Whispers from Beyond the Death of the iOS Blogger App

Hello, friends!

A lot has happened since my last post in October 2015. A quick timeline:

• June 2016: Twins turned one!
• August 2016: Learned we were expecting one more!
• April 2017: Baby Bee arrived!
• June 2017: My office moved from 7 miles away from home to 1.5 miles away!
• Summer/early Fall 2017: Hotter and more humid than a dog's mouth.
• Mid-Fall 2017: PERFECT biking weather. 

I was able to sneak in a couple of rides to and from work before it was getting dark before I could get home. I found my helmet (need a new one!) lights, and get them charged, but I'm not feeling very organized about it just yet and plan to start fresh in the spring when the days are a bit longer and the temps a bit more favorable. 

The twins are now two-and-a-half, and the baby is almost 9 months old. We were gifted my brother-in-law's bike trailer (yay!) this summer, so when it warms a bit, I'd also like to take the Tinies (the twins) on our local bike trail (Grant's Trail, from Kirkwood to Mehlville). My BIL also provided us with two helmets appropriate for young children, so we're all set.

I have also been able to walk to and from work a couple of times but that also requires organization and a bit more time over my schedule than I've managed with a nursing baby. But she'll have broader food options in a few more months and with my 40th birthday(!) coming up later this year, I plan to reinstate a lot of things that have been pushed aside for high-risk pregnancy or to care for three very young people in the past 3.5 years. (How? So fast. So long. So everything.)

Goals for my 40s:

• Ride/walk to work as often as possible
• Start running again
• Streamline my wardrobe and possessions
• Capsule wardrobes 

I hope to start posting more regularly here again - I'll aim for once a week.
It's good to be back. ❤🚲

The 2014 Moonlight Ramble

Before I review the ride, a note:
Three weeks ago today, I participated in the Moonlight Ramble, St. Louis' annual midnight bicycle ride through the City streets. Three weeks ago, Michael Brown, an 18-year-old unarmed teen, was shot and killed by Officer Darren Wilson in the City of Ferguson, Missouri, just a couple of miles West of the city in the heart of inner-ring St. Louis County. The past three weeks have seen the heart and soul of this community rent wide as we face questions and issues that have been deeply buried for a very long time. I have been simply unable to post here about the event because of the magnitude of pain and uncertainty in our metropolitan area - pain and uncertainty that has touched people nation- and even world-wide. Stability is returning to the community, but we have a long road ahead of us yet, and a great need for healing and change. In light of the stabilization, I am now comfortable posting my review of the ride, but I want to name what happened the same day as the ride, and in the days and weeks that have followed, and which will likely be part of our story for a very, very long time.

*          *          *          *          * 

First and foremost, this event was huge! If there were around 1,500 riders at the World Naked Bike Ride-St. Louis, there were easily three times as many at the 51st annual MR. 

The MR is a charity event that takes place at midnight around the full moon in August. The cost is $25 and nets you a participation number, tee shirt, and benefits Hostelling International. You can choose routes of varying lengths; our group choose the 19-mile route. You can read more about it here and here.

In our group, we had Jim, Mary, Monica, me, and Mike (below, L to R). We met up at Monica's home, about 5 miles from the race start, where we decorated our bicycles before heading to the race start (below). We then took off. The first couple of miles were so closely-packed that we went pretty slowly, but things spread out a bit as we progressed over the course. We rode through downtown, and into South City, through neighborhoods and Carondelet Park, and back through Soulard. Afterward, we rode to Uncle Bill's Pancake House, where we refueled while the sun started to peek above the horizon.

Honestly? This ride was on the short list of my favorite things I've ever done and I really hope to ride again next year and in future years. It was long, but I wasn't tired while riding - it was simply too exciting. That said, it took me about 36 hours to fully recover from it - I was exhausted both Sunday and Monday.

Here are some photos taken by my friends:

Also: You can read Mike's review of the ride here! 

Fiets-losophy: Thoughts on Guilt, Social Media, and the Bicycle Rider

You're doing it wrong.

