mira mesa

i just moved to mira mesa and went for my first bicycle ride to la fitness which is about 4 or so miles away from my place. there is a lot of traffic going on mira mesa blvd... lots of cars and stuff but i was very aware of my surroundings. the bicycle ride took about 35 mins or so and was fairly flat. on the way back it was a bit scary... but mira mesa blvd is lit well and my light was adequate for the ride home. i think the key for busy areas is just to be aware of the surroundings...

Bummed at the Pump

it seems that bicycles are making news more often. i found this article about the rising fuel costs forcing students to find new ways of getting around. with increase gas prices more and more people are finding alternative ways to get around. students at universities around the USA are definitely feeling the pains. more and more students are opting to ride there bicycles on campus. the univerties are also feeling the pain too and not being able to write as much tickets. they are now trying to find ways to earn revenue by ticketing illegal parked bicycles.

check the full article here

For bicyclists, a widening patchwork world

This article describes the increase use of bicycles... It looks like we are beginning a cycling boom. While Northern Europe and Japan have figured out how to make bicycle commuting a safe, cheap alternative to driving, the United States, Canada, Australia and Britain have not. And the world's two most populous nations, China and India, are discarding bicycles in favor of cars. A rising middle class in both countries views cycling as an unhappy reminder of the recent past, when nearly everyone was poor.

the rest of this article can be found here

REI Sale!

I picked up a cool black Pearl Izumi Zephrr vest at the REI Sale... They normally go for $60 but i got it for $20... Not bad! I tried it on yesterday for my evening bicycle... I think this vest is better during the day than in the evenings. I should at least get something bright yellow so drivers can see me during the evenings. But other than that its a great deal!

I found an old product review here.

quick workout

its been 4 days since i last rode my bicycle... today i went out for a quick 30 min ride around the neighborhood. this was the first ride using my Novara Padded Bike Boxers that i purchased from REI a few weeks ago.

here's what i have to say about the product. its great and super convenient. i can wear these under my gym shorts and still get the same effect as bicycle shorts. the mesh material provides extra cooling when going down hill. the padding is good enough for long and short trips... at first i thought the padding was kind of loose but once i sat on the saddle it worked like a charm. i would definitely buy this product again and recommend it to my friends. it takes the discomfort that i've had before when riding without any paddding.

back to my ride...

climbing the hill was good. i think all that running helped build some strength in my legs... i totally hate that the bike lanes full of little pebbles and rocks. especially when it gets dark i hit those rocks and just messes me up in terms of my peddling. i also was lazy to check the air in my tires. so i kind of felt that my tires were a bit sluggish in some parts. it might just be a mental thing though... but when i got home i made sure i pumped 100 psi in them.

i think i need to work on the hills a bit more to build more strength!

more strength = faster runner and faster cyclist


Garmin 305 Info

Distance: 5.82 miles
Time: 30:45
Avg Pace: 5:17/mile
Avg Speed: 11.3 MPH
Max Speed: 17 MPH
Avg Cadence: 75 RPM