500 Mile Biking Challenge
 

Who'd like to do a 500 mile biking challenge with me?

I bought a bicycle last week with the intent of commuting to work whenever the weather's decent. So far I've got 18.8 miles on it (I have a little odometer for it). While it's not one of the higher calorie-burning activities, it's still exercise, it's "green" (i.e. no gasoline expenditure), and it's a great way to just get moving.

When I was a kid, I flipped over my old odometer at 10,000 miles. While I don't anticipate the same amount of free time in the summer to be exploring every side-road in the county, I figure I'll still be racking up the mileage riding to work and back (10 miles round trip), and any biking I do on the weekends, and 500 miles should be fairly attainable.

Stationary-cyclists welcome too! :ebike:

--Janis

I'm in!!!!! I won't be doing much riding til it gets a little warmer here. I've been spinning, but really can't get an estimate of mileage from those classes. I guess let me know if you need everyone to start logging miles right away, cuz there's no way I'm going out in the SNOW I see from my window.

I Would Love To Be In Too! I Dug Out My Old Mountain Bike Spiffed It Up A Bit And Now All I Need Is The Motivation. I've Done A Couple Of 5.5 Mile Trips In The Morning Before Work And That Fits Right Into My Schedule. I Work 30 Miles From Home So I Doubt I Will Be Biking To Work Or Logging Quite That Many Miles But It Sounds Like Fun Any Way. Whats The Plan Do We Log In And So Forth?

Awesome!
 

I just started a 100 miles in 100 days challenge through my work and I've been doing the majority of my mileage on my new recumbent bike. This sounds like a LOT of fun! :carrot: In fact, my BF custom made a keyboard tray for my computer, so now... when I'm on line, I'm pedaling my bike! Great! Great! Great! May I join in?

Java Turtle

AKA: Mary in WV :^:

hmmm I have bike sitting in my livingroom collecting dust... let me think this over!

I would like to join this maybe have my kids do it also, but will not be able to start until later in the week. Along with walking challenge I will be a busy girl. Kathy

Welcome all
 

Welcome all! Sure, just log it in when you feel like. I'll be tracking in my signature thing. I have a "cat-eye" odometer on my bike, which keeps track of trip mileage, trip time, average speed, and an overall odometer - it's pretty nifty. I rode into work today. Michigan - I hear you! I used to live in Rochester NY. 40 miles each way to work, and snow from October 5 until Father's Day. Blah! So now that I'm out of that, I'm going to use it to my advantage!

It's been in the 40's and windy in the morning here - which really isn't as cold as it sounds. Once you get going, you work up a sweat. My biggest obstacle is asthma, which the cold/dry air sets off. But now that I've got an inhaler, it's not an issue. (I wasn't going to get a prescription refilled just for cat allergies, but I forgot this other aspect of my mild asthma, so it's good to have.) Over the past week, the work has definitely gotten easier, riding outside. I know my average speed has gone up from 9 miles an hour to 10.7, so I'm obviously not huffing and puffing up those hills in low gear like I was.

Sure - bring the kids! If you can get them a cheap little odometer, I'm sure they'd have fun with it too! You can have them log their mileage, and teach them to read a map, all about road-safety, etc. Family fun and education for all! Unfortunately, my bicycle map has all the ice-cream stands marked out too! ;)

So blow off the dust, and get out there and start cycling! It certainly gets easier, once you get back into it. My butt's still sore, but I'm assured that will go away once I get into shape and start putting more of the weight on my legs (doing the work) instead of sitting all my weight on the seat. (Not to mention if you lose weight, that'll help too).

--Janis

Hi Janis!

I'm in!

I ride my recumbent stationary bike every other day and have a record of my miles for March - 81 miles with 3 more 60-min workouts to go. Not bad for being 340lbs and having been a sometimes-exerciser!

I'll start logging my miles for April here.

Yay for biking! :-)

We've got a sunny day here in MI today. I just got home from spinning, but I think I might get out on the road after the neice and nephew get picked up! I'm sure it'll be a little chilly, but if nothing else being out in the sun will make me happy!

Hi everyone!

