Cyclists and Drivers – Pop Quiz.

This is a test of your knowledge of how cyclists and drivers should be sharing the road.  If you fail this test, or even miss a single question, an untimely demise will come for you sooner than you probably anticipated.

Question 1.  You are a driver, driving along at about 45mph on a country road.  The road is moderately hilly and turny, such that the middle line is almost always a double yellow line.  You come upon a cyclist going up a hill at about 10mph.  You cannot see more than about 50 feet of road beyond the cyclist, as the hill crests at that point.  Here’s an example of the kind of road I’m talking about.

As the driver, do you:

(A) Accelerate quickly and try to pass the cyclist, hoping that another car doesn’t come over the crest of the hill as you are passing the cyclist
(B) wait 4 seconds for the cyclist to get up the hill and pass him safely when you can see the road ahead

If you answered (A), you are an idiot.  If you answered (B), you get a “thank you” wave from me as you pass me as we are going down the hill.

Question 2.  You are a cyclist, cycling at about 19mph on a similar, but flatter country road to question 1.  Traffic is moderate to high.  You see some cars heading toward you in the opposite lane of traffic, and, at the same time, you hear a car or two coming up behind you.  There is no rideable shoulder.  In which part of the lane should you be riding?

(A) As far to the right as possible
(B) In the right tire track
(C) In the center of the lane
(D) In the left tire track

No derogatory marks if you get this one wrong, but the correct answer is usually (C) or (D).  Riding as far to the right is usually a bad idea, because it invites idiot drivers to try and pass you while sharing the lane with you.  This usually means you get “buzzed” (passed too closely) and it is unsafe for you.  The right tire track is an even worse idea than riding on the white line, because the idiot drivers will *still* try to pass you and you’ll have even less space between you and the car.  Riding in the center or the left tire track (known as “taking the lane”) is often the only way to ensure your safety in this type of situation, as traffic travelling in your direction can’t safely get around you.

Most novice cyclists attempt to “stay to the right” (i.e. choices (A) or (B) when they encounter heavy traffic.  Unfortunately, this is often a higher-risk maneuver than taking the lane.  You’ll get more honks from drivers by taking the lane, but I’d rather get the honks–that means that they are seeing you and not hitting you with their Motorized Killing Machine!

Okay, Question 3.  You are the driver again, and you come upon a cyclist.  This time, the road is flat, the yellow line is single dashed, and there are no cars ahead or behind you.  The coast is clear to get around her.  Do you:

(A) rev your engine to show how big your penis is as you pass her
(B) honk your horn to alert the cyclist you are going to make a pass
(C) gently accelerate past the cyclist, moving halfway into the next lane to make the pass
(D) gently accelerate past the cyclist, moving all the way into the next lane to make the pass

If you answered (A), you are a douche. (B) may be tempting, but we can hear–and possibly see–you back there. Beeping your horn may distract the cyclist and cause her to swerve, so there is really no need even to give a quick beep before you pass. (C) is getting better (and often acceptable), but why not (D) give the cyclist the full lane if you can? She will absolutely appreciate it.

Last question. You are the cyclist, doing about 21mph along on a slightly hilly, moderately turny country road similar to that in question 1. Behind you comes a school bus. Do you:

(A) take the lane, making it difficult for the school bus to pass you safely
(B) continue as normal, probably riding in the right tire track, and hope that that damn school bus gets by you soon
(C) pull off the road as soon as you can to let the school bus by you

Just pull off the road. Cyclists have to concede a bit, too. School bus drivers (and other utilitarian vehicles like snowplows and city buses) have an important job to do, and their use of the road, in my opinion, supersedes a recreational (or even a commuter) cyclist’s use of the road. It’s the nice thing to do, the driver will appreciate it, and from a pragmatist’s view, this is wise as the driver will be more likely to keep a kind eye out for cyclists in the future!

Stay tuned for more Pop Quizzes, as I ride outside more and observe more and more Highway Shennanigans.

Aaaand… My Motivation is Back.

