biked to hermosa beach today. this is of note because i’ve never traveled any farther south than the manhattan beach pier. for a saturday morning, the path wasn’t as crowded as expected, but there were plenty of dogs on leashes creating potential havoc and confusion. hermosa beach around the pier is wide open and quaint (unlike venice) with plenty of outdoor cafes and room to stretch and people watch. there’s even a park close by the pier. i took a moment for myself and noshed on my apple and thought about my next trip down here when i will bike to redondo beach and, hopefully someday, to palos verdes peninsula.

outbound: 10.46 miles from ballona creek path start to hermosa beach pier / approx 45 mins / approx 13 mph avg spd
return: 10.19 miles / 45.11 mins / 13.4 mph avg spd

n.b., i parked the car at a new spot today to save myself 0.5 miles because i knew i was pushing my distance limit. (i’m just not as young as i used to be.) i didn’t like this spot as well, but was grateful for that extra 0.5 mile i saved as i was totally pooped. looks like i’ll need to work up to that redondo beach excursion.

10.85 miles / 47.43 minutes / 13.5 avg mph

today was the most beautiful day. sunny. warm. not too warm. light breeze. i biked and took a walk today. just couldn’t resist…

i briefly considered wearing a t-shirt instead of a tankini (my bike wardrobe is dwindling with all of this consecutive biking), but was glad i chose the tankini as the beach was nice and warm and *sunny*!!! as an fyi, i took time lapse video of my outbound trip, but, unfortunately, the file is too big to post here. the other events of my trip: the wind was killer today going northbound and at the city limit separating venice from santa monica, i suddenly got very, *very* hungry. i usually bring sustenance even on the shortest trips, but i haven’t really used it so i skipped it today. besides, i had a protein bar just before i left. on my way south, i had considered biking further than my usual turn-around, but after encountering the wind and my hunger pains, i was glad i didn’t. when i got home, i devoured everything in sight: forelle pear, blueberries, salad, water w/ propel, chips and salsa, 1 piece of reheated pizza (in that order). in fact, i’m still eating right now. it’s so pretty and sunny right now, i think i’ll spend more of my day outside…

outbound: 7.40 miles / 37.17 mins / 11.7 avg mph // return: 7.41 miles / 42.22 mins / 10.4 avg mph (i told you the wind was killer.)

the continuous overcast weather is almost making me have seasonal affective disorder. i never signed up for this. sunshine – this is why i moved to california. so what’s a girl to do? get on her bike: 10.82 miles / 47.20 minutes / 13.6 avg mph

(can you believe how consistent i am? it’s like i’m a robot. no funny existential comments from the peanut gallery – you know who you are!)

i’m sitting here, eating passionfruit chobani, recovering from my bike ride after testing out my new front derailleur. ahhhh, it’s wonderful. so smooth. because, after all, it’s supposed to get me out of tight spots, not put me into them. the derailleur, that is, not the chobani. although, come to think of it, the chobani could accomplish the same thing…

47.30 mins / 13.6 avg mph / 10.83 miles

i used blue painter’s tape to keep my front derailleur from knocking around. not only did it work, but it also exactly matches the blue paint on my bike.

7.41 miles / 39.24 mins / 11.2 avg mph | (didn’t reset on trip home) 14.84 miles total / 1.18.45 hours / 11.2 avg mph

in a sudden stroke of brilliance, i realized i could just manually push the chain onto the middle chainring and resume my biking. this is not ideal as the cage is loose and can rub against the chain, but for a short bike ride, it’s doable. i biked to helen’s to follow up on my broken derailleur, ordered a new one and will have my shifting prowess back in no time. but in the meantime, i took advantage of my new realization and the sunshine: 59.51 mins / 13.0 avg mph / 13.09 miles

took my road bike out today because it’s 70 degrees and sunny in santa monica. this bike is hella fast. yes!!!

a few blocks into my ride, i found out i can’t shift my front derailleur (i.e., the bike is stuck on the largest front cog). after inspection, it appears the metal holding the spring broke. this is metal we are talking about. it *broke*. noooooooooooo!!!

(trip not as long as i would have liked…) 5.09 miles / 26.48 mins / 11.2 avg mph