Ah, Davis... home to bike circles (roundabouts), bike speeding tickets, and bike "BUI's." I enjoyed many happy years there on my Schwinn Collegiate.
You can read the article here.
Bikes on the UC Davis CampusApr 11, 2009
Bicycling Hall of Fame Comes to Our Neck of the Woods
I was excited to read today that Davis, CA will be the new home of the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame! UC Davis is my alma mater, so this makes me especially proud, but I also like the fact that I can go visit the Hall of Fame next time I see my parents in Sacramento.
Ah, Davis... home to bike circles (roundabouts), bike speeding tickets, and bike "BUI's." I enjoyed many happy years there on my Schwinn Collegiate.
You can read the article here.
Bikes on the UC Davis Campus
Ah, Davis... home to bike circles (roundabouts), bike speeding tickets, and bike "BUI's." I enjoyed many happy years there on my Schwinn Collegiate.
You can read the article here.
Bikes on the UC Davis Campus
Apr 7, 2009
The Bike Adds 10 Pounds
Wait, no, my bike weighs 20 pounds? Okay, that's not what I mean. I'm referring to that "camera adds 10 pounds" adage we all know. Here is my experience: I can look fatter in photos, I can look fatter on a bike. Put those together and I've got a photo of me, on a bike, looking significantly larger than I am just standing there.
It's a number of things, really. Part of it is you are hunched over and your belly tends to just sit there (unless you're engaging your core of steel). Another thing is that layers of cycling clothes add bulk, and wearing skin-tight shorts while seated does little good for the appearance of your thighs. Lastly, there is that expectation that a photo of you riding will look, say, like Alberto Contador riding. The sad truth is, I have had many photos of me taken on my bike, by professional photographers at countless registered rides, and I have yet to find one I truly like.
This past Saturday I rode in my second Cinderella Classic. This is an all-women's metric century (100K/65 miles) that draws participants from all over California, and even neighboring states like Oregon and Washington. I think it is the only all-women's ride of its kind in the nation, and registration for it sells out tremendously fast. Being said, I feel lucky to have this ride in my own backyard. The tradition is to wear girly accoutrements, and you'll see women riding in anything from Rapunzel-styled hats to full-on prom dresses. I myself have an aversion to doing really long rides in anything other than cycling clothes (hello chafing and sweat-retention), but hey those gals look pretty good!
The Cinderella draws riders of all sizes, ages, and abilities. In fact, I saw a girl of about seven riding attached to her mom on one of those kid's trailer cycles. You see a big variety of bikes out there, too- from road bikes to hybrids to cruisers. Of course that can mean some much slower riders to get stuck behind, but hey it feels good to be one of the faster crowd on my road bike for once. Plus, the Cinderella is not about racing, it's about enjoying the day, with all it's wacky costumes and sisterhood. All 65 miles of it.
A fairly flattering photo of me at this year's Cinderella, equipped with helmet tiara.
The mustard fields in the background make me look like a Tour de France rider whizzing past the iconic sunflower fields... almost.
It's a number of things, really. Part of it is you are hunched over and your belly tends to just sit there (unless you're engaging your core of steel). Another thing is that layers of cycling clothes add bulk, and wearing skin-tight shorts while seated does little good for the appearance of your thighs. Lastly, there is that expectation that a photo of you riding will look, say, like Alberto Contador riding. The sad truth is, I have had many photos of me taken on my bike, by professional photographers at countless registered rides, and I have yet to find one I truly like.
This past Saturday I rode in my second Cinderella Classic. This is an all-women's metric century (100K/65 miles) that draws participants from all over California, and even neighboring states like Oregon and Washington. I think it is the only all-women's ride of its kind in the nation, and registration for it sells out tremendously fast. Being said, I feel lucky to have this ride in my own backyard. The tradition is to wear girly accoutrements, and you'll see women riding in anything from Rapunzel-styled hats to full-on prom dresses. I myself have an aversion to doing really long rides in anything other than cycling clothes (hello chafing and sweat-retention), but hey those gals look pretty good!
The Cinderella draws riders of all sizes, ages, and abilities. In fact, I saw a girl of about seven riding attached to her mom on one of those kid's trailer cycles. You see a big variety of bikes out there, too- from road bikes to hybrids to cruisers. Of course that can mean some much slower riders to get stuck behind, but hey it feels good to be one of the faster crowd on my road bike for once. Plus, the Cinderella is not about racing, it's about enjoying the day, with all it's wacky costumes and sisterhood. All 65 miles of it.
A fairly flattering photo of me at this year's Cinderella, equipped with helmet tiara.The mustard fields in the background make me look like a Tour de France rider whizzing past the iconic sunflower fields... almost.
Apr 3, 2009
The Spoils of Victory
Why do we ride as hard as we do? For the food and beer, of course! There was nothing more gratifying than rolling into the parking lot at the end of last Saturday's ride, and seeing my friend, Jake, who immediately passed me a lager-filled water bottle.
Eager, grabbing hands at a SAG stop
Pizza, beer, and good company post-rideApr 2, 2009
I Saw a High Wheel Bicycle!
Riding High
I was on my lunch break, about to cross Sutter Street at Kearney, when I spotted him- it was a guy with a high wheel bike! Now the only high wheel bike I'd ever seen in person wasn't even a real bike. It was just the high wheel bike sculpture in Davis, CA- my old college town and bike capital of the nation.
