Couldn't resist stealing the above photo from Bicycle Diaries. I think it kind of says it all.

Also, while trolling around the N.Y. Times on the web this afternoon I came across a blog being written in the "Play" section of the paper about a guy doing the climbs of the Tour de'France. Looks interesting, though I haven't had the time to read it myself yet. Here's the link: Check it out for yourself

As for me, a simple single loop on my own this morning and then a few more miles doing business and personal errands on the Brompton. Final tally to be added to the totals tonight. Tomorrow morning the plan is for Annie to take her Bike Friday out on the trail and I'll take the Brompton again to see how we ride them together.

You Think Two Bikes Is Alot

Well what can you say about this shot, taken from the blog How To Avoid the Bummer Life, sponsered by Swobo bikes. this is the collection of one Stevil Kineil, described one by one in the posting. Something to aspire to! :)




Today was as perfect a riding day as they come. I was up early for a change, mostly becausse I really wasn't feeling all that well. I have "pink-eye" or all things and I wake up during the night with my eyes clamped shut. Anyway, I was up and got out before 9 AM not having decided exactly how far or where I would ride. but I just took it really easy and found myself riding through Manayunk, up Umbria back down to the SRT and all the way to Perkiomen Park where I stopped for lunch. I felt stronger and better with each mile and after lunch made the return trip about 25 % faster. Just a gorgeous day, a gift.


I've been meaning to get a picture of this for a few weeks, and this is not the best, but it is a woodedn Indian that someone has in their yard not far from Valley forge. What is interesting about it is that I watched it being carved right there in its spot. Each week the carver worked on it until it is now the finished product sitting in the yard. It was neat to watch and I'd meant to get photos all along, but never wanted to stop especially so close to VF. Today I did.

Chocoate and Vanilla

Yes, that's Alberto Contador struggling up the incredibly difficult climbing time-trail yesterday. He came in second and extended his hold on the Pink leader's jersey for now. It is still any body's race among a group of leaders and after today's rest day it promises to be an exciting week.



What does that have to do with chocolate and vanilla? Well, nothing, but that's what popped into my mind today when Annie and I went up to Trophy bikes. Me to get the Brompton tightened up after its first few rides and she to look at what was available. She rode the Brompton a couple of times and the Bike Friday Tikit a couple of times and decided on the latter. I'd done the same thing and decided on the former. Chocolate and Vanilla! So now we are set to travel and you'll probably not hear too much about this until after we return from Los Angeles in July. Although, I must admit, I'm really enjoying riding the Brompton around town. So that may be something I'll be talking more about in the coming days. But definitely enjoy taking the Fuji out for my morning run. Solo this morning because it was raining lightly and Annie stayed in. But it was a different kind of rain, a summer rain, and that didn't bother me at all.

Since I'm still tooling about on the Brompton today I'll give the cumulative daily mileage in the sidebar later tonight.

Beautiful If Boring

I know it gets a little boring to read about our morning rides and when I have the time I try to at least trawl the web for items of potential interest, but that takes time and luck. Aside from the fact that Alberto Contador is leading the Giro d'Italia by a fraction after yesterday's action, and that I watched the race and it was grueling and thrilling, there's not much else to talk about except that we had another beautiful double loop ride early this morning covering just over 22 miles. While yesterday showed that the new Bropmpton will be a great ride when traveling, and of course, has possibilities for commuting around town, it was good to be back on the Fuji.

Brompton Work-Out

Gorgeous weather finally! Memorial Day week-end, often a wash out here in Philadelphia, has been and is predicted to continue perfectly. Annie and I were up early to take advantage of the weather, the Drive closure with no events scheduled on either Drive, and to get in a good ride before heading up the Turnpike to see the granddaughter. A little hesitantly I decided to take the Brompton. We rode over 22 miles at a fairly good clip by our standards, 12-14 mph average and I neither worked any harder than with my Fuji nor had any trouble staying with Annie or leading her up the hills. The ride was exceedingly comfortable, too. The bike needs a few minor tweaks, which is to be expected; a little trouble shifting to the smaller gears on the right hand. The two gears in the read internal hub worked great. I also had to stop once to readjust the saddle, also expected, until I fight just the right height. folded and unfolded in seconds without a problem. I'm very pleased. The search for a hard casse for transport goes on, but should be solved this week. We threw the bike into the trunk and took it with us to New Jersey where my son-in-law got to take a spin and, more importantly, Annie rode it for the first time. She too enjoyed it, but hasn't decided whether we'll pursue getting one for her at this time. A new bike might have to be ordered and we're up against the deadline of our next trip to L.A. at the end of June. so she may just borrow one of the L.A. kids' bikes this trip and we'll look into getting her a folder later on.

Another note on the ride of silence the other day. I've had this picture for awhile but don't remember sharing it. It is a ghost bike, from NY I believe, placed at the spot where a cyclist was killed. Stay alert!

Brompton!

Yes folks, there it is, my new Brompton. I chose it for its comfortable ride, its gearing which seemed more than any others I tried, its ease of folding and transporting. Also, to be frank, because I wasn't happy having bought another bike via the internet. This was purchased from a local and very convenient shop. their service and attention was great, I get two free tune-ups, etc. I took it for a spin and loved it. Of course, I bought it not to replace my Fuji for everyday riding, but to take with me when I travel. We'll see how that works out. Meanwhile, it is a really convenient bike to have around town, so perhaps I'll be using it more than I think.

Between the two bikes I managed 23 miles today. Annie and I had a great ride this morning. The weather has finally turned (may it only last!)

For those of you interested in the Giro d'Italia, Mark Cavendash won today's 13th stage. But it looks like Alberto Contador could very well take over the GC lead tomorrow. I'm really pulling for one of the Astana boys to win. Who knows, maybe that will force the Tour d'France to invite them back in.

Extra! Bicycle-Musings Tops 10,000 HIts

Just a quick note to congratulate myself and thank all of you out there. According to Technocrati Bicycle-Musings has been viewed just over 10,000 times as of this morning. I imagine that that may include 9,000 hits by me, still it confirms that someone else is out there. Thanks!

The Ride Of Silence

Last night was a great experience. Over two Hundred cyclists riding silently through the heart of Philadelphia. So many that on some of the narrower streets we actually had a bottleneck! I didn't get any good photos while riding, though I think Denine did and if you check The Bicycling Chief I'm sure they're either up or soon will be.
but the shot above is at the ceremony that began the event and the shot below shows a bit of the gathered crowd.

The last shot is Denine just before we set out.

My only "complaint" is that the purpose of the ride was not adequately displayed. There was a trailer at the front with a ghost bike and an explanatory sign. But for passers-by who missed the beginning it looked like a critical mass, if they knew what that was, or even a race or some other "fun" event. Somehow, either by clothing, more signage, etc, it would have been nice for people to know what we were up to, rather than cheering us on.

Finally, check out this video of the ride just posted on the Philadelphia Bike Blog:



As for this morning I'm not complaining, though I'm sorely tempted to. Cloudy, cool, damp and windy, but I rode a nice ride and felt good.

