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February 7, 2012
Time for a Dreamslide
If bikes roll, Dreamslides sashay.
I jumped aboard one of the two-wheeled contraptions, imported from France, yesterday when Miguel Ferguson dropped by the newspaper offices, proud as a papa to show it off.
Ferguson, a 46-year-old professor of public policy in the School of Social Work at the University of Texas, ordered a pair of the ‘Slides last year. Now he zips around town on the scooter-like vehicle, garnering admiring glances — and looks of confusion — from onlookers.
Ferguson bought his Dreamslides because he was tired of pumping gas into a car. “I realized I was part of the problem,” he says.
He considered getting a bike and riding it to work, but says his knees bother him when he pedals. Not so with the Dreamslide, he says, which generates power not by a circular pedal stroke but through short, no-impact running steps.
“I think they’re great. A real alternative to a car,” he says.
He showed me how the neck and handlebars fold down into a compact size, so he can roll or even carry his Dreamslide onto a bus. “It’s Cap Metro friendly,” he says.
Three days a week, he rides from his South Austin home to the UT campus about 7 miles away. He stands, doesn’t sit, as he cruises along. Besides saving him gas money, it’s helped get him in better shape.
I had to try it, so I climbed aboard, placing my feet on the shoe-shaped plates, stepping down and engaging the independent cranks and variable lever arms.
It seemed awkward at first. I kept wanting to sit down, but the Dreamslide has no seat. It felt a little unstable at first, too. That feeling passed as I figured out how to sway with the Dreamslide, shifting my body weight as I slid along.
There are no gears, although Ferguson jokes that it’s got two — the left leg and the right leg. And Ferguson says he avoids big hills when he’s on his Dreamslide.
Unfortunately, that’s not an option for me, so I can’t see this as a daily commuter. Another issue? No place to install a rack, so I could haul all the stuff I need to shuttle back and forth from home to work to pool every day. You’d have to wear a backpack. That’s uncomfortable in the summer heat.
Still, I like the ingenuity of the thing, and I like the commitment to taking another car off the streets.
Ferguson is so enthusiastic about his Dreamslide that he helped persuade Bill Kasson Yamaha on South Congress to start carrying them. They sell for about $1,600.
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February 6, 2012
Riding the rock at Reveille Peak Ranch
Turns out you don’t have to travel all the way to Utah to ride slick rock.
I finally made it out to Reveille Peak Ranch over the weekend, to check out the Hill Country’s version of mountain biking on wide open rock.
In a nutshell? Great terrain. Lots of trails to ride. And tons of stuff to challenge expert riders.
Definitely take the trek up to Decision Point, where you can see Lake Buchanan in the distance. Some of the higher trails include stretches across a big open slab of granite. It’s not quite Enchanted Rock, but it’s close.
The rock is grippy, almost like sandpaper. The view is spectacular in all directions.
My mountain bike skills aren’t up to par for a lot of the advanced trails at the ranch, where cyclists and runners can pay a $10 gate fee and roam 62 miles of trail, including 16 miles of hand-cut single track. So when we accidentally wound up on a trail called Upper Loop, I spent as much time getting off and walking my bike up rocks and ledges and between Volkswagen-sized boulders as I did actually planted on my bike seat.
Still, we found plenty to ride. We zipped across wooden bridges, splashed through a few creek crossings and swooshed among oak trees and prickly pears on the twisty, easier trails down below.
It takes about an hour and 15 minutes to get to Reveille Peak Ranch from Austin. For more information go here.
Look for my article about Reveille Peak Ranch on Sunday in the Venture Out section of the paper inside Life & Arts.
The photo at the top shows me (in the center) with my friends Mike and Marcy Stellfox in the photos, who joined me for a chilly but fun day at the park.
Here I am among the boulder-strewn trails!
This last shot? That’s the reward we found at El Rancho mexican restaurant in Burnet. Perfect way to finish the day.
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February 3, 2012
Beyond Bike Lanes meeting scheduled
Like the idea of cycling but worried about putting foot to pedal?
I love the sound of the Austin Cycling Association’s Beyond Bike Lanes program.