I'd love to join this challenge! :bike:

My husband and I have mountain bikes and try to ride every weekend, though because of work and other commitments, we only go for about an hour and it's been less frequent than we'd like. But I have recorded our time and distance since January and we are getting faster and thus going a bit farther in the same amount of time.

I take spinning classes occasionally and may see if I can adjust the stride length on my pedometer in order to get an estimate of my distance per class. Sometimes I ride a stationary or recumbant bike at the gym, but I strongly prefer outdoor cycling, so most of my challenge miles will be from my rides with hubby.

Yay! Another reason to push hubby out of bed early in the morning on the weekend! I will track my miles in my signature. If no one has any objection, I'd like to add my miles from the four rides we've taken since January (yeah, off to a very slow start ...)

Well, no ride outside. I've got 2 flats, and an suv full of car seats so I'm going to take hubbys tonight and get those tires filled. Maybe it'll be nice again tomorrow. Either way I've got another spin class in the morning. Wish there was a way to figure how many miles those add up to!

No problem - add on wherever you want to start from. It was a beautiful 60 degrees today! I like getting out in the sun too - being outside enjoying the sun before and after work makes the day seem to go by faster. I think I don't get enough sun, personally, and it makes me irritable. It's definitely helping with the seasonal depression! Also, it seems to be the kind of different exercise/shock my body needed to get off my plateau. I'm down another lb - yay! :bike:

--Janis

Wouldn't that be great to see how many "miles" you go during a spin class? Regular stationary bikes tell you that; why can't the spin bikes??

I tried something this morning that might work. I lowered the stride length on my pedometer and clipped it onto my sock, inside against my calf. I pedaled on a stationary bike at the gym for about 5 minutes, then compared the mileage on my pedometer with the mileage on the bike and it was fairly close. I adjusted the stride length again and got closer. I want to try it again next time I'm at the gym just to see. Then I'll wear the pedometer during spin class to get an estimate of my miles.

Went about 5 miles on the stationary bike in 20 minutes, but think I will begin recording that April 1, separate from my outdoor miles.

Janis, congrats on losing another pound! Hope it continues and you're off your plateau.

Well, I guess go with however you feel you can keep track of mileage.

Unfortunately (for me) my pedaling rate is constantly changing. When I'm on a hill, I use a lower gear, which means I'm pedaling more for less distance. And then there are the hills I coast down where I'm not pedaling at all (still adds distance) so I'm not sure how the stationary/spin bikes calculate mileage given all the factors that go into a "real" road course, as mileage would be calculated by the circumference of the wheel, rather than the resistance/speed/pedaling, etc.

But, this is more about doing the exercise and having a measurable goal, so do whatever works for you! :carrot:

I'm so happy! I found a "short-cut" around that steep hill in my route that made me get off and walk. There's a dirt truck-path that goes around it over an out-cropping next to the interstate highway - probably for highway maintenance/lawn-mowers or something - VERY far away from the highway/road, and up about 50 feet. But it's a very mild hill, and goes right around the big one I was taking on the roads. The only catch is it's a dirt path through a grassy field - so it's a good thing I got a hybrid bike after all! But it's a mild enough incline that I don't need to get off the bike to do it. I wish there was a nice dirt-path the whole way along the interstate - then I wouldn't have to bother with traffic at all! (I live directly off of one exit, and work directly off the next one 5 miles away).

--Janis

Yeah, I've thought about that too. I suspect stationary bikes use a formula based on the rider's RPM and resistance. I figure if I can get the pedometer to match the stationary bike, it's at least a rough estimate. ;) Though I don't know why I'm concerned as I don't take spin classes very often, usually only when I miss my weekly outside ride. :dizzy:

I had a wonderful ride outside today. Definetly enjoyed our spring weather! 8.25 miles, and the only problem was the fresh gravel they have spread on the dirt roads. About half my ride was over very unstable, deep gravel. Not the most fun, but I made it and fealt great afterwards.

Sherry if you figure out a pedometer fix for spinning let me know. I do spinning about 2xs a week, and not sure I want to switch to only outside for the warm weather. I know I work A LOT harder in the spinning classes than I do on my outdoor rides.

will the posts stay here on this thread? i am TOTALLLLY in!! i LOVE my bike - really I do. i havea great odometer and everything (and my bike is a trek) - It's supposed to rain tomorrow. :-( BUT i am SO getting my bike out this weekend.

is there a "deadline"? for this?

