The Cycling Dude

Is the Toughest Athlete in the World a Female Cyclist?

Sports Illustrated is convinced  the toughest is Tiger Woods.

I like Tiger, but I think the brave gal I read about this morning deserves consideration.

No, not Jill Homer... she only did the short route of The Iditarod Trail invitational, last month. ;-D

The long route is billed as “The World’s Longest Human Powered Winter Race,” and covers an area of over 1,100 miles in length.

Kathi Hirzinger-Merchant became the first woman to complete the longer race last month.

Hardly anyone in the Mainstream Media noticed. ;-D

As Craig Medred, of the Anchorage Daily News writes:

Iditarod and Yukon Quest champ Lance Mackey -- SI's No. 2 pick -- can certainly make a better claim to true, physical, tough-athlete status than Tiger, though there's no doubt that in any kind of human aerobic competition, Hirzinger-Merchant would hand Mackey his lunch.

Lance had his dogs to help him. Hirzinger-Merchant had only hubby, Bill, who, though he biked north with her, wasn't necessarily all that much help.

According to Craig the Event Website had this to say:

On their approach to Nome, Bill and Kathi faced "immense winds and cold temperatures. At one point, when they were protected from the constant wind, Kathi looked at the temperature and saw minus 30 degrees ... Bill described pushing the bikes at a 45 degree angle to prevent the wind from blowing the bikes away.

A 25 1/2 day journey... amazing!

The full article: Think mushing to Nome is tough? Try pedaling it.

A Tip of the Hat to Alaska Cyclist, and Journalist, Charles Bingham, who also sends word that the effort by the Sitka Bicycle Friendly Community Coalition to be recognized as a Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Cyclists, has moved to the next step in March.

First came a proclamation by the City and Borough of Sitka that says that "Sitka is Bicycle Friendly", and committed the city to "an ongoing process of improvement upon the existing standards of cycling transportation infrastructure, education, encouragement, and enforcement."

According to the website the application has been turned in and they should learn its fate sometime this month. ;-D

PDF's of both the proclamation and the application, can be read here.

Jill Homer's Tips for Cycling in the Snow

Jill Homer of Juneau, Alaska, raced in the 350 mile human-powered Iditarod.

The Iditarod Trail Invitational, in February, followed the same route used by the famous dog sled teams. ;-D

In one of a series of articles for NPR, in December, she shared her "Top 10 Tips for Biking in Snow".

1. Think surface area.

2. Fat is the new skinny.

3. There is no shame in walking.

4. When in doubt, let air out.

5. Learn your snow types.

6. Don't be disappointed when you fail to set a land-speed record.

7. All brakes are not created equal.

8. Re-lubricate and be free.

9. Stay away from moose tracks.

10. Stay away from dogs.

She writes interesting, and informative, paragraphs on each of these tips.

Jill wrote a Blog for NPR, from November thru March, about cycling in Alaska, and preparing for, and riding in, the race in February.

She also has a Blog, called Up in Alaska.

Oh, and here's a story about the woman to took a historic ride on the longer, 1100 mile, route. ;-D

A Tip of the Hat to Alaska Cyclist, and Journalist, Charles Bingham. ;-D

Bicycling Myanmar Offers Views of Beauty and Challenges

Joe Robinson wrote a story, recently, for the Los Angeles Times Travel Section, about Touring this country ( AKA Burma ), including on a bicycle, and witnessing the beauty, and challenges of this country.

He visited Bagan, exploring the temples on a rented girl’s bicycle with a leopard-print seat:

My body was already a waterfall, and it was only 10:15 a.m. in the oven of Bagan, former imperial capital of Myanmar. Standing on the pedals of my rented one-speed girl's bike with a leopard-print seat, I dripped up an incline, passed a couple of bullocks on death's door pulling an ancient wooden cart and then swerved off the asphalt into sand as an air-conditioned bus filled with grinning foreign tourists blew by.

The backdraft stirred up a storm of dry-season dust, and as it settled, I could make out a surreal spectacle from the top of the rise: a sea of otherworldly steeples dancing in the heat waves—some conical, others topped with doughnut-shaped rings, some with glinting golden umbrellas, some sculpted into immense bells. Despite the heat, it was not a mirage. The sci-fi skyline is the legacy of a mysterious building boom that turned this central Burmese savanna astride the Irrawaddy River into one of Asia’s most sprawling but least-known extravaganzas of religious architecture.

The full article: All that glitters is not gold in Myanmar's political landscape -Aug. 7th.

A Tip of the Hat to World Hum!

You with your Bike, and the Road, are Lovers

The things you learn while perusing the internet, I swear! ;-D

There may be a day while you are riding your bike. A motorist passes you, and calls out, "Get off the fucking road!" You may be puzzled. What do these words mean?

The key to understanding this motorist's cry is to realize that the road does not copulate with itself. Rather, it is you who is partnered with the road.

Are you scratching your head, and mumbling... What the ??? ;-D

Read the full essay: Get off the Fucking Road.

If you liked this one then check out others at Bicycle Meditations.

Do You Wave, or Say Hi to Other Cyclists?

SoCalCycling.com has a survey going on on its front page:

I recently read an article in Road Magazine that was about how cyclists rarely wave at other cyclists while riding. Having waved at many a cyclist in my day, only to be ignored, I could totally relate to this.

Olympic Gold Medalist, Steve Hegg, once told me how he used to turn around and chase riders down PCH that didn’t wave to him!

Last evening, in an effort to cram in a 2 hour ride before dark with some climbing I headed due north toward the Claremont Wilderness Park then up Baldy Road.

I must of ran into 20 recreational road and mountain bikers that I didn’t know, but still thought I’d give them a friendly “what’s up” wave. One by one, they just looked at me with an uptight expression.

After getting denied several times in a row, it became a game to me to see if they would wave.

I did have one friendly guy pass me right before the climb. I watched him do the paper boy up the steep section and narrowly miss weaving into the cars hauling up Baldy Road before I passed him back. He couldn’t ride a straight line to save himself, but at least he was friendly and seemed to be enjoying himself!

On your next ride, why not give a little wave if you see a fellow cyclist!

You never know, it could be Hegg!

The Survey Results as of 1pm PST?

Yes = 332

Sometimes = 68

No, I blow them off = 21

I'm proud to say I wave a alot, and even had a horn once that I honked instead.

I need to get another horn! ;-D

A Solo Journey from Argentina to Alaska

Santiago Yanez is a brave, and hearty, soul.

He's also a cyclist. ;-D

One day, when I lived in Argentina, I decided to go for a bike ride. I ended up in Alaska, almost two years later. What it started as a fun thing to do and a physical challenge ended up changing me and my world view forever. On my 16-month long solo bicycle trip, I crossed fourteen countries and covered 23,000 kilometers (almost 15 thousand miles). I scaled the biggest summits in The Andes, biked through unknown parts of South America, became a godfather to a new-born boy in Peru, climbed beautiful but very active volcanoes in Ecuador, was almost taken hostage by Colombian guerrillas, and ran out of water in the US desert, among many other things. Here's what I learned and lived during my journey.

I am not Che Guevara’s reincarnation, but some people I met during my 18-month solo bicycle trip from South America to Alaska insisted on calling me “Che.” It might be because I am Argentinean, an adventurer by nature and a dreamer at heart. It can also be because this trip changed my life and my worldview forever.

