Biking in COVID-19 Era

I ride past a few parks every day. They all look the same. The swings are tied up with caution tape and the parks are blocked off.

A single mom and her little boy live in the apartment above me. He’s young, maybe first grade? It’s hard to guess because he’s so spry and hard to catch a glance at him. He runs back and forth all day long and jumps from the furniture. Sometimes he branches out to the elevator and sprints up and down the hallways of all the floors. These are not long hallways; on 2 units deep. One time I watched the mom go outside to put trash in the dumpster. The boy yelled from the balcony, “Mom! Mom! Mom! Look at me!” The mother, clearly embarrassed and worried, hushed him and told him to go inside. More than annoyed (and it is annoying to hear all this thumping!) my heart breaks for this child. Kids can’t go to school and they can’t play outside.

Swift Social Distance Cycling Club

The Seattle event to top all Seattle events; the “Swift Social Distance Ride.” All I had to do was take a ride BY MYSELF and take picture of all the things Swift Industries decided I should take pictures of and they would send me this nifty patch! I just got the patch in the mail today! I was so excited to see it, that I opened it up before letting it sit in the 3-day mail quarantine zone. Don’t worry, I opened the letter with tongs, recycled the paper, and then washed my hands before touching the patch inside. I am so happy with this patch! The question now is, where do I put it?

Project Sunrise: Week 1

I decided to ride my bike to Kerry Park every morning to greet the sunrise. The goal is to bike a slightly different route to Kerry Park every morning and take a photo. I have been riding my bike to work most days for the past 8 years. I have the lucky advantage of living in a north enough latitude and have a long enough commute in each direction that I often get the chance to ride with either the sunrise or sunset and sometimes both. If it weren’t for the grey weather that hides the sunrises and sunsets, I could probably see sky colors most of the days of my commute. I’m working from home now with the “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order that looms over most of the country as we limit contact to combat COVID-19. I don’t have a morning commute any more and the gym is closed. My job is the 24/7 sort, so the working from bit doesn’t feel all that different from normal, but having no access to the gym has been the death of me. This project gave me a destination, a way to get out of bed, and a good climb too. I finally found a repeatable ride that meets 2 of the 3 parts of a good ride: exercise, destination, social time. This activity is about half of what I did while working onsite, so it should be easy to maintain every day. I decided Sundays don’t have to be sunrise rides because there is already a “sun” in the “day” (har har). You can tell easily from the summary photos which days are not sunrises!

Bikes So Coordinated

I’m nothing if not coordinated. It’s been my goal my whole life. Underwear match my bra? Socks match my shirt? Nails match my outfit? Everything must fit. I’ll even go through great lengths to coordinate my hair color, nails, clothes and ID badge all so everything goes. Still, it came as a great surprise do discover the addition of a 3rd bike meant instant perfect matching of water bottles to bikes! I didn’t plan it, but each bike has a perfectly coordinating bottle. It would take someone like me to notice, and appreciate such things!

I Got a New Bike

I joke that it all started with a bike chain. My chain was due for replacement. I got a bike strand for Christmas. I change the chain myself. But it doesn’t sound right. So I go to the bike shop. Turns out I need a new rear cassette. I buy a new rear cassette. WHile putting on the rear cassette the mechanic notices my discs are shot. So I replace my rotors and pads. While buying rotors and pads I talk to the checkout guy about how I want to get a power meter. He looks up options. Turns out the current market of power meters are not backwards compatible enough to go as old as my white bike. I’d have to replace the whole drivetrain to do that. A brand new bike would be cheaper. So, here I am. I start out with a chain and end up with a 2020 Specialized Roubaix Sport!

This is notably the most spontaneous thing I’ve ever done. I don’t spend money easily. Buying a vanerhome felt spontaneous. It was spontaneous in that I decided which one overnight. But I’d been thinking about buy a vanerhome for 15 years before I took the plunge. This bike? It was literally all of a week from the time I installed the chain to having the new bike. I woke up Saturday morning. I decided that moment to drive down to Portland. I went to River CIty Bicycles, the shop where I bought my first Roubaix back in 2004. I took this Roubaix out on the same roads. I meanered all around the industrial areas of close-in SE. I took it on the bumpy wooden slats of the Eastbank Esplanade. It was glorious and freeing and fun. What a way to start 2020!

I feel like a mom with a new baby. I want to share all the pictures of my beautiful new baby. My baby bike!

