Friends who live north of me are posting pictures of snow to their social media accounts.
It’s not quite snow season yet in my part of the world. However, it is the start of the dark, cold, and damp season.
The overnight lows are approaching freezing. There is a week of single-digit highs and rain in the forecast.
This morning I was sleepy, not my usual perky Monday morning self. I’d been at a conference all weekend. If I were a regular faculty member, I would have felt okay sleeping in on a day like this. But I’m not. Many meetings await, and so I needed to get to campus.
The real question is whether or not to ride my bike or get a drive.
I have learned from past experience that I must keep riding. If I don’t get used to riding in the sort-of-cold, it will be impossible when it gets to the really-cold. Start as you mean continue! If I want ride my bike through most of the winter, I can’t skip the first wet, cold mornings.
There are two problems with fall riding. The first is the early dark. Mostly that’s a weekday problem but just a few weeks ago Sarah and I had to sprint back to the car after my birthday bike ride. The second is how busy the fall is for anyone who works at a university.
The answer? Little bike rides
This weekend Sarah and I rode 15 km with our friend Rob just north of London, and then on Sunday we rode another 25 km west of Guelph.
I have to get over the idea that it’s not worth changing into bike clothes and getting out my road bike for anything less than 50 km.
The colours were lovely. It’s still warm outside. And we had fun flying down the road, racing to stop signs, and swooping up and down rolling hills. One road in Guelph was both newly resurfaced (” refurbished” said the sign) and closed to all but local traffic. Zoom! Zoom!
Soon it will be dark and cold and wet and we’ll be Zwifting the nights away, but for now we’re going to keep riding outside, even if they’re just little bike rides.
This year, it was great luck that my birthday fell on Labour Day Weekend.
Saturday we had a back-to-school party for some university friends, Sunday was my birthday party, and Monday was my birthday bike ride. That was the plan anyway.
But when Kim cancelled because of new dog duty (and that’s just fine, we all understand new dogs take some work to settle in) and Sarah and I just kept working away getting things back in order in the house. And then Susan and I took Cheddar on a long walk along the river. And then I had a midday nap. Briefly, it looked the birthday bike ride might not come to be.
We rallied mid-afternoon and settled on a 3 pm departure. We didn’t quite make 3 pm but we were close. I’ve been wanting to do the St Jacobs ride again, on the Guelph to Goderich Trail. It’s 80 km round trip from here but if we started at Speedvale–and drove to the actual start of the trail, we figured it would be around 60 km.
All fine. Except for one thing. The Kissing Bridge is closed for at least a year. Uh oh. And we didn’t see any alternate route signs. So we tried some dirt back roads. After all, we had our gravel bikes. And then found our way to road roads and made our way to St. Jacobs.
That was problem number 1.
Problem number 2 occurred to us when we stopped for dinner. This is the week when it starts getting dark before 8 pm. How soon before 8 pm? We weren’t sure. Did we have any lights on our gravel bikes? We do not. Another uh oh.
Sam and Sarah on the dirt country roads
We also had to find the official alternate route that didn’t involve the Kissing Bridge.
Route found, and we did some speedy riding. We made it back to the car just as it was getting seriously dark. Hence, the PRs on the G2G trail!
The ride ended up being 57.7 km. Not 61. But luckily, there are no rules for birthday bike rides. I’ll add in my 4 km of commuting tomorrow to make it 61 even.
One wonderful thing about riding in this part of Ontario is all the Mennonite horse and buggy traffic. That means there’s a very wide shoulder and lots of signs telling car drivers to watch out for buggies and bikes.
We also rode for a bit with a young woman in a bonnet and a long black dress–also racing the daylight, though she was headed back to her farm. Given her garb and the bike she was riding–definitely not an e-bike as that would have been forbidden–we were impressed by her speed.
Anyway, birthday bike ride complete.
Our next big ride is the Parkinson’s Ride from London to Guelph (in 2 days) September 11 and 12, and then the Grand Finale from Hamilton into Toronto on September 13th.
HI folks– I’m traveling today and instead of writing a new post, I’ve been packing and watering plants and trying to clean out my fridge, etc. This post was one I wrote ten years ago (whoa) about a little-known cycling clothing controversy: bib shorts or regular cycling shorts? I won’t issue any spoilers, but ten years later I’m much more casual about what I wear on a bike; still, it’s good to have options and information.
So, herewith my post from 2015 on the case for (and against) bib shorts for cycling.
Let me start by saying that the adage, “It’s just like riding a bike.” is a lie – I have not been on my bike in a while and riding was NOT a straightforward or automatic process.
