Swwwwweeeeeet!

Whenever I meet someone who finds out that I work on the directions team for Google Maps, the first question I’m asked is often “So when’s Google Maps going to add biking directions?” We’re big biking fans too, so we’ve been itching to give you a concrete answer. I don’t want to keep the good news a secret any longer, so the answer is: right now!

Today we’ve added biking directions and extensive bike trail data to Google Maps for the U.S. My team has been keeping close tabs on all the public support for biking directions that’s been steadily coming in, but we knew that when we added the feature, we wanted to do it right: we wanted to include as much bike trail data as possible, provide efficient routes, allow riders to customize their trip, make use of bike lanes, calculate rider-friendly routes that avoid big hills and customize the look of the map for cycling to encourage folks to hop on their bikes. So that’s exactly what we’ve done.

Let’s say you want to bike to work, or maybe you want to drive less and spend more time outdoors. Biking directions can help you find a convenient and efficient route that makes use of dedicated bike trails or lanes and avoids hills whenever possible. To find biking directions, select “Bicycling” from the drop-down menu when you do a directions search:

Read more here

* Dark green indicates a dedicated bike-only trail;
* Light green indicates a dedicated bike lane along a road;
* Dashed green indicates roads that are designated as preferred for bicycling, but without dedicated lanes

This is actually pretty awesome, and you can help it get better by using the report a problem link (bottom right of the map), basically this is what Boston has needed for a long time, a dynamic, user editable bike map of the city that can be collaborated on by thousands of bikers at all hours of the day and night.

Just to be silly I wanted to see what this could do so I typed in Boston to Ohio and low and behold in a mere 3 days and 11 hours google say I could be enjoying the midwest…As this grows it could be a boon to bike riders the world over.

My friend Alex drew these, she is amazing!

This morning I rode to work with a whole big group of other people. I had not planned on riding with so many. I got up, looked out the window, put on my hat, put on my helmet, zipped up my sweater, pulled up my wool socks, put on my jacket, put on my shoes, wrapped a scarf around my head, put on my gloves, and was out the door (a scant ten minutes after starting). In short it wasn’t the kind of day I was expecting to run into a critical mass of cyclists. But boy was I happy to find tens of other cyclists out there braving the driving snow and in general having a grand old time.

This more than anything else screams to me that we have pedaled past some critical point. 2 years ago on a day like this you would be hard pressed to find a single cyclist out on the streets, and more than likely it would be a grizzled super commuter that had been braving this kind of weather for 25+ years. Today however, on almost any given day you will find a whole host of cyclists plying the streets of Boston/Cambridge/Somerville.

So the real question is, “what happened?” What was it that suddenly opened the flood gates to cycling. Was it gas hitting 4 dollars a gallon? The threat of global warming? The cities baby steps towards cycling infrastructure? The obesity epidemic? The horrible pain of driving in this city? The rise in popularity of fixed gears? The creation of this website (ha ha)?

My opinion is that it was a bit of each. I think we have reached the point where the snowball is rolling down the hill getting bigger and bigger. The more people that cycle, the more people see cyclists. The more they see them, the more they feel comfortable giving it a try (everyone else is doing it right?). More cyclist will drive demand for more cycling infrastructure, which in turn will draw out more people (“New bike lane! I will try riding to work.”). More cyclists on the road will condition drivers to look for cyclists leading to less accidents, plus removing people from cars means there is less cars on the road which could also lead to less accidents (data from Cambridge and others seems to show this). There are many positive feedback loops in play here, all of which are pushing more and more people to try cycling for the first time as a mode of transportation.

My prediction is that 2010 is going to be the year that cycling took a HUGE leap forward in terms of popularity in Boston. The last remaining mental barrier is this weather, when spring rolls around expect the streets to be packed with two wheeled citizens. Get your friends, get your bikes, and come be part of the fun! Till then, a big tip of my helmet to all of you pushing through this weather. While us snow riders know that winter isn’t that bad, I think we are all hoping spring gets here fast.

People will sometimes ask me, “Why do you hate cars so much?” The truth is I don’t hate cars. They are useful to some people (delivery trucks, people with disabilities). The car itself is not the problem, it is what happens to society when everyone owns a car that is the problem. Cars are simply a representation of two real problems.

1. The burning of gasoline for transportation.

2. The idea that a car = freedom.

Burning Gas For Fuel:

It has been calculated that if every car in America was suddenly an electric vehicle, and we burned nothing but coal to produce the electricity to power those cars, we would still reduce the amount of co2 that we pump into the air. This is mostly due to the fact that an electric motor is about 90% efficient, and the internal combustion engine is about 20% efficient. So it would be fair to say that “I am not against cars, I am against internal combustion engines.”

The current gas powered paradigm requires a never ending supply of gasoline (war for oil anyone?). It’s dirty, its limited (there is only so much oil in the world, and when its gone, its gone), and there is the nagging problem of global warming. So one big step forward would be to stop using gasoline powered cars, but that wont be enough. Even if all the cars ran on electricity, and all that electricity came from renewable sources (wind, solar, etc.) and we never had to worry about global warming, or wars for oil, or pollution from burning oil, we would still have a big big problem.

Cars = Freedom:

Human beings have evolved over the eons to favor things that make thier lives easy, and shy away from those that make them hard. We are literally wired to enjoy things like sugar, fat, and salty foods, mostly because in the stone age we could never get enough of these foods so evolution wired our brains to search out these “easy” sources of calories. We use our big ol’ frontal lobes to come up with all sorts of ideas to make our lives easy. Farming, domestication of animals, automation, computers, cars…the list goes on and on. Evolution rewards (to a point) those humans that were able to “live the good life” by getting enough food and shelter, because those people had the most kids.

Cars (and more importantly car companies) tap right into that part of us that is seeking out the easier way. Why walk for weekss when you can get in your car and drive there in a day? Why ride your bike for days when you can drive your car there in a couple hours? Why walk for an hour to the store, when you can drive in a couple minutes? And you wonder why there is an obesity crisis?

People are not lazy per-say, they are simply falling victim to the wiring in their head. People don’t get fat because they eat too much, they get fat because we live in a modern world of plenty, but their brains are identical to the stone age hunters that had a very hard time getting food. Their brains tell them to eat lots of salty, sugary, fatty foods, and their bodies are designed to store that up for the hard times, they simply had the bad luck to live in a world FULL of these kinds of food. They suffer from a common problem in modern world, our brains and bodies are not set up for the modern world we have created.

The car culture feeds into that trap. It allows us if we so choose to spend our whole lives without walking a significant distance promoting obesity, and weakness. It allows (and encourages) the development of suburbs, and exurbs, and whatever comes after that, that destroy communities and encourage loneliness. It encases us in a little metal shell that promotes road rage (you don’t feel so bad about honking at the anonymous person in the other car, but would never act that way in an elevator). These are the kinds of things they don’t talk about in car commercials.

Even if you throw out all the physical and psychological negative effects on the human body you are still forced to contend with the fact that cars take up a lot of space. Much of the area in a modern city is dedicated to roads and car parking. Much of that land was taken from things like parks, sidewalks, green space, etc. Putting one person in one car, and then doing that a couple thousand times and your nice wide four lane roads suddenly don’t seem large enough anymore. Lets tear down some buildings and build more roads! Then people see the “ease” at which you can get around, so a couple hundred more people buy cars, and low and behold your 8 lane highway isn’t big enough anymore. Lets try a 16 lane highway! Damn that filled up too, better go with 32! Before long you end up with something like this.

Cars are sold as a luxury, as a path to freedom, to something that will make your life better! But in reality you can’t democratize a luxury. What I mean, is that not everyone can have a luxury item, or else it stops being a luxury and starts being a necessity. Cars are no longer a luxury in many places of this country, in a lot of places if you don’t have a car, you can’t get to the store, or to your job, or to school. Our cities have been designed in a such a horrible way that some people are forced to spend a large part of their work week earning enough money to power the car that gets them to work. Yet car commercials still show a lone traveler speeding through the empty city streets without a hint of traffic in sight.

In short, it’s a lie. The car companies sell freedom and mobility, but in fact offer only gridlock, poor land use, health problems, and global warming.

So what?

So what are we to do? If the “one car one person”, model has failed so fully what do we do to reverse it? The answer is simple, but is going to require a lot of effort. We need to stop designing our lives around cars. That means everything from removing on-street parking, building larger sidewalks, making people pay more for parking, building dense cities, providing good public transportation, and getting more people to ride bikes!

If Boston were to take seriously the idea of building a city based around what people need, and not what cars need, it would be a radically different place. Imagine for a second if the T reached every neighborhood, if there was a series of well designed bus routes that connected the places that the MBTA didn’t go. Imagine a system of bike lanes and bike paths that allowed you to get all over town quickly and stress free. Imagine if sidewalks were large and offered lots of space for people to walk and business to have on-street offerings. Imagine the benefits in health (air quality, obesity rates, asthma, cancer, deaths from car crashes). That is only the start, it would also have political implications (foreign policy regarding oil), ecological implications (sea level rise is hard on a city build mostly on landfill).

I would love to live in a city like that. That’s the kind of city you would want to raise a kid in, the kind of place you would want to open a business in. The kind of quiet green place filled with healthy people living close together to encourage community. The kind of place that Boston must become, because the alternative is simply too horrible to contemplate.

Got this awesome bit of news in the mail today, my boy Greg is going on an epic journey, click the images below to help him out!

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Shalom!

We, Bianca Pettinicchi and Gregory Ralich, are preparing to embark on the biggest journey of our lives. One week after we graduate we will be riding our bicycles from Boston to San Francisco. It’s been a goal of both of ours for quite a while and it is really coming to fruition.

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We are using the interest generated by our trip to raise awareness and money for the Autism Society of America.

We are writing to you because we are now beginning to seek out support in the form of sponsorship, hugs, kisses, couches, showers, gear, and love!

Bianca’s bike will be featured at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show at the end of February; while there we will have the opportunity to link up with thousands of bicycle friendly individuals, groups, and organizations. Geekhouse Bikes, Gregory’s place of work, has allowed us access to mailer and marketing solutions galore. Lastly, we will keep a blog and photo journal of our trip.

We are very grateful for all that has been provided to us enabling this getaway. We are graduating this Spring; we’re at a point in our lives where nothing but opportunity abounds. Life isn’t so easy for those who work and live with Autism and help is needed now.

Our goal is: MA to CA in 100 days. We know that this is going to be an enlightening, grueling, sweaty, and fascinating trip and we want to share it with as many people as possible. We have made a blog and we will be sharing photos and more for those who want to follow us the whole way.

We hope that people will donate anything anything anything to the ASA but to tie it all together we ask that you donate $1, $10, or $100 or a penny, dime, or dollar for every day that we will be out on the open road sharing, exploring, and learning.

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In the planning process we conveniently linked up with other “bike geeks” at Geekhouse Bikes in Allston, MA.

Geekhouse is a local, sustainable, and very cool bespoke bicycle manufacturer in Boston. Gregory is currently winding up his career at Suffolk with an internship there and the chance to work together to make a difference for those in need was too good to pass up.

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So- now that you know all about us we want to hear from you. Do you know someone who’s done a ride like this before? Do you have any ideas or input on how we should conduct our outreach? What about spandex- do you know anything about good spandex:) ?

We hope that you’ll enjoy getting updates from us leading up to the trip and we aim to get out one e-mail/month to this list as we prepare to leave. You can always opt out f receiving these updates by clicking SafeUnsubscribe at the bottom of this page.

Thanks for your support,

Gregory and Bianca

There are usually two choices when you’re stuck out in the frigid cold on a bicycle in too little gear: 1. go as fast as you can while hoping that the resulting body heat you create will somehow overcome the wind that you’ve also created, or 2. reduce your speed under the theory that less wind means less cold.

I’ve tried both, and neither work. The results seem to be about the same: blood refuses to circulate to my feet, fingers, or face. To add to the general discomfort, snot will start pouring out my nose; and to add to my general embarrassment, I can’t feel most of it dribbling down until almost too late. At that point, there’s nowhere to look but up. At least you’re on two wheels and you’ll get home. At least you’re not walking.

But yesterday, I was walking. And it was about 1F.

All the pretty snow earlier in the day turned to the kind of weather that has your ears stinging and your face hurting as soon as you get outside. That balmy weather that made rides outside slightly tolerable? That was the equivalent of God releasing a teaser for a movie that won’t come out for another 5 months. Thanks for letting us know what we’re missing, big G.

So even though I wouldn’t have ridden outside this weekend anyway – given my wind allergy, I think it’s safe to say that I tend to prefer riding indoors – I still felt indignant about the weather. Temperatures were low enough that I was looking at a weekend of sitting around my apartment, simultaneously feeling lazy and stressed. The kind of weekend where, unless my pantry and fridge were completely bare, and there was nothing left to eat except wood and toilet paper, I wasn’t stepping foot outside.

But then friends down south in the Big Apple decided to put together a party to watch the Cyclocross World Championships taking place in Tabor, Czech Republic, and it would be early enough on Sunday to allow my attendance and still ship back to Boston at a decent hour. I did what any reasonable person would do: I packed a bag, left my helmet at home, and hopped on a bus.

Which resulted in me half jogging down Chrystie Street in inhumane temperatures when I finally got to NYC. To be honest, when I felt the cold air slap my face, I didn’t really want to get off the bus. I thought about the rollers in my apartment, felt the guilt of abandoning my bikes there for the weekend. But when friends are involved, there’s no shame in slowing down a bit.

And besides, it’s way colder up in Boston.

[If you're in the NYC area, come out to the World's party at NYC Velo this Sunday. It'll be fun, I promise!]

“Remind me to invent time travel,” was the first thought that popped into my head when I finally landed in Newark last night. It consequently got tweeted a few hours later when I got back to Boston, greasy, hungry, exhausted, and reeking of airplane.

I’m a fairly seasoned traveler, but suffice it to say that flying over 12 hours in one sitting will always pretty much suck. Some things I’ve learned, though: don’t fly out of Logan, Houston has a nice airport, be prepared to get your bag searched twice and patted down before you board, and getting to the airport over two hours before my flight will still have me nearly running to the gate, shoes untied, laptop in one hand, coat, bag, and passport in the other.

All things that help ensure that I am perfectly willing to beat the living shit out of any wannabe terrorist.

But back to bikes. And Boston.

Anyone who has crossed the international date line a few times can tell you that it’s more than a little surreal to find yourself in another country after 12 or so hours of being crammed in a seat that was made to accommodate children or those without hips. When foreign languages are also involved, things get a little more awkward. Sleep-derived, with patches of dry skin all over my face courtesy of the complete lack of humidity in any airplane cabin, arrival also means stuttering my way into the appropriate language. The total lack of interest in any productive sort of communication means that I have learned how to smile and giggle my way through both immigration and customs. The shame. But hey, it works.

The irony being that that’s one thing I consciously missed while in Tokyo: the ability to verbally masturbate over everything related to bicycles. Mention of Lance Armstrong resulted in blank looks from my parents [“...Lance...who?”], and attempted conversation usually ended in “just be careful on your bicycle.” And who can blame them? My mother – suspicious of my virtual harem of male friends and the possibility that I may be dating one of them – believes “poor” and “cyclist” are synonyms. I imagine that this must terrify her; that believing me to be generally useless, her youngest daughter probably shouldn’t be considering marrying poor. My father has more pressing things to worry about, like the economy. Neither know about cassette, much less this blog.

So after two weeks in Tokyo that first felt like an eternity, then turned into a whirlwind that ended too soon, I poked my head into my dark apartment last night to catch a glimpse of a gray-black tire that used to be white. I left my suitcase in my alcove and turned on the light to check on the track bike. Things were just as I left them, just as they should be.

I wasn’t talking to anyone yet, and I’m not crazy enough to consider my bikes to have human characteristics. It was comforting, though, to be back. Even if it’s freezing out. Even if I sort of wish I was still back in Tokyo.

Jetlagged but stateside, I’ve unpacked and have a full day ahead of me. Presents to be delivered, a note to be edited, books to be bought [already! ugh!]. As for that verbal masturbation, I’m headed down to yet another city, loaded with goodies for a few friends I haven’t seen in too long. NYC Velo, get excited!

It wasn’t New York, it wasn’t Christmas eve, and it didn’t end in the drunk tank. But it was as carefree as a “Fairytale of New York.”

You know the Pogues song. With those charming lyrics ["you're a bum, you're a punk/you're an old slut on junk"], it’s the song that’ll run laps around my head during this season. It flittered through my head a few weeks ago, just as it got cold, then vanished as final exams hit and cabin fever settled in. But after the corporate tax exam that was akin to Chernobyl, I was free to live like a normal person. To sleep in when I didn’t have class, to ride my rollers endlessly, and even to do nothing at all.

I almost freaked out. I have no idea how to do nothing. It scares me.

But I had a whole day to myself, before flying off back home to Tokyo for two weeks – where, admittedly, posts might again be sparse as I intend to perfect this whole “doing nothing” thing – and with exams and school done for the semester, I no longer had the “sorry, I’m busy” excuse. To be honest, I probably would have stayed in my apartment, alternating between my bed and my rollers if it hadn’t been for Mike and an email telling me about the Downtown Crossing Holiday Market. With clear skies and not-so-unforgiving temperatures, it was worth getting out of my apartment for.

Okay, so I didn’t ride down there; Mike didn’t bring his bike and we figured having him ride on my bars probably wasn’t a good idea. The T actually proved to be relatively painless and crazy-people-free, and warm – something of a novelty when you ride around in Boston winters. Back out on Park Street, anywhere that wasn’t soaked in sunlight was bordering on freezing, but the Holiday Market was enclosed in a tent. We slipped inside to find jewelry, baked goods, and even a small farmer’s market section. And then we stumbled on perhaps one of the coolest things ever: dessert hummus.

Coming in different flavors like pumpkin pie, toasted almond, chocolate mousse, maple walnut, caramel apple, and peanut butter, it’s made with chickpeas but flavored and sweetened, and completely vegan. We tested a few flavors, then both shelled out for a container of the stuff [Mike got the almond, I wavered between pumpkin pie and peanut butter, then ended up with the latter]. And to fuel our trek through town to Newbury Street and the Pru, Mike grabbed a Berliner/beignet covered in cinnamon-y sugar from Swiss Bakers.

Then we walked. Yes, walked. Through the Public Garden [across the frozen pond], down Newbury and Boylston. It could have been done faster by bike, I know, and it’s insanity that I’ll choose to spend the last day I’ll be within 10 feet of a bicycle [for the next two weeks] on my feet and not the pedals. There might be something to be said for slowing down though, for trying to spend the day like a normal person might. To stop striving – if it can really be called that – to achieve some elusive cycling goal.

But like the oxymoron that is the recovery ride, I couldn’t stay away. Symptoms of bike withdrawal emerged here and there as I pointed at displays and suggested ideas ["Hey, [NYC] Velo should do that…”], between stories of what the guys were up to while I was chained to a desk. I was even already planning my next trip to see my crew after I get back from Tokyo.

Plans which didn’t involve taking the bike along; I will be loaded down with presents, after all. But, a long, narrow box came my way, wrapped adorably, and from the kind of present giver you almost don’t want presents from because they pick such good ones and then you’re like oh shit, now what do I buy them? I peeked inside, my eye bulged, and then I tried to be genuinely exasperated even though it’s something I honestly wanted. It’s made for women, it’s wider than most, and yeah, it’s going to look sick on the track bike.

So it wasn’t Christmas eve. And it wasn’t New York. But I still got a feeling…this year’s for me and [my friends, bikes, all the awesome people who read this, and, of course,] you.

Happy holidays!

In our ongoing winter riding series (we have already talked about pre-winter, dealing with the cold, and winter bike upkeep) lets tackle winter riding.

You might have noticed, it snowed. Just a smidge here and there, but it is a perfect opportunity to discuss the ins and outs of snow riding.

First off we should discuss the most important part of winter riding. It is freaking fun! Nothing is more fun than sloshing around in some newly fallen snow, and if you are properly dressed, and your bicycle is well maintained (see the links above), snow cycling is not only possible, but very enjoyable.

There is a lot of things we could talk about as far as riding a bicycle in a moving medium (aka snow/slush/ice) but I think it basically breaks down into two parts, handling skills, and equipment choice.

