Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Back on the Saddle, Reprise

Distance: 13.56 miles
Duration: 52.16 mins
Mx Speed: 24 mph
Av Speed: 15.6 mph
Mx HR: 177 bpm
Av HR: 150 bpm
796 calories burned

With camp and kids and work and flat tires it's been about a month since I've gone any kind of distance on the bike, not that last night's ride was any kind of distance. The bike felt strange, the front end more fidgety than I recall. And I had lost sight of how hard it is to forget about camp and kids and work and flat tires and think about nothing, something I strive for on every ride but rarely achieve.

It was a beautiful night for a spin in Central Park. Perfect weather but on the eve of July 4 many folks, I presume, had split town, so the loop was quiet.

Happy to see new people on the blog, Red and Torn Ligaments. It will be good to see some fresh posts from everyone.

2 comments:

VT Runner said...

Mrs. VT Runner and I got out on the bikes last weekend up in Camden, ME, where we attended a wedding. I hear you on the "fidgety" front end -- I too had to get used to the feel of the bike. It got squirrely on me on a couple of long downhills, and I really had to work to regain my nerve. I found that I was fighting the bike and the speed rather than riding it. Once I loosened up, the ride smoothed out.

Overall, it was beautiful riding and it felt great to be out on the roads. We did a couple of 15 milers along the coast and enjoyed taking it all in.

Steve DiMattia said...

I am told that if the front end starts to vibrate on a long downhill, you can smooth it out by squeezing your knees to the top bar of the frame. The effect has something to do with physics, never my subject.