You're not doing it enough.

You're not a real cyclist.

I came back to bicycling slowly. Awareness of bicycles as a means to stay fit crept into my consciousness back in 2007, before I married The Hubster, when I needed a way to cross-train on days I wasn't running. I dragged the Trek to St. Louis from my hometown in Kansas, aired up the tires, and took the bike out. I was shocked at how easy and difficult it was all at the same time. The fat tires and aggressive riding position felt awful and slow. Also, I hated wearing a helmet, and I thought I had to wear padded bike shorts to ride, which made me not want to ride. So after the wedding, I stopped, and I didn't touch a bicycle again for years.

Then, starting somewhere in 2012, bicycles started to creep back into my consciousness. I started to see them referenced on some of my favorite blogs. Most of the writers had bikes that looked different from the "grown-up" bike options I was familiar with - e.g., mountain bicycles, "mountain-bike-lite" hybrids, serious road bikes, or ten speeds. I was seeing "upright", "city", or "Dutch-style" bicycles, though I knew little more than that I thought they were very chic and lovely.

In the spring of 2013, however, I was smitten -- and had been bitten by the bug. I started reading bike blogs voraciously, and following cyclists on Twitter. I quickly decided that I wanted to buy myself an upright bicycle, and keep my mountain bike, too. The bike blogs were amazing inspiration. There were people all over the place who were completely in love with bicycling and riding 3, 6, 10, 25 miles to work...every day. In all sorts of weather. And they looked healthy and happy. 

I used the stories from the blogs and the comments to inform the purchase of my own upright bicycle in very late May - a Linus Dutchi 3-speed in black. I immediately purchased lights, and outfitted it with front and rear baskets.  I rode it my own 13 miles round-trip to work, 4 miles round-trip to church, and 15-22 miles round-trip to/on my local multi-use trail. I loaded it into the back of my car and drove to other trails in the area (St. Louis is rich for these). I got the mountain bike back out and rode it around a little. I packed it and took it with me to KC to ride trails with my brother when I picked up my Mother's nearly 40-year old 10-speed to fix up and ride. And here's what I've discovered, so far:

• I do love riding bicycles! 
• Having the right bicycle for the type of riding you are doing can be really important - - I get bicycle stables. (I'm pretty pleased with my three bikes.) 
• An upright bicycle is heavy. An upright bicycle with three baskets is even heavier, and will punch you in the throat with a handlebar when you're trying to shove it into the back of a vehicle. That hurts.
• I really hate wearing a helmet. Still, I will wear a helmet mostly to keep people from telling me to wear a helmet, which I find more unpleasant than actually wearing the thing.
• I love the fabulous bike trails in the St. Louis area - especially Grant's Trail and Creve Coeur Lake.
• It's amazing how quiet the world is when you're biking through a neighborhood without cars or pedestrians. 
• Animals don't immediately run away from a bicycle like they do from cars and pedestrians. (I think this speaks volumes for bicycles.)
• I cannot ride to/from work or church without sweating profusely if it's over 85 degrees, and I do not like to sport a red face and drip sweat for half hour after I arrive somewhere. I can ride slowly, but hills are hills are hills, friends.
• I think anything between 40°F and 75°F is just about perfect for any outdoor activity, save, perhaps, swimming. I'll grant an extra 10°F in either direction without complaining. This pretty much gives me the bulk of March to June and September to November to ride, and a few odd days in the remaining five months. Otherwise, I'd just as soon hide inside or be somewhere with better weather.
• I don't much care for riding at night/after dark. I will, however, ride after dark for a short trip within St. Louis neighborhoods where I can avoid busy streets. This pretty much knocks out work commuting in November and the first third of March. 
• I am not interested in riding in snow or ice... or lightning.
• I am looking forward to trying my work commute on the ten-speed, because with the upright bicycle's heavy weight and three gears, some of the hills on my commute are brutal. Brutal. (Even if someone else wouldn't mind them, I still find them steep.)
• If the ten speed (which is about 5-7 pounds lighter than the upright bike, with all her baskets) is significantly more pleasant to ride to/from work, I will have to decide whether to make the ten speed my work commute bike (with a rear rack and fenders, it's just about ready to go), or upgrade the hub and shifters on the upright bicycle to an 8-speed Shimano (versus the 3-speed Shimano). This bullet is THE. BIKE. DECISION. of 2014.
• My mountain bike's exact role is unknown right now. I am not pleased with the fit (feels really small and crowded), the handlebars, or the grips, and need fenders and a way to carry things. I just can't decide yet which direction I want to go. Smooth tires and commute-y, with a full rack? Or keep the knobby tires and just add fenders and a small rear rack (like on the Motobecane), and *slightly* swept-back, wider bars? I'm leaning toward the latter, because then I think the mountain bike would be just about perfect for a trip down the Katy Trail. 
• I'm a designated bike-lane sort of girl -- which I'm gathering quickly is very controversial. I don't like taking the lane, and I don't like riding with cars (though I will in order to ride as safely and predictably as I can). I don't want to be on the sidewalk, either. If it were up to me, there would be a network of Grant's-Trail-type multi-use paths connecting all of St. Louis City and County, with designated bike lanes on most roads (and protected lanes on arterial roads). That would make me happy. Also, I'd like to ditch the helmet in that circumstance, if I'm totally honest.
• I need a bike rack. But not on my roof or on my car all the time.

