Cycling Coast to Coast

I’ve ridden about 100 miles so far this week, which is more that I rode the entire month before. It’s so much fun, and after the clinic yesterday, I’m feeling a lot more confident and comfortable on my bike. I’m also sporting the beginnings of a cycling tan, with distinct tan lines on my upper arms, lower thighs, and from my sunglasses. I also got rather sunburned yesterday, after spending 6.5 hours on the bike without sunscreen (oops).On Friday, Kyle, Jorge and I biked out to Wells Ave and back, about 22 miles round trip, including getting lost. Wells Ave is a looped road in Newton, MA — a suburban office park with lots of parking lots and open space. The Boston Road Club uses it as a training race course, and that’s where Sunday’s on-the-bike portion of the clinic was held. Having never ridden there before, I wanted to make sure I knew how to get there before Sunday, so that’s where we went on our Friday afternoon ride.

Saturday morning I decided to sleep in some, and skipped the MIT Cycling Club group ride. Devon, Jess and I biked to Belmont Wheelworks and back for the first half of Nicole Freedman’s clinic. The clinic ran a bit late, and we also spent some time looking around Wheelworks. The MTB shoes I’ve been using so far I bought for $10 at a bike swap last fall. They’ve been perfectly comfortable on the bike, but as soon as I get off and start walking round, my right foot feels really pinched and painful. I asked about this at Wheelworks, and they thought that it could be due to poor cleat placement, or that the shoe was too narrow for me. They measured my feet, and turns out the pair I was using was way too small for me, so now I have a new pair of MTB shoes that are very comfortable.

With the clinic running late and our additional shopping, we made it back to MIT campus a little past 7, and so were late for the Bike & Build dinner. Dani, Kristi, and Jose were all in town this weekend, so a bunch of us got together for dinner.

Sunday, Devon and I met up with Becca, a 2 time Bike & Build alum, and we biked out to Wells Ave for the 2nd half of Nicole’s clinic. I’ll go into it in more detail in the later post, but suffice it to say, the clinic was awesome. It was 20 miles to get to Wells Ave and back, and then we spent about another 10 miles on the bike during the day for the clinic. By the time we got back to campus, Devon and I were really tired, and really hungry. We went to Fire + Ice for dinner, an all-you-can-eat Mongolian BBQ-style restaurant, and for the first time, I think I really ate my money’s worth. Just a preview of what’s to come this summer, I guess.

Today, I admit my crotch is a little sore from all that riding. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m still not used to putting in many miles on the bike, saddle position, saddle fit, or what. I’m sure I’ll figure out the right set-up for me though before we leave this summer.

Jane, Devon and I are going to go on a shorter ride this afternoon, probably on the Minuteman, and we’ll decide later if we’re still up for a Walden Pond ride tomorrow.