Deadline?
 

Deadline? Uh... I suppose whenever you get to it. I figured I'd try to make it by the end of the summer/biking-season, if I could.

As for the fresh gravel - I hear you. I used to live in the Fingerlakes region of Upstate NY, and they would regularly "tar and feather" the road. It wasn't too fun until it got packed down. It was unstable when I'd ride my motorcycle, stone chips would get kicked up from vehicles in front of you (hitting you if you were on a motorcycle, bike, or breaking the front window of your car after having it replaced from the LAST time they gravel'd the roads)... it really sucked.

It's such a gorgeous day today, I'm seriously thinking of charging a couple hours to personal time, taking off from work and going down to one of the paved bike trails to go on a ride just for fun (as opposed to commuting to work). :bike:

--Janis

hahaa - i know that sounded like a "weird" question...but i'll just make one for myself - i work best with "deadlines" - as in making sure I get in 500 miles by my birthday (august 29th). just a personal thing. Although I'm DEFINITELY getting my bike out and about on sunday. i got home from work at 3 today but my friends are picking me up here in an hour (it's 4 p.m. here now in Indianpolis) - and we've had plans to go out. Tomorrow I work til 2 and right after work my friends and I are going shopping...but sunday is MY day alllll to myself - I am SO excited too because it's supposed to be 70 degrees and sunny here in indy - and ya'll have NO idea how long i've been waiting for these sunny warm days!!! I honestly think i have mild seasonal depression - i HATE winter (yeah - and i live in indy! lol) but anyways - this Sunday - it's me, my bike, and Eagle Creek Park. I can't WAIT!!!

No ride for me today. We've got lots of wind in preperation for some storms that are supposedly on the way.

My hubby is buying his new mountain bike tomorrow!! Maybe we'll do the trail on Sunday. (family obligation on Sat. but thinking about taking the bike over and getting my dad and hubby to go with me for fun)

Ultimategirl-I have a Trek also. (Mountain bike) I absolutely LOVE it! Hope you get your out on Sunday!

I have a hybrid (characteristics of a mountain bike & a road bike) by Giant. I think Giant actually makes frames for Trek, if I recall. Yeah - today's pretty much shot, and tomorrow will be rainy, but Sunday is supposed to be sunny and warm!

--Janis

Hi guys-got in a short ride with my family yesterday. Hubby loves his new bike (he got a Giant Iguana-I'm gonna call it the big lizzard just to mess with him) We'll see what I can get into today! Have a good one.

You could call it Gamara or Godzilla or something. :-)

I have a Giant Cypress DX. I'm sure there's a dirty joke in there about riding around on big wood, but I'm classier than that. (not) :D

--Janis (Going out for a pleasure ride right now)

tofat, haven't been on the stationary bike with the pedometer again. But I went to the spinning website and it claims that most participants "travel" about 15-20 miles in a 40 minute class depending on their cadence. Hope this helps you estimate your "distance" in your spinning classes.

Today got in a short but fun 30-minute ride. Hope everyone has a great day!

Ouch
 

I went out today... for a whopping trip mileage of 37.81 miles! Ouch! About 20 of those miles were on a bike trail, so at least it was nice pavement, nice scenery, and graded. Now my knees are sore, though. Not a bad-knee-problem sore, just a quads-meet-knees sore.

Talking to one of my other friends tonight, he said the benefit to having toe-cages or cycling shoes that clip into the pedals is that you can use the hamstrings as well as the quads, because you can pull on the up motion and drag your foot horizontally, too, so you're using your muscles for the entire revolution, instead of just the pushing motion. I'm not sure what this does to your energy level, but somehow I imagine it helps your endurance, and gives you a better workout because you're using multiple sets of muscles instead of just your quads. I think I'll look into some. I've been wondering what the point was, other than to be a cycling geek in spandex with all the gear. :bike:

--Janis

ok, im sooo totally wanting to get out on my bike!!!
last night i ate SO much pizza (i think i had 80 points yesterday. :-(
and a friend came over and we talked until 7 a.m. - so i slept til 4 p.m.!!
plus, it's supposed to rain ALL week here! grrr!!!

i WILL start riding sooon!
til then, i'll just keep reading about your lovely bikerides! lol

It's raining here today and I went to spinning class during lunch. Class is 60 minutes with a few minutes of off-the-bike stretches at the end. I seem to be in the middle of the pack as far as cadence, so based on the info I got off the spinning website, I'm going to say I went about 24 miles. I was soaking after class and definitely worked harder than I do when riding outside with hubby.