Equipment:

The two parts of a bicycle that most affect winter riding are your tire choice, and your brake choice. This should not be taken as an exhaustive discussion of parts and their benefits, but simply an overview that serves to hit the most important points.

brakes
The kind of brakes most people have on their bicycles (the kind that rub on the rims of the wheel to stop it) can easily fill with ice and snow thus making them less effective at stopping a bicycle. If you have these kind of brakes (most everyone does) you will need to give yourself a lot more room to slow down.

click to see this brake in action

If you have rim brakes, it may take a full rotation of the wheel (or more) before they start actually slowing you down (they first need to scrape off the snow then they can stop). On a normal wheel this is about 6 feet that you will be traveling before your brakes even start to work, if you have a lot of gunk on your wheels that might be even more.

They make another kind of brake that uses a disc (kind of like brakes in cars). These kind of brakes are much less likely to get gunked up with snow and ice, and as such make an excellent choice for winter riding. They are however harder to service, and are a bit more expensive.

Tires

The best tires for snow riding is a debate as old as the bicycle itself. Some people think you need a wide tire to shovel the snow out of the way, some think you need a narrow one to cut through the snow, some think you need nobbies, some think studed tired are the way to go.

I have tried a lot of different kind of tires and can tell you that pretty much all of them (save for studded) slide around a bit, and pretty much all of them work just fine. Just remember cars slide around in the snow, they weigh several thousand pounds, and have much larger tires. Come to terms with it now, you are going to occasionally slide. How to deal with this will be covered below in the riding skills section.

One thing I will say is that for the most part studded tired are not worth it (in Boston). A pair of studded tires will run you 60+ dollars, and they are only really good on days when there is a thick layer of ice (not snow) on the ground. They work like a charm on ice, but make a horrible racket on asphalt, and wear down quickly if not ridden on ice. If you do rock studded tires, remember that when you put your foot down (your shoe is not studded), don’t fall on your face because you forgot there was still ice under you.

Handling Skills:

There are a couple easy things you can do to stay “rubber side down” in the snow.

Slow Down!

Seriously, slow down, slow way down. The more snow, the slower you should be going. Not only will this give you more time to stop, it will also give you more time to go around that ice (you saw that ice right, because you slowed down…right?), dodge that pedestrian, and avoid that asshole in the cab trying to pick up that pedestrian.

Ride in a straight line

If you find yourself on particularly slick road (maybe even a patch of ice), don’t panic. Suddenly slamming on the brakes, or trying to turn sharply to avoid the obstacle is a sure way to end up with your ass in a frozen puddle. If you find yourself on ice, stay in a nice straight line, slow down gently and gradually (shouldn’t be a problem if you follow the tip above), and remember to put your foot down some place solid.

Know your physics

Things like utility hole covers, metal plates, white lines, white stripes, that rubber stuff around train tracks, train tracks, grates, the yellow line down the center of the road…all have something in common. They are made of different stuff than asphalt. As such they all heat up and cool down at different speeds, meaning one thing ICE. All of those structures are more likely to have ice on them. Basically treat them like they have ice on them, slow down as you cross, ride in a straight line, try not to hit them on turns.

Sit and work it

A friend of mine is fond of saying “sit and work it” when I try to get out of the saddle to go up hills. Regardless of if sitting down while hill climbing is a good idea or not, sitting down on the saddle while riding in the snow is a good idea. The added weight on the back wheel will help to control the bike, and because you are sitting down the overall weight of the bicycle will be lower, thus giving you better balance (due to the lower center of gravity).

Ride in the road

In the winter the sidewalks and bike paths become a hellish nightmare of ice and snow. It’s really not even worth it to even think about riding on them (even the Minute Man is poorly plowed). Get out into the road where the large salt filled trucks have cleared you a path. This can sometimes mean riding in that little gap plowed out by the car wheels in front of you, or it might mean riding several feet further into the road because the snow plows have filled up the bike lane. Either way, be visible (lights, reflectors etc), and be confident.

Not only can you, you should!

If there is a bunch of snow and ice in front of you and you need to take the lane to avoid it, DO IT. Look over your shoulder, make sure no one is going to run you over, and take the lane. Be confident, get right out to where you need to be and stay there. If you halfheartedly take a lane, cars will try to pass you, and you don’t want them doing that when you are trying to avoid a bunch of slippery ice and snow. If they honk that is just their friendly holiday way of saying “I see you and approve of your full legal right to take that lane, good show!” Once you can SAFELY get back over to the right, do so and allow the other cars to pass.

These simple tips should help make your snow/slush/ice riding a bit more pleasurable. Have fun out there and be safe. If you have any tips for snow riding, or any questions leave them in the comments section.

If you ride all winter and want to proclaim your street cred pick up one of our great “This bike survived a Boston winter” stickers at the store.

I talked about what to do as it gets cold, and how to keep your bike from rusting into a puddle before if you are interested. In this the third installment of the Winter Riding In Boston series we deal with how to stay warm in the cold. Our next segment will be winter riding skills.

You might have noticed, it’s cold out now. It took it’s sweet time getting here, but it is most certainly here now. The winds blow, the air bites, but bike riding can still be fun. Dealing with a Boston winter (and the frigid conditions) is all about two things, staying warm, and staying strong mentally.

Staying Strong Mentally:

You might think that a Boston winter will beat you into submission. It’s dark when you wake up, dark when you come home, it’s cold, the wind blows. It can get grim out there, winter seems to go on and on, and never a warm day in sight. This is far from the case!

Winter on a bicycle is amazing. All the things people like about cross country skiing, hiking in the snow, making a snow man, having a snowball fight, and seeing the beauty of nature is all wrapped up into each bike ride. There are sunny days, and sometimes the wind doesn’t blow. The cold drives a lot of people indoors, leaving you to experience the gentle beauty of newly fallen snow, or simply to experience a rare moment of silence in this busy city. Pushing your bicycle through the gently falling snow is fantastic. The whole world seems to quiet down and the city takes on a unique beauty as it is wrapped in fluffy padding. It’s like nature is putting on a show just for you.

Putting yourself into this frame of mind will really help you move from hating the winter to loving the cold. Plus there are a lot worse things than riding your bicycle in the winter.

You could take the T, but…have you been on the T in winter? Every surface is covered in snot, the air is thick with H1N1, it’s cold, then it’s hot, then it’s cold, then it’s hot again…it also makes that great squealing sound.

Driving is not much better, if your car isn’t destroyed by the salt and ice, there is a good chance you wont even be able to get to it because the snow plows have encased it in several feet of impenetrable snow-ice (snice?). If you do spend a couple hours chipping out a little home for your car, there is a good chance someone will steal it before you get home (sorry putting a chair there is not going to protect your spot). You car is just warming up as you pull into work, and then you have to scrap all the frost caused by that heat before you can go home.

You could walk, but you might get lost in the arctic tundra and eaten by wolves…or at the very least slip and fall on the treacherous ice moguls on the sidewalks. Plus walking is slow, and the longer you are the outside the more time you have to freeze.

Staying Warm:

Once you have girded your loins, (or the mental equivalent of loin girding), centered your winter chi, and generally accepted the fact that it is going to be cold and you are going to make the best of it, you are ready to keep yourself warm.

Like most things in life a little understanding of science will help you out here. Human beings are mammals. Meaning (among other things) that we are “warm blooded.” Specifically that we regulate our temperature, get too hot and you sweat, get too cold and you shiver. Sweating cools you down because the water evaporates off your skin taking the heat with you (this is important, being wet makes you cold!). Shivering warms you up because the muscles that are moving produce heat.

Shivering is a bad sign, it is the first step in hypothermia (freezing to death). You will not want to rely on it for your warmth productions needs. Mitochondria are much better at keeping your temp up. These little buggers live in your cells, consume food and oxygen, and pump out energy and heat. All we have to do is properly manage this heat.

If you get completely naked and walk outside on a icy winter day. You are going to freeze to death. The human being, au natural, is not that good at dealing with cold. We don’t have fur, we don’t have thick layers of blubber, and we don’t have the good sense to hibernate all winter in a warm cave. Lucky for us we have clever brains and nimble fingers and we can put clothes on to stay warm.

What you wear, and how you wear it, has a big impact on how you stay warm. So long as you eat, and breath your little mitochondria are going to be pumping out the heat. It is our job during the winter to trap the appropriate amount of that heat.

I say appropriate, because it is very possible to overheat in the winter. Once you start sweating you will cool down, then you will be wet, and cold. A very uncomfortable situation, and a potentially dangerous one if you are on a long bike ride. Dressing like an arctic adventurer is only going to make it harder to move on your bike, while at the same time making you hot and uncomfortable. “Day 45, the men are sweaty and cold, morale is low. We had to eat the horses.” I digress…

Don’t leave your house warm, you should warm up a couple minutes into your ride. If you are hot when you leave, you will be drenched when you get to work. The general rule is to plan your clothing for 10 minutes into your ride.

A lot of people want to know “what do I wear to keep my: finger/toes/head warm.” Staying warm in winter is about battling two things, wind, and water. You do this with layers. Layers are very important as they allow you to add and subtract clothing to stay the right temperature. If you plan all your winter riding around a single layer of clothing, what are you going to do when it is too cold/too warm for that single layer?

The clothing you will need is the following:

• Something for your head (hat, helmet liner, ear muffs, etc.)
• Something for your hands (gloves, mittens)
• Something for your feet (good socks, boots, special shoes, etc.)
• A base layer, to keep you warm (hoody, long and short sleeve t-shirt, light jacket)
• Outer layer, to keep the wind and water off (wind breaker, performance shell, bigger jacket, etc.)
• Pants, with optional rain pants for the days when it is wet (rain pants also offer good wind protection)
• (you might also be the kind of person that prefers tights, arm warmers, leg warmers, or flannel underpants, adjust to your special needs)

Clothing basically comes in two flavors, low tech, and high tech.

High Tech:

You can buy the latest rain/snow/jacket combo with the super high tech fabric that wicks sweat and has breathing holes, and makes you hot chocolate when you get to your destination. There is a reason these things cost so much, because they are the products of a lot of research and a fair amount of hype. Don’t get me wrong, they work. A high performance base layer, a wind layer (which is often water proof) will keep you warm, and dry, at the cost of several hundred dollars.

If you are interested in going to the high tech route head on over to any outdoor store, they will be more than happy to show you a good base layer, a good wind layer, a good set of gloves, a hat, and the latest in awesome shoe technology. Expect to pay a lot. Frankly I could go on and on about the latest this, and the high tech that, but I will leave the sales pitch to the people at the clothing store. All of it works about the same, with minor differences in performance, and price.

Low Tech:
If you don’t have $500 to outfit yourself with the latest in high tech weather gear you will want to kick it low tech. This is how I roll, for two reasons, I don’t have a lot of money, and I have found that it works very well. Here are some examples of low tech solutions to the clothing categories mentioned above.

Head:
Put packing tape over the vents in your helmet, you now have a wind proof helmet.

Wool helmet liners are cheap and do an amazing job of keeping your head warm.

Cycling caps offer added protection against blowing snow and ice (the brim blocks it from your eyes).

Grow a beard, if you are able a beard can keep your face warm.

A scarf works wonders to keep cold off your lower face, and works well for the non-bearded. It can also help to keep cold air out of your lungs. I get raspy lungs if I breath in cold air, so you will find me rocking a good wool scarf all winter. Put the scarf under your eyes, but over your nose, if done correctly this will keep hot breath from steaming up your glasses (if you have them).

Balaclava’s and face masks are also very popular.

Hands:
5 dollar cheapo mittens with fingers and a pair of cheap thinsulate gloves combined create a fantastic and warm glove combo that allows you still move your fingers.

Plus these

Work wonders, just open the flap if your fingers get warm, put it down if cold. If you want to make them more waterproof put a rubber glove on first. (very low tech)

Feet:
I rock wool socks during the winter. They are warm even when wet, don’t smell (that badly) when wet, and still fit inside my shoes. For extra water proofing I will put my socks on then put a plastic bag over my socks, then put my shoes on. Water proof (to an extent) but also protects against wind.

Base layer:

I wear a long sleeve t-shirt, with a short sleeve t-shirt over it. On top of that I put a good hoody. That’s it for the top. On the bottom I wear a pair of running tights (spandex like material), under a pair of jeans. This keeps me very warm on non-windy days.

Wind/water layer:
If it is blowing/snowing/slushing I will throw a jacket on over my hoody. If it is really nasty I will put on rain gear over my base layer. This keeps me warm (often too warm) and dry. On my legs I will add a pair of rain pants over my jeans, this has always kept me very very warm, and dry.

In certain very crazy situations I have been known to wear wool arm warmers, but on most days these make me too hot, the nice thing about arm warmers is you can pull them down if you get too hot without taking them off. Layers layers layers!

General Tips:

Keep moving! Moving your body makes heat, if you can lower your gearing (if you have a single speed), or put your bike in an easier gear. This will keep your legs moving more and keep you warmer.

Heat is stolen by wind and water, if it is windy or wet out don’t forget your wind/water layer! If you can stay dry, and keep the wind from penetrating to your skin you can pedal through just about anything comfortably.

Don’t over bundle your extremities. A common thing people do with both gloves and shoes is that they put way too many layers on cutting off blood flow to your feet and hands is a great way to make sure they are cold no matter how many layers you have one. If you can’t feel your fingers or toes when you get to work it might be because you have too many gloves or socks on.

If you are having trouble with fogging glasses you can try putting shaving cream on them (then wiping is off), there is a product called CatCrap that skiers use, I have also heard that rubbing the fog off with your finger works.

If you have any good staying warm tips share them in the comments, or if you have questions drop them there as well and I will see if I can answer them.

If you ride all winter and want to proclaim your street cred pick up one of our great “This bike survived a Boston winter” stickers at the store.

Boston Bike Polo from Boston Bike Polo on Vimeo.

These guys are awesome, go check out their new home on the net here.

When I first arrived in Boston, with no friends or knowledge of the city, my best friend directed me to Newbury Street. It’s no New York, she cautioned, but it would at least be something to do/see.

She was right. On both points. The long stretch of Newbury Street made for good people watching and a lazy afternoon spent outside. It was distracting enough, but given the long stretch of storefronts, there wasn’t much to discover. Side streets didn’t lead to the kind of stores you only tell your closest girl friends about. They mostly just led to shittier streets.

It wasn’t until I got on a bike and rode down Newbury for the first time that I realized exactly how distracting it is. Because when you’re searching for a store [on the lower level of a building, nonetheless], it makes it that much difficult to dodge doors, avoid pedestrians, and impatient wealthy people who would rather run you over and settle the subsequent wrongful death suit than actually slow down. Given that other than strolls around the Public Garden or the Boston Common, I don’t find hanging out or cycling in the city very exciting or entertaining, I actually try to avoid the city. Besides, it’s flat. Just thinking about it makes me yawn.

But lest readers think that all I do is push the pedals indoors, I ventured outside yesterday. And taking the familiar yet still foreign path downtown and onto Newbury Street, I was slightly optimistic. Cities are supposed to be fun! Shopping is fun [even if it doesn't involve bicycles]! Boston can be fun!

I kept chanting that to myself as I passed unremarkable scenery, boring buildings, and didn’t even get to experience the excitement of trying not to get run over. If it wasn’t for the wind, it almost felt like my morning roller session where my legs are on autopilot after 15minutes and my mind is off in other universe.

Newbury delivered, however, in the form of double-parked cars, unpredictable drivers, and doors popping open left and right. But too used to the usual suspects, it still wasn’t very exciting. Nearly asleep at the handlebars, I suppressed a yawn as I pedaled away from the city towards a place that, while more familiar than downtown Boston, was guaranteed to be a lot more interesting.

It involves bicycles, but you knew that already. But Superb is worth ogling at every opportunity; especially when they’re carrying some delicious-looking Igleheart track frames. Emblazoned with both the Igleheart logo on the fork and the Superb logo on the frame, it’s a good thing that the smallest size available – which comes in a beautiful purple that I’m pretty sure will complement my existing stable of single-speed ponies – is a 48 [and therefore too big for Asian Short Legs over here].

But it’s not just the bicycles. Catching up with Wei Wei is always entertaining to say the least, and I even got to see the new shop clock, made by Tom himself [yes, that is a Campy chainring]. Apparently he plans to make another one to hang from his neck. I think that’s a brilliant idea.

Boston can be boring and predictable. But it’s the things like Superb that make me glad I started cycling in this city.

[Special edition Rapha Scarf Friday with the man who started it himself!]

The Impossible Journey from John Bonner on Vimeo.

This amazing journey was completed by one brave soul John Bonner, with tongue firmly in cheek he takes us on this epic quest to bicycle into Boston from the north. I have often been amazed at how fun some of the places north and east of Boston can be to ride around in, and horrified at how hard it is to get there by bike. Lets hope that the new bike friendly city includes ways to get into and out of it. You can find a lot more info about this fantastic voyage here.

View Larger Map

Yesterday was Halloween, so I donned my pirate socks and joined in the annual Tour de Grave (sponsored by MassBike.)

It was a pretty long ride, hitting ten destinations around the Boston and Cambridge areas in total. There were over 30 riders of varying skill levels, and the going was paced to be able to keep everyone more or less grouped together. There were some challenging hills in Brookline which caused a little trouble for some, but for the most part the ride was interesting and educational. Somewhere between 20 and 30 miles was covered over the course of about five hours (!!!) with a good deal of that time spent actually in burying ground perimeters learning about each of the sites.

The places we hit were (in order) the Old Burying Ground (Cambridge,) King’s Chapel Burying Ground (Boston,) Granary Burying Ground (Boston,) Central Burying Ground (Boston,) South End Burying Ground (South End,) Eliot Burying Ground (Roxbury,) Evergreen Cemetery (Brighton,) Market Street Burying Ground (Brighton,) Cambridge Cemetery (Cambridge,) and finally the Mt. Auburn Cemetery (Cambridge.) The tour guide took a little time at each stop to explain some details about famous people buried in each place, what the practices for burial and treatment of the dead were at the time, some religious and political history to tie things together, and as we continued from one location to the next he presented a progression of the changes in the treatment of the deceased changed the entire style of human burials.

The tour was quite informative and was too much to keep all in my head, so fortunately a handout was available which provides the “readers digest” version of everything.

I experimented with using my phone to take pictures this ride, in part because it looks decent enough (as long as the lens is clean and I hold steady when I take a shot) and also because the pictures are automatically tagged with the location (which I had to fix in a few cases.) Without further ado, here are my (not so very spooky) pictures of the Tour de Grave:

Yesterday was cold and wet. Not the sharp cold that makes your sinuses hurt and your eyes tear up within 3 pedalstrokes. This was more a lethargic humidity that makes you briefly consider ditching class, before you reprimand yourself for how incredibly lame that would be. There was a good showing of rain too – just enough to make you hope you can avoid it if you sprinted fast enough, but not enough to make you just give up and get drenched – which made sure I was properly miserable [not to mention sweaty].

And in the middle of the day, a fog so thick it looked like Halloween outside. I wondered if I’d be able to get home; if those Knog lights would even work, or if I’d get crushed under the BC shuttle bus instead [those drivers are not kidding around]. I decided I didn’t really care, either way; my mind felt like a moldy piece of fruit, and anything more complicated than zoning out was proving to be a bit much.

Yeah, it was one of those days. You know, those “yeah, whatever” kind of days. Like “yeah, whatever, run my ass over, that’s cool,” or “yeah, whatever, pretend like you didn’t see me, that’s fine.”

Which is a terrible mentality when you’re on a bicycle. Halfway up Heartbreak Hill, it finally sort of registered and with bits of foliage blowing into my face, I managed to not fall into a pothole I knew was right there, or run into that pile of gravel that’s been over there for the past month. Not that I was scared of the impact of falling per se; but it would just be embarrassing.

Because that’s a total noob mistake. You know it, and I know it. Sure, shit happens, but biting it on a route I can navigate half-blind? Even that “well it was slippery and wet and my brakes weren’t working and this is Boston so potholes appear out of nowhere” excuse doesn’t cut it in that kind of situation. And with the NY Times article “Do More Bicyclists Lead to More Injuries?” fresh on my mind, I had no intention of making myself a neat little injury statistic to re-prove how Boston cannot give a flying fuck about cyclists.