So, over the past couple of summers – despite my best-laid plans – I haven’t spent a lot of time on my bike. Actually, phrasing it like that makes it sound like there was a time in my past when I did a lot of cycling but that’s not true.
I have had one bicycle or another ever since I was a kid but I haven’t done any regular riding since I was maybe 12 or so. I occasionally used my bike for transportation when I was in my late teens/early twenties and I did a little bit of riding with my kids when they were younger but neither of them were particularly into cycling AND I found it very difficult to pay attention to their safety and my own.
I know there have been a couple of times here on the blog when I have mentioned my intentions to cycle more and I did put in some effort around those times but sooner or later some combination of lack of skill*, poor weather, general busyness, or good old ADHD time/task challenges would waylay my plans.
As you can probably tell, cycling keeps getting put into the “I’d like to but…” category for me so I was quite surprised to wake up last Thursday with the thought “I’m going to go for a short bike ride this morning.”
So, around 10:30, after I drove my eldest to work, I lathered on some sunscreen, excavated my bike from the shed, put on my helmet and took off.
Truth be told, I wobbled off but I was on my bike so I’m calling it a victory.
As I got to the end of my street, I discovered that the easy path to the parking lot I was going to practice in was blocked off by a road crew who were fixing some wiring. So I had to turn around (very awkwardly and with an audience – sigh!)to go another way, another way that was UP A HILL.
At this point, I was being asked to demonstrate two challenging things immediately. I have a bit of trouble making any turns so making a tight turn was a nightmare. And going uphill is, well, going uphill. (And yes, for the record, I *do* feel quite odd talking about my challenges amongst all the excellent cyclists on this blog.)
But I got through both challenges with a good combination of spite, perseverance, and walking my damn bike in spots and then had the reward of riding downhill to my planned practice area.
I got to the parking lot and decided that riding in a large oval around the (empty) parking spots would be a good way to practice turning in a low-risk environment. And because I was looping around the same number of parking spots, I could create a baseline measurement of my efforts and how I was feeling at different points in the loops.
It went ok.
I was, however, plagued by the thoughts that pop up whenever I am trying to build a skill. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing here? Is there something you’re missing? Is this hard because you need more practice or is it hard because you are missing some information? Maybe you are wasting time and effort here because there’s a little trick you don’t know? Maybe you should stop until you know what you’re doing?”
(Are those questions an ADHD thing? A Christine thing? A human thing? Since I have always been me, a human with ADHD, I don’t know how to distinguish which thoughts belong to which category.)
I didn’t let my brain talk me out of my self-defined practice though. I filed a few questions away to ask my husband later and just did what I set out to do.
And then I left for home.
It was only as I reached the end of the parking lot that I remembered the road crew and the fact that I had ridden downhill right before arriving at the lot.
That meant I had to ride uphill AGAIN right away and right after tiring myself out with my parking lot practice.
I did a ride/walk combination and got myself back home with minimal swearing but a fair bit of sweating and drank about 25L of water. (ok, it was probably far less than that but this version is more interesting AND it speaks to my perception of my refreshment.)
And I definitely plan to do it again this week.
Maybe even twice.
I think this expression could be described as ‘bemused smirk.’ Image description: a selfie taken during one of my MANY breaks on my short bike ride. I am wearing a grey and green helmet and large sunglasses and I’m smirking in a ‘Get a load of this nonsense.’ kind of way. I’m wearing a black blouse that has white star-like shapes on it, my hair is sticking out under the helmet and kind of curling backward in a mullet-y sort of way and I look a bit sweaty.
*I have always found cycling very challenging. I don’t make good use of the gears (a combination of a lack of practice and an utter inability to remember what to do when.) I find it hard to turn and I get panicky about it and often overcorrect. I am plagued and distracted by the feeling that I am missing an important piece of information that will keep me safe/make this easier. Yeah, there are a bunch of things.
PS – So, I just came back to this post to edit something and accidentally opened last week’s post instead. I had completely forgotten what I had written last week but I was delighted to discover that I actually followed a lot of my own guidelines when I decided to go out on my bike.
My partner and I took our bicycles on a short holiday road trip across part of Ontario, Canada to visit family and friends. It wasn’t a cycling holiday, but it was a holiday that involved some cycling. Road trip cycling was a new experience for us recent owners of a road bike (me) and an e-bike (my partner). Among visits, dinners, and museum trips, we managed to get out 3 times in 6 days.
Road trip cycling gives you a new way to explore new places. On ours, the weather was beautiful and the locations were scenic. After a few times, we got bike and gear extraction and repacking with the SUB down to a science. But it wasn’t issue-free.