Sit back, relax, and spend some quality time reading this long, and remarkable, story:

I BIKED FROM MENDOZA TO ALASKA: The Story of My 15 Thousand Mile Solo Trip.

From this website: ORATO: True Stories from Real People.

A special Thanks to Cecilia, an Assistant Editor at Orato, for the heads-up! :-D

LA Times does piece on cycling resources

However, it appears the reporters search for info did not turn up yours truly. ;-D

I'm willing to forgive since the purpose of the excellent 3 page piece was a focus only on Los Angeles County, while I have links to all of California, and beyond.. ;-D

However, I do have to wonder when the last recommended website in the piece is described this way:

A left-leaning collection of all things cycling with a Los Angeles emphasis.

It is no secret that 2 of the other sites recommended, have Far Left leaning, and the LA Times ain't exactly Conservative. ;-D

LOS ANGELES ( 5/22 ): Tips and resources to get you into gear by Stephen Krcmar.

Technorati Tags: Cycling Los Angeles

127 years of Bicycling in Rochester, New York

127 years ago the Bicycling Craze came to a small city in New York:

They had practiced all that winter of 1879-80, these Rochester Bicycle Club members, learning to ride their new contraptions. Late in April, "nine hardy men emerged and rode boldly through the streets," Rochester historian Blake McKelvey wrote.

It was a small beginning, to be sure. And yet by 1897 there would be an estimated 40,000 bicycles on the streets of Rochester. What happened in the intervening years was nothing short of extraordinary.

"It was a crazy time that swept across the nation with a fervor rarely matched in history," Edwin Sayers wrote in an August 1985 article for Upstate Magazine. "Like kids around a Christmas tree, America reveled in its new toy. For the first time ever a person could go a reasonably long distance under one's own power and still get home by nightfall without collapsing from exhaustion. It was transportation on the cheap, a highly personal way of conquering distances that seemed close to miraculous."

In 1881, for example, in its "Bicycle Briefs" column, the Democrat and Chronicle noted that in a single day W.H. Leonard and W.W. Reid "took in Henrietta, Scottsville, Caledonia, LeRoy, Bergen, Chili and Churchville ... on their wheels. The roads were good and when home again their cyclometer showed the distance gone over to be fifty-six miles."

Read the full piece:

Rochester Democrat and Chronicle ( 5/22 ): Bicycling craze swept city in 19th century by Bob Marcotte.

Cyclists present challenge to to Auto-Dependent Lifestyle

Press Action posted an interesting interview with Ken Coughlin, of Transportation Alternatives, last month.

Here’s a sentence you don’t expect to read on the CNN website: “As gas prices climb to record highs, more Americans seem to be abandoning their cars and biking to work to save money at the pump.” Thus, in the same way Mad Cow fears spurred new interest in vegetarianism, the current gas crisis may inadvertently deliver something else the planet really needs: less cars, more bikes. But bikers beware: this is an uphill battle.

Ken Coughlin, a board member of Transportation Alternatives (TA), a 5,500-member NYC-area non-profit citizens group working for “better bicycling, walking and public transit, and fewer cars,” says: “New York’s streets and most streets elsewhere in the country are ruled by the automobile, and bikes are at best an afterthought. Everyone knows this—drivers, cyclists, pedestrians.”

Seems the organization has its sights on Central Park in New York:

Coughlin and TA are part of a growing movement that is challenging the auto-dependent lifestyle. One example is their high profile effort to create a “car-free Central Park,” which has mobilized a broad coalition in the Big Apple. Coughlin calls that campaign, “the most perfect symbol of our society’s totally skewed transportation policies.”

Read the whole thing here ( Just ignore the whining about the cops picking on Critical Mass. ).

Technorati Tags: Transportation Alternatives, Bicycling, Cycling, Cyclists, Pedestrians, Motorists, Automobile, Walking

How the Bike helped bring Auto Industry to Detroit

A wonderful, photo filled, essay on the subject was published in the Detroit News a few months ago.

It was no accident of history, no mysterious collision of cosmic forces, that caused the auto industry to take root in the city of Detroit. It was bound to happen here sooner or later.

The reasons? The bicycle, for one.

In the late nineteenth century, the young city of Detroit was already obsessed with wheels. It was home to a myriad of small shops making carriages and bicycles. These shops were filled with tinkerers for whom the simple idea of adding a motor to a wheeled contraption seemed obvious.

Early precursors to the bicycle had emerged in Europe in the first half of the last century, and by the 1890's bicycling was the craze in Detroit.

Faded clippings from the newspapers of the day suggest that the use of bicycles was almost universal, with 80 percent of the city's population racing around town on them. Outnumbered pedestrians feared crossing the roads.

The collection of photos accompanying the piece are a wonderful trip down back through history.

Cyclists even risked the Wrath of God as seen from this Shakespeare quote by an angry preacher:

"Out, out, thou strumpet Fortune!
Break all the spokes and fellies from her wheel,
And bowl the round nave down the hill of heaven
As low as to the fiends!"

Other preachers, though, put bike racks out in front of the church! ;-D

When Motorists whine about how the streets were meant ONLY for cars you can point to this article, and and the fact that...

"Historians attribute the automobile's explosion of growth in Detroit to the network of superior roads built for bicyclists."

We Cyclists can proudly, and LOUDLY, brag that WE invented the Traffic Jam! ( Check out the collection of photos for picture proof, if you doubt that claim. )

Hee, hee. ;-D

THE DETROIT NEWS: How the bicycle put Detroit on wheels By Vivian M. Baulch.

A long delayed Tip of the Hat to Fritz, of Cyclicious.

He sent me a note back in February in response to this story I reported on:

The "counterculture" etching was boneheaded, destructive, and counterproductive indeed. The streets, however, were originally built for bicycles and they continue to be funded by and built for multiple users, not just car drivers.  Even outside of this historical context, cycling is a superior way to get around in NYC.

A superior way to get around most great American Cities.

Technorati Tags: Bicycles, Bicyclists, Bicycling, Cyclists, Roads, Detroit, Automobile, Motorists, Pedestrians

Just Pretend

So... you want to attempt a cross-country bike ride, but find the thought a tad intimidating.

Just prentend you ain't doing no such crazy-assed thing says Calvin Woodward. ;-D

The best way to start a cross-country bicycle trip is to pretend you're not doing it.

Convince yourself you are embarking on a series of day trips. It will do no good to anticipate the Rockies while still smelling the salt air of the Atlantic, or to think about the East if leaving from the West.

One rest stop to another, one day at a time, one state before the next. That's the essential mind game. It all will add up to a journey exposing you to staggering landscapes, the kindness of strangers and abilities you didn't know you had.

Many who bicycle recreationally dream of going the distance. Few do it, largely because of the time commitment. You need close to three months - more if you want to smell the roses.

I just want to do my 1st century! ( See the book shown in the sidebar on training for a Century )

I also have a goal of doing a ride, or series of rides, along Route 66 from Santa Monica Pier to Needles.

The author continues:

Once you set aside the time, you must overcome the myths and make a plan. Here are some tips:

Cost. A few thousand dollars will do if you rough it. Plan on $4,000 to $5,000 if you hope to spend most nights in a (cheap) motel. Don't skimp on the bicycle; count on $1,200 at least, on top of trip costs, for a genuine touring model.

Fitness. You don't need to be Lance Armstrong. Although I commute regularly on a bicycle, 40 minutes or more a day, I hadn't ridden more than 50 miles in a single day before I crossed the country last summer. Nor had I ever done two long rides back to back.

So I hurt more than fitter bicyclists at first. But I felt stronger by the day and found my rhythm within two weeks. Ideally, though, train beforehand and do some rides loaded down with everything you'll take.

Fear. A third hurdle is the fear that it's too dangerous out there. Most of my route was on amazingly quiet roads, but shoulders were often skimpy or nonexistent. Excessive caution is the best survival skill; if you are new to bicycling, hone traffic and safety skills.

Emotions. How far out of your comfort zone can you go? Can you get by with lousy coffee for days? If the only motel ahead is full, can you sleep under the stars? Can you stomach cold canned beans? How lonely can you stand to be?

The reason I will never do rides of more than 100 to 200 miles is quite simply the cost involved.

I'll reconsider if I win the Lottery. ;-D

He has much more to say, including about route, and gear, decisions.

Full Story:

Cleveland Plain Dealer ( 5/7 ): Don't let idea of cycling cross county intimidate you.

Technorati Tags: Cross-Country Cycling, Cycling

My Kingdom for a Potty!

We have all had our "Richard III Moment" while taking trips:

There you are...

Riding your bike...

When suddenly....

You gotta "Go".

"A Potty, A Potty, My Kingdom for a Potty!!!"

Well, stop freaking out, help is readily available. ;-D

Did you know that there is a 76 page booklet, by the Frommer folks, that reveals locations of public restrooms at popular U.S. destinations?

And you can get it for free!

From a Knight Ridder story:

When nature calls, you take a hike.

Nobody talks much about these sorts of nature hikes - they're so much a part of being alive, you just take the hike without comment. When you're on the go and you gotta go, well, you just go a little more quickly - it's really a basic element of travel. I wouldn't exactly call it adventure travel, but it could be an adventure, for sure.

Now, no less a seasoned traveler than Arthur Frommer steps in to address this aspect of traveling, bringing it into - I apologize in advance - full relief. The great guidebook writer has authored a 76-page booklet called "Where to Stop and Where to Go." It came out sometime during last summer's vacation season, but I didn't pay it much mind. At the time, I was preoccupied trying to find a restroom in Singapore....

Frommer didn't write "Where to Stop and Where to Go" specifically for family travelers, although the book is perfect for anyone traveling to 19 urban hot spots in the United States, or to our four most popular national parks: Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and Great Smoky Mountains.

He partnered with the pharmaceutical company Novartis, which published the booklet and will send it to you without charge. Novartis makes one of several medicines used in the treatment of OAB - overactive bladder - a condition affecting 33 million Americans.

"As a nation, we lag far behind other wealthy countries in creating public restroom facilities," Frommer writes. "The number of U.S. cities with non- beachfront, restroom kiosks on their streets can be counted on less than the fingers of two hands; it's as if the need to go to the bathroom does not exist."

He says travelers with overactive bladders "have been inexcusably neglected by travel journalism." I would expand that to travelers in general.

"What a treasure of awesome sights and attractions our country has!" Frommer writes. He is not referring to restrooms. Frommer skillfully ties the attractions of a place to basic bathroom information, and once I began looking through "Where to Stop and Where to Go," a question struck me: "Why haven't guidebooks done this all along?

A damn good question! ;-D

The full article: A Guide to the Nation's Thrones by Howard Shapiro.

Go here to learn how to get your copy: Where to Stop and Where to Go.

Technorati Tags: Bladder, Thrones, Potty, Bathrooms, Bathroom, Restrooms, Restroom, Guidebooks, Travelers, Traveling, Travel, Frommer, Parks, Novartis

The Bike Man teaches lesson about Values

The Bike Man, Heinz Stuecke, embarked on a lifetime of cycling around the world:

In 1962, he pedaled away from his home in Hovelhof in what was then West Germany as an alternative to pursuing a career as a toolmaker. Since then he's cycled an estimated 335,000 miles (539,000 kilometers) through about 200 countries. Known simply as ``the Bike Man,'' Stuecke ranked as the world's most-traveled man in the Guinness Book of Records between 1995 and 1999.

The story I found, though, is not about that really, but about crime in Jolly Ol' England.

Last month The Bike Man came to England, and his welcome was not the nicest, but that was not the end of the story:

He landed in Portsmouth on the south coast of England. On the first day, his bike was stolen. The police did their best to help, offering to lend him a spare one. And, eventually the bike was found.

Still, the message was clear. Despite the genteel, prosperous image, England has become a crime-ridden, rough, and often dangerous place. Yet underneath that, it also retains traces of kindness, illustrated by the way the local police offered to lend him a bike to continue his journey.

In its odd mix of civility and barbarism, Stuecke's story tells us a lot about the way the U.K. has changed in the last decade.

There can be no denying that the story of the stolen bike struck a chord around the world. Newspapers from the New York Times to the People's Daily in China carried it at some length....

There's a bit of Stuecke in all of us, which is why we find stories such as his so appealing. While most of us settle down to a job and family life, we also succumb to fleeting moments when we wonder whether it might not have been better just to cycle off into the horizon than spending another day paying the mortgage. When we read about men such as Stuecke, it is impossible not to admire their commitment to freedom and the open road.

Yet the story also intrigued readers because it told us something about modern England. Of course, a bike could be stolen anywhere. And yet the sad truth is that it is more likely to happen in England than in many other places. Few other countries in the developed world have the appalling crime rates that are now common across much of Britain.

Read the rest of the story ( The Crime in Britain part ), and the writer's ultimate thoughts as he brings the story full circle back to thoughts on the cyclist:

BLOOMBERG.COM ( 5/15): Cyclist Exposes Reality of Modern English Values by Matthew Lynn.

Technorati Tags: Cyclist, England, Britain

Will Segway Someday Surpass the Bicycle in Popularity?

There is an interesting article in the Christian Science Monitor today on the 5 year old contaption called the Segway:

The Segway, the enviro-happy machine unveiled to great hype in 2001 only to thud commercially, has made steady, if modest, inroads among early adopters, becoming the stuff of daily life for pockets of enthusiasts from coast to coast. It's used to commute, have fun and, in the case of Segway tour operators, make money.

Segway Inc. won't release sales figures, but Will Hopper, president of the users club SEG America, estimates there are 25,000 to 30,000 "seggers" nationwide, a fraction of the average ballpark crowd.This number doesn't include vehicles sold to police departments (officers look more approachable on Segs), research institutions, and other organizations.

"Today people are generally positive about it - kids think it's cool and seniors love it," he says.

But the machine remains overshadowed by the early hype and its price ( $4 to 6,000 ).

Read the rest of this informative story, and sidebar collection of user interviews:

A NATURAL SEGWAY: The two-wheeled transporters are making inroads into everyday life - from fishing trips to weddings BY Christian Lupsa.

Technorati Tags: Segway

Bicycling Barber

"A professor who is one exam short of a course", Lonnie B. Hodge, of the Blog  OneManBandwidth: An American Professor in China tells of a wonderful story in China:

Jing Qui is the bicycling barber of Beijing. He is 91 and has been cutting hair for 77 years. He pedals a bike to his clients, most of them elderly friends, a few of of whom can’t get out of bed.

He has had a storybook life in China old and new: He barbered for Qing Dynasty officials, warlords in Gansu Province, Japanese diplomats, and a famous Kuomintang general. He has known a certain kind of fame and notoriety.

And, though much differently, so it is these days: In his community he is known as an “everyday saint”, a mobile memory chest, and a keeper of community among elderly Chinese. This at a time when China, like other countries, is giving way to all that is younger, faster, higher, and more efficient for economic success.

“Steady work is what I believe in; if you are working and thinking, you don’t get stuck.”

Read more: The Bicycling Barber of Beijing - Recycled.

One more thing: Blogging in China, for ordinary Chinese, is a dangerous enterprise. Americans, who live in China, and also Blog, Like Lonnie, are not immune to concern about this issue either.

Your Blog or Your Freedom.

Technorati Tags: Blog, Blogging, Bike, Bicycling, Barber, China, Beijing

Velomobile is a practical all weather, human powered, vehicle

..... Or so its creators, and riders claim.

Brian Ball, of Wired News wrote a piece about this contraption recently that is quite interesting.

It's January and very cold in most of the northern hemisphere, but some innovative and persistent cyclists have found a way to keep pedaling even in the foulest weather.

The human-powered vehicles they employ are called velomobiles -- fully enclosed recumbent bicycles that usually have three wheels, a chair-like seat and a standard bicycle drivetrain. The modern velomobile is the closest that anyone has come to building a truly practical all-weather, human-powered vehicle.

These vaguely egg-shaped vehicles may never become a common sight on the world's roadways, but with increasing gas prices and never-ending gridlock, short-distance commuters are starting to take them more seriously.

Apparently we can blame the French for the idea. ;-D

Velomobile riders are capable of cruising at speeds of around 30 mph on flat ground thanks to the aerodynamics of these vehicles, but they often find that other factors tend to slow them down.

1.  Velomobiling.net.

2. Quest.

3. Versatile.

4. Velomobile USA.

5. Go-One.

Read the full piece here.

James, of Bicycle Design, has more on the subject, including a piece on a homemade version.

A Sorcerer of Patyrical Pathos and Dynamic Panopolism says RIDE

I have no idea what the hell that means, but someone described the contents of a book by the writer of the story, and website, I'm about to recommend, using them, so I figured that would get readers ATTENTION. ;-D

The Health, Beauty, and Fitness issue of the Alternative, to the OTHER Los Angeles Alternative Weekly, CITY BEAT, hits the stands today, and one of the cover stories is a must read for anyone interested in cycling, especially anyone thinking about joining the fun for the 1st time.

Cole Coonce begins his essay by relating how being acquainted with a fat LA Rocker, turned fit Cyclist, with rides to Seattle, and New York under his belt, led to a decision that changed his life.

My jaw drops. Again. You could knock me over with a pair of Lycra shorts. But I keep my flabbergastation hidden and quiz Charlie about which highways he took across America to New York....

what I picked up on during that conversation changed my life. Charlie didn’t just exercise his body and drop a ton of cellulite, he also spent those epic cycling sojourns exercising another muscle: his mind. He stared down a failed relationship and regained his self-esteem and found the proverbial peace of mind.

He was not only building up his stamina, burning fat, fighting off diabetes, lowering stress, increasing his lung capacity, and strengthening and cleansing his entire cardiovascular system, he was firing off chemicals in his brain – the ones associated with bliss, joy, and euphony.

Although he did not articulate it this way, Charlie was telling me, in essence, that if you put in enough consecutive hours (or even quarter hours) on a bike, your body’s endorphins are gonna start crankin’ and your mind is going to reach a certain alpha state of omniscience – maybe what New Agers call “reaching a transcendental state.” In metaphysical terms, you are opening your Third Eye.

Since I wear Glasses, and thus have "4" eyes, in my case that must mean my "5th" Eye. ;-D

Cole says Cycling is like Prozac...

only, when it wears off, you don’t want to jump off of a bridge. It is like therapy, except you aren’t subjected to pseudo-intellectual condescension in the form of pop psychology buzzwords. It is like heroin, except you aren’t subjecting your internal organs to failure and you won’t set your house on fire because you nodded off with a lit cigarette.

Cycling as Therapy, an experence that can be used to clear the mind during a stressful time of ones life, or just to help focus you on anything going on in your life, at home, or at work.

I can relate to that: 2 of the BEST, and most EXHILERATING ( including the longest ) bike rides of my life came during difficult times in my, and the country's ( in one case ) life.

1. Pedaling the San Gabriel Mtns. ( 44 miles ).

2. Riding between Santa Monica and Malibu, including along Mulholland. ( 66 miles ).

Such rides tend to clear the sinuses, so to speak, when you come close to opening your "3rd Eye", or actually fell you did so.

I don't know about my "5th Eye" being opened, but those rides truly DID affect me.

Cole tells the story of how he began to follow the example of Charlie, and how this led to his conquering the road to Mt. Wilson every chance he got.

His description brought back the memories of my rides in the mountains, and make me eager to put my own plans for this year into action at the 1st opportunity.

It's been a while since my last really long, and challenging, ride, and it's about time for a few more.

As Cole writes:

I am now of the strident opinion that the more citizens take up cycling, the more the cottage industries of drug enforcement, healthcare, psychology, and serotonin re-uptake inhibitor manufacturing will take direct financial hits. You can plot the damage to their profit-to-earnings ratios in a directly inversely proportional scale to the amount that the average American lardass gets off the couch, gets away from the gridlocked highways, and climbs on a bicycle....

A- fuckin'- men, Brother!! ;-D

The world is a cyclists velodrome, and it is there for our amusement and benefit.

If Charlie, Cole, and I could conquer it, so can you!

Read the whole piece:

The World is your Velodrome -- One L.A. rocker says to all the disaffected in the underworld: Get on your bikes and ride! by Cole Coonce.

Check out Cole's cool Cycling Page for more great writing, and wonderful photos.

if you live in SoCal hunt down a copy of this weeks City Beat! You can find it, free, in many book, and music, stores, and other venues, in LA and Orange County.

Port Townsend Bike Helmet Law a concern to Washington Cyclist

A Letter to the Edtor, in The Port Townsend Leader, expresses concern over the new Bike Helmet in that city:

As a bicyclist, Port Townsend’s new helmet law truly disturbs me. I believe there is a limit to the level of control a town should have over citizens who are harming no one.

This law infringes on an individual’s freedom to make decisions concerning personal well-being until the courts find him incapable. You cannot even compare the risk a motorcyclist faces at 60 mph.

Riding defensively is the only thing that gives a bicyclist security, and practically all of Port Townsend’s serious cyclists wear helmets already because they ride at higher speeds. But on the other hand, all the shipwrights in the boat haven use a bike to run between jobs, and they will never go to the hassle of finding and putting on a helmet to ride a block.

They’d sooner drive their pickups.

Apparently if you are caught without a helmet you will be ticketed.

The writer believes fewer people will run simple errands on their bikes because of this.

Lack of exercise poses a much graver health risk, so maybe we could also legislate mandatory workouts like in Maoist China. Don’t laugh, it’s the same overzealous tendency to control; a helmet law would have been unthinkable 30 years ago.

More than anything, the issue of enforcement disturbs me. It’s easy to create a new law if you don’t have to enforce it. I would like to see the City Council required to go out and slap bicyclists with tickets.

Isn’t the police force busy enough with serious crimes such as the theft of personal property? I have had three bicycles stolen over the years. When I reported them, I filled out a form which I’m sure was duly registered but otherwise ignored because of administrative priorities.

Today isn't 30 years ago.

Today bicycle safety is a huge concern, and one of the most important things you can do, even on an "errand" run, is wear a helmet.

But now our overworked police force has one more job: baby-sitting PT’s citizens to save them from brain damage. And now when I ride down to the store I will have to watch out for the police.

This is not what I live in PT for, and I hope other people will join me in demanding the repeal of this unnecessary law.

If a State Law was on the books would he feel the same way?

Brain Damage is a serious consequence of not wearing a helmet, and some folks are just too caught up in feeling the wind in their hair to give this the serious consideration it deserves.

Port Townsend Leader ( 11/16 ): New Bike Helmet Law disturbing by Charles Espey.

Southern California Bicyclist a useful resource for cyclists

For just over a decade a bi-monthly, 25 page magazine, has made its presence felt in bike shops all across Southern California, parts of Arizona, and in Las Vegas.

It's free in the shops, but you can subscribe to it, too!

The magazine is called Southern California Bicyclist and, no, they still don't have a website. ;-D

Based out of Lake Forest, here in Orange County, the magazine highlights area bike rides from the old books by Don and Sharon Brundige, and has articles from various other contributors.

The Editorials are always as interesting, and informative, as the articles.

The Comprehensive list of Clubs is a great resource, as are the numerous cycling related Ads, including for upcoming Bike Ride Events, and the Classifieds section.

Grist Magazine Columnist on Bike Commuting

I came across 2 excellent articles, on Bike Commuting, at Environmental magazine Grist Magazine Online.

Umbra Fisk writes a column of advice on "All things Environmental", and recently had reason to discuss the subject of commuting by bicycle.

In Sept. a question was asked, a cyclist who commutes a half hour each way:

I've been wondering if the benefits (exercise, sunshine, free and fast transport) are outweighed by the negatives (primarily breathing in diesel and other exhaust, but I'd also throw in the risk of almost getting run over, despite the cheap thrills).

The person was wondering about comparisons, healthwise between different types of commutes.

Umbra Responded:

Clearly, biking not only maintains but improves your general physical health, in terms of muscles and heart rate and mental peace, and has little impact on the environment. It beats motorized vehicles -- or, as I like to call them, Mobile Emissions Sources -- of all types on both these counts.

Being near or in traffic has an impact on our health and the environment, no matter what vehicle we choose. Chemicals and particulate matter flow from car and bus and taxi engines and into the mini-weather system of the traffic zone...

The nasties are densest at the middle of the traffic zone, and less intense on the edges. So, to put it simply, the position of your lungs is key. Of course, there are many variables for air-pollution scientists to play with, and each situation is different, and so on -- but, basically, studies show you get the biggest hit of the nasties when you're inside a car....

The little information I was able to find on subways compared them to buses. Pollutants in the subway tunnel are fairly equivalent to bus pollutants, so I will extrapolate that biking wins over all mechanized transport.

Sept. 28th -- The Wheel Deal by Umbra Fisk

A month later she address the following question:

So what about bike commuting? Is it safe? Is it good? Is it encouraged?

Jeez..., obviously this person has no clue about the resources online that could answer those questions, from Bloggers who commute, to full blown Cycling Information websites. ;-D

Anyway, Umbra proceeds to answer the questions this way:

Yes, yes, yes. Lungwise, biking is at least as safe as driving, if not more so. It's true, as many readers pointed out after my previous column, that we breathe more heavily when bicycling than driving. But the scientists thought of that. In general, we are not worse off biking in regular old city traffic, especially if we are able to stay to the side of the pollutant slipstream...

Is biking safe in other ways? I don't know what to say to that. I think accident and injury statistics are essentially meaningless when applied to our own individual choices. Car accidents happen often, but we don't consider them until that sickening crunch intrudes on our safety delusion. Likewise, no numbers will stop a determined cyclist.

If you intend to start a biking habit, use common sense. Evaluate your own confidence, and use the experience of others. If people cycle in St. Paul, but you never see a single cyclist on the route you would take to work, find out where the decent bike route lies. Ask fellow cyclists whether they consider your route safe. Find the bike lanes, the roads with good shoulders. Every major city has a bicycling coalition devoted to helping people like you, and some cities, including yours, publish route maps.

To paraphrase Umbra...

If you are run over by a Yugo, or hit the deck on some rain slick street, you will feel endangered, injured, terrified, and stupid.

And you don't think car drivers feel the same in similar situations related to driving their cars?

For us 2-wheelers, though, the "good news" is that it is the rare time that you will hurt anyone but yourself, when you, very publically, take a spill, or get run over by that Yugo.

Oh, and Al Queda won't target your Club Ride. ;-D

So get out there! Lose weight! Save money!

Join the growing number of "Wackos" who enjoy a good bike ride.

You will live longer! ;-D

Oct. 31st -- Wheels of Fortune by Umbra Fisk.

Check out the Grist Magazine Blog for more interesting Environmental discussion, and debate.

Slate writer discovers joy of Cycling Los Angeles

A new article in the Hey, Wait a Minute!  (The conventional wisdom debunked! ) column of Slate has the odd title "Nobody Bikes in L.A.".

Glenn Reynolds, the Instapundit, reads this piece and wonders:

Actually, I'd think that L.A. would be good bike territory: It's mostly flat, it seldom rains, and it's usually not dreadfully hot.

Los Angeles is a great place to ride a bike, for recreation, and for commuting, and many people do both, frequently, and safely, helped by a knowledge of where to ride, and how to navigate the landscape safely.

Slate Senior Editor, Andy Bowers, discovered all that, and a sense of BLISS, too, apparently. ;-D

Excerpts:

I am a fourth-generation Southern Californian. I was weaned on exhaust fumes and the eye-searing smog of the 1970s. I grew up in a hilly area of the city where it was impossible to ride my bike to school or a store without risking real harm...

Driving in L.A. feels as natural to me as walking in Manhattan...

Although I had actually been a bike commuter in other cities (most notably during three years in London), it never occurred to me to try it when I returned to L.A. (this despite the fact that there may be no major city in the world with a climate as perfect for bike commuting as ours—warm winters; moderate, dry summers; alarmingly little rain). Since cycling to work is such an aberration here, I found the idea both exhilarating and pleasingly subversive.

So he became a rebel...

and took to the streets!

Instead of the major thoroughfares I use when driving, I cycled quiet back streets—the kind that infuriate me in a car because of all the stop signs and the impossibility of crossing major streets without a signal. I found my commute so easy that I soon started looking for other short trips I could make on the bike—picking up a few groceries, going to the gym, returning library books—then longer ones. I plotted new stealth routes no driver would ever take.

Over a period of several months he had discovered a different Los Angeles.

It's very easy for an L.A. driver to think that our city is as choked with humanity as Manhattan. From the driver's point of view, that's increasingly true—there are more and more evenings when every major street is stopped dead, and going a few miles can take hours. At work the next day, people grimly shake their heads and lament what's becoming of the city.

He discovered what the majority, stuck in their cars, don't realize: Los Angeles is not gridlocked!

Not only has riding my bike enabled me to glide past all this gridlock (in fact, I'm often not even aware it's happening), but it has made me realize that it's an illusion. The city itself is not gridlocked—merely the narrow asphalt ribbons onto which we squeeze all our single-occupant cars. On the back streets I now take, everything is quiet and serene. The main roads may mimic Times Square on New Year's Eve, but the areas between L.A.'s clogged arteries comprise mile after square mile of low-density, low-stress residential bliss (the same is true, I suspect, of most American cities).

I found that true of the suburbs, to the east, that I grew up in ( The Pomona Valley, and Inland Empire ) even as the region grew, and expanded in the last 20 years.

I am beginning to discover this here in Orange County, the home of some of the most congested freeways in Southern California, and the famous Orange Crush, near my home, as well.

He ends on a partial note of doom, and gloom ( before hilariously imagining everyone deciding to get out of their cars, and turning L.A. into BEIJING 24/7 ):

Don't get me wrong—Los Angeles is an almost pathologically bike-unfriendly city. It has pathetically few marked bike lanes, and those it has often peter out for no reason and at the worst possible place. Its drivers go ballistic when a cyclist slows them down, even for a few seconds. And of course, it's so sprawling that some commutes would simply be impossible by bike (although I suspect more than we realize would actually be faster on two thin wheels).

Los Angeles has slowly become LESS pathetic thanks to the fact that all the Mass Transit Agencies have Bicycle Access, and thanks to the advocacy of not only state organizations such as the Ca. Ass. of Bicycling Orgs. (CABO),  the Ca. Bicycle Coalition (CBC) , and California Bike Commute/Bike to Work Day,  but most importantly the efforts of  local advocates such as the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition (LACBC), and local clubs such as the historic  LA Wheelmen.

Books have been written over the past 20 years telling those that are interested where to find the best places to ride, and explore, from city trips to the Beach Trail, and the Los Angeles, and San Gabriel River Trails.

There are also many websites as a look at my Links section will show.

Like here in the OC there is also a, mostly unseen, Bike Commuting workforce that is all around you, if you know how to spot them, especially at night.

Legal, and illegal, this mostly Hispanic ridership can be seen on bikes, large, and small, crappy to quite well taken care of, especially at night with headlights ( store bought, or makeshift, including even a simple handheld flashlight ), some with backpacks on their backs, traveling anywhere from just a couple of miles to maybe 10, to and/or from their jobs every day.

A lot of other, more well-off folks, also commute to work by bike entirely, or in combo with Mass Transit, every day.

I know of at least a couple of guys who ride 40+ miles a day by bicycle, round trip.

I frequently will do 20 myself.

All that being said I don't think we have to worry that Andy's vision of

"wealthy Angelenos careening down Wilshire Boulevard, yakking obliviously on cell phones, demanding valet bike racks, and competing over whose Italian or French import is more expensive"

will come true in our, or our kids, or grandkids, lifetimes. ;-D

SLATE ( 11/23/05 )-- Nobody Bikes in L.A.: But they'd be a lot happier if they did by Andy Bowers.

ALSO ON SLATE: Same day, different, but just as interesting, essay on Cycling in America:

THE BICYCLE DIARIES: Is it possible to live in America without a car? Uh, sort of. By Bill Gifford.

A Tip of the Hat to Instapundit!

Bicycling Magazine Tips for Riding with your Walkman

Article on riding your bike while plugged into your Walkman, MP3 Player, or iPod, and tuned out of the world around you, by Bicycling Magazine, begins this way:

Thanks to iPods and other MP3 players, 10,000 songs take up the same amount of space in your jersey pocket as a banana. So why not bring tunes along for the ride? For starters, it's illegal in some states to ride with music in your ears, though the law is rarely enforced. Then there's the great debate about whether earphones compromise your safety on the road. We don't recommend cycling with earphones, but ...

They then devote the rest of the piece to tips on how to supposedly do this safely.

The article, in the September issue, is divided into short sections with the following titles:

1. How much must a cyclist hear?

2. What do motorists hear?

3. Which headphones are best for cyclists?

4. How low should you go?

Interesting tidbits of info include:

there are no laws restricting deaf people from riding a bike, nor are there reports of high accident rates for hearing-impaired riders. And we've never heard of a problem from wearing an ear-covering headband in cold weather...

Between engine growl and ear-covering helmets--of which the latest have built-in speakers--a motorcyclist hears far less than a bicyclist. Modern cars are designed to insulate the driver from outside noise...

Pedal to the beat of your own tunes by Alan Cote.

Funding Street Repairs by getting Bike Lanes

How many cyclists, or city governments, are aware of this:

In 1991, Congress passed legislation that recognized the importance of bicycling and walking in creating a balanced transportation system. This law, the Intermodel Surface Transportation efficiency Act, was then translated by the U.S. Department of Transportation in 1994 to define two specific goals: double the number of trips made by foot and bicycle and reduce the number of accidents involving bicyclists and pedestrians be 10 percent.

President Clinton signed the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) in 1998, to continue the integration of bicycling into the transportation mainstream. The new legislation provided funding, planning and policy tools to implement the program nationwide.

In Sept. Bill Effinger, a marketing, management and forward planning consultant in Desert Hot Springs, Ca., wrote a column in the local paper encouraging street repair thru the creation of Bike Lanes.

In part, he wrote:

When a city is as strapped for continuing revenues as Desert Hot Springs is, and has roads in as poor condition as it does, bike lanes can help correct a bad situation.

Several years ago, the federal government enacted a piece of legislation to encourage bike usage as a means of reducing fuel consumption, the effect of which was to create funding for communities that construct bike lanes on their primary and secondary roads and streets.

Since that time, small and large communities with savvy leadership have seized upon the law to help improve, extend and maintain the roads within their cities, using the financial help the feds give them. Having just moved here from a community that has used the program extensively, I can attest to the benefits that city and its taxpayers have derived from the millions of dollars of federal government grants for bicycle lanes....

The result of this transposes into opportunities for communities large and small to receive grant funds from several sources, which can be used to improve roadways and streets within communities that provide bicycle paths and lanes.

With nearly 125 miles of streets and roads within Desert Hot Springs, there are millions of dollars of available federal and state funds for resurfacing, widening and building new streets, provided they contain bikeways.

Palm  Springs Desert Sun - 9/26: A positive idea: Get funds for street repairs by creating bike lanes.

Books for becoming a better Bicyclist

When I 1st started this blog, in January 2003, I recommmended 3 books I have in my collection.

As I've written about cycling safety, and added links to various related websites, the thought has occurred to me to mention those books again.

THE TITLES:

BICYCLING FOR DUMMIES by Allen St.John.

Don't knock the Dummies Series.

These books, regardless of subject, offer good to excellent introductions to the subjects they cover.

My only real gripe is that this edition is 6 years old! Time for an update don't ya think? ;-D

Subjects covered include;

Bicycle Anatomy, and the differences between MTB's, Road Bikes, and Hybrids, and how to choose the best fitting, and best priced steed for you.

Several chapters on riding, riding safely, and training.

Several chapters on maintaining a healthy bike.

Riding with the kids, and charity, club, recreational, and touring riding, as well as commuting.

There's more but that's enough to get you interested I hope.

URBAN BIKERS' TRICKS and TIPS: Low-Tech and No Tech Ways To Find, Ride, and Keep a Bicycle by Dave Glowacz, Rev. ed. 2004 ( MY edition is from 1998 )

The title doesn't even begin to tell you what is in this slim ( only 250 pages ), illustration filled, reference book.

Want to use your bike more? Want to do it safely?

This book covers many subjects from the amusing, and seemingly inconsequential, to the serious, and important, in a very informative, and entertaining way.

Subjects: Choosing a bike, Maintenance basics, protecting your investment from thieves, sharing the road with them pesky SUV'S and their, lesser mortal, friends, taking your steed on busses, trains, and planes, riding at night, and in bad weather, appropriate clothing, and a resource guide.

The most important book of the 3 is...

EFFECTIVE CYCLING by John Forester ( THIS outstanding, MUST HAVE, book frst appeared in 1974! )

31 years ago John Forrester wrote a book that spawned movement of sorts.

As the back cover of my edition says:

"The Core of John Forester's concept of Effective Cycling is that bicyclists fare best when they act, and are treated in return, as drivers of vehicles, with the same rights and responsibilities that motorists have."

This classic introduction to the practices, and theory of Effective Cycling has gone thru 6 editions ( thru 1993 ), spawned educations programs, and a website, or 2.

It is, without question, the most important, and thought-provoking, book on bicycling you will likely ever read, and own, and at 600 pages is well worth the time, and effort needed to read it.

The Play's the Thing!

The venerable, 121 year old, British Theatre magazine Playbill recently reported on a new play opening in Britain.

Life is at the crossroads for a London mother who is going blind and her daughter, a mediocre psychic, in the Off-Broadway premiere of Deborah Grimberg's Cycling Past the Matterhorn, opening Sept. 29 at the Harold Clurman Theatre in Theatre Row.

Shirley Knight ("Desperate Housewives," and a Tony Award winner for Kennedy's Children) plays the mum Esther, who has made mistakes in her life, and Carrie Preston (Broadway's The Rivals, The Tempest) is the adult daughter, Amy, who resents her mother's shortcomings.

The relationship begins to shift when Esther makes a plan to get healthy and go on a mountain biking trek to witness the titular European mountain.

Performances began Sept. 18. The play by New York-based British writer Grimberg made its world premiere in 2003 at the New York International Fringe Festival and was further refined in a Detroit staging in 2004. Nina Jacques is the only actress retained from the Fringe run.

In the warm comedy, Amy's American fiance, Doug — played by Ben Fox, who was George in James Naughton's Our Town on Broadway — is hoping for a life in the States. Brenda Wehle, the Obie Award winner for Off-Broadway's Talking Heads, co-stars as Anita, Esther's fiercely loyal middle-aged sister.

What I want to know is do the bikes get seen on stage, or are they just alluded to by those who have just "ridden them in the mountains"?

What intrigues me is this bit from a blurb by the Producers:

Esther decides to forge ahead with her life (saying 'if Stevie Wonder can do it than so can I!'), and joins a cycling excursion in Switzerland to see the mountains while she still can."

Sept. 29th Playbill News: Shirley Knight Plays a Desperate Former Housewife in Cycling Past the Matterhorn, Opening Sept. 29 by Kenneth Jones.

Folks in Madison discovering bicycling!

From a recent editorial in the Madison Daily Leader, in Wisconsin ( With remarks by me ):

Even though we won't have a bike trail linking the city of Madison to Lake Herman State Park, bicycling appears to be gaining popularity in Madison.

[ All right all y'all happy Madisonians, let's get crackin' on that minor detail, ok? ;-) ]

We generally see three types of bike riders. First are the serious ones who ride dozens of miles at a time and might participate in a bike-a-thon or longer triathlon. Second are those who just want to ride around the neighborhood with kids occasionally.

Third are those who sometimes substitute a bicycle for a car, riding to work or the store.

That's the group we believe is growing.

[ Do, tell... ;-D ]

Perhaps the higher gasoline prices have caused riding to increase. We do notice more bike racks near businesses and other employers, and they seem to be fuller during the work day.

Perhaps the fitness benefits of riding are becoming more evident. President George Bush switched two years ago from being a runner to a bicyclist because he pointed out that he and other baby-boomers still want exercise after their knees and hips start giving out.

Perhaps additional sidewalks and the "curb cutouts" are boosting ridership. Safely riding a bicycle to Pamida or Lewis a year ago would have been pretty tough, especially for children. But the sidewalk construction on South Washington makes that a reasonable destination by bike today.

9/15/2005: Even without Bike Trail, bicycling picking up speed by Jon M. Hunter, Publisher.

High gas prices creating more cyclists, and safety concerns

There are several points to take away from an interesting article on SignOnSanDiego.com:

1. Since the spike in gas prices, the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition has received more requests from people asking for bike routes to their workplaces, said Kathy Keehan, the executive director.

Biking is an attractive commuting option in San Diego because of the beautiful, year-round weather, she noted.

But there are concerns that, for some, the ride won't be smooth because it takes savvy, experience and education to handle the roads, Keehan said.

Good point. When even folks who have ridden a bike for years don't ride the right way, what happens when you get a bunch of newbies out there as well?

2. Some bikers don't know or flout basic rules. They drive against traffic and run red lights and stop signs. They don't wear helmets.

Still others drink and ride. And even experienced bike riders, hardened by close calls and nasty yells from motorists, can be combative.

Don't forget the cyclists with cell phones!

Or the ones with head phones tuned to their favorite music station!

3. Bicyclists, meanwhile, say living life in the bike lane tests one's fortitude.

Drivers don't watch out for them, they say.

Drivers veer into their lanes to purposely send them off course.

Drivers fling open car doors without looking – sometimes right into a biker's path.

"I think drivers think bicyclists are riding for recreation and that they shouldn't impede" motorists, said Allen D. Zwan, who bikes twice a week to work along the route where 29-year-old Patrick Klokow died.

"But it's becoming a regular method of transportation."

All true.

4. According to a program called Bike To Work, it costs $3,000 annually to keep your car running. A bike costs less than $300 annually, according to the organization's Web site.

Some are combining bike riding with public transportation.

But many people hopping on bikes today, particularly middle-aged folks, didn't grow up having the level of education about bike safety that kids get today.

Most cyclists, of any age, or experience, have no clue about most of the informational websites I have listed in my sidebar.

5. "People may have entrenched habits and are not changing them."

They may remember their carefree days of riding as a child and scoff at the idea of wearing a helmet. California has a helmet law, but it doesn't apply to those over 18.

They may also combine biking with partying. Almost a quarter of those killed last year had a blood-alcohol concentration of .08 or greater.

Is that last scary , or what?

The fact that many adult cyclists think they don't have to wear a helmet is also scary.

And the number that I see, out with their kids ( some with helmets, some without ), who set a bad example by not wearing a helmet themselves is amazing.

6. Some argue that bike riders contribute to the problems. Some sport expensive bikes that can easily overcome speed limits on some roads. Some also ride three, four and five abreast, spilling over from the bike lane and into the main road, where they may meet up with frustrated drivers.

Not only do some cyclists, especially Club Cyclists, act this stupid, and recklessly, on the street, but they do so on bike only trails, here, such as the Santa Ana River, and San Gabriel River Trails, and I'm sure riders across the nation can report similar stories.

I know of one man, a few years ago, who upon seeing a pack, taking up both lanes of the San Gabriel Trail, coming hell bent for leather toward him, planted himself, and his bike, across both lanes forcing the club riders to come to a stop to go around him.

They had the nerve to be pissed off at him for his actions, and didn't take kindly to his complaint.

One person interviewed for this story has hope.

He was...

Heartened by a possible offshoot of people switching from gas guzzlers to bikes, though.

Studies show that if more people are on bikes, motorists learn to better deal with them, he said.

In Europe, where bicycles are widely used, conflicts are rare, he said.

"There's safety in numbers."

Sept. 11: BUMBER CROP OF CYCLISTS:  As Gas Prices increase, so do safety concerns by Michael Stetz.

Taking Cyclists to task in Tennessee

An interesting letter to the editor appeared in the Dickson Herald Opinion recently [ My comments in brackets ] :

What is the first question anyone asks when offered a chance to ride a bicycle almost anywhere in Dickson County?

[ Um, Where are all the backcountry stills?  ;-D ]

The answer shouldn't surprise anyone. It's likely easily guessed: “What? Are you trying to get me killed?”

[ Apparently hillbillies can't drive. ;-D ]

The roads in this county (and city) are dangerous enough as it is without bicyclists becoming targets daring cars to hit them and drivers getting tempted to answer the challenge. Most people are sensible. It only takes one that isn't to cause an accident and a lot of trouble.

[ Okay, enough with the wisecracks by a city slicker who doesn't know how to dive a car...

He's right when he says, as well, that people on  both sides can be obstinate idiots ]

Bicyclists should follow the rules, just like they expect drivers to do.

[ True ]

All vehicles should be properly maintained and properly equipped for safety. Drivers should stay phone-free and be willing to move over for a bicyclist.

[ Damn Straight! ]

On a bicycle, safety means riding at the edge of the pavement, with good brakes and a proper mirror mounted on the bicycle.

[ While I agree with having good brakes, and some type of mirror, he loses me at the "edge of the pavement".

Safety doesn't ALWAYS mean staying so far to the right that you might as well ride on the sidewalk and be done with it. ]

Never drive against the traffic, in town or on the highway. Drivers don't expect to see a vehicle on their side of the road coming toward them. You may be able to see them, but you will still fail to see whomever you are meeting. On your own side of the road, properly armed with a good mirror that you are actually giving some attention, you will see both drivers and can respond accordingly.

[ Okay! Back on the same page! ]

Be careful. You will lose any engagement against a car or truck. Dickson County and its cities need roads made safe for bicyclists. We will never have them if we all tempt fate and end up getting killed.

[ Good point ]

Sept. 14: Bicyclists need to follow rules, too by Lloyd Harrison Whitling

Planning the future of the Santa Ana River

As most outdoor types in the OC know the Santa Ana River Trail is a great place for walking, jogging, cycling, and even fishing, in spots.

Portions of the river in Riverside county, and San Bernardino County, are as well, or have plans for them to be so.

Despite the annoying, unsightly, and sometimes dangerous, presence of the homeless, and even criminal elements in some areas.

And that brings me to a story in the LA Times, and on the KTLA Ch.5 TV website:

For many Southern Californians, the Santa Ana River, which runs from the San Bernardino Mountains to the Pacific Ocean, is not so much a river but a chain link of levees and channels cutting through the urban landscape.

But a growing number of municipal and parks officials in San Bernardino, Riverside and Orange counties are beginning to see the potential for something more.

"Flood control will remain a priority for the river," said Orange County Supervisor Lou Correa.

"But we want to get the public to start thinking about this as a major recreational resource."

What Correa and officials in the other counties envision is a 110-mile "mountains to the sea" stretch of river dotted with small parks, trails, wading ponds and other attractions.

Sounds promising doesn't it?

A lot of agencies, and interests will need to get involved, and co-operate, in order for this dream to come true, but it can be done.

The project is a concept right now. It will entail coordination among several layers of governments as cities and counties build their own parks along the river.

In Orange County, the plan may conflict with proposals to extend the Orange Freeway south along the Santa Ana River from where the roadway ends at the Garden Grove Freeway.

But supporters of the plan are hopeful and say it is a way to create recreational spaces in cities with little or no land for new parks.

"On weekends, there's 10,000 people using this river for recreation," said Correa, whose district includes older cities such as Garden Grove and Santa Ana in the river's path.

"Instead of a wide open park with trees and playgrounds, in most places we have only a 12-foot-wide path."

The cost will depend on how much of the river's bank gets transformed into parks, but one possible source of funding is working its way through the Legislature.

There is a bill, by state Sen. Wes Chesbro (D-Arcata), that apparently calls for a $4-billion state-bond issue for clean water, parks and coastal projects. This bill would allocate about $50 million for projects along the Santa Ana River.

The Senate is expected to consider SB 153 in January of 2006.

I think the plan would be a good thing.

Officials have been discussing ideas for decades, and while Orange County has a continuous paved trail, the otehr 2 counties do not yet have one.

In Riverside, county and city officials are discussing plans to enhance trails and create bikeways or walking paths along the river and connect them to historical sites near Prado Dam.

In San Bernardino County, supervisors approved a plan two years ago to take debris-filled riverfront land in Colton and transform it into a regional park with a lake, sports fields and wetlands preserve.

The park, originally envisioned as a 200-acre facility, has been pared to 80 acres and is still in the planning phase.

The Wildlands Conservancy, a nonprofit public benefit corporation, has been pushing the idea for years.

The group says recreational areas along the Santa Ana River will not conflict with the waterway's main role as a flood control channel.

An example of this is just a few blocks from where I live.

River View Golf Course, here in Santa Ana, is a tract built on the flood channel in 1994.

The Builders tossed a ton dirt on both sides of the concrete channel, then planted grass and trees.

They  left a narrow path for the river to rage on by during the rainy season.

This means that for 20 to 30 days every year, the river floods and submerges half of the  Golf Course, but golfers can play the full 18 holes the rest of the year. 

This is a developing story with positive implications for life in 3 counties.

A project I have in mind to complete before the end of the year is to bike ride the full length of the river, and report on what I see.

Story:

IS SANTA ANA RIVER MORE THAN FLOOD CONTROL?: Officials in Riverside, Orange and San Bernardino counties hope to add small parks and trails to the 110-mile stretch of waterway.

By David Reyes of the LA Times.

Cycling Hazards: Powell River, Canada

It seems some truck drivers, in Canada, think it's great sport to hassle cyclists.

Even little girls learning to ride.

Local cyclists had better be extra careful while riding the streets and highways around Powell River. I was out for my usual road ride to Black Point and back today when a pickup truck passed me and then pulled over partially onto the shoulder in front of me, blocking my safe passage. The driver got out and waved for me to stop, which I did. He then started screaming and swearing at me for riding on the pavement. He asked me why I couldn't stay on the side of the road, pointing to the gravel and ditch beyond.

Nice fellow, this chap.

The writer continues:

I said that although this might be possible on a mountain bike, road bikes have very narrow tires pumped to 120 pounds per square inch (psi) and that to do so would be dangerous. I also said that the closer one rides such a bike to the edge of the pavement, the more broken glass, nails, rocks, potholes and debris there are, making it life-threatening, especially when road cyclists sometimes approach the same speed as cars. I said that as a father of four and grandfather of six, I wasn't going to risk my life riding a bike at the edge of the road and that in fact some sections of our highways and streets have no shoulder at all. I then began to explain that cyclists do have some rights under the Highway Traffic Act, but he had clearly heard enough. He grabbed my bike and threw it into the ditch, screaming that was where my bike belonged and if I kept riding it on the pavement it would be me I should be worrying about. He said: "You'll never know what hit you."

People like that  are single-minded in their opposition to cyclists, and just can't be reasoned with.

The writer tells how some truck drivers  have a little game they enjoy playing that is quite scary.