Video from Haleiwa Metric Century Ride 2011

I apologize in advance for the bumpy and low quality picture.  I didn't work out all the kinks yet :(  Well, at least this is something...I have a few more videos to post but here are 2 to start!

Haleiwa Metric Century Ride pt 1

Riding with the Red Hot Ladies!

Haleiwa Metric Century Ride 2011

Yahoo! I did the full 100 km and it took about 3 hours and 45 minutes. It was completely overcast and rained for a just a few minutes.  Also there was a killer headwind on the way out to the 100k turnaround point...but once we turned around, it was smooth sailing! Overall it was a really good day for cycling.  This was my first big ride and I felt great about it so there will be many more cycling adventures to come!  See the Google Map of today's ride:

Google Map of Today's Ride

I rode with Lisa of the Red Hot Ladies! (that's me on the right)

Video coming later!

Testing Camera on Ride to Bike Shop

This is attempt #2 with the new camera.  I think this one came out much better than the first.  I rode just 2.5 miles down to my local bike shop to see my favorite bike shop boy, Tyler. I also got my bike checked out for tomorrow's big ride: the Haleiwa Metric Century (62 miles).  Yahoo!

2 notes about the video:
1.) sorry about my brake cable peeking in on the left side. I'll fix that for tomorrow's ride.
2.) I couldn't get the video to actually post on my blog so here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9K-T0wvMzNE

First Video!

We did a 50 mile ride today starting in Kaiaka Bay Beach Park, Haleiwa, HI.  Click here to see the route:

Google Map of Today's Ride

And here is some video footage.  It's not long though because my camera only came with a 2GB SD card.  I'll have to get a bigger one for next weekend's ride.  I also have to figure out the picture quality issues

Enjoy!

New Camera!

Oooooo...I'm so excited! I just got my new camera in the mail. It's the Drift Innovations X170. I'll be using it during tomorrow's ride so expect to see some footage (if I don't mess it up).

Leisurely Ride Around Lanikai Loop

I've been somewhat lucky for the past 4 to 5 weekends because it has been overcast and threatening to rain but mostly it was just gloomy and cool (and even cold) on my rides.  I never got caught in any bad rains plus I didn't have to worry about being out in the afternoon Hawaiian sun.  However my luck rain out this weekend as it was sunny and hot and everyone seemed to be clogging up my beloved bike lanes with their bodies and their cars going to the beach or the baseball fields.

Today I also chose one of my more congested routes- Lanikai Loop.  For those of you who like to watch "Top Ten" shows on the E! Channel, Lanikai Beach is usually in the Top Ten Most Beautiful Beaches list even though it seems to be rapidly eroding.  You don't get to ride along the beach but if you're not afraid to leave your bike alone, you can get off and walk through the little walkways to the beach because you're very close.  That's not me, however...I would never take my eyes off Gabbana for I'm sure she would be stolen.  While you don't ride directly next to the ocean, there is a lovely place to stop and take pictures so I noted that below in my description of the route.

As always, here is a description of today's ride, street by street:

-Mokapu Blvd- this is a very wide road so even with cars parked along the side, there is still plenty of room for bikers and cars to share the road comfortably.  No bike lane/path.


-N. Kalaheo Ave- you have to ride in the road with traffic but only for 1.5 blocks


-Kainui Dr- Has what appears to be a bike lane but there's no pictures of bikes in it so it is more likely to be just a very wide shoulder.  This road has very little traffic


-Kainalu Dr- BIKE LANE!  nice!


-Kailua Road, S. Kalaheo Ave, Lihiwai Rd, Kawailoa Rd- Once you turn left onto Kailua Rd, you will have to ride in traffic until you get over to Aalapapa Rd (see mile 4 on the Google Map).  These tend to be a busy roads because they take you the major beaches of Kailua, but the traffic is slow.  Just watch out for the parked cars and cars coming out of driveways.
**Note- you can also opt to ride through Kailua Beach Park (between miles 3 and 4) which is very nice because it has a path through it. The only problem is when you come out the other side it's not as safe to get back out on the road going in the right direction.  It's usually not worth it for me so I stick to the road.


-Mokolua Drive- This is the one and only hill you'll climb going both ways.  It is steep both ways but short in distance so you don't have to struggle for too long.  When you're half way up there is a bus lane on the right that you can ride in if you feel like being nice to the cars behind you, but once you get past it, you'll have to get back out on the road.  The descent is fun but don't slow down because you might want that momentum to do the next little humps on Aalapapa Rd.


