Bike Noob

Because I'm Always Learning Something New

Our Tuesday morning ride

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During the school year, I’m off early enough on Tuesdays that I can get home, jump into my bike clothes, and take off for three laps around the Veloway. It’s a nice 15-mile ride, and I use it to work on technique.

But during the Texas summers, temperatures in late afternoon are unbearable for biking. Luckily, my summer class doesn’t start until 5:30, so I can ride in the morning.

Pat and I often head to the Veloway on Tuesday mornings. We wait until at least 8:30 or so, when the morning rush hour traffic has passed. I find these rides to be pleasant, low pressure affairs, and Pat gets some cardio work in by trying to keep up with me.

Our route to the Veloway takes us along Escarpment Blvd. The crepe myrtles that line the street are in full bloom now.
Our route to the Veloway takes us along Escarpment Blvd. The crepe myrtles that line the street are in full bloom now.
Our Veloway trips are the perfect ride for Pat.
Our Veloway trips are the perfect ride for Pat.

The Veloway is just under three miles from our house. Each lap is 3.1 miles, so a rider can make a Veloway excursion as long or as short as desired. If I’m riding with Pat, I usually go three laps. She goes two.

The Veloway is open to bikers and inline skaters. A sign at the entrance says walkers and joggers are prohibited, and not too many of them flout the rule. On weekday mornings, even bike traffic is minimal.

Pat powers up a slight rise.
Pat powers up a slight rise.

At about this point, I take off for my three laps. On our Tuesday ride, I’ll keep my chain in the small ring, and work on cadence. My goal is to stay above 90 rpm throughout the lap.

It's a good thing I pedal fast, so I can outrun the snakes. Actually, they never cross at the marked crossing. They're jaywalkers. Or jayslitherers.
It's a good thing I pedal fast, so I can outrun the snakes. Actually, they never cross at the marked crossing. They're jaywalkers. Or jayslitherers.
Pat's always waiting when I finish. She struck up a conversation with this man, about his mouth-watering Trek FX 7.9 flat bar road bike. All carbon, Ultegra equipped, and twice what I paid for my road bike.
Pat has a knack for meeting nice folks.

While I’m finishing my last lap, Pat finds a shady spot near the water fountain. She struck up a conversation with this man, about his mouth-watering Trek FX 7.9 flat bar road bike. All carbon, Ultegra equipped, and twice what I paid for my road bike. She found a kindred soul in him, since he also thinks it’s no sin to keep the kickstand on the bike.

This ride takes us about an hour to finish. Some people complain that the Veloway bores them, because you just go around the same track. But I love it. It mimics the kind of conditions you find on a country road, so you have to respond to a variety of situations. It’s fun to look at the other bikes, and wave at people we see regularly. I’ve seen deer, tarantulas, different kinds of snakes, roadrunners, and other critters. In the spring, wildflowers carpet the sides of the trail. I always look forward to Tuesday mornings.

But sometimes the rabbit is you!

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Just a day after gloating about beating some poor guy who didn’t even know he was racing, I was brought back to reality. Out again on Mopac for an easy ride with Pat, I thought I would spin up the hills and wait for her at the top. It was another beautiful morning, and the best time to be out, because the afternoon would be uncomfortably hot.

What I had forgotten was that Saturday mornings are when the T3 team does its practice rides.  They’re one of several triathlon teams in Austin, and we could see some of them heading north on Mopac when we reached the road and turned south. I didn’t think much about them as I pulled away from Pat on a slight downhill section.

I concentrated on my cadence as I hit a small hill, shifted into an easier gear, and started spinning at about 90 rpm. The effort brought the first drops of sweat to my brow, and I started to breathe in a measured, but faster, rhythm.

Swish! Two of the T3 guys glided by me, gaining speed as they went uphill. All right, this could be fun. Maybe I could hang with them on the next hill, then wait for Pat at the top.

As I watched them widen the distance between us, I realized it would take everything I had to close the gap. I wasn’t pushing yet, but I was moving a bit faster than I usually do on this part of the route. Then, two more T3s sailed past. One, a young woman, was tiny — but she led the guy who was with her without effort. I reached the base of the biggest hill on the course and kept a close eye on my cadence. By the time I reached the top, all four of them were out of sight in the distance ahead.

Pat has an arthritic hip, and was struggling today. I decided I would take it easy, and not get too far ahead of her. That worked until we reached the big downhill on the way back. I was pulled over in a cutout for a yet-to-be-built cross street, waiting for her to catch me. She went by, and urged me to get moving. I shifted into the big ring and passed her, quickly gathering speed as the grade steepened.

But the wind was from the southeast again, and it hit me in the right front. I pumped hard, trying to get above 30 mph. At the base of the hill, where I always register my fastest speed — two more T3s cruised past. These guys weren’t even breathing hard. They were down on their aero bars, coasting along, while I sat up, gasped for air, and settled into an easy effort.

At the end of the course, we were stopped at a red light when another T3 rider, a young woman, pulled up next to us in the left turn lane.

“How many of you are out this morning?” I asked.

“About 30,” she said. “We’re out here every weekend.”

“I’ve been passed by you all all morning long.”

“Heh-heh.”

So today, I was the rabbit. If nothing else, it keeps me humble, and realistic about my cycling abilities, while at the same time, giving others the boost of confidence I felt on Friday.  Glad I could help, folks.

The dreaded chainring tattoo

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First of all, thank you to all who rightly threw my whining back in my face and told me to get out and ride some different routes to break out of my pity party. Today, I did. Temperature in the high 70sF, no wind to speak of, and bright sunshine — a glorious day for biking. I rode in an area southeast of the city where I’ve ridden on club rides, but this time I did it alone. I took some roads I haven’t been on before. It was a “lollipop” route: 10 miles out, then a 10-mile loop on some decent country roads, then back home on the same 10-mile route I took to get out there. It’s the longest I’ve ridden since the MS ride last month, and when it was over, I felt great.

One of the attractions on this particular route is an exotic game ranch. If you’re lucky, you can see lots of African wildlife from the road. This morning I saw some antelope with the twisty horns, deer that are different from the North American whitetails, and even a zebra. But I had only my cell phone with me, and the pictures are no good. Next time I’ll take a decent camera.

While I was stopped to look at the critters, I straddled my bike. Not the brightest thing to do, because in no time at all, it was there — the dreaded chainring tattoo.

I’ve heard lots of talk about chainring tattoos being the sign of the rookie biker.  What’s a chainring tattoo? It’s that nice greasy mark on your calf from touching the chainring of your bike — usually the large ring, when the chain is on the small one. Sometimes you’ll hear it referred to as the “amateur mark.” I’ve been riding almost two years, and I still get them. So what’s amateur about that?

Tattoo

My own “amateur mark.” A particularly good specimen, I think.

I figure if you’re on the bike, you’re bound to come away with a tattooed calf. Not much you can do about it, and furthermore, it’s not something I’m going to go to great efforts to prevent.

The biggest problem is, it’s tough to completely remove in the shower — even with a slightly abrasive skin cleanser. Oh well, it’ll fade away in a day or three.

Any thoughts about the “amateur mark” slander that accompanies these things?

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