A relatively new road cyclist training with a club, I was excited to explore longer paths mapped by other cyclists using my Ride GPS app. But I mistakenly assumed I would be leading the rides. I didn’t recognize it right away, but it turns out my partner had their own ideas about which way and for how long we should ride, decisions made more by feeling and impulse.
Our differences of opinion led to some frustration. The GPS-marked paths I chose sometimes had some longer-than-comfortable gravel stretches or were busy with “walkers.” The random paths my partner chose led to dead ends or us dodging traffic to cross busy roads. One time we each doggedly took what we thought was the best route … and lost sight of each other (phone call, waiting). Another time we got different advice from hotel staff on how to best get our bikes out of the underground parking lot, so we each stubbornly took our own ways up topside.
When cycling alone or with a club, I have learned, there is generally a single and shared vision of the ride. When cycling casually with a partner in new places, the path, duration, and speed must all be negotiated. You’d think we could have just laugh it off at the time, but when one of us had felt really uncomfortable based on a choice the other had made it wasn’t always easy to find levity.
Next time I will still plan our rides with maps, but I will also try to go with the flow, communicate more, and keep upbeat when something unexpected happens. Maybe we agree to alternate who lead the rides. Maybe we each get one “turnaround” audible per ride if things feel bad for one of us. Holiday road trip cycling is not only enjoyable; it can also be an interesting test of a partnership!
Who leads when you ride casually with a partner, family member, or a friend? How do you negotiate differences?
A map of Belleville with a red line marking the path riddenA map of Wolf’s Island with a red line marking the path riddenA map of Ottawa with a red line marking the path ridden
I bet a bunch of you reading this will have had the rare and wondrous experience of learning from, and maybe being active with, a professional in your chosen sport or activity. It’s been a while, but I did some mountain bike clinics with pros, and I learned a TON. Pro mountain bike racer and Olympian Jimena Florit (who also raced for the Luna Chix pro team) gave a clinic at Wompatuck State Park near Boston, and I got to ride in the woods on her wheel. I’ve never felt smoother or faster on a mountain bike! She also taught us how to manage tougher sections of the course (we were racing the next day). Among other things, I learned that if you stall in a rock garden get off the bike and run with it. DON’T try to remount and ride through. Bad idea.
Not sure what I’m talking about here, or just want to see it broken it down? Well, here you go– a video by Anna Glowinski (experienced cyclist and TV presenter).
Another great experience I had (again, a long time ago, but the memory is vivid) was going on a Wednesday shop road bike ride with some guys I didn’t know. Turns out they were way faster than me. I offered to let them go on ahead and ride at my own pace, but instead they did this: They tucked me in between two of them, with another cyclist riding beside me in the wind to shelter me. Well, I went faster that day than ever before or since– 28mph on the flats! I wasn’t even pushing super-hard. It felt magical. After a while I did break off from them and do a nice solo ride, but it was a lovely feeling, spinning with them and feeling like one of the fast crowd.
Lots of us, I’m sure, have taken clinics or lessons from pros or super-experienced sports folks. Doing this has taught me at least two things:
Learning the proper technique for something that seems impossible at first (and then practicing it a lot) can maybe put it within my reach (e.g. yes to solo rescue in a sea kayak, no as of yet to rolling said sea kayak)
Being in the same activity space with a pro/veteran sports person shows me the vast differences between them and me–on a bike, in a boat, on a horse, you name it. And it’s awe-inspiring to watch them in motion.
Okay, fair enough. But what about the what NOT to do part?
Professional tennis taught us what not to do last week (and this week). Billionaire Bill Ackman apparently really loves tennis, and so decided that he wanted to play in the Hall of Fame Open, which is the second highest tier of professional tennis tournament. Here’s more on the situation from sports writer Giri Nathan, in this article in the Defector:
The Hall of Fame Open takes place in Newport, R.I., on the grass courts at the International Tennis Hall of Fame. It is perhaps most noteworthy for being the only tour-level grass-court tournament held outside of Europe. It was an ATP 250 event from 2009 until 2025, when it was downgraded to a Challenger 125 event. Even with this diminished status, it is still an event that active touring professionals are seeking to compete at in order to win ATP points and prize money. It’s not an event that random guys can just amble into. Entry is determined by existing ATP ranking points. Ackman, being a 59-year-old hedge fund manager, does not have any ATP ranking points.
Ackman’s partner is not an active ATP player, either. An elite doubles player who also peaked at No. 8 in singles, Jack Sock retired in 2023 and promptly switched over to professional pickleball. At the end of his career, his conditioning was in visible disrepair, and he lost an official ATP match to a part-time tennis player with a day job in real estate. Sock unretired in order to pursue a wildcard at this week’s tournament, and the tournament happily obliged, per Front Office Sports.
