The Cycling Dude

Here Pedals De Judge! 3: We Have a Winner!

Last month I was invited, by my friend Larry Lagarde, of Ride This Bike, to be among those judging the worthiness of entrants in a contest, the prize for winning which would be a brand new Folding Bike.

Here is a list of links to the explanations of the entrants for why they should win, and my thoughts on who I was considering voting for.

On Aprill 22, Larry announced the winner:

Gladly, the consensus was clear. With a huge margin of votes in her favor, M. Ferber of Burlington, Vermont won the folding bike.

I called Mrs. Ferber to personally give her the news and she was quite excited. She had been looking at bicycles that fold for some time now but could not make up her mind which bike to go with. I suppose the contest solved that problem. ;-)

What M. Ferber wrote to make her case.

Read more, including the thoughts of Larry on what the bike will mean to the life of the winner, here.

Congrats to the winner!

I'm sure she will get great use out of the bike. ;-D

Tackling Mt. Wilson: The Story of One Bold Cyclist

Over at Swarm Los Angeles there is a wonderful story by a guy named Morgan.

Morgan recently tackled Mt. Wilson, in the San Gabriel Mountains above Pasadena.

 Riding to the top of Mount Wilson overlooking Pasadena is always an
adventure. How can a 19 mile climb fail to be? Particularly
considering the fact that after the first half there's little sign of
humanity beyond the road you're riding on, and the final five miles
have spectacular views of the higher, eastern San Gabriel mountains
with sometimes snow-capped Mount Baldy in the center. When I rode it
towards the end of April this year, I had a little more adventure than
I'd planned on.

Humorous, exciting, and informative, this story is a very fun read, and he gives directions if you want to try it yourself (I just might, one day, try it myself!).

Read: Mt. Wilson by bike, on a weekday in April

Here are my own stories of riding into the San Gabriels, and above Malibu, in years gone by, if you need more encouragement. ;-D

Pedaling into the San Gabriels.

Slow Pokes DO Have All the Fun! (A 5 Part Series with Pictures Galore!)

 

This Cycling Question, and Debate, is a Gas!

Okay, folks, the question of the day is as follows:

Will the smell travel if you fart while cycling?

When you are bicycling and have to let one loose, will it travel behin you for a period of time, or will it stay in one spot?

If you are in a group ride, and someone is drafting you, will they receive the smell for a long period of time, or just pass through it?

I awoke this morning in a humorous frame of mind, and did a google search for Farting and Bicycling, and came up a Yahoo Answers! page where a variation of the above was asked 6 months ago, and got 7 answers.

One person asked a very valid question: WTF IS THIS? ASK A REAL CYCLE QUESTION!

So, is this a valid cycling question?

Here is the best answer posted, as chosen by the asker of the question, and 1 other good one:

1. There are many factors to consider here, such as the ambient temperature, the wind speed and direction, the absorbency of the clothes you are wearing (especially around the stench trench) your diet and your genetic ability to brew a bad one. I for one cannot factor in all these variables, but as a rule of bum, I have found that farts tend to linger for a while, during which time riding buddies tend to fall back a bit- in a race, a fart can be a highly advantageous tactical manoeuvre. Good luck to you, and pray you never get in a race with me.

2. This my friend is a very complex question, very many factors can effect the aromatic distribution of the gaseous release. For example if you are in a draft line the smell will definitely be detected should it be a real stinker by most if not all of your team. If by chance there is a side wind maybe only by the rider directly behind. The fart will linger as the tight shorts tend to hold the discharge for a few seconds after release, bibs can be even worse. With bibs the smell will actually be drawn forward allowing you to catch a whiff as well up thru your jersey! But fear not the smell will be just a quick blast, and as long as you are not in the front and called out by the rider behind you you should safely be able to rip one and get away with it.

BUT if you are a good friend or teammate you will peel off the line and assume a position at the rear, clear your rear and make your way back to the front.

Fascinating...um, hee, hee! ;-D

In the last 20 years I've only rode in a group maybe 5 times, so I'm the last person to ask for expert opinion. ;-D

Is there anyone out there who has NOT wondered about this important question?

Is there any one who has done some serious research on the subject, maybe for a study, or research paper, or something? ;-D

Any thoughts, and observations, from the Readership Assembled, especially those with experience from either the giving, or receiving, end of, well, um, hee, hee!

You can read the other answers, here.

 

 

Concerns and Solutions Regarding Proposed 3 Feet Law in Colorado

Last week, David Petersen, of Durango, tossed in his 2 cents about Senate Bill 148, in a Letter to the Editor of the Durango Herald:

Senate Bill 148, which would require motorists to keep 3 feet of space between vehicles and bicyclists - is not only an accident waiting to happen, as one opposing legislator has pointed out, but a slew of lawsuits as well. Just try driving Florida Road any nice weekend, and you'll encounter everything from polite defensive bikers strung out in their lane single file, to mobs of dozens huddled together blocking entire lanes and refusing to "line out" even when cars are stacked up behind them with horns tooting.

