Your mileage might vary (2009: the year in riding)

I failed my mileage objective this year: I pledged to ride a hundred miles per week, but, on average, I barely passed  the 94 miles/week mark.  As it often happens, failure sneaked up on me at the end, when I had to spend a few days in bed with back pain and the rest of the month recovering. 

Happy New Year, Buon Anno, Bonne Année
Originally uploaded by Paolo666


 

Still I rode over a hundred more total miles than during the previous year, and  I’m quite happy about the result. Above all, the recent painful ordeal made me realize the futility of quantifying objectives in numbers. After all, constantly improving one’s performance is unlikely to succeed repeatedly given our limited lifespans.

Thus, for next year, my goals will be quite different. Yes, I’ll still keep track of miles, calories and heartbeats per minute, but all for one reason: to  spend my finite resources well and have even more fun than this past year. 2010 will be the year of Gran Fondo: Italian-style timed non-competitive bike events are spreading across the US of A: the Colnago Gran Fondo celebrates a second year in San Diego, with two brand new events to follow in Philadelphia (August 8) and Los Angeles (October 24). If my condition allows it I’ll try to make it to the San Diego and Los Angeles appointments. Then there'll be the repeat of last year’s successful Levi’s Gran Fondo (October 9). An appointment not to be missed with the better part of California.

I hope to make it to 2 out of 4 events, 3 if I’m lucky (and in good shape). However I want to spend 2010 touring as well. I plan to do my first (and second!) overnight tour, starting with an early spring S24O in the Ojai area with my brand new touring bike.

2009 made me finally understand the difference between pedaling as a sport and as a fun and healthy way of life. Next year I’ll try my best to practice both.

And if anyone needs further sources of inspiration check out the Adventure Cycling suggestions for New Year's Cycling Resolutions.

My hero

Back home, Europe is under an exceptional snowstorm, car drivers told to use public transportation but only very few listen, completely blocking Milan. At least one courageous cyclist is reported :)

Milano sotto le neve, il traffico in tilt | Milano la Repubblica.it

Bike for sale sold!

Bike for sale sold!
Originally uploaded by Paolo666

It's always a little bit of a heartbreak: when a bike goes, however, the memorable rides stay forever. My 2005 Specialized Sequoia was definitely not the glitzy carbon and titanium super light race bike people dream about, but it got me back on the saddle after what I feared would be a permanent partial disability. I dubbed it "Non Sequitur" because I thought it as a foolish buy, and the last road bike I would ever ride. How wrong I was!

In a few months I was riding it for a hundred miles at a time, and it was more than I could ever ask.

After I switched to carbon, it has become my commuter: always reliable but zippy enough to pass the occasional (old tired or lazy) road cyclist. I used it for over a year, three or four thousand commute miles or so,

But good ol' bikes never die: the new owner has big plans, and intents to cross the country with it. Good luck to them, I sure hope Non Sequitur will make the ride across America even more comfy and enjoyable.

Dude, is that my bike?

Dude, is that my bike?
Originally uploaded by Paolo666

No it’s not, not anymore. It used to be, until I donated to Bici Centro. It was just strange to turn around on State Street noticing something so familiar. At some point I have dismantled and put back together every little piece of that still fine ride.

I hope it makes somebody else’s Christmas better, if nothing else taking him downtown in spite of the sometimes torrential rains.

Don’t keep your old bike rusting: make them circulate. Somebody out there might be in need a couple of wheels.

Cyclist, eh?

Yesterday our city had the pleasure of hosting Yvan Martineau and the friendly team from L'Amerique à Vélo. Following a mail that was circulated by Ralph Fertig of the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition, a group of intrepid, curious and simply francophone showed up at the Dolphin Fountain to join our Canadian Guests in a ride around Montecito and Mountain Drive. It was a great meet and greet among cyclists from different groups and allegiances, and a great occasion to see the wonderful place where we live through the eyes of our guests.

