a snowy ride

This morning I decided to take winterized Miranda out for a ride, partly just for fun, but also to get myself ready for riding to work next week. I rode mostly on the trails, but also on one main street and a few residential streets.

I rode on pretty much every type of surface: wet pavement, dry pavement, snow and ice covered pavement. But the most fun part of my ride was when I decided to go off-roading on this completely snow-covered trail:

There were some scary moments when I thought I was going to fall, but I made it all the way without a tumble. And it was a blast!

Now I think I have an inkling of why people like mountain biking so much. The challenge of handling the bike on treacherous ground and the thrill of success are pretty awesome. 

After returning from my ride, I quickly made a batch of brownies and packed up the lasagne I'd made earlier to take to lunch at a friend's house in the city. I parked in my usual spot, stuffed my pannier with the goodies and rode Miranda a couple of kilometers to her house, where four of us enjoyed a tasty meal, good conversation and lots of laughter.

dressed for winter

Miranda, my GT Tempest, is now dressed for winter. Front and back fenders, new hand grips, a nifty back rack with a spring loaded holder, rear and front lights and fat, knobby 'Table Top' tires. 

This afternoon (Thursday) I picked her up from the bike shop and rode her home, and I was pleased. No problems at all on bumpy ice, smoother ice, mud, 3-cm deep snow. Bare pavement was fine, too. I even rode up the small, steep, snow-and-ice-covered hill that leads out of the woods into our neighbourhood. I tried this yesterday on Youngest Son's bike and ended up walking, but Miranda sailed on up. (Of course, I'm sure it helps that the bike fits me properly, unlike YS's bike.) 

Bike Shop Guy was also pretty pleased with what they had done. "That's a sweet old bike," were his words. He added that the old GT bikes were really good quality, unlike the newer ones.

He also thinks it's great that I have so many "cool" bikes. By cool, he must mean older, plain, inexpensive, serviceable bikes.

I am a bit shy, or I would have told him that I think of myself as The People's Cyclist. An ordinary person who rides as much as she can and encourages others to do likewise.

Cycling, in my opinion, should be accessible to everyone. It should be done where you are, with what you have. No need to spend big bucks for the latest high-tech bike. No need for special clothing. No need to go to a special place to ride. Of course, all those things are fine (and I anticipate some day shelling out $3,000 for a Specialized Ruby road bike) but the main thing is -- Just Start Riding! 

It makes my day when someone  tells me that I inspired them to start cycling. Three of my students have caught the bug. One of my neighbours, whose husband frequently comments on my riding, started riding this summer. Son #4 has always loved to drive, but since I found an old Rocky Mountain hybrid bike at a thrift shop ($35) and fixed it up for him (new tube, $6 + new tire, free from our shed + a good scrubbing and lubing) he has been riding to work, even now that there's snow on the ground. All the result of an ordinary person riding her bike with extraordinary enthusiasm!

first ride of winter

Although it's much too soon, it's inevitable -- SNOW! My winter bike is still at the bike shop undergoing some surgery, but I was dying to get out for a ride today, so I used Youngest Son's mountain bike. 

It's not the most comfy ride, but it worked. I had to use the old one-foot-on-the-ground-pushing-the-bike-along trick on some of the smoother ice patches, but all in all it was a pretty decent first winter ride. I rode about 5 km on the trails through the woods, enjoying the sound of birds singing in the trees and the sight of sunlight and shadows.

It started out kind of cold, but by the time I got back, it was warmer and I decided to take Maggie out for a walk. She loves this cold, but not too cold, weather and skips along happily. She was especially happy when we saw a fox on the trail behind our house. It stood for a while, staring at us, then trotted off into the woods.

Last night I also sweet-talked Hubby into trying to fit my clipless pedals onto the stationary bike. It worked, and it was easy, so I am all set for indoor winter workouts. Around here, at least for me, riding outdoors in winter isn't a predictable workout. I simply can't maintain a consistent speed on ice and snow. This type of riding is more of an exercise in balance, dexterity, ingenuity -- and just plain survival.

Exercise... or not? (Part 2)

In my last post, I asserted that a daily commute can indeed be good exercise, to the point of preparing a person for a much harder endeavour.

BUT -- if you perform the same exercise over and over again, your body will become accustomed to the workout and it will be less effective. If you don't care about that and just want to maintain fitness, this is probably not a big deal. Keep riding as always; at least you are doing something, right? 

For me, challenge in the form of changing up my routine is important. It makes the daily commute more interesting, but it also allows me to use my commute as training time. My ride on the Icefields Parkway was the start of an addiction to road cycling. On weekends I love to ride longer and harder routes -- 60-100 km per day, with plenty of climbing -- and I take advantage of my commute to keep in shape for this. 

Here some things you can do to make a daily commute more of a workout. (In warm weather, you will work up a sweat, so always bring a change of clothing and the stuff needed to make yourself presentable at work!) 

