Category — cycling

Well, my cycling adventures continue.  I was out on a ride this morning ( a beautiful fall day for riding!) with my neighbor Jon and we were coming back up Upper Boones Ferry Road on our way to Hall Blvd.  I was riding in front, and I noticed a brown Ford pickup coming our way - in our lane!  He was not going super fast, more like 20-25 mph, but he was drifting more to the right as he came, and was about to get into the bike lane.  We were considering jumping on to the sidewalk when he drifted a bit back towards the center.  We kept looking back, and he was still in the wrong lane going the wrong way.  Just as we were about to go around the corner, we heard a crash and turned back to see if everyone was ok.  The errant driver was nowhere to be found, but we stayed until the police came to file a report on what we’d seen and heard.

The strange thing about it was that it took so long for my brain to understand that there was a vehicle where there should not be, and that I was in danger.  It definitely helped me to understand why wrong-way drivers are so dangerous, especially on the highways at night.  You just don’t have the time to react with a closing speed of over 100 mph.

Anyway, all ended well, and despite the scare it was a great ride with lots of fall colors starting to really pop with our recent colder nights.

Mark Growden plays the handlebars from Doctor Popular on Vimeo.

Well, I achieved today what must be one of the final prerequisites of being a cyclist rather than merely a bike rider.  I wiped out - big time - and have a nice case of road rash to prove it.

I was riding over the Sellwood Bridge this afternoon, but on the roadway instead of the pedestrian walkway as I usually choose to do.  Why?  Well, it was Columbus Day and traffic was low, I was going towards downtown instead of away (it was around 4 p.m.), and I hate the walkway because I usually have to stop several times to let walkers and other cyclists pass in the opposite direction.

So, I’m on the roadway, and I’ve made it 90% of the way across, and then I’m not sure if there is a ramp up on to the sidewalk to get me to the bikeway that parallels Macadam Ave.  I see it at the very last minute, and am going around 20 mph.  Did I mention that I replaced my very worn brake pads the day before?  Well, I slam on both the front and rear brakes, and the rear wheel locks up and starts to head in a clockwise direction.  I turn into the skid, but then my front brake catches, and I do a modified endo with a half twist - I hit the pavement with my left knee, followed by the left handlebar and then my left shoulder.  I’m stunned for a moment, then get up as fast as I can, because I’m in the traffic lane and there’s a school bus behind me.  The driver allowed plenty of room (thank goodness!) and I wave that I’m ok and get onto the sidewalk.  My knee is bleeding pretty profusely, and other than that I’m still in a bit of shock, but basically ok.

I take a physical inventory and decide that everything is connected that should be and nothing is broken (except my skin).  I straighten out my handlebars and seat and go on my way.

About 10 minutes later, I hit a huge galvanized nail in the South Waterfront district and actually have a spare tube and CO2 inflator to make the repair.  I finish my ride home, clean my wounds, and get ready to play our pops concert in Salem.  What a day!

Atop Council Crest | Originally uploaded by nobleviola
click photo to enlarge

This morning I was without a car, and decided that a ride was in order. The question was where. I had done all the usual routes over and over, and didn’t want to do the same old thing again. So, after looking at the BTA cycling routes map, I decided to go up to Council Crest. It’s the highest point inside the city limits of Portland at 1073 ft (327 m). It was a tough ride up for me, since I’m still hauling a lot of weight (but less than before) on the bike. It did feel good to get to the top, and also do some classic loops on Fairmount and Hewitt/Humprey roads.

I’m just about one ride of 22 miles away to reach the 1000 mile mark for my riding in 2008.  My hope is that in 2009 I will double that to 2000 miles.  And my butt doesn’t hurt too bad, either!

What do Jeffrey Work, Kirill Gerstein, Thomas Lauderdale, cycling to Mt. Bachelor, and 100 degree heat have in common?

The 2008 Sunriver Music Festival, of course!

Next week I’ll write a full recap of this year’s festival goings-on.  Stay tuned!

I was reading a great collection of diary entries and columns by the great Bob “Bobke” Roll, who had a career racing both road bikes and mountain bikes in the 80’s to the early 90’s.  He was also a training partner for a young upstart Lance Armstrong as he made his comeback from cancer.

As I read these various stories of pain, misery, disappointment, triumph, strangeness and fun, it struck a chord with me in my struggles with my meager rides, and also with my years of struggling with the viola, and other aspects of being a student of the arts. [Read more →]

Well, yesterday, returning from a ride down Barbur and out on the Springwater Corridor to the Sellwood Bridge and back, I was faced with a quandry:  low-angle return, or high-angle return.  Normally, I’d ride back over the Hawthorne Bridge, get over to Broadway, and ride back up Barbur for a steady, but low-gradient rise out of the city.  Instead, I chose to tackle one of my scariest challenges: Corbett Avenue.  I hope to add a photo of this fearsome hill tomorrow, but for today, here’s a look at the hill via my gps software (the excellent Ascent program for the Mac): [Read more →]

Today was a red letter day for me in my nascent cycling career - I hit the 122 mile mark for the week starting last Monday (the 21st).  It’s great - my average speed is slowly climbing (to around 13 mph) and now a 30 mile day feels like a 10 mile day felt back in April or May.  My next goal?  I’m hoping to ride from Sunriver up to Mt. Bachelor and back on the orchestra’s day off.  I’ll keep you posted.

Had a nice ride this afternoon of one of my favorite loops, which brings me from Garden Home out to Lake Oswego via Tryon Creek Park, then through downtown Lake O, Lake Grove, and over in to Tigard and back to Garden Home.  A nice, rolling 21 miles on a perfect day for cycling!