L'Amerique à Vélo will be  a 3 episodes series broadcast on the chain Québéquois Évasion in occasion of the 2010 Tour de France. And that was also the reason for pedaling in Santa Barbara: the irresistible call of our views was only part of the story. After the group ride, I participated with a selected few  in an attempt to best Lance Armstrong's alleged climbing record of San Marcos Pass. Needless to say, no one succeeded or even came close, and I was sternly reminded by my heart monitor that it's time to start hill training again.

Another great day of international, bicycle-related fun: I can't wait to post some footage!

(photo courtesy of Ralph Fertig)

Aurora

I finally had the chance yesterday to try out the beautiful Christmas present from my wife: a 2009 Jamis Aurora.  What a magnificent bike, so different from the many I have ridden in my cycling life!

Oddly shaped, at least compared with my "other" road bike the Aurora is the Subaru Forester of bicycles: rutted roads don't scare her, it flies over everything, handles very well. In part this might be due to the 28mm. Vittoria Randonneur tires it comes equipped with, in part to the almost upright riding position of the traditional geometry frame. One thing is sure: there is nothing more comfortable than steel bikes!

Sure, it might not be the bike for sudden uphill sprints, especially at over 27lbs. "naked." However, with the generous gearing provided (30x32 is the lowest!) it's enough to point it at a hill to be sure that, sooner or later, one will get to the top. Exceptional comfort, and payload too: the bike comes with all the possible braze-ons and eyelets for cargo racks and panniers. It's my intention of make of this beauty my main transportation for my daily commute, shopping, and why not, vacation. I'm looking into my first multi-day tour, a dream I had since I was way too young to ride around by myself.

Some initial pictures below:

Turning heads in San Francisco

I'm off riding because of intense back pain, so all I can do is watch videos of other people riding. I don't endorse this kind of cycle behavior, but it sure looks fun:

YouTube - Bobby Root - Mountain biking

All there is to say...

...about cycling, at the conclusion of the Liz Hatch (aka Roubaix Girl) teaser for the upcoming Cyclefilm DVD.

Fantasy Solvang Prelude

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

two roads diverged in a wood, and I --

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

I don’t know how it happened. This year’s course was undoubtedly confusing, criss-crossing the Santa Ynez Valley between Solvang, Ballard and Los Olivos. At some point, however, I noticed something wrong. People appeared more worn and tired that they should have been, and I passed them with oomph, my legs still fresh.
My course map at that point was so disgustingly soaked in sweat that fell apart as I opened it. I slowed down and asked, what road was I on? IOf course no one knew, on the Solvang Prelude and Solvang Century days totally outnumber the locals. I finally found someone who had some idea, perhaps due to the turn-by-turn directions he kept clipped to the handlebar. Smart guy. Turns out I was at mile 40, while I was registering just 25. Somehow, I had, gasp, cheated.

But I wanted my money worth, after all I don’t get to ride in the Santa Ynez Valley every weekend. I climbed the Foxen canyon “wall” (just a little 6% bump, vastly overrated in my humble opinion) and at the next fork in the road, I pulled a Robert Frost: I turned right instead of left, and went up Foxen Canyon, well past the Zaca winery, and at least one worthwhile hill (albeit short). Then I was in pedaling paradise. Near zero traffic, magpies that chattered at my passage, one hawk hunting on the hills on my left. I got back to the more traveled route with some regret but with plenty of renewed energy, and made it in stride through the end.

Kudos to the organizers for the police deployment that made navigating congested Solvang easy. The garbled route could definitely be improved however, as well as the SAG stops: some water at the turnaround point Nojoqui wouldn’t have cost that much, and some volunteers warning drivers about the bike traffic would have been nice.

Steering Wheel Laptop Desk Causes A Stir

Steering Wheel Laptop Desk Causes A Stir - All Tech Considered - Technology News And Culture Blog : NPR

This one I yet have to see on the road. Who's going to be more likely to whack me, the guy with an ice cream tub between his legs (spotted, Patterson overpass) or the lady eating cereal and a banana in the same fashion (El Colegio)? At least this way their food would not be so precariously balanced. (Note: check the absolutely hilarious reviews).

Always bring a camera

When riding, a camera phone will do. There's the beauty of the place you are riding through. Then there's self defense.

