May 6th & 7th - Training!

Since our Bike the US for MS trip is less than a month away (and I am in town more during the month of May), I have been making an effort to ride a bike as often as possible. Typically I have been taking advantage of this weather to get out and mountain bike since I am moving to the flat state of Minnesota after the summer. I figure, while in Blacksburg do as the Blacksburgians.

As far as road riding goes, I was able to get in a great afternoon ride yesterday, Thursday May 6th, with essentially a complete bike - got my red Ortlieb handlebar bag and map case from the Bike Barn in Blacksburg and have finally gotten hold of a few good bungee cords for my rear rack:


To up the ante a little bit, I decided to wake up bright and early this morning and do a back-to-back 30 mile ride with a lovely night of sleep in between. I got out of the house around 6:15 AM and hit the road just as the sun was burning the fog out of our hollow. It was a beautiful semi-chilly ride, but I could definitely feel it in the legs as the hills kept on coming (average speed yesterday = 15.1 mph, today = 14.8 mph) - sounds about time for some more mountain biking tonight :).



Riding with a handlebar bag is definitely a bonus. There is no more need to store all of my belongings (phone, wallet, camera, energy snack, etc.) in the rear pockets of my shirt. This has many pros, including: the energy snacks are no longer in the direct sunlight and melt much slower, my overall body temperature is slightly cooler, and I can also now carry my arm warmers for mornings like today. I am still not sure how effective the handlebar bag divider is since it moves whenever I hit a bump.

On a side note, part of my typical commute has "changed" as it looks like they are possibly starting some kind of Huckleberry Trail expansion (or at least adding an access road). For those familiar with the trail, this is at the very end of the trail right next to the New River Valley Mall.