When I get an idea

So ever since I got my Msuper I had these thoughts rolling around my head about the viability of me being able to ride it to work someday since it has a large battery.  I have done some long rides on the wheel since then, the longest being the 20 mile Dunkin Donuts ride.  Well yesterday I suddenly decided it was time to up the  bar.

The first step was to go onto Google Maps and get a rough idea of distance.  The pedestrian map from my house to work showed 22.9 miles.  I estimated the Msuper could go about 25 miles on a full battery charge so I should be able to make it although with not much wiggle room.

The weather forecast for Friday looked favorable with no rain and mild temperatures so that was all I needed to start the wheels in motion.  I figured I could wear my backpack which could carry my gym clothes, lunch, and battery charger so I can refuel the wheel at work.

When I have expressed this idea of riding to work in the past to Cindy it was met with devout disapproval so I was not surprised she was not happy when I shared my plans with her.  I assured her it would be fine, I planned to ride sidewalk the entire way on roadways that were well lit since I would be leaving while it was still pitch dark.  I estimated it would take me roughly an hour and a half to cover the distance.

On the ride home last night I was observing some of the roadway, checking for sidewalk condition and availability.  I actually decided to do a slightly longer route than Google had mapped out.  The way I would go would avoid some construction areas with spotty and/or missing sidewalks.  Last night I did some prep including topping off the battery charge and gathering up the stuff I would need for my longest one wheel adventure to date.

I set the alarm for 5:30 AM but was awake before it even went off, perhaps from the anticipation of the ride.  I ate breakfast and got ready.  I was originally going to wear a hooded sweatshirt but Cindy convinced me to wear a long sleeve white t-shirt instead.  I’m glad I did, I would have been too warm in a hoodie I think.  She also clipped a couple of her bike flashing LEDs to my backpack for added visibility even though I thought the lighting on the Msuper would be sufficient.

So I never rode with a backpack before. I wasn’t concerned about it affecting my balance as much as it affecting my comfort or lack there of.  I wasn’t sure if 23 miles of riding would be agreeable to riding with a pack.  Luckily it didn’t seem to bother me at all. I shoved off in total darkness, unsure of what the journey would have waiting for me.  Of course I had my GoPro with to document it all.

The ride early on was fine, daylight started to break as I was 4-5 miles into the ride.  I knew the most challenging part of the ride would be crossing intersections that were clogged with morning commuters.  The last portion of the Immokalee Road segment was a bit hairy as the sidewalk ends and I was riding in the bike lane facing traffic for a 1/4 mile or so.  I had three full lanes of traffic coming at me creating considerable wind that was blowing me around a bit.  I was glad when I finally got onto Collier Blvd.

This segment of the ride was the nicest and unfortunately the shortest.  I was able to ride the bike path well off the road all the way up to the intersection with Vanderbilt Beach Road where I had my first of a number of crossings of six lanes of traffic.  For the most part I did not have an issue with drivers yielding to me.  Most of them were dumbfounded by what I was riding and were happy to stop so they could stare at me as I cruised by uni-style.

I had my running/biking GPS on so I could track speed and distance.  For a good portion of the ride I was going 17mph plus, crossing the 20mph mark once in awhile.  I figured with all the slowing down I was doing for intersections and driveways I needed to keep the speed up.

So things were going fine.  I was cruising down Livingston Road when I heard my first beep from the Msuper.  At first I thought it was just a “too fast” beep as I was doing 21mph at the time.  I soon realized it was actually a “your battery is getting low beep”.  When I looked at my GPS I saw I was between 18-19 miles into the ride meaning I had to still cover roughly 5 miles.  I was now officially worried.

As the battery reserves fell so did my speed.  I tried to keep my speed at a level that would keep the warning beep silent.  Even in a low power situation the Msuper is faster than my Ninebot One was at full power.  I texted Cindy to let her know I had potential battery capacity problems but I told her I was just going to try to baby it to get there.  Baby it I did, by the time I made it to the office parking lot I could barely hit 10mph but I got there.  The EUC app said I had about 10% battery left.

The ride took about 15 minutes longer than my rough estimate because of all of the major intersection crossings and the reduced speed I had to travel the last four or five miles.  When I entered the office a number of people had seen me out the window so I did a bit of a show and tell as I got out of my safety gear.  Everyone was very surprised I was able to log such a lengthy journey on such a device.

I now have the wheel on the charger.  I plan to use it to get to the gym at lunch.  I am still up in the air if I am going to ride it all the way home tonight.  I have not ever run the battery so low so I am unsure how long it will take to be fully charged.  If I can’t get it fully topped off by the end of the day there is no way I would make it back without pushing it, literally.  The total distance on my GPS was right around 23.5 miles.

So anyway, I was happy I was able to finally execute an idea I had for a long, long time.  What is life without challenges, after all?

This weekend there is no shining project on the list but that doesn’t mean there won’t be one.  I am sure more EUC riding will go down and hopefully Cindy can build on the significant progress she made last week.