Janice, I know what you mean about "cycling geek in spandex." We have those biking shorts and the padding in them does help the rear end. But hubby always puts regular shorts over them because he feels so silly in the spandex. The spinning bikes have toe cages and I can feel my hamstrings work more than without them and my quads don't feel so worn out. Plus, you can pedal harder and faster without fear of your foot slipping off the pedal. That's happened to me and it is not fun.

Hi guys-I've been looking into bike shoes and had planned on getting a pair of mountain bike ones. Well, the bike catalogs are now showing biking SANDALS. I'm wondering if I would like those better. It'd stay nice and cool and I rarely ride in cold weather. I wish they had some in the local shops so I could check out more than a picture.

No ride for me again due to some big wind and a bad cold. I'm not sure if I'll be able to do spinning in the morning. Guess I'll see tomorrow. Have a great one.

I just ordered 3 mesh padded liners to wear under shorts or other clothes. You can pick up unpadded spandex shorts (if you're so inclined) just about anywhere, cheaper than at the bike stores and wear them over the liners. (Or, capris, shorts and other stuff - or whatever pants you already own). www.teamestrogen.com has plus-sized liners and cycling clothing for us "less in shape" chicks, too... although it seems I'm something like a 3x when normally I'm a 1x elsewhere... *sigh* But it's a lot closer to my measurements than most of the bike clothes I've seen for what looks to be women the size of 11-year old girls.

But, after my long bike ride on Sunday and my sore butt yesterday, I'm ready to invest in some sort of padding. Ironically, my chiropractor says cycling seems to agree with me, and it's not knocking out my hip alignment or screwing up my back. (But I've been going to the gym and strengthening my erector-spinae muscles for a few months too). Aside from my leg muscles being sore, my shoulders were a bit sore as well as my abs. So, it's not just my legs getting a work-out!

Sandals vs. shoes - I'd go with shoes. Sandals on bikes aren't a great idea - usually people tell you that, but I can tell you from experience. When I was a kid, it suddenly started raining, and of course all the oil on the road washes off in the first couple of minutes... into the gutter. I was crossing a side-street, and down I went - skidded about 15 feet on my bare ankles. NOT a fun experience, nor the infections and recovery time it took after that. I'm just lucky I didn't break something, too. Basically - you can never predict an accident, but you'd like to be somewhat protected.

Mountain-biking has a lot of sticks, rocks, poison ivy and stuff. When I prepared for hiking Mt. Washington 3 years ago, everything I read said "get hiking boots, not sandals" and told me to wear long jeans, not shorts because it keeps you from getting scuffed up. Also, you probably want to wear some kind of socks so you don't get stinky sandal-feet, or blisters. It's not quite the same as a liesurely walk on the boardwalk. ;)

Ultimately it's up to you, but I'd suggest erring on the side of safety and being a little bit hotter. (Then again, I'm used to wearing 3 layers of wool and a polyester powdered-wig in 96 degree summer heat playing my fife for fun... and rarely wear shorts).

I think I will look into some cycling shoes. I only slipped off the pedals a few times, but yeah - I think I'd prefer to share the burden with my hamstrings instead of just winding up with sore quads and foot-arches.

--Janis

Silly me never thought about the practical side of protection on the trails. I'll stick with the mountain bike shoes. Just gotta get my butt in gear and go get them.

As for the padded bike shorts, I've succumbed to wearing them and now can't imagine not having that added protection. Makes rides a lot more comfy.

Had to cancel on spinning due to bad cold. I'm very disappointed, but hopefully will be able to go tomorrow.

I got some mountain bike shoes yesterday - $10! They were store-brands on clearance (At "decathlon" if you have that sports store near you), and feel just like my sneakers (only stiffer in the soles).

