cycling « WordPress.com Tag Feed

First ride using GIANT TCR Advanced 2

rezafaizal — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 09:30:05 +0000

Yesterday, I did my first ride using my new bicycle. The new bike really feel much smoother and fast

The Singletrack Diaries – High Speed on Ice

Doulos Christou — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 08:51:00 +0000

So it’s going to be one of those winters. The kind where the snow is going to stay on the ground for

Cycle rage: new rules for pack riders

anguskingston — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 05:18:24 +0000

Wear bright clothing. Leave MP3 players and mobile phones at home. Never ride more than two abreast. And never travel in packs of more than 20.

That’s the basic message for cyclists riding in groups contained in new NSW Government guidelines aimed at reducing the increasing number of road injuries and deaths.

“Riding in traffic can be safe and enjoyable for cyclists who follow some commonsense tips,” Assistant Transport Minister David Borger said today when he launched the safety campaign at a Darlinghurst coffee shop.

“We all know ‘the road is there to share’ and, in order to save lives, all road users need to obey the rules and respect others.

“Cyclists are among our most vulnerable road users and it is important they understand the safest way to travel.”

The guidelines were formulated with the help of Bicycle NSW, the state’s peak body for recreational and commuter cycling.

The group’s chief executive, Alex Unwin, said he was confident the measures would be adopted, despite not being enforceable.

“This will be embraced wholeheartedly by the vast majority of cyclists … it will help keep their groups safe, there’s no doubt about that,” Mr Unwin said.

Last year, there were almost 700 cycling accidents, three involving fatalities, in the Sydney region.

The number of deaths is expected to have doubled this year. There have been several highly publicised incidents recently.

They include two serious accidents on Southern Cross Drive and a case in Seven Hills in which a cyclist, who was allegedly riding illegally on a T-Way lane, followed and boarded a bus, before bashing the 64-year-old driver.

Parramatta police duty officer, Inspector Beth Sturton, said police had still not been able to identify the cyclist involved in the T-Way dispute.

“There’s still a couple of witnesses [we're] trying to speak to but nothing’s come to light there that can identify the individual at this stage,” Inspector Sturton said.

But Mr Unwin said he believed the growing popularity of cycling was helping keep cyclists safe.

“It’s counter-intuitive but as more people take to their bikes … [motorists] are more and more aware of people on bikes and take more care around them,” he said.

Mr Borger said cyclists, like all other road users, were expected to obey the rules.

“This includes all signs and signals, staying clear of moving motor vehicles, wearing a helmet, ride no more than two abreast unless passing and follow lane markings.

“Cyclists should also look out for pedestrians and give way to them and they are strongly advised to wear brightly coloured or reflective clothing to help make them more visible.”

Mr Unwin said the single most important thing new cyclists could do was take time to familiarise themselves with their bikes and build up their skills.

“It’s important to develop your skills and experience and not ride 50 kilometres on your first time,” he said.

“Take it slowly and steadily and build up your skills and understand how your bike works in different road conditions.”

- with Georgina Robinson

via smh.com.au

The comments are interesting. Again, unlike The Adelaide Advertiser, the comments seem to mostly come from cyclists.

P90X Trifecta (round 3) - Days 57-63

tscfitness — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 05:07:33 +0000

Day 57 (Monday) Chest & Back and Ab Ripper X….Instead, I completed a 90-minute (whole body) HIT (high intensity training) weightlifting session, including abs. I also completed a 2.8-mile run.

Day 58 (Tuesday) Plyometrics….Instead, I completed a little 45-minute, 10.73-mile bicycle ride at the gym tonight.

Day 59 (Wednesday) Shoulders & Arms and Ab Ripper X….Instead, I completed a 91-minute (whole body) HIT (high intensity training) weightlifting session, including abs (6:53 AM start).

Day 60 (Thursday) Yoga X….Instead, I completed a 60-minute, 14.14-mile bicycle ride at the gym (11:30 PM finish). Burned off some turkey and now a few hours until door busters.

Day 61 (Friday) Legs & Back and Ab Ripper X….Instead, I did nada.

Day 62 (Saturday) Kenpo X….Instead, I completed a 84-minute (whole body) HIT (high intensity training) weightlifting session, including abs.

Day 63 (Sunday) X Stretch….Instead, I completed a 30-minute, 7.24-mile bicycle ride at the gym, while watching the Baltimore Ravens overtime victory, my son’s team.

In celebration of our 1st WordPres.com year

jalexartis — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 05:00:00 +0000

November 30, 2008, marks the date that we started blogging here with a single blog versus the multiple blogs I published at blogger.com for several years. November 30, 2008, ended with 70 pageviews. It has now been a year, and 97,966 pageviews later [during standard time, my statistical day ends at 11:00 p.m.]. Thank you for your loyalty and support during the year. I hope that I continue to merit your viewership.

In reflection of the year, here are your top-10 stories:

2,839 Pageveiws

Luv my iPhone, but what to do in the rain

This story is about a no-cost alternative to protecting an iPhone from the rain. The photo was picked up by Gizmodo and the rest is history.

1,683 Pageviews

46-seconds of Maria Parker in action

This story is about Maria Parker’s ride to a world record as she rode a Silvio Cruzbike for 12 hours and 241+ miles. Amazing that I captured 46 seconds of her ride with my iPhone, posted it and the rest is history.

1,596Pageviews

Catrike 700 [Silk]

This story is about my Catrike 700 [CT7225] named Silk and the fascination with it. This is a static page on my blog.

It was #1, until bumped by the 2 stories above.

1,239Pageviews

iPhone 3GS mount for 2 of my 7 cycles

This story is about mounting and adapting my iPhone 3GS to two of my seven cycles using two different types of mounts. The mounts are both functional and secure. The photos helped the story.

1,229 Pageviews

Velokraft VK2

My beloved low-racer and another static page is now 5th on the all time pageviews list.

1,193 Pageviews

Maria Parker’s World Record Quest ~ 10/1

Maria Parker’s accomplish is simply amazing and I was there to cover it as a blogger. I am not surprised the 2 of the top 5 stores are about her ride.

Congratulations MP!!!

1,128 Pageviews

Reasons to buy a Catrike

This story expresses my reasons to buy a Catrike Trike. My trike is a Catrike 700, shown above in a touring mode. So many times we read what we do not like about a product. I decided to do the reverse.

This picture is of Silk in her touring mode. Now she sits with a tail fairing [two pictures up].

1,120 Pageviews

So, you want a Crank Forward Bike…

Intro: For years the bicycle industry has been searching for a way to mainstream recumbent bicycles; to make them simpler, easier to ride, easier to sell—without hand-holding, explaining and education that dealers must endure. Some recumbents have gotten less rider-friendly over the years with more reclined seats and higher pedals. The bike industry needed a more comfortable bike — thus the “flat-footed” bike or “crank-forward” bike was born.

This story pre-dates my RANS Citi Crank Forward [called Faye] and gives links to other articles on the Crank Forward bicycle.It has truly been a joy to ride this bike, particularly as a single-speed.

1,114 Pageviews

RAAM ‘09 Team RANS

This story is about a 4-man recumbent team who Raced Across America [RAAM] in 2009 and placed first in the 4-man category, getting to the destination before the team riding Diamond Frame bicycles. They rode the RANS Xstream recumbent bicycle—new to racing.

1,059 Pageviews

RANS Stratus XP

This is my "Cadillac." it is smooth and very comfortable to ride—great for touring. As originally setup, I used it primarily for touring. Now, it is set as a bit of a hotrod.

As we celebrate our 1st year, we move ever closer to the 100K Pageview Milestone. One of our viewers has the closest prediction to the date that will occur and will receive $100 to mark the occasion. Thanks to those who made the 21 predictions. Stay tuned for results of that contest.

Again, thank you for all you do for me and this publication. You make blogging interesting and fun.

Jim

Cycling Experiences… Group

jalexartis — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 21:09:12 +0000

I‘m looking to expand our interaction by using Windows Live Messenger. The other chat functions have not worked for me. The Livestream chat was okay. With WLM, at least I’ll see you called. There is also the possibility of audio & video chats. Let’s see where this goes…

I’ve set up a Cycling Experiences… Blog Group. A Windows Live Group is limited to 20 members. Five can be in a group chat at a time. I want to at least try this and see if it works for me.

If it does, I’ll likely setup a group for events that I may blogcast.

Okay, who will be among the first to sign up.

Thanks!

Jim

Windows Live Messenger Requirements

Newport Velodrome

bertraum — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 20:43:02 +0000

I went to Newport Velodrome today with Bristol South CC. It is pretty much as fun as you can have on a bicycle, riding round in circles on wood. when it’s done properly there’s a sense of poetry to the whole thing, particularly with the team pursuit. i didn’t quite scale those heights, but i rode with the accredited riders in a group of around 7. this was just as well, because the beginners’ group was total chaos. at one point it resembled a madison, for all the wrong reasons; riders everywhere, overtaking, undertaking, reckless changes in speed, the works. it was terrifying to watch, but everyone made it down from the wall of death safely.we managed a few drills, including a 5 rider stack – very exciting; lots of taking laps and a sort of scaled down devil-takes-the-hindmost blast right at the death. i made to the last three, then got taken.

the afternoon i went to belle’s house for tea. we had orange cake and scones, copious amounts of tea, it was perfect. i have been eating since this morning, which is no mean feat, over-compensating massively for any calories burnt this morning. there were lovely chocolate biscuits too. cake is the best thing in the world ever, and truly the cyclist’s friend. belle makes the best cakes ever, therefore she is the best friend a cyclist could have.

i’ve also spent most of the weekend discussing multi-bird roasts. i’m a vegetarian, but they are fascinating, and slightly grotesque. i’d like to include a flamingo and a swan in any such concoction. according to wikipedia (the repository of all human knowledge);

The largest recorded nested bird roast is 17 birds, attributed to a royal feast in France in the early 19th century (originally called a Rôti Sans Pareil, or “Roast without equal”) – a bustard stuffed with a turkey, a goose, a pheasant, a chicken, a duck, a guinea fowl, a teal, a woodcock, a partridge, a plover, a lapwing, a quail, a thrush, a lark, an Ortolan Bunting and a Garden Warbler.^[4] The final bird is very small but large enough to hold just an olive; it also suggests that, unlike modern multi-bird roasts, there was no stuffing or other packing placed in between the birds. It appears illegal to make today as some of the species are endangered.

which is amazing. i’d like to see what a multi-mammal roast looks like; perhaps starting small, then getting bigger, maybe even up to an elephant. it might take some cooking though.

bicycle beano

iansnaturism — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 20:41:37 +0000

Winter Training - Wet Wet Wet 22/11/09

iconicycling — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 20:31:39 +0000

On the 22nd Nov 09 was a wet day, the rain came in waves so I cycled a short circuit so if the rain got to bad I wouldn’t be to far from home if i got soaked.

View Larger Map

Hageland Power Toertocht: 'New' autumn MTB-stylen

tomvh — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 20:27:10 +0000

Ik blijf er van houden …sportfoto’s nemen in de vrije natuur.
Om af en toe eens iets nieuws te proberen heb ik eens een reeks gemaakt van een paar foto’s met dezelfde bewerking. ‘t was vandaag een druilerige dag en dus vond ik een ‘donkere’ stijl wel van toepassing hier.De modder en de regen geven aan alles nog eens een extra ‘touch’.

Deze toertocht was georganiseerd door de KNOET ism. AATT.

Onderaan vind je alle foto’s van 29 november 2009.

Autumn style: Hagelandse Power Toertocht

Hagelandse Power Toertocht - Autumn Style

Autumn style: Hagelandse Power Toertocht

Die de reeks niet gehaald hebben met deze bewerking waren de volgende foto’s: “Sfeerfoto’s”

Hagelandse Power Toertocht - 29 November 2009

De foto’s van deze website kun je in principe op een andere niet-commerciele & social websites gebruiken, mits:

er een duidelijke bronvermelding met een link naar deze site bij staat, zoals:
“Foto afkomstig van <a href="http://www.tomvh.be">Tom Vander Heyden</a>“.
de foto gebruikt wordt via een link naar de foto zoals hij op deze site staat. Het is dus niet de bedoeling om een foto te kopiëren naar je eigen site.
het om een niet-bedrijfsmatige site gaat. Dat is een lastig begrip natuurlijk: neem bij twijfel even contact op.
je een mailtje naar me stuurt met een link naar de plaats waar je de foto gebruikt.

Wanneer je een foto voor een andere toepassing wilt gebruiken, bijvoorbeeld een presentatie of in drukwerk, neem dan ook even contact op, dan bespreken we wat de mogelijkheden zijn (en kan ik eventueel het origineel van de foto, in hogere resolutie leveren).

Hieronder vinden jullie de volledige gallerij:

Een link naar de slideshow: Link

Reason No. 16 to Ride - Holiday Bike Giveaway

Cys Bronner — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 19:42:18 +0000

Reason No. 16 to Ride is a great holiday bike giveaway!

Here’s your chance to give your and others the gift of health this season. Sign up for the San Diego Tour de Cure or better yet, Team US Cares rides the Tour de Cure and start your fundraising to help make a difference!

Raise $100 by December 16th and be entered to win a Specialized Road Bike courtesy of UC Cyclery!

$100 = 1 entry; $200 = 2 entries; $300 = 3 entries

About Diabetes
Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. The cause of diabetes continues to be a mystery, although both genetics and environmental factors appear to play roles. There are 23.6 million Americans living with diabetes, a disease that is outpacing heart disease, cancer and AIDS. Diabetes is a disease that has deadly serious consequences, and there is no cure.

Nevada Trails for Green Hour Activity!

mygrandmasue — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 19:28:49 +0000

A great website for searching on Nevada trails is nvtrailmaps.com for running, hiking, biking, mountain biking, cycling, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling and even more activities. You can search by location (county), activity, length of trail and elevation. Easy way to explore possibilities for spending some Green Hour Time with the kids and grandkids.

The information and maps on the nvtrailmaps.com website are developed and organized by Great Basin Institute.

Pimp My Ride

parismtnstriding — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 02:13:12 +0000

Oh yeah, tonight was pimp the ride night. Here’s some pics of my 2010 Felt B-16.

Installing the AeroDrink Bracket was a pain. The pictures on the installation instructions were not very helpful and the directions refered to pre-installed velcro that was not pre-installed. When I googled “aero bracket install tips” I found an old blog post that said the install was easier after you threw away the instructions. That was absolutely right. I’m sure things would have been smoother if my aerobars weren’t so close together. Despite the install snags I can’t wait to try it out on the road.

November Wrap-up

Ted C. MacRae — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 01:49:58 +0000

November ended up being a rather nice month of riding – not at all what it promised to be coming after what had to be the crappiest October in history! Temps remained relatively mild, and although there was some rain there were only four days during the month that it actually prevented me from riding. I ended the month with 720 miles (plus I’ll get another 20+ tomorrow), and more importantly I got in a 70+ mile ride during all five weekends. Total climbing for the month was 41,000 feet, and total time in the saddle was 40 hours. These aren’t extraordinarly totals, and they aren’t meant to be (l’Etape du Tour is more than 7 months away still) – but it’s a good, solid start.

Please explain this to me. How can I ride 72 miles on the best roads that west St. Louis County has to offer on a day with no rain and temps in the mid-50s – and see only one other cyclist?

Wouldn’t you know it – just a few days after my post on passing etiquette, I get tested by the most irritating example of bad behavior that I’ve seen yet. I was deep into last Sunday’s BugMan ride and was waiting at a stoplight (eastbound on Wildhorse Creek Road, turning left onto Chesterfield Parkway) when a cyclist pulled up beside me. He was wearing one of the local cycling team kits – let’s call it “Vaginal Force” – and was somebody I recognized from my racing days but did not know by name – let’s call him… Kram… er, Kramer – yes, Kramer. The light turned green just as he was pulling up, so he mumbled some kind of greeting and then immediately shot in front of me as we began navigating through the turn. A little annoying, but he seemed to be in a hurry so whatever – if it was me, and I pulled up behind an obviously capable cyclist sitting at a stoplight, I would wait a little bit after the start to see what kind of pace he took starting up again and then gauge whether I needed to pass. I didn’t try to get on his wheel, but within a block or so I could see that I was closing and would have to decide whether I should pass. Fortunately, he turned right at Swingley Ridge before I had to make the decision, so I was spared the annoyance – I thought!

I continued on Chesterfield Parkway and turned east on Conway. After turning, I happened to look back and saw the same rider some distance behind me. Apparently he had used Swingley Ridge as a “shortcut” to get to Conway but it hadn’t worked out so well. He was pretty far back, so I figured I was safe and continued riding. I made it all the way to Hwy 141 but got stopped by the light, and before the light turned green he caught up to me. We exchanged pleasantries again, but this time when the light turned green he didn’t bolt in front of me – instead riding with me and striking up a conversation. Okay, this is cool. Unfortunately, he must have been hard of hearing, because everytime I said something, he either replied “Huh?” or said something that made it clear he misunderstood what I said. I tried speaking loudly and clearly, but this quickly became tedius, and since I really didn’t even really know the guy I found myself looking for an out. That out would come suddenly and most unexpectedly! We were approaching the stop sign at the bottom of the descent to Mason, and he had asked me if I was doing the Hwy 40 time trial. I was in the middle of answering when I began braking for the stop – and he just kept going! He just blasted right through that stop sign at full speed, with cars at the other stop signs no less! I watched him continue on in disbelief and noticed a similar look of disbelief on the face of the driver in the car waiting at the stop sign to the right. She looked at me like “Well, are you gonna run the stop sign too?!” before tentatively taking her turn. I was happy to sit and wait for her so that Vaginal Force Kramer could get up the road a bit and I wouldn’t have to deal with him anymore.

But of course, I was still not done with VFK, as I began closing on him on the climb to Hwy 270. I really didn’t want to catch him, because I was so pissed at him for what he did at the stop sign – it would take all the self-control I could muster to not chastise him for his stupidity. At the same time, I wasn’t willing to let him take me out of my ride and the way I wanted to do it. As I closed and weighed my options, I considered that maybe he was just waiting up for me, but I just didn’t believe it – if he was wanting to ride with me, he would’ve soft-pedaled or even stopped and waited after stupidly blasting through the stop sign. No, he was riding his ride and oblivious to the fact that the guy he had rode away from in mid-sentence was closing in on him. I decided the only thing I could do was go ahead and pass and hope he didn’t try to stay on me. I made my move halfway up the climb, and as I passed bit my tongue and just said, “Have a great ride!” I was climbing assertively (but not all out) to try to put some distance between us quickly so he wouldn’t think I was just trading pulls with him, but the phuquer grabbed my wheel anyway and sat there all the way up the climb. Near the summit he made the move around me, and I’d had it – I just stopped there in the road, drank some GU2O and waited until he got out of sight before continuing on. I thought my plan had backfired when I approached the stoplight at Ballas and saw him sitting there, but the light turned green well before I got there and even turned red again before that for extra safety margin. Never before have I been so happy to see a red light.

Is there something wrong with me? Why do these guys irritate me so? It almost seems like guys see my flash bike and race cut clothing and just assume I’m ready to throw down with anybody I meet on the street. I guess it’s possible that I’m just getting grouchy in my old age (although VFK was no spring chicken himself), but I really don’t think so – I love group rides, even of the “drop” variety (and even when I am the one dropped). I just like to pick the kind of riders that I ride with, and first and foremost they have to be safe! Rolling stop signs on lonely country roads is one thing – blasting them in Town & Country with cars waiting is another. It’s not a frickin’ race out there – geez!