Shopping...And Ride Of Silence

It feels a bit more like spring today. The sun is shining, though there is still a prediction for more rain later today, but the temperature was only 50 when I headed out, knowing I would not take a long ride. I went down Kelly drive to Forbidden Drive, up to Wissahickon Ave and started up the hill thinking I might go all the way to RRC. But I just don't seem to have the energy for the hills lately, or for riding by myself. So I turned back and took the path back to Chestnut Street and exited to stop at Trophy bikes on Walnut street. I have been thinking about getting another, better folding bike to travel with. this summer I will be traveling at least to LA and Seattle, with other trips possible during the year and I really think renting bikes is both inefficient, expensive and hit or miss as far as what I get to ride on. So Trophy was setting up a small Bike Friday Tikit for me to try and the rain kept me from trying it yesterday. I rode it and thought it was ok, but also rode a Brompton 6 speed that I loved. I rode a few different set-ups and pretty much settled on one. The only problem is that Brompton does not make a hard case as Bike Friday does. So I'm trying to figure out if I can fit it into a regular hard suitcase and if I can I will probably buy the bike. It really rode like a dream. And folds and unfolds incre4dibly easily. Nothing like the inexpensive folder I bought last year (no names, please.)

Hopeful of getting some important work done this afternoon and then will meet up with Denine to go to the Ride of Silence, weather permitting. On;ly rode 19 miles today, but will add a few tonight.

We Beat The Rain...Again

Out at 5:45 this morning, Annie and I rode our loop dry. The rains came only minutes after we arrived home. I hate to be so boring, but I have little time to focus on blogging these days, and the weather really is on my mind. It really is a downer. So much rain, so little sun. We rode and the temperature is still in the 40's; Enough!

I hope it is clear enough tomorrow to ride a bit longer, though I doubt I will ride to Valley Forge or the equivalent. I really need to get some other work done. But weather permitting I do plan to ride in the Ride of Silence tomorrow evening. If you're in Philly, or if there is a Ride of Silence in your neighborhood, I hope you can join in.

Another Post-Airport Ride

Picked up Annie at the airport from another red-eye at 5:20. We were out on the bikes at 6:30 and had a lovely ride despite a number of interruptions. The garbage train was barely blocking the crossing to the trail. Just enough so that we had to dismount and climb over the tracks. Then the West Side Drive was barricaded at one spot because of what looked like a water pipe repair. Had to dismount and get on the sidewalk for a few feet, then back on the trail. And the train was still there on the way home. Still a good day in nice weather which is not supposed to last. More rain later today. Really the worst spring I remember since moving here.

Another Errant Forecast

No rain. Actually another nice looking day, though they continue to call for rain tonight, tomorrow, seemingly forever. But I rode a loop this morning. Sluggish, I must admit. Usually I'm really strong the day after a long ride. I feel like I may be coming down with something.

Valley Forge...Again

Yes, what was once a real adventure is beginning to be routine, and a tad boring. I tried to think of another route that would give me a good long ride today without necessitating being out in heavy traffic, but I couldn't. So I took off, again a little later than I would have liked, and enjoyed my ride out to Valley Forge. In fact, as I returned to town, I didn't feel like stopping so I did a "victory loop" and thereby brought my mileage up over 56 miles. Passed Jake on the loop and met up with him again riding down Pine Street to our respective homes.

Below is a sign of some of the damage done in yesterday's Nor'easter. This was on the trail along the West River Drive.

The weather was beautiful when I left this morning, but was pretty overcast when I returned. The predictions are for more rain (ugh!) throughout the week-end. We'll have to see how much riding I can get in.

Too Pretty To Miss

I was unable to ride this morning because after dropping Annie at the airport there wasn't enough time before work. I did take my bike with me to work and had two meetings on different sides of town which garnered me about 5 miles. But at 4:30 on my way home the weather was so beautiful I couldn't resist heading out on the trail. I didn't have time for a full loop. and riding in a suit and tie carrying my shoulder bag wasn't totally conducive to a long training ride, but I rode anyway, about 8 miles total giving me the usual 13 plus on the day. But more importantly a fun ride. The trail at that time of day is busy of course, but it was manageable and i just relaxed and went with the flow of traffic.

While scanning some websites today I came across this surprising new web site: Check it out. Oy Velo

Another Forced Hiatus

The monsoon like weather today kept me off my bike. It's just been puring all day and worse than that it is still in the low 40's. I just can't deal with getting on all my winter gear again in May.

Tomorrow I need to take Annie to the airport again for an early flight and will not be home in time to take my morning ride. Those big mileage numbers earlier in the month are fading. I will take the bike for city use tomorrow as I have a few meetings and the weather is supposed to clear, but i won't get in a good ride until Wednesday.

Meanwhile, on the cycling scene, today's NY Times ran a column soliciting questions for their bicycle coordinator Joshua Benson. Reading the comments and questions gives a good insight into the state of cycling in the Big Apple Ask About Cycling in New York.

Mother's Day Double Loop

After three days of rain, some heavy and some just depressing enough to dampen even my biking spirit, and three days off the bike, Mother's Day dawned clear and cool (48 degrees still in May!)and Annie and I were up early enough to take a double loop and make up some mileage. She is in her new toe clips, a first stage toward clipless? I don' think so, but she feels energized by her smoother pedal stroke and is riding a good couple of mph faster than in the past. We covered the 21.1 miles in 1 hour and 40 minutes or so, which I think is pretty good. So good, in fact, that if I'd been more conscious of the clock we could have put another couple of miles in doubling back along the West River Drive. Another pass across the Art Museum and back down Kelly Drive would have been impossible. We just made it that way the first time weaving our way through the gathering throngs for the Mother's Day Rave For The Cure. Good luck to all of them.




Meanwhile Slipstream-Chipotle's Christian Vande Velde, an American, has the Pink Jersey (speaking of the Race For The Cure) after the team time trials on the first day of the Giro de Italia. I will try to keep up with the action but we will be traveling for the day and it will be difficult. It will be interesting to see if Astana can mount any kind of a real race given that they were not given sufficient time to prepare. Certainly Levi and Contador should be in contention when the race reaches the Dolomites.

My Lunch Spot

What a perfect day to ride. I do have so many other things to do that it was tempting to either skip it or take a short ride, but the day was just too perfect. Of course, if I could have gotten out earlier i might have been able to do more things after my ride, and I really thought about that too, but if I don't get some sleep on Wednesday morning and take it a little slower getting started, I really suffer for it the rest of the week. So I hit the road around 10:15 and rode about 4 blocks when I noticed that my rear break was not working. I got off and saw that the break pad mechanism was loose, completely unscrewed. I have an allen wrench in my pack, but since I was exactly on the corner where Bicycle Therapy is, I stopped in and they fixed it up instead of my having to search for the wrench etc. They also informed me that I will need new break pads pretty soon, but since it was not an immediate safety issue I decided to get going.

