IRideInProtest.com

I ride in protest of high gasoline prices. I ride by choice and hope to encourage others to do likewise. My personal commute is less than 5 miles each day, both ways - to two jobs. I would like to think if my commute were 10 to 15 miles per day - each way - that I would still cycle it, I know some who do. In order to put my pedals where my mouth is, so to speak, I finally have the time to make my planned trip from Shelbyville Indiana to Hebron Kentucky.

Check out the route here.

…and join me in riding in protest… or at least to save some gas money and get a little exercise while you save!

Do you have any clue how many cycling enthusiasts there are around you? I have always been aware of a few in my local area, but the longer I ride in protest the more cycling enthusiasts I meet.

I knew I wasn’t the only cyclist doing distance rides, but I did not realize how many of us there actually are. Nearly daily, I hear of another serious cyclist I was not aware of, and most are doing rides a lot longer than mine.

So why am I making such a big deal about my own cycling experience? Because I am fit to be tied over the recent rise in gasoline prices and I feel a need to express my frustration over this whole situation… and I am doing so through my cycling and with this blog.

I hope you will join me, by subscribing to my RSS feed and by cycling yourself.

(This is an updated version of my first post. It remains the same in spirit with updated dates, etc.)

Before the summer is out, I am planning to make a bike trip from Shelbyville, IN to Florence, KY where my youngest Grandchild, Ariya Claire lives with her parents, my son Luke and his wife Sarrah.

Although I make my daily commute(s) via bicycle, I feel compelled to make this trip as an extended part of my “protest of high gasoline prices”. I suppose I feel this compulsion, somewhat because my “commute” is only less than five miles daily. And when anyone asks how far I ride, I feel, although they don’t verbally express it, that my short commute is justified for me since my ride is a very short one, and at the same time it is a justification for them not to ride, since their ride would possibly be considerably longer. It is very easy for someone to dictate to others what they should or should not do when they themselves do not do as they say. Personally, if my personal commute were as much as 10 miles one-way I would still commute via bicycle!

I suppose I feel that a two day 176-mile (that’s 88 miles in one day ) trip may give my opinion about why everyone should ride, a little extra weight. (See my post, “Why You Too Should Ride” COMING SOON!).

I feel that anyone who commutes five miles or less, one way, is a prime candidate for a bicycle commute.

Using the map to the right you can view any portion of my planned route. Left click/hold and drag to move along the route. To get a closer look zoom in and out using the plus or minus signs in the upper right corner of the map.

The greatest challenge I found in laying out this route was getting across the Ohio River on a bicycle. Bike or pedestrians cannot travel the route we travel by auto. I finally located the Anderson Ferry that crosses the Ohio between Cincinnati and Constance, KY. When I contacted them about a schedule, they replied, “Just show up, we’ll get you across as quickly as possible, in less than 15 minutes”. I thought that was reasonable.

Between now, June 3, and actually completing this ride I will be doing a few training rides to build up to this 88-mile trip (176-mile round-trip). I plan to make this trek by August 1, weather permitting. (Due to the limited vacation time that is available to me now, I will most likely be making this trip the weekend of Labor Day September 1.)

I’m off this morning at about 7:15. Winds are from the SW at 9mph. 50% chance of rain, but not until after 1:00p.m., so they say. I won’t melt. Gotta get going…I’ll finish and post a link to the route map when I return…

I’m back! Upon returning winds are from the WSW at 14mph. The map of the ride, which I always rework upon returning, shows some detours. What I thought was a road when I mapped it out was actually a “railroad”! I also made a little detour at the start to pick up some snacks and a little one when I returned to town, taking the trip odometer up to 75-miles. The map, however, shows the trip at 73.8? Oh well! Who knows which one is correct? I suppose that if you drove three cars on the trip, you would get three differing results. Trip time: 5:19:02, Average speed 14.1mph.

Before this training ride, I fixed an egg sandwich on toast with honey and Tabasco sauce… plenty of flavor and a mix of protein and carbs. The snacks I took with me was a combination of nuts and seeds with raisins and even some small chocolate chips, which fit the bill at the half way mark.

My legs are a little sore, probably from not getting my two short rides in through this busy week. I’ll be able to make that up this short work week with the 3rd scheduled off for our anniversary and Friday being the 4th of July… woo-hoo, 4 day weekend!

Before the summer is out I am planning to make a bike trip from Shelbyville, IN to Florence, KY to see my youngest Grandchild, Ariya Claire.

Using the map to the right you can view any portion of my planned route. Left click/hold and drag to move along the route. To get a closer look zoom in and out using the plus or minus signs in the upper right corner of the map.

The greatest challenge I found in laying out this route was getting across the Ohio River on a bicycle. The route we travel by auto can not be traveled by bike or pedestrians. I finally located the Anderson Ferry that crosses the Ohio between Cincinnati and Constance, KY. When I contacted them about a schedule, they replied, “Just show up, we’ll get you across as quickly as possible, in less than 15 minutes”. I thought that was pretty reasonable.

Between now, June 3, and actually making the ride I will be doing a few training rides to build up to this 88-mile trip (176-mile roundtrip). I plan to make this trek by August 1, weather permitting.

I plan to post some photos from along the route. In the mean time check out this chart from Bikely.com of the elevation.