Bike ride into work

What a difference 25 PSI to 55 PSI makes! I started out my ride today and noticed the back tire felt a bit low. I checked and sure enough. I could tell an immediate difference and it was a fun ride in to work.

For the last couple of years, I have been riding my bike to and from work during the summer. Last year I started sometime in May and ended sometime in October. This year I started in early June - the full record of my rides is on Strava - I have included the latest ride this morning here:

Ride from home to work in the morning June 23 2015

The first couple of rides each year are pretty difficult as I acclimatize myself to the rigors of the ride. However, the ride is mostly flat, which makes a big difference.

One thing that I have been working on the last couple of days is stressing my legs in preparation for climbing routes. The way I do this is I stand up and peddle hard for a certain distance - I choose a land mark and go as hard as I can until that landmark. I do this several times during the ride. Also, for any actual hills (there are a couple, primarily the overpass of I-215), I push it going up. The last couple of days I have been able to push up that overpass in a count of 50 (meaning at the start of the incline to the top).

Riding a bike like this is very enjoyable. I enjoy looking at the scenery, especially our beautiful mountains and the Jordan River. I have seen a few snakes, many different species of birds, and even a crayfish once.

There are 4 really annoying things on the ride:

• Seasonally, there are bugs (probably aphids, gnats, or flies) that swarm on the trail, particularly the Jordan Parkway. One time it literally felt like it was raining bugs. When I gets bad, I have a neckerchief that I put over my face - it is one of my old Webelos Scout neckerchiefs. 
• On the trail, there are goat head thorns. These are the bane of any bike rider. I have some protections built into my tires (tire liner and sometimes the slime in the tubes). However, these thorns are always a hazard and I tend to get a few flats each year from them. 
• Parts of the trail have graffiti and other man-made issues. Currently there is some pretty vile stuff on the Jordan Parkway trail by the Highway 201 underpass. I am going to report this to the graffiti team at Salt Lake. 
• I have found that certain lights are almost always a problem. 
• I wait at the 5600 West light almost every-time, both to and back. Also, this is probably the most unsafe stretch for bikers as there isn't much of a shoulder and most car drivers don't pay much attention here. 
• There is a traffic circle about 2700 South and maybe 5200 West (right by the Neil Armstrong Academy). I have noticed that consistently West bound traffic will stop for bikers, but East bound traffic will just blow by. 
• The Bangerter Highway crossing is not designed for bikers particularly (except maybe recently - I think there may be a pressure plate that I have hit that triggers the light). In the past, when there is no traffic, I have had to wait until a car that is going the same way as me triggers the light. Also, the wait is 1-2 minutes and I almost never hit the light either way. 
• The 200 and 300 West intersections on 800 South are notoriously short or out of sync with other lights. I have been within 20 yards of the light (200 West), had it turn green, and then go yellow just as I am approaching. 
• West Temple has a long wait for East-West Traffic. Also, I have been there (more then once) when the light doesn't get triggered and had to wait through a whole other cycle. 

All this said, I really enjoy biking in Salt Lake City. Wearing proper equipment, being vigilant of other bikers, pedestrians, and vehicle traffic is extremely important. The exercise is great and I beat the time that it takes to get home via TRAX and MAX (the light rail and bus system in Salt Lake City). I use those methods in the winter.