Rode out to Lower Perkiomen State Park again and stopped for lunch at the beautiful spot pictured above. Then rode home stopping for a quick rest somewhere between Conshohocken and Manayunk and again for a bottle of water on Kelly Drive.

A Commuting Day

I picked Annie up at the airport at 5:20 this morning. We were home in time to go for our morning ride together. Pretty impressive for her after a red-eye flight. After taking the car to teach my morning class I returned home for lunch and decided to use the bike to get to two meetings today. One was in Germantown, which is about ten miles from center city Philadelphia where we live. It was a great ride, with some good hills that I need to be working on. Despite riding everyday on pretty flat terrain, my "hill legs" are a bit rusty. I made the trip in an hour an five minutes (not counting a work related phone call that I stopped to take and another phone call to Mindy (thanks, Mindy) to get good directions to my destination. After the meeting I went back toward home but turned off in Manayunk for another meeting. It is basically on the way home, but added a couple of miles to the total of 36.3 for the day. And no gas wasted on the effort!

Big News: Astana Invited To The Giro

According to a report this morning in Italian newspapers the cycling team Astana has been invited to the Giro d'Italia! This is a major reversal on the part of the race organizers. Does it presage a similar reversal on the part of ASO to allow Astana back into the Tour De France? We can only hope. Maybe this picture of Levi on the podium will be prophetic of the future, rather than a reminder of the past.

Meanwhile, despite dire predictions of rain all through the weekend, it was dry and overcast this morning. I awoke at normal weekday time in order to get two loops in and take advantage of the West River Drive closure and did so. That makes 22 miles, but I may get to do some errands later so I'll add the mileage tonight. Granted, it was still a bit chilly for May, around 54 degrees, but I guess within a few weeks I will be looking back wistfully to all this cool weather.




I would rather have been spending today in New York where friend Denine, The Bicycle Chef is riding in the Five Borough Tour. My work schedule just didn't allow it. With what looks like unexpectedly good weather, I know she must be having a ball.

Mental Health Double Loop

I needed a morning off, today. I slept late, which I hadn't been able to do as usual on Wednesday because of getting Annie to the airport. I expected the weather to be lousy, but it turned out to be mildly sunny and spring-like, finally. So instead of not getting in a ride, I rode a double loop before heading into work for the afternoon. Great ride.

Well, we boomers are certainly into bikes now and that means extravagance here we come. Check out this article in today's NY Times Fashion section



Annie is away so I rode the loop myself today. 44 degrees on May 1st; how about a break!? Well, in truth, it was a good ride and despite predictions of rain for later I have my bike with me and intend to ride more for fun and business before the day is out, so watch for the first May mileage post later in the day.

April's Not So Cruel After All

I rode to Valley Forge and back today bringing my April mileage total to 456.3. I still have awhile to go to overcome my abysmal January and February mileage, but this is progress. I started out today in bright sunshine with temperatures back hovering around 50. I thought it would warm up and I didn't wear any outer garments, just my long sleeve jersey. I thought the sun would warm things up soon enough. It didn't, and by the later part of the ride it had disappeared anyway. I was not uncomfortable, but I was a bit chilly the whole ride, but it felt great.

Really Stupid Bike Lanes

If you watched the original Slate video about the stupidest Bike Path in America, you must watch this follow up. Thanks to correspondent Jacob for turning me on to it.




Better weather today and getting better throughout the day. We rode in an overcast morning, which beats rain. But my other riding around town today was in more and more sunshine.

Holiday Recovery

In case you haven't seen this in the Daily News:


Tired, and swamped at the office after the holiday. It was too rainy (and we were too tired) to ride yesterday, but got out today despite the continuing bad weather. Rode in steady drizzle and temperature hovering between the high 40's and low 50's. Not ideal, but still refreshing. Luckily I know the mileage precisely of our loop because my cycle computer is not working. I think I knocked something off-line when chaining up the bike on one of my errands on Friday. Hope it isn't too much of a hassle to get it back running.

Even Stronger Ride

It was good to have Annie out with me this morning; it has been awhile what with her cold, her schedule and the holidays. We rode a good loop in brisk spring weather. I didn't feel like I was even pedaling. Since Wednesday's ride my legs have just felt incredible. So I went out and rode a faster loop by myself at lunch and then went off to do some errands on the bike. Great day for riding.

Check out Bicycle Diaries for a fascinating story attached to this photo:

Strong Ride

After my long ride yesterday my legs wee very strong this morning. riding in 60 degree weather at 5:45 AM doesn't hurt either. I did a loop in 1 hour and 4 minutes. Very good time for me, a 13 mile an hour average, but keeping in mind the time spent getting to and from the trail with red lights, even higher on the actual ride. Felt great.

The Longest Ride Of The New Season

It was a beautiful day today and I finally really aired it out. I rode past Valley forge to Lower Perkiomen Valley Park for a 52+ mile round trip. I felt really good. the new tires seemed to have helped make an easier ride and I rested briefly in the park and then again on the way home in Manayunk. The only negative was a persistent and very annoying rattle that I couldn't locate. After over 50 miles a little rattle can get really big. I knew it had to be coming from the fenders but it sounded to me as though it was coming from the front fender , so I tightened it up when it really didn't need to be tightened. Finally, on the way home I stopped into Bicycle Therapy and Andi found that the front tire was a bit out of line and fixed it; still didn't solve the rattle. He took the bike for a ride and came back to report that it was the rear fender. Since fixing it required taking off the tire etc I just asked him to do it, much more quickly than I could have. A pleasure, the rattle is gone.

The new bridge at Oaks, crossing the Perkiomen.

Hail To The Chimp

You never know who you're going to meet on the famous "Rocky steps" of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. This gentleman was being interviewed as I came around on my first loop in a couple of days this afternoon. An election day stunt of some kind: "Hail to the Chief" "Hail to the Chimp:" same difference.

The holiday was hectic here, but very nice. I rode one Sunday morning after having been up very late on Saturday night and was ready to ride again Monday morning but woke up to a flat. And not just a flat: the tire was pretty much shot. I had been told at the last tune-up that the tire would go soon and that was close to 1000 miles ago. So after trying to change the flat for a minute and then realizing that it would not make a difference I walked home (not very far)and had to forgo the bike until after the holiday in order to buy two new tires. After doing so today I did ride a late afternoon loop. Weather is gorgeous and I felt surprisingly strong. Hoping for a longer ride tomorrow.

Now This Is Spring

And it feels like it's going to stay this way. Just a gorgeous ride this morning, 15 minutes earlier than usual (that's 5:30 AM instead of 5:45 in case you've forgotten) because I had to be at an earlier pre-holiday service today. The rest of the day was filled with holiday (Passover) prep, but some of that included errands that I could do by bike so I eked out over 19 miles for the day. Posting will get somewhat infrequent over the next week or so. For all to whom it is relevant: Happy Passover!

