Don's Results on the Bike Controller
04/20/09
I wasn’t as diligent about riding as I thought I would be last week, but when I got on the prototype I cranked pretty hard.
I’m finding it tough to give myself a good warm up because I tend to get really into chasing my computerized opponents and/or beating my fastest lap time. Warm downs are also a challenge for the same reason. Today I made sure to do five laps before cranking too hard just to get my heart rate up.
I find that once I’m warmed up I can bang out a 1:10 lap while daydreaming. So the game has my brain sufficiently engaged that I’m not driving off the road, but I can let my mind wander without crashing. It’s challenging to go faster because I have to maintain good motor control while pushing my heart rate way up. My best lap times are all right around 1:06. Rolland did a 1:01 lap last week, so a one minute lap should be possible.
I’m using my Kona Dew bike when riding the prototype. One nice thing about the prototype is that you don’t get penalized if your bike is heavier or has bigger tires than a road bike. I bought the Dew used the day I got rid of my car two years ago. I wanted something sturdy for urban riding but not so expensive that I’d cry if it got stolen. It’s got a top speed of 14 mph on flat ground.
I keep a water bottle in the bottle holder and suck on that from time to time. I usually pay a performance penalty because my steering gets sloppy with one hand grabbing the water bottle.
Last week’s results include on set on the Practice course (no cars) and one 15-minute session in which I rode the track backward just for the heck of it.
I’m finding it tough to give myself a good warm up because I tend to get really into chasing my computerized opponents and/or beating my fastest lap time. Warm downs are also a challenge for the same reason. Today I made sure to do five laps before cranking too hard just to get my heart rate up.
I find that once I’m warmed up I can bang out a 1:10 lap while daydreaming. So the game has my brain sufficiently engaged that I’m not driving off the road, but I can let my mind wander without crashing. It’s challenging to go faster because I have to maintain good motor control while pushing my heart rate way up. My best lap times are all right around 1:06. Rolland did a 1:01 lap last week, so a one minute lap should be possible.
I’m using my Kona Dew bike when riding the prototype. One nice thing about the prototype is that you don’t get penalized if your bike is heavier or has bigger tires than a road bike. I bought the Dew used the day I got rid of my car two years ago. I wanted something sturdy for urban riding but not so expensive that I’d cry if it got stolen. It’s got a top speed of 14 mph on flat ground.
I keep a water bottle in the bottle holder and suck on that from time to time. I usually pay a performance penalty because my steering gets sloppy with one hand grabbing the water bottle.
Last week’s results include on set on the Practice course (no cars) and one 15-minute session in which I rode the track backward just for the heck of it.