As you will have noticed, at least so far, I have a fair amount of things (excuses, even) that keep me from riding. It's cold and dark right now, and we got snow Wednesday night and the metro area is bracing for another 8" this weekend. I've pretty much accepted that, other than to get to and from church on a reasonably mild and clear-road day, or the odd unseasonably-warm-day-on-a-weekend, I'm probably not going to do a lot of riding until the return of Daylight Savings Time. I'm completely open to the fact that, with just a few weather-ideal days in June, September, and October, I've really only begun to rediscover bicycling, and I may feel very differently after another year. I know I'm excited to welcome the return of Daylight Savings Time and spring come March, and to see what that brings. I'm purchasing my bike rack today - it will hold two bicycles and fold away in the back of my car when I don't need it, which will mean I can take any bike any place, and bring a second bike for the hubby or a friend. This will be fantastic.

Right now, though? My bicycles are ornaments. The upright bicycle is simply too heavy and unwieldy (see, e.g., throat punch) to lug to and from my basement, but I've moved the lightweight mountain bike back downstairs. The red ten-speed is keeping the (surprisingly, still up-and-decorated) Christmas tree company, and will probably stay in the living room for easy-access should a lovely weekend day present itself.

And I feel guilty, and sad, and like an impostor. The blog posts by the most dedicated of bicyclists have lately become somewhat of a burden instead of a blessing and inspiration to me. Twitter offers a constant reminder of all the people out there riding in the worst weather and on the shortest days. I read about people bicycling in parts of Canada with 6" of snow on the ground 6 months out of the year (and even fewer long-light days during those six months), or in Boston or Chicago (with aggressive drivers and snow-covered bike lanes), or in busy, car-crazy Los Angeles, where every few days, it seems someone is hit while riding by a distracted or drunk driver. And its a little overwhelming. Because I'm new, and maybe I'm not doing this right and missing something. Maybe I'm not riding enough, and therefore, not a real cyclist. 

Except that I am. And so are you, if you ride at all, and if you want to be. 

I am a huge proponent of the idea that a little bit of good swapped for something bad is a whole lot better than nothing at all. So I smother my kale and quinoa in butter and salt (I sure do): I'm still getting more - and more real - nutrients from that meal which are far better than anything I'd find at a drive-thru window, which is probably what I'd be eating instead (if I'm honest). 

