Category — cycling

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!

Yesterday morning I did what I hope will be my autumnal commuting trip into downtown.  I went down Barbur Blvd and was going to return via the same route, but then Terwilliger beckoned.

Now, I’d ridden Terwilliger in the ‘easy’ direction - to downtown - which is more downhill than up, but not the reverse.  I made a deal with myself: if I feel like I can’t make it all the way, I’ll just coast back down and return on Barbur.  Surprisingly, a bail-out was not necessary!

Now that Terwilliger is tamed, I can use it as part of my regular repertoire of ride routes, which is very satisfying.  Next: Terwilliger from downtown all the way in to Lake Oswego.

Stay tuned!

There was no denying it, Saturday was the perfect day to go for a ride. My quandary was that I also needed to have energy to practice, so an ‘epic’ ride was not in order. So, I decided to tackle a route that has long fascinated and scared me: Terwilliger Blvd. [Read more →]

Ride of Silence - Portland-4.jpg | Originally uploaded by BikePortland.org
click photo to enlarge

Thursday evening a Ride of Silence was held in Portland to remember fallen cyclists from the past year. A worthy endeavor in which I wish I’d been able to take part.

For more coverage and info see bikeportland.org.