Eating, Talking, Reading, Riding

Dorothy W. — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 01:02:56 +0000

My trip to Vermont for Thanksgiving turned out to be a wonderful and much-needed break from schoolwork and grading, and Hobgoblin and I had a great time hanging out with friends. There were five of us total, and we spent our time eating (a lot), talking, reading, and walking the dogs. I love it that this is what we do when we visit these friends — they live surrounded by the Green Mountains, and although there are places to visit in the area, the best thing to do is a whole lot of lounging around, with occasional forays into the woods. It was very restful.

We did make one trip out into society, though. There is an excellent bookstore in the area, and since we are all very bookish people, we simply had to visit. I had a wonderful time browsing, and came away with a book called The Great Age of the English Essay, a collection of essays from eighteenth-century Britain. As far as I’m concerned, I can never have too many essay collections. I came across Zadie Smith’s new essay collection, Changing My Mind, which looks really good, but I decided to wait until it comes out in paperback to get it.

I spent most of the week reading Obama’s Dreams from My Father and just finished it a few minutes ago. I’ll say for now that I am hugely impressed by it, but will write up my thoughts in detail later.

Hobgoblin and I returned yesterday (Saturday), and today I had a chance to ride my bike, something I’ve neglected a bit in the past week because of my travels. My cycling club had a group ride today, and the plan was to ride for about four hours at a steady pace. That sounded fine, if on the long side, but it turns out that my definition of steady pace isn’t necessarily the same as everyone else’s. I got a little nervous when I showed up for the ride and found a dozen men and no women at all. But I couldn’t back out once I was there, so I decided that all I could do was give it a try. The first half of the ride went pretty well; I worked hard but did a decent job of keeping with the group pace. We rode over a few miles of dirt road, which was a little frightening, especially as the group seemed to fly over the rocks and ruts, but it was also fun and the landscape was beautiful.

It was on the way home that things started to go bad. I’m used to riding two or three hours, but not as many as four, and not four hours of really hard work, so during the third hour I found myself getting slower and slower and falling behind again and again. The group was very nice and waited for me now and then, but after a while I got to the point where I wanted to ride all on my own, so I could go at my own pace without holding anybody else up. So I headed off in a different, less hilly direction, and rode the last 1 1/2 hours on my own, getting slower and slower, but feeling a whole lot better now that I was by myself.

The ride was 72 miles total and was fun in spite of the tiredness. As long as I’m by myself, I can generally keep up my spirits, even if my legs refuse to work hard and my speed gets slower and slower. I know I will get there eventually. So now I’m about 135 miles away from my 5,000-mile goal, and I can probably finish in the next two weeks without any trouble. I think after that I may take a good long break. I will need it as training for the spring racing series will start in January.

Gravel Rides of Note. The Almanzo 100.

cycletex — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:49:29 +0000

Another installment in the series “Gravel Rides of Note” or “Why Doesn’t Texas Have More Shit Like This?”.

The Almanzo 100. Southern Minnesota, middle of May, 100 miles of gravel.

I’ll let Almanzo tell you the rest:

Look for more info on the Almanzo 100 blog where you can also find such promotional gems as the following video.

Pee Wee Herman

hazler — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:28:13 +0000

A nice bicycle in a poster By Birks and Birks actually discovered that they are linked to this: Artc

More L2 please

pumppower — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 22:30:08 +0000

With it raining outside, and a stay of execution on outdoor chores, I chose to spend some real time on the trainer. I rode for 2 hours, totaling 33 miles, keeping it at 150w or less.

My daily insulin totals, with Thanksgiving included, have been in the 35u to 44u for the past week and half. This always happens when I start exercising regularly. It’s amazing at how quickly the body adapts, and subsequently needs much less insulin. When I’m sedentary or irregular with exercise, my daily totals are in the 50u – 60u range. The fact that I’m probably watching what I eat a little better is surely helping, too.

Bicycling

Katie — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 21:40:53 +0000

I have a bike again (with a cojonudo lock). While America was eating turkey last Thursday she and I were giving thanks at the November Bici Crítica (with video coverage!).