A Perfect Day - A Triple Loop

Despite a very busy week I was really looking forward to today. The prediction was for bright sunshine and 60 degree weather and the prediction was right on. I did not ride early, figuring that it was still in the 30's and I had all day. So I took care of some errands and paper work and visited someone dying in the hospital, came home, ate lunch and went for my ride. I decided against heading out to Valley Forge partly because, tired as I am, I wasn't sure it would be a good idea to push myself all that way and back. Besides, the ride to Valley forge is fine, but really only pretty in occasional spot while the ride around the river loop is beautiful right now. So I did a triple loop of 30 miles, hesitated about doing another, decided not to and made the right decision. A great ride on a perfect day and not more tired than I need to be.

Back Briefly

I ended up being too sick to ride on Wednesday and was out of town yesterday. This morning it felt great to get back on the bike and ride out in the mid-50 temperature. But I'm swamped! No time for much blogging. Just checking in.

More Than One Meaning Of Traffic

Annie and I rode our loop this morning. It was damp and chilly. I rode around town this morning shuttling between appointments. Both of this facts do not reflect the fact that I've developed the first head cold I've had in two years. I'm stuffed up and not feeling great. And tomorrow I go off to do a gig in Boston. Oh well, I'll manage. My plan, since they are actually calling for nice more spring-like weather tomorrow, is to get up early and ride a few loops before heading out to the train so as to get some of my usual Wednesday riding in. Unless this cold progresses and I decide not to. I do have a five hour train ride to recover.

The video below has been making the round on the web. It was on the Philadelphia Bicycle Blog and others. It's a pretty good instructional video, but my reason for providing here today is to allow me to rant. As the weather has begun to turn the number of bicyclists is sky rocketing around town. That's good, right? Sure, except that those riding the bikes are riding the wrong way on one-way street, riding on the wrong side of the road forcing cars to squeeze through two cyclists (really, no wonder they get annoyed), generally zig zagging any old way and making themselves into hazards...and this is the clincher: TO OTHER CYCLISTS! I don't car if you get yourself killed. I don't even care if you wrangle with a car and the car either sustains damage or injury or whatever. I do care if you directly endanger other cyclists. that's just unforgivable. (of course, indirectly you are also endangering other cyclists because the way you act will predispose drivers in some way towards cyclists, for better or worse. Now, I'm not saying to be angels out there. You all know I believe that bicyclists should not have to wait at red lights and that I believe that for safety reasons among others. But some semblance of order and courtesy, please!I'm beginning to be more worried about cyclists than cars as I navigate the city streets. So check out this video about how to drive in the city. Add a grain of salt, but take its spirit to heart: We're all in this together.

Annual Meeting

As I indicated yesterday, last night I attended the Annual Meeting of the Philadelphia Bicycle Coalition. It was very well done. Much better than last year. They skipped the dinner, (good idea) went right to the program (which was good) and then had a quick dessert and done. There seemed to be many more people (after all, last year it was pouring) there was valet bike parking in Rittenhouse Square, and people where definitely friendlier.

There were two speakers. But before the official speakers, State Representative Babette Josephs presented a check for a grant to investigate Philly bike sharing and said a few words. She is a committed cyclist, doesn't own a car, and was a pleasure to listen to.

Then Rina Cutler, the new Deputy Mayor for Transportation spoke. Very impressive woman. Smart, slightly caustic, very knowledgeable. The commitment of the new Nutter administration to re-create this position and to fill it with a really qualified person is heartening. She, obviously, spoke to some of the critical issues facing the Philadelphia transportation scene. I think she is not so knowledgeable on the role bicycles can play in the mix, but seems to be "getting it" quickly and shouold be a force for good.

She was followed by Congressman Joe Sestak from somewhere in the suburbs, I always get them mixed up. He was also very impressive. He made me think he'd be a good candidate to go beyond the congressional office someday. He didn't have a lot to say about cycling and didn't seem much versed on our issues, but did bring a larger perspective, especially in the question and answer period. Namely, a kind of "get real" -- spending money on bicycle infrastructure is important, but we have children who don't have food and seniors who can't get medicine. It is not so easy for Congress to champion one issue without impacting another. I think it was helpful.

Not great photos but below is Rina Cutler and below that, Babette Josephs speaking at the meeting.

Rode with Annie this morning. Not a bad ride but I'm still waiting for the warmth, and a little sun would be nice even without the warmth. took the bike to a meeting today too, and have a few meetings tomorrow, so should have decent mileage totals despite missing some rides later this week.

April Showers

Didn't ride Friday because of heavy early morning rain. this morning the rain was lighter, I could get out a little later and it was warm; but best of all West river Drive was closed for the first weekend this season and I wasn't going to miss the ride. That's what I bought rain gear for, no? It was a lovely ride, a real Spring flavor. My legs were a little on the dead side, especially in the fairly heavy wind gust that accompanied the rain. But I was glad to have gone out. I will miss some rinding this week as I travel a bit on business. Should get a short ride in Wednesday morning instead of my usual longer ride of the week. I leave Wednesday late morning for Boston and will miss Thursday at a minimum. Depending on what time I get in Thursday night and how exhausted I am, Friday is in some jeopardy too. So I was especially glad not to miss today.

Hope to get to the annual meeting of the Bicycle Coalition tonight. Report to follow.

Double Loop

I did my regular loop this morning. It was a beautiful morning aside from the fact that it was 32 degrees -- still. But I had the bike with me at work and nowhere particular to go, so I had a quick lunch and added a lunchtime loop to bring today's mileage over 26 miles. The weather is changing. It is still cold, getting windy and overcast and rain is in the forecast. It would be nice if I can manage to make the lunch time loop a regular addition to my routine.

Wind Dry Cool:Ah Spring

It was not as wonderfully warm as yesterday, and the wind was so gusty that at stops I actually was a bit afraid of being blown over. I went out around 10 AM and it was 43 degrees. I didn't think I wanted to ride all the way to Valley Forge partly because of the wind and partly so that I might accomplish something other than riding my bike today. But I was enjoying the ride. I thought I might take the trail out past Conshohocken and instead of taking the fork toward Norristown and beyond I'd finally check out the left fork toward Plymouth meeting. That would give me a fairly long ride and something new to look at. I also decided to take the tow path through Manayunk rather than fight the Umbria Street hill in the fierce wind. It was a pleasant enough of a ride until, near the end of the tow path, I came to this:

A tree had fallen during the storms of the last few days and was completely blocking the trail. I debated whether to lift the bike over the tree or sneak the bike and me under. We went under on the right side there where it is a bit higher off the ground. No real problem.

After following the Plymouth Meeting sign I arrived at the ostensible destination: Ikea, pictured below.

The trail, by the way, is called the Cross County Trail and I wanted to see how much further it went so I kept riding.It goes about another mile or two past other interesting stores: Barnes&Noble, BJ's, etc. It then ends rather ingloriously:

You can see where the pavement stops, I think, and in the distance there is some sort of bridge behind red caution fencing. I don't know whether a longer trail is in the making or not, but I didn't get any closer to explore. I turned around and came home with a total of 36.4 miles on the day, very much satisfied.

