Lessons Learned While Riding (Bikes)

I passed the 400 mile mark on my bike yesterday and am now up to 419 miles, enough to get down to "the OC." Consequently, I've learned a thing or two that I didn't know before.

Lesson 1: Squirrels are magnetically attracted to moving bicycles.

Close Squirrel Encounter of the First Kind: You see a live or dead squirrel either 1) on the road or 2) thinking about entering the road as you ride by. These are by far the most common squirrel encounters.

Close Squirrel Encounter of the Second Kind: A squirrel darts out onto the road just as you're riding by, barely missing your wheels and/or defying the laws of physics by weaving its way through your spokes, unharmed. I've had two of these - they seem to occur every 150 miles or so. That means I'm due for another one soon!

Close Squirrel Encounter of the Third Kind: Your bike hits the squirrel.

Close Squirrel Encounter of the Fourth Kind: After hitting the squirrel, parts of its now mutilated body splash on your clothing and/or enter your eyes, nose, or mouth.

Lesson 2: Cyclists are friendly.

Like everybody else on the road, I'm a friendly cyclist. I nod in acknowledgement or give a little wave to other riders as they go by, and they do the same. When riding ahead of someone, the lead cyclist will helpfully point out any road hazards with their finger. About 90% of the cyclists going the other way look at me as they go by (either they're checking out my bike, my outfit, or my rippling leg muscles). When I pass someone (which, I'm happy to report, happens with greater and greater frequency now; yesterday, for example, I passed about 12 guys total!), I always give them a chipper "Hello!" or "How ya doin'?" This, however, does not hold true when I'm struggling to go up a hill and/or to breathe, at which point courtesy is thrown out the window and I focus just on making it to the top.

Lesson 3: There are a lot of bugs flying around.

Getting hit directly on your eyeball by a large bug when you're zooming over 30 mph feels like getting sucker punched. I saw stars. I really need to buy some shades.

Lesson 4: A difference of one mile per hour means something to me now.

Yesterday, I beat my best time by averaging 16.5 mph. My previous best was 15.4. That may not seem like much of a difference, but it really is. On big hills, depending on how long or steep they are and how tired I am, I average anywhere between 10 and 15 mph. My average mph really depends on how I do on those hills as my speed stays pretty consistent on the flats and the downhills. I'm getting stronger and stronger on the hills - hills I used to dread now stand no chance against me. My mantra from the moment I bought my bike has been "Any hill! Any hill!" I've pledged to never stop on a hill again, no matter how steep, and so far I've been able to do that.