Getting Up to Speed

First of all: that first post was a fake. We'd already committed to doing the STP and have started a little bit of training and equipment-gathering, but have just agreed to start blogging about training and on the fly I felt like that would be an easy way to start our conversation. You probably don't care, but I wanted to get that out of the way early so we can get right to posting regularly. I have lots of guilt about lying (raised Catholic, can't help it).

So, it's now 166 days until the 2014 STP ride and to date I have purchased a new bike, taken a few short rides, and ramped up my spin-class schedule in anticipation of the ride.  The official training guide doesn't have us starting until the second week of February, so I feel mostly OK with where I am, although I am considerably less-fit than most of the people who embark on the ride so I'm a little nervous that I won't be ready.

Maybe let me say a little about who I am to provide some context. I love riding my bike. The bike I just bought for the STP is the fourth one in my shed (more about that purchase in another post) but I really hate the idea of getting rid of any of the others. 

My favorite thing to do when I'm traveling and the weather is decent is to rent a bike and go for a nice chill ride and I've been lucky enough to do that a fair amount over the past few years. 

V at Yosemite National Park.

Pretty little ride in Stockholm

On the Brooklyn Bridge

On the Big Island of Hawaii

Riding in Belgium

I love biking for local errands to the grocery store or the coffee shop. I have this beautiful Public bike that I bought down in Portland a few years ago and it is the most adorable thing I've ever seen. Truth be told, it's not entirely practical and not comfortable for anything the least bit strenuous or even for a long ride. I keep intending to work on adjusting it or forcing it into my life more, but never seem to get around to it. But I do love looking at her -- and she's got a nice rack (that's what she said) for carrying panniers or a basket.

Isn't she pretty? Perfect for a short ride to do some blackberry picking.

I am also a fair-weather commuter and ride the 8+ miles to work on my Giant pedal-assisted bike (which I adore) primarily during summer months. My aversion to off-season commuting isn't about avoiding getting wet or cold so much as it is terror around riding in the dark. I'm generally brave and comfortable riding on all types of roads, but I get creeped out when it's dark and I'm constantly worried about someone coming up behind me in a car and running in to me. My work hours are usually in the neighborhood of 8a to 6p, which means full-light commuting only from about April until October. 

Riding over the Lake Union bridge on my evening commute.

And finally, I spent the last year living in London and commuting about two miles most days on this amazing little folding bike, which was the only thing I could carry up the stairs to my apartment. It's truly a pleasure to ride, and was really instrumental to me getting over my fear of the truly wretched and dangerous London streets.

My beautiful folding Dahon, outside my flat in London.

So to sum it all up, I like to ride often, just not very hard or very far. I take 45-minute spin classes at Flywheel, which are usually about 20 miles and that is absolutely the farthest I've ever biked in one go.  So I'm alternating between being very excited about doing the STP to being terrified that I've bitten off more than I can chew.

- V