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.

Last week I was really hosed with work, and this past weekend was CPW. I had hoped to go for a ride yesterday, but I was just too tired. When I got home from class today, there was an email from Sophie, one of the trip leaders, urging us to “JUST DO IT” and “JUMP ON YOUR BIKE RIGHT NOW”. Even without Sophie’s prompting, I had been itching to go for a ride today, so I did.

I rode from MIT to Belmont Wheelworks, which is supposed to be one of the best bike shops in the Boston area. 12.95 miles, but I got a bit lost on the way. On the way there, there was one medium-ish sized hill. Getting up it wasn’t very fun, and I realize I need to practice climbing a lot more. This hill was nothing compared to the mountains we’ll be crossing this summer. Going fast downhill was awesome though, and I clocked in at a top speed of 28.3mph.

The whole point of going to Wheelworks, however, was that I wanted to get a new saddle. Saddle choice is a very personal thing, and the only way to pick the right saddle for you is to get one, and ride on it a whole lot. The Terry Butterfly, however, seems to be a very popular choice amongst women, so I went with it. I’m too lazy to pull out my camera to grab a picture, so the stock picture from the website is below. Aesthetically, it’s not as sleek looking as the Specialized Alias saddle that came with my bike. Who cares about aesthetics though, when it comes to the comfort of your butt? Wheelworks has a 2 week saddle exchange policy, so I can ride the Butterfly for two weeks, and if I don’t like it, exchange it for any other saddle they have, until I find one I like.

Happy new year!

I’ve been home in California for winter break, and it’s been pretty relaxing. The donations have kept coming in (thanks so much to everyone!), and I’ve also done some shopping for bike gear. Performance Bikes has a retail store in San Francisco, so I picked up my first pair of spandex cycling shorts, a wind shell, and arm & leg warmers.

Last week, I volunteered with Habitat for Humanity SF, who is building 12 single-family homes in the Outer Mission neighborhood. They’ve already finished a few houses, and the first family moved in just before the holidays. It was really inspiring to see what’s possible with volunteer labor. They’ve started laying down the foundations for two new houses, but because it started raining, most of the work we did was indoors in one of the houses nearing completion. I spent the day getting my hands dirty painting all the windowsills and door frames in the house.

MIT’s cycling club hosted a bike gear swap today. I went with Devon to check it out, and have returned victorious.

For $21, I snagged a brand new pair of MTB shoes, a pair of cycling gloves, and 2 jerseys.