Originally Posted by
Machka
Saturday -- Rowan and I did a 48.65 km bicycle ride today, from home. A hilly ride. According to Rowan's newest toy, our route climbed 937 metres. According to the formula: (937/48650)*100 = 1.93 or in other words, for me ... very hilly. I've been handling 1.2 maybe 1.3 rides OK, but this is a bit of a step up from that.
The other thing about this route is that if I were commuting to work, this would be the route I would ride. Riding it today reconfirmed why I take the bus!! Nice to know that I can do it ... but it is challenging and would be time consuming.
The day was overcast and chilly, and we ended up in a couple showers toward the end. One was on quite a steep descent which was a little alarming.
This week, I got a new merino jersey, and I wore that ... very comfortable. Almost tempting to get another.
But I also wore my Ground Effect waterproof-breathable jacket. I had gained a bit of weight over the last couple years, and could no longer zip it up. However, about 2 months ago, I started focusing on weight-loss and as of today, I've lost 10 kg ... and I can wear my Ground Effect jacket again.
Rowan did the ride on his Merlin. First time he has ridden the Merlin in a long time, but he wanted to ride it again ... in memory of
coasting, a Road forum friend who passed away a few days ago.
We did almost the same ride as the one above on Saturday, just a little bit shorter. Again, it was from home and the same route I would use if I were to commute to work by bicycle. However, after arriving at the place I work, this time we took a different route, exploring different things in town. Then we returned the same way as we did last time.
As I recall, last time it took quite a while for me to get up and over the hill into town. This time we clocked it at 1 hour from home to work.
On the one hand, 1 hour is more than I prefer for a bicycle commute ... but on the other hand, my bus commute from door to door takes a minimum of 40 minutes, more frequently about 50 minutes, and occasionally over an hour. So ... I guess 1 hour for a bicycle commute really isn't
too bad.
I am now entertaining the idea of commuting by bicycle on occasion.
Originally Posted by Machka
Saturday -- 43.5 km with 852 metres of climbing ... a strenuous 1.9 ride!! (852/43500 *100).
We cycled from home into the city, up to the Cascade Brewery to have a look, and back home again.
It was a lovely day ... sunny and a high of 17 with lots of spring leaves and blossoms.