Decathlon's some British store, so all the store-brand stuff is in European sizes, but for some reason we have a store in Massachusetts. http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/index.html I don't see the clearance ones here, but if you have an outlet nearby - check 'em out. I also got some cleats and the pedals with the clips for them.

I tried putting the pedals on myself, but apparently those nuts on the pedals are REALLY hard to loosen. 340 lbs/inch of torque - eek! So maybe I'll suck up the $7 charge for the bike-shop to change my pedals for me. (Or get a length of tube for my wrench...) But also each pedal is threaded differently, and the combination of steel/aluminum makes it prone to stripping... so I'd just assume get the bike shop to do it afterall.

It's SNOWING today, can you believe it? Wah!

--Janis

I brought my bike down to the shop so they could put my new pedals on. They did it nice 'n quick and didn't even charge me for it! Woo hoo! I felt guilty, because I bought the pedals somewhere else, but it didn't seem to bother them. Remember when local stores were small and about service? :)

--Janis

I'm so jealous of the deal you got on your shoes!!! Let me know how you feel now that you'll be "CLIPPED IN" I'm still a little nervous about that aspect. I felt well enough to make it thru the 45 min. spin class this morning. Think I'm back on track. Hopefully get more biking in this weekend.

Well, on the suggestion of the guy at the bike store, I've been leaning against a doorjam practicing getting in and out of the clips. He adjusted them to the easiest setting, too, so it's easy to get in and out. Then when I get the hang of it, I can tighten the springs if I'm so inclined. Mostly it's a matter of figuring out where the pedals are (in relation to the shoe-cleats) and how to engage them in the first place (getting your feet OFF the pedals seems easy enough). Now, to engage them while trying to starting up across a street and paying attention to other stuff...

Since the weather's going to be crummy until Sunday anyway, I won't be able to commute until at least next week, so I figure I'll take Sunday to play around with the clips out of traffic's way. I also found out that narrow-gauge trail extends a lot closer to home than I originally thought, so that's cool. :) (Also, it's not nearly as busy as the big bike-trail, so I won't be as prone to crashing into rollerbladers while trying to figure out how to get off my bike).

All in all, they're a LOT easier than I thought they'd be. I was kinda scared they'd be hard and I'd get stuck on them, but it's not hard, just a matter of getting the feel where they are. It's easier to get out than it is to get in.

Yeah - the bike shop owner said I got a great deal - you can't even get regular shoes at Wal-mart for $10! :bike:

--Janis

Good to hear the clips aren't so bad. Good luck when you practice outside. I'll be at the bike shop tomorrow picking up the wheel I dropped off this morning. Maybe I'll try some shoes on again. I seem to keep putting off buying them. Raining out here and getting COLD again. YUCK! We'll see what the weekend holds. Hubby has a duathalon on Sunday so he'll be riding regardless. I have to work Sun. morning but maybe in the afternoon I'll get out there.

Hubby and I finally got out for a ride this morning. We went for about an hour along the river trail and got in 13 miles. Not too bad considering hubby is exhausted from work and hasn't biked in several weeks. In addition, a storm is coming in and as we rode towards the ocean it was against a pretty strong wind the entire way (but going inland was nice!)

After paying attention to the effect of the toe cages on my legs, I really noticed how tired my quads were today. We don't have cycling shoes or special pedals on our bikes. They are actually pretty old mountain bikes (~ 10 years) with hybrid tires. We're saving up for road bikes with pedals that clip to cycling shoes and hope to really add speed and thus distance to our rides. But I'm kinda tempted to get shoes and pedals now until we can get new bikes.

There were a lot of "bike gangs" on the trail this morning. Talk about geeks in spandex ... :D I especially like the gangs that wear matching outfits!!

Janice, thanks for sharing in such detail your experiences so far with cycling shoes and clips. Glad to hear it's not as bad as you expected, and I am sure it will help us when we get around to taking that step ourselves. Hope your weather improves so you can commute.

tofat, hope your weather improves, too, and you're biking today!

Just got back from a nice ride. I can't wait till the new gravel gets crushed down. Most of my rides are on dirt roads cuz I enjoy the lack of traffic and being more out in the country. It is a beautiful day out here. I wish I didn't teach this afternoon. Then I could stay out and play. Oh well, off to clean up before students get here.

