{"id":3396,"date":"2012-08-07T21:09:47","date_gmt":"2012-08-08T04:09:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/averagejoecyclist.com\/?p=3396"},"modified":"2020-09-01T17:12:20","modified_gmt":"2020-09-02T00:12:20","slug":"bike-commuting-tips-hurting-all-over","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/averagejoecyclist.com\/bike-commuting-tips-hurting-all-over\/","title":{"rendered":"Bike Commuting &#8211; Hurting All Over!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>At Week 3 of my bike commuting I was feeling pretty cocky. I was still tired on the evening rides, especially the last one of the week, but I was feeling stronger and even a little bit faster. This was going to be easy and I was going to be in the best shape of my life, already five pounds lighter with lower blood pressure!\u00a0 Time for a reality check \u2026<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Week four \u2026 OMG!\u00a0 <strong>EVERYTHING hurt<\/strong> when I got on the bike for my first ride of the week.<\/p>\n<p>I had felt fine when I was getting ready for work. Now \u00a0I felt like I was trying to pedal against a hurricane. Not only that, but I could feel every single bump in the road. Even a slight incline was like a mountain to be climbed.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_13342\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13342\" style=\"width: 567px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B0044U8W3E\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=B0044U8W3E&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=avejoecyc0e-20&amp;linkId=HTNJYCFXBNRYUJMO\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"13342\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/averagejoecyclist.com\/bike-commuting-tips-hurting-all-over\/uphill-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/uphill1.jpg?fit=567%2C425&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"567,425\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"uphill\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Suddenly it feels like EVERYTHING is uphill &#8211; being a bike commuter can be tough!&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/uphill1.jpg?fit=300%2C224&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/uphill1.jpg?fit=567%2C425&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"wp-image-13342 size-full lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/uphill1.jpg\" alt=\"Suddenly it feels like EVERYTHING is uphill - being a bike commuter can be tough!\" width=\"567\" height=\"425\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-13342\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"13342\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/averagejoecyclist.com\/bike-commuting-tips-hurting-all-over\/uphill-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/uphill1.jpg?fit=567%2C425&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"567,425\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"uphill\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Suddenly it feels like EVERYTHING is uphill &#8211; being a bike commuter can be tough!&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/uphill1.jpg?fit=300%2C224&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/uphill1.jpg?fit=567%2C425&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"wp-image-13342 size-full lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/uphill1.jpg?resize=567%2C425&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Suddenly it feels like EVERYTHING is uphill - being a bike commuter can be tough!\" width=\"567\" height=\"425\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/uphill1.jpg?w=567&amp;ssl=1 567w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/uphill1.jpg?resize=300%2C224&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/uphill1.jpg?resize=150%2C112&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/uphill1.jpg?resize=250%2C187&amp;ssl=1 250w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/uphill1.jpg?resize=320%2C239&amp;ssl=1 320w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 567px) 100vw, 567px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a> Suddenly it feels like EVERYTHING is uphill &#8211; being a bike commuter can be tough!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I thought I would loosen up as the week progressed, but no such luck. Every ride in Week 4 brought a new pain, one knee then the other, my hips, my shoulders, even my hands were sore. Thankfully not everything hurt at the same time, but each day was a new challenge to get on the bike morning and evening.<\/p>\n<p>I was thinking about going back to transit. This was not fun anymore. <strong>I persevered, forcing myself onto my bike for all my scheduled rides<\/strong>, but I really wanted to quit.<\/p>\n<p>At the end of Week 4 the Olympics began and I started watching the coverage in the evenings. Listening to the athlete\u2019s stories \u2013 how they also had injuries, pain and setbacks to overcome to reach their goals was absolutely inspiring. I watched a segment on the physiology of rowing and how much pain a rower must endure for their sport; <strong>I watched a 39-year-old Clara Hughes racing against athletes half her age<\/strong>. It put things in perspective for me.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_13341\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13341\" style=\"width: 388px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B0044U8W3E\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=B0044U8W3E&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=avejoecyc0e-20&amp;linkId=HTNJYCFXBNRYUJMO\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"13341\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/averagejoecyclist.com\/bike-commuting-tips-hurting-all-over\/clara-hughes-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/clara-hughes1.jpg?fit=388%2C500&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"388,500\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"clara-hughes\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Clara Hughes inspired me, competing against fellow cyclists HALF her