All it took was a day of sunny 50+ degree temperatures and a ride with Lana on the tandem bicycle!  I’m back in the game!

After I finished teaching today, Lana suggested that we try to take the tandem out for our first outside spin.  I, of course, agreed, and we got ready to go.  

Initially, the plan was to ride out the front door, ride around the parking lot in our apartment complex, and then mosey around some of the neighborhoods around our apartment.  However, we had difficulty keeping in balance because of the speed bumps placed all over the apartment complex’s parking lot.  So, we decided to put the tandem on the car rack and head up north to Morgan Monroe State Forest, where the roads are flat and smooth and there is virtually no car traffic.

That turned out to work really nicely for us.  We rode 10 miles at a 17mph pace (!!!) all through the forest roads.  Starting and stopping the tandem was a bit tricky, but after a few stops and starts along the way we quickly became proficient at it.  Lana was an awesome stoker and did a good job of keeping the tandem in balance, and I tried my best to steer us clear of gravel and dogs (yes, we encountered one dog–we were able to stop the bike and dismount without any problems).

I was particularly impressed with the speed at which we were able to go–our speed was comparable to what I would have done (for the effort I was putting out) if I was riding my single road bike.  We had lots of momentum on the flats and downhills, and on the uphills we were able to use our momentum to keep our speed most of the way up. I had no problems controlling the bike or shifting, the tandem was actually very stable and easy to handle.

When we got back to the apartment, I was so stoked about the ride (and the warm weather) that I turned around and took my tri bike back out to the State Forest for two hours!  And then, when I was done with that, I ran for 30 minutes and swam for an hour!

I may pay for this 4+ hour training day tomorrow, but in the mean time, I am feeling pretty good on a lot of different fronts right now.  I feel more confident about my training, my fitness, and my compentency as a tandem captain!

Training in January and Motivation.

It’s that time of year again.

The temperature rarely gets above freezing.  Classes and work are both busy with start-of-semester festivities.  It is dark at 8am and 6pm.  My races, even my casual races, are months away.  I’m always cold and tired and I am gaining weight.

It’s the time of year where my motivation and desire to train are at its lowest.

I’ve had to bag training two days in a row now.  My training plan isn’t even that ambitious right now, though I am attempting to put more hours than normal in at the pool (what else can you do when it’s freezing outside).  But when I get to the pool, or get on my trainer, or even think about going outside for a run, I just can’t bring myself to do it, or if I have started the workout, I can’t bring myself to finish it.

My hope is that either (a) it warms up soon or (b) the two days I have taken off from training will help me get re-energized for training.  Because right now, it’s as hard as it ever is for me to convince myself that I need to put the hours in.

Actually, I feel a bit better after writing this post!  Maybe I will go for a run!  Too bad I just stuffed my face with delicious tuna salad and chocolate truffles from my Mom/Europe (you would think this combination is disgusting.  You would be Wrong.  It is Delicious).

I am on the Front Cover of a Magazine!

Back in early November, I posted about how I was interviewed for and did a photo shoot for the Rec Sports magazine here on campus.  They were interested in learning about students on campus who do marathons and triathlons.  When I did the photo shoot, I was skeptical that the article would turn out looking dorky and amateur-ish.  As it turns out, I was right, but only partially.

Here is a link to pictures I took of the magazine (each picture is high-res, 2.5MB each).  I (along with five other IU students) am on the front cover, and on a four-page spread in the magazine (pages 4-5, 6-7).  If you’re on campus here in B-ton, you can go over to SRSC and pick up a free copy as well.

When I went swimming last weekend, I saw they had published the magazine, and I immediately hoarded approximately 28 copies for my records.  I ended up putting about 26 of them back because I didn’t have anything to carry them with that day.

Initially, I was pretty pumped that the article turned out well–the print quality is great, the detail is nice, and the pictures chosen were good.  Later, when the initial excitement wore off, I realized my complaints from my original blog posts were still right, as the running-in-place photos just look awkward, there are no good swimming shots (except for the standing-on-the-edge shot that I suggested to the photographer), and the cycling photos are on stationary bikes.  They really should have hired a real sports photographer to get some real action shots.