Bragging a Little Bit

My Garmin told me my VO2 Max is in the top 10% for my age and gender. Take that heart disease! No one can blame me for my ailments, no one! My will is stronger than my body.

Haleakala Goals

Trainer Road’s “Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast” answered the question I submitted about climbing Haleakula in Maui. Every year I visit Maui in March with family. Every year I sit in a van while we explore the island and I look longingly out the window at all the cyclists riding on the side of the road. I see cyclists climbing the mountain and I am in so much envy. One time we stopped at a rest area and I chatted a bit with a woman taking a rest. It wasn’t her first time taking the climb and she seemed to enjoy every moment; its reward and struggle. After we chatted a bit I found out she was from Seattle and lived not far from me.

My question starts at 1:42:04. They took a direction I didn’t expect. They started talking about “The Growth Mindset”. They pulled that I had a fixed mindset from the way I phrased my question. This is an uncanny direction to take. Just weeks ago my employer held a forum on the Growth Mindset and asked me to present as part of a penel. Each person talked about their fixed mindset past and the struggle trying to take a growth approach. A bit part of my personality is my drive to experiment. I am constantly trying to learn about the world around me and thrive with novelty. And barely weeks away, the group of strangers pull my fixed mindset out from just a few sentences of writing. In crafting my question I thought about how I would sound. I didn’t want to come across too boastful because I am not a racer. I phrased it with the goal of coming off humble, not fixed. But where did my need for humility come from? How fixed is my mindset really? I grew up in the Western culture that declares “you can do anything if you just put your mind to it”. At the same time, I am filled with worry and fear every time I ride. I still ride, and I guess that’s what makes me different from others. Needless to say, I don’t love the Growth Mindset approach. I can see how it’s what my employer needs, but it doesn’t touch me personally. That being said, I am now more driven than ever to take on the next challenge. Prove them wrong. I lived many years filled with insecurity, but that isn’t me now and hasn’t been for a long time. Check back soon to find out what my next big challenge will be.

2019 by the Numbers

I struggled physically all year in 2019. I felt tired nearly every workout and struggled to finish what felt easy before. I felt zesty and invigorated only a handful of days. I felt like I spent weeks and weeks feeling too fatigued to move. As you can see from the weekly bar chart, my activity trended up and down all year long, like a wave. It’s like I spent a few weeks working really hard, only to find I never got to the reward of feeling better. Then I’d rest. The cycle repeated over and over. The chart matches my memory. in 2019 I spent many weeks feeling like I was “peaking”, like I reached my personal best. The weekly bar chart matches that memory. You can see a gradual build until a few weeks of peak performance in the summer, after which I rested. The weird thing is I feel like I didn’t do as much activity in 2019 as I had in many years. However, my activity was quite higher than 2017. I did have some technical difficulties with my hardware in 2017, so I had more untracked workouts that year than the others, but I don’t think I missed so many as to make the difference shown. Why did 2019 feel so bad? It is aging? Is it because 2018 was so fantastic? Is it a glitch in life, perception, or my hardware? Who knows?

While I can’t help but be full of intentions and expectations for my physical self in 2020, I want to also take time to congratulate myself and recognize that I am still doing well even if it doesn’t feel that way.

Registered for Bike MS Colorado 2020

It’s happening! Heather and I are officially registered for a reunion tour up and down the state of Colorado. I miss riding with her and in Colorado and am completely looking forward to this one! We’ve done many rides together, motivated each other, turned into cyclists together, lost weight together, got healthy together. A reunion is long overdue.

Our last Colorado Bike MS together;

Bike MS 2009

Our first Colorado Bike MS together; 2003

Cars in Bike Lanes edition 34

This video sort of speaks for itself. Cars regularly make u-turns in front of me. They swoop in and out, presumably without even noticing that I am there, crunching on my brake handles. I find it a little uncanny; rarely do I see cars making u turns in the distance. It seems they only do so right in front o me. Anyway, I’m sure that’s an awareness bias. This car dumbfounded me though. I assumed it was pulling into the driveway. It didn’t and it had tons of space in front of it. Why it was trying to back up (wher I was waiting for it), was beyond me.

Ride Time Capsule: Lady Wooleaters Ride Orcas Island

The Tuesday Ride Time Capsule captures images, thoughts, and notes about rides that happened some time ago that haven't been posted on SheRidesToday before. Here's to saving treasured memories!