By the time I got home, I sort of regretted reading that article; mostly because the grammatical errors and spelling mistakes in the comments had driven me absolutely insane. But even slightly drenched, with bits of New England stuck to my face and leggings, and every bit cranky, I realized it’s been a while since I’ve even flipped the bird at a driver. At some point, you get used to unpredictability. You pick and choose your battles, and sometime earlier this year, I guess I simply decided that unless I got hit or swerved at, I wasn’t going to waste my time being a patronizing [m]asshole to drivers.

Bikes are for riding, not for being annoyingly righteous, right?

[Yeah, watch me get hit by a car tomorrow. That would sort of funny...if my health insurance coverage wasn't the equivalent of a box of bandaids. So let's hope this doesn't happen.]

It’s Friday night, and there’s a hand sneaking in between my legs. Fingers brush my inner thigh as I squeal and giggle.

I wasn’t tipsy at all. Just a little drunk off adrenaline from the Superb Grand Opening party.

I had cleared my schedule weeks in advance for this party [and not only because cassette was a sponsor]. With a Fuji Feather being given away, who wouldn’t? But there was also the promise of “fraternaliz[ing] with Boston’s cycling elite.” And knowing Superb was going to fully deliver on that promise, it’s a party I wasn’t going to miss.

Arriving close to an hour after the doors opened, the place was already packed. Bikes lined both sides of the new shop, and people had spilled out onto the sidewalk. Squeezing our bikes into a narrow open space and locking them up, M1 and I ran into none other than Mr. Igleheart, the awesomely friendly framebuilder behind those delicious bikes that “ride like butter” [I wasn't kidding when I told him that I was saving up for one of his frames]. And as I turned around, ready to elbow my way into the shop, I waved hello to Marty of Geekhouse. This was going to be a really good party.

Inside, people swirled around the central display of bikes underneath the chandelier. There was a wave and thumbs up exchange between myself and Tyler of IF, an introduction to James of Revolution Bicycle Repair [he and M1 worked downtown together back in the day], and quick hellos to Croth and Kip. Lucas Brunelle was sighted, as was Joe of Sugar Coat and Geekhouse, and of course, all the hot Asian girls of Cambridge Bikes. Jason, the mastermind behind Superb, clearly delivered on his promise, and more.

Good beats streamed from the speakers as people moved around the room. Stepping outside to check on our bikes and cool off, another Boston cycling persona, Natasha of Pedal Power Photography, rolled up. In great company, we checked out the array of bicycles entered into the “Hot Bike Contest.” The contestants varied from a slick Specialized to a swoon-worthy vintage Pinarello pursuit frame with a tri-color, glittery paint job. While I regretted not riding the Dolan in, even with its new fall/winter 2009 look [coming soon!], a part of me knew that it probably wouldn’t have stood a chance with this kind of competition.

But I did take part in another kind of contest: $3 got Team Cassette 5 tickets into the raffle. With fingers crossed that we’d win something a Fuji Feather, we checked out the rest of the prizes and ate up some of Jason’s time before we reluctantly headed out the door for a friend’s birthday party. It was early, the party was still in full swing, but I didn’t feel lame leaving. Superb tends to have that effect; there’s no insecure pre-judgment of those who walk in the door, but you better be prepared to walk out feeling not only cooler but also like you’ve just managed to infiltrate Boston’s decidedly unpretentious cycling elite.

Which would explain the big smile on my face as I rolled away from 842 Beacon Street, despite my early departure. Thighs even pumped harder as we sped around taxis in Friday night traffic, spinning wheels and pedals to the next scheduled event of the night. And on the way, that hand. My palms seared with cold nervous sweat in response.

“Got it,” M1 said as he drew up next to me.

I relaxed as we surged up a hill – no longer needing to hold a motionless line – mashing en danseuse on the pedals, secure in the knowledge that the Knog Beetle on my seatpost was now diligently blinking red.

[More pictures of the event here.]

BostonBiker is happy to be able to give you all a heads up on this fun offer, get in before the crowds do!

——-

Saturday, October 17th.

“Down 2 Earth(D2E) is happy to partner with Urban Adventours on a great bike ride during one of New England’s best seasons!

Discover Frederick Law Olmsted’s famous system of parks on this bicycle tour of the historic Emerald Necklace. From the shaded boulevard on Commonwealth Avenue to the popular shores of Jamaica Pond to the winding paths of the Arnold Arboretum, this chain of gardens, reserves, and open space displays some of the most colorful flora as the fall sets in. Come enjoy a route that’s a favorite among locals and the best way to see thegreen side of Boston.

The extensive tour, specifically designed to show you the best foliage in Boston, will ride along and through:

* Boston Common
* Boston Gardens
* Commonwealth Mall
* Fenway Victory Gardens
* Arnold Arboretum
* The Southwest Corridor
* And more!

Your tour includes an individually-fitted bike, helmet, water, and, of course, a friendly and knowledgeable guide who will lead you on your travels. The tour is 2.5-3 hours long and covers 10-12 miles. From the Charles River Esplanade to Jamaica Plain you will see the best of Boston’s foliage, by bicycle!

The tour is FREE, but space is limited to 20 reservations. To make a reservation, call (617) 670-0637.

For more information about Down 2 Earth, visit www.d2eboston.com

For more information on this tour and others by Urban Adventours visit www.urbanadventours.com

Wow, something like 100+ people showed up in their very finest attire for what was one of the most successful and fun rides I have done in a long time. Prizes, contests, fine tweed riding, and so much more. Bravo chaps, and ladies, capital ride!

If you didn’t get a chance to make it see below.

Freshman year of college, my neighbor used to get it on with his girlfriend at the weirdest time of day. In the early afternoon hours, my room mate would point to the wall and we would hear labored grunting. From him. His girlfriend remained ominously silent.

It was sort of creepy. Too bad I make those same grunting noises, peppered with gasping sighs, when climbing hills on my preferred ride route. That plus all the sweating and the whole one gear thing and it’s easy to see why I opt to suffer alone.

But when a best friend is in town – the kind that will not bat an eye at the sight of me pushing the pedals on the rollers at 7am and instead offer to make coffee – well, I’ll make exceptions.

So for the first time in forever, I actually didn’t sit in front of a computer or a book on Labor Day. I planted my ass on my Brooks instead and pedaled a little over 40 miles [the first time I've done over 30 in about two months...the shame, I know] with the kind of company that won’t drop me.

And, of course, the kind of company I’m totally comfortable grunting and gasping in front of. Out of the saddle on the climb that tends to kill me, I was inevitably making those kinds of noises that are completely acceptable when you’re torturing yourself alone but are slightly inappropriate when you’re with company. And just when I was in no shape to tell him to fuck off:

“Wow. You’re either having a really good time or a really bad time,” M1 commented.

My retort ended in a laugh/cough combo as he literally pushed me – sputtering and gasping for him to cut it out because that was cheating – the last five feet of the climb. A few more hills, a dead sprint at the slow-for-anyone-but-me speed of 22mph, and we were at Arlington in record time. I was ready to pass the fuck out.

Famished but reluctant to let the beautifully perfect weather slip away, we made a quick detour to a place that didn’t look like anything Boston or New York City. And winding our way around part of the Minute Man National Historic Park, I also managed to forget how dead tired I was.

Hours later, slowly savoring espresso bean ice cream from 3 Scoops, I realized that I had forgotten all about the grunting, too. Which is not only testament to the strength of my short-term memory, but also how I couldn’t care less. At least not with the company I was with.

Because when I quoted the last line of Casablanca to M1 way back in May, I really meant it.

In honor of the new school year, our new website, a great year for the bicycle community, and (hopefully) to inspire the inner Scraper in some more; we bring you the

Suffolk University themed Scraper Bike.

Almost everyone who has spent time in today’s modern bicycle community is familiar with the phenomena of Scraper Bikes.  If not, do yourself the pleasure and familiarize yourself  here and now.

The idea came together when a friend of mine (Joe) asked “Do you wanna paint your bike?” It took a while for me to realize that I didn’t want to paint my commuter- but it was that beach cruiser I scooped up last summer off of craigslist that was dying for a few fresh coats.

Joe has been powder coating bikes for the new extension of Geekhouse Bikes- Sugar Coat.  The full service powdercoat process was a breeze.  We went for the best; a blue and yellow sparkle coat frame with flat colors on the stem, handlebars, and fork.  Blue and Yellow; Suffolk Pride.

This bike is just plain beautiful.  There’s no denying the glamour of going to school on Beacon Hill, perhaps the only thing better.. is riding this sparkling gem to class.

Whether it’s scrapin’ through downtown Oakland- or just cruising through the last few days of Summer on Beacon Hill.  The Scraper Bike movement is one that encourages sustainable groups of peers and lifestyle choices that say yes to health and a cleaner planet.  We are both focused on bringing bikes and the pleasure that comes with them into as many lives as possible.

We are thrilled to have gotten the opportunity to collaborate with SugarCoat.  For more information on their services contact them at this link.

Now if you’ll excuse me- I’m movin’ on my scraper bike, cruising on my scraper bike.

My scraper bike go hard don’t need no car- I’m scrapin’ on my scraper bike.

I thought it was hilarious when Representative Barney Frank asked a woman, who compared planned health care reforms to Nazi policies, “on what planet do you spend most of your time?”

In a way, that’s not such a rhetorical question when you’re in Massachusetts.

I was hoping the crazy was limited to the rare isolated instance that I was just unlucky enough to observe. But unlocking my bike today, I realized how very, very wrong I was. Either that or I’m in some twilight zone or simply going insane. It’s getting hard to tell.

Someone please confirm that it’s actually 2009. Because when I saw this helmet, I sort of looked around feeling slightly displaced, then had to look at the date stamped onto it one more time. I mean, I know vintage is in, but…really?

I was sort of still trying to remember what I was doing back in ‘94 when I ended up stumbling upon the laziest lock-up job I’ve seen in the past week. It actually made me do a double-take as I initially thought that the cable lock on the left was only looped around the brake cable [it was looped around the handlebars]. Granted, neither bike looked like it was worth stealing, but come on! I feel like I’m taking crazy pills, or something [+100 points if you got that movie reference]!

And while I’m really loving that stem on the left, that doesn’t mean I’m not a different planet. Because the other day, I also parked right next to what had to be E.T.’s new bike. With a seat that low, and upright positioning, the owner of this bike has the shortest legs and the longest torso currently known to man. I was tempted to wait around to see who owned it, but images of a glowing finger pointing at me were sufficient to scare me away [I never liked aliens, even friendly ones].

It could be the schoolwork, and the hours spent in front of a glowing laptop screen. It could also be the copious amounts of hot water flavored with essence of coffee that I’ve been voluntarily buying and consuming at school. But this strikes normal, non-Bostonians as slightly fucking insane, right? I’m not the only one who thinks this…right???

Someone please let me know if I’m in some “I am Legend”-esque situation here. And yes I’m dead serious.

I hate the whole concept of playing hard to get, but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate a good chase.

Because you want the potential significant other to match you in terms of wits, humor, and even style. And if you’re as neurotic as I am and you go so far as to check out another person’s gruppo, you want them to at least match – if not exceed – your power to weight ratio too.

So I’ve been doing a little chasing these past few days. You know, just for fun. Because, as they say, “the day you stop looking is the day you die.”

Too bad there’s another mantra that also says, “when you decide to start looking, there will be nothing to look at.” I dusted everything in my path on the way to school and back. On one gear. They had quite a few.

Of course, I paid the price later, embarrassing rivers of sweat erupting all over my body as I bought my case books. The worst part being that it didn’t even seem worth it; I wasn’t hurting enough. My lungs didn’t feel like they were going to collapse. My throat wasn’t trying to vomit out my heart. I wasn’t sucking in air so hard my eyeballs hurt. That spark just wasn’t there.

Resigned at the outcome of my boring commute, I dragged my pedals to Kinko’s after class. But as I unlocked my bike, I saw him. Mystery IBC kit guy. Very cute, very fit, and very very married. I knew I wasn’t going to catch him, and that totally turned me on.

My womanly resolve of “I WILL NOT TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER!!!!111!1″ kicked in and I chased. And chased and chased and chased. He easily slid away, and caught at a red light I couldn’t possibly run, I watched him disappear. Sigh.

If only I had gears. But then again, maybe I shouldn’t be considering trying to wreck a happy home.

It’s hot out. And apparently this heat is making people do some crazy things.

Discuss.

You ever come up with ideas that run around in your head? The kind that don’t seem to leave? A while ago I got one, and it has been stewing for a bit. What would it be like to ride my bike out to Provincetown, what would it be like to do it all at once, and what would it be like to do it on a fixed gear? Yesterday I got up at 6am and strapped on my bike bag and road my bike out to P-town.

Before I tell you about the trip a bit of background. The longest ride I have ever taken on a bike was 70 miles. I didn’t train for this ride. I was actually kind of nervous, and didn’t sleep very well the night before. So before you go thinking I do this sort of thing all the time…I don’t. I am a strong cyclist, but no Lance Armstrong. The idea of this trip both excited me and scared me a bit.

I started north of Boston in fair Sumerville. Following roughly this route (with some additions and some backtracking).

I made good time through the city, I was familiar with the roads and didn’t have to check any maps. The city was just waking up. I was relaxed and not in any particular rush. The sky was overcast, and the air was cool. Absolutely perfect weather for biking. I had forgone any real cycling for the two days prior and my legs felt alive and strong under me, they were excited and I had to remind them that this was a long ride and that we couldn’t do our usual mad dash through town.

Handsome men and beautiful women ran through the street getting their morning exercise before the rest of us even wake up (if you ever meet one of these people and you wonder why they have such nice bodies…it’s cause they work at it harder than we do). The few people already on the road driving to work did so at a leisurely pace, when you are heading to work at 6am there is far less traffic to contend with.

I don’t know about you but I can’t go to JP without getting lost. I already have a very poor sense of direction and for some reason JP does it to me every time. After spending 10 minutes trying to find out how you get from Brookline to the Jamaica way (I have no idea why this is so hard…JP my direction nemesis!) I gave up, backtracked to a route I do know (South Huntington to Centre) and was on my way.

After saying goodbye to JP I went perhaps a little faster than I had planned and soon found myself flying down some lovely hills around Turtle pond. This was when I first started noticing little painted marks on the road. Seems some intrepid bikers had been down this route before and had left small almost hidden signs of the way to go. I came to be friends with these marks over the long journey, thanks teal triangle with line through it, and yellow arrow with two dots, and double P with an L in the middle, you kept me company and helped me find my way all the way to the end. When I was running out of juice in the last couple miles, every teal triangle with a line through it would squeeze just a little more go out of me…strange but true.

a typically wonderful road south of Boston

I made excellent time down 138 and around the bottom of the Blue Hills reservation. Which incidentally is when I first started to perhaps consider doing this on a road bike next time…did you know the Blue Hills are umm kind of hilly? I was feeling really good at this point and the constant climb (mash mash mash) and decline (pedal pedal pedal!) was really fun. I saw not a single other cyclist until I hit Cape Cod, and it felt strange to have these roads to myself (so to speak, cars were still there). The roads of the route (linked above) are smooth, and there are very few red lights or stop signs. You can go for a long time before anything interrupts your rhythm and it is glorious.

Riding long distance on a fixed gear gets you into a rhythm pretty quickly. Up down, up down, go go go, thump thump thump, after a while it becomes internalized and you just feel amazing, like you could go forever. The bottom half of your body disappears and it is like you are riding around on a magic carpet. Before I knew it I had gone through Randolph, Avon, Brockton, and East Bridgewater. Fine little towns, full of nice views and a smattering of CVS’s and other stores that can serve as water stations and candy pickups.

I only looked at my watch twice on this journey, once when I got to Cape Cod, and once when I got to Wellfleet, it helped produce a sense of timeless floating that I enjoyed a lot. After another while Robbins pond, and Robbins Reservoir (both very nice) floated by. Plympton and then Plymoth were next. This is when things started to get interesting (from a bike choice point of view) till this point there had been relatively few hills most of them were long climbs and long descents (except for a couple in the Blue Hills). Once you “make the turn” through the middle of Plymouth the hills start. Lots of them, some steep, some not so steep, but ohhh my you will be going up and down a lot. My strategy was to try and maintain a nice steady cadence going up and just BOMB down. This strategy was two fold, one it is really fun to go really FAST, and also the gained momentum lessened the grind going up the next one. Some place around Long Pond I had to walk up my first hill. Not because it was super steep (it was) but because there had been a series of simply brutal tiny hills and declines before it and well…I was just not having that last one. If you have never ridden a fixed gear this might not make sense to you (going down hill can be as energy intensive as going up), but trust me after like 20 hills you get a little pooped.

There are very few cars that travel the Clair Saltonstall Bikeway (which I was following), so I didn’t have to think much about them. In fact I only got harassed by one single car the whole way, and that was a couple of punk ass kids in the Mid cape area of all places. Overall people gave me lots of room and were so nice that I actually stopped thinking about cars after a while (a potentially dangerous move, but I was at mile 60-70 or something at this point and my brain was trying to deal with the fact that this was now the longest I had ever ridden any bike). I got into a routine. I had taken a road atlas and traced the route I was taking, then tore the pages out that were relevant to my trip. I put the wad of 25 or so pages in my bag and would take one out and put it in my crumpler cellphone chest strap, taking it out once in a while for a little no hand riding map reading. I would say to myself “when you get to Long Pond road take a right then change maps.” At each map change I would rehydrate, eat if I was hungry (or even sometimes if I wasn’t), stretch and then review the next map. This led to several stopping about ever 10 miles or so. A nice system that kept me well hydrated and well fed.

I used to live on Cape Cod, for four years I enjoyed it very much. Cape Cod is a strange and wonderful place, filled with some of the most beautiful places you have ever pointed your eyes at, and also home to some brutal poverty, and the most ironic wealth on the planet (Cape wind anyone…jebus I grew to loath the rich people who opposed that project). I loved living there, but this trip was not a sight seeing trip this was a journey of testing my physical limits, and having fun on a bike. The journey was the reason, The Cape served as a beautiful backdrop to have my adventure on.

Since I last lived there the Sagamore flyover had been completed, it was no longer a simple matter of going around the rotary and over the bridge. So in my naivete I simply followed the same signs the cars followed…an almost good idea. There is a perfectly ride-able shoulder riiiiight up till you get to the top of the bridge…doh! I ended up having to do a mad dash across two lanes of INSANE traffic to get to the sidewalk on the other side (and I mean go as fast as you can “oh shit I’m gonna die!” dash). Live and learn I guess. The view from the top of the bridge is awesome, and when you are walking your bike over it you actually have time to stop and enjoy it.

I know the Cape pretty well, I know how to get around so the map reading happened less often and I started to get into a pretty good grove. I was well past the longest I had ever ridden a bike and I was feeling very good. I was starting to notice a very slight twinge behind my knees, but the rest of me felt like a machine. The miles dropped by and I was very much enjoying the feeling of being alive and moving under my own power. I got down onto the service road next to route 6 a simply FANTASTIC road to ride your bike on. Lots of gradual climbs and long awesome downhills. I used my previous strategy of mash up bomb down to great effect and before I knew it I was approaching exit 6 (the sort of unofficial “middle” of Cape Cod). I took a slight detour up to visit the place I used to work and give very sweaty hugs to some good friends. After a bathroom break and some more Cliff bars I was off.

The absolute worst part of this entire journey was the stretch of 6a between Barnstable and Dennis, holy shit… No shoulders, octogenarian drivers, tourists in such a hurry they don’t care if they hit you, and in general some fantastically bad drivers. Get over, get way over, get onto the very edge of the pavement. Seriously I am usually all “take the lane” but they will straight up murder you. I turned my rear light on for this and made sure to hold my line. Luckily this part was only for about 10 miles, and was quickly over. If I did it again I would be willing to go pretty far around to avoid this, but upon looking at a map I see that there is almost no easy way to avoid this.