The series of neighborhood gatherings is designed to spur discussion about personal barriers to cycling and intimidation factors, and provide practical advice on everything from route planning to basic safety practices. (Light up! Ride in a predictable way! Obey traffic laws!)
Hopefully, the meetings will ease the worries of new or potential cyclists, and encourage some to make biking a part of their daily life. (I love riding my bike to work most days.)
The next meeting is scheduled for 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 15 at The Peddler Bike Shop, 5015 Duval Street.
City of Austin Bicycle Maps, educational information, refreshments and free rides on a Fat cruiser will be provided.
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February 2, 2012
RAAM qualifier coming to Central Texas
The crazy folks who put on the Race Across America, that coast-to-coast biking jaunt otherwise known as RAAM, have announced a new series of (shorter!) races, and it includes a stop near Austin.
A March 17 Gran Fondo race in Marble Falls will kick off the 2012 RAAM Cycling Challenge. It’s one of nine races slated for across the country. Other stops are Nevada, Oregon, Colorado, Minnesota, Northern California, Ohio, Southern California and Florida.
The event will feature a 120-mile race as the main attraction, plus 30-mile and 60-mile recreational rides and 200-mile and 400-mile races. The 400-mile race is an official qualifying race for the solo category of the annual 3,000-mile Race Across America in June.
“Locations for our Gran Fondo events were chosen for their strong cycling community as well as the opportunity for beautiful views from the bike,” says Rick Boethling, executive director of the RAAM Cycling Challenge.
For more information and to register, go here.
In related news, the award-winning documentary about RAAM, “Bicycle Dreams,” will be shown at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7, at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar. The screening is a benefit for the Austin Cycling Association.
I’ve seen the film, an excruciating look at the sleep deprivation, pain and emotion that the cyclists goe through during the ride.
Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door. Tickets are available online here.
RAAM president Fred Boethling will attend the showing, and local RAAM veteran Susan Farago will speak at the event.
For more information about the film, go here.
Read a story I wrote about Farago and her team of Austin women who finished RAAM last year here.
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January 17, 2012
Georgetown to host bike races in May
Big news, bike racing fans.
Come May, bicyclists will zip around downtown Georgetown during the Georgetown Grand Cycling Race in the Streets.
Eight hundred cyclists, including professional and Olympic cyclists from around the country, and 5,000 spectators are expected for the races on May 19-20.
The headline event, a criterium race staged by Holland Racing on a USA Cycling-sanctioned course, will double as the state criterium championship weekend for the Texas Bicycle Racing Association. A criterium is a closed-circuit race on a 1 or 2-mile course.
The 1-mile downtown course will include the courthouse square and eight high-speed turns in a double-loop circuit.
Among the professional cyclists expected to compete are David Wenger, current U.S. elite criterium champion, on Super Squadra Team; Heath Blackgrove, former Olympian from New Zealand, on Elbowz Yamaha Cycling Team; Brant Speed, current Texas state elite time trial champion; Jen McRae, 2008 U.S. pro women’s national criterium champion; Stefan Rothe from Germany, current Texas state road race champion; and Ian Dille, currently ranked fifth in the U.S. in criterium Cat 1, on Super Squadra Team.
Also planned are a non-competitive ride with routes of varying distances for recreational riders on May 19.
Holland Racing, the company that puts on the weekly Driveway Series, Hammerfest, and the Tour of Austin, will organize the event. For more information go here.
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January 13, 2012
Chihuahuan Desert Dirt Fest set for Feb. 16-18
A little over a year ago, I spent four days under the big skies of West Texas, shredding the skin on my legs and blasting my quad muscles on a four-day bike ride through Big Bend Ranch State Park.
That trip made one thing obviously clear: Big Bend Ranch boasts some seriously awesome mountain bike terrain, and there’s no better camping sites than the ones perched atop mesas bristling with cactus in the wildest state park in all the land.
Tarantulas? Bring ‘em on. Coyotes? Howl all you like.
I loved “The Ride to the Other Side of Nowhere,” and everything that went with it, from gathering around a campfire each evening to snuggling into my sleeping bag under all those stars every night.
I’m not the only one, either. The International Mountain Biking Association designated the Fresno-Sauceda Loop Trail through the park, which we overlapped on our trip, one of only two “ epic” mountain bike rides in the Southwest.
Want to experience it for yourself? On Feb. 16, 17 and 18, the park will host “The Chihuahuan Desert Dirt Fest,” with riding opportunities for all levels of cyclists.
Staff from Desert Sports Outfitters, members of the Big Bend Trails Alliance and Big Bend Ranch State Park rangers will lead rides through the park each day. Riders can also ride any of the trails without guides at their own pace.
Trust me, you’ll be whooping with glee as you spin up and down gullies, past old mining structures and alongside cliffs where big horn sheep now live. Pick from challenging single-track or flat double-track ranch roads.
Park entry fees will be waived during the three-day festival.
To pre-register for Dirt Fest, go to www.bikereg.com. For more information about the event, call Desert Sports toll-free at (888) 989-6900, or go here.
To make reservations to stay at Big Bend Ranch State Park’s bunkhouse for $35 per person per night, or to reserve one of three rooms at the original ranch residence for $100 per room, call (512) 389-8919. For information about having bags shuttled at the park, email park superintendent Barrett Durst at barrett.durst@tpwd.state.tx.us.
For more information about Big Bend Ranch State Park, go here.
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January 6, 2012
Dear Angry Bearded Man ...
Dear Angry Bearded Man,
I hope your day gets better.
It can’t be pleasant starting your day (a Friday, for goodness sake!) by shouting obscenities at a couple of folks riding their bikes along Winsted Lane.
I know, I know. It was 6:30 a.m. and you hadn’t had your coffee yet. Maybe your girlfriend kicked you out of bed. Maybe you were even late to work.
That might explain why you roared south on Winsted in your late model car, traveling well above the speed limit.
It doesn’t, however, explain why you drove unnecessarily close to me and my husband. We were in the far right lane of a three-lane southbound street. Not a single other car was on that stretch of road.
It also doesn’t explain why you stopped at Lake Austin Boulevard and didn’t go when the light turned green.
I’m sorry your morning was so bad that you felt compelled to wait for me to reach that intersection on my bike, roll down your window and yell at us to “Get off the road (expletive deleted)!”
I wasn’t doing anything wrong. I was riding my bike to swim practice at Rollingwood Pool.
I do it because it keeps me healthy. It saves me gas money. It even helps reduce the stress of driving in traffic.
You clearly saw me. I had two front headlights and two rear red blinking lights on my bike. I was wearing a fluorescent yellow vest. I was riding, per the law, in the right lane of traffic.
I was not impeding your progress. I was not delaying your trip.
Next time, take a deep breath. Drink your coffee before you turn the key to your engine. Smile to yourself.
You might even consider trying riding a bike one morning.
It will put you in a better mood.
Pam
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December 15, 2011
Blowing through stop signs
It’s a slow week if I don’t get at least one email or phone call from a motorist irked at a cyclist for blowing through a stop sign or red light.
At the same time, I’m a daily bike commuter and every day I see cars that speed, cut off bikes or roll through intersections.
It seems both sides are at fault.
I’m going to address the issue in an upcoming Fit City column.
Before I write, though, I’d like to hear from you.
Do you always stop at intersections? Why or why not?
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December 14, 2011
Bikes for Kids giveaway on Friday
The JB & Sandy Morning Show will hand out bikes to needy children Friday morning, as it winds up its 15th annual Bikes For Kids campaign.
The giveaway will take place from 6-10 a.m. at Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop, at the corner of 4th and Nueces Street. The JB & Sandy Morning Show on radio station Mix 94.7 will broadcast live during the giveaway.
The show’s goal was to deliver 750 bikes this year. Each $150 provides a child with a bicycle, lock and helmet.
Individuals and large corporate sponsors including Freescale and Whataburger, as well as seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong and his LiveStrong Foundation, raised money for this year’s giveaway.