Likewise, I probably rode my bike to work or church over about two dozen trips between the last couple days of May and the very end of October. I also did another half-dozen "just for fun" rides around my neighborhood or on my favorite trails. I may have stayed home, or I may have spent that time running errands or shopping in my car, and I know I would have otherwise used my car for the work and church trips. That's 36 trips of between four and 20 miles that weren't made by car. Let's say I did 12 trips of 13 miles each, 12 trips of 4 miles each, 2 five-mile fun rides, 2 10-mile fun rides, and 2 20-mile fun rides. 

That suddenly sounds like a fair amount of riding, when I've felt so focused instead on the time I wasn't on the bicycle, and which isn't fair. And, are you ready for this? Those rides encompass two hundred and seventy-four miles that weren't spent in a car, and didn't use gas, or spew ickypoonasty stuff into the air. 

At $4/gal and 27 mpg average, that's ten gallons of gas I haven't had to purchase since May. Only $40, but, according to this site, you emit 271 g of greenhouse gas per km driven, versus 21 g/km on the bike (taking into account your own fuel, and what it took to produce all of the things to get you moving in either instance). Converting mi to km, 274 mi is 441 km. 441 km driven produces 119,511 g (about 264 POUNDS) of CO2 emissions. Biking the same distance? 9,261 g, or just over 20 pounds of CO2. 

And that feels like something. And it is something.

In another metric, at 35 calories per mile (I'm small, and slow), I've burned nearly 10,000 calories on my collective rides. I'm still the same size and shape, but I like to think that I've made room for that extra slice of pizza or extra cream in my coffee without my belt getting tighter. Seriously: let's do some math. I bike an average of, say, 8mph, taking into account slower commutes and faster bike trails. I've spent about 34.25 hours on my bicycle as a result. That's approximately 280 calories burned per hour, versus about 60/hour if I'm totally sedentary. Even assuming a fairly active alternative (100/hr) -- which driving is not -- I've burned 180 cal/hr more on the bicycle over 34.25 hours, which is 6,165 calories I'm not carrying around as excess, or almost 2 pounds. (Considering the average American adult gains a pound per year as they age, and my average weight this year is -- perhaps not incidentally -- two pounds lighter, this is certainly something.) I've strengthened my heart and lungs in the process. I have said of running: once you've done it, no one can take it away from you. Bicycling is the same. 

Yes, more could be better -- better for the cost-per-use of the bicycle; better for the earth; better for my waistline and heart and lungs. But something is still something. And I want to go into 2014 focusing on that, and feeling proud about what I have done in just half of 2013, and what I may do in 2014 - and even if it's about the same, or a little more, or a little less, that's all good enough.

Cheers, Happy New Year, and happy riding! 

(Whenever - and however - you ride.)

Sartorial Cycling: Dressing for Transitional Temps

Happy Friday night, Fiets-Friends!

Today, let's talk about layering for riding. On Sunday, I decided to ride Fleur to church, which is about two miles each way from my home. It was in the low-40s when I left, but was supposed to be near 60 for my ride home. HEY, those temps require different outerwear, y'all.

So what to wear to ride?

As always, start with what you want to wear. It's a bicycle ride, not an ice-climbing expedition. {The dog is optional; mine isn't a fan of baskets, for the record.}

Consider that you will be INCREASING wind exposure (by moving through the air, sometimes quickly), while WARMING your core through physical activity. So really, you'll warm yourself up once you're going for a few minutes, but the air will feel colder -- especially on your arms (which aren't moving as much as your legs), hands, and face/ears. 

Personally? I don't mind a brisk breeze on my face, but cold ears give me a wicked headache. 

Early in the blog, I suggested wearing a handkerchief in your forehead to prevent helmet-forehead. For cool, but not yet cold, weather, try binding the bandanna over your ears. It will block the wind but let most of the sound through. 

I also recommend a scarf; err on the warm side (they are easy to loosen or ditch). The other form of cold that gets to me is a cold neck and chest. I like winters so much more since scarves really caught on a few years ago!

Finally, if you have a jacket that is primarily wind-proof, or at least wind-resistant, grab that one. I was far chillier on my "coffeeneuring" ride when it was in the 50s in a wool tee and polyester fleece jacket than in my sleeveless shell, light cardi, and ancient raincoat (this jacket's at least ten years old; serves me well in a number of circumstances).