Once in Dennis, I jumped off 6a and after a bit of lefts and rights got to the Cape Cod Rail Trail. A magnificent thing the CCRT. Even on an overcast Wednesday this thing was FULL of people. All on bikes, all having a great time. As I rode down this very smooth, mostly flat path I saw that an entire bike ecosystem had sprung up around the path. bike rental places, stores with their menus out on the path, real estate companies advertising houses for sale near the path, in short it gave me a small taste of what bike utopia could be like. Plus at this point I was entering that sort of loopy “you done pedaled all the thinkin outa yer noggin” realm of physicality. It was awesome. I was the only one on a fixy, and one of maybe 5 people not on a mountain bike/hybrid, I was also the only one interested in going faster than a crawl. I was sort of a shark in a school of fish but people moved over, smiled and didn’t seem to mind that some crazy dude was hauling ass down a bike lane clearly designed for recreation and not speed. I really can’t describe how nice it was to take a 25 mile break from cars and roads. This trail was butter smooth, and with the recent connections, goes all the way to Wellfleet. There is a couple nice general stores along the way that provided me with more Gatorade and fists full of candy, they had embraced the bike culture and actually had bike racks and signs directing people to bathrooms. I am going to guess that judging from the massive number of people stopping to buy stuff from the bike lane that the local business people LOVE the CCRT. It would seem however that not all the local residents do, as several signs had been posted on trees urging people that this was a “quiet zone” and the like. But that’s Cape Cod for you.

I left the CCRT around Nauset road and headed to 6/6a traveling north. Back to the rolling gentle hills. The only difference was that this time the road was packed with traffic. Stand still traffic. I actually felt bad for these people entombed in their vacation mobiles. SUV’s packed with so much shit that the the kids had to rest the back of their heads on moms giant suitcase jammed into the back. Most of the cars had several bikes or a kayak strapped to them. Several boats were in tow. I passed literally hundreds of cars that were stuck in the traffic. At one point I pulled a Boston and moved into the middle of two lanes and, whistling a tune to myself, headed north through the parking lot on wheels at a surprisingly fast pace. The traffic and the sounds of cars made me feel comfortable (I ride in this city a lot) and this somehow fed speed into my legs. Wellfleet here I come!

I had driven the 6/6a route up to Wellfleet about a million times, and as is most often the case in places that have too many cars and not enough road to hold them, it was WAY FASTER on bike. Even after pushing my little bike 100+ miles I was still going way faster than all the people stuck in bumper to bumper traffic. As anyone who has lived on/visited Cape Cod bumper to bumper traffic is just a fact of life on the Cape in the summer. I was glad I didn’t have to suffer it this time.

Before long the “Entering Truro” sign greeted me (incidentally they are celebrating their 300th birthday). I took a look at my watch, I had been on my bike for a bit over 9 hours, and it was showing. I was a sweaty mess, my legs had started to complain pretty loudly, and my shoulders were also letting me know that the road buzz had been getting to them. My hands were stiff and my neck hurt. All of these were low level pains, and none of them were screaming, more just a symphony of murmuring. I would occasionally feel my arms to make sure they were still damp (dry arms is a good sign you are really dehydrated, something I hoped to avoid). I had slowed down a lot from my starting pace in Boston, but was still moving at a good clip.

Cape Cod is an “end of the road” kind of place. Literally and figuratively. P-town is the “end of the road”, at the end of the road. It is sort of like going out to the very edge of the world. When I first moved out East I would have bouts of claustrophobia from all the hills and trees (I grew up in the very flat of the Midwest don’t judge) and I would go out and stare at the ocean to make myself feel better. People are more accepting of difference as you get out to the end of the world. Perhaps this is why P-town has attracted so many gay and lesbian people. When you live at the end of the road you are more open to greeting anyone who might wander by as a friend. I felt like P-town was welcoming me after my long bike ride.

As you head to the end of the world the climate starts to change. The trees thin out and start to get shorter. The weather here is too rough on them to allow them to get very tall. Sand dune start to pop up, and the ocean starts to encircle you. After a while…there is no more road. You are at the end, this is it, from here on out thar be dragons. It is a great feeling, a scary feeling and after all that biking, a welcoming chance to stop. I once thought that mercy was the ability to stop, now I felt it first hand. I sat down and took stock of myself. All limbs attached and in mostly working order (my knees were sore, but feel much better today), my shoulders stopped hurting and my hands regained feeling in about 30 minutes, and then the hunger started. I was really really hungry. I got some onion rings, and some cheese pizza. It tasted like cardboard, but taste wasn’t what I wanted; grease, fat, oil, calories, these are what I wanted. The food disappeared in short order and then I drank some water. I sat peacefully for a while till the fast ferry came.

I felt kind of bad for the people next to me on the boat as I stunk to high hell. You know when you can smell yourself kind of stink? Yea that bad. I guess I didn’t care that much because I promptly passed out, when I awoke Boston, home sweet home was there to greet me. It was a nice little bike ride.

Some stats:

Living things I saw:
Trees
Birds
Horseys
Sheepys
Goatys
Chikin’s
People

Dead things I saw:
mice (2)
snake
deer (almost ran it over…yuk)
fisher cat
squirrel (3)
birds (2)
unidentified pile of bones and gross (3)

this dirt came off my face with nothing but a dry rag...

dirt off my legs at the end...seriously I was filthy

Places I pee’d:
CVS
Half constructed home (thanks guys for leaving the portajohn unlocked!)
My old office
Public Bathroom in P-town

Food I ate:
Mini Cliff Bars (6)
King Size M&M’s (1)
Snickers (2)
Chunky crunch bar (1)
Onion Rings (plate)
Cheese Pizza (1 slice)
Taza Chocolate bar (1)
Banana (1)

Things I drank (my water bottle is one of them big metal ones):
Water bottles full of water (3)
Water bottle full of Gatorade (3)
Orange juice (1 small bottle from store)

Distance:
168 miles

Time:
11 hours (6:30am to 5:30pm)

Average speed:
~15 mph (woot!)

Calories Burned:
~5400 (according to various internet websites could be wrong)

Gear:
Bailyworks messenger bag (large)
Vans (1 pair)
fixed gear bike (46×16 gearing)
Sylvan pedals with toe cages
Pearl Izumi Bike shorts (first time I had ever ridden with bike shorts with a Chamois in them)
Paceline Chamois Butt’r (was a little reluctant to use this, but turned out to be a very good idea)
Bike pump
Tubes (3)
tire levers
adjustable wrench
maps
journal
camera
bike hat
bike gloves
pair of jean shorts (worn at the end to stay warm)
wallet
cell phone
keys
mini u-lock
water bottle
small amount of toilet paper (just in case not used)

I’m somehow still in NYC.

And no, it wasn’t the Yankees win against the Sox after 15 innings [although that was a pretty intense game]. And despite all the trash talk that I might be doing that Boston sometimes needs to step it up, it’s not the bike scene that’s keeping me here either.

Because there is none. And that’s sort of why I love NYC.

While Boston might be more conducive to putting miles and miles on my legs, it’s only ironically in NYC – a gigantic city immersed in fashion and style – where it doesn’t matter what my ride looks like. It makes sense, too, because everybody rides a bike. Hybrid, road, mountain, ‘cross, mixte frames, vintage folders, and straight up Dutch bikes from Amsterdam. If it exists, someone rides it in NYC.

And with millions of cyclists of every shape, size, gender, and stylistic inclination, there’s no one right thing to ride. Not that there ever really is a right thing to ride, but the insecurity and judgment aren’t nearly as blatant. Bike cliques only exist if you want them to, and aerospoke sightings are few and far between.

Which is actually kind of surprising, given the stop and start nature of pure, urban, NYC riding. The first time I rode here, I couldn’t wait to flip my wheel over to the fixed side. I was convinced that city riding = fixed. Of course, I was wrong. Because I’ve never slithered through four lane traffic faster than when I was chasing M1 on his [geared] Cyfac [with full C-Record gruppo!], or descended a hill faster than when I first rode over the Billyburg bridge with M1 on his 40lbs tank of a Dutch bike. Geared or not, in NYC, it’s really not about the bike.

Maybe that’s why I’m resisting the bus ride home, delaying my stay here for one more day [okay, it also could be that HDTV has been distracting me enough from running all the planned errands for this weekend-turned-almost-week-long jaunt to NYC]. And because it’s not about the bike[s], it’s the friends I’ve made down here, too. Sure, I can’t wait to do a longer ride, be able to roll out of a bed [not a couch] and hop on the rollers, and give my track bike some love. But I’m still sort of bracing myself for the usual questions I get about that bike when I’m in Boston: why don’t you ever ride it? [I do.] Why don’t you like it? [I actually love it.] Why do you only ride it on rollers?

The irony being that friends in NYC who have never seen the Dolan in person have never asked me these questions. Expressing the guilt that said questions make me feel, then the frustration at just not enjoying riding it on the street, Jared interrupted my self-pity fest:

“Wait…what kind of bike is it?”

“A Dolan. A Dolan Pre Cursa. It’s a track bike,” I responded.

“A track bike? And it’s not meant for the road? REALLY???”

Touche. And that’s why I love NYC.

It’s one of those prerequisites to life. One of those experiences that everyone goes through and hopefully comes out a better person for it. Kind of like how you should date a total asshole at some point in your life. It’s not something you’re going to enjoy, but you’ll learn a thing or two, ponder it for a few days, then mature and grow as a result.

It’s never not disappointing, though. Sometimes it’s sort of heartbreaking, really. Because when you’ve been crushing on someone for so long, hyping them up in your head, and you finally get drunk brave enough to lock lips…the realization that the crush cannot, for the life of them, decently make out, will always break your heart a little.

I mean, maybe the panic and desire to escape hits first ["oh, um, well...goodnight!"]. But afterwards, you’re left weighing if the crush is cute enough to really merit make out sessions that are more akin to your dog attacking the ice cream smeared on your face rather than the sultry lip tangling you previously imagined.

That heavy feeling of resignation is kind of what the past few days have been like. After a weekend and then some of NACCC, things have been starkly normal and incredibly mundane. Sure, the sun’s shining out and it’s scorching hot; perfect weather for some crazy rides. Instead I have to force myself to get on the rollers before spending too much time putzing around my apartment, half-heartedly looking around for someone something to do.

Meanwhile my chain sounds like a two-pack-a-day smoker, my gearing is a bit spinny, and I have no idea where my No. 4 hex wrench is. Awesome.

But like the feeling of utter guilt and self-disgust after a night of binging on ice cream, chocolate, and peanut butter filled pretzels post-break-up, I knew I had to get my shit together while the summer was still extant. And pampering is always a great way to get over something less-than-perfect-and-bordering-on-downright-disappointment. So it was off to a place I can comfortably go to without perfectly tweezed eyebrows, bombshell hair, or even a slightly coordinated outfit: IBC.

And hey, I left feeling pimp.

My seat raised just a tiny bit, my gearing changed a little bit, and my bottom bracket changed a lot a bit, the Bianchi now rides like omg-holy-shit-i-can’t-believe-it’s-not-buttah. Which has the obvious effect of not only making me want to go on rides, but had me smugly cruising down Beacon, without a hand on the bars.

And with still-mostly-pristinely white Vans to complement the mostly-white bartape, white pedals, and white toe straps, I even felt a little pro[seur]. Excitement going to my head, I even did two sessions on the rollers yesterday, the pro high only fading when – yet again – sweat poured into my eye, leaving me nearly skidding to a stop, one eye squeezed shut, trying to mentally deal with the pain while trying to figure out how to get off my bike in one piece.

Yeah, I got a long way to go. But hopefully I’ll [at least] look good doing it.

First off congratulations to Christina Peck, who won the main race at this year! As far as I know the first lady to ever bring that title home, way to go!

Now that my legs are no longer shaking, my ears are no longer ringing, and my head has some semblance of a thought in it I feel qualified to write a recap.

If I wanted to be brief, I could just say “wow…” but I wont be brief.

The weekend was a blur of racing, riding, bike polo, parties, nakedness (don’t ask), and more fun than can safely be had in just three days.

Friday kicked it off with “bostonopoly” a zanny scramble around Boston picking up “ayyos” with each checkpoint resulting in more and more insane and fun side events. Bostonopoly was followed by a party, then an after party, then an after after party…no sleep till….Boston!

Getting up early Saturday I headed over to dry docks. Skid comps, track stands, sprints, car pull (yes a giant of a man pulled a car on his bike…I was very impressed), red bull’s, friendly cops (!! I know right), and general fun. I did pretty well in the track stand competition and made it to just before “one foot” before crapping out. This was followed by Bike Polo, and this was followed by the fast wheel alleycat. And fast it was, 20+ miles in less than an hour…I have never gone as far as fast before. Then it was to the after party at Harpers for Tetris comps, arm wrestling, and general good times on the dance floor. No sleep again.

Sunday had me waking up early again to go help run a check point, sweaty bikers stopping by all day picking up dropping off. From what I hear it got a little crazy near the end with different places sending bricks, pictures of male anatomy, relish sandwiches, and other fun items from checkpoint to checkpoint.

Between Friday morning and the end of the day Sunday I had put well over 200 miles on my legs, met a million amazing people from all over the place (Holla Atlanta!), saw more naked people than I thought I would see in a long time, and was utterly and totally exhausted. It was a fantastic weekend, big ups to all the planners, and to all the racers, and to all the cool people who made it happen. Can’t wait till next year!

find pictures here, and here, and here.

If it isn’t obvious already, I’ve been gathering a list of cities I’d love to live in. NYC, Portland, Seattle, Austin…

And Chicago just made the list.

It really should be on there already; my best friend is at UChicago, and she’s always telling me about her incredible vintage finds. But her horror stories of the Windy City weather also had me clutching my radiator in icy fear, not to mention pictures of the Tour Da Chicago. Boston’s cold enough for me, I thought, and even Kanye couldn’t lure me out to Chi City.

But apparently, the cyclists out there are among the nation’s best. Or at least the couriers are.

And they’re some of the nicest, too. Looking the farthest thing from a genuine courier, I slyly infiltrated a NACCC party Saturday night at Harper’s Ferry, PBR Tallboy in hand, Baileyworks thrown over my shoulder. Good thing DJ Mayhem [a.k.a. Jason] was on the decks [until a random metal band started playing], Geekhouse was in attendance, and I managed to bump into Meghan, one of the funniest girls to throw a leg over a top tube. All of which resulted in me actually getting drunk. And dancing.

And even making new friends! Turns out Meghan was hosting four couriers from Chicago, and in a weird turn of events, I was already Facebook friends with one of them. The only out-of-towners I met this past weekend, they were the antithesis of the judgmental hipster courier stereotype. And milling outside Harper’s Ferry after we all got kicked out, bike in hand, I even got asked if I had ever raced my bike ‘cross – possibly the last question I ever expected during NACCC.

No surprise, then, that Chicago was already earning big points in my book by the end of the night. Sunday morning, lacking any official NACCC volunteer status, I took Jason up on his generous invitation to hang out at Superb, one of the race checkpoints. Tom was acting as a dispatcher and as couriers flowed in and out, I snapped pictures furiously. Bikes of all shapes and sized rolled through, couriers dressed in everything from Sidis to Chucks, and maps and crumpled manifests were pulled out of Ortlieb, Chrome, and Baileyworks bags.

With open roads and random manifests, there was no way to tell who was winning. And it wasn’t until later that night, at the Middle East Downstairs, that I learned that Chicago had not only taken both top male and female courier wins, but that a female courier from Chi City had won best overall. And while I didn’t get a picture of this history-making champion, I was fortunate enough to already call Nico, the top male courier for 2009, a [new] friend.

Which makes Chicago that much more appealing. And late Sunday night, goodbye hugs were dispensed, and promises to get in touch if I ever visit Chicago were made. True, the likelihood of getting my butt over there [along with a bike] before full blown winter is slight to none. But I’ve got that city in my sights; and with a track just north of the city, I’m finding it hard not to book a flight to Chi town, stat. I’ll see you guys soon, though. I promise.

[Thanks to Jacobs, Croth, BBMA, and all the volunteers and sponsors that made this year's NACCC an awesome success!]

There’s something to be said for playing your cards well.

But I never really understood girls who consistently choose to play the sex card.

Maybe my own hedonistic desires get in the way of prolonging petty arguments. Maybe I don’t want to sit and wait until “lack of play” gets a boyfriend begging for forgiveness. Maybe I don’t like the power-tripping that’s involved in all that.

So, apologies. I’m withholding posts about the past weekend where couriers invaded Boston, and NACCC was in full effect in this fair city. I’m withholding it for a reason, though, and a good one.

Embrocation Cycling Journal has a new site. And I’m a bi-weekly contributor.

Every other Monday, I’ll be posting on Embrocation Cycling Journal. And every other Monday, on this site, you’ll see a drawing instead of the usual photographs. And more often than every other Monday you should go check out Embrocation; because with some seriously good writers contributing new material every day of the week, this is porn for people who love bicycles and reading about how they consistently change and shape our various lives.

Don’t worry, it’s only for a day. Which is why I’m not really playing the sex blog card. And you can still get your fix; just in another place. Just, you know, make sure to come back once in a while, even with all those heavy-hitters churning out addictive content.

Because you know you love the action you get around here. Even if it’s only from me.

[Now go read my real post.]

Sharing is caring, I know. But sometimes, I’m tempted to keep certain things to myself. Like those gems of whatever that you discover, and then hide away, at least for a little while, while you weigh who you’ll let in on your little secret, and in what order.

The irony being that I don’t really consider myself good at keeping secrets. Especially when they’re good secrets.

Like the addicting soul of Eli Paperboy Reed & The True Loves that’s been streaming out of my speakers for the past few days [not clicking on those links is your loss, so I'm not even going to demand you check them out]. Sure they’ve been around for a while…but with music like this coming from homey little Boston, and the NACCCs starting today, I feel just a little bit obligated to share this little gem.

And there’s something else, too. And it’s called Superb.

Conceived by Jason, it’s the stunningly hip extension of Cambridge Bicycle’s track bike boutique. The website went live earlier this summer, but it’s the space that I want to talk about. The plans for it are unbelievable, and I’ve had the good fortune of peeking into the space [formerly that of Boston Bicycle] every few weeks and watching the whirlwind transformation. Gold and teal ceilings, custom damask, plans for a display that will blow your mind, and chandeliers.

I’ll let you in on another secret, too. Jason was one of the first to know about cassette before her official launch, and when I dragged M1 to the space a few weeks back, it ended in a few iced americanos…and an idea.

A collaboration t-shirt between Superb and cassette, the idea was sketched out within 24 hours of that meeting, delivered to M1 and the concept finalized between 2 to 3am on a Sunday night and the hour before I boarded a bus back to Boston on Monday morning. The shirts were printed, cured, and mailed within 48 hours [did I mention we work fast?]. And just in time, too. Because with couriers from all across North America flooding the city, Superb is a destination spot, and then some.

Which is probably why I can’t keep the fact that it’s amazing and going to be totally awesome a secret. All exacerbated by the fact that late Tuesday night, M1 sent me an iphone shot of a test Superb shirt. I nearly screamed in excitement before reaching for the phone, the only words I could form being “dude…dude…that shirt…oh my god…”

“Yeah,” he replied, “I want to sort of steal one.”

And there you have it. Proof that it’s a good one. And therefore a secret I am incapable of keeping. Want one? Stop by Superb…and make sure you say hi, too!

[And yes, it's Rapha Scarf Friday again...]

This is going to be in a word…epic.

There’s an article today on Boston.com introducing a bike sharing proposal. (There’s also a sweet video with Nicole Freedman performing a small track stand in rainy conditions while waiting in traffic.)

From the article:

Over the next few weeks, officials expect to name the company with which they would negotiate a contract on how to run the system. They hope the program will lead to tens of thousands of people saddling up in Boston daily.
…
Bike sharing is the next step. The city envisions making available between 1,000 and 3,000 bikes at stations 300 or 400 yards apart, located at subway and bus stops, main squares, tourist sites, and across city neighborhoods.

This makes me wonder, would I ride my bike around as much if there were publicly accessible ones available? I guess we’ll have to wait and see, either way I’ll be very happy that a program like this will be made available.

Being single and female presents its plethora of problems.

Add “Asian” to the mix and it’s like a whole nother universe.

Like if anyone seemingly flirts with me [a rare occurrence, thankfully], I immediately imagine their rooms: a tiny closet-like space filled with anime posters, Asian language books, pictures of ex-girlfriends [all Asian], and a corner devoted to video games. If social escape from said person seems difficult, I usually just try to open my mouth and curse like a sailor in an attempt to dispel any conceptions of the socially docile, obedient, Asian woman who also happens to be a total freak in bed.

I’m not sure if it works, but I’ve been completely creeped out enough to run the usual checks before entertaining even friendships. Paranoid? Probably. But I like to think I’m more interesting than my ethnicity.

Oddly enough, though, I fully endorsed fetishization yesterday. I even took pictures. In a bathroom.