You have a nice day too, Sir.:

"Knowing him, had this guy stopped and been even slightly apologetic, there probably wouldn't even have been a police report. But instead, the driver chose to turn it into a felony hit and run, with three witnesses, a paramedic report, and a photo of his license plate."

Stylish two-wheelers

There seems to be a resurgence of the desire for two-wheel freedom. Fantastically-styled, usually with expensive electrical components. One scary example is the Yike Bike, which seems to owe more to the Segway than to the traditional velocipede:

YikeBike - The world's first super light electric folding bike. | Urban Freedom


The Yike shares the "under-seat" handlebar typical of some high recumbents, which I see dangerously weaving between bikepath lanes in the hands of the less-experienced riders. It might take some practice to ride it in traffic (but in the video this looks like a sidewalk rider, which is probably illegal around here).

Another is the PiCycle (seriously: who comes up with these names?), click below for the quite inept LA Times review:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/uptospeed/2009/10/picycle-brings-high-style-to-the-ecocommute.html

Really the LA Times could NOT find someone who actually knew anything about bicycles (that "weird" gear shifter is on plenty of bikes!) and would ride one without the silly leather jacket and motorcycle helmet? Or maybe they wanted to show that even the most incompetent rider (in terms of bicycles) might like it? In any case we get little information on some essential details, like use of standard bike parts, cargo load accessories, serviceable batteries and so on. There is more informative material from the maker:



So the good news is, more people are considering two-wheeler alternatives to the car. It might take them a little longer to realize a minimal of physical effort would make their endeavor more fun, much much cheaper, and definitely more environment-friendly!

The Art of Riding in the Rain

Rain in California seldom lasts long and it’s usually quite predictable. So if you are careful, with  reasonably cheap equipment you can join the ranks of the fearless rain riders.

First of all, cargo. Many of us commute with important computing materials, paper artifacts, non soluble foods and spare clothing that we’d prefer to keep dry. You probably have nice waterproof panniers, but, as my kayak instructor used to say, there is no such thing as waterproof, only different degrees of wetness. To keep wetness away as much as possible from precious cargo, I usually pack year round plastic bags (trash bags are just fine) and keep them at the bottom of the panniers. Before leaving under the rain, I make sure to shove all my important stuff in the bag. Zip up the panniers, and you are reasonably sure everything will be dry as bread on arrival.

Clothing varies. In general, in California, I’d advise to layer wisely. It’s usually not that cold when it rains, and it’s easy to overdo it. In other words, don’t pedal in a parka.
Upper body: I use a standard light waterproof jacket with a hood. It’s a really cheap one I picked up in an outlet somewhere, one size bigger than what I would normally wear, so I can layer anything underneath, and have better lower-body protection. Some people, especially those of the short hair/no hair persuasion use hoodless jackets, of the kind that roadies use. However, I found out that unfortunately on many of those cold streams of water easily find their way down the collar area, and you might want to prevent that. I usually wear my helmet on top of the hood. It might look odd, but it keeps everything in place, even in relatively strong winds.

Lower body: there are divergent school of thoughts. Some people have found that there is something more waterproof and breathable than Gore-TexTM: human skin. Those people pedal in the rain in shorts and sandals, dry up on arrival and wear dry clothes (see above for how to make sure you have those at destination).  Others prefer a standard waterproof over-pants on tough hiking or mountain biking shoes. What you choose will probably depend on your attitude and even more on your latitude.

Lights: I feel for those poor car drivers, especially those of the breeder variety. Many of them are juggling frantic schedules, fielding phone calls, failing to discipline their kids on the back sear, and often all at once! Plus they get bored a lot, I mean, wouldn’t you be bored if you were locked in one of those metal and glass cages? So I see more and more of them texting while driving. Even with sunshine,  it’s not surprising that so few of them seem to notice us or to make the effort to use those turning lights to let us know which way they intend to go.  So imagine when the weather turns bad (and those wipers are so much difficult to use than the blinkers!). So try to be as visible as possible. I have reflectors on my rain gears, and of course on the bike, and if it’s pouring I keep my lights on even in daylight, switched on blinking mode.

Don’t let the occasional shower ruin an otherwise perfectly good riding day!