A lot of smaller layers allow you to tailor your outerwear during the ride and to adjust as necessary for the ride home, when temps have shifted. I ditched everything but the jacket and helmet for my ride home two hours later. 

Finally, a note on hair: with long tresses, I often like a braid or braids, because of the ease, but a low bun also plays nicely with a helmet. It also, if anything, creates a soft "o" or  "s"-type wave instead of crimpy-type "z" waves. I just twist my hair onto itself and secure ends with an elastic or small hair clip.

As the daylight wanes, and the temperatures continue to drop, I will likely be focusing my transport rides on these shorter jaunts within my more immediate neighborhoods. I do plan to continue Sunday church rides into and through the winter as long as the streets are clear.  I look forward to the experience and sharing what I'm learning with you here! I'd also like to lobby for the workday to shorten to from no earlier than an hour after sunrise to no later than an hour before sunset -- just to have a fighting shot at some daylight for part of my commute -- however I'm commuting. 9-3 from November to March, anyone?

Cheers, and happy riding!

x

Night Rider & New Helmet

A couple of things sparked this post:

1. I bought a new helmet, and right after I bought the new helmet, I received a comment reply from a Trisha at LGRAB (on her post about her Carrera folding helmet) asking about my experience with the Yakkay helmet I bought earlier this summer. So I thought I'd share my thoughts about the helmets I currently have.

2. Biking at night is something that seems totally normal and totally terrifying to me, all at the same time. So let's talk about that, since I could avoid it pretty easily from May until now, but HEY WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF SUNSHINE.


"I have no lid upon my head, but if I did, you could look inside and see what's on my mind..."
-Dave Matthews Band

I currently own three helmets.

A 2006 Giro something-or-other that was the least-offensive-option when I started riding my mountain bike again to cross-train (I needed something to compliment the running I'd just discovered). This helmet is US-certified. It has vents, but I find it tight and hot when I wear it in the summer, and it dents my forehead unless I wear it with a bandanna, and then I have to remove a pad so it isn't too tight. I paid about $50 for it, new. It looks like this when I wear it:

A 2010 Yakkay Smart One which I bought secondhand via Amazon, because the suckers are expensive. ($80 I think for a new helmet and $60 for covers?) It is EU-certified but not US certified, and I think I know why; more on that in the reviews. There is a Smart TWO which is available for sale in the US. The primary difference between the two (from what I can gather) is that my helmet has a fabric strap to secure the helmet at the base/back of head; the Two has wires that dial for tightness. It looks like this when I wear it without a cover (most of the time in the summer; details in the review):

(I don't have a photo yet with the cover on, because I've only used it once; the helmet is theoretically safer without it, among other benefits when it is warm outside, and I'm certainly not just wearing the damned thing to look cool.)

And the newest member of the brain bucket club, my 2013 Nutcase. I have wanted a secure, adjustable-size helmet and kept coming back to the nutcases. I like their patterns, and unlike the Giro Surface, which made me look like this, I  think this one suits my narrow face a little better. This is what I look like when I wear my new Nutcase:

I took this last night after I got home from a rehearsal (the reason the chin strap is released). It was blurry enough that it looked dumb in color, so I made it B&W. This is what the helmet looks like in real life; the design is called Mellow Swirl, which is totally weird, but whatever. 

So, my thoughts about these helmets. There are good and bad things about all of them. I may keep all three or let one go. I don't object to having multiple helmets if they all serve me well, but I don't need every surface of my home covered with bike-related goodies, either. I welcome thoughts, experiences, feedback (about these helmets, other helmets, and how many helmets - whatever).