The guy wasn't riding the bike, but he was wearing a helmet, so I know that at some point he was going to ride it. It was really beautiful and authentic, painted black with a leather saddle. It was a moment where I once again realized I need to carry a cheap digital camera at all times, or maybe finally get an iPhone.
I wanted to catch up with this man, and ask him all the obvious why? and how? questions, but somehow he disappeared into the crowd ahead of me. How you can disappear while walking with a high wheel bike is beyond me, but he did.
Man atop a high wheel bicycle, sporting a handlebar moustache
(not to be confused with moustache handlebars)
TIME Magazine archives
Vintage Racing
The sight of the high wheel bike got me thinking about the early days of bike racing. We may cringe at the idea of today's pro cyclists and their doping scandals... but drugs have been part of the sport since its onset. I am in no way advocating this, but it is a surprising fact. How else did those guys stay awake for six-day races in the velodrome? It wasn't about electrolyte supplements- it was about coffee laced with cocaine.
Below are photos from the Tour de France circa 1920s. Don't try this at home.
Sharing a smoke on the way to the Champs-Élysées
Stopping for a pint
The Three Bears
So I should write about last Saturday's ride. It was The Three Bears plus some extra mileage and a short climb up Rheem Boulevard in Orinda. I actually handled this ride well, and the weather was spectacular- warm enough to ride sans arm-warmers. I was even wishing I had worn shorts.
But, there was one thing- I had some digestive issues for most of the ride. I think it started the night before, and continued to the morning. It's something similar to Runner's Trots, which I will not get into here (but you can click on the link if you're curious). Just the name sounds gross, so you can only imagine. In any case, I had stomach cramping and vague nausea for the first half of the ride, and thankfully this dissipated by the time I had to climb The Bears.
The Three Bears are so named because they are three moderately difficult hills along Bear Creek Road. First there's Mama Bear, more of a straight, gradual climb. Then there is baby bear. There are arguably two small hills after Mama, and it's debatable as to which one is Baby. In any case it's a short climb that's not too severe. Papa Bear is last, and is the most steep at about a 7% grade. The descent off Papa can get really fast, and I had to feather my brakes the whole way. Against popular opinion, I find Papa Bear easier than Mama. Maybe it's because I'm already warmed up by the time I climb it?
Finally, just to rub salt in the wounds, there is a little menace of a hill called Goldilocks. You have to make quick-and-dirty work of this 9% grade bump in the road.
If there was a lesson to be learned on this ride, it is the importance of treating my body well and carefully watching what I eat. There is nothing worse than stomach discomfort paired with physical exertion. Your body just can't perform as it should.
A flat part of Bear Creek Road
I was on my lunch break, about to cross Sutter Street at Kearney, when I spotted him- it was a guy with a high wheel bike! Now the only high wheel bike I'd ever seen in person wasn't even a real bike. It was just the high wheel bike sculpture in Davis, CA- my old college town and bike capital of the nation.
The guy wasn't riding the bike, but he was wearing a helmet, so I know that at some point he was going to ride it. It was really beautiful and authentic, painted black with a leather saddle. It was a moment where I once again realized I need to carry a cheap digital camera at all times, or maybe finally get an iPhone.
I wanted to catch up with this man, and ask him all the obvious why? and how? questions, but somehow he disappeared into the crowd ahead of me. How you can disappear while walking with a high wheel bike is beyond me, but he did.
Man atop a high wheel bicycle, sporting a handlebar moustache(not to be confused with moustache handlebars)
TIME Magazine archives
Vintage Racing
The sight of the high wheel bike got me thinking about the early days of bike racing. We may cringe at the idea of today's pro cyclists and their doping scandals... but drugs have been part of the sport since its onset. I am in no way advocating this, but it is a surprising fact. How else did those guys stay awake for six-day races in the velodrome? It wasn't about electrolyte supplements- it was about coffee laced with cocaine.
Below are photos from the Tour de France circa 1920s. Don't try this at home.
Sharing a smoke on the way to the Champs-Élysées
Stopping for a pintThe Three Bears
So I should write about last Saturday's ride. It was The Three Bears plus some extra mileage and a short climb up Rheem Boulevard in Orinda. I actually handled this ride well, and the weather was spectacular- warm enough to ride sans arm-warmers. I was even wishing I had worn shorts.
But, there was one thing- I had some digestive issues for most of the ride. I think it started the night before, and continued to the morning. It's something similar to Runner's Trots, which I will not get into here (but you can click on the link if you're curious). Just the name sounds gross, so you can only imagine. In any case, I had stomach cramping and vague nausea for the first half of the ride, and thankfully this dissipated by the time I had to climb The Bears.
The Three Bears are so named because they are three moderately difficult hills along Bear Creek Road. First there's Mama Bear, more of a straight, gradual climb. Then there is baby bear. There are arguably two small hills after Mama, and it's debatable as to which one is Baby. In any case it's a short climb that's not too severe. Papa Bear is last, and is the most steep at about a 7% grade. The descent off Papa can get really fast, and I had to feather my brakes the whole way. Against popular opinion, I find Papa Bear easier than Mama. Maybe it's because I'm already warmed up by the time I climb it?
Finally, just to rub salt in the wounds, there is a little menace of a hill called Goldilocks. You have to make quick-and-dirty work of this 9% grade bump in the road.
If there was a lesson to be learned on this ride, it is the importance of treating my body well and carefully watching what I eat. There is nothing worse than stomach discomfort paired with physical exertion. Your body just can't perform as it should.
A flat part of Bear Creek Roadfrom http://www.inl.org/bicycle/routes.html#bearcreek
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