Scariest ride on my Globe

The other night (about a month ago now, I thought I published this already) I rode up White’s hill with only my rear flashing light and 350 Lumen headlight to protect me from cars barreling up the steep and skinny road.  Of course with my luck the only point at which big trucks were passing me was in the beginning of the ascent when the road is the skinniest.  I realized that it was a bad idea pretty quickly, but there was literally no good place to turn around and I’m stubborn so I said a prayer and pressed on trying not to think of those you tube videos of assholes running bikers off of the road.  Luckily Marin is a very bike friendly area due in large part to the MCBC and the large population of courteous bikers.

White’s hill is a Cat 4 climb as it rises about 360 feet in just under a mile (per my Garmin GPS) and averages about an 8% grade which is no laughing matter for an 8 speed Globe Daily 02.  It is a tough hill during the day and even tougher at night.

The really scary part came on the down hill where I quickly realized that 350 Lumens is not enough when you are going 25 to 30 mph down a curvy road.  At that point I realized instincts were more important than my light.  Don’t get me wrong I wouldn’t have made it down the hill without that light, but it just wasn’t enough for sticks and stones.  Luckily I didn’t hit any random rocks, twigs, or deer.  I’m pretty sure my heart was beating faster at the bottom of the hill than at the top of the hill.  I don’t think I’ll do that again.  I like night riding, but I’ll stick to flatter ground next time.  Then again, it was pretty fun…

 

In with the Rain

Hello!

After a much-too-long vacation in India, I returned to find the skies pouring rain, and my miles still incomplete. After going for my first ride in the rain, I realized how much I’d missed my Globe bike! It’s lost it’s shine and looks a bit rusty, but I happily rode my familiar routes through Sausalito and Mill Valley, running errands, feeling like I was riding a new bike . This time, I appreciated the fenders, which are super effective and let me splash through pretty deep water (it pools up randomly all along the bike path).

Pooled water in Sausalito

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I didn’t really ride much in India in the cities because it’s too dangerous, but I did get an opportunity during early mornings to either ride or walk between our two family houses (a couple of miles apart).

Biking in the Village

Also, the village roads much more bike-friendly. However, the bicycle was in really bad shape and not my size so I was glad to come back to the Globe.

 

Paradise Loop

Well, today I did my longest ride yet during this challenge.  With the end of the 6-month period in sight, I needed some extra points so I decided to take advantage of this beautiful November day and take my Specialized Globe on a the Paradise loop from my house.  What can I say…. It was hard.  The total was 24 miles and it took me a long time.  While the sun was out for much of the ride, when I biked in the shade it was quite chilly.  The Garmin was a trusted friend as it motivated me to keep going as I watched the miles add up.  I didn’t bring my Timbuk2 bag as I tried to keep it light for this long journey.  I am going to be super sore tomorrow. 

Viktoriya