The interview in the article is good, though I can’t say that I actually said very many of the things they quoted me on (they did get the last sentence of the article pretty much right).  I am also pleased that they made me look like a bad-ass by listing my training schedule as being a mostly-accurate 6 day/week, 2 sport/day schedule, especially compared to the other athletes, who are somewhat less experienced in endurance events than me.  Bad Ass.  (Okay I’m done bragging I promise)

All in all, it was really cool to see me on the cover of the magazine.  Though the photography could have been better and more realistic, and though they could have actually quoted me correctly, it was a good article that did what it was supposed to do–get IU students motivated enough to train for endurance events using the SRSC facilities.  The fact that my likeness is plastered all over the article is just a really sweet bonus.

A Revelation About Teachers I’ve Had and Classes I’ve Done Poorly In.

It took me several education classes to realize what I sort of knew all along to be true, but here it is:

The classes in which I’ve done poorly (both in terms of grades and in terms of actual knowledge gained) in the past have tended to be classes where the teacher simply presented us with a bunch of information, and expected us to memorize it and recall it on exams. There was no attempt to discuss how the course material fit into the “big picture” of whatever the subject happened to be, or any attempt to make a profound change in the way we (the students) thought about the subject.

Until now, I’ve written those poor grades off as being my fault for not being a good “absorber of information.” Now, I realize that much of the blame lies on the shoulders of the teacher for not realizing that true learning can’t take place until one’s mental model for that particular subject is fundamentally questioned and subsequently altered to fit the information given by the instructor. It’s no wonder I did poorly in these classes–I had no context in which to place the seemingly random facts I was “learning”!

In short, teaching facts within a specific concept, or steps within a specific procedure, only sticks with the student if he or she is willing to question their initial mental model of the subject and fundamentally change the way they think about the subject, both on the small and large scale.

I only hope that, in my teaching, I don’t make the same mistakes as the bad teachers I’ve had in the past.

How a Tandem Bicycle “Works.”

Since I posted yesterday about our purchase of a tandem bicycle, many of you have asked me questions related to the mechanics of the bike and how to ride it. So, here we go.

A traditional upright tandem bicycle is like a regular single bike in many ways–two wheels (one fixed, one that steers), one frame, and one set of gears.  However, it’s obviously different from a regular single bike in that two riders supply power to the wheels.  

The rider in the front (almost always the heavier rider) is called the “Captain,” and the rider in the back is called the “Stoker.”  A tandeming pair rarely switches positions, because to properly control the tandem it’s important to have the heavier and more experienced rider in front.

The Captain’s job is to steer the bike, do all the shifting and braking, pedal and make the Stoker feel happy and comfortable.  The Stoker’s job is to pedal, assist with starting up (more on this later), and to make the Captain’s life easier (executing turn signals, looking out for traffic, handing up water bottles, keeping the bike in balance, back massages, etc).  

The Stoker has no control over where the bike is going, and in fact should actively try *not* to steer the bike–her handlebars are fixed to the frame.  Because of the lack of control the Stoker has over the speed and direction of the bike, the saying goes that “the Stoker makes no mistakes,” and the Captain should not blame the Stoker for anything that goes wrong during the ride.

Though both riders are pedalling at the same cadence, one rider is often working harder than the other.  That’s OK–the sum of the power output by both riders gets applied to the drivetrain due to the mechanics of the bike.  And since a tandem bike is only a little bit less aerodynamic than a single bike, this means that a tandem can go FAST on flat lands and on downhills, since the team is effectively getting double power with only a small aerodynamic penalty.  However, on uphills, the additional weight of a tandem usually means that a tandem has to go a bit slower uphill than a single bike.  Overall, two strong riders on a tandem bike will go much faster than the same two riders each on a single bike, even if they’re drafting very close to each other.

