Category: Cycling

I wonder how this would work in hilly Seattle

Sounds like a pretty good gig for out of work messengers and other folks looking to pick up some extra money while getting a good workout:

“I love cyclocross!”

Nick hasn’t really had an interest in cyclocross racing. Until this year, that is. He raced every race (except the weekend we were in Banff), setting and meeting important goals, such as beating a certain rival rider each race. Last weekend, while I was slaving away finishing my Indian law outline, he participated in the final race of the season and brought home a solid 11th place. Way to go babe!

Lake Samammish Loop Variation

I’m not sure how some students do it. They get up early every day and study until late into the evening. Each minute of every day is scheduled - down to the exact minute they’re going to shower (if at all). My limit is about 6 to 8 hours a day, depending on what type of studying I’m doing. I also need to take short breaks every hour and a half or so. Usually, I do a few push-ups and sit-ups to get the blood flowing. Sometimes I stretch and meditate to rest my brain and let the material settle.

This afternoon was lovely (in December that means it was above 40 degrees and not raining), so Nick and I took off on the bikes for a few hours before dinner. When we want a short loop we usually go over Juanita Drive and back home via the Sammamish Slough. This time, I took Nick on a ramble through Issaquah and Bellevue. Our trip even included a stop at the local Buddhist Temple in Redmond.

We started from home and went down West Lake Sammamish Road before heading west on Newport Way. The route pictured here, would be better for folks meeting at the Velodrome at Marymoor Park. It takes you clockwise around Lake Sammamish, something of a novelty.

When you’re done, you’ll have 25 miles and 1400+ feet of climbing under your belt. Not bad for a not-rainy afternoon in December.

Sometimes it pays to just keep your mouth shut

I’m a firm believer that when you don’t have something nice to say, you should just keep quiet. I’m not always the best at practicing this, but I try. Then comes this report from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about a bike rider who was beaten by another bike rider after telling that rider he should have some lights. From the article:

The man told police he was riding on South Shore Drive when he heard someone from behind tell him that he would be passing on the left. He moved over and a man and a woman rode past.

As they did, however, he said, “Get a light.” The other man turned and asked what he said.

The victim repeated, “Get a light.”

The couple yelled loudly at the man, telling him to mind his own business, according to police. The victim said the other man attempted to run him off the road before the couple followed him to his home driveway.

That’s where a conversation about lights continued and the woman told the victim that he seemed to have plenty of lights and asked for one. He gave her a light and told police he did not feel threatened.

The other man, however, appeared to still be upset about the original comment and allegedly clamped his hands around the victim’s head. The other man then twisted the victim to the ground and kneed him in the ribs.

...

The first suspect was described as a white male, about 6 feet tall, wearing a dark-colored jacket and riding a Trek time trial bike.

The second suspect was a white female, about 5-feet-4-inches who rode an Orbea road bike with orange on the front.

While the unwarranted violence makes me think twice about who I will choose to engage in conversation while out riding, I sort of have to laugh. I mean, can you think of a dorkier pair of assailants? Imagine being attacked by some Fred on a Trek TT bike while his Orbea-straddling Wilma looks on. That’s an indignity nobody should ever have to experience.

Some things make me feel like an underachiever

Nick and I are always in awe of people who attempt to ride a tandem off road. Riding a tandem is fun and can be challenging, but what these guys do is just nuts! Add in the difficulty of single-speed action and you’ve got a recipe for hard by any measure. This video shows some pretty technical riding. The cyclists, Marc Wittenberg and Gail Hotten, make it look easy-peasy, though.