Interesting Data

Since I’m not really training for anything at the moment I’ve gotten back on top of the bike commuting. I rode to work and back twice this week. The route to work isn’t super easy, being a 38 mile round trip with, according to my Garmin Forerunner anyway, about 5600′ of climbing. That seems a bit high, but there are definitely some hills.

Anyway,  while commuting I’m trying not to take things too seriously – that means not paying any attention to my heart rate, speed, or cadence. Overall it has made my two trips so far a lot more enjoyable. I can just ride without concern if my cadence is right, how fast I’m going, or if I’m going too hard. The interesting thing is my cadence: on Tuesday my average cadence to work was 83, and on the way home it was 82. Today it was 82 both ways. I’m surprised that it is so consistent, especially since I’m not paying any attention to it at all.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Big changes are taking place at work: new coffee cups. Instead of the old Styrofoam-ish cups, which insulated well, we now have ‘eco-containers’ which is just a fancy name for recycled paper cups. Along with those cups there are slide on cardboard sleeves, presumably also made from recycled paper, so you can carry it without burning your fingers. Some people this morning were complaining about the new set up because now they have to “waste more” when they want coffee. Or you could just bring in a reusuable coffee cup and wash it at the end of the day.

Turn Signals

For the few people out there that haven’t figured this out, cars come with turn signals. They are typically activated by moving a lever, normally placed to the left of the steering wheel, up or down depending on if you want to turn right or left. Conveniently, these levers are placed close enough to the steering wheel that the turn signals can be activated without removing your hands from the wheel. Turn signals are used as a communication device to make other motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians aware of what you intend to do. Take the situation I was in earlier: riding through downtown on my way home I was planning to turn right at the next street. Although there was plenty of room on the right to safely pass the cars, I decided to hang back knowing that some of the cars ahead were probably going to turn as well, even through no turn signals had been activated. As I and the car in front of me approached the intersection it began to slow down, even though no cars were in front of it. It seemed as though they were waiting for me to pass before the upcoming turn – but still, no turn signal. (By the way, I really appreciate this. Lot of cyclists are hit in right hook accidents in these situations.) Rather than pass I again chose to hold back. After a few seconds they started moving again and then, as they began their turn, put their signal on. Clearly we both would have gotten home a few second sooner had they just put their signal on in the first place.  But really this is just about being courteous to everyone else sharing the roads and sidewalk with you. So remember, turn signals are for telling everyone what you are planning to do, not what you are in the process of doing.

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