I tried replying yesterday, but my computer crashed (argh!)

Selling your bikes? Wah! I know how tough it is to find opportunities (and places) to bike in the city.

Yesterday (Sunday) I did 30.5 miles! I went on all the "off-road" trails this time. That is, the "proposed" bike-trail/rail-trails that haven't been paved yet, but at least have a dirt path through the woods (and negligible grade!). Except for 2 spots of 6" deep mud (with no way around) it was relatively pleasant.

Speaking of the mud - a tip for those of you with the cleat-shoes - if yours are like mine, you have holes that go right through the soles so you can mount the cleats. Then on top of that (inside the shoe), you have your regular shoe-liner foam thing. Mine came with this adhesive piece of paper or something to seal it off. I should've taken it to heart when the sales-clerk at the sports store said, "it mostly keeps the water out." I think I'll try duct-tape over the paper this time. While I didn't get soaked, water did make it into both shoes when I had to get off and walk through the mud. (I tried riding, but it was getting hairy. Rather than end completely down in the mud, I opted for just my feet.)

It's a good thing I had (long) jeans and the shoes on, because I would've been scratched up good and probably bitten by ticks and bugs from the swamp, too. (ew!) But, I got to see the back-side to the suburbs and hear what birds and frogs lurk in New England. It was really something, considering I've lived here for 4 years now, and don't know what the local birds and frogs sound like, because I've always lived near the highway or been in busy places. It was really nice, getting out in the woods. It's knowing that there's naturey-places near home that make me a little less homesick for my old house in the fingerlakes.

I made it 30.5 miles without cleat-incident. But by the time I got home, I was spent, and brain-foggy. I pulled right up to the front of my apartment, took out my right-foot, and started leaning the bike to the left, forgetting to remove my left foot. Down I went onto the grass... right where all the dogs relieve themselves. :p At least it wasn't the poo-area. Needless to say, everything went right into the wash when I got upstairs.

Other than that one minor mishap, I didn't have any issues with the cleats, and I was on and off the pedals probably 100 times throughout my trip. It really did make a difference though - whenever I'd get tired going up a hill, I'd remember, "Oh yeah - I can use OTHER muscles, too!" So I'd "pull" myself up the hill instead of pushing. Also, being "attached" to the pedals didn't feel weird - in fact, it felt really good.

When your foot isn't attached to the pedal, you're only able to use your muscles to drive the crank around from about 1 o'clock to about 5 o'clock (or less) because (not being attached) you can't really slide/drag in a horizontal motion, and you can't pull up. You're limited to a down-push. Being attached allows you to do work on 100% of the rotation, and using both legs to help each other out. My muscles don't hurt much (if at all) today, whereas last week my quads were killing me the day after. Also, my knees didn't bother me once yesterday (which they do when it's all pushing).

As for my new padded shorts - I wore them under my jeans. While it didn't feel like they were doing a whole lot over the bumpy off-road paths, I don't hurt (sitting at my desk) today, so they must've been working!

--Janis

Another 17+ miles!
 

Today was beautiful, but I didn't get up in time to ride to work, and I had to be at a meeting... so, I came home at 5 instead, and went for a ride. :D 129 miles down, 371 to go! If I can keep this up, I'll hit 1K by the end of summer! (something tells me I won't be so enthusiastic when the weather gets hotter and I've got too many parades each weekend... but I can try!) :bike:

--Janis

Oh, I'm jealous of both tofat and Janice who can ride on dirt/gravel trails close to home. We have to drive miles to do that. Oh well ...

wwpeggy, aren't there trails that you can ride? We live in a very dense, urban area of O.C. and do most of our rides along river and creek trails. Sometimes we ride along the beach, but it's much more crowded with pedestrians, skaters, strollers, dogs, etc.

Didn't make it to indoor cycling class yesterday, in fact didn't do any exercise yesterday, so I'm adding 20 minutes of cardio to today, Th, and F. Because cardio machines really bore me, I generally split my time between two or three machines. So today I spent 20 minutes on the stationary bike. I did the "random hills" program and set the resistance level to medium to get my heart rate up. According the the counter on the bike, I went about 5.25 miles.

Hope everyone has a terrific day!