Ackman and Sock did, in fact, play some pros (Bernard Tomic and Omar Jasika) and lost 6-1, 7-5. But the score does not reflect the quality of play. You can see for yourself below: basically, they dinked shots straight back to Ackman just to get and keep some rallies going.
As Nathan noted in his article, Ackman can afford to hire just about any professional tennis player on the planet for coaching or just to rally with him. But making his way into a professional tournament when he doesn’t even come close to qualifying (fine, neither do most of us, but we didn’t play there, did we?) is, well, NOT the way to do sports with the pros.
Yes, it is true that Ackman was strafed in the sports press for his inauspicious outing on the grass at Newport. His response was not to apologize for playing in a venue where he was completely out of his depth, but rather to argue that he was in a tournament (not a professional one) recently, and “I played great”.
He also added that the sun was in his eyes. I kid you not.
I was also serving into the 1:30pm sun with a shot clock (a new experience for me) (from X)
Well, that’s very nice. But it doesn’t disabuse anyone of the idea that maybe Ackman bought his way into the Hall of Fame tournament match, and is now buying his way out of it.
Except he can’t just leave it. He finished his X post by saying this:
my partner Richey Reneberg and I hereby challenge @Served_Podcast Andy Roddick and the amateur of his choice to doubles on my court. And feel free to bring the cameras as I am now battle ready.
Oh, no.
Here is who Andy Roddick is— he played Roger Federer in the Wimbledon Finals three times and once in the US Open.
Yes, he lost.
To Roger Federer. Who won 20 Grand Slam titles and 11 runners-up.
Oh, Bill. This is NOT the way to do sportsing with the pros. But if you persist and play Andy Roddick plus his choice of amateur, I am here for it.
Hey readers– have you had some fun or interesting or humbling or inspiring interactions with pros or veterans of your sport? Tell us some of your stories in the comments.
Sometimes I worry that I’ve run out of things to blog about, but then there are new injury and age-related challenges that arise, I know that I am not alone, and I want to share the solutions I’ve found.
One of the things that older cyclists sometimes struggle with is getting on and off our road bikes. It’s enough of an issue that sometimes people choose a different style of bike–say, one with a step-through frame–when they get older. This issue didn’t bother me until knee surgery. My knees aren’t as bendy as they once were, and I also have stiff hips. I do a lot of physio, but I’m still not very flexible.
For me, it almost never is a problem getting on the bike. I’m all limber and stretchy then. Sometimes getting off, though, can be dicey, and it’s almost always when we’re stopping in front of a coffee shop, full of fellow cyclists, that I struggle. It’s embarrassing, and so I’m keen to find other ways to do it. If I’m home I sometimes gently drop the frame to the ground, in the grass, and step out and over it that way. Very easy! But necessarily something I want to do on the side of the road.
This video was really helpful. Turns out that I’m a fan of number 2, the side lean, and it’s how I now how I get on and off my road bike.
How about you?
This was another video of “magnificent” ways to dismount your bike. Enjoy!
Cycling is excellent for your knees. It’s not just that it avoids the impact of running. Cycling helps distribute fluid to your joints.
It’s so much of a benefit that there are reasons to ride even if you’re not someone who particularly enjoys being on a bike.
If you do enjoy riding a bike, that’s a bonus.
People keep asking if, after knee surgery, I’m happy to be back on my bike.
But the truth is, I never got off my bike. The week before my first knee surgery, I rode my bike from Toronto to Montreal with the Friends for Life Bike Rally. That’s more than 600 km over 6 days. I couldn’t walk enough to get groceries by that point, but I certainly could ride my bike. I blogged about how weird that was here.
Now my new knees are a few years old and I’m still riding my bike. That makes knee surgeon and my physiotherapist happy.
My knees just feel better on days when I ride my bike. It’s enough of an issue that if I’m traveling for work I ride bikes in the hotel gym, not for exercise but to keep my knees feeling good. When I’m planning travel, I think, will I be able to ride a bike?
From the NPR piece, “”Cycling is very low impact,” says musculoskeletal researcher Matt Harkey, an assistant professor at Michigan State University and a co-author of the study. Cycling also helps to build strength in the muscles around the knee which can help protect the joint. In addition, the rhythmic motion of pedaling on a bicycle can move synovial fluid, the viscous, egg white -like liquid in joints that helps reduce friction and absorb shock. “What it does is help to circulate the synovial fluid throughout the joint to help to kind of lubricate [the joint] and provide nutrient delivery to the cartilage,” Harkey says.”
