Later, when the first few warmer days arrived in spring I was happy, but I still struggled to recover from the injury and the overall exhaustion from my winter rides. Quite pitiful considering I didn’t ride any long routes for two, three or more hours but only my daily commute to work. In June, I finally began to feel up and ready for a few longer rides again and started to work on it again.

Last week I started to record my rides and workouts again, inspired by the MapMyRide.com Tour de France challenge, and I will continue this until later in fall or winter. Next winter I plan to walk more, especially on bad-weather days, and perhaps keep the rides for the less ugly days. I’m not sure if I can keep myself off the bike yet, but I will try. Hopefully I can get through the cold months without doing that damage to myself again.

Today I went out for a 50-something minute ride to Druid Hill Lake, passing the Baltimore Zoo, continuing on the Jones Falls Trail through Woodberry and back to the Hopkins campus on Clipper Mill Road, Falls Road, Wyman Park Drive. I totally forgot how pleasant and relaxing a ride can very early on a Sunday morning and not having to deal with rush-hour traffic, maniacal motorists, bus-drivers, trash trucks and filthy alleys. I had a hard time motivating myself, but as usual, I didn’t regret getting out of the house around 6am and riding on calm and quiet streets and through a beautifully smelling green of the park. What a contrast to the weekdays! It was just what I needed after a long week. Perfection.

My condition was surprisingly good, too. Usually I struggle my way up/down to work, but I didn’t have this problem today. Even on the uphill segments I managed to keep my calm and climb it without much pain. The mindset, unforced and stress-free mental state and the quiet, calming roads without any doubt have a huge impact on my own condition. Something to keep in mind whenever I don’t feel very motivated! Some stats:

Date/Time:

07/12/2009 06:16 AM

Route:

Homestead, Charles St, Hopkins Campus, Druid Hill Lake, passing the Baltimore Zoo, continuing on the Jones Falls Trail through Woodberry and back to Hopkins Campus on Clipper Mill Road, Falls Road, Wyman Park Drive, and back to Homestead.

Length:

Approx. 9.7 miles

Traffic:

Easy going most of the way.

Weather:

Warm and a bit humid, but still pleasant enough.

Bike:

Jamis Durango Hardtail Mod. with 26×2.2 Maxxis Holy Roller

Heartrate/Elevation:

(Heartrate recording didn’t work properly during the second half of the route.)

Mistake #1: I should have had enough water last night and this morning before I started my ride.

Mistake #2: I underestimated the weather and even wore a longsleeve tee. (Stupid I know.)

Mistake #3: I might have underestimated the switch to the mountain bike after having ridden the (lightweight) 3-speed for the past few weeks.

Despite the difficulties on my way back, it was again a remarkable trip through so many different, very different places each with their individual smells. A feast for the senses. From city alleys with a mix of garbage and dead animals, to the harbor with a surprisingly strong fish odor, to an industrial area smelling like electronics, metal, steel and tar, to a road that somewhat smelled like old socks (lol), to a field with a familiar farm smells, through a park with a familiar pleasant wood-smell, to the beach with a nice view across the water… all these impressions makes it all worth the troubles on my return. I’m curious about riding this route this winter. I hope we will get some snow, too.

Date/Time:

09/14/2008 07:11 AM

Route:

Route to North Point State Park via Boston St, Ponca St, Holabird Ave, Wise Ave, North Point Blvd, North Point St, Old Bay Shore Rd. Paused at beach. Return via an unmapped road, Sparrows Point Rd,  North Point St, North Point Blvd, Wise Ave, Holabird Ave, Ponca St, Boston St, Charles St. [Google Map]

Length:

Approx. 35.1 miles

Traffic:

Easy going most of the way.

Weather:

Started out warm and humid, but bearable; ended very sunny, hot and humid, heavy air.

Bike:

Jamis Durango Hardtail Mod. with 26×2.2 Maxxis Holy Roller

Heartrate/Elevation:

Date/Time:

08/29/2008 02:45 PM

Route:

A few beers later it was time to take the route back into the city via Bay Shore Road, North Point Road, North Point Blvd, Wise Ave, Holabird Ave, Ponca Street and Boston Street. I tried to avoid the lower part of Charles Street and turned right onto Howard Street instead, which was probably more insane than Charles. The street was jammed with cars, the sidewalks were jammed with people. I made a right onto Read Street and followed my standard route on Lovegrove St, N Charles St and back on Lovegrove St. [Google Map]

Length:

approx. 17.4 miles

Traffic:

Heavy rush-hour and  holiday traffic.