This trip dates back to May 13-17, 2017.

The barn come entertainment area and Lady Wooleater’s dorm

Cute details throughout

There’s even a teepee you can stay in

Covered bike storage!

Beautiful back entrance

Our dorm

Watch out!

hot tub and sitting area

fireside chat at night

Is This Bike My Size?

Just curious…

Found in White Pass, Washington.

Bike Thing Thursday: Desk Cycle Desk Pedalling Device

Desk Cycle 2 gets a 5-Bike rating from me; the best it can be!

My neurologist recommended I use an under-desk pedalling device at work. I tend to fall asleep when bored. Not that I’m bored at work, but perhaps it’s more that I fall asleep when I’m in the same position for a while. Falling asleep is a risk when I am reading, sitting at a computer, driving; sedentary tasks. He’s found that getting an aerobic burst, increasing the heart rate, is the best way to keep one alert without drugs. I admit that a medication solution sounds so easy it’s compelling, but there are no stimulants out there that don’t come with downfalls.

I spent some time reviewing different types of devices. Several rehab style pedallers exist for around $30. However, they come with the disclaimer that they are so slow, rehabilitative motion. I have to get my heart rate up, which requires fast movement. I’m also a cyclist. I felt like that justified extra perks like resistance settings and a tracking computer.

My neurologist cautioned that it takes a while to get a rhythm going, where you can pedal quickly and be steady enough to not be distracted by it. I sought to find one that advertised smooth rotations.

I found the Desk Cycle, which boasted the quietest operation and lowest profile. I quickly learned the biggest issues with pedalling devices are knees hitting the bottom of the desk. This model said it had the lowest profile of all, and adjustable setting to make it compatible with different desk and body sizes.

The first day I used the device didn’t go so well. Nothing cooperated. My knees hit the desk. My chair arms hit the desk. My hand weren’t at the right spot for the keyboard. My chair kept rolling away. My feet didn’t feel right. I had to perfect 10 different points just to be able pedal. The second I turned my head to address someone at the door I had to reset everything all over again.

The second day I switched to a non-rolling chair as shown in the photo below. That solved everything. I now use the device every moment I am sitting in my chair at my computer! I haven’t fallen asleep or risked falling asleep a single day since I started using it.

NOTE: I am a consumer; just your every day bike enthusiast. I am not a reviewer, and I don’t make any money off of this website in any way.

Fall time riding

The leaves are nearly all fallen. The color was amazing this year, each leaf’s hue deeper and more vibrant than years’ past. I took a brisk, crisp ride out with Cascade Bicycle Club. This series is called the SNOCO; one that takes place in the fall around Snohomish county. I enjoyed the group quite a bit last year. I forgot how much. This group include a larger percentage of women that usual, many who are in the vicinity of my age. There’s even one who rides with the same socks I do. Pretty good time!

Relive 'CBC SNOCO: Brisk, Crisp ride from Lynnwood'

Relax

This article from Bicycling.com discussed special relaxation techniques for cyclists. I’m happy to say I practice all of them! I must be SO relaxed!

On the flipside, I freaked out a little when I first saw the picture below. I read it as a recommendation; in that we should strive to do all these things. That’s impossible! What a great way to bring yourself down by trying to bring yourself up! Then someone pointed out to me that these are merely types of self-care out there. We are free to do or not do as many as necessary. Whew. OK, I can relax again.

Found from somewhere on the internet, I can’t remember where!

Seattle Cyclist’s Solution for Being Seen

Bike commuting on dark and rainy morning, a car driver pulls over to tell me I'm doing it right! :D

“Fantastic Lights!” is the best compliment a driver can give a bike commuter. Someone gave me this very compliment the other day and I can’t be more proud. It took the research and efforts of myself and several others who care about my safety to come up with the perfect setup. It was no easy feat. But exactly what is my setup? Why did I pick them? A lot of people have been asking.

There are 8 elements to being seen in 3 different categories to make my total of 24 visibility features:

My jacket is SOOOO reflective

• Visibility from the front, rear, and both sides

  • I have lights, reflective features and colors exposed on all sides. This helps cars passing on my left, cars turning on the road from my right, oncoming cars that suddenly decide to make a u-turn (this happens more than you would think!), and cars coming up from behind have a better chance of seeing me.