Okay, it didn’t involve anything racy [at least in the normal sense of that term]. Just that it was my first time using the NYC Velo bathroom [despite my love for iced coffee, my propensity to hang out endlessly at NYC Velo, and the fact that iced coffee also has me running to the bathroom every other hour]. And when you find yourself in a “unisex” bathroom/shrine to all things bike, with a wrench for the cold water knob on the sink, well, the camera is bound to come out.

Not to mention that entering NYC Velo’s bathroom is like peeking into the Devil’s handbook. If putting a ring on [or having a ring put on by] a cyclist is your thing, that is. The walls are plastered with posters of Tour and Giro winners, and where you might expect soft-core porn or Maxim covers, are pictures of Merckx, Lance, and Cipollini.

Which might make you question if putting a ring on the object of your affection [at least in NY state] is actually possible. But blatant homosexual crushes aside, it’s also a glimpse into a world that has little room for other loves. And while that kind of obsession can too easily spill over into creepy-ville, I hypocritically felt right at home.

Declaring my approval as I exited the bathroom, I wondered what I would put up on my own bathroom walls. I couldn’t think of anything [mostly due to a sheer lack of posters] but late last night after arriving back to my own apartment in Boston, I found it. A picture tweeted by Competitive Cyclist, it’s something worth sticking up on a bathroom wall, in front of my desk, or even by my bed. And though still unable to do a wheelie [much less a wheelie off the ground on some bling tdf bike in front of the L'Arc du Triomphe after becoming the first Japanese cyclist to finish a post-war Tour], I’d rock that kit on a ‘drome.

I’d even let him put a ring on it.

Like most people, I really hate heartbreak. The crying, self-doubt, nights alone that used to be spent either on the phone or giggling with a boyfriend, and just the complete emotional exhaustion. It sucks.

I suppose I was incredibly lucky when, the morning after my last break up, I ran into a friend who had broken up with her 4-year boyfriend. Which put things into perspective and I was all oh shit, never mind. And besides, it wasn’t long until I felt those almost guilty pangs of relief that it was over.

By this point in my life, despite my limited track record, I understand that’s a glaring sign that things would have never worked out anyway. I’m a little concerned, though, because I’ve been getting that feeling of guilty relief too much these days.

Oh, Boston. You’re endearing, quaint, and so charming. It’s just that I can’t keep myself from humming Kanye’s “Homecoming” as I slide down streets slowly coming to life to catch a bus down to NYC. I thought it was just a fling at first, but I might be bordering on emotional cheating.

Because even if I get caught in rain and end up slip skidding around on a city full of oblivious pedestrians, I’m resisting returning to Boston already. And with a shop full of friends and trucks serving real wafels de liege, can you really blame me?

A plan that had been tossed around, talked about, and even duly noted in an iphone to-do list since we came up with the concept for the “Breakfast of Champions” shirt, M1 and I finally hunted down the Wafels & Dinges truck yesterday afternoon. In the rain. After Twitter-stalking to find the truck’s location, I found myself dodging cabs while attempting to catch up with a 40lbs Dutch bike with a coaster brake that, once it gets going, seems pretty much unstoppable [M1 managed to skid stop on it, which was incredible to watch].

Pedaling up from the East Village to Midtown, we steered around cabs, cyclists going the wrong way, pedicabs, and pedestrians, in rain that was getting progressively stronger. Around West 28th Street, I questioned whether the general discomfort of riding in the rain and the resulting frazzled nerves from biking in the city was really worth it. I mean, this was just a wafel, right?

Verdict?

Totes worth it. I mean, do you have eyes? Are you seeing this picture? FYI that is a warm wafel de liege coyly blanketed in a gooey layer of nutella, the powdered sugar on top just enough to make sure we both get diabetes [M1 and I shared one, in some half-ass attempt to justify stuffing our faces with pure sugar and fat].

And stuff our faces we did. About 14 seconds after being handed a paper tray/plate containing belgian deliciousness, we sat in sated insular shock despite the rain coming down from increasingly gray skies. The wind started to pick up, and as the afternoon slipped into the early evening, temperatures dropped just enough to be noticeable.

Half-jogging through the rain to spend some more quality time on the NYC Velo couch, the weather reminded me that it would be fall too soon, school would start, and with it cyclocross season. And with a bike that hovers around a solid 20 pounds, it seems that I’ll be doing more spectating than participating again, this year.

Still, I’ll be in New England, center of East Coast ‘cross. Which makes me think that there’s still hope that Boston and I can make it, despite this summer NYC fling.

[And, of course, it's Rapha Scarf Friday.]

Monday.

No matter how chipper I might be feeling on this day of the week, that line from “Office Space” will run through my head at least five times, in that same gratingly annoying voice:

“Looks like someone’s got a case of the Mondays!”

And then there’s that Swingline stapler by the copy machine that I wish was bright red and belonged to a co-worker that looked like Milton, who would mutter and stutter about the squirrels outside his window. The ones that were apparently married.

Oh, Milton. I loved his glasses, the timid muttering, that forlorn look when he didn’t get any birthday cake, and of course, just his sheer geekery. Which might explain why, in a way, I love the name [and bicycles] behind Geekhouse.

And while I can’t quite say that I love the people behind Geekhouse [yet], well, I’m at least in strong like of them. All [two] of which I officially met while infiltrating the NYC Velo ranks last Wednesday. After refueling on caffeine, we rolled up to a garage space packed to the brim with machines, tools, and [of course] bicycle frames, and we got to see Geekhouse at work.

I’ve actually been to this particular address in Allston once before [though over a year ago], but last week was the first time I got the full tour and a peek into the personalities behind the instantly-recognizable frames of Geekhouse. And though the space was vastly different from the IF warehouse we had just visited, the same intense love for building bicycle frames was crammed into every nook and cranny of the place.

From a one-man show started in 2002 by Marty, it’s expanded to sustaining a full-time employee. And with frames painted in saccharine-sweet colors, a Geekhouse frame is hard to miss. Clean, simple lines and sometimes aggressive pursuit geometry, I’ve ooh-ed and ahh-ed at Marty’s frames whenever I’ve gotten close to one [even though, yes, me + pursuit geometry = instant endo].

Too bad I’m broke. For the second time that day, my skin crawled with the desire for another bike. The most tempting part being Geekhouse’s new powdercoating operation, too appropriately named Sugar Coat. While watching Joe spray powder onto a frame from a gun, I learned that they’re now offering to powdercoat even non-Geekhouse frames. And with Marty putting together a ‘cross team, I’m almost tempted to hand over that San Jose and attempt to pull off the faux Geekhouse ‘cross bike look.

Okay, that would be beyond stupid. Still, you can’t blame a girl who could never fit on a Bareknuckle to want a bubble-gum pink bicycle at some point [and just between you and me, I desperately wanted a pink track bike before I realized no one makes such a bicycle in my size]. True, the tank of a San Jose might not be the bike for that, but you know, it might just work.

At least until I have the cash money to throw down on a real Geekhouse frame.

I’m really good at making faces.

You might not think it if you just met me. Or maybe you would. In any case, my Mom hates it. Which makes me just do it more, until, finally unable to hold in her laughter, she’ll watch me contort my face with a mixture of disgust and amazement and say:

“You keep doing that and your face is permanently going to stay that way.”

She might be right. At least about crinkling my nose too much.

But I have friends who are looking out for me, clearly. Because while I never tend to wear my own cycling caps, I’m building up an interesting collection via friends. And they’re shielding my face and eyes from sun, wind, and crows feet. And for someone who habitually forgets to slather on the sunscreen, that’s love.

So when yesterday turned out to be one of the sunniest in weeks [Jason apparently schemed with the weather for months to make that happen - thanks!], I was grateful that I was wearing one. Well, I’ve been wearing this one for a few days now, and for good reason.

It’s the new Superb cycling cap.

Designed by both Jason and Croth, this hat is all about the details. The wallpaper background, when viewed from a few feet back, looks like innocent damask. But when you get close enough [to check out the person wearing it], you notice the bicycles and the subtle curves and flicks in the logo.

And then you get a little bit closer [because, please, anyone wearing this is guaranteed to be hot], and you see the underside of the brim. Teal or purple, it’s a hidden sort of hip; the kind you don’t need to flaunt for people to know you have it. But if you’re the one doing the attracting, well, it wouldn’t hurt to turn it up a notch and flip up that brim.

But no analysis of a potential mate is ever complete without a view from the back. And that’s when this hat really works to your advantage. With “Boston” emblazoned on the back, you’ll know where to find this hottie [or at least where to hang out to find such hotties]. And if you’re the one wearing it, even better. You can still give the sexy look over your shoulder and saunter away into the crowd; because, come on, anyone with decent game can take a hint and at least try to break the ice with banter about the Bosox.

Lucky for you, this hat dropped yesterday. Check it – and the rest of Superb – out.

Like any good cyclist, I have dreams of Portland, OR.

Never mind that I’ve never been there, or that I hate rain, or that a city overflowing with cyclists is more than a little bit intimidating. It’s the ultimate destination for anyone who is completely obsessed with cycling, even if, like me, they can barely stay on a bike.

I’ve been having doubts about the rain, though. Because lately, Boston feels like PDX.

There was a weekend and a day of sunshine, and now it’s back to unusually low temperatures with accompanying rain. Which should mean more preparation to just get to work. But have I told you that I’m incredibly lazy? Because when it starts to drizzle, then rain, I’ll foolishly choose to bike through it, even with a raincoat in my bag.

“It’s not that bad,” I kept telling myself. Then 4/5s of the way there, it finally dawned on me. It’s fucking raining. Not like showers, or drizzle, but straight up motherfucking rain. And I was drenched.

Barely able to keep a decent grip on slippery brakes and hoods [gloves, like chamois shorts, are yet another item on the "to purchase" list that consistently gets deprioritized for bike parts], I attempted to wipe my hands on a damp t-shirt while sliding around the Public Garden. Goosebumps were running up and down my arms and water was dripping down from my elbows. Great.

I arrived at work, cold, wet, and already miserable. Coffee hit the spot and once again I was grateful to be changing into a long sleeved shirt. Sheltered for most of the day behind a desk, I headed out to the gym under suspiciously gray skies. And once again, emerged from an intensely sweaty run to a sky that had turned blue and clear, the weather dry but cool. Perfect bike riding weather, in fact, if my legs weren’t already dead.

Maybe this is just a preview of a future in Portland. Maybe the powers that be are conditioning me for the rainy, seemingly schizophrenic weather way out west. One can only hope, I suppose.

In the meantime, it’s July. Can we get to the part where the sun’s shining and it’s not pouring every other day?

It might feel like October in Boston, but you know it’s summer when everyone starts chasing a yellow jersey.

Ah, the Tour de France.

Having no TV, blown out speakers on my laptop, and drowning in different projects with ridiculous self-imposed deadlines, it’s a wonder I even know the Tour started on Saturday. But then again, why wouldn’t I know? I’m fully convinced Lance and I are meant to be, after all.

So I’m chasing coverage of the Tour like Jan Ullrich after Lance on the L’Alpe d’Huez [coverage of the 2003 race being one of my all-time personal favorites]. Following The Man himself on Twitter is somewhat helpful. I’m dependent on friends and the Internet to fill me in on the rest.

That’s not to say that the shame of having no clue what’s happening at each stage isn’t excruciatingly painful and embarrassing. Using handy excuses of a need to stitch, scheme, and get in shape, I’m half attempting to play it off like I’d rather be riding than watching le Tour. But honestly, I’d like nothing more than a strong cup of dark roast coffee and a brioche, feet propped up on an ottoman, watching the love of my life race from Monaco to Paris.

Instead I downed an iced Americano at Cafe Fixe while catching up with a friend. Then got deets on the second stage while IMing and coordinating projects on the phone, conversations punctuated by bursts of my sewing machine whirring. But between frustrated sighs and cramped shoulders from being hunched over a laptop or a piece of fabric for too long, I managed to slip out of my apartment for a few brief moments looking just a little bit pro.

The Rapha scarf was an instant favorite and is already on heavy rotation. But paired with a Gage & Desoto tote bag repping one of the best cycling teams in the world, it was easier to push aside the guilt and longing to go on longer rides, more often.

Which is probably a good thing. This month is looking to be a whirlwind of activity – good, fun, activity, but activity nonetheless. That’s not to say that the bike won’t be making the usual daily appearance, just that bike people might be coming first.

And yes, that includes Lance.

Barring any major weather issues, this Sunday June 28th a few of us will be getting together for a group ride down the Minuteman Bikeway.

We’ll meet outside the Davis Square MBTA station at 10:45 AM and take off for the bike path at 11 AM. We plan on pedaling at a real casual pace, but we’ll play it by ear based on the experience level of the riders.

Sign up for the #Bikeup on eventbrite or facebook.

Any questions, feel free to contact Aaron Cohen (@UnlikelyWords), Josh Gans (@SportsFan4), or Adam Pieniazek (@AdamPieniazek). You can also call 617 326 7402.

See you there!

I firmly believe there are three kinds of sweat: the hot, dry kind of casual summer rides around town, the squeamishly humid kind that won’t ever seem to abate, and last but not least [and possibly the best], the drenching, dripping, addicting kind that can only be a product of a decent training ride.

I’ve been experiencing too much of the second kind these days.

And even if I’ve spent the past few days running around NYC, then Boston, with someone who’s already seen me sweaty and eyeliner-less, it’s still bothering me. The sweat, that is. Or, more accurately, the sweat/rainwater mix that necessitates cycling in a soft shell jacket which can never ventilate fast enough and instead wraps me up in its suffocating, sauna-like grip. By the time I get to work, I’m almost dizzy with dehydration.

Okay, it’s not that bad. But when you have a friend visiting, the rain tends to really kill your plans. Thank God, though, that M1 loves good coffee, because other than my favorite bike shops [IBC and CB], I’m only capable of hanging out at places where I can cradle a good Americano.

So after a [too early] Sunday morning bus ride back to Boston, that’s exactly what I was doing at Cafe Fixe, savoring an intensely dark Americano in small sips until I felt my heart pumping that rich brown liquid through my veins. Caffeine buzzing in my brain, I wondered what I would do without promises of coffee waiting for me before, after, and in between rides [the answer being "be more of a complete raging psycho-bitch"].

Especially when the weather outside makes you simultaneously shiver and sweat; the rain sticking to your skin and mixing with that humid steam that won’t stop pouring out of your pores. And especially when, in typical New England style, you finally jump back onto your bike after taking shelter under some scaffolding because you think the rain’s let up, only to be caught in a mini hurricane on your way across the Mass Ave bridge.

At least there were more friends and a piping hot Americano waiting for me on the other side.

If I keep this up, stock prices for espresso beans is going to skyrocket.

Blame the NYC Bicycle Film Festival and the weather for keeping me from blogging regularly lately. Ironic, I know.

A busy weekend full of bicycles and hats can do that to you, though. Saturday morning started with brunch before heading to NYC Velo [yet again] in the increasingly persistent rain. We hurried to the shop with heads down, attempting to shield our faces from droplets of water, to pick up a tent, a banner, and a box of goodies. An Ortlieb bag was packed with Gage & Desoto gear, my own Baileyworks stuffed with hats, some optimistic hopes crammed into our pockets, before the whole operation was carried to the street fair.

Despite the flash flood warnings, even Jason K. [check out his pimp profile here] showed up with another Ortlieb’s worth of t-shirts and flyers advertising the silk-screening classes he’s offering. And with good company and plenty of bicycles, there wasn’t much to complain about…well, other than the damp weather, of course.

Wrapped up in a borrowed raincoat, I mentally cursed the weather as I watched the sky. I seemed to be the only one, though, as BMXers happily did tricks up and down the street, slipping on the wet pavement. A crowd of people gathered to watch, and as the rain finally let up, the cluster of people eventually grew to a slightly surprising size.

Or, maybe, it was only surprising to me. This is the BFF after all, and even in the rain people were showing up on bicycles, dripping wet but eager to have fun. And this being NYC, there were cruisers, hybrids, track bikes, BMXs and all manner of bicycles. Sales weren’t great, but the people watching was well worth the time spent under the blindingly orange tent.

We folded up the operation a few hours later, caffeine withdrawal calling us back to NYC Velo, then Abraco [yes, I'm an addict]. Later, fish were gutted, dinner cooked, more ideas bounced around before face-planting on my sister’s couch, exhausted and braindead.

But not before the weather forecast for Boston was checked. It says rain. All week.

I’m trying to stay optimistic, though.

On my way back down to NYC again today [for the Bicycle Film Festival Street Fair on Saturday - come say hello at the NYC Velo tent!], I’m simultaneously sort of glad I live in Boston.

And not only because riding downtown with an overstuffed Baileyworks bag and another tote bag half hanging off my handlebars is actually possible [even sans helmet, if I so chose].

It’s because the establishments I frequent [other than the bike shops] might remember me once in a while, and not in that creeped out way. Which makes me feel all warm and fuzzy and loved inside. Okay, they just might be remembering a girl in crazy outfits, perpetually clutching a helmet, but they still remember.

It’s only appropriate that I’ve recently achieved “regular” status at one of the two sewing/fabric stores I go to in Boston: Winmil Fabrics. Arguably the only fabric store left in Boston proper, it’s no Mood, but remains a go-to for my basic lining fabric, thread, needles, etc. And, as an extra bonus, the husband-and-wife team behind the counter are definitely some of the nicer people in this city.

My purchases are usually fairly small – 3 yards of black fabric, a spool of thread – but I’ll consistently be chatted up about my bike, where I go out riding, and if I have any more gears yet. On the topic of my lone gear, the owner stated:

“Well, I bet your legs get much stronger.”

“Yeah, they’re huge,” I responded.

His wife laughed.

I love this kind of friendly banter. The kind that’s only really possible in a small city if you’re working on limited funds like I am. So even if I’m headed to glamorous NYC later this afternoon, I’m trying to keep my head on straight. Not crush on it too much. Not drool over all the places, people, and things to do in NYC while only seeing the limits of Boston.

Because, other than Tokyo, no other city has achieved warm-fuzzy-loved status with me. Yet.

It’s Tuesday, I know, but let me tell you about Sunday.

Because there was ketchup involved, pre-5pm, and that is always a good thing.

I think ketchup is a food in and of itself. It’s not a mere condiment; labeling it that strips it of its innate glory. It’s a pureed, red mess of vinegary deliciousness that makes everything taste better. I’ll opt for ketchup with my grilled cheese over tomato soup, and I’ll even throw it in a pan with pasta [don't ask].

Did I mention how NYC can make me ridiculously happy? Even after scant hours of sleep and a throat hoarse from chattering and laughing too much the previous day? Well, it did. And ketchup was, of course, involved.

It came in the form of brunch at Cafe Orlin. The brioche french toast sounded incredibly tempting…until I saw the goat cheese, avocado, and tomato omelette. This neat yellow package packed with creamy goodness with a touch of Tabasco and Heinz’s? That combination made me forget that the back of my eye sockets were burning from lack of sleep. I woke up a little, even [although that may have been the Americano], and managed to recall some of the ideas M1 and I came up with the previous night.

Needless to say, I stuffed my face. M1 rolled me back downtown and hung out while I waited for the bus with an amazing early birthday present from Lauren: the perfect, pink, vintage suitcase, complete with a “K” monogram.

M1’s pile of stuff was the last thing I took a picture of before jumping onto a crowded, cramped bus headed back to Beantown. 4.5 hours later, I was home, pumping up my tires, and throwing a leg over a bicycle. Once back in the saddle, I momentarily forgot how much I already missed the city. And sprinting up the hills, I remembered why I absolutely, frantically, desperately love biking. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, I suppose.

And while fighting the temptation to book another ticket to NYC, a ball of pure happy uncoiled in that space between my lungs and the back of my throat as I clipped in and sprinted. Shooting smack couldn’t beat this.

My first boyfriend was a computer science major [yes, I started dating in college]. He was clean cut, played Ultimate Frisbee, and was his high school’s valedictorian. He also watched Star Trek and loved video games. He didn’t totally look it, but he was kind of a dork. I thought he was the most adorable thing, ever.

Until we broke up, of course.

Still, I’ve always had a soft spot for dorky things. Like I find abacuses sort of charming. I really want a Casio calculator watch. And I’ve played my share of a certain MMORPG.