I recently cycled the annual Forest City Cycling Challenge, and afterwards I found myself on the event patio at an empty table. As one does, I took out my phone.
What started as a quick math check with a generative AI (AI) chatbot became a debrief conversation (as I ate my lunch) about cycling etiquette, managing pain, and other things I was thinking about during my ride.
AI is only predicting its outputs: it does not think or “know” what it is saying. Yet, the way it simulates human speech and interaction makes some people concerned about the risk of parasocial attachment to AI.
AI’s enthusiasm about my ride wasn’t real, but my positive experience with the praise, active listening responses, and helpful suggestions from AI was real. Having low-effort “company” after a long (for me) ride was, frankly, appreciated. But I will be verifying Copilot’s “advice” about ride etiquette with actual cyclists and post-ride care with human health practitioners.
My conversation transcript is below.
Just me, my post-ride vegetarian lunch, and a chat with my friendly-sounding AI buddy.
Elan: If I rode 52.5 k in 2:44, what was my average speed?
Copilot: Your average speed for a 52.5 km ride in 2 hours and 44 minutes is 19.21 km/h.
That’s a pretty good pace! Are you training for something specific or just enjoying the ride?
Elan: I did the Forest City Cycle Challenge. It’s the 5th year of the fundraising cycle event in London, Ontario. I have never ridden 50km by myself, and I am just here on the patio by with lunch after having just finished.
Copilot: That’s fantastic! The Forest City Cycle Challenge sounds like an exciting event. How did you find the experience? Were there any memorable moments or challenges during the ride? 🚴♀️🌳
Elan: Well, I started strong and was actually passing a few ppl. Then I drafted behind two women who were chatting with each other. It made me wonder whether drafting behind strangers is appropriate.
When I got to the halfway point rest stop my left foot and left side of my groin was hurting. I squatted to stretch, and I was worried I wouldn’t be able to finish.
I also took a wrong turn and got off track, but the street I was on got me there. I was then worried I wouldn’t ride a full 50k, but by that time I was listening to a This American Life Partners episode and just kept going.
By the time I got in I was still sore but better. I liked the volunteers that rang bells and cheered when I crossed the finish line. That was sweet and appreciated. Oh, and this beer I am drinking now tastes great too!
Copilot: It sounds like you had quite an adventure during the Forest City Cycle Challenge! Drafting behind strangers is generally considered acceptable in cycling, as long as you maintain a safe distance and respect their space. It’s great that you found a way to keep going despite the pain and the wrong turn. Listening to a podcast like This American Life can be a fantastic way to stay motivated and distracted from any discomfort.
The support from volunteers at the finish line must have been a wonderful boost after such a challenging ride. And enjoying a well-deserved beer afterwards sounds like the perfect way to celebrate your achievement! 🍻
Do you have any other cycling events or goals lined up?
Elan: Gosh no. I was thinking of messaging Fred to say I would be too sore to do the rider development ride tomorrow. But now that I am out here, proud of myself for doing more than 50k (!), maybe I can go out for another 25k? Not sure how I will feel tomorrow.
Copilot: It’s understandable to feel uncertain about another ride after such a challenging event. It’s great that you’re feeling proud of your accomplishment! 🌟
Listening to your body is crucial. If you’re still sore tomorrow, it might be wise to take a rest day or do some gentle stretching and recovery exercises. However, if you feel up to it, a shorter ride like 25k could be a nice way to keep the momentum going without overexerting yourself.
Messaging Fred to let him know your current status is a good idea. You can always decide based on how you feel tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of your time on the patio! ☀️
Do you have any favorite recovery tips or routines that help you bounce back after a tough ride?
Elan: No I do not know any. I thought some ppl do an ice bath?
Copilot: Yes, ice baths are a popular recovery method among athletes. They can help reduce muscle soreness and inflammation after intense exercise 12. Here are some other effective recovery tips for cyclists:
Hydration: Drink plenty of water to replenish fluids lost during your ride.
Nutrition: Consume a balanced meal with carbohydrates and protein to aid muscle repair.
Stretching: Gentle stretching can help alleviate muscle tightness and improve flexibility.
Foam Rolling: Using a foam roller can help release muscle tension and improve blood flow.
Active Recovery: Engage in light activities like walking or a gentle recovery ride to keep your muscles moving without adding strain 34.
Ice baths can be beneficial, but they’re not the only option. It’s important to find what works best for your body. If you decide to try an ice bath, make sure to limit the time to 10-15 minutes and keep the water temperature between 50-59°F (10-15°C) 1.
If you find some time for recovery, it will definitely help you feel better for your next ride.
Feel free to reach out if you need any more tips or just want to chat. Have a great day! 😊