1. Change your route. Whereas I used to ride the same route everyday, following a relatively flat course on city streets, I now usually ride through the River Valley. This extends my commute to about 10 km each way. There are no lights or stop signs, so I can ride at a steady speed. Sometimes I take a different route. We have a rental house on the south side of the city, near Southgate, so when I have business there, I park in that area and ride on the 106 Street bike route and across the High Level Bridge. Occasionally I park farther from my destination. Second Son lives about 13 km from downtown, so when the weather is especially pleasant, I like to park near his home and enjoy a longer ride.  When it comes to cycling, variety means changes in terrain which lead to changes in riding style and effort. 

   

   View from High Level Bridge Streetcar

2. Add hills. As I descend into the valley, I know that what goes down must come up. Yes, my daily commute involves hills. I have a choice of two. In the bright light of early fall, late spring and summer, I generally choose the steeper hill, but once it is dark in the mornings, I opt for the long gradual climb, which has a shared pathway for cyclists and pedestrians. I feel safer riding here than sharing the narrow road with cars and buses. Both climbs are decently hard, and I up the ante by varying my approach. Sometimes I ride in a low gear, spinning as fast as I can. Other times I ride in a high gear for as long as I can, downshifting only as it becomes absolutely necessary. On days when I start my ride half-asleep and feeling anything but energetic, I assure myself that it's okay if I take it easy on the upcoming hill, but somehow by the time I get there, I am always ready to give it my best. The climb out of the valley at the end of the workday is long and steady, culminating in a short steep section. Often there is a headwind, which adds to the challenge. Sometimes I'm tired after a long day teaching (I stand all day), but the satisfaction I feel when I reach the top of the hill is energizing.
   

   

   the river valley, early October

3. Chase down other commuters. That's right; I am the skinny middle-aged woman who tries to pass all the guys on the trail. If I see a rider ahead of me, I pedal as fast as I can, trying to overtake. My favourite overtaking occurs after I've been passed on a downhill stretch. I am a braker: I don't go fast downhill. As a result, I am frequently passed by the daring young men on their flying trapezes bicycles. On the flat section, however, look out. The middle-aged woman comes into her own and cranks those pedals until she overtakes said young men. And when I overtake, I make sure it's for good, which means I have to work extra hard to maintain the lead. Even if I don't succeed in overtaking, a good workout is guaranteed.
4. Try to maintain a high cadence and a good speed. I can feel it when I'm slacking off. Sometimes I don't care, but usually if I notice that I'm taking it easy, I push myself a little harder.
5. Stand up from time to time. As suggested in this article, sometimes I remain seated as I climb the big hill; other times I try to stay out of the saddle the entire time. Sometimes I do a little of each.

The final word? To maximize the workout potential of a daily commute, add variety. Take a look at the route and see what can be done to make the most of the time spent riding. Your body will thank you for it!

Exercise... or not?

en route to Lake Louise... looking back after a bit of a climb

I've asked myself this question regarding my daily commute: is it exercise? Well, of course, it's exercise, I know that. But does it qualify as a workout? From time to time I think about this, and after reading this post on the Let's Go Ride a Bike blog, I thought about it some more.

This lovely lady lives in Chicago, a city I love. (How's that for alliteration?) I lived in Chicago for about 4 1/2 years. I met my husband there. I ate many a piece of Giordano's pizza and a few Number Ones at Mr. J's. I rode the El daily and walked and cycled along the lake shore. I even swam in Lake Michigan. I never set out chairs to mark my parking spot in the winter, but that was only because I had an assigned parking spot in my apartment's driveway. (I didn't really drive in Chicago, anyway -- maybe twice, but we did have a car.) All in all, it's quite fun to read about this woman's cycling adventures in the Windy City.

But back to the question at hand: is daily bicycle commuting really exercise? 
My short answer is: it depends. 

I've seen a few cycle commuters who proceed at a very leisurely pace; I daresay I could walk faster than they ride. I do walk fast (7.5+ km/hour), but that doesn't mean they are not riding slowly. For these people, I can answer the question with a confident NO. Perhaps what they're doing is better than sitting on a bus or behind a steering wheel, but if you ride like this, don't expect dramatic results when it comes to weight loss or improved fitness.

Most of us don't ride like this, however. I started riding my bike to work late in the winter of 2010. My commute was 7.5 km each way on city streets, punctuated with traffic lights and stop signs. In those early days, I rode a refurbished mountain bike and carried a moderately heavy backpack. I didn't exactly race to work, but like most commuters, I rode at a steady speed and didn't slack. 

After riding every day for six or seven months, in mid-September, I decided to join Oldest Son and Youngest Son cycling the Icefields Parkway from Jasper to Lake Louise -- a distance of about 230 km through the mountains. The plan was to divide the ride over two days. I was slightly apprehensive. I knew I was in decent shape -- in addition to riding every day, Hubby and I also took the dog for a walk every evening, and I had a regular routine of ab exercises and lifting light weights. But this ride would be like nothing I'd ever attempted. I had never ridden more than 20-25 km in a single day. 

cloudy skies -- we had a bit of rain on the second day

Well, I had a very pleasant surprise. Not only did I complete the ride, it was not even all that hard. Yes, there were two or three difficult climbs, but I kept pedaling and downshifting, and didn't have to walk my bike once. The gorgeous scenery and the sense of accomplishment helped to alleviate any pain I might have felt.

