Montauk Pioneer - April 10, 2009 -

All winter long on very cold Montauk nights, I thought about my bike tucked away in the shed and the magic feeling of grinding up and gliding down the hills to the Lighthouse. When my weight numbers sounded like auditorium capacities, I started biking at Gurney's Gym, longing to fire up my bike as I watched arctic winds pound the shore line all while working out on a stationary bike. But I was doing research all the time and here are some of my conclusions based on two months of data collected daily.

If you ride your bike over twenty miles for only eight minutes, you burn up just around 100 calories. If you ride at 17 mph for 35 minutes, it burns up around 600, whereas 14.5 mph burns up about 375 in the same period of time. For me, 800 to 1000 calories burned off about a pound and a half from my weight, and I use that measuring stick in my diet. A leisured ride of less than 6-7 mph burns about 160 calories in 35 minutes, and in effect is just an aerobic exercise to loosen up your leg muscles. I found that loud hard rock like Stevie Ray Vaughan, Cream and others music I actually usually don't listen to, was most effective when pushing myself. The electric currents of those driving tunes seem to propel me.

With the weather getting better, I decided the other day to hit the shed instead. First thing I did was oil the chain and check the brakes. Then I took the wheels off and put them back on to make sure they were on securely. I always wear a helmet, and I have clip on bike shoes, which click into the little metal pedals, and next thing I knew I was pedaling down DeForest Road in Ditch Plains and feeling the one thing you never feel indoors - the wind. Running through the gears was awkward at first, sort of like the first time you jump off a ski lift at the beginning of a ski season, but in no time it was second nature. So I decided to test my new conditioning by taking a 21-mile ride to and around the Lighthouse, with a trek down East Lake Drive, and a finale trip to Gosman's Dock, then back to Ditch Plains via West Lake Drive. This is what happened.

At first I was in heaven. The thrill of being back outdoors was great, then I realized the bikes and the highest gear was higher than the stationary bike. It just felt different. As I started to climb the first of a camel back hill that starts at the Deep Hollow Ranch, the wind was blowing in my face, and to be honest I forgot how challenging that hill can be the first time you attack it after not being up it in a while. I had the adrenaline of the first ride of the spring, and by the way, I go up it in the toughest gear in mid summer, but I did have to gear down some this time toward the top. Then I again experienced something that is the magic of bike riding that no indoor bike can ever deliver, that is the glide down the hill.

All at once I was a young boy gliding down a hill on a bike. It is that great feeling everyone who has ever ridden a bike up a steep hill knows. The long series of dips up and down to the Lighthouse circle were no problem as the wind seemed to hold in check. I once again enjoyed a wickedly fast downhill glide to East Lake Drive, which I forgot how pitchy it is, not to mention scenic from a bike. Montauk Lake Club, Cowboy Bar, Fishbar, Seafood Inlet and the airport all look to be getting ready for the season, as work was being done everywhere. In this case, the ride back to Route 27 was more pleasant due to the wind. West Lake Drive became an endurance deal. I was now over 15 miles into the trek and as I glided back in to the driveway and jumped off the bike I thought of two things, first how great that ride just was and secondly, I definitely need to invest in a new bike seat, after that first long ride everyone walks a little funny. It's time to get out on the roads and remember to wear a helmet, bright bike cloths, and always take a cell phone in case you get a flat in the middle of the ride. It's a long walk from the Lighthouse to the gas station or home.