Cycling is my life blood
Cycling clears my head, allows me to travel, and ride in the most beautiful places. I went out riding again today and my husband came with me. We’ve both been struggling with our weight and after a doctor’s visit he has found new vigor in getting on board and oh has he ever! It was a ride full of adventure.
I usually let him take the lead and set the pace. There’s no real reason why, such as he’s safer or faster or even better at it. It just happened that way. This morning, he set the pace at an aggressive 14 miles an hour -out on the open road this isn’t aggressive, but in a neighborhood it is- and I was sucking wind. I typically like to start off slow to warm up, but I was feeling lazy so I decided to suck it up and follow him. I never chase him, but I eventually catch him. Trying to chase someone while riding is difficult and exhausting. On bigger long distance rides its all about pacing yourself so you can finish it.
Today we left thirty minutes later than usual at 7:30. So far we have been leaving at 7am and what a difference thirty minutes makes. We ran across dogs, multiple garage sales and a small truck who was going much slower than us making me wonder, “What are the rules when this happens?” You can’t holler out, “On your left,” like you normally do with cyclists. They can’t hear you with their windows closed. So do you just follow them at a grueling 2 miles per hour or pass them? This truck actually came to an abrupt full stop forcing us to stop just as abruptly behind them. They weren’t looking at their surroundings. We think they were looking for their destination and couldn’t find it.
So this spurred me to try to find out. I found the site linked below, but still no definitive answer. However, even though this didn’t answer my question, it’s an excellent link if you are interested in cycling. http://bikeleague.org/content/rules-road-0
And Eureka! I found it. Yes you can pass a car on the left side! It’s really scary and this is actually what we ended up doing. That is after Peter pulled up on their side and stared into their window! LOL This is what you are supposed to do, well maybe not so creepy like, to get their attention. Click HERE to read about this law.
Sighting and Dangers Today
Dogs
Three dogs- two chased us and one big black and super cute Labrador just lumbered along with his tongue hanging out. He looked at us and then continued on his run. Maybe he was out for his morning run too.
Garage Sales
Seven of them today. At 7:30 the traffic was insane. Two were side by side on a very narrow street with cars parked on both sides. People were meandering, opening car doors and not paying attention. The street was so narrow that an SUV barely was able make it in between the cars on both sides.
Car Hazards
One truck that was going 2 miles per hour and then suddenly stopping in front of us.
Accomplishments
We rode 8 miles without a break in between. This was the first time we’ve done this since we have been back in the saddle. YAY! We also did it in 43 minutes. The last mile we ran out of gas and tooled around. Bad us.
Goals
To ride the 8 miles in 40 minutes
To get up to 10 miles without stopping for a break. We just have 2 more miles to go. Typically organized bike rides have their rest stops spaced out between 10 and 15.
The End
I’m so excited that I’ve been able to continue to work out! I can’t wait until we can do the big 10 mile loop. Maybe next weekend! But shhhh…don’t tell my husband.