Both riders pedal at the same time, in sync with each other (though a small minority of riders choose to pedal 1/4 revolution out of sync), at the same cadence.  This is accomplished by the use of what’s called a timing chain, which is a long bike chain that connects the two cranksets to each other, and indirectly connects the Captain’s crankset to the drivetrain by way of the Stoker’s crankset.

Getting going on a tandem is a bit more complicated than on a single bike.  First, the Captain straddles the bike and braces it for the Stoker, who mounts the bike and clips her feet to the pedals.  Afte the Stoker is clipped in, the Captain clips his right foot into the pedals.  Once the Captain’s right foot is clipped in the Stoker (and the right foot of the Captain) applies a bunch of power to the pedals while the Captain simultaneously mounts and starts to pedal.  Once the bike gets rolling, the Captain clips his second foot into the pedal.

Some other questions that come up frequently in a discussion of Tandems:

How much does the tandem weigh?  I haven’t weighed ours yet, but I am guessing it weighs around 37 pounds with pedals and saddles, but no bottles or bags.

How much did it cost?  Tandems are expensive, with entry-level tandems costing about 150%-200% of what a single bike equipped with the same components costs.  You can’t get a new tandem of any decent quality for under $1500.  This bike retailed for $1799 last season, though I got a pretty nice discount buying the bike on super-clearance.

How fast can you go?  That depends of course on how in shape the two riders are.  However, the world record (set in 1992) for a 40 kilometer road tandem time trial is 44:18, or almost 33.6 miles per hour for 24.8 miles!

How do the brakes work?  Braking is accomplished similarly to braking on a single bike.  Some bikes (ours included) come equipped with traditional rim brakes, which work just fine under normal conditions, but on long descents there is a small risk of the brake overheating and failing.  Others come with disc brakes, which also work well, but on long descents there is a small risk of “brake fade,” or the brakes slowly starting not to work as well.  Bikes equipped with rim brakes can also be equipped with a drum brake on the rear wheel, to provide additional braking power on long descents.  On a tandem, there is no risk of going over the handlebars from the braking power alone.

If you have any other questions about tandems, please post here and I’ll be happy to try and answer them.  Also, check out the late Sheldon Brown’s amazing website, which has a great selection of articles on tandem bikes.

I Bought a Tandem Bicycle Today.

Link to Photo album

Link to the same pictures from my website (higher resolution, unorganized)

 

Okay, here’s the story about our search for, and then the subsequent purchase of a tandem bicycle.

Lana and I have been interested in getting a tandem bicycle (or “tandemsickle” as we call it) since probably late 2007, when we read stories about cute couples adventuring across the U.S. on their tandem bike, loaded with panniers, having a great time and looking really fit.  Unfortunately, neither of us had a lot of money, and tandems are expensive.  We decided to try to get a gently used, slightly older tandem. After investigating a bit, it turned out that the market for used tandems is pretty slim, because old tandems either tended to be of low quality, or be far away (which means prohibitively expensive shipping costs).

The other option, which we started investigating around that time as well, was to buy a new tandem from the Bikesmiths bike shop in town.  The 2008 Cannondale Road Tandem 3 came well equipped with good wheels, a 9spd drivetrain, and a frame in our size for a very fair, but still very expensive, $1799 before tax.  We even took one out for a test ride, though it was a size too big for us, and neither of us was really prepared for the ride.  While this was a good value, we had to table this option, as neither of us could put together $1k last winter to go “halvsies” on a tandem (especially since I was planning on buying a tri bike at the same time).

The summer came and went, and we talked intermittently about buying that tandem.  Lana’s job over the summer grew stressful, and we realized that waiting would be prudent, as in addition to being broke we didn’t have any time to get together for rides.  I was content doing my races and saving my money anyway.

This fall, after Labor Day, I noticed that a bike shop in Indy had the same C’Dale Road Tandem 3 available, in our size, in the shop, at a discount.  I gave them a call and learned that the price was $1550 before tax.  An even better buy than Bikesmiths in town!  However, Lana and I still didn’t quite have the money to spend, and so she talked me out of it.