His solutions, to what he sees as a problem, involves wider bike lanes, making cyclists pay a road tax, setting a maximum legal size for groups of bicyclists traveling together, and "decreeing some county roads simply too narrow, winding, high-speed and dangerous to allow for bicycle traffic at all."

New Bike Law Will Just Cause More Problems

While the wider lanes idea seems a good one, the other ideas are totally unworkable.

The cost alone, in enforcing those notions, would be a problem for state governments, and citizens, especially in these hard economic times.

Setting group size, when there's no guarantee the whole group is even together at any given point on the ride?

A tax?

Does that mean toll booths are every major intersection?

A tax would especially be unfair to the poor...especially those who don't own cars, and rely on their bike as part, or all, of their transportation options.

Telling cyclists they can't travel on certain roads because they are dangerous?

When part of the problem causing the dangers on such roads can be laid at the feet of the motorists cyclists share the road with?

Bike Commuting and Walking: Survey Finds Folks Make Excuses Not To

Researchers with Kansas State University's Physical Activity and Public Health Laboratory, have discovered a few things from two surveys, administered in 2008, which interviewed 1200 people (800 of them from the college), looking at demographics, psychosocial factors and environmental characteristics related to active commuting.

Of the college folks:

Students were most likely to actively commute, then faculty members, and then staff. Women and men were equally interested in walking or biking. Older individuals were less likely to actively commute than younger individuals.

Depending on distance to campus, those living within a 20-minute walk actively commuted four times per week, and those within a 20-minute bike ride, biked to campus five times per week.

Researchers found that certain things influenced people's choices to actively commute:

"We learned from the community survey results that people who hold ecologically-friendly attitudes are more likely to actively commute and less likely to drive to work,"...

Some of the hindrances to active commuting, according to the surveys, included a perceived lack of bike racks, showers or a place to freshen up before work or teaching, and an "office culture" where driving to work is the norm and there is limited support for walking or biking.

Respondents also listed time constraints, weather, a need to go elsewhere before or after work or school; parking availability; parking costs; concerns about the environment, such as pollution; cost of gasoline; safety from traffic and crime; and the terrain they have to traverse.

This is a very interesting article, and the full thing can be read at SCIENCE BLOG.

Maybe it's just me, a guy that has never owned a car in his life, and walked, biked, bused, trained, or planed, everywhere he goes, except when with family or friends who have a car, but the more someone unsure they want to ditch the car thinks about reasons they shouldn't, the harder it might be for them to take the plunge.

Here Pedals De Judge! 2

Last month I was invited, by my friend Larry Lagarde, of Ride This Bike, to be among those judging the worthiness of entrants in a contest, the prize for winning which would be a brand new Folding Bike.

Voting in Round 1 begins today, and ends on the 13th, then Round 2 goes from the 14th to the 21st, with a winner announced on the 22nd, Earth Day.

Pondering my choices has only been part of the reason I've not blogged in a week. ;-D

It's time to introduce you to the contestants, and their explainations for why each feels they deserve to get a free bike. ;-D

I include my thoughts on those entrants I am considering voting for.

D. Saluto from Louisiana.

S. Moretto from Redford, MI.

J. Burnette from Mercersburg PA. - I wouldn't mind if he wins if for no other reason than to see the shitstorm of a controversy over what he wants to do play out in the Mainstream Media, not because I agree with him about Cuba. ;-D

E. Strickland of So Ro, VT.

K. Oakley of San Jose, CA. - A young, idealistic, teacher, who not only wants the exercise, but believes in setting an example for the young skulls full of mush in her classroom. ;-D

P. Davis of Arlington, MA. 

N. Nelson of Mercersberg, PA. - A College Student, with limited storage space, looking for an appropriate bike. ;-D

K. Dossman of Tyler, TX.

S. Jones of Champaign, IL. - A Teacher goes to bat for a student she really cares about, and thinks the world of. ;-D

M. Ferber of Burlington, VT. 

S. Faulkner of Davenport, FL.

A. Brewer of Wellston, OH.

So there ya have it, a Desperate Dozen!

Larry has some thoughts on the contest, as it relates to the state of the economy in our nation:

Given the daily barrage of negative economic news on television, radio and in print, if participation in this contest is any gauge of the economy, I have to wonder whether the media has been hyping the downturn in a disgusting attempt to recapture market share.

Think about it.

Yahoo, Google, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Hulu and more are making mainstream media irrelevant. Newspapers are closing because their circulations are in free fall.

Read the rest of his musings, here.

Like he says..."Go outside. Soak up that wonderful Spring air and go for a bike ride! You owe it to you!" ;-D