Weather:

Wet and rainy.

Bike:

Jamis Durango Hardtail Mod. with 26×2.2 Maxxis Holy Roller

Heartrate/Elevation:

Date/Time:

08/29/2008 10:09 AM

Route:

Same as previous route to North Point State Park. Start at Cathedral Street in Mt. Vernon, to the Inner Harbor, Aliceanna Street, right onto Boston Street. Turned right into Ponca Street before 895 and 95, a short about 1 mile long segment leading through a business park/industrial area, then left into Holabird Avenue. Continued on Holabird Avenue all the way straight for several miles, crossing Dundalk Avenue and Merritt Blvd. Later Holabird Ave becomes Wise Ave which I followed straight for several miles. I crossed a bridge and turned right into North Point Blvd at the end of Wise Ave. Further straight on North Point Blvd to the exit/entrance to 695 I turned left into North Point Road. I followed North Point Road a bit further, made a u-turn and turned right into Bay Shore Road, which led to the parking lot and the final destination the Trolley Pavilion [Google Map]

Length:

approx. 15.5 miles

Traffic:

Heavy (holiday) traffic.

Weather:

Wet and rainy.

Bike:

Jamis Durango Hardtail Mod. with 26×2.2 Maxxis Holy Roller

Heartrate/Elevation:

Overall I’m very pleasantly surprised what a variety Baltimore has to offer. When I first moved to Baltimore I felt stuck and unable to ride the bike at all because traffic felt threatening and dangerous and there didn’t seem to be any streets safe and bike-friendly enough for a longer trip. The more I have learned about Baltimore during my rides in the past few months the more it has felt like a home to me. I have come to the conclusion that my first impression was quite wrong. There really are some great routes and places out there, and streets that are quite easy and safe to ride. It just takes some time, some great resources like bikely.com and a few miles on the road.

Date/Time:

08/17/2008 07:03 AM

Route:

New route in preparation for the upcoming summer-outing at the North Point State Park. Route started to the Inner Harbor, Fleet Sreet, right onto Boston Street. Turned right into Ponca Street before 895 and 95, a short about 1 mile long segment leading through a business park/industrial area. Passed a club named ‘Nightshift’ and turned left into Holabird Avenue at the end of Ponca. Continued Holabird Avenue all the way straight for several miles, crossing Dundalk Avenue and Merritt Blvd. Later Holabird Ave becomes Wise Ave which I continued straight for several miles. I crossed a bridge, continued a few miles, and turned right into North Point Blvd at the end of Wise Ave. Continued straight on North Point Blvd to the exit/entrance to 695 and turned left into North Point Road. Made a left into what I believed was Bay Shore Road, but the map shows it might have been a bit too early. [Google Map]

Length:

approx. 34.3 miles

Traffic:

Easy going most of the way.

Weather:

very pleasant, nice air quality.

Bike:

Jamis Durango Hardtail Mod. with 26×2.2 Maxxis Holy Roller

Heartrate/Elevation:

If the city streets were in a better shape I might even use it in the city. This was the only problem I experienced today: Getting out of and into the city on the road bike. Many roads are in such bad repair… Potholes, drain pits, cracks, bumps and waves in the pavement felt at times so rough I really was quite worried about the bike. Without any suspension every little bump seemed to have a huge effect on the bike as well as me on the saddle. But fortunately the bike took it very well and didn’t fall apart. The streets became much better once I left Falls Road and entered Cross Country Blvd.

Overall it was a very pleasant ride, and I was in a good shape for it today. Next time I will try to leave earlier and make it a longer trip, maybe up to 35 miles or a bit further.

Date/Time:

08/10/2008 08:35 AM

Route:

Continuation of previous Falls Road/Kelly Avenue route(s). Kelly Avenue turns into Cross Country Blvd, which I continued until its end. Then I turned left into Fallstaff Rd. Next right into Park Heights Avenue, then second left into Seven Mile Lane. I continued straight. Seven Mile Lane becomes Colonial Road after crossing Reisterstown Road. At the end of Colonial Road I turned right into Deerfield Road. Then I continued straight until the end of Deerfield Road, turned left into Milford Mill Road. I continued straight and turned right into Scotts Hill Dr, right before 695. [Google Map]

I should have continued straight, cross 695 and make a right into Scotts Level Road. But it was time for me to return anyway. After a short break I returned the same route back, via Falls Road and North Charles St.

