between 3-4 hours on the weekends and at 900 calories per hour, I can afford to come home to a thick milkshake and cheeseburger without worrying about gaining weight.

I love it as a form of transportation, as well. I have used it in the past to get to and from work, which has been 40-60 miles a day in some situations. In my triathloning days, that could mean getting in 200 plus miles a week without having to plan a workout time. What I really need to do now is get a bike for the neighborhood – something I could throw a nerdy basket on and use for shopping and such. Maybe even one of those cool bells...

I will admit to not being traffic-law sensitive. Stop signs mean ‘look around and pedal like hell if nothing’s coming’. Red lights are about the same, though I’m a little more sensitive at those since drivers tend to get pissed off that I’ve broken the law. Like they’ve never gone over the speed limit…

When cycling, I hug the shoulder, wear a helmet, and never ride two abreast, which is obnoxious and just pisses off vehicles and there’s no future in that. They have tonnage on their side and even a brush could be the end of my riding days. Admittedly, there are knuckleheads on the road just looking for trouble. I’ve been spit on, had beer bottles tossed at me, been cut off, horns blown when they’re right at my side just to see the effect they’ll get, and even had someone lean out the window to slap me. These are certainly the exception and in many instances, when I caught the vehicle at the next light…well…let’s just say I think they’re rethinking their policy of harassing random bike riders.

Bottom line…I feel safer on a bike with the occasional idiot than I do behind the wheel with my fellow drivers – too many of whom are suffering with varying degrees of road rage. I’ve been doing it my entire life and figure as long as I can balance it well enough to keep it rolling, I’ll keep riding.

Oh yeah - the movie. Total chick flick which tended to drag. I mean I was like "just bite her already and get it over with..."

Bike duration: Seventy minutes.

Training Heart Rate: 125 bpm.

Calories burned during workout: 1,050.