Even with a late start (6:15 am) it was still dark for much of my ride. But I cruised through town with my Phantom JetLite perched on my head. I had to ride a little slower because I can't see the pot holes and other obstructions as well as in daylight. One remedy for this would be to mount the light on my handlebars instead of my head. But I also like to use the light as a warning device. A nice flash at flanking cars really gets a driver's attention. I set the light at the lowest of three settings to conserve the battery but it is still blindingly bright.
It was about 50° this morning so I sported some not so tight tights that I got pretty cheap at Galyans. I bought two pairs and should have bought three or four since I ruined a pair over a season of adventure racing. I can never find anything like them without having to pay $80.
The Lakefront Trail was dead. A few runners and bicyclists sprinkled here and there. Once I got to Belmont there was little bit more life around. But my commute is getting a bit routine.
My hamstrings were in a bit of pain from over two weeks of inactivity. Even though I logged a lot of miles on my bike trip, I didn't exert myself to the level that I reach on my commutes. Or maybe I'm just getting older.
Roosevelt Road was pretty quick this morning. If I really grind in certain areas I can make critical lights and really cruise the last leg of my trip. I just have to avoid getting flattened by oncoming cars making left turns. The downhill stretch from the Chicago River to Canal Street is always satisfying as I scream past cars backed up at the light. Most times I get hung up at Canal but for some reason I got the green and sped all the way to the Dan Ryan Expressway. Then I seemed to have the wind at my back and green lights until Damen. All in all a very satisfying ride. And my GPS didn't crap out either.
Distance Traveled: 24.3 miles
Distance to date: 953.3 miles
Price of gas: $2.49
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment