A Most Excellent Ride Report

Want to see a very cool Chilly ride report?

Check out this time-lapse photography of the ride I participated in Sunday: the Cascade Bicycle Club's 2010 Chilly Hilly. My static-by-comparison report of the same ride is here, but do check out Garrett Wesley Gibbons' time-lapse report first.

It will unwind your soul!

Thanks, Garrett!

Keep it time-lapsed,

CurioRando

Chilly Blossom TIme!

The Cascade Bicycle Club's annual Chilly Hilly Ride on Bainbridge Island might be the official opening of Cylcing Season in the Seattle area. The Seattle International Randonneurs had their Renton Spring Fever 100k Populaire today too, but I chose the Chilly Hilly.

I was eager for a spectacle, and that it was with from what I heard: over 6000 registrants, a new record. It was so tight on the roadways after the ferry dropped off our couple thousand or so that I felt like I needed the passing skills of speedskater Apolo Ohno to snake my way through.

It's called the Chilly Hilly because it's usually chilly in February (today was in the 50's I'm guessing and beautiful!), and because of the 2700 feet of climbing in 33 miles. It lived up to it's last name my knees can tell you.

Here's how it went:

Milling around in the ferry loading zone. See the Olympic Mountains in the distance?

Our boatload--there were several ferry loads full--from the gangway above.

Eager to disembark.

View from the ferry deck. See those Olympics again?

Here's a hill. Hard to tell from this pic, but I can honestly tell you: it is a hill.

Hill climbers. No shame in walking!

You tell me!

Preston pushes the Big Wheel. Very impressive!

My cleat came loose, and I couldn't unclip my shoe from the pedal so I had to take my foot from the shoe! The garrish orange thing is my socked foot.

Some of the many Islanders who sat on their front lawns to observe our cycling antics. Silly Chilly Geese!

The feet that got me up the hills. Wore my hot orange socks for good luck and good safety.

They must have worked! 

Keep it bloomin'!

CurioRando

Needed: Calls/Emails to Make Cycling Safer!

I posted a little while back about the effort in Washington State to win Vulnerable User legislation to encourage automobile drivers to be more responsible around vulnerable users such as cyclists, tractor drivers, et al.

Well, Good News! The bill has passed out of committee, but it needs your help. Especially if you live outside of the Puget Sound area, your voice will matter a great deal (Puget Sound folks, please weigh in too!).

See the notice I received today from the Cascade Bicycle Club updating me on the progress of the bill, THANKS for taking action!

Thank you for sending a message to your legislator in favor of the Vulnerable User Bill! Your voice, along with 2,200 others, are part of what will make Washington's roads safer for everyone.



The bill squeaked through the Senate Judiciary Committee by a 5-3 vote last Friday afternoon. You can read more on the Bike Blog here.


We will still need the help of more Washingtonians outside Cascade's traditional service area to pass the bill through the Senate, since legislators are hearing from so many people in the Puget Sound Region. For example, some legislators around Lake Washington have received 200 or 300 of your messages, while some east of the mountains have only received one.


Please continue to educate your friends about the bill, and send them to our updated Action Page to send a message. Once again, your help is crucial to passing the Vulnerable User Bill.

The pic above is of three activists with compelling stories to tell, but who didn't get heard at the committee. If you have a story, please do contact your legislator for sure, and hook ukp with Cascade to help them make the most of your story. In my experience, stories for legislators matter.

Pass it along!


Keep it civilly active,

CurioRando

Bellevue, WA Bustin' Out with Bicycle Plan

As for funding, that remains to be seen. The Seattle Times reported recently that Bellevue is planning 80 miles of bikelanes, though funding is sketchy.

Bellevue was designed for cars, and it shows if you're cycling: little shoulder room. City Councilmember John Chelminiak wants to make changes. Compared to its neighboring communities, Redmond and Kirkland, Bellevue has a long way to go. And, of course, the Cascade Bicycle Club is pushing Bellevue to go farther and faster.

Here is a map of proposed new bicycle routes. And here is a map of proposed bicycle projects.

According to the Seattle Times, here's a comparison of local cities:

Bellevue: 33 miles of bike lanes and 11.5 miles of off-street paths. About 300 commuters (0.5 percent of all commuters) ride a bike to work.

Redmond: 73 miles of bike trails and lanes, including regional trails such as the Sammamish River Trail. About 400 commuters (1.4 percent of all commuters) ride a bike to work. In 2007, Redmond was recognized as a bronze-level "Bicycle-Friendly Community" by the League of American Bicyclists.


Kirkland: 40 miles of bike lanes. About 100 commuters (0.4 percent of all commuters) ride a bike to work.


Seattle: 44.6 miles of trails and 130.4 miles of on-street bicycle facilities (including bike lanes, climbing lanes, pavement markings, bicycle boulevards and signed local street connections). About 7,000 commuters (2.3 percent of all commuters) ride a bike to work. In 2009, Seattle was recognized as a gold-level "Bicycle-Friendly Community" by the League of American Bicyclists.

Go Bellevue!!

Keep it funded

CurioRando

Biker Mike McGinn for Seattle Mayor!

Mike Bikes! And I, CurioRando, endorse Biker Mike McGinn for Mayor of Seattle.

Now, Mike bikes with an electric bicycle, but that's cool. To me it sends a message to folks who think they couldn't ever bicycle to work that maybe there are alternatives to racing bicycles and lycra: electric bicycles, bus-bicycle combo, bicycling once/month, bicycling one way (downhillish?) and taking light rail home (uphillish?) are but a few examples.

Do you think a guy who bicycles all over town understands our issues? I do.

Do you think his opponent, who I've heard fairly dismiss cycling as any kind of serious solution, gets our issues? I don't.

What about non-cycling issues?

I like Mike because while I believe that Mike, just like his opponent, has lots to learn about governing a biggish city, he has spent much of his life bringing collective solutions to critical issues. He's led coalitions. He's rolled up his sleeves to tackle genuine problems even when much of the status quo sided against him. This is experience that I believe he can rely on to tackle the big job of leading our wonderful city.

I like his opponent also. I think he's a good man. I don't, however, believe that corporate leadership is the best preparation for what we now need. Unregulated, unfettered and self-interested corporations have very much to do with the mess we're in. Now while that doesn't taint every corporate exec, corporate leadership particularly over the past while has been all about competition at any cost. Usually, it's been the public that has paid the cost.

What we need to get back to is leadership that calls us to collective, not competitive, solutions. Mike has that experience.

Because of my day job, I've sat in on way too many candidate endorsement interviews. I sat in on such interviews with both candidates. From those interviews, I've come to trust Mike McGinn. He ain't perfect, but I fundamentally trust his tendancy toward collective solutions. I know that it is collective solutions that will lead us out of our current mess.

 

For the Cascade Bicycle Club's take on why they endorsed Biker Mike McGinn, go here.

For a news story about the CBC endorsement of Biker Mike McGinn, go here.

For a story on why Biker Mike McGinn bicyles, go here.

For Biker Mike McGinn's Campaign webpage, go here.

You know what else? Bicycling clears your head. I'm serious, and if you're a cyclist you know it is true. It's not the only way by any means, but cycling does that. That's good. I like a Mayor with a cleared head.

I'm voting for Biker Mike McGinn for Mayor of Seattle!

Keep it clear,

CurioRando

UPDATE: Did Biker Mike McGinn Win? See this post to find out!

"Changing a Culture of Negligence"

I attended the Cascade Bicycle Club's Traffic Justice Summit this evening. I was late, but I got there in time to hear the testifying by head-on collision survivors and friends and family of cyclists killed by cars.

Ilse has commuted by bicycle for 15 years, three years on the same route. She was hit head-on at 10am by a driver who had crossed over to her side of the road. He had a prior record she said, and two years later killed Tatsuo Nakata, an aide to a Seattle Councilmember.Tatsuo was crossing  a street in West Seattle in 2006, and was well-known and beloved by many.

Michelle spoke of Kevin Black who was killed by a negligent driver according to the final Seattle Police report. There is no law on the books according to County and City officials, so the driver got a ticket in the mail with no appearance in court.

Another man spoke of being struck on Hiway 305 on Bainbridge Island in 2004. He was thrown 85 feet and by that and this man's weight the police calculated the driver was going 48 mph. He had "extensive damages" to his body. The driver was on a hands-free phone and looked down momentarily to see who was calling. According to the driver behind her, she veered into the cyclist. The injured cyclist said: "It has to be against the law to step into a car and not pay attention."

Two others spoke of their friend Carrie who left their house to go cyclotouring. Their friend was a very experienced cyclist, a racer, who was struck by a driver going 55mph. Carrie was struck several days into her tour on a straight road, during daylight hours while Carrie was riding on the shoulder of the road and wearing bright clothing. The driver was deemed 100% responsible, and got a traffic ticket only. Carrie was kept alive so that her organs could be donated per her request, but never stood a chance. Her boyfriend's back was broken in four places as well. It was Emily, Carrie's friend, who declared that she was not an activist prior to this July, but that she is in this fight for Traffic Justice till we prevail saying we must be about "changing a culture of negligence."

Another man was struck by the driver of a stolen car going 65 - 70 mph. He has, he told us, diminished brain capacity and a skull that is one half titanium. More specifically, he told us he had 1/4th the brain on that side left.

My take is this: the Vulnerable User legislation that the Cascade Bicycle Club is spearheading is not a cure-all. But it does one very important thing. It makes negligence inexcusable. This changes the dialogue and hence drivers' awareness so that cyclists are acknowledged to have a right to the road. That right then must be legally respected, and drivers will know there are consequences. That's a good start.

For more on what Oregon has already done, chronicled on film, go here.

For more on the proposed Vulnerable User legislation in Washington State, go here.

For a post on randonneur John Vincent's story of how he was struck on a brevet this year, go here.

For more on a Texan who was killed a few weeks ago, go here.

For more on changing a culture of negligence, I think we all need to go to our own driving habits first, and then do our part to make driving attentively the rule of law.


Keep it attentive,

CurioRando

Traffic Justice Summit in Seattle: October 14 at 5:30pm

I've written about Vulnerable User legislation previously. I also reviewed the movie Veer which was in part about getting that legislation passed in Oregon. Now, we're taking it up in Washington State.

Why? Currently, a motorist who kills or injures a cyclist--a vulnerable user--gets a traffic ticket at most. No consideration for the relative vulnerability. As a result, I'll posit it doesn't occur to most motorists just how vulnerable it can be. The result is less care.

We need to stake our claim for our fair share of the roads, and our fair share of political power.

The Cascade Bicycle Club is leading by convening their Traffic Justice Summit. The Traffic Justice Summit will include Senate Judiciary Chair Adam Kline, Seattle City Attorney Tom Carr, Seattle City Council Public Safety Chair Tim Burgess along with reserchers, experts, advocates, families, friends and victims to learn the facts and talk about what we can do as a community -- and as a state -- to protect pedestrians and cyclists.

Here's a link to the legislation.

Here's a link to more info on the summit.

Keep it just,

CurioRando

Purple King Kong Crashes Kitsap Color Classic

Yep, as the sun peeks up over the horizon for the day, Purple King Kong, seen above and below, ambushes riders heading for the Edmonds ferry to attend the Kitsap Color Classic a week ago. The ride was sponsored by the Cascade Bicycle Club. See how Purple Kong reaches for those bicycles on the cars?

Queuing up for the ferry from Edmonds are those smiling ones who escaped Purple Kong's wrath.

First stop, gazing at Mt. Baker across the sea. Note Dartre's kneewarmer-shorts transition. Who's gonna be the first to find the solution to this problem? One of my cycling pet peeves!

The approach to Port Gamble alone made the ride worthwhile.

At Port Gamble.

Just past Poulsbo, the seals (sea lions?) are kickin' back.

Halloween was in the air. This on the side of a tented carport. Yikes! Bet it's great at night.

Pitstop Plum...Yum.

Norwegian-themed restroom. No, I was not sacrificing Dartre to the Norse gods of the sea or cycling or some such. Just an unfortunate juxtaposition.

Dartre shows a little leg. Niggling kneewarmer issue, I tell ya. Is she the Fay Rae Purple Kong was seeking?

The original Fay Rae, who when told she was being asked to star opposite the tallest, darkest leading man in Hollywood. asked : "Calrk Gable?" Nope. King Kong.

Curio ponders curiously while awaiting the ferry home. Hooked up with a few old work colleagues here.

Salt-craving Dartre aboard the boat for the ride home: "Give me Chips!"

Purple Kong was not there on our way home from the ferry terminal. Did Purple Godzilla get him?

You thought I was crazy, didn't you? The Polish believe King Kong is purple!!

In the end, we headed home and Purple Kong didn't get my gal. A good day cycling!

Keep Purple Kong away from your gal,

CurioRando

From Polluto-commuting to Cyclo-commuting

I don't commute by bicycle nearly often enough. Want to hear my excuses?

1. Logistics. I struggle with getting my act together enough to get ready.
2. Need my car at work. I have out-of-the-office meetings to which I can't cycle.
3. There is no number 3.

Pretty pathetic, eh?
I'll now debunk my own myths.

1. Get over the logistics. Commit. It gets easier. If I'm not committed, then I'll find a way so it doesn't happen.
2. Not true. It's not that I need my car at work, it's that I need to travel from my office to meetings sometimes. I often--not always--control when those meetings are. Light Rail is now available. I could cycle to Link Light Rail or cycle to most meetings. Just requires a little planning.
3. Uh, there aren't many reasons NOT to.

So, here is my commitment to myself and you. I say "you" since my driving my vehicle pollutes your world too so when I commit to reduce that driving I am also committing to you.
I pledge to work out a plan so that after Labor Day (little vacationing until then) I will have a solid commitment of how and by how much I will cyclocommute instead of pollutocommute.
Could be that on certain days of the week (Thursday & Friday?) I'll cycle. Or, that I'll drive no more than two days/week. Whatever it will be, I plan to make it manageable and a platform from which I can aspire higher. The intent is to succeed at this plan.
What's the impetus? I've been thinking about this for some time, but the added push was while on my Oregon Randonneurs Alsea Falls 400k Brevet, Tom Russell suggested regular commuting as good randonneuring prep. That is what is pushing me over this hump. I got alot from that brevet as I described in my post of same.
Did you know there is plenty of support for commuting by bicycle? In Seattle for instance, the Cascade Bicycle Club offers classes: everything from urban cycling skills and bicycle maintenance to commuting skills and programs tailored to youth and seniors. Bet you got the same support.

This photo and the graphic at the top of the post are both from the Cascade Bicycle Club Education Foundation link.
For further inspiration, go no further than Kent Peterson's Bike Blog. He drives no car. Just doesn't do it, and hasn't for a long time.
Keep it clean,
CurioRando

Update: see my specific commitment post here and two follow-up posts here and here.

In Search of Bicycling Bliss

Bicycling Bliss is unlike any other single bicycling book. You might find one of the subjects of Bliss covered in some other book or a different subject in still another book, but you won't find all that this author's jammed in anywhere else in one place, and there is plenty here you just won't find anywhere at all.

I met the author, Portia H. Masterson, at the annual Cascade Bicycle Club Seattle International Bicycle Festival a couple years back. You know how you discover something by yourself without having been referred, and it feels more like your own? Silly, I know, but sometimes that's how it feels. Well, that's how it is for me with Portia and her book.

I stepped up to her booth and I discovered she had owned a bicycle shop in Golden, Colorado just after I left Golden. So, I connected with her on her Golden history, and bought her book. It is self-published and costs a whopping $29.95, but it is a goodie. I hadn't seen it anywhere else so I grabbed it. Since then, I've seen other good reviews including in Momentum, and it is now stocked in bookstores in which I hadn't seen it before.

Now understand that Portia is not a randonneur to my knowledge; the term is not in her index. However, just look at the photo below. Clearly she understands a thing or two about long distance cycling and certainly about not being self-conscious. Here's a cooling technique I think some randonneurs believe they've invented. Personally, I would have taken off my helmet, but maybe she's wary of falling rocks or...pirhana?

Here's how I describe Portia's writing: sensible, no-nonsense, caring, gentle, and determined. On the last point, she comes across as one of those folks who just knows that while some of her ideas are not mainstreamed yet--acupressure, meditation, journaling, breathing (I guess breathing is mainstreamed, we all seem to do it, so I'll say conscious breathing)--she's clear and unabashed from personal experience about what she knows. She isn't prone to the latest this or that, so her ideas are grounded in observation, logic, and years of listening to customers.

She also knows a fair amount about body mechanics and body geometry. There are pictures of muscles and anatomy as well as a pithy cartoon here and there as below.

She goes on to say that many cyclists pedal with their saddles too low, essentially doing to our knees what the knee-bending backpacker does.

Portia's also intrepid. When she opened her bicycle shop she didn't know how to wrench at all! Just learned it as she went. That takes some confidence.

But mostly, Bliss is thorough and it's a good book to come back to as you'll continue to draw out nuances. For randonneurs, she's all about comfort on the bicycle and long-term solutions. It's a randonneur's approach for sure.

So if Western medicine has let you down or you want to see how some of the less obvious strategies for wellness pay off if you commit, or even if you don't mind getting distracted by something you come across but weren't looking for, then Bicycling Bliss ought to interest you.

While the text is pretty dry, some of the graphics lighten it up. If the print is too fine in the drawing above it says:

"The unfortunate Timothy McTight is a high-mileage cyclist who has not committed himself to a daily stretching practice or to developing good riding form. Imbalanced and tight muscles limit his health and riding performance."

If you like a cycling book that focuses on the body, then Bliss is a comprehensive and I'd say unique find.

If you also like a book that throws in a two-page chart that outlines all the considerations for different bicycle clothing fibers:

• cotton
• wool
• nylon
• acrylic
• polyester
• polypropylene

according to:

• benefits
• drawbacks
• durability
• care
• best use
• avoid use
• common use,

then Bliss is for you.

If you like a book that respects its readers throughout all 473 pages, and that I guarantee you cannot devour in even several sittings, then what are you reading this for? Go get Blissed!

For more about blissful cycling from Portia herself, go to her Bicycling Bliss website.

Keep it Blissful (of course)

CurioRando