Cycling to work has been a great boost for my training.  Normally, I like to get training rides on my road bike, however, I need a more sturdy bike for commuting.  My route to work sometimes take me to roads that are a little rough.  The mountain bike’s bigger and sturdier tires handle those roads well.  I also have to carry a bunch of stuff to work like my laptop, change of clothes, lunch and some other little items so I carry them in bags that mount on my bike.  Another reason I like to use my mountain bike is because I don’t like to use clipless pedals while in the hairy afternoon commutes.  I want to be able to get off my pedals unimpeded.

Bike with bags - Ala Moana Beach Park

The picture above  shows my bike loaded with my bags.  This was taken during today’s commute.

My mountain bike weighs a considerable amount more than my road bike.  When I add the gear I carry in the bags I would say that I am pedaling nearly 40 pounds more than when I ride my road bike.  I try to pedal a 90 rpm cadence so with all this weight I am getting a great workout.  I try to ride between 10 to 15 miles each way.  During the ride home I am usually pedaling against a pretty strong head wind (thanks to our tropical trade winds) and I get some hill training when dealing with the ride up Diamond Head crater.

I can definitely feel the benefits of my daily commutes.  Now, pedaling the road bike is a piece of cake.  The most dramatic improvement is pedaling my racing bike up Diamond Head.

View of the entrance to the Ala Wai Boat Harbor

You probably can’t see it very well, but there is an outrigger canoe just above the seat of my bike.  Outrigger canoe races are big here.  Folks from all over the world come here to compete.  It takes a lot of endurance and upper body strength to take these things out on the open ocean.  I used paddle about 20 years ago.  We used to paddle 20 miles on training days.