• Reflectivity, lights, and bright colors

  • Reflective features pop when lights shine on them. They punch through rain and fog and are the simplest and brightest. Reflective features are great in that they are never too bright, but they only work when the person looking has a light. Since so many Seattle drivers drive without their lights on, night and day, these are insufficient. They also don’t do anything to help pedestrians see you. I have a fully reflective jacket, reflective features on my shoes, pant legs, gloves, and panniers.

  • Lights are visible night and day. I have a total of 72 LEDs on my bike. Lights can be so bright they are blinding, especially to pedestrians. They can also be positioned poorly so as to shine in someone’s face. I angle my lights to cast a shadow only about 4-6 feet to be sure I don’t blind anybody. My lights are all different levels of brightness. I can go from 50 lumens to 1000 lumens. I try to keep each light around 500 lumens but have several of them. 700 lumens is pretty bright when focused, so I only do this when needed, or if I need them to help see. Some of my lights are focused, and some are broad. I have all sorts of colors, too.

  • Seattle is particularly grey most of the year. It may be board daylight, but the outdoor color is dim and muted. Most active clothing, especially women’s active clothing, is black. Clothing manufacturers deal with this by adding reflective features, but again, they don’t do any good if headlights aren’t shining. Black clothing disappears into the background and is hard to see. I do what I can to be as colorful as possible. This helps offset the grey of Seattle.

• Static and dynamic features

  • I have steady lights and flashing lights. I avoid the flashing strobe when it’s dark because that can be quite disorienting. However, I have many lights that flash at various speeds and patterns. The movement pops when a driver looks. We are trained to identify fast moving things, like other cars, while we’re driving. If you glance at the road quickly, a bike moving 10 mph might look like it’s not moving at all. Flashing also penetrates longer distances, so you can be seen from farther away. I also have reflective features that are static, like my panniers and jacket. They add to my overall brightness. But I have reflective moving features, like my feet and hands, that add to the flashing lights. All this movement makes me easier to spot.

  My Setup

  But what exactly do I have, you ask? Here are my most asked about accessories, all listed out. I add links to the products where I could. Note that I’m just a commuter in Seattle trying to stay alive. I’m not selling anything, I don’t get any perks if you buy what I have, and I am not particularly recommending that you buy what I have. I just love my setup, and want to share it because so many people ask.

• Proviz Reflect 360 CRS Plus Jacket on me. This is the new jacket. Super fun! I haven’t been this excited about clothing in a while. It’s waterproof, warm, full of pockets, and bright as can be.

• Monkey Light on my front wheel. This is a series of LEDs that flash in a pattern. I have over 70 pre-set patterns to choose from. I feature a different pattern for each season and holiday, but my all-time favorite is dead fish (of course!). This has generated more conversation and has consistently been more fun than any other bike accessory ever! (Thanks Louise!)

• Cycliq Fly 12CE and Fly 6CE on my handlebar and rear rack. These lights are designed specifically as headlights and tail lights and include video cameras that were used to make the videos highlighted here. These have been the glitchiest and most unreliable, but also most complex and high-tech of bike gadgets.

• Cygolight Hotshot on my seat post. Just a simple, long-lasting tail light. This is the gold standard. You are bike a bike commuter if you don’t have a light like this! The battery lasts forever! (Thanks to…shoot, I can’t remember if it was Bryan or Louise! These two keep me safe!)

• Niterider Lumina on my handlebar. This is a solid headlight light that gives me exactly what I need. I’ve gone through 2 of these lights over the my many years commuting.The company’s customer service has been top notch. I could (and did) get by with just this light and a tail light all winter long (Thanks Bryan!)

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SheRides' Most Visited Post

I looked into SheRidesTodays’ analytics the other day and found something interesting. For the longest time, my most-searched topic was my West Maui Loop biking video. I feel bad about that one, because it’s such a poorly made video! But now, a new search takes the cake, “cycling enthusiast”. The word “enthusiast” specifically, was a word in over 70% of the searches that led to my site. I feel bad about this one, too. The post is nothing but me comparing myself to terms posted by another site. I hope that my page gave them a lot of traffic, as I had nothing to do with it, really. Apologies to my readers, I’m going to try to get some better content!

The gif(t) of Bike MS

Team F5

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source video credit: Zach @ F5

I had so much fun riding with team F5. Because f5 was the biggest fundraiser in 2018, our team had the honor of starting the ride. Here we are, the first team to cross the start line. All the cheering made it so much more fun.