(no subject)

[camwyn]

21 miles today. Home to Jersey City to the Hudson River Walkway through Port Imperial, then up to regular roads and down Broadway into Bayonne, then across the Bayonne Bridge and back. Granted, I had to get off and walk for the central span of the bridge, but that was because of a) signs forbidding bicycling and b) the desire not to die. The pedestrian walkway on the central part of the bridge is quite narrow and there is a safety rail that comes up to about a hand or so higher than my waist, but there is no fence atop that save for two areas where the purpose is very obviously to keep idiot pedestrians from climbing up onto the bridge's maintenance access. If the wind picks up while one is crossing the center of the bridge, well... anyway, like I said, I got off and walked there. Made it to the Staten Island side, took a picture of the borough sign, debated picking a mulberry off one of the trees there- they overhang that part of the sidewalk- and opted not to. Turned around and came back home, getting on the light rail at Danforth St. or Ave. or whatever the hell Danforth is, because I'd done the twenty I wanted for the day and I really just wanted to stop pedaling at that point. The last mile came into play because I had to ride home from Hoboken Terminal.

Will be showering in a bit. Right now I just need to sit on something that's wider than my pelvis.

Comments

[hlwoods.livejournal.com]

Have you considered switching bike seats? My endurance for biking drastically improved when I switched to a "no pressure" bike seat. (Basically, oval, and no tongue in the middle.) Without the tongue in the middle of the seat pressing down (or rather up?) I found that the pressure was much more manageable, and less painful.

[camwyn]

Actually, this one is a saddle designed for a woman's pelvis. It's currently mounted at the wrong angle- I need to tip it forward. Part of the problem is that I have a commuter bike rather than a road bike, so the frame geometry is a lot more oriented towards 'upright' than 'leaning forward over handlebars', and my weight is in places it's not really supposed to be.

[hlwoods.livejournal.com]

My bad jumping to conclusions. :)

Oddly enough, I've always preferred the more upright position. Growing up dutch will do that, I suspect. Still congrats on the biking. 20 miles a day is a loooong bike.

[camwyn]

Nah, it's okay. Perfectly reasonable mistake to make, considering how many bike saddles are designed for male riders.

I don't mind the upright position so much most of the time, but it does result in an 'off' distribution of weight. And in a bit of back pain if I do more than forty or so miles, since I'm weirdly arched. I'm currently hoping to get a used road bike between now and the actual event, just to make matters a bit easier. Also to get drop handlebars because it'd be nice to be able to change grip position.

And thank you. Once I get the tire dealt with tonight I'll be riding again, but depending on how long the tire change takes it might be as few as ten miles. Still, we'll see.

[hlwoods.livejournal.com]

If that's your picture in your icon, you're a lot skinnier than I am. When I lean forward, bad things get squished in painful ways, up to and including lungs. Breathing is so important, when exercising, I've found. :) (Technically, the way I sit up, I'm not slouching but my back is arched the other way. Maximum breathing opportunities. Or will be, in December, when the mercury finally drops enough to make biking possible again.)

[camwyn]

That's an older picture, from a few years back. These days I weigh around 192 pounds (I say around because that was my weight at the doctor's office in April and I don't own a scale, so I don't know what I weigh right now). I plan on getting a new one taken during the Gran Fondo or just after it, mostly for accuracy's sake.

Breathing hasn't been an issue with my riding posture, thankfully. Mostly it's been either back pain or hand issues- during the Ride to Montauk two years ago I had my left ulnar nerve say 'oh *!(&)&( this' around about mile marker 20 and by the end of the ride the ring and pinky fingers on my left hand were tingling to the point of not being able to feel them much from pressure on the nerve. Mind you, I changed hand positions a lot during that ride, but still. Took me two weeks to get those fingers back.