That brings us to about a week ago.  Both of us are doing a bit better money-wise, I saved up a bunch of money through Xmas and being frugal last semester, and the tandem discussion came up once again.  This time, since I had more money, and since we both anticipate lighter schedules for the rest of the year, Lana said she thought it would be okay to get a tandem now.  Since Lana’s blessing was pretty much all I was waiting for (I had saved the necessary funds to purchase the bike outright by then), I quickly resumed my search for a tandem.

A few days ago, having not found any good deals on tandems, I walked into Bikesmiths, prepared to buy the (now 2009) C’Dale tandem for the full retail price of $1775.  I went to order the bike, and I was told that they wouldn’t be available until mid February.  While the delay wasn’t important, since it’s cold outside now, the delay did give me extra time to search for a good deal.

As a last ditch effort, last night I went to the website of the bike shop in Indy that had the 2008 C’Dale tandem on sale after Labor day.  Somehow, they hadn’t sold the tandem at $1550, and it was even marked down further to $1349!  Since the difference between the 2008 and 2009 tandems are mostly cosmetic (paint job, etc), this was really a no-brainer.  I reserved the bike on the spot and made plans to go pick it up in the morning.

This morning, we made the 90 minute drive to the shop in Indy, where the bike was waiting for us, ready to go.  After a few pictures, avoiding the “accessory up-sell,” the Credit Card Swipe, and the happy moment of realizing we finally had our tandem, we zoomed back to Bloomington to resume our normal lives.

In summary, I got an amazingly good deal on this tandem.  This was not an “impulse purchase,” as many of you have asked me.  We’d been considering this for almost 18 months, and a good deal happened to pop up at the right time.  It’s our size, brand new, and ready to ride.  

Was the wait worth it?  I think so.  It just made today’s purchase that much sweeter.

See you on the roads. Look for the cute cycling couple passing you on a beautiful (yet unnamed) red tandemsickle.

Ironman and Bragging.

Ever since I have been doing triathlons, I’ve been confronted with a dilemma regarding how I broche the subject of triathlons with people in conversations.  First, some facts:

1. I am very proud of my triathlon accomplishments.
2. Few people in my life do triathlons, and fewer still do Ironman triathlons.
3. Most people in my life are not in the same physical shape I am in.

I am very much aware that it is easy to “cross the line,” so to speak, when discussing triathlons with people.  I don’t want to be the  cocky triathlete that brings up his triathlon successes in virtually every conversation, bragging about his “fast” times, the conquests of his longest races, and the long training hours he puts in.  Of course, no one likes to be on the receiving end of that conversation, because no one really cares that Frank Cardia can bike for 12 hours without stopping, or that he did an Ironman on Saturday and then a marathon on Sunday.

However, I enjoy triathlons, I know a lot about triathlon, and it’s a very important part of my life.  I don’t want to be the quiet triathlete that never discusses his hobby at family functions, and tenses up whenever asked about it.  That’s just silly and antisocial.

So, the conclusion I have reached is multifold:

1. I will discuss triathlon stuff with Lana at all times until her ears fall off.  She gets to deal with it, because if I don’t talk her ear off then I will absolutely go crazy.
2. I will discuss triathlon stuff with family and friends only if prompted or if asked what my hobbies are, unless I just did a big race that I’m proud of, in which case I may mention triathlons unprompted due to my excitement.  I will tell them that I “do triathlons” and NOT that “I am a triathlete.”  Conversations will be limited to a few minutes, and no race performance details will be shared unless asked.  I may mention my training habits, and will go into more detail if asked.

So, if you find yourself talking with me about triathlon in person, know that I am doing my best not to brag, but at the same time I do want to share my triathlon experiences with you because they make me happy, and I take pride in my accomplishments.  And know that when the conversation ends, consider yourself lucky because I could easily continue to talk your ear off for another hour!