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December 9, 2011
Got spare bike parts? Check out FrankenBike
Got a spare gooseneck? Need an extra crank?
Check out FrankenBike, a free bike swap meet held monthly in Austin, where love abounds for everything from shifters to derailleurs and powerlink chains make the world go ‘round.
The event (which has the greatest name ever, don’t you think?) is open to anyone who wants to buy, sell or trade bicycles, bike gear or parts.
This month’s holiday version of the event is scheduled for 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10 at the South First Food Court at the corner of South First and Live Oak streets.
Organizers will collect inexpensive childrens’ gifts to donate to Austin’s Blue Santa.
FrankenBike in Austin meets the last Saturday of every month and usually draws about 450 participants. For more information go here.
Chris Gross started the swap meet in 2005 in Austin. Since then it has spread throughout Texas and beyond, with meetings in San Antonio, Houston, Corpus Christi, Bryan-College Station, Asheville, N.C., and Las Vegas.
FrankenBike works in conjunction with area Bike Texas, The Yellow Bike Project, NikiCoverstheCold.com, The Capital Area Blood and Tissue Center and Social Cycling Austin.
Updates to reflect that the group was started in 2005, not 2004.
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November 21, 2011
Adding a cruiser bike to the stable
My carbon road bike rolls fast on long country roads It’s sleek, light and speedy.
My orange mountain bike, depending on whether it’s wearing street tires or knobbies, carries me to work or up and down the rolling trails of Big Bend Ranch State Park, Walnut Creek Park or the Barton Creek Greenbelt.
Those two bikes take me everywhere I need to go.
Still, I’ve secretly coveted a cruiser bike, one of those big, colorful bikes with a broad cushy seat and wide handlebars. They look like a trip to the beach on two wheels.
A week ago, I added one to the LeBlanc bicycle stable. My husband snagged it for me in the silent auction at the Please Be Kind to Cyclists fund-raising gala.
Not only do I now have a bright blue cruiser that makes me smile every time I see it, the money we paid for it went to a great cause — an Austin non-profit that works to make roads safer for bicycles and to improve relations between motorists and cyclists.
Last Sunday morning, I wheeled “Betty,” which I dubbed the new rig, down the driveway and climbed aboard.
My husband Chris grabbed his bike, some our friends pulled up on their bikes, and our roving bike gang headed to Mother’s Cafe for brunch. (Biking to restaurants is one of my most favorite pastimes.)
Betty’s heavy. She’s bulky. She’s got just one gear and coaster brakes, which took some getting used to, I might add.
I have to stand up on the pedals to get Betty up even pint-sized hills. She threw her chain a couple of times in protest, a problem easily solved with a few wrench-assisted adjustments.
Betty’s not about going fast or commuting to the office. She harkens back to the days when I was a kid, and rode loop after loop around the block for the pure joy of how it felt to whiz along smooth paved roads. She’s about freedom and escape, and she’s got character and personality.
Betty’s beautiful.
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November 17, 2011
Volunteers needed to build bikes for Bike for Kids
Looking for a bike-friendly way to give back this holiday season?
Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop needs volunteers to help assemble bikes for the 15th annual Bikes for Kids campaign.
The JB & Sandy Morning Show on radio station Mix 94.7 has given away more than 10,000 brand new bicycles to needy families in the last 15 years. But someone has to put all those bikes together before they are handed out.
That’s where you come in. Individuals and groups are invited to organize their own “build parties.” The shop will provide the pizza and the volunteers can BYOB.
The parties can be scheduled between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. daily. No previous build skills are necessary.
If you are interested in volunteering, email Melinda Bowen at mel@mellowjohnnys.com with your name, email address and preferred date and time slot.
The bikes will be given away from 6-9 a.m. Friday, Dec. 16 at the shop, which is located at the corner of Fourth and Nueces streets. This year’s goal is to give away 750 bikes.
A donation of $150 will provide a child with a bicycle, lock and helmet. Nominations and donations can be made here.
(The photo above by Statesman photographer Deborah Cannon shows Lance Armstrong handing out bikes at the Bikes For Kids giveaway in 2008.)
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November 8, 2011
A new concept in parking: Bike corrals
UPDATED 12:05 pm to include cost of each corral.
One of my pet peeves as a cyclist is riding to a shop or restaurant only to discover there’s no place to park my bike.
When it happens, I make a point of mentioning it to a manager. (Hello Maudie’s on Lake Austin Boulevard — please get a bike rack!)
I like to patronize places that accommodate cyclists. Happily, the city of Austin is taking note.
Earlier this year, Beerland on Red River Street asked the city to help it respond to an increased demand for bicycle parking.
The city suggested several options, including the never-tried-in-Austin idea of bicycle corrals.
It’s a simple concept: The business and property owners agree to exchange a parking space in front of their building for a corral, installed by the city.
Each corral costs between $2,000 and $2,500, including materials, says Jesse Duncan with the city’s Bicycle Parking Program.
In July, crews installed the first corral in front of Beerland. The first night, the corral was filled to its 14 bike capacity. (Yay bikes!)
“We wanted to get one on the ground, and then let the concept catch on,” says Nadia Barrera, bicycle and pedestrian project coordinator for the city of Austin’s Public Works’ Neighborhood Connectivity division, which partnered with the Austin Transportation Department’s Parking Enterprise program to put in the corral.
A flurry of requests for more bike corrals soon followed.
The city has since installed three more corrals — one at Fourth Street and Lavaca, another at Rio Grande Street near Sixth Street, and a third at Red River at 10th streets.
Four more are planned — one each at 600 Onion in East Austin (The Brixton), 1308 E. Sixth Street (Rio Rita), 1618 E. Sixth Street (Liberty), and across from the Metro Rail stop on Fourth Street between Trinity and Neches streets.
The corrals vary in size, holding between 12 and 16 bikes each.
More may be installed in the future.
“We want to try to meet the demand,” Barrera says. “These corrals are largely being installed in areas that don’t have adequate vehicle or bicycle parking, and so they are a great solution. Newer developments are required to have the sufficient bicycle parking per code, so the demand will most likely be defined by the businesses in older developments.”
Businesses that are interested in getting a bike corral should contact Jesse Duncan at Jesse.Duncan@austintexas.gov.
(The photo above by Michael Knox shows a corral outside Halcyon Coffee. The photo below by Jesse Duncan shows the corral near Momo’s.)
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November 7, 2011
Cyclists: Take care on wet roads
It’s not too often that I pedal my bike down wet streets, but I got a good reminder this morning of why it’s important to be extra careful when I do.
It was still dark when I was cruising south along Shoal Creek Boulevard at about 6:30 a.m., admiring the brightly flashing red lights on the back of the bike in front of me.
As we approached Hancock Boulevard, the cyclist, who was wearing a fluorescent yellow safety vest, held his arm out to signal a right turn. But as he rounded the curve, his bike slid out from underneath him and he went down hard.
I stopped to make sure the rider, a 62-year-old man with a thick gray beard, was all right.
Other than a skinned elbow, a banged up knee and a trashed T-shirt, he didn’t seem to be seriously injured. He was a little shaken, but mostly annoyed that he’d fallen.
We chatted for a few minutes. He was on his way to work, and just had a mile to go. We inspected his helmet, which had two new dents in it. Time for a new one!
As we talked, another cyclist pulled up to make sure we were OK. He was on his way to work, too.
It felt good to know that as cyclists we keep an eye out for one another. If I’d fallen, or had a flat, or needed help, I’m sure another cyclist would have stopped to lend a hand.
We’ve got a good cycling community in Austin.
It also reminded me to be extra careful on damp roads. Tires don’t have the same grip as they do on dry roads and a little water can send you sailing.
The three of us wished each other safe biking, and pushed off.
There’s a good chance of rain on Tuesday. Be careful out there, cyclists.
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November 1, 2011
City's Bicycle Advisory Council looking for new members
UPDATE: Here’s a link to the application for the Bicycle Advisory Council.
Austin’s Bicycle Advisory Council is looking for four new standing members and six alternates.
The council advises the city of Austin on cycling issues. Members review and make recommendations on city planning documents and funding priorities for bicycle and pedestrian programs. They also provide bicycle information and recommendations to the Urban Transportation Commission.
Full disclosure: My husband currently is a member of the council.
For application information, contact Nadia M. Barrera, Bicycle/Pedestrian Project Coordinator for the city of Austin at 974-7142 or nadia.barrera@austintexas.gov.
Applications are due by Nov. 10.
To sign up for an email list related to the council, go here.
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October 26, 2011
Pedal for Puppies follows dog head-shaped route
Put this one down in the annals of puppy-loving wackiness: An urban fund-raising bicycle ride that follows a route shaped roughly like a puppy’s head.
Yes, it’s true. Pedal for Puppies, a benefit for Austin Pets Alive!, will host the 25K ride starting at 8 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, from Austin Subaru, 200 W. Huntland Drive.
The ride weaves its dog-headed way through the city, stopping for support (and hopefully more than kibble and biscuits) at Jack & Adams bike shop before finishing back at the car dealership.
Food and entertainment, along with a bounce house, face painter and music, are planned. Pet adoptions will be available from 8-11 a.m., with a silent auction at 10 a.m.
Registration is $40 here.
Packet pickup is 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Wednesday at Austin Pets Alive!, 2807 Manchaca Road; 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Thursday at Jack and Adams,
1210 Barton Springs Road; and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday at Austin Subaru.
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October 25, 2011
Bicyclists: Light up when it's dark!
I ride my bike a lot early in the morning or after work, when it’s dark outside. That’s why my bike practically bristles with flashing, blinking and solid lights, from tip to tail.
In Austin, cyclists are required by law to use a solid white headlight visible for at least 500 feet. A rear red reflector is also required, but it’s even better to attach a bright red blinkie light in back, too.
Besides my front Nite Rider MiNewt 150 headlight (about $70) and my Planet Bike Super Flash tail light (about $17), I’ve got an extra blinkie attached to the side of my bike, and blinking caps on the air valves of both tires. (They look super cool as my tires spin!)
I recently added a new light to my stable — a quarter-sized red LED flasher made by Energizer (about $6) that clips to just about anything, from my bike helmet to my collar or the storage trunk on my bike rack. I use it when I run, too, clipping it to the back of my baseball cap.
To top it all off, I wear a neon fluorescent “safety” vest with reflective piping.
I might look like a complete nerd (or the guy who gathers carts in the grocery store parking lot, as my husband likes to say), but I don’t care. I want to be noticed!
It always amazes me how often I see cyclists riding without the proper lighting system. It’s nearly impossible to see them until you’re almost upon them.
Please. If you’re going to ride in the dark, make yourself visible.
Nobody wants to hit you, but without lights, you’re taking that risk.
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October 10, 2011
New bike lanes in Northwest Hills
I spotted this new bike lane along Far West Boulevard, between West Rim Drive and Mesa Drive in Northwest Hills.
It’s different than a lot of lanes around Austin, because it allows cars to park along the road while still leaving the bike lanes clear.
A big problem with a lot of our existing lanes is that cars block bike traffic, and those of us on two wheels are forced to ride around them, veering in and out of motor traffic lanes.
This way, cars have their parking room and bikes have their lane.
Reader Carri Crowe also sent a link to an interesting way the Dutch handling bike traffic at busy intersections.
Check it out here.
As a daily bike commuter, I’m always interested in how other countries handle traffic.
What do you think about these two examples of bike infrastructure?
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: cycling
October 4, 2011
Bikes stop ahead
Spotted this sign in Baton Rouge. Thoughts?
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October 3, 2011
Bike couriers converge in Austin this weekend
UPDATE: Photos from the 2011 event.Steely-nerved bike messengers from around the continent will converge in Austin this weekend to determine the best urban package purveyor on two wheels.
While they’re here, they’ll also hobnob at local bars, cruise the city by bike and listen to music written and performed by a band made up of Austin’s professional bicycle couriers during the North American Cycle Courier Championships.
A welcome party and group ride will take place Friday at Cheer Up Charlie’s, 1104 E. Sixth Street. (Rumor has it an unsanctioned, late-night alleycat race — a sort of fast-paced urban scavenger hunt — will unfold that night, too, but we didn’t just say that.)
Official messenger races, with cyclists making their way to checkpoints set up along a closed course, are scheduled for noon-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at The Driveway in East Austin.
The winner will win $3,000 in cycling products, including a custom bike frame, bag, helmet and shoes. (A separate race for non-messengers is planned, too.)
“It’s a real working condition race. It’s not just the fastest messenger who wins, it’s the one who can keep their head on their shoulders and can work out the most efficient grabbing system for what they’re delivering,” says one of the event’s organizers, John Trujillo, owner of Beat the Clock messenger service. “Lots of subtle strategy is involved.”
Spectators are welcome; food and gear vendors will be on hand.
Saturday night’s party is slated for Red 7, 611 East 7th Street. Besides live music, side events such as track stand and track skid contests are on the schedule. A closing party and awards ceremony is set for Sunday at The Liberty, 1618 1/2 E 6th St.
Between 150 and 200 working messengers are expected to attend the weekend festivities, sponsored by Mellow Johnny’s and Chrome.
Just what does it take to be a good bike messenger? “You’ve got to be super aggressive in really scary traffic and then polite and professional inside the office in a span of 2 minutes,” Trujillo says. “For one weekend in Austin, bike messengers will really come out and show that we’re the founders of the urban cycling scene.”
For more information or to register for the races go here.
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September 23, 2011
Cycling tip: Don't collide with cop car
Cyclists, if you’re going to have a run-in with a motor vehicle, make sure that vehicle isn’t a police car.
Chris Bell, 27, learned that lesson last weekend while cycling eastbound on 45th Street just past Guadalupe Street at about 7 a.m., when a police car pulled into the lane in front of him and stopped.
“All I can do is grab the brakes as fast as can,” Bell said. “There’s not enough clearance to stop, so I run right into the middle of his back bumper, go onto the trunk and (rear) windshield and roll off the right side of the car.”
Ouch.
Bell was wearing a helmet and the light on his bike was turned on. The impact crumpled the frame of his $1,200 bike and left him temporarily stunned.
After a few moments, the officer got out of his squad car and asked Bell if he needed an ambulance. Bell declined at first, but later realized he was hurt and requested one. Within a few minutes, several other squad cars pulled up. Bell said he was questioned repeatedly by the officers.
According to a police report, the squad car was looking for suspects who ran from the scene of a nearby crime.
Bell was taken to the hospital, where he had another surprise in store. Just as he was heading in for X-rays, one of the police officers arrived and handed Bell a citation for “failure to maintain an assured clear distance.”
Bell had no broken bones, but some impressive bruises. He is trying to get the ticket dismissed.
The bike is totaled. (See crimped frame, above.)
Thoughts?
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September 16, 2011
Please Be Kind to Cyclists ride on Sunday
Here’s a pedal-pumping good deal: A group bike ride that celebrates cycling, doesn’t cost anything and includes free food.
Please Be Kind to Cyclists, the non-profit organization responsible for those animosity-easing bumper stickers all over town, is hosting its fourth annual group bike ride starting at 8:30 a.m. Sunday at Pure Austin, 907 W. Fifth Street.
Riders can choose from a 20-mile, 40-mile or family ride route.
Alvaro Bastidas founded the organization after he was hit by a car while pedaling to an Austin Tri-Cyclist weekend ride nine years ago. He had brain surgery, fell into a coma for two days and remained in intensive care for 11 days.
The organization’s mission is to encourage drivers and cyclists to coexist and share the road safely and with respect.
Organizers remind participating cyclists to ride with traffic, not against it. “ We stop at red lights and stay in one lane. We let cars pass us the best we can. We are nice to our fellow bike riders and the other traffic sharing the road with us. Listen to your ride leaders! They are nice folks with your best interest in mind. A helmet is always a good idea.”