age&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/clara-hughes1.jpg?fit=232%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/clara-hughes1.jpg?fit=388%2C500&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13341 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/clara-hughes1.jpg\" alt=\"Clara Hughes inspired me, competing against fellow cyclists HALF her age\" width=\"388\" height=\"500\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-13341\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"13341\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/averagejoecyclist.com\/bike-commuting-tips-hurting-all-over\/clara-hughes-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/clara-hughes1.jpg?fit=388%2C500&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"388,500\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"clara-hughes\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Clara Hughes inspired me, competing against fellow cyclists HALF her age&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/clara-hughes1.jpg?fit=232%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/clara-hughes1.jpg?fit=388%2C500&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13341 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/clara-hughes1.jpg?resize=388%2C500&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Clara Hughes inspired me, competing against fellow cyclists HALF her age\" width=\"388\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/clara-hughes1.jpg?w=388&amp;ssl=1 388w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/clara-hughes1.jpg?resize=232%2C300&amp;ssl=1 232w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/clara-hughes1.jpg?resize=300%2C386&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/clara-hughes1.jpg?resize=116%2C150&amp;ssl=1 116w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/clara-hughes1.jpg?resize=250%2C322&amp;ssl=1 250w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/clara-hughes1.jpg?resize=320%2C412&amp;ssl=1 320w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 388px) 100vw, 388px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a> Clara Hughes inspired me, competing against fellow cyclists HALF her age<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">I may not be an Olympian but I feel connected to those athletes. In my small way I am experiencing exactly what they have in pursuit of my goal. <strong>Just like them, only I can decide if my goal is worth the pain.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Happily I am now at the end of Week 5 and things have improved.\u00a0 Still having aches and pains but taking things in stride. Every now and again I pass a 20-something on an uphill and I feel a surge of pride \u2013 I still got it!<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_13343\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13343\" style=\"width: 567px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B0018CX1AA\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=B0018CX1AA&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=avejoecyc0e-20&amp;linkId=WBRP3RII2WTGVQJT\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"13343\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/averagejoecyclist.com\/bike-commuting-tips-hurting-all-over\/young-cycle-commuter-on-cvg-indexed\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/young-cycle-commuter-on-CVG.indexed.png?fit=567%2C488&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"567,488\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Another woman who inspires me. This young mother has the extra weight of her toddler on her bike, but she still managed to return my smile and cheerful &#8220;Good morning!&#8221; LOVED the little one&#8217;s pink and turquoise helmet! And check out those adorable tiny sneakers!\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Another woman who inspires me. This young mother has the extra weight of her toddler on her bike, but she still managed to return my smile and cheerful &#8220;Good morning!&#8221; LOVED the little one&#8217;s pink and turquoise helmet! And check out those adorable tiny sneakers!&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Another woman who inspires me. This young mother has the extra weight of her toddler on her bike, but she still managed to return my smile and cheerful &#8220;Good morning!&#8221; LOVED the little one&#8217;s pink and turquoise helmet! And check out those adorable tiny sneakers!&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/young-cycle-commuter-on-CVG.indexed.png?fit=300%2C258&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/young-cycle-commuter-on-CVG.indexed.png?fit=567%2C488&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13343 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/young-cycle-commuter-on-CVG.indexed.png\" alt=\"Another woman who inspires me. This young mother has the extra weight of her toddler on her bike, but she still managed to return my smile and cheerful &quot;Good morning!&quot; LOVED the little one's pink and turquoise helmet! And check out those adorable tiny sneakers!\" width=\"567\" height=\"488\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-13343\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"13343\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/averagejoecyclist.com\/bike-commuting-tips-hurting-all-over\/young-cycle-commuter-on-cvg-indexed\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/young-cycle-commuter-on-CVG.indexed.png?fit=567%2C488&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"567,488\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Another woman who inspires me. This young mother has the extra weight of her toddler on her bike, but she still managed to return my smile and cheerful &#8220;Good morning!&#8221; LOVED the little one&#8217;s pink and turquoise helmet! And check out those adorable tiny sneakers!\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Another woman who inspires me. This young mother has the extra weight of her toddler on her bike, but she still managed to return my smile and cheerful &#8220;Good morning!&#8221; LOVED the little one&#8217;s pink and turquoise helmet! And check out those adorable tiny sneakers!