Length:

approx. 25.5 miles, 2h 15min

Traffic:

Easy going most of the way. Got busier on the way back, but still good enough to ride.

Weather:

warm but pleasant

Bike:

Windsor Wellington 3.0 road-bike with 700x23c Maxxis Xephyr

Heartrate:

Then something interesting happened. After I climbed that hill I didn’t feel any pain anymore…the road continued with a slight incline, but I had no trouble continuing my ride. The road was very nice, traffic was very easy, it actually felt as pleasant as a flat route. I finally began to enjoy this ride and thought that I could continue like this for the next hour. I decided to continue this route for a while, have a short break and return. This trip was almost like swimming in the ocean, having to fight some waves before you get into calmer waters. Once I passed these first hills it became a really nice ride.

The return felt much easier, too. Rewarded by a fast and long decline I felt energized enough to handle the uphill segments on Falls Road. I definitely want to try this route again and ride further, perhaps 25-30 miles, perhaps with the road bike once I get used to it.

Date/Time:

08/03/2008 08:34 AM

Route:

Followed my last route again on West University Parkway, left onto West 40th Street toward the Rotunda, right onto Evans Chapel Road right before the grocery store, then left into Roland Heights Avenue, immediate right to Lawrence Avenue, at the end onto Woodheights Avenue and then finally a right onto Falls Road right before the intersection of Falls Road and West Cold Spring Lane. I continued straight on Falls Road, then left turn to Kelly Avenue which becomes Cross Country Boulevard. Continued straight for a while, then u-turn and followed same route back to Falls Road. Continued straight on Falls Road, turned left onto North Charles Street. [Google Map]

Length:

approx. 17.5 miles

Traffic:

Easy going most of the way.

Weather:

quite warm but bearable, not too humid

Bike:

Jamis Durango Hardtail Mod. with 26×2.2 Maxxis Holy Roller

Heartrate/Elevation:

Date/Time:

07/29/2008 05:53 PM

Route:

Took the road bike out for the first time for a quick, short trip to Lake Montebello and two laps around it.

Length:

approx. 28 minutes

Traffic:

Easy going all the way.

Weather:

very hot and humid

Bike:

Windsor Wellington 3.0 road-bike with 700x23c Maxxis Xephyr

Heartrate:

Date/Time:

07/13/2008 07:42 AM

Route:

When I looked at the map after riding Falls Road back on the 4th of July I found that if I had continued just a few meters further I would have reached the Robert E Lee Park I once visited a long time ago to take some pictures. I had no idea this park could actually be reached by bicycle. I followed my last route again on West University Parkway, left onto West 40th Street toward the Rotunda, right onto Evans Chapel Road right before the grocery store, then left into Roland Heights Avenue, immediate right to Lawrence Avenue, at the end onto Woodheights Avenue and then finally a right onto Falls Road right before the intersection of Falls Road and West Cold Spring Lane. I continued straight on Falls Road passing the Mt. Washington bike store and making a right into Robert E Lee park. [Google Map]

Length:

approx. 12.7 miles

Traffic:

Traffic was manageable and felt easy most of the way. Only one short segment on Falls Road, I think between Cliffhurst Road and Clarks Hill, felt a bit uncomfortable as far as traffic was concerned. The road became more narrow, and although there was a speed limit of 25 mph, traffic continued with at least 35-40 mph. Measures to control the speed there would be desirable. But most of Falls Road still felt relatively safe to ride.

Weather:

warm but pleasant wind, not too humid

Bike:

Jamis Durango Hardtail Mod. with 26×2.2 Maxxis Holy Roller

Heartrate/Elevation:

Date/Time:

07/07/2008 05:48 AM

Route:

No outside route. Decided to do an interval workout in the basement instead: Spinervals 1.0 “No Slackers Allowed” with a mix of ladders, superspins, tempo sets and sprints..

Length:

approx. 43 minutes

Traffic:

None.

Weather:

warm and humid

Bike:

Windsor Wellington 3.0 road-bike with 700x23c Maxxis Xephyr

Heartrate: