WTF?

Believe it or not, this fun product is called the Hands Free Cockpit Umbrella. I am officially renaming it the Hands Free Cocktail Umbrella. I would need many, many before using it.

Cheers

Chasing a Dream

I have been a Life Member of ACA for awhile now and have always supported both their development of cycling routes around and across the country, and their advocacy efforts. Begun in the early 70's as Bikecentennial, they mapped the first route across the country from Yorktown, Virginia to Astoria Oregon and in 1976, 4000+ riders made that inaugural ride. I was a rising college senior that year and very much wanted to go but work and an internship prevented it.

Fast forward 30+ years and that desire to ride across country is still there. And while the missus is luke warm about the idea of joining me, I knew it would be more fun to do it with a group. So I signed up for ACA's Leadership Training Course with the idea that I can lead a Transam ride in a few years. The course is three days and I recently attended it in Aurora, Colorado, just outside of Denver.

There were 20 participants and 4 instructors, and there was a lot of riding and touring experience in that group. The course is set up around their self-supported rides and the participants camped and took turns shopping and preparing meals for the group. Classes ran the gamut from teaching hard skills like bike repair, packing and meal preparation to the softer skills of dealing with group dynamics. A number of scenarios were presented that made it interesting.

My goal is to work a few of their shorter trips over the next few years graduating eventually to one of their cross country rides which average about 90 days in length. Here are a few pictures from the weekend. It was great fun and I would encourage anyone to join one of their rides -- they are reasonably priced and well organized.

The mind numbing scenery that is Nebraska and eastern Colorado.

The weather at 6000 feet was a little cool and rainy initially so this tent was welcome. By the time I left, it was 93 degrees.


Our instructors had probably crossed the country by bicycle a combined 6+ times in addition to numerous multi-week tours in the US and Canada. The gentleman with the white beard is on ACA's board, led a Transam last year and has cycled the Great Divide route numerous times -- at the young age of 65!


Part of the group I hung out with. Ride experience included 19 TOSRV's, several Ironman triathlons, solo tours of the Pacific Coast and British Columbia and a pro mountain biker. The tall woman in the back partnered with me in the cooking competition, and with her creativity and my order following skills, won the overall dinner competition.



There were some very cool bikes as well including this Koga Miyata World Traveller that had an ingenious kickstand on the front rack to provide additional support.

I had a great time, met some fantastic people and am a little closer to realizing a dream. All in all, a successful weekend.

Cheers

A Flamer

Not sure how it's done but here it is.



Cheers

Honey, I Solved The Bike Storage problem

You know how you always keep telling me that I have too many bikes and to get rid of some. Well, when you were visiting your mother, I solved the problem. It was unused space anyway and now everything is neatly out of the way. Even the ceiling fan still works. Isn't it cool?

Honey, guns are dangerous. Put that away, now.

In all seriousness, this is the home of a Jack Taylor collector who admits to having 17, including a great trike and a beautiful tandem. If you're interested in the bikes, look here.

Ladies, that really is unused space. And given fuel prices, it makes a dandy clothes hanger or place to hang decorative lights for the holidays. Seriously!!

Cheers

More Recognition

I somehow missed this but Bicycling Magazine recently named Minneapolis as one of the most improved cities when it comes to all things cycling, tying with San Jose. This is from the press release:

"Minneapolis
Among the 50 largest U.S. cities, Minneapolis is second only to Portland, Oregon, in the percentage of people who bike to work (2.4 percent compared with Portland's 3.5 percent, according to U.S. census data). The city received $21.5 million as part of the Non-Motorized Transportation Pilot Program, which sprang from the 2005 federal transportation bill, so the number of bike commuters is sure to grow--as long as some of the money is spent to help spread the word that bike lanes and paths already exist.

"We're really good at spending money to build things, but there's almost no money to tell people how to use a facility, or even that the facility exists," explains local cyclist Gary Sjoquist, director of government relations for Bikes Belong and director of advocacy for Quality Bicycle Products, a Minneapolis-area bike parts distribution company. "For example, more than a hundred thousand people drive on the freeway over the Midtown Greenway [a 5.7-mile trail often used by bike commuters] every day, and probably 95 percent of those drivers don't know that the bike trail is even there."

I think Gary makes a great point but the word must be getting around cause I am seeing way more people out, especially at rush hour. Of course, with gas approaching $4 a gallon, who needs a PR campaign.

Cheers

Those Crazy Brits Part ?

Who can keep up. Anyway, after a few pub crawls, they came up with this:

For you equipment freaks, here's a closeup of the drive train. Leave it to Schwalbe to make a tire that fits. My guess its an old obscure Lithuanian size -- 1200b.

Cheers

Scofflaws Be Dammed

The League of American Bicyclists today issued their annual list of cities to receive a Bicycle Friendly Community designation, For the first time, Minneapolis received the designation in the Silver category, alongside Boulder and Colorado Springs.

Way to go City of Lakes. We knew we deserved it and now the rest of the USA does too.

Cheers

Scofflaw Cyclists

A number of fellow cyclists have commented on this story that ran a few nights ago on one of our local TV stations. I spent a few minutes yesterday reading comments sent in by viewers and some were pretty scary. Most of the driver's comments did show both a lack of knowledge about Minnesota's cycling specific laws and a lack of appreciation of what it means to share the road with huge chunks of steel often being driven by people on cell phones.

Do many cyclists run stop signs and red lights? Sure. Do many drivers? Absolutely. Both groups should obey the rules of the road but human nature being what it is, people will generally use common sense and bend the rules when they can.

I read through all the comments and was not surprised to see that drivers were just as angry at cyclists that ride two abreast and block traffic as running traffic signals. Sure, running a stop sign or red light poses a great risk of a collision but lets face it, the cyclist is going to fare far worse in a collision than a car is. What really pisses drivers off is being slowed down by cyclists riding in groups who are preventing them from moving at the legal speed. In a lot of years of urban cycling, my experience is that drivers show far more hostility towards cyclists who slow them down and block progress than run stop signs.

From the Minnesota Statute:

"Persons riding bicycles upon a roadway or shoulder shall not ride more than two abreast and shall not impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic and, on a laned roadway, shall ride within a single lane."

It would appear that riding two abreast is ok but the "shall not impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic" clause precludes cyclists from doing this on most urban streets. On my short ride home yesterday, I saw a local racing team of about 10-12 cyclists riding two abreast down West River Road. There were 5 cars stacked up behind them and they had no safe place to pass them. The cyclists were chatting as they rode by, oblivious to the fact that they were not only breaking the law but were feeding the hostility that already exists in some drivers.

To cyclists -- ride single file on most city streets and let the cars pass. Wave at those who honk at you.

To drivers -- take a deep breath. Many of these cyclists are as clueless about the laws as you are. You will win in the event our vehicles clash so be sensitive to the power you have.

To both -- use common sense and obey the traffic laws.

That is all.

Cheers

I Am Really Not Sure . . .

if I should be impressed or what. I have actually driven thru that tunnel a few times and I cannot imagine a more hellish place on earth for man or machine.



Cheers