Living it up in the Nation's Capital
As I have been cycling, I have discovered that the temperature makes a difference. When it is hot, especially humid, it seems to be harder to pedal. Now that I am 30, perhaps my old joints mind the humidity ;P
15 min and 45 seconds, 5.21 miles, 19.3 avg mph, 31.9 max mph.
Granted it was downhill most of the way, but I am pretty happy that I averaged close to 20 mph!
Some stats for today…
From Georgetown U to World Market in Friendship Heights 16:52, 4.0 mi, 14.2 avg mph, 28.0 max.
From World Market Home 17:24, 5.24 mi, 18.1 avg mph, 29.1 max.
So on my commute via Giant TCR C2 down P Street NW, I am stopped at a light with another cyclist. He looks familiar and then it hit me….he was Henry from WABA. We chatted a bit as we traveled between stop lights and 4 way stops in Georgetown. I let him know that if it weren’t for my volunteering at the Cherry Blossom Festival at the Bike Valet that WABA organized, I would probably not have considered getting a bike when the GUTS Dupont bus route changed.
My last bike I left in Rochester was a Huffy 18 speed mountain bike. It was yellow, produced in the early 1990’s before 1994, and built like a tank. I remember 1994 as that was the hear I took my bike on a road trip through Camp Casowasco, a church camp in the Fingerlakes region of NY State. Let’s just say that you should not take a mountain bike on a road trip! I was always last and had so much resistance that I needed to petal down the hills!
My current bike is a Giant TCR C2. I talked about this in an earlier post. This is a racing inspired road bike and I have been able to hit 30 pretty easily and upper 20s on the flat stretches. I did get my first flat however due to road glass this past Wed on my way to Job #2.
So, I just wanted to thank Henry and everyone else at WABA or who is a WABA member as I am, for organizing Bike to Work Day and for advocating for cyclists in the greater DC area! You have inspired me to become a lifetime cyclist and as long as my knees hold up, plan to ride often to offset the rising gas prices and public trans fees which can add up.
I also want to thank Hudson Trail Outfitters and City Bikes who transformed my initial bike wish being a hybrid with disk brakes and internal gear hub to a road bike with caliper brakes and standard 20 speed drive train! I know It was tough to get me to rethink my requirements, but when weight came into play, the lighter components won out and I am very happy with my road bike!
Ahh…a nice sunny day. I am thankful that I rode my bike earlier as it is currently sunny and 79 degrees downtown in the Nation’s Capitol. I have been commuting for about 2 months now I think and have put 400 miles on my bike and less than $20 on my Smarttrip Metro Card 🙂 I will have to see how long I can do this. I am hoping to ride year round except on those days when the roads are icy, but should not have to worry about that for several months.
My commute to GU used to take me around 15-20 minutes of walking and then, assuming no wait for the shuttle bus, a 10 minute ride to the campus from Dupont Circle. My commute to World Market used to include the 10 minute ride on the shuttle bus to Dupont Circle and then a 20 minute ride to Friendship Heights on the Metro. With trains coming every 2-3 minutes, the wait time was negligible. Normally I would arrive at World Market a few minutes before 6 pm and many times was rushed to get there depending if I was delayed leaving GU and had to wait in line to get on a shuttle bus during rush hour.
Now..with my bike, I average between 12 and 17 mph and get to GU from home in less than 14 minutes! Today it took 13:44. My commute to World Market no longer necessitates a ride to Dupont to catch the Metro, instead I head north on Wisconsin Ave and get there in less than 20 minutes! While it is an uphill ride, the time to ride there at a leisurely pace is still less than the bus and metro.
Riding home from World Market is very nice. After a long day, the 6 mile ride home is mostly downhill. I have reached 32.5 mph. While I am scared of going that fast for fear of that unexpected pothole or stone, the ride is exhilarating and tend to go as fast as I am able.
Not only has getting a bike helped me shorten my commute and wake up later 🙂 It has also helped me become more aware of the bike initiative in DC and also come to appreciate spandex! LOL. Good thing bike riding is healthy because those clothes are very form fitting and revealing.