Fastest to the end of my street?

I've wanted to try this for a while...

What is the fastest to the end of my street? Bike, car, or walking?

I expected it to be walk, car, bike in that order - but no.

For each test I started in the hall dressed normally, with all the doors shut.

For the car, go into the garage, open garage door, unlock car, get in, fasten belt, reverse out, shut garage door (using remote), drive to end of street - 54 seconds.

For the bike, go into the garage, open garage door, put bike outside, close garage door, put on helmet and gloves, mount bike, ride to end of street - 1 minute 48.

For the walk, unlock and open front door, close and lock front door, walk to end of street - 1 minute 18.

So the car wins!

The distance is only 110 meters, and I really expected walking to be faster.

I'm sure that if we lived in a dream world, where I could leave the bike unlocked outside, and didn't wear any safety equipment, then the bike would be way faster - in fact I'll give that a try.

Back soon.

Well, yes, the bike is now 39 seconds, a clear winner. Also, it's started to rain.

Interesting!

Two months since my last post

So much has happened - absolute turmoil.

So no posts, although in some ways writing the blog is something that I enjoy and that helps me with perspective.

First thing is that following my fall in Dunedin, I had a CT scan that showed that I'd had a stroke in the past - not a good thing. This meant some medication, and an renewed emphasis on exercise, so the biking has continued unabated (if also undocumented). A follow-up visit to a specialist Neurologist, and an MRI scan revealed that I hadn't, in fact, had a stroke - and that my brain is normal (at least physically).

This was obviously a big relief, although the exercise program is going so well, there's no way I'd stop anyway.

There are a couple of other bad things happening at the moment, so getting out on the bike or for a long walk is just the thing even if it does sometimes end in tears.

I've had two decent falls off the bike recently, not counting the gentle ones into tussock on the Port Hills, so am glad of the gloves and helmet.

The bike is going along really well, and with some advice from workmates, my technique is slowly improving and together with improved fitness, Strava is taking a beating (14 PRs today at McLean's Island for example).

The big news is that I have caved in and ordered clip-in pedals - which should be good for a few laughs as I get used to them. Apparently everyone falls over trying to stop so that's something to look forward to.

Commuting has been good, but not as many days as I'd like. I am using the bike more for local errands and it's such a great way to clock up a bit of exercise.

Laters
John

Back in the saddle!

Well, it's been over a fortnight since I last rode. Unfortunately this was due to an accident  I had which kind of curtailed my capabilities for a while. Not a bike accident I hasten to add, but a nasty fall that left me with facial injuries.

Anyway, today I was back.

Before riding I tried out the new pump I bought last time I was in Dunedin - I can't show a photo because my phone was broken in the accident. So when I get a working phone, I'll take some photos and do a min-review. My tires on the mighty 29" were quite soft, and since I am always on the road or well-kept tracks, I decided to pump them up a bit.

What a difference! The bike really does roll on now, and is much easier to pedal again - it was already pretty good, but now it's really good.

I went to McLean's Island this morning and a great day for it too. It was a record frost this morning and by the time I headed out, the sun was well up, but still pretty cold and frosty in the shade. A really good mix and great times zooming through the forest.

It's much more exciting when you've smashed your glasses in an earlier accident and are riding without full vision. Surprisingly, it seems more scary than driving the car - maybe because on the bike I'm looking for smaller things - small rocks and potholes rather than buses and SUVs.

Two loops of the Coringa loop - no Strava because of the broken phone - but I had a very happy 50 minutes of good exercise, followed by a delicious long black in the sun. Is there a better way to spend a sunny/frosty morning?

Looking forward to heading back to work tomorrow morning after missing that for a fortnight too. I'll take the car in the morning because I have to go to the optician to get tested for new glasses, but should be able to swap to the bike at lunchtime.

I am so glad to have got into this sport - there are other reasons why doing more exercise is extra important for me - so this is a great way to do that.

A bad thing happens - a lesson for the future

A lovely day in Christchurch today, and I went back to McLean's Island to try out the track on my new bike.

There were a few more people around than the last time I was there, including quite a few families with young children, as well as the gnarly expert riders.

All went well as I headed off on the Coringa loop, I got passed by a couple of bikes, and I even passed a couple myself (hard to believe but true). I ended up behind a woman and her daughter (I'm guessing here), and we were all traveling at about the same speed.

We came up to a family group that had stopped in the middle of nowhere. The parents and a child or two were off to one side of the track. But, 10 meters further on, there were 3 young children stopped in the middle of the track in line abreast. There was a small gap between child 2 and 3, maybe about 30cm.

The two in front of me went through the gap, and I slowed down and aimed for it too. As I went through I felt contact with my right pedal, just a wee clipping of the child to my right. I thought it was very slight, but as I carried on, I looked back and he was down and I felt very bad. By the time I realised, I was quite a distance down the track, and it didn't seem reasonable to try to go back on a one-way track.

So, I hope the child was ok, and not too traumatised. In retrospect, knowing my abilities, I should have stopped and walked the bike through.

It does seem unreasonable to let your children stop in the middle of the track, effectively blocking it. Even if they had been two abreast it would have been ok. So maybe the parents need to think a bit too.

But I know that if I had been there with a young child and another adult knocked them off their bike then I would be upset - so I am sorry.

I'm still learning about mountain biking and today was another lesson.