The Giro is secure, and pretty comfortable, though it's snug. As mentioned, I must remove the front pad to fit a freaking handkerchief under the helmet, and it gives me a head dent when I remove the helmet, even after just 20 minutes. And if it's warm, that means I have a head-dent for like half an hour. Not my favorite look. It's vented, and it is very light, so it's a pretty good summer helmet. But it gets very warm when the temps inch upwards above 70 or so, largely because the pads are continuous enough that even if air can get into the helmet, it doesn't move around much to cool you down. Also, it's the most aggressive/racy/MTB-type helmet I have, and I don't feel very feminine in it, which matters to me. I'm also concerned that, at 7 years old, the foam may be past its prime. That said, the helmet lives inside in a temp-controlled home, so it's not like it has had to suffer the ravages of sun and ice or anything. I welcome any feedback about whether the age alone is enough reason to part with the Giro, or whether you'd hold onto it.

The Yakkay is very light-weight, and the most minimalist/stylist. It's also a champ when it comes to ventilation, which I did not expect. At all. Here's why it works. The half-bowling ball style has four perfect circle holes on the top of the helmet. Instead of linear pads inside, the Yakkay features fairly stiff circular pads, which aren't very soft, but which hold the helmet just a bit away from your scalp. Air can -- and does -- flow between the helmet and your head. I still sweat -- heavens knows I would sweat riding in the summer without a helmet -- but I can feel a breeze! And that's pretty awesome. HOWEVER, the helmet does NOT feel particularly secure, and, in fact, slides back on my head. The lovely mid-forehead position it enjoys in my photo, above? Only stays that way when I wear the handkerchief. Otherwise, it slides back on my noggin. And this bothers me tremendously. I don't know, but suspect, that the more rigid Yakkay Smart Two's back-of-the-head fit system helps prevent this better than the strap. But it occurs to me that if I were to get into a bikey accident and need it, the helmet may not do for me what I need it to do. This is also due, I'm sure, to chin-strap slippage, which seems to be aggravated with this helmet. So, take that as you will. I'm thinking about ditching the Smart One in favor of the Two if I can try it on first and if it feels more secure. But only if I can try it first. Too expensive to guess. (The "hat" covers fit both models.)

The Nutcase is new, and my feelings about it will surely develop into more profound thoughts over time, but here's what I think so far: (a) it fits like it was made for my head. Given my issues with the first and second helmet, this is lovely. (b) the padding is so soft. So. soft. (c) it's adorable. (d) I can already tell that if it's over 65 degrees my brain will melt. So far, the fact that it will clearly be warm is the only meaningful downside. I sort of think it's just another reason to move to Portland, OR (with milder summers and winters), but hey. I tend to think most things are reasons to move to Portland (I love it there).

Michael Knight: I need ya buddy!

KITT: Right away Michael.

-Knight Rider

Now, a quick little bit about riding at night. 

I'm just starting to get into night riding. I'm largely embracing it because autumn is upon us and the light is waning...even with extended daylight savings time. So while I've been able to avoid it for the most part by focusing on riding my bicycle to work or other daytime activities, it's closing on in the time that night will fall before I can get my rumpus out of the office, and long before I pull my bicycle into my driveway at home. 

I have ridden after dark a handful of times since I started riding again last spring. Once to a happy hour 2 miles from my home in the same suburban area as my home, which ran from 8-10pm (I had a single beer and an appetizer, and it was about 90 degrees outside). Twice to my evening rehearsals (also 2 miles away, same suburban area), and twice to meetings, which started while it was still light out and weren't totally dark when I was heading home. There was one occasion a couple of weeks ago when I was late at work finishing a project and was about 30 seconds from needing my lights when I pulled onto my street. In every instance, I was, ultimately, safe and pretty comfortable. That said, here's what I've gathered from my experiences so far.

1. I am so glad I purchased really really really bright, high-quality lights. Mine are by Serfas, and I talk about them here. They were about $150, so you bet I take them off my bike when I park it out of my sight. If I am locking my bike to something, the lights are coming with me, thatstheendofthestorythanks. This is what they look like when they are on my bicycle at night:

The back (red) light blinks, and attaches by a neato little bungee. The only complaint I have is that the bungee is wholly detachable, and I lost one at the supermarket a hot minute after I purchased the lights. I'll have to look into a replacement, just in case. But it means I can attach my light to my bike rack, my seat post, or just about anything else I can wrap it around. The light has several settings: high-steady, mid-steady, low-steady, high-blink, low-blink.  