-Aalapapa Rd- BIKE LANE! Rolling hills but nothing too challenging. Again, just watch out for parked cars and cars pulling out of driveways.


-Mokolua Drive- When you come around the loop, you get to what will probably be the most annoying part of your ride.  You'll see people, cars, dogs, strollers, etc all in the bike lane meant for you!  Well, it's not as bad as you think- the traffic goes slow enough around this loop that you should feel comfortable if you have to pull out onto the road to avoid all the obstacles.


When you get back to the hill on Mokolua, power up it and stop at the top for a great photo opportunity.  You'll be overlooking Kailua Beach and it's a great view.


Continue on and follow your same route back.


Here is a link to today's ride:


Google Map of Today's Ride

Tomorrow's group ride is supposed to be about 50 miles so stay tuned!

Today's Group Ride- Kualoa Ranch thru Kahuku and back

I am proud to say that today I road with the "Chargers" group of the Red Hot Ladies.  The Red Hot Ladies ride in 3 different groups: "Cruisers" (where I started) is for beginners and ladies just getting back on the bike; "Coasters" (rode with them last week) go at a moderate pace and distance; and "Chargers" go at a pretty fast pace and go far distances.  I was honored to be invited to ride with them because 1) they're all super skilled and very knowledgeable and in very good shape and 2) because I still feel a little beginner-ish.  The Red Hot Ladies are all super nice and supportive and I love riding with them!

Today's ride was pretty much one road out and back (Kamehameha Hwy) except for a little detour we took over to Laie Point (see mile 24).  Kamehameha Hwy has a shoulder to ride in for much of the ride but there are several spots where you have to ride in the road.  This is a really nice group ride because you will feel safer and you can enjoy the scenery along the way.  There are many stretches along this route where you are about 20ft or less from the ocean. You can even smell the ocean as you ride! It's also relatively flat. There wasn't anything I would even call a hill...maybe a hump.



Here is the link showing today's ride data:

Google Map of Today's Ride

Kualoa Beach Park- View of Chinaman's Hat

Rest Stop #1- not sure of the park name

Laie Point- A new boulder popped up in the hole a while ago

Kailua-Waimanalo Gardens

It looked like I might get wet on my ride today but the Rain Gods were kind and I didn't even feel a drop. It was gloomy but nice because it wasn't hot although it was a bit windy.  I also had my first fall today using my new clipless pedals.  It's only ride #2 using them so I don't feel so bad and it wasn't a horrible fall.  It was embarassing though as the car coming towards me stopped and offered assistance.  Oh well- had to get that first fall out of the way.  Technically that was my second fall but the first one was not my fault- the person riding in front of me last weekend on my group ride stopped suddenly with no warning so I ate it BIG TIME.  My knee still looks horrible but most of the pain has subsided.

Anyway, back to my ride...
You can click on the link at the end of this post to see the entire route on Google Maps- it also tells you my speed for each mile of the trip.  I've noted here what to expect on each road traveled:

-Mokapu Blvd- this is a very wide road so even with cars parked along the side, there is still plenty of room for bikers and cars to share the road comfortably.  No bike lane/path.

-N. Kalaheo Ave- had to ride in the road with traffic but only for 1.5 blocks

-Kainui Dr- Has what appears to be a bike lane but there's no pictures of bikes in it so it is more likely to be just a very wide shoulder.  This road has very little traffic

-Kainalu Dr- BIKE LANE!  nice!

-Kaha St- No bike lane/path but very little traffic

-Kihapai St- No bike lane/path/shoulder- here you'll be totally riding on the road. I found motorists to be quite kind to me biking on this road. They'll wait patiently until they have room to pass you

-Hamakua Dr- When you first turn onto Hamakua from Kihapai, you have to get in the left lane to go straight through the intersection (traffic light).  Once you get across you can ride in the right lane (no bike lane/path) and it's wide enough to share comfortably.