Warm, Wet, Windy: Ah Spring

And add to that, tired. I returned from work way too late last night and couldn't get up for my morning ride today. That doesn't happen often, and the fact that it was yucky out didn't help. I couldn't tell whether it was raining hard, but there was enough evidence of rain to convince me to get more sleep. I had to take the bike with me to get to a couple of appointments throughout the day and I managed to avoid the few periods of showers in the morning. After a lunch appointment the weather seemed nice enough, warmer than it's bee so far this year, 68 degrees, to head for the Schuylkill trail and do a later than usual loop. It was a lovely ride despite some pretty heavy wind gusts.

March Mileage Totals

I'm really pressed for time today as far as writing goes. But I did a regular loop this morning and ended the month of March with 448.2 miles. Given the paucity of miles in both January and February this goes a long way to putting me back on track to hit 4500 miles in 2008, but I'm still not all the way back on track. More soon (riding and writing.)

Cherry Blossoms!

The Cherry Blossoms are out! What could be bad? Despite predictions of rain this morning it was dry and 45 degrees. Today I can say that there was really the feel of Spring in the air though another 10 degrees warmer would be nice. But the signs of Spring abound! The Cherry blossoms, of course, but the portable potties, too. Yes, as surely as the birds fly south in the winter the potties all along the trail were removed. One lone john remained in a parking lot on the West Side Drive. But this week the potties returned in a flock and today they were "unflocked" and spread along the length of the path. Spring and easy access to relief have arrived. The forecast is for rain throughout the day, but it sure doesn't look it, so I have my bike with me to do hospital visits and will record my mileage later.

The Garbage Train

Here is a picture of the garbage train blocking the Locust Street entrance to the trail this morning. Strangely, the train had been blocking the Race Street entrance earlier so I had no trouble getting on the trail. Then the train apparently moved just enough to open the Race Street entrance but close the Locust Street entrance. Who knows? Anyway, I went up the Chestnut Street ramp and rode on Chestnut to 17th and home. I always enjoy a little street riding in the morning and added a few tenths of a mile to boot.

First Valley Forge Ride of 2008

My bike (and me) resting at VF after windy & therefore slower than anticipated ride. It was a first fine Spring day. Temperature around 60 degrees with more of a wind than I bargained for. Still, really enjoyed the 46.8 mile ride.

Noticed something nerw along the trail: location markers containing a number to give the police if you have a problem and call them so that they know where you are, as well as accurate mileage to various points along the trail Pretty neat.

No News Is Good News

Nothing much to report. A good ride but we are bith tired from a whirlwind weekend of family celebration. Spring seems to be in the air after 9 AM. At 6 AM it ks still winter. The trash train blocked the tracks this morning so we eked out a few extra tenths of a mile.

If This Were January

If this were January, it would have been a magnificent morning. The sun out brightly, the temperature 31 degrees with wind chills in the mid-twenties. A perfect day for a winter's ride. But this is the end of March and Spring is supposed to have arrived. Well, it was a beautiful ride anyway, but I'm getting a little tired of the cold. there were good sized buds on the Cherry trees and I know it is only a matter of weeks until the warm weather arrives. Being this close almost makes it harder to bear waiting.

The Winds Of Spring

Despite the official arrival of Spring, the temperature was 35 degrees, which wouldn't have been so bad, but the wind was really strong and gusting even stronger. My 13.3 mile loop was a lot of work this morning.No time for random musing today: big weekend, lots of family coming in. More next week.

Not much to write about today. The skies have cleared and I rode my 13.3 mile loop. The wind has picked up as predicted but really wasn't bad in the early morning when I went out.

Thanks to those of you taking the quiz in the sidebar; I hope more of you will in the coming days.

Finally, via The Fredcast website I learned about velog It allows you to keep a running log of your rides, comment on them and have others add their comments, graph your progress and join other cyclists in various groups like The Fredcast group and the Bicycle Commuters group, both of which I joined. It is a kind of social networking group just for cyclists. Click here to be directed to an invitation to join my list of friends at velog! Join me!

Suckered Into The Rain

I slept past the heavy morning rains today (I really needed the sleep!) and when I left the house at @11:30 it was 48 degrees, cloudy but not raining. By the time I was on my second time around the loop not only was it not raining but the sky seemed to be threatening to let the sun burn through and I was feeling great. So instead of just going back down the west side of the loop I continued on into Manayunk and stopped at the Starbuck's there to pick up some ground coffee to bring home and debate whether to go further out on the path or turn back. By the time I finished the free cup of coffee that comes with buying a pound the rain was just beginning so I turned toward home. Minutes latter the sky opened up and I rode the 10 miles back in a pretty good downpour. Didn't bother me at all. A nice ride of 26 miles.

Hey! If you're really out there how about taking my poll. Not only am I interested in what people think, I'm interested in knowing whether anyone is out there and this is a pretty easy and anonymous way for you to indicate your presence as opposed to leaving a comment or something.

Ok, so just about every site in the Cycling blogosphere is showing this Awareness Test and I might as well also. If you haven't seen it it really is quite fascinating:

Take The Poll

In an extended discussion of a cycling fatality in a Chicago Alley Cat Race on the Fredcast the issue of bicycles obeying traffic laws played a larger and larger role as the discussion went on. That is, how strict should cyclists be regarding obeying traffic laws? I must say that while my instinct is to obey traffic laws punctiliously, in practice I don't. In fact, I've come to believe that in urban riding notobeying the laws is safer. A cyclist runs less risk of getting killed by right-turning cars if the take off while the light is red. More importantly, if the right lane is blocked ahead, riding through the stop light allows the cyclist to safely ride in the left lane past the blockage without having to compete with left-lane vehicular traffic. On the other hand I believe riding opposite to traffic is insane and should be more strictly enforced. Similarly, I am against riding on the sidewalk, but have to admit that even there on occasion the safest route is to ride on the sidewalk. But all things considered, I'm against it. Keeping in mind that the traffic laws were made to control auto traffic, how do you feel about these laws for cyclists? Take the poll to the right.

Rode the loop and then some today for errands. 18 miles on the day.

More Light, More Signs Of Spring

Annie and I were out for our usual loop this morning and it was incredible how much more light there was by 6:30 AM as compared to last week when the clocks were sprung forward. With enjoying the light for a late ride yesterday and realizing that the morning's are getting lighter despite the clock change, maybe my opinion on moving Daylight Savings time forward is changing.But it was still only 34 degrees with a 10 mph wind (at least) so that it felt like the high 20's. Yet again, the day warmed up and the sun shone and it has been a beautiful day to have my bike with me for doing errands and going to meetings. So I'll record the mileage later.

My evening got unexpectedly busy last night and I barely had time to get home for dinner and watch the new HBO Mini-series John Adams. So I missed Cyclism Sunday and the end of Paris-Nice. But I have it on DVR and will watch it later in the week. It sounds like it was a great race.