The front (white) light is nearly as bright as my husband's Maglite. It is fantastic! It has several brightness settings, as well as a blinking option, which I endeavor only to use at dusk, because it's too intense (for me AND drivers) when it's truly dark. Then I use a steady beam on the front of the bicycle.  You can get a sense of how bright the beam is on the high setting in my photo. It's resulted in a complete white-out of the top of the plant on my porch and part of the exterior wall of the house. I can see the road in front of me pretty well, as well as obstacles and objects, and people can see me coming. When it is angled slightly at the ground, my front basket is SUPER shiny, and I can see the road, signs ahead of me are illuminated, and even some leaves above my head are a bit illuminated. I try to aim it down just a bit so it's not obnoxiously bright in someone's eyes while they are driving. I'm nice like that.

This is what my sleepy neighborhood looks like when I ride at night:

Dead. All the people were inside and silent. Seriously. In two miles, I saw one car. Which brings me to my next point: yay for only seeing one car. Seriously.

I live in a very safe part of the county, and while quiet back streets are always worth paying extra attention to, they are not scary where I live. This was my first time taking my quieter route home after dark; in past evening rides, I favored the more brightly-lit main streets (nothing arterial, but in each mile-long stretch, I probably get passed a dozen times by cars, even at 10pm on a Thursday; more if it is earlier). And here's the thing; I don't like getting passed by cars when I am riding at night. Hate it. It's so much harder to confirm they see you and are giving you enough room when they pass, and in one of my rides in my idyllic suburban setting, a huge-ass Suburban hollered at me, honked and scared the snot out of me, which really put me off night riding. I was actually pretty anxious before starting this ride, and decided I preferred the quieter side streets... and it was better. I don't know if your part of the city or county will be as safe on side streets, but it's something to consider. I was passed by one car on the way home. One. Single. Car.

Still, I rode faster than I do during the day. There isn't a lot to see, but there are a few streetlamps, as you can tell from my photo. It was so quiet, and quite chilly, and my 20-minute ride took just fourteen minutes on the way home. I stood up on the hills and kept my butt in a productive gear. I consider it my cardio for the day, too. All in all, I don't know that I'll avoid night riding, and I may make it a goal to test my fears in this safer setting, but it's not my preferred time to ride, just like it's not my preferred time to run. Maybe my small & female instinct is just too strong, and I'm not sure I want to totally quiet that voice, because she probably keeps me safe from time to time.

Cheers and happy riding!

xx

Honk-Honk, Rattle-Rattle-Rattled...

Thursday, the hot weather finally broke, and I was feeling much better in terms if whatever is left from my recent cold and allergies. So, I got home from work, and I thought "yay! I'll ride my bike to my rehearsal tonight." 

On the way to my rehearsal, it was still pretty warm. I also had to ride pretty defensively at times, because the sun was setting and I knew it made me pretty hard to see. (As in, impossible.) You know when car lights don't make a difference that little lights aren't going to help you, no matter how much they blink. Still, it was a nice ride, an I enjoyed being back on the bike. My legs and lungs definitely took note of the time since I last rode (too long ago!!). Erffff. Back in the saddle...literally.

After rehearsal, darkness had fallen, and in preparation for my ride home, I turned on my bike lights. I set them to blink any time I can (anytime I don't need the steady beam to see where I'm riding), because it makes me easier to see (small, steady light is easier to ignore; super-blinky crazy lights might just get you to stop texting and not run me over). As I pulled onto the "busiest" street on my route home (4 lanes, but pretty quiet by "real big street" standards) a large SUV pulled up close behind me and laid on the horn. As they passed me, a woman in the passenger seat leaned out of her window, waving her arms at me and screaming obscenities. 

Awesome. 

Not.