I wasn't even particularly tired at the end of the ride. The worst part came on the second day when I couldn't figure out what clothing to wear -- I started out too cold, rapidly became too hot, then was too cold again. It took a while, but once I figured out the proper combination of layers, I was comfy and happy. So, yes, I think I can safely say that my bicycle commute served as training for a much longer and much more challenging ride.

I was especially proud of myself that I stayed in a hostel -- no electricity, no running water!

weekend

It was an interesting weekend, with both good and bad points. 

On Friday, I went to the home of a former student to see her new baby. He is adorable, of course, and we had a fun time. Her sister-in-law, two other former students, and one current student were also there, and there was lots of good food and laughter. I drove into my parking spot on the west end and rode Beatrice over to her place, which is near the Mis.

Saturday morning I saw that there was a snowfall warning in the forecast. So, I decided to take advantage of the temporarily nice weather and go for a ride. Now, when I say "nice weather" I mean that in relative terms. The temp was +5 and it was cloudy and windy. But for early November in this area, that is pretty good. So I rode about 25 km. I didn't go out in the country, just rode around town. If I ride on the trails and on the streets at the north end of town, I can avoid most traffic lights and get up a decent speed, so it's a good alternative when the weather is iffy. 

And of course, the trails are pretty, too. At this time of year the larches, or tamaracks, have shed their needles, and in places the trail is covered with gold.

larch trees - October

And then around noon, the snow started to fall. Even so, I rode Miranda over to the bike shop to ask about getting winter tires put on. My idea was to have a back-up bike for winter cycling. I left the bike there and Bike Shop Guy said they will work on it as they have time, getting it ready for when I go back to work on the 12th. 

When I got home, I noticed an empty spot in the yard where Clyde had been stabled. Yes, someone stole my sturdy, but indubitably ugly, winter bike. I was not pleased. I have to admit that I must be a slow learner. After all, someone stole my blue step-through bike from the same spot. BUT, in my defense, my son's friend left his bike in that very same spot for about 4 weeks during the summer and no one took it. Admittedly, Clyde has those eye-catching yellow forks and brand-new hand grips. But still, what kind of person walks into another person's yard and takes a bike? I can only hope it was someone who truly needed a bike and not someone who just wanted to go for a joy ride and then ditch it.

I was doubly glad I had decided to get Miranda ready for winter riding.

The snow fell all day and into the evening. When we took Maggie out for a walk, it had turned to freezing rain, making the sidewalks dangerously slippery, so we didn't go far. I finished exercising on the treadmill.

Sunday we woke up to a 10-cm thick blanket of snow, and it was still snowing. Definitely a stay-at-home kind of day, especially when I didn't have a bike equipped with knobby tires. In the evening we took Maggie out and slipped and slid our way on the icy sidewalks to the library to drop off some stuff(4.5 km.) Another treadmill workout followed. 

I also used my stationary bike, applying some of what I've learned from riding outdoors and reading about riding. I did the "Speed Interval" workout, which consists of three-minute low-resistance segments followed by one-minute of high resistance. When the resistance was low, I worked on keeping my cadence over 100 and on the high-resistance sections, I tried to keep it around 75-80. Thirty minutes of this (after 8 km on the treadmill) made for a decent workout. All while watching that stupid movie, Angels and Demons. My students had told me they liked it, so I felt obligated to check it out. It`s a good thing I had something else to do while I watched, or I would never have lasted. 

I'm going to see if I can put my clipless pedals on the stationary bike. I don't know if they'll fit, but if they do, it will be a good use for them.

This weekend I also read a mystery novel that takes place in Edmonton. The title is Hang Down Your Head (by Janice MacDonald) and it centers around the Edmonton Folk Festival, which I've never attended and don't think I want to attend. I'd no doubt enjoy some of the music, but I wouldn't enjoy the line-ups and the crowds. It was kind of cool to read a book set in familiar surroundings. The heroine of the story lives near Whyte Ave and cycles for transportation, but her attitude makes me feel pretty bad-ass. She walks her bike up from the River Valley, saying, "The day I ride up a River Valley hill will be the day hell freezes over." Well, I ride up a River Valley hill every day when I commute to work -- and love it.

blown away

My 9K ride back to the car yesterday was an adventure. Winds of 40-60 km/hour are no joke, I discovered while facing west as I waited at a red light. I was literally blown backwards and had to fight to stay in place. It was also raining fairly steadily -- so much that I actually took time to pull over, dig out my rain pants and put them on over my work pants.  

As I rode west, at times I felt as if I was barely moving. But I must have inched forward, because I did make it back. Once I got in the car and started driving on the highway, I was amazed at the force of the wind even on the car. I could hardly believe I had ridden in wind like that.

But as always, once the ride was over, I felt great. Another battle fought, another battle won.

Yesterday was the last day of our first fall session, so now I have a week off. We start up again on November 12. Housecleaning, babysitting Little Granddaughter, an ESO concert and of course lots of exercise are on the agenda. I might even head over to the leisure centre and go swimming a few times.