It was won by Davide Rebellin, last year's second place winner behind Alberto Contador, who was not permitted to ride in this year's edition. Unfortunately, that's the bigger story around the race than the race itself: The continuing dispute between ASO and UCI. I must say I find myself fully supporting UCI in this matter. I find the ASO decision regarding Astana to be entirely baffling. Thus, the race is tainted for me, as will the Tour be this summer. I sincerely hope that these issues will somehow be settled by then, but I doubt they will. I think the dispute will hurt cycling badly, threaten sponsorship, if nothing else. For what ever reason I believe ASO does not care about the sponsorship issue. I think they would rather see national teams like the old days and somehow de-professionalize the sport. But this is not possible nor, probably, desirable. But what do I know? I only know that the race still sounded exciting, that I wish some of the world's best cyclists had been permitted to race, and that I'll probably end up following the Tour no matter what happens. It will be interesting now to see whether the UCI makes good on its pledge to punish the teams and riders who broke ranks to ride in Paris-Nice. That will only make things more complicated.

Late Sunday Ride

It was raining when we got up so we postponed our ride in hopes of fairer weather later in the day. So, after a Purim carnival (that's the next Jewish holiday coming this Thursday night) and an afternoon spend cleaning refrigerators (that's in preparation for the holiday after, coming next month, but requiring prodigious preparations) Annie and I did a late Sunday evening ride. We went out about 5:30 and rode in sunshine mixed with overcast into a goodly wind. Had little time to write but we did get the ride in.

Almost Spring Ride

Check out this cool news video from Chicago on winter commuting; thanks to Bicycle Diaries.



Great ride this morning as the temperature climbed into the 40's. This afternoon the sun is out and it is supposed to climb to 60. I may try to get a late afternoon ride in.

UPDATE
I did ride this afternoon. Could have taken a longer ride along the path again, but i wanted to check out the new Performance Bikes store that just opened in south Philly. I still had a little credit left on my gift card. So I rode down to Delaware Avenue and checked out the new store. Nice place. I worry about the small retailers that cyclists really depend on all over town and I hope this does not put them out of business. But it is a nice place, plenty of stock. I wouldn't think of buying a bike from them, but they offer much more selection of clothing and other accessories; tools in particular.

The extra miles gave me 20 on the day. I am not expecting to ride again until Monday as the weather report for Sunday morning is dreadful. Rain for sure, probably snow! Just when it feels as though Spring is really coming! It will be a good day to watch the end of Paris-Nice on Versus. I haven't said much about this first big race of the European season, but I'll try to write about it on Sunday.

A View Of Falls Bridge

The Falls Bridge Before Dawn

The picture above was taken this morning on my cell phone and then automatically sent to my blog. I was really just trying this new blogger feature, but meanwhile the picture is interesting, if not great. The newly lit bridge is really a lovely sight in the morning. And you can see how much it is night again when we ride since the clock rolled ahead. It was 30 degrees this morning and I was a bit disappointed that it is still so cold, especially since it warmed up into a pretty nice day later on. But I know it will soon warm up and I can't wait.

The photo and obituary below are from this morning's NY Times. I think that Trek continues to play a huge role in cycling and is currently spearheading the movement to increase bicycle commuting so it is appropriate to mark the passing of the founder.

Richard Burke, Founder of Trek Bicycle Company, Is Dead at 73

By DENNIS HEVESI
Published: March 13, 2008

Richard Burke, a founder of the Trek Bicycle Corporation, which capitalized on the luster of Lance Armstrong’s victories in the Tour de France to reshape the way top-of-the-line bikes are manufactured, died Monday in Milwaukee. He was 73 and lived in Milwaukee. The cause was complications of heart surgery, said his son, John, who is now president of the company.

It was on an $8,500 carbon-fiber Madone model bike built by Trek that Mr. Armstrong won his first Tour de France in 1999, as well as the six straight Tour titles that followed.

“With that, Trek became the first American bike company to win the Tour and the first to build a carbon-fiber bike that won the Tour,” John Bradley, a senior editor and the cycling expert at Outside magazine, said Wednesday. “It was a watershed moment.”

Racing bikes must be as light and stiff as possible. Before they were made of carbon fiber, which has the best stiffness-to-weight ratio, the bikes were made of steel, titanium or aluminum. “Now you can’t find a high-end bike, or even a high-end bike component, that isn’t made out of carbon fiber,” Mr. Bradley said.

With his friend Bevel Hogg, Mr. Burke started the Trek company in 1976, in a barn in Waterloo, Wis. The company, now based in Milwaukee, has 1,600 employees and sells through more than 5,000 dealers in 75 countries. It makes more than 300 models, from a single-speed $140 bike for youngsters to the $8,500 Madone.

Mr. Burke was the owner of an appliance distributorship in Milwaukee before turning to making bicycles. At the time, European models dominated the market, and there were few luxury American brands. But in the mid-’70s, as American biking boomed beyond the tricycle and the single-speed Schwinn, Mr. Burke saw potential profit in the high-end bike.

That first year in the barn, the Trek company produced 805 handmade, finely detailed road bikes and earned $161,000. Last year, the company manufactured 1.5 million bikes and had revenue of $670 million.

Bicycle Deaths: Too Many, Too Much?

No, no close calls for me lately, and today I took a long and fun adventure ride. More about that below. But today's "headline" refers to a profusion of stories in the bicycle blogosphere this last week or two on a tragic series of bicycle rider deaths. Here a policeman plows into a group ride (Arizona) there a policeman plows into a group ride (California), here a motorist passes a rider and swings a baseball bat (also Arizona) there a motorist passes a rider and pushes him over by hand (Utah) and today: more cycling deaths in San Francisco. I suppose it is bound to happen that as the number of cyclists increases the interactions with autos increases and the number of accidents increases until we reach that critical mass that will change the infrastructure to insure safer cycling and a level of education and consciousness that will change driver attitudes. You'd thing that as we draw closer to $4 a gallon gas prices it might begin to happen.

But I have to say, as a rider, the profusion of stories is starting to have an effect on my psyche. As I began to prepare to go out for a longer ride planned mostly on streets today, I started to get more nervous. I really wanted to ride a different route for a change and I thought it would be a good day to try to reach RRC, the Reconstructionist Rabbinical college where I teach once a week, just for fun. I will probably never be able to ride on a day that I teach because my class starts at 8:30 AM and I'd have to leave too early to get there, but even to know that for sure depends on my making the trip and ascertaining its difficulty and how long it takes.

I guess there is no choice but to report all of these tragic events just as the newspapers can't just report good news despite some agitation that they should, but some days I choose not to read the newspaper simply because I don't want to hear it that day. I hope I will not have to skip a day or so of checking my favorite bike blogs for the same reason.

