I cycle only to get somewhere on my ultimate commuter bike. Click here for The Ultimate Commuter Bike, my first post, that I personally still reference.
Thanks to Aaron for accompanying me on the journey!
Cleveland coming soon, hoping for a warm November to get to a Browns game!
Click here for a summary of my first bike trip to Cincinnati.
There aren’t many good videos on Ohio bike paths. I guess I’m going to have to make one.
My bike versus truck challenge is finished. It ran from August 2015 through January 2016. In the final 3 weeks of the challenge, I biked almost zero and drove my truck everywhere doing projects at my apartments and moving my stuff into storage. The final score was a crushing defeat by 250 miles:
Truck: 1924 miles
Bike: 1674 miles
The bike wins in the end, however, because I sold the truck! In addition to getting estimates from local dealerships, I put the truck on Craigslist and a dealership from North Carolina found it and sent an inspector by plane to inspect, buy, and drive the truck back to North Carolina. He had a refundable return plane ticket in case he found something wrong with the truck. I may have had to accept the local price of $2,000 less if my brother had not offered to buy it and sell it for me enabling me to hold out until the last day. It was a great truck, but I’m glad to have the cash!
I drove 157 miles this past week on many trips to Lowe’s and one trip to Delaware. I rode 0 miles. The bike is now in the lead by 1 mile, 1626 – 1625.
Answer to last week’s quiz question: I don’t know what kind of bird that is.
This week’s quiz question: What actors play the parts of Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker in the newest Star Wars, The Force Awakens?
Bike leads truck by 158 miles, 1626 – 1468. I’m hanging on to that lead.
I was trying to catch a bus on High Street on Friday from behind. Sometimes you can catch them if they are in traffic or while they stop, but generally they go faster than a bike. I have pedaled myself to exhaustion before only to see the bus continuously pull away and stop just ahead of me like a carrot on a stick. This time, however, I was more bold. I call this move the “Tiananmen Square.” The bus stopped long enough for me to catch up, but was closing its doors as I overtook it. Rather than hope the driver would see me pull up to the stop and be nice, I passed the bus on the left and stopped in front so the driver couldn’t ignore me. He stopped. I loaded my bike quickly and had my fare ready to go. Total delay for the bus, 30 seconds. Saved me a lot of work!
This week’s quiz question: what kind of bird is that?
…83,000 miles on my truck,
…2,700 total miles on Strava,
…and 200 total rides on Strava.
That puts biking holding steady to 159 mile lead over the truck, 1,593 miles – 1,434 miles. The weather has been unseasonably warm, I have only gotten a little wet riding my bike, and biking isn’t that cold anyway.
The other factor in keeping my driving miles down has been completely nerding out on the internet for days on end systemizing where I get my news and market indicators. See the result here.
Answer to last week’s quiz question: the Scioto River empties into the Ohio River near Portsmouth, Ohio.
This week’s quiz question: to blog or not to blog? Answer here.
Going into the last full month here in Ohio, biking has a commanding 170 mile lead over driving. December is pretty much going to be a victory lap!
Thanksgiving was awesome. I brought the keyboard and gave some lessons to my cousin-in-law. We both know enough to make some pop-music noise now.
Of note also, I finally got the call from a local basketball team so I’m briefly coming out of retirement tonight for two 20 minute running-clock halves.
Answer to last week’s question: the Olentangy River was supposed to be named the Whetstone River because its Delaware Native American name meant “stone for your knife stream,” based on the shale found along its shores. Olentangy means “river of the red face paint,” and was the name that was supposed to go to what is now Big Darby Creek.
This week’s quiz question: near what Ohio city does the Scioto River empty into the Ohio River?
I slept in Monday morning until I could hear the frost on my tent dripping from the sun melting it. I hit the road intending to be on the bus in Grove City by sunset.
I had a couple donuts from Jolly Pirate while I waited for the bus and called my brother who would be getting out of work at the same time my bus rolled through downtown. Turns out, he was going to a Donald Trump rally with his girlfriend, so I joined them. After the rally, I went home.
In summary, I rode 314 miles in 7 days, an average of about 45 very flat and very straight miles per day. I visited 6 different people. Big thanks to those who lent me a couch to sleep on!
SW Ohio by Bike November 2015
Click here for the whole Columbus to Cincinnati and return bike trip.
I could probably have made it home by this evening if I had pedaled all day today. Instead I had breakfast with my friend from grade school and finally met his girlfriend of 4 years, then read a book the rest of the day until the sun got low.
Now I’m toasty warm in the Hotel del REI despite sub-freezing temps outside. 45 miles to go!
SW Ohio by Bike November 2015