So when I found myself surrounded by cyclists of every shape and size, at least half of which had on one of those unavoidably bright yellow traffic vests, I didn’t cringe. In fact, it was really sort of endearing. Sprinting to Cambridge to drop off hats that I’d promised for months and months, I found myself in the middle of the Amory Park Brookline Bike Parade. I vaguely remembered being handed a flier about it at an intersection on Friday but had proceeded to completely forget about it.

Catching up to the tail end of it, I chatted up a few bike cops before winding my way up the parade. And right before I turned off Beacon to hop onto Comm, I saw the immense peloton that was the Bike Parade. It was impressive. And while it was sort of, well, dorky, it was the good kind of dorky. The kind that makes you smile to yourself because people are having so much fun. The kind of dorky that reminds you that cycling doesn’t always have to be about speed and competition and training.

Heading towards Comm, my legs finally moving at a reasonable pace, I unconsciously started to push myself to go faster, faster, faster. But slowing down at a light, I wondered why. It was Sunday. I was rushing to Cambridge…just to rush there. And I was getting sweaty and gross.

I coasted the rest of the way there, resisting the urge to pick up and haul ass. Decked out in all black, my poor choice of clothing dictated that I was sweaty when I arrived to chat with friends. And watching them get excited over a few cycling caps, I realized how bike-dorky we all are. It’s just hard to tell without the yellow vests.

No wonder I love bike people.

1.57am. That’s when I finished.

Not like that’s unusually late these days. Between rides, blogs, and scheming, late nights are becoming part of the whole routine. A dizzying one that has me nearly falling asleep as I brush my teeth and having small fits of existential crises over gchat. All while some part of me lists all the things I have to do the next day, then tells me to stay up some more. I’m not that tired, am I?

Actually, I kind of am. But it’s totally my fault.

I chose to hang out yesterday after my ride, instead of finishing off the latest batch of hats for Cambridge. So those got done after dinner, stretching into the next morning. There was good IMing company, but in the end it was me, a needle and thread, and a pair of scissors. Hand finishing each and every one.

But I like this batch, a lot. There are the classic black ones [Zach insisted on more black], then some lighter ones, more summery and a little more adventurous. I even mixed some gray ink for the brims, the white getting slightly redundant.

The sewing was getting redundant too, though. Barely able to see, mostly unable to think, and completely dead tired, I was rambling and ranting to a partner in crime.

“What am I doing? Why am I doing this? It’s 2am,” I said.

To which he advised:

“The best cure for a 2am existential crisis = sleep.”

Yeah, maybe. I mean, I should do more of that. Soon. After I finish some more hats, cut some more fabric, take some more pictures, write some more posts. After that, and the errands, then the gearing up for work on Monday.

After that, maybe.

One reason I tend to ride alone is the blissful ignorance of how fast I am not going. No fancy cycloputer on my handlebars, no stop watch, just a cell phone and a mental note of when I roll out.

Of course, when you ride with friends with gears, everything sort of changes.

Not in a bad way, though. You just start to see things differently. And while I dread using the word, in a way you start to compare.

Heading out this morning on a ride, alone, I almost wondered why I wasn’t with a friend or two. It’s gorgeous out. Just cool enough to keep the sweat from flowing down your face in rivets, and the sun shining just enough to head out in shorts and a jersey. Not even a strong wind to discourage the ride; and thank God for that, because I was definitely dragging my cleats.

Those are sort of the times I wish I had a friend who didn’t have social obligations on Saturdays, and would drag me out on rides. Maybe someone on a single-speed. Because remembering the constant dropping and catching up of a few days ago, my ego wanted to be coddled a bit, not shattered into a million pieces.

I was still pretending, though, that Matt was churning those cranks ahead of me, almost hearing that wet sound of a chain being funneled through a derailleur, and the clickety-click of shifting gears. I mashed harder on the hills, imagining him ahead of me in that bright white kit, and flat terrain meant I had to go even faster to catch up to an imaginary friend.

And I did it fast. As fast as Matt and I did it last time, even. And descending those hills, I remembered how Matt flew down them. Finally catching up to him, I said:

“You don’t like to use your brakes, do you?”

He smirked in response as he shook his head. Ah, the irony of learning that brakes are unnecessary from a roadie. Or, maybe it’s not so ironic at all.

Home at last, I stretched while struggling out of a sweaty jersey, shorts, and cycling cap. And oddly enough, I finally realized that while my friends may be working while I ride, I’m sort of carrying them with me wherever I go. The jersey from IBC, the spoke bracelet from Chris [plus the two bracelets from my best friend], the cycling cap from CB.

Then, of course, there’s the bike. But that a whole nother story involving more friends, sub-stories, and a few broken parts. Suffice it to say that it’s the product of a lot of love, and of course, very real friends.

Got this in ye old email today, people love to ride bikes, and people love to help out a good cause, it only makes sense to combine the two. Mount up cancer fighters, this event is for you.

—–

The American Cancer Society invites local biking enthusiasts to make their miles more meaningful by participating in the Society’s first Bicycles Battling Cancer event on Sunday, July 26. A 70-mile ride from Worcester to Boston, this event will have results that go on and on by supporting the Society’s critical mission to eliminate cancer through programs of cutting-edge research, education, advocacy efforts, and patient services.

Riders can participate individually or as a team. There is a $50 registration fee and an $800 minimum fundraising goal to participate. With so many reasons to ride, avid cyclists or beginners can participate and make a difference.

For more information about this event, to register, or to volunteer for Bicycles Battling Cancer, please visit www.cancer.org/bicyclesbattlingcancer or contact the American Cancer Society at 1.800.ACS.2345

This scorching heat must have toasted my brain into a half-baked mess today.

Okay, there are confounding factors. Like too little sleep and too many obligations and responsibilities that I’m literally riding away from whenever I head out west. The sheer irony being that in trying not to think about errands, hats, emails, etc, etc, etc…well, I end up thinking about them. A lot.

Although I managed to keep myself from ramming into parked cars, there was some quick swerving around potholes and roadkill, and even the need to use that squeaky front brake. And while being zoned out helped with the hills [I would be halfway up one without seeming to notice I was even climbing], I could not, for the life of me, clip in.

When done unconsciously, it takes me less than a second. But I was fumbling today, coasting and peering over my knee as I tried to engage and hear that satisfying *click*. Don’t think about it, don’t think about it, I thought. And then I’d think about it.

I even did that super newbie move where I thought I was clipped in only to have my pedal slip out from under my cleat and bash my shin. I also managed to scratch myself on my front brake; the icing on the cake being a bloody knee when I accidentally smashed it into a counter when I got home.

It’s probably just sheer complacency. This is no NYC. These are the ‘burbs of Boston, where I can stay in my drops without so much as tapping my brakes for miles. Heading out on rides sleepy and sans coffee is actually an option. Pedestrians are pretty much nonexistent, and even if Waltham is completely different from Brighton and Brookline, I know where I’m going.

And in response, my brain seems to have shut down a little. Even with wider shoulders and the confidence to do slightly shady stuff on my bike, my legs weren’t tense and alert. I felt sluggish. Even a little lazy.

I suppose that’s what happens when you come home.

In a few hours, I’ll be headed back to Beantown. Headed back to training rides [fun], a block party at Cambridge Bikes tomorrow [more fun], and running [the least fun, ever].

At least my wallet might stop getting thinner, and my tummy might also stop getting thicker. Because I ate. And drank. Delicious sandwiches [hands down one of my favorite foods], cupcakes from Sugar Sweet Sunshine, and multiple caffeinated beverages from Jack’s and Ninth Street Espresso. I even cooked dinner one night, but only after injecting my arteries and heart with juicy grease in the form of chicken wings and fries.

There was even a celebrity sighting. Malcolm Gladwell, who almost looked like he might walk into Ninth Street Espresso yesterday. I was all staring him down like “oh hey, I’ve never read your books but I’ve heard of them and you should get yourself an espresso.” Fail [obviously].

And then there was the TV watching. Between the multiple runs to Mood for fabric, the East Village for coffee and bikes, and the post office to send boxes of acquired things back home to Boston, I managed my fair share of Law & Order SVU, CI, and somewhat trashy true crime shows [I don't have a TV at home, so I have to get my fix in NYC]. And in spite of the inordinate amount of time I spent in front of the tube, I even managed to get blogged.

Okay, I also managed a few more things. Like getting my hands on a very limited edition Gage & Desoto bag [for the non-uber bike geeks, those are some key names of Team CSC Saxo Bank]. Wicked, right?

Mike explained that he didn’t want me to leave empty-handed when he gave me the bag, seeming to pull it out of nowhere. Empty-handed? Really? This trip had me loaded full of good food, new friends, and an appreciation for those who bike in the city. Add to that super exclusive bike-related gear and I am leaving here a happy girl, fists full of stuff.

As if I really need any more reason to hop down to NYC more often.

Admittedly, NYC feels a little unfamiliar on bike.

Being lazy, I’ve always been a big fan of the swelteringly hot, muggy subway, whose stations always smell like a public restroom that’s been attempted to be cleaned – unsuccessfully – with some industrial strength bleach. On previous visits, I learned how to appreciate that blast of sticky air that clutches you in its uncomfortably warm embrace as you slide your Metrocard through the ticket gate. The NYC subway might not smell like roses, but it was convenient. Especially compared to Boston.

But on bike, I’m almost longing for Boston. NYC looks almost unrecognizable above the underground subway. And clutching onto my brakes, trying to stay constantly alert for a door, a pedestrian, a taxi intent on cutting me off, I’m desperately trying not to get lost. Armed only with a cellphone and pieces of paper with scribbled street names [my sister doesn't have a printer], I started to understand the disadvantages of always flying solo.

Sucking down liquid courage in the form of one of NYC’s best lattes from Jack’s Stir Brewed Coffee, I made my way uptown after a morning of intense fabric shopping to perfect a skill I’ve been honing for the past year or so, but in a new city. And in a new shop.

NYC Velo to be exact. I’d heard it was an awesome shop, from both my sister [who bought her bike here], and a few other reliable sources. I had to check it out. Besides, this was the perfect opportunity to sharpen my “hanging out at bike shops for unnecessarily long periods of time and refusing to leave” skills.

For the record, I wasn’t expecting to achieve IBC levels of loitering. This is an unfamiliar shop, in a kind-of unfamiliar city. I didn’t even have a wingman to aid in eating up the shop’s minutes, much less one to hold my hand and guide me through the city. NYC might be a grid, but the people definitely make this city unpredictable.

Adrenaline still pumping from the ride there, I was sweaty and frazzled when I walked into the shop. But once I did, I finally managed to exhale. And inhale. Bicycles. Ahhhhh.

Not just bicycles, but bike parts, shoes, and most impressively, lots and lots of bike clothes. There were baskets of gloves, hangers full of kits, and shelves of t-shirts. It’s like a concept store but with legitimate substance behind it; it’s not a fixster shop where it’s only about what everything looks like. NYC Velo’s the serious yet stylish cyclist; one who knows bicycles and likes to shower regularly. But one that’s far from pretentious.

I went into the shop fairly confident that this shop was going to live up to its reputation. And it did. I didn’t expect to leave, though, feeling comfortable. And in a way, not so lost.

On the way home, scrolling through my recent call history on my phone, IBC showed up on my screen [yeah, I almost have that shop on speed dial]. If I lived here, though, I’m pretty sure that NYC Velo will definitely have that special place in my phonebook.

I fell asleep in my Sidis today.

With my bike under me.

No, I wasn’t on some insane 24 hour bike race [unfortunately]. I was on a bus, heading down to a once more familiar city, but one I’ve never biked in. Groggy from a four hour bus ride punctuated with fits of sleep, I climbed onto my bike for the first time in New York, NY.

In Chinatown, to be exact. Which was, predictably, crawling with pedestrians. Clipped in on a freewheel, I just managed to dodge some old ladies dragging groceries and middle aged men who have to be involved in less than legal business.

This is like Boston…on meth. Or pure PCP. While Boston may be sleepy and nearly deserted at 7am, I can’t imagine biking in NYC can ever be as lethargic as my morning ride into South Station this morning. Even navigating the few short blocks from Chinatown to my sister’s apartment was more fast-paced than anything in Boston.

My sister told me that I would probably feel stifled if I ever lived in NYC after seeing pictures of Lexington. An NYC bike virgin, I had agreed.

Stifled? Here? That would definitely take a few years.

I may or may not be in this film…my part might have been cut, but either way check it out! Director comments below.

——

So, this little movie I’ve been making is finally coming together, and will be screening as part of the Emerson BFA series at the Coolidge Corner Theater THIS Friday.

The show starts at 10am, and my documentary titled “Between the Lanes” is on third in the order, so I expect it to be screening sometime around 10:45.

If you’re interested please come on down and support it. Maybe it’ll go somewhere later this Summer too, but for now this is the only scheduled screening.

What: Between the Lanes, a documentary about biking in Boston
Where: Coolidge Corner Theater
When: 10am, be there by 10:30 to be sure to catch it (be warned: if you come after 10 you will be walking in on someone else’s presentation.)

I’ve never been to California, or the West Coast. Even with the beautiful weather and equally beautiful people, I was always convinced that the dreary, cold, bitterly sarcastic East Coast [or, at least the New England area] suited my personality much better.

These days, though, I’m flirting with the idea of checking out the other coast. Seattle, in particular. Yeah, I know, it rains a lot. Yeah, I heard it can kind of suck to train there. Yeah, it’s probably not the cyclist’s paradise that I’m convincing myself it is. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

It’ll never be associated with law school, though, which is part of the appeal. That’s not to say that the decision over whether I should even try exploring my options west doesn’t fluctuate as wildly and as often as Britney’s weight. I’ll make a decision, and then scrap it within the next 30 minutes, think about it while zoning out on bike rides and nearly run myself into parked cars.

Because Boston’s got its charms. It comes in the form of bike shops and polo, and awesome people who give great hugs. Standing alone in a crowd at the ESPI finals – having wedged my way by the door of the court which now lacked the usual chainlink fencing for better viewing – someone squeezed my shoulder and I turned to find Tom…then saw Croth, Matt, Clark, Cole, Reuben…Boston represent!

So when Seattle played against Boston yesterday in the finals, I shamelessly cheered for Boston, despite the fact that I was literally surrounded by strangers. Toby and his friend turned to me, telling me that they were conflicted as to who to cheer for because Seattle played so well. For me, for that one game, the choice was blatantly clear.

Constitutional law [and the fear that accompanies final exams] had me jetting off before the final game. East Vancouver took 1st place though, with Milwaukee taking 2nd and New York City taking 3rd. All points west.

And Seattle did win over Boston in that game. I was sorely disappointed but hey, it happens. And even with the magnetic pull that Seattle’s had over me recently…well, maybe we [and I mean Boston] can win that trophy next year…

Congrats to the winners and everyone who played!!! It was amazing to watch!

[To get your official ESPI 4 fix, head on over to Legit Bike Polo.]

[Pictures here...and some by Croth here and here.]

In a former life, I would either be currently attached to a TV or in Kentucky, with a ridiculous hat and a mint julep.

Because, hello, today is the Kentucky Derby.

The first of the coveted Triple Crown, I’ve dreamed of watching this legendary race in person for years. And back when I would have made the weight cut, I even considered training to get an exercise jockey license. Because, you know, that would bring me one eensy, tiny step closer to the Kentucky Derby.

Instead, today, I’m off to the polo courts in Allston and Somerville, with a few prizes in my bag and full of expectations of good hugs from good friends. Finishing up hats for ESPI last night, I suddenly realized that I had promised to make these the first day I showed up to polo. In October. It was just starting to get chilly; I had just watched my life as I planned it go down the shitter, and the only thing I seemed good at collecting were rejection letters from firms. In retaliation, I painted my nails bright, bright red.

And started spending Sunday afternoons with a mallet in one hand [or, at least a beer], and forming those bonds that make bad days, weeks, or months just unravel. I remember biking down Western Ave, then that paved sidewalk to the court itself on sharp, verging-on-winter fall days my mind an emotional mess of “I didn’t get that job I was dying for, my note’s a mess, my future is falling apart, blah blah blah, wah wah wah wah…” And trying to keep myself from bursting into frantic tears, I’d look up and see a raised mallet or hand waving, Jamie stopping by the wall to say hello [cigarette in one hand, mallet in the other], and Nick making some smartass comment as he coasted by [laughter, in any case, inevitably ensuing].

In any life sans polo, I’d find a way to watch the Derby. But even with three more finals staring me down, I’m going to make a little time to deliver on promises, and watch my polo peeps own. I may not be able to offer any kind of tangible support on the court [unless you count my trademark "get in everyone's way" move], but that doesn’t mean I can’t cheer or heckle.

And even if Boston doesn’t take every single prize offered [including a Volume cutter frame thanks to Kip and Bud at Cambridge], at least the winning team will be forced to rep Boston whenever they might turn these brims up. And with the Derby favorite this year named “I Want Revenge,” well, I think that’s all too appropriate.

[And if you're reading this, with nothing to do on a Saturday afternoon, pedal your ass over to one of the courts. Right now. GO.]

Law school exams are sort of like that space between comfortably drunk and black out drunk. Okay, that’s kind of a big range, but you know that phase that starts when everything goes numb and the room spins a little. That phase when that booze-fueled fog that’s making bad decisions for you clears for a moment and you realize that that shot waiting for you at the bar is totally unnecessary, but you take it anyway.

The last time I did that, I went home in a cab around 7pm [yeah, we started early] and I was puking my guts out until 3am.

I thought I was going to die.

The next morning, I patched together pieces of the previous evening, only remembering hours later that I had literally crawled from the elevator to my sister’s apartment that night. All those embarrassing moments, slowly filtering in, like your memory won’t let your ego die of shame by bringing it back all at once.

That’s kind of what exams are like. Really. It’s a numbing three hours where at the end, you’re not even sure what happened. And in a lot of ways, I don’t even want to know what happened. I have three more exams coming up; how well I did [or not] is a question gladly deferred until my ego can handle it.

So when I walked out of my tax exam around 1pm today into a warm, sunny afternoon, I couldn’t resist the longer ride home. A day this beautiful can’t go to waste, especially when I have the handy excuse of “well, I need to clear my head after that exam totally effed me in the a.” And so, I mercilessly exploited that excuse, riding through Watertown then heading through Cambridge, stopping to see flowers and trees with [green!] leaves on them and groups of friends or happy couples strolling lazily with coffee cups in their hands. And cruising past it all, I gulped in the fresh, spring air, trying to clear my lungs of the cobwebs and dust that’s forming in them.

I sucked in more air when I stopped by Cambridge, and stomped around in my Sidis, running inside and out. But that’s for tomorrow; for now, coffee [and maybe a little more law] calls.

Cruising home last Sunday on the new track bike, a tall, lanky boy caught my eye.

Brown tussled hair, dressed in black, and features that can curl up into a super cute smile. Added plus? He was loaded with polo mallets.

I shouted out his name and gave a wave before turning onto Harvard Ave. Carefully rolling through the uneven patches of pavement, I heard a bell ring and turned to see none other than Jav, The Responsible Mature One of Boston Bike Polo’s main regulars [and of course, one of the best Boston's got]. With increased gearing on my track bike, I felt like I was running through water on the slight incline while Jav’s ridiculously low gear ratio had his knees bobbing faster than Jennifer Beals’ in Flashdance. We rode through Harvard together, catching up, before parting ways all too soon on Beacon.

Then, last night, as boredom and cabin fever from being trapped in the library for too long crept up on me, making me more than a little bit homesick, my favorite polo player IMed me. I unfortunately missed their Sunday Polo/BBQ event last weekend, but was told lots of people showed up, even a fair share of girls [my cougar bait - a long-running joke - is apparently still single, though...phew!]. Jamie, one of the sweetest boys I’ve met in Boston, also demanded to know where I’ve been before leaving me with some sage advice [re: cougaring]:

“You need a man, not a bitch.”

I had to cough to stifle my giggles and cover my mouth so no one would see me laughing at my computer screen. Jamie somehow always knows the right thing to say, and he’s totally right about my inexcusable absence from polo. All signs are pointing to the fact that I need to go back to see the people that didn’t tell me to gtfo after crashing into walls, other bikes, and generally being completely useless on the court.

Don’t be surprised if, come this summer, at least half my posts are about…

1-2-3 POLO!!! [8 more days until ESPI 4!]

[Yes, these are old pictures...another sign I need to go back to play polo.]

Attempting to organize the hundreds of pictures I’ve apparently taken in the past year of all things bike, I realized that this time last year, I hardly knew anything about bikes.

It’s weird…has it really only been a year? The tractorino’s official [Boston] birthday is January 7, 2008. Before that, the last bike I rode was [according to my sister, because I don't remember] a Giant mountain bike and I was probably 12. I barely knew how to lube my chain, much less tension a chain or fix a flat last year. I can’t believe I just admitted that.

So forgive me if I didn’t know the who’s who of bike mechanics and shop employees until this year. Luck decided to stop backstabbing me and leaving me when I needed her most when I became a regular at IBC and met Erich and the rest of my IBC peeps. I learned a little more about bikes, started making hats, and got lucky again with Kip, Jason, Zack, Pete, Tom and everyone at Cambridge.

I still don’t know the official who’s who of Boston cyclists, but I do know a few mechanics who are known around town as some of the best.

Maybe I’m hitting a lucky streak, but when I dropped in to buy something blatantly hang out, one of Boston’s reputed best tweaked a few things on my bike. It progressed from the usual: I walk in during a lapse in the busy day, prop my bike up somewhere, and while I’m talking to a friend, someone much taller than me decides to hop on my mini bike and ride it around the shop.

This time it was Tom. Tom, who does no handed skids in the shop while wearing one of my hats. Tom, whose beater bike is a stickered Bareknuckle with cruiser bars and a basket in the front [I wanted to kill him out of pure jealousy when I saw it, even if I'll never fit on one of those frames]. Tom, who, like Erich, is known as one of the best mechanics in Boston.

Almost instantly, my bike was put in a stand. My impossible front brake [which was being a little sticky] got adjusted ever so slightly, and my baggy chain tensioned. Meanwhile, I went into paparazzi mode.

I got so excited I started taking pictures of everyone, including Zack and his hair.

And if the hairstyles of the CB staff aren’t enough incentive to stop by the shop, my front brake came out working, and I can now ride confident that my chain won’t hop off my chainring and try to kill me. Sure, those aren’t terribly complex tasks, but it’s in doing the simpler things where you see the difference between “good” and “okay.” Or, at least in my case, the difference between “good” and “total suck/fail.”

I heart you guys. For serious.

Not enough sleep. Not enough motivation. My two persistent problems this week.

Last night I blocked off time slots for studying. 8am to noon on Saturday is for Con Law, Tax, and Evidence. 12.30 to 5pm for outlining, reviewing, etc., etc., etc. It felt organized and good; at least it looked good on Google calendar. The unorganized mess is actually executing said plan.

And said plan is already being derailed. I woke up this morning and couldn’t wait until 4.30pm – because when it’s this warm out, I’m definitely leaving the library early, taking the long way home, and stopping at a few bike shops along the way.

I even had a post planned – well, half planned – about how gorgeous it is outside today and the fact that my gigantor thighs are no longer wrapped in Underarmour. I was then going to go on and say boring and mundane things about spring and how everyone should go out there and ride their bikes. Yeah, notice how I said “half planned.” I am emphasizing the “half” here.

So with this weakly formulated post, I figured I’ll try to boost interesting-ness with good pictures. Something nature-y, so people see that Boston actually has seasons other than “bitterly cold winters.” Something that doesn’t consist of the shots of Comm Ave that I love to take. Somethi-

W. T. F.

I screeched to a halt, just managing to wrench a foot out of my clips as I fumbled for the camera conveniently nestled in my pocket. With one foot still clipped in, I hopped/dragged my bike closer, zooming in on the turkey that decided to show up in the bougie streets of Newton. Seriously? I mean, I know this happens, but it’s 8.30am and this is Comm Ave…! I almost reached out to tug the sleeve of an invisible friend and finding none, was left to sort of look around in amazement.

So, yes, I saw a wild turkey this morning. That means that, at the very least, it’s going to be a good day [but with bike shops involved, how could it not be?]. It also means that everyone racing Battenkill tomorrow is going to have an awesomely good time.

Good luck, guys – I’ll be there in spirit, eating a turkey drumstick!

If you were a California state employee, you’d have tomorrow (Friday) off.  For everyone else, come play hooky and join us on the AMA Tour to Insure!

Part 1:  Boston to Providence, led by the boys and girls of the Tufts University School of Medicine.  They leave 9am from the State House, arrive at Brown University in time for SpringFest at 1:30.  We will rendezvous with UMass Medical School at Natick at 10:30am.  Take the commuter rail back home.

Part 2:  Providence to Mystic, CT, led by the stinky hippies from the Brown Medical School.  They leave 12:40 from the Brown BioMed center on Meeting Street, arriving in Mystic around 6.  Take Amtrak back home.

Relay continues over the following two weeks covering Long Island Sound, NYC, Albany, and Buffalo.

Here’s why we’re doing it.  Luckily for everyone, it’s NOT a fundraiser ;p

46 million Americans are uninsured.
They can’t afford health insurance.
They have pre-existing conditions.
They have limited access to health plans and benefits.
No matter what, they live sicker and die younger.
The AMA proposes to solve this crisis by lobbying:
* To provide all Americans with the means to purchase health care coverage.
* To give individuals choices to select the appropriate coverage for themselves and their families.
* To promote market reforms that enable this new approach.

Almost exactly six months ago, I was still freewheeling it on the Bianchi. I bought into the hype and was consequently terrified of going fixed; hence I was stuck in that gray area of the freewheel where I almost got scene points until I started coasting. The resulting inferiority complex really killed me.

Ironically, I flipped my wheel over last October not because I wanted to belong to a “scene,” but because I stopped convincing myself that I wasn’t good/cool/skilled enough to go fixed. Fuck the “scene,” fuck the trendiness, fuck my scarred up knees – it couldn’t be that hard. And, honestly, it was stupidly easy. I even stopped crashing every month.

Six months later, I’m back on the freewheel…and I’m quickly developing a new appreciation for it. Having officially gone clipless, I figured I’ll minimize the chances of crashing [I don't really miss it] by getting used to the whole clipping in and out thing on cranks that don’t always have to move with your rear wheel. I struggled with it both on a trainer and in the parking lot behind IBC but managed to clip in, not crash into an SUV, and get out on the street.

In the middle of traffic, I belatedly realized that I wasn’t fixed anymore. I tried to slow down by stopping my feet and nothing happened. I was still moving. And I was headed straight into the back of a stopped car.

My sluggish brain finally pooped out a memory of Erich, a mere 10 minutes ago, saying, “oh yeah, you have brakes. Use them.” Brakes! Shit! Use them now! I managed to slide up next to the stopped car, slowing down, then accelerating again as I jerked my knees up and down like a wind-up toy soldier until I figured out that I needed to clip out to stop because my feet were attached to my pedals.

It took about a good half hour but I finally got the feel of a freewheel again. There’s more planning involved, now that I don’t have my feet to slow down with, and going really slowly is actually really hard. On my evening ride last night, I felt faster though; and while hills are sort of a bitch, coasting through turns is so much fun.

This might be cheating, but I’m almost tempted to keep that freewheel on for that century…

Always having been the less talented of my parents’ two daughters, I was constantly presented with two choices: excel in something different or be content and find value in being, well, inferior. It’s easier to be the latter…but my parents didn’t raise me that way.

Unfortunately this can usually results in me doing things just to prove that I can do them. Like biking year-round in ridiculous temperatures. Or sort of training for a fixed century. Or deciding that doing a longer ride on a track bike I can barely ride with increased gearing would be a fantastic idea.

Which is exactly what I did yesterday. Planning out a simple 20 mile route, Pete and his extremely pale yet freshly shaven legs assured me that my jump in gear inches was fine, and that we could do 20 miles easy. I blindly believed him and failed to factor in the whole twitchy lightness that seems to be characteristics of a true track bike, as well as mostly unwrapped bars and gloves with no padding.

My hands and arms absorbed the shock of every crevice and bump we went over…and quite frankly, my ass didn’t fare much better. I mentally told myself to toughen up and keep plowing through. Concentrating a little too much on actually planning out and holding a line [my 'cross bike lets me truck through anything and everything], we got lost and had to backtrack a few times. Spotting the river, we decided to ride down River Street in Waltham towards Watertown and Cambridge.

It was the worst road I’ve ever ridden on. About a mile in, Pete yelled that it was like riding the Paris-Roubaix…and it certainly was. His superior bike skills allowed him to deftly dodge obstacles while maintaining a constant speed. Already nervous about being perched on something that felt like air compared to my ‘cross monster, I was a stressed mess. Brake with my legs, cautiously roll over uneven layers of asphalt, skitter around unexpected potholes, attempt to maintain enough speed not to piss off the drivers speeding by, try not to lose Pete. It was like that “don’t step on the cracks in the sidewalk” game I used to play as a kid, except my teeth were clattering, I was developing carpal tunnel, and it was way more painful.

While half tempted to stop and take pictures, the desire to get to the end of this ass-beater of a road had us riding as fast as we could. The worst part? It didn’t seem to end for a really, really, really long time. When we got back to civilization, normal Boston roads – despite all the cracks and potholes – felt like sliding on butter. The people milling about in Harvard Square looked at us oddly as I [finally] lurched into Cambridge. Maybe we let our guards down a little too much as an older model Volvo cut off Pete on Mass Ave without signaling, causing him to slam into it as he maneuvered between the curb and the car [he's okay, though]. The driver claimed her signal had “fallen off,” which had us giggling on our way through Cambridge.

We inhaled bagels [sorry Eric] before heading home. I wasn’t sure my legs and arms were still attached to me but Pete assures me that they were the last time he saw me. Normally, I wouldn’t be adverse to go back and take pictures of River Street. Normally. Because unless you give me a full-suspension mountain bike, I’m not ever riding Boston’s Paris-Roubaix, again.

Unless, of course, you challenge me to do it…

I cannot stand not multi-tasking. If I’m working on hats, I have a DVD playing [due to lack of TV], IMing on the other laptop, and my sewing machine in the middle of the whole mess.

This is probably why I’m not nearly as efficient as I could be but hey, I only have so much free time. Might as well do all the fun stuff at once.

This isn’t to be confused with being multi-talented, though. That’s mostly my sister. My talents, if any, really, are rather limited. I just have the attention span of a 5 year old, and as weird as it sounds, I need distraction to stay focused.

But lately I’ve been meeting more of the multi-talented in Boston. People who manage to ride bikes fast and excel at all kinds of other things. Music and art seem to top the list; from woodwork to punk rock, it’s all kinds of rad that people are actually capable of being passionate about something.

RMM and Natasha are two stellar examples of multi-talented, super awesome people. They’re amazingly nice, into all kinds of cool stuff, and ridiculously down to earth. They’re the kind of nice you actually believe; not the kind of nice where you immediately start wondering what the other person wants from you as you simultaneously back away and look for more interesting people to talk to. They’re the kind of nice where – despite my social awkwardness and tendency to sometimes feel like I’m wasting people’s time which they would rather be spending with cooler people – I feel totally comfortable chattering to them about ice cream cakes and photos.

Natasha even let me take this picture of the two of them wearing my hats [RMM won the heartbreaker hat contest] Friday night at the afterparty with her very complicated-looking camera. Aren’t they just the cutest?

And with that fuzzy feeling of aw-that-couple-is-so-cute! and this gorgeous weather, I’m off to pay attention to the [Italian] love of my lifey.

[Make sure to check out all the photos Natasha took of the event...and the winner of my hat!]

It may come as soon as 2010… up right now on Boston.com is the article “Boston takes first step on bike sharing program”

In my opinion there’s still plenty to do before this can become a viable reality.

I spent far too much time this weekend leaning over a particular counter in Allston. I’m working on wearing an indent into that space.

It’s, of course, the IBC counter. And it didn’t involve anything dirtier than bike grease and some of Herrell’s heath bar brownie crumbs. Oh yeah, and chips. Chips are crucial.

Well, so are cookies. At least for the IBC Regular’s Lounge that should be installed [mostly for my benefit]. Chris has already promised to fund the eternal cookies-and-chips supply for said lounge. I plan on warming the seats for other regulars. Eric, Erich, Jeremy et al. will be providing endless entertainment [possibly involving blood, even!]. It’ll be one of the most coveted lounges in Boston.

To make things even better sweeter, I’d even consider busting out these cups [pictured above, not the other ones] for the really hardcore regulars. I got them in the mail as a late Christmas present from my best friend; they’re a mid-West vintage find and seriously one of the coolest gifts I’ve ever gotten.

We agreed that they almost look like confetti cupcakes. Small and just the right size for really good hot chocolate or hot apple cider with a cinnamon stick poking out of it, I’m almost glad it’s still winter. And with five in the set, it’s the perfect number for a solid group of good [bike] friends.

Can someone start a petition for the Regular’s Lounge? A big cup of Irish coffee wouldn’t hurt either, especially after a ride in this snow…

It’s funny how you realize how neurotic your whole entire family is when you spend some time away. It’s also, ironically, what makes going home so great: you fit right in, and you don’t have to worry about acting “normal” anymore.

I’m not at home, but I take comfort in the fact that my Mom is probably working non-stop on her lacquer-ware [she's an artist]. She doesn’t question how I’ll stay up into the wee hours of the morning slouched over, embroidering a piece of cloth. Neurotic devotion loves company, I guess.

But I think anyone, even people outside my family, will agree that it’s hard to get tired when you’re doing something you really love. Well, until much later. Like right now. My legs are finally feeling juiced out, after doing laps from Allston to downtown, to Cambridge and back to Brighton. I don’t usually ride this much, but having been introduced to this concept of “freedom,” [well, until the library opens again on Monday] I was at a loss as to what to do, other than pedal, pedal, pedal. And though I’m not at home, talking with nearly all my bike friends today came close enough. Because neurotic devotion for the same exact thing is always a guaranteed good time.

First stop was at polo; I hadn’t been to the court in months. And with a warmer weather, it seemed like everyone showed up. Boston’s Cutest Polo Player was in attendance [I failed to get a pic], as was Boston’s Hottest Polo Player [seen below].

And you know how the East Side Polo Invitational is being held here in Beantown in May? The teams coming up are going to face some stiff competition from our home teams. We’re just not happy with the whole “one mallet” concept, so we figure double-fisting couldn’t hurt. I mean, not as applied to polo at least.

Neurotic devotion? Probably. Are we going to own all the teams that come up for ESPI? Most definitely. Will we be the hottest players there? Yes, yes, and yes.

As I challenged the bald guy in the blue sedan who patronizingly tried to tell me to move over as I flipped him the bird on Comm Ave [which rendered him into some sputtering rage, in response to which I laughed]:

Bring it.

Got an email today telling me that the bike film fest WILL be back in 09, if you missed it last year it was pretty cool, the organizers have released a call for films, so if you have one, get in touch with them.

—–

BICYCLE FILM FESTIVAL
CALL FOR ENTRIES
Deadline: March 7
http://www.bicyclefilmfestival.com

Enter the Ninth Annual Bicycle Film Festival! This annual event’s looking for films with a bike-related theme. Any style’s acceptable: animation, experimental, narrative, documentary and music videos are all a go.

The Bicycle Film Festival travels to over 20 cities around the world, including Paris, London, Tokyo, New York — and Sydney.

Last year, more than 100,000 people attended the festival. The BFF is a lot of fun and includes rock shows, block parties, film screenings, and art shows.

The Bike Film Fest is expected to be a huge success in 2009. All cities have been selected and dates for NEW YORK are June 17-21. All other dates will be set within the month.
Get your entry in by the deadline!

Yup, this might be wayyyy too much information, but things just weren’t feeling right these past couple of days.

Going up hills felt sort of heavy. There was just general uncomfortable-ness. And then there were the sounds.

My bike was grinding. Pushing the pedals at certain points felt like I was working a pepper mill. It was either rock salt or my bottom bracket. With two winters under my bike’s belt, I was pretty sure it just wanted to poop out the bottom bracket.

So it was off to therapy again. This time for a real reason though [and for my bike, not me].

But it wasn’t my bottom bracket. It was these:

The bolts and screws that held my chainring were way too long, which meant that my chainring wasn’t exactly stable. Which meant that my chain ring got slightly warped which is why my chain was hopping. The grinding sound was the unfortunate result of my chainring nearly rubbing against my chain stay.

The chainring got shorter bolts and was put on the outside of my crank. There’s actually more than 1mm between my chainring and the chain stay now, and the hopping’s mostly gone. My bike is positively purring.

I could marry the IBC staff. Like for realz.

“I saw you on Comm Ave last night,” a friend said.

“I thought about opening my door on you. You know, just to make it a little more challenging.”

As if this weather wasn’t challenging enough. I feel like a Yeti on a tricycle these days – sans the training wheels [unfortunately].

Yeah, I know, I know; I knew what I was getting into by deciding to be a year-round commuter in Boston, so I shouldn’t be complaining. I really wouldn’t be whining so much if there weren’t so many goddamn obstacles!

It’s not even the insane drivers who, through their sheer douchery, will teach you how to stubbornly take the lane and stay there while they honk at you incessantly. It’s the potholes.

Like my sanity due to being deprived of warmer weather, the streets are cracking under the pressure of snow, cold, and everything else. And of course, no one’s really doing anything about it.

Okay, so maybe I should do something about it. But at this point it’s almost like a masochistic little game. I want to see how long it’ll take until the whole street is just one big hole. And then I want to see how long it’ll take the city to notice it.

And of course, while this is all happening, I want to see if I can learn – through sheer necessity – how to do wheelies and bunny hops so I can climb out of any holes I get into.

Come next ‘cross season, I’ll probably be owning the races too. So, thanks, Boston!

It’s good to know that some things remain consistent. Like the schizophrenic weather.

Oh, New England, why is the weather here as fickle as a slightly overweight BC undergrad in unfashionable Uggs and leggings? It was in the 40s a day ago – and now this. More snow.

I stubbornly rode in today, and rode home, patting myself on the back the whole way about how foolishly lucky I was to buy the first single-speed bike that came in my size which just so happened to be a ‘cross bike. Seriously, the bitch can take anything.

Well, almost anything. When my tires got clotted with too much snow, I ended up having to walk some of the way. A nice gentleman even rolled down his window and slowed down his minivan as he approached me, and asked,

“Which way to BC main campus?”

…

Yeah I guess some things – like Boston drivers – remain consistent too.

Having gotten my polo fix earlier this week, and today being a holiday, I was on the look-out for some weekend bike-related goodness.

Thank God for Boldsprints!

It was snowing as I left for Cambridge, and it felt like I was getting facial acupuncture as I pedaled. And then nature and gravity decided to show me that my conviction that “I have a ‘cross bike so therefore I can bike over/through anything” was just totally wrong. Good thing I wasn’t with anyone though, as sliding down Mass Ave on my ass is one of my less charming moments.

I made it to the Middlesex, though, in one slushy piece. Hats were delivered, old faces seen, new ones met, and [some of a] beer consumed. And while ‘Sprints didn’t happen due to some impossibly difficult technical problem, fun times were had.

Until, of course, I was faced with the choice of pedaling home in the snow. With the roads not that plowed, fate seemed to imply that I would either be walking it or sliding home on one buttcheek.

But lucky for me, a friend offered me a ride home…if I biked to his house/car in Somerville. There was walking involved, but I’d like to think much less sliding.

Then a whole other adventure ensued in which the guy who was parked behind my friend wouldn’t wake up but we could hear the TV on. Oh, and sliding sideways down the hills of Somerville when we finally got on the road. But of course, it was well worth it.

So…when is the next Boldsprints, again?

Boston Bicyclist Advisory Board call for new members

The City of Boston is currently soliciting members of the bicycling community to join the Boston Bicyclist Advisory Board and help make Boston a world-class bicycling city. The Board provides advice on bicycling-related issues to the Director of Bicycling Programs and other City staff. Board members are expected to attend monthly meetings and participate in substantial work projects.

Ideal board members bring the widest variety of perspectives on bicycling and its potential to improve urban life in Boston together in a constructive and cooperative manner. Interested bicyclists who live, work, or do business in Boston are encouraged to apply. Connections to other relevant community groups and institutions are considered a strong plus.

Application for board memberships consists of a short letter describing the potential member’s interest in joining the board, along with his or her relevant experience, affiliations, and contact information.
Applications should be sent by electronic mail (strongly preferred) or postal mail to:

Nicole Freedman
Director, Boston Bikes
One City Hall Square, Rm 932
Boston, MA 02201
(617) 918-4456
Nicole.Freedman.bra@cityofboston.gov

The deadline for the receipt of applications is November 7, 2008.

———

Cambridge Pedestrian and Bicycle Committees Seek New Members

Deadline to Apply November 24, 2008

The City of Cambridge is looking for people who enjoy walking or bicycling to join its pedestrian and bicycle committees. Pedestrians and cyclists of all ages are encouraged to apply.

The two committees work on a variety of issues. They review major development and roadway plans from a pedestrian or cyclist perspective. They work with city staff on both general policies and specific projects. Both committees are concerned with such issues as enforcement of traffic laws, traffic calming, improving city facilities, public education, and promotion. Both include citizen members and representatives of city departments.

Committee applicants should be enthusiastic walkers or cyclists who live in Cambridge, can attend monthly meetings, and are willing to work on projects. The pedestrian committee generally meets on the fourth Thursday of the month from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. The bicycle committee meets on the second Wednesday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Both groups usually meet at City Hall Annex, 344 Broadway, Cambridge.

To apply for appointment to either one of the committees, send a letter by November 24, 2008 describing your interest in pedestrian or bicycle issues and the kinds of projects or issues you would like to
work on to Robert W. Healy, City Manager. The email address is
randers@cambridgema.gov. The postal service address is c/o Rosalie Anders, Environmental and Transportation Planning, 344 Broadway,
Cambridge, MA 02139. Appointments are for two years. For more
information, call 617-349-4604.

Pretty awesome looking ride, be sure to check it out.

From the site

A very frightening tour of Boston, a 2 hour ride at a mild to moderate pace. Saturday October 25th starting at 4pm. Starting from 89 Brighton Ave Allston. This mellow ride will begin in Allston and roll through Cambridge and Boston. Following the ride until 8pm there will be a costume contest and refreshments at International Bicycle Center. Contest Prizes include a chrome bag and a niterider USB light.

Costumes encouraged. Riders of all abilities welcome, helmet and safety lights required.

A few weeks ago, just when I started playing around with the whole idea of actually selling these hats, I got an interesting email.

The story went like this: Guy wants a hat. Guy got his bike stolen. Guy offers a MS Paint masterpiece of his bike (pictured above) in exchange for a hat.

So I agreed to the deal: a hat – a custom job, incidentally – for the picture (and a few more bucks). We finally met up Friday night in front of North Station and pictured below is my end of the deal.

This got me thinking though – the barter system isn’t so bad. I get interesting stuff and I get to meet nice people.

Anyone wanna barter?

A while ago we posted about some new bike racks in the Dot. I had asked for more shots, my friend Greg sent me this fine example of my tax dollars at work.

Go Boston! Lets keep it going! Have you seen any of the hundreds of new racks the city is putting in? If so drop me a line with a picture (shane at Bostonbiker.org) and I will post them. If you want a plug to your website include that as well.

Got an email about an event today, looks like a good one. For all you roadies out there, and for anyone looking to throw down some miles, this one is for you. It’s for a good cause to boot!

—

It is an AIDS charity ride called Harbor to the Bay. It is a one day ride from Boston to Provincetown. Launched in 2003, Harbor to the Bay (H2B) has raised nearly $1,000,000 for four local HIV/AIDS organizations; Fenway Community Health Center, AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod, Community Research Initiative (CRI), and AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts (AAC). 100% of all rider-received pledges go directly to these beneficiaries. More information can be found on the website at www.harbortothebay.org Harbor to the Bay Ride 9/20/2008

Call us:877-422-2453(H2B-BIKE)
e-mail: HarbortoBay@aol.com

Got this fun video in my email last week. Looks like there are a lot of really nice places to ride your bike in this city. Not that we all didn’t already know that.

I don’t deal well with public speaking. I’d really rather write the speech and have another person deliver it, take all the credit, and rise to fame/be promoted/be applauded.

That’s one reason why I started giving these hats away for free. I figured no one would part with money for these, even if each one I gave away was important to me. And even when I did give them away, with the exception of Boston Biker and What I Think, I didn’t get one response, one picture, one email.

It’s ironic, then, that just as I decided to set up shop, that people actually expressed interest in them. I’ve gotten requests for custom jobs, offers of a barter exchange of sorts, and straight up “I’ll buy one”s.

Thanks to Boston Biker, I’m now able to officially offer my hats online. Click on the pictures for more details and to order – I’ll be charging $20 for a posted hat and $25 for custom jobs (plus shipping). Custom jobs will depend on the fabric I have available and I’ll be making a “fabrics” page specifically for people who want to pick and choose.

Thanks for checking the site and feel free to look around, tell your friends, or give me feedback on any of these hats. Want more Boston hats? Want more black hats? Just drop me an email.

I love the New England Aquarium.

On a visit there earlier this summer, I found myself with a stupid smile on my face, grinning at the penguins and pointing at the sharks like a [well-mannered] 5 year old. After oogling the jellyfish exhibit, we burst out into the sunshine to hop back on our bikes, weaving through traffic and unpredictable taxis.

And while I am definitely small fry on my bike, the ability to pedal through stand still traffic still makes me feel like a shark. Or maybe a ray.

I almost want to keep this hat – it’s one of my all-time favorites. But hey, I’m sure a real Boston shark out there could put it to good use.

I’ve been eyeing the IRO frames for a while. It’s an understatement to say that the black single-speed/fixed frame is ubiquitous but there’s a reason for it, right?

It’s sleek, simple, and looks good under pretty much anyone. It goes with every outfit. It looks professional without all the loud decals and clashing colors. It’s classy without trying too hard.

I hope this hat does the same – it can be more professional but won’t look out of place in an alleycat. Especially in an alleycat. Turn up that brim and rep your hometown.

I’m resisting the end of summer. The lazy days, the nights spent out on random rides, the dripping sweat.

My list of things to do and places to go isn’t even half done yet.

But there will be another long, hot, gorge-yourself-on-all-the-watermelon-you-can-eat Boston summer, and I’ll be pushing out hats through the fall. Hopefully there are people out there who want to rep Boston a little bit…and ride bikes as well?

I think it’s only appropriate that Boston Biker got the first ever Boston s-class hat.

Partially because of the handle, partially because without this guy, I wouldn’t have a site host and a really cool custom layout and a person to do my advertising for me at the BFF.

So here’s to Boston, Boston cycling caps, Boston Biker, and well, more Boston cycling caps.

Now, who wants one?

Found these little gems on Google Maps, seems the city might be up to something….

I will keep on top of this.

Bike Shops

View Larger Map

Green – Key Shops Purple – First Tier Shops Blue – Second Tier Shops Aqua – Visited Red – No longer at this address

No idea what the tier system means, but this is a pretty good map of local shops. Might add it to the bike map page.

Lanes

View Larger Map

I am pretty sure that green lines mean proposed lanes, and blue are existing. If every street that is green ends up getting a lane that would be fantastic, but still just the start of a vibrant bicycle infrastructure project. I hope those greens turn blue soon!

Racks

View Larger Map

Blue = Requested
Green = In Process
Orange = Installed
Purple = Dead
Yellow = Hold

Pretty sure this has to do with the recent push from the city to install a whole bunch of new racks. My sources tell me that they will be installing over 250.

Speaking of maps, be sure to check out the ever growing BostonBiker.org bike map, be sure to add your own favorite locations!

In 1989 The Back Bay Midnight Pedalers started making an annual tour of historic and architectural sites in the Boston area. The ride usually occurs in mid-to-late August, beginning just before midnight on a Saturday night and running until a little after sunrise on Sunday. The ride route and length varies, but is usually around 30 miles.

Pictures from 2002.

Pictures from 2003.

Pictures from 2004.

Pictures from 2005.

No pictures from the August 20, 2006 ride — too much rain, not enough photogenic things.

Pictures from 2007.

Ham radio operators who are interested in helping with communication should contact jweiss at mit.edu.

Information on the 2008 ride was recently mailed out. From that flyer:

Boston By Bike…At Night
Midnight ’til dawn
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Twentieth Annual Tour of Architectural and Historic Sites Meet at *11:15pm* in front of Trinity Church in Copley Square Bring a bicycle with a light and wear something reflective; helmet recommended. Commemorative T-shirts available. Bring something for breakfast Sunday in Christopher Columbus Park. **Please bring a spare inner tube that fits your tires.** Sponsored by the Back Bay Midnight Pedalers For information call 617-522-0259

Re-runs are great; there are some shows you can watch over and over and over again. And on those days you can barely drag yourself out of bed, starving but too hung over to actually make anything to eat, the warm glow of Law and Order marathons are God’s gift to the now-latent raging alcoholic in you. They justify sitting on the couch all day. With a beer.

But you know, it sucks when your life becomes one.

Because while mindlessly watching TV re-runs at least gives you the pretense that you’re doing something productive, that’s not really the case when it’s applied to your life. You just become something boring to look at, because nothing else is around, or something only tolerated because flipping through the channels is too much of an effort.

Which is kind of how I’ve been feeling lately. Cut, sew, finish, drop off, blog, silence, repeat. For some reason, Boston just doesn’t seem to like my hats. And for some reason, people in other cities do. I’ve been putting off making hats for friends in other cities (“yeah, sure, after I finish these three hats I want to give out…”), and have had the word “commission” tossed my way (whatever that means). So for all the friends I’ve been neglecting, and to all the people who have asked for a hat…well, something seems to be in the works.

But Boston, what gives?

8th Annual Bicycle Film Festival

A Celebration of the bicycle as art and the diverse sub-cultures associated with cycling

BOSTON DATES: Thursday August 14th through Sunday August 17th

The Bicycle Film Festival is a celebration of all things BIKE!  We guarantee that if you can name it, our bike-savvy team has tested it, rode it…experienced it.  Tall-Bike Jousting, Mountain Biking, Track Riding, BMX, Recumbent cruising, Critical Mass-ing, Bike Polo-ing, Track Bikes, Alleycats, intense road racing; ….clearly cycling speaks to many “walks of life”.  We invite you to join us as we celebrate these diverse lifestyles through art, film, music and performance at the 8th Annual, Bicycle Film Festival.

On Thursday, August 14th, ride on over to the official “kick-off” party hosted by Jamaica Plain based bike shop Revolution Bicycle Repair and Indie film connoisseurs, Video Underground in their outdoor courtyard.  Expect BoldSprints Roller racing, DJ’s, food and fun.  Then on Friday, August 15th we are rolling the party on over to Davis Square, Somerville with screenings at the Somerville Theater and an after party with bike-happy Redbones.  Films continue at Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) on Saturday, August 16th and conclude with the “Bikes Rock”, after party hosted by our friends at the The Weekly DIG and Allston’s finest, Great Scott’s. 

Then, join us as we wrap up party-central weekend with a late morning bike ride and brunch hosted by contemporary home furnishings and apparel mavens, Union Square’s own Grand.

Tickets for all screenings of the Bicycle Film Festival in Boston are available for purchase on the website; Full Festival Passes are only $27.00!!

Visit the Bicycle Film Festival online for trailers, complete events & screening information.

Bicycle parking provided by MassBike at all film screenings.

If you are interested in volunteering, contact Boston Producer, Seth Davis seth@bicyclefilmfestival.com

Thats right, Boston may be playing catch up, but it just got it’s very first bike lanes. There will be a media event next Tuesday (August 5th) at 11:00am to announce them.

This will be a press event to announce the new bike lanes on Comm Ave. between Kenmore Square and the BU Bridge. The Mayor will be speaking along with David Watson, MassBike’s executive director. It would be really great if a bunch of bicyclists could show up by 10:45. I don’t know the exact location but just look for the media trucks along that stretch of Comm Ave (my guess would be the plaza in front of Marsh Chapel?)

This should be a fun time, and hopefully a sign of things to come.

EDIT: More details below

Tuesday August 5th
11:00 AM
640 Commonwealth Ave
Courtyard, BU School of Communications

Topics: Commonwealth Avenue Bike Lanes, Rack installations…and one
item yet to be announced.

Please feel free to invite cycling friends and family, and bring your
bikes, of course.

In another world far far away from the internet (the “real” world), I played a small part in helping to organize Boston’s first Bike Friday. It was a smashing success, with hundreds of people showing up to city hall (which I might add is completely deserted at 5am when you are trying to put a tent up). It was wonderful to see so many people riding in from all over town (see map below). The goal of this event was to show people just how easy it is to ride your bike to work. Hopefully this kind of thing can grow and spread and we can be doing our own little bike Fridays all over the city, all year round, every Friday!

View Larger Map

Here is a bit of video one participant made (from the excellent VeloFellow blog)

If this looks like it would be fun, be sure to check out the next one in August 22 (for this and other events take a look at the event calendar over there on the right) . For more info see the Boston City website for Bike Fridays here. Also be sure to check out the nice picture gallery that Boston.com put on here.

You know when you start hooking up with someone who is clearly psychotic and who keeps trying to rip your balls off but you keep going back for more? And you tell yourself that it’s because the sex is so awesome or because she’s so hot and you probably couldn’t do better and all your friends are jealous of you? Until you realize that you don’t actually think she’s that hot anymore and you’re sick of disinfecting the bite marks she leaves on you?

That’s kind of what I’m beginning to think this project might be. Some misguided project in complete masochism.

It could just be my OCD though. I have no idea what happened to that hat I left last night at the Otherside. Which kind of bothers me.

But I have more. People seem to want Boston bike hats. Okay. But where do you people even park your bikes?

Paris has one, DC is getting one, could Boston be next! Lets hope so. This was just sent to me from City Councilor John Connolly.

I am writing to let you know that I filed legislation yesterday to explore bringing a shared-bike program to Boston. Attached please find a copy of the hearing order. I want to recognize that Mayor Menino and his administration have already begun the process for launching such a program, and I look forward to hearing from City leaders on their efforts to bring a shared-bike program to fruition.

I am hoping that a hearing will present the opportunity for the public and any experts to discuss the best model for such a program, the necessary infrastructure, and the best ways to ensure a successful shared-bike program in Boston. I will keep you updated on the scheduling of the hearing. As Chair of the Council’s Environment & Health Committee, I am making every effort to promote a greener city that includes more sustainable transportation options like a shared-bike program.

I would welcome your feedback on this or any issue.

Thanks,
John

John R. Connolly
City Councillor At-Large
Boston City Council
One City Hall Square
Boston, MA 02201
phone: (617) 635-3115
fax: (617) 635-4203

You can read the proposed legislation here. (pdf)

I am not sure if Boston is ready yet for this kind of program (we lack infrastructure, driver education, biker education, common decency towards our fellow humans, etc…). And to make this successful it has to be rolled out with thousands of bikes all over town. Something I am not sure this plan proposes. But perhaps they can bootstrap it to success. A program like this would be a welcome addition to transportation options for the city (especially for tourists), lets hope they can do it, and do it well.

The City of Boston is going to extend Bay State Bike Week all summer long. In this first of a kind event the city is going to be actually escorting people from all over the city to downtown. If you missed the very fun and very cool bay state bike week bike to work day you really should check this out.

Bike to City Hall Plaza with DotBike and others on Friday July 25th and again on Friday August 22.

City of Boston Bike Fridays

WHAT: SAFE, GUIDED CONVOYS WITH POLICE ESCORT Lead by experienced cyclists and escorted by Boston Police, convoys follow a fixed schedule and route and originate at locations throughout metro-Boston. All convoys finish at City Hall Plaza Boston.

FREE BREAKFAST, BIKE EXPO AND MUSIC Whether you ride in with a convoy or ride along, join us at Boston City Hall for free food and fun, courtesy of 100.7 WZLX, Mass Commute, Mass Bike, and all our sponsors.

SCHEDULE:

WHERE: Rides start from various locations in metro-Boston. Cyclists can join the convoy at start location, or at any point along the route. See map for locations and times. Police escorts only available within Boston.

See the link above to register for free and more information including route maps.

Thanks for the heads up DotBike.

I found this little gem on the interwebs….looks interesting.

Come join us again this year for 3 days of fun with the bikes we love to ride.
Friday July 11th
We will be starting off the weekend with a Evening tour of the Watch City, Waltham Ma. Dinner at a great little Mexican restaurant and afterwards a ride around the Charles River. We will finish the Evening with a stop at a great brewery named after the city known worldwide for the Waltham Watch, aka: The American Waltham Watch. The City is also known for The Orient Bicycle, one of the finest bicycles ever made.
Saturday July 12th
We will start with a breakfast ride around Boston’s Metro West and finish at Belmont Wheelworks for a day of Recumbent Demo. We will have the full line of Bacchetta bikes to test ride and free Bacchetta bike fittings. Come by if your thinking about getting into recumbents and dont know where to start. This will be the perfect day to try any model and talk to some of the people that make Bacchetta the one bike to ride and own. Last Demo, 5:30
Sunday July 13th
We will start with an extended ride for those looking for something a little longer. The roads in the Boston area on Sunday morning are for the most part free of traffic and is perfect for riding your Bacchetta and enjoying the full Southern New England Splendor.
At 2:00 Lucinda Chandler, The first Women to ride a Catrike solo cross country, will speak for an hour about here incredible journey, Here is a bit of whet to expect:

MONTHS AFTER SPINAL SURGERY, RECOVERING FROM LEG PARALYSIS AND CANCER SURGERY, LUCINDA CHANDLER CYCLES ON A RECUMBENT TRIKE, ALONE, ACROSS THE UNITED STATES AS A PERSONAL CHALLENGE
Cycling for 58 days, eight to twelve hours a day – no flat tires the entire trip
Thinking about cycling all day, up hills, in unrelenting heat, rain or into strong headwinds all the way across the United States or would you just like to hear about someone who did?
The following topics are covered in this tale of adventure: Inspiration & Motivation- increasing your physical and mental fitness level, Making the Most of All Life Experiences – positive and negative, Planning & Goal Setting, Choosing Equipment & Apparel, Resources and Alternatives.
Hear about an extraordinary adventure and learn how to prepare for your own.
Quotes from Lucinda during her cycling cross country journey -
“…not able to make it to my destination for the night and had to camp, alone, along-side the road behind some bushes…a bottle came hurling from a car window landing not too far from my tent…sleep just didn’t happen.”
“…after a long, difficult day…coming out of the store where I had stopped to buy a cold drink…I was so disappointed to see that my bike was still there….that no one had stolen it…of course, what I would have done if it had not been there was not a rational thought at the time.”
Have you done something spectacular in your lifetime? Now, is the time to do something really awesome!
Lucinda Chandler, Cross Country Cyclist, USA

We will also have Bicycle Demos going on until 4:30 back at Wheelworks.
The event is Free. Riders need to bring only cash for food and drink and there recumbent bicycle for the rides. Demos will be held after the morning tours on Saturday and Sunday and are open to anybody. Please respond to Scott at srcbikes@aol.com, or Mike at, mike@bacchettabikes.com if your planning to attend. This will give us an idea of how we can make the event one to remember. More info to follow as we get closer to the date.

When: March 16th 6pm
Where: All Asia Bar Cambridge (334 Mass Ave)
What: Freaking awesome!
Who: You, be there!
How: The power of your own two legs, and the desire to go faster than anyone else.

Do you know an individual or a business making a difference in Boston to help green our city? I’m sure that you do, and I encourage you to nominate them for Mayor Menino’s 2nd Annual Green Business, Residential and Bike Awards.

Mayor Menino recognizes that Boston businesses and residents are an integral part of our efforts to turn Beantown into Greentown. We want to honor those businesses, residents and community leaders who are at the forefront of sustainability, from energy and water conservation, to green building and bike friendly practices. This year there will be numerous awards in three major categories:

• The Bike Friendly Businesses Program recognizes businesses that encourage bicycling among their employees by engaging in bicycle friendly practices. All companies engaging in five bike friendly practices from the application receive recognition.
• Green Business Awards will honor companies in Boston that implement exemplary sustainable business practices in their day-to-day operations. Boston Green Business Awards will be given in a variety of categories.
• Green Residential Awards will honor residents who incorporate sustainable practices in their homes and neighborhood. This is a great tool to showcase the efforts that residents make and to educate others on ways they too can green their homes. Awards will be presented in a variety of categories.

Forms for the awards are attached and should be submitted by February 29, 2008. All winners will be announced and honored by Mayor Menino at a reception in April.

To find more information, please go to the City’s website: or contact Nancy Grilk, Nancy.Grilk@cityofboston.gov, (617) 635-3425.

Get all your applications here (zip file)