Now to today's ride: I left the house a bit later than I'd hoped and since I needed to be home before 2 PM and had no idea where I was going or how long it would take, I didn't know if I would have to turn back before reaching my destination or not. But it sure is nice to have a destination to be going toward instead of just riding the path all the time. (In light of the opening paragraphs above, I was wearing my new Road ID bracelet that Annie bought for me. She is worried that I would be identified when I go on longer rides without her.) Anyway, it worked out great. I arrived at the College in 1 hour and twenty minutes, total mileage, one way, 14.9. I forgot to take my camera, but there really wasn't anything to photograph; it was a pretty gritty urban ride most of the way. Of course the ride down Kelly Drive on the SRT was pretty as usual, as was the 15 minutes going up the Wissahicken Trail to Wissahicken Avenue. After that it was residential and commercial. The only scary part was riding about a quarter of a mile along the very busy street that either is at that point or is about to become Route 309. I did it, but also figured out a way to avoid it in the future. I avoided it going home. Despite the weather being overcast it was 49 degrees and getting colder as I rode. The wind was a definite factor as were some of the hills I hadn't anticipated.But I'd been wanting to do this for a long time and I'm glad I did.

Ride Of Silence Notice

I think it is not too early to let people who might be in the Philadelphia area about the Ride of Silence coming up in May. Below is the announcement. I couldn't make it last year, but have put in on my calender and I'm hoping to be there. This is a ride that takes place in locations all around the world to bring attention to the cyclists killed or injured on the roads during the previous year. Come on out, if you can.



Good ride this morning. 38 degrees felt wonderful in the fog. The sun has come out and I've managed to add a couple of more miles going to some meetings.

Cold and Dark

The last of winter's presence continues to be felt even as there is a definite sense of spring's approach. It was cold this morning; around 30 degrees. But lacking the punch of yesterday's wind. More noticeably, it was DARK. The dreaded way-too-early time change put me back in the night-riding mode. It wasn't as bad as I had built it up to be in my fevered imagination. Still, it will be nice to see the sun again in a month or so. I rode on my own because of the cold and managed to put in 17 miles, but I still have a couple of miles to cover during the work day so I will update today's mileage tonight.

It's All Up Hill

It's all up hill in the wind. Today I went out grumbling about the changing of the clock, though I won't feel the full brunt of that until tomorrow when I ride at 5:45 as usual. Today I rode at my Sunday time of 6:45 so the extra darkness wasn't much of a factor. The temperature was 31 but the wind was heavy and steady with wind chills in the mid-teens. It really felt like the coldest ride of this entire winter, though it was the lowest temperature by a long shot. Of course pedaling in the wind is like pedaling up hill most of the way so it was a good work out, the sun did rise beautifully and I managed to stretch the ride to 16 miles which felt great.

Please check out the newest addition to my favorite blog list The Bicycle Chef by my friend Denine. And check out another great new video about bicycle commuting. You'll love them both!
Why Commute?

How Green Is Your Ride?

Thanks to Bike Bis for turning me on to this Sierra Club quiz that rates the "green-es" of your bike riding. Take the Quiz! I scored 84 out of 100. Not bad, but not as good as Bike Bis.

Thirty-two degrees but there is a touch of Spring in the air; mysterious, given the temperature. Lovely haze on the river this morning. A good ride.

The clock springs ahead Saturday night! Ridiculously early if you ask me, but no one is asking. So Sunday we will be riding in the dark again, for a few weeks, at least.

It's Not Quite Spring

Somewhat tired legs after yesterday's longish ride plus 34 degree temperature this morning made for a brisk but satisfying ride this morning. Then I kept the bike and added a few more commuting miles to the total.

I rode along 11th and 12th street on a hospital visit. Both streets are lined with trolley tracks. I always try to be as careful as possible, crossing the tracks back and forth as traffic demands at the sharpest angle I can manage. For the first time I went into the track and almost went down today. I will avoid those streets in the future as much as I can! After recovering my balance and freeing the bike from the track I suddenly felt my rear brake had pretty much gone out. It must have been coming and the sudden movement of the wheel did the trick, but the cable popped out of the bolt and while the break still worked a little it was clearly too much of a pull to engage them. I was finished with my errands and so went directly to Bicycle Therapy for a quick diagnosis and repair. Good timing!

Happily Out Of The Loop

Much as I love the loop we do every morning and don't mind going around it two, three and sometimes four times to build endurance and just to enjoy the ride, sometimes I need to break out of the loop and see some different scenery and face some different challenges. This is what I generally do on Wednesday's, but the weather and my schedule have not allowed that for some months now. Today, after a night of hard rain and a much needed sleep the weather cleared just in time to accommodate my leisurely schedule. And despite the fact that I have a bunch of stuff to get done today, I couldn't resist riding out of the loop. I thought I might go as far as Conshohocken, but couldn't stop there either. Then I thought I might go all the way to Valley Forge for the first time this season. I certainly felt well enough on the bike to do so. But when I arrived just past the East Norriton sewer plant, about a mile or two before Norristown transit station, the construction on by the side of the trail would have entailed a long wait and the mud churned up by the rain plus the construction didn't look appetizing to ride through. So a took a little break right there at something over 17 miles out. Ate my Cliff Bar, finished the first bottle of water and switched the empty for the full one in my spare cage, and turned around. It was really wonderful to get in a relatively long ride. It was a good challenge, on a very windy day with very strong gusts now and then, to go through Manayunk and up Umbria hill. Still home in time to stop and the bank, and then go for a haircut and now do some work at home. 36.6 miles: Good show.

It Feels Like Spring

At 62 degrees in the morning it sure does feel like Spring. I know we shouldn't get used to it. March and April can still bring plenty of cold weather. But we are definitely moving in the right direction. We rode a nice, quick 13 miles this morning. It was great to be back on our own bikes, that's for sure!

Riding In Seattle

We arrived in Seattle on Thursday around 3 PM and by five had rented our bikes for the weekend from Bob's Bike and Ski. The weather was amazingly good. It rained some on Saturday, but that didn't affect us. We rode Friday and Sunday. Both times along the famed Burke-Gilman Trail, which goes from the University of Washington out into the country past some wineries that we didn't quite reach because of our limited time. But we rode about 15 miles each of our rides. Nice and Flat.



I was riding this Giant and Annie was on something a bit more clunky. But we were both happy with our bikes and with the riding.




What's not to be happy with views like these along the way:






But then there were the hills. While the path is flat, getting to and from the path meant negotiating hills like this one. Going down was fine for me, though Annie was too spooked to ride all the way down. But going up had us both walking, I hate to admit. But after exiting the trail there isn't sufficient time to get any momentum before you are really climbing. That, plus being on a strange bike and not hitting the gears fast enough defeated me.



Then there is alwaqys another view to make it seem worth while.



Still woefully under goal for mileage this year, but moving in the right direction as the season gets ready to change.

Yehuda Moon and the Kickstand Cyclery

You will find a new addition to the blog today. Over on the right side bar is Yehuda Moon and the Kickstand Cyclery, a relatively new comic strip featuring a cyclist. Yehuda works in a bike shop, commutes to work, and faces all the vicissitudes of a commuter cyclist from snow to being passed by Fred's (like today's strip.) The above image is just to give you an idea of what it looks like. Click on the feed to see it more clearly. Check it out daily (I think.)Thanks, as usual, to Cyclicious for the referral.