&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Another woman who inspires me. This young mother has the extra weight of her toddler on her bike, but she still managed to return my smile and cheerful &#8220;Good morning!&#8221; LOVED the little one&#8217;s pink and turquoise helmet! And check out those adorable tiny sneakers!&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/young-cycle-commuter-on-CVG.indexed.png?fit=300%2C258&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/young-cycle-commuter-on-CVG.indexed.png?fit=567%2C488&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13343 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/young-cycle-commuter-on-CVG.indexed.png?resize=567%2C488&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Another woman who inspires me. This young mother has the extra weight of her toddler on her bike, but she still managed to return my smile and cheerful &quot;Good morning!&quot; LOVED the little one's pink and turquoise helmet! And check out those adorable tiny sneakers!\" width=\"567\" height=\"488\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/young-cycle-commuter-on-CVG.indexed.png?w=567&amp;ssl=1 567w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/young-cycle-commuter-on-CVG.indexed.png?resize=300%2C258&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/young-cycle-commuter-on-CVG.indexed.png?resize=150%2C129&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/young-cycle-commuter-on-CVG.indexed.png?resize=250%2C215&amp;ssl=1 250w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/averagejoecyclist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/young-cycle-commuter-on-CVG.indexed.png?resize=320%2C275&amp;ssl=1 320w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 567px) 100vw, 567px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a> Another woman who inspires me. This young mother has the extra weight of her toddler on her bike, but she still managed to return my smile and cheerful &#8220;Good morning!&#8221; LOVED the little one&#8217;s pink and turquoise helmet! And check out those adorable tiny sneakers!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">In my next post I\u2019ll talk about the <a href=\"https:\/\/averagejoecyclist.com\/tips-for-women-bike-commuters\">practicalities of <strong>bike commuting for women<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0 It\u2019s much harder for women than for men!<\/p>\n<h3>Did you like this post or find it useful? If so, please support our blog in one of these ways:<\/h3>\n<p>To support this blog, please consider clicking on one of the <strong><a id=\"amznPsBmLink_4332475\" class=\"amzn_ps_bm_tl\" href=\"http:\/\/amazon.com\/ref=as_li_bk_tl\/?tag=avejoecyc0e-20&amp;linkId=dcd329274529887630e5590675bb6130&amp;linkCode=ktl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword=\"Amazon links\" data-amzn-link-id=\"dcd329274529887630e5590675bb6130\">Amazon links<\/a><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload\" id=\"amznPsBmPixel_4332475\" style=\"border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; height: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?source=bk&amp;t=avejoecyc0e-20&amp;bm-id=default&amp;l=ktl&amp;linkId=dcd329274529887630e5590675bb6130&amp;_cb=1429252001568\" alt=\"\" width=\"0\" height=\"0\" border=\"0\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload\" id=\"amznPsBmPixel_4332475\" style=\"border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; height: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;\" src=\"https:\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?source=bk&amp;t=avejoecyc0e-20&amp;bm-id=default&amp;l=ktl&amp;linkId=dcd329274529887630e5590675bb6130&amp;_cb=1429252001568\" alt=\"\" width=\"0\" height=\"0\" border=\"0\" \/><\/noscript><\/strong> before buying from Amazon. A small commission from Amazon helps pay for our time. It costs you nothing at all except a click. Or, if you are <strong>planning a vacation, <\/strong>please book your hotel after first <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hoteltravel.com\/#utm_source=affiliate-aco&amp;utm_medium=commission-aco&amp;utm_term=&amp;utm_content=N-A&amp;utm_campaign=Average+Joe+Cyclist\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">clicking here for HotelTravel.com<\/a>. For more information, please see &#8220;How Our Affiliate Links Work&#8221; in the right-hand side bar (down below if you&#8217;re on a mobile) or our <a href=\"https:\/\/averagejoecyclist.com\/policy-statement\/\"><strong>Policies page.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>If you <strong>don&#8217;t<\/strong> want to buy anything right now, fair enough \u2013 but please consider supporting this blog by <strong>SHARING<\/strong> this post (using the Share buttons below) or by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/averagejoe.cyclist\"><strong>LIKING our Facebook page<\/strong><\/a>. <strong>BEST OF ALL<\/strong> &#8211; just SUBSCRIBE to our blog (click on the link below, next to Mrs. Average Joe Cyclist&#8217;s lovely face). It makes you part of our community, and makes sure you get free updates about all our posts, once a week. <strong>Thanks in advance \u2013 reader support<\/strong> keeps us going and makes it all worthwhile!<br \/>\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" charset=\"utf-8\">\/\/ <![CDATA[\namzn_assoc_ad_type = \"responsive_search_widget\"; amzn_assoc_tracking_id = \"avejoecyc0e-20\"; amzn_assoc_link_id = \"2TSMX3CUWHACCAI2\"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = \"amazon\"; amzn_assoc_region = \"US\"; amzn_assoc_placement = \"\"; amzn_assoc_search_type = \"search_widget\"; amzn_assoc_width = \"auto\"; amzn_assoc_height = \"auto\"; amzn_assoc_default_search_category = \"\"; amzn_assoc_default_search_key = \"\"; amzn_assoc_theme = \"light\"; amzn_assoc_bg_color = \"FFFFFF\";\n\/\/ ]]><\/script><br \/>\n<script src=\"\/\/z-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;Operation=GetScript&amp;ID=OneJS&amp;WS=1&amp;MarketPlace=US\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At Week 3 of my bike commuting I was feeling pretty cocky. I was still tired on the evening rides, especially the last one of the week, but I was feeling stronger and even a little bit faster. 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