-Keolu Dr- BIKE LANE!  Very nice!  When you reach the end and then turn right at the "beginning" of Keolu Drive (see map), there is no more bike lane.  Also, you'll see as soon as you turn right that you are going to have your first challenging hill to climb.  I don't know enough to tell you what the gradient of the hill is, but I will tell you that I take it in my easiest gears, and I'm huffing and puffing when I reach the top

-Kalanianaole Hwy- Wide shoulder to ride in and this will be your first big downhill portion of the ride.  Enjoy it and try not to think about how you're going to have to climb back up it on the way back.  Once you reach the bottom and you come around the curve the shoulder disappears so you have to ride in the road.  You don't stay on the road long however...I'd say it's only 1 block before you turn right onto Kumuhau

-Kumuhau St, Waikupunaha St, Ahiki St, Hihimanu St, Kakaina St, and Mahailua St - Nice country roads. No bike lane/path but there is very little traffic and the street are wide and remote enough to share comfortably.  There are some rolling hills but nothing too challenging. Just enjoy the garden scenery as you ride along the mountains.

-Back onto Kalanianaole Hwy- This can be tricky because there is a lot of traffic at certain times so you might have to push your way out into traffic but it moves slow enough that it shouldn't be too difficult. Sometimes I wave at people to let me go and they always do.  You'll be riding in the road with traffic for another short distance and when you come around the curve you'll see the most difficult climb of the ride. You have to ride back up that hill that you had so much fun flying down earlier.  Again, easiest gears possible, and I recommend not looking up to see how much farther you have to go.   My pace up this hill is about 6-7 mph and I am always huffing and puffing when I reach the top.  You can rest easy after you've made it though because from there back to the start there are no more hills to climb. Hooray!

-Back to Keolu Dr- As soon as you turn right on Keolu, get in the left lane because half way down the hill you will make a left onto Keolu Dr (the loop) and then you'll be back into the nice bike lane.

-I'll skip past the next few streets because I've already told you about them above (Hamakua, Kihapai, and Kaha)

-You'll see on the map that I returned to Kainalu Dr and road down it almost to Kuulei Rd. I did this because I wanted to get up to 20 miles.  Kainalu Dr, as I mentioned above, has bike lanes which are very nice to ride in although you'll often see casual riders going the wrong direction in these lanes.  They are always going slow enough though as to not be a problem.

Ok, hope you enjoyed!  My next ride is tomorrow so I'll post the details either tomorrow night or Monday night.

Google Map of Today's Ride

Gabbana, my Dolce!

I ride a 54cm Specialized Dolce Sport Road Bike, 2011.  Things I've added to my bike are:

1.) Bike alarm- I ordered it from China and it's pretty cool.  You can set it to different vibration levels so if a thief tries to move your bike, it will sound a very loud beeping alarm and only your code will turn it off! That plus a regular cable lock make me feel better about leaving Gabbana. ($25)

2.) Computer- I bought a very basic model which is really only good to track how many miles I've ridden altogether and on specific rides.  I also check my current speed but I don't use it to see my average speed because it doesn't take into account when you stop.  Eventually I'll upgrade to a more fancy model but this one is fine for now ($25)

3.) Speedplay Pedals- I just bought these this past weekend and had them installed at the bike shop.  I was nervous about switching to clipless pedals but these are SUPER easy to get in and out of.  I don't feel scared using them at all....I'm very happy with this purchase. ($125)

4.) Saddle Bag- I bought this at the local bike shop and it serves it's purpose.  It's just the right size as it fits all the essentials- extra tube, 2 tire irons, multi-tool, chapstick, keys, small wallet, and an iPhone if I want to cram it in. ($20)

5.) Rear Light- This light is fabulous- you can set it to be a steady red light or it can blink and be very annoying to look at.  I usually turn it on "annoying blink" to make sure motorists see me (even in the daytime I'll use it).  It's also nice because you can clip it very securely to your saddle bag.  I included a link to the exact model you can purchase on Amazon (scroll down to bottom of screen).

6.) Rear View Mirror- It attaches to the end of the drop bar. I bought it at Walmart for 8 bucks and it's good enough.  I use it when on group rides to see how far back the person behind me is, and also to see if any cars are coming up on me.  I don't use it all the time, but it's nice to have anyway

7.) Water Bottle Cage- self explanatory. Bought this one at the local Bike Shop for 10 bucks.

Aloha

I am a beginner cyclist living on the island of Oahu.  I will use this blog to discuss smy many adventures riding around the island of Oahu.  I will be taking video of my rides to post here along with details about the routes.  I will also share some of the fears and challenges I experienced (and continue to experience) as a new road cyclist.