It was great having Annie back on the road this morning. We went out later than usual because today is Wednesday, my day off. You might ask why is Annie home on a Wednesday? She is usually at the daughter's/granddaughter's. However she had to re-arrange her schedule and go up yesterday. Unfortunately, we are both pretty busy today so though it might have been a great day to ride a bit of a distance together, we just took our regular route. We met our friend and Chiropractor George on the way home and rode together for awhile. The temperature was around 38 but the wind was stronger and it felt colder. Tomorrow we're off West so probably no blogging, but possibly some riding on rented bikes.

SUMMER RIDE SCHEDULE

It is that time of year: even on a cold day like today there is an inexplicable hint of Spring in the air. Time to start thinking about this summer's organized rides. We cannot do the Hazon ride this year (all you donors will be happy to hear) because of a schedule conflict. I am speaking at the North American Levinas Society conference over Labor Day weekend. So I started looking around for some rides for us to schedule. So far we are registered for the Hudson Valley Ride sponsored by the New York Bike Club in July. We have reservations at a motel near the start in Millerton NY and are signed up for the 30 mike ride on Sunday. We will register for the Lancaster Covered Bridges Metric Century again when registration opens. That ride is mid-August. I will probably sign-up for the Montauk Century (and choose the 60 mile option) for mid-May. That will be on my own as Annie is busy that Sunday. I had hoped to ride the 5 boro bike tour, but the date conflicts with a wedding I have to officiate at. Of course we will sign up for Bike Philly and this year do at least the 30 mile option, if not more. It is nice to know we have some events to look forward to and perhaps we'll add another one or two before we're done.

U.S. Bicycle Route System

I attended a meeting sponsored by the Bicycle club of Philadelphia last night featuring the Executive Jim Sayer of The Adventure Bicycle Association about the envisioned U.S. Bicycle Route System. It was an excellent presentation and a visionary project. And it was fun to be out with all these cycling advocates. I cycled there and back and a bit around town so added a bit more than 5 miles to yesterday's totals.

This morning I beat the rain, got out a bit earlier than usual and rode harder allowing me to do 17 miles this morning, a loop and a half, sort of. Felt great. Weather permitting I will ride again tomorrow and then we're off for a long weekend in Seattle. I've made inquiries about renting bikes there and it should be very easy to do, but I have to see what my schedule there will be and check out the weather.

Meanwhile, just to finish the story, I sold the second Citizen folding bike on Sunday. The end of that experiment.

Let Levi Ride!

Levi Leipheimer yesterday won his second consecutive Amgen Tour of California. Levi rode hard when he had to: winning the Solvang Time Trial, and distancing himself from the competition on Wednesday's climbing stage. And then Levi and Astana rode smart, controlling the Peloton masterfully most of the way. And even if they couldn't quite catch up with yesterday's break a way and let George Hincapie win the stage, they kept David Millar in check and that was what counted. The weather was miserable throughout and a stomach virus swept through the Peloton, but it still was a great race and clinches its place as America's premier cycling event. There is little doubt that Astana showed itself to be the most exciting team in Pro racing and close to being unchallenged as the best. It would be great to actually see whether that it true throughout the season by watching how this team does at all the major races. But unless ASO changes its mind and lets Levi and Astana ride, we'll never know. So don't forget to click on Levi's website and add your voice to the groundswell of support for a fair and competitive Tour De France, etc.

Beautiful morning for a ride. The weather said it was 32 degrees, but it felt warmer and I took my alternate route home stretching the ride to 13.6 miles

Riding In A Winter Wonderland

That's how it looked this morning as I took my ride in 24 degree weather. the road itself was mostly clear. A few patches of black-ice where snow had melted and re-froze presented no problem (unless I would have had to brake at just that spot.) There were a few spots where whoever plows the path had inexplicably just skipped a section. One such section, just coming off the Falls Bridges, was so bad I had to dismount for twenty or thirty feet or so. Otherwise it was a lovely ride. My new cyclometer clocked the distance at 13.3 miles, a shade more accurate than my old computer? Or just different? As always I'll go with the present device, but I've clearly been within a reasonable margin of error. Having the cadence meter was very interesting. It was a little hard to get an accurate sense of my usual cadence what with the cold and the need to use caution around the ice, but my cadence is certainly lower than I would have expected and when the weather is better it will give me some new goals to work toward.


Stage 6 winner Pagliarini



Yesterday's 6th stage of the ATOC ended with a great sprint finish won by Mark Cavendish; however that's not him above on the podium. Cavendish was involved in a crash and then was relegated by the judges who said he used the team car to draft him back into the race. Thus Luciano Pagliarini wond the stage. Levi continues to wear the Golden jersey going into today's final stage.


Below: Slipstream's David Millar


In its coverage of yesterday's stage the NY Times focused on David Millar and the great race that team Slipstream Chipotle is having. The big news is that a team committed to the strictest doping controls is at the top of the peloton.

Snow!

That's Domonique Rollin, the Canadian Road Champion from team Toyoto-United winning a super-soggy stage 4 of the Amgen Tour of California. Leipheimer retained the Golden jersey, but only seconds separate the first bunch of racers and today's time trial will be very important in determining the true leader.

Meanwhile, after a glorious day for riding yesterday, during which I did indeed get my cycle computer up and running and rode around town a bit partly for the sheer enjoyment of a lovely, albeit chilly, day, today there will be no riding. At least two inches of snow is on the ground and it continues. We have to travel today so it should be interesting, to say the least. The forecast is good for Sunday.

That said, though I really miss riding today and the prospect of messy streets could pose a problem even after the weather clears, I must say that there is something comforting about having an actual snow storm in winter. This is the first for this year, and I really don't remember having even this much last year, though I suppose there was a day or two when I couldn't ride, but I remember that being more sleet and slosh than snow. I'd prefer living somewhere I could ride everyday, but the associated down-sides of such places for me would preclude it. So here I live in the mid-Atlantic region and sometimes it snows. All's right with the world.

Thought I'd share this great idea for a bike rack taken from an Amsterdam Bike Blog by way of Cyclicious. Enjoy.

Under A Winter Morning Moon

I couldn't resist stopping and taking this photo of the moon shining as I came around the curve on Kelly Drive this morning, despite the fact that it was around 21 degrees and I loathed taking off my gloves. It was a cold ride, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. And the sun continues to shine today so I have my bike. One thing I hope to do if I have a spare hour is to take it over to the bike shop. I attached my new cycle computer and I can't get it to work! Maybe its me, maybe its not, but I hope they'll take a look and let me know.




And, as expected, the third stage of the ATOC saw the race hit the hills and therefore saw Levi Leipheimer take the Golden jersey while coming in second for the stage. I'm pretty confident that it will be difficult to get the jersey away from Levi now. I also hope that this somehow puts more pressure on ASO to change its mind about inviting Levi, Contador and all of Astana to the Tour de France and other big races this year. The UCI is threatening to go to court about it, but I'm not sure whether there is really any legal issue at play here.