Volunteers are needed to clean up after the event. Contact Darryl@bekindtocyclists.com if you can help.
Also on the Please Be Kind to Cyclists calendar? A fund-raising gala from 7:30 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12 at Pure Austin Fitness, 907 W. Fifth St.
Former Austin Mayor Bruce Todd will serve as master of ceremonies and Mike Stellman will provide piano music.
Tickets are $75 each, $125 for two or $500 for a table of eight. A silent auction will feature items including a custom carbon bike frame, a Colorado vacation and a membership to Pure Austin.
For more information about either event go here.
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September 14, 2011
Cyclists: Please pipe down!
An email from a woman annoyed by disruptive cyclists caught my attention this week.
“In Northwest Austin, what could be a pleasant early Sunday morning on Heathrow Drive is ruined EVERY weekend by chatty bicyclists who aren’t aware that their voices boom for at least a hundred yards — yes, a hundred yards at least!” Carmen deGonsalvetz emailed me this week. “It’s as if they are yelling at a football game.”
Yikes — I can yell pretty loudly at a football game!
I’m occasionally guilty of this, I admit. I’ve found myself trying to talk to a fellow cyclists a bike length or two away. I’m probably hollering without even realizing it.
And, fellow cyclists, believe it or not, not everyone in Austin is up as early as we are on weekends.
DeGonsalvetz has a suggestion on how we can hone our manners.
“To all riders: please encourage your cycling partners to be considerate of the peaceful environment through which you are riding. Share the quiet by saving your chatter for elsewhere later. Please realize that your voices are booming most likely because your helmets cover your ears, and because your lungs are working a bit harder.”
Point taken.
Permalink | Comments (10) | Categories: cycling
September 13, 2011
Construction means 10-month detour on Lance Armstrong Bikeway
Heads up, bicycle commuters.
Downtown construction of a wastewater tunnel project near Shoal Creek will mean a 10-month detour along the Lance Armstrong Bikeway.
From Oct. 3 to July 2012, the section of trail next to Shoal Creek between Cesar Chavez and Third streets will be closed.
Like many cyclists who use that trail daily, I’ll have to enlist a little creative route planning to get to and from work each day.
City of Austin officials recommend using either the newly improved sidewalks on Lamar Boulevard between the Pfluger Bridge extension and Fifth Street or the hike-and-bike trail around Lady Bird Lake between Cesar Chavez and San Antonio streets as detours.
Either way, it’s a hassle. Just remember, it’s temporary.
If you’ve got questions about the trail detour, email them to project manager Joel Brundrett at Joel.Brundrett@austintexas.gov and copy PWDUrbanTrails@ci.austin.tx.us.
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September 6, 2011
Bike tour of CowParade Austin
Time to get moooving.
The Austin Cycling Association will lead a bicycling tour of CowParade Austin from 6-9 p.m. Sept. 12.
Participants will pedal through urban pastures, photographing as many of the 100 painted bovines in their native habitat as they can round up.
The tour will start with light snacks, socializing and an introduction of group members who are running for the club’s 2012 board of directors. Afterward, riders are invited to share their photos and enjoy dessert (cookies and milk, of course!).
“Our herd of cow-tologists will judge the photos as they are loaded into the Facebook Moo-seum Archives,” says Eileen Schaubert, ride organizer.
The ride will cover less than 10 miles, all at an easy pace suitable for cruiser bikes. To join the herd, meet at 6 p.m. Sept. 12 on the outdoor plaza at Whole Foods Market, 525 N. Lamar Boulevard.
The ride is free and open to the public. Lights and helmets are required. Bring a camera and cash for snacks. Membership in the Austin Cycling Association is not required, but you can sign up for $25 ($40 per household; $15 students.)
For more information go here.
The club’s Scout-A-Route hosted ride series has been exploring public art throughout Austin for the last three years. “We love getting people out on their bikes finding beautiful, whimsical works that are best seen on two wheels,” Schaubert says.
The CowParade is a fund-raiser for Dell Children’s Hospital. The cows will be auctioned off after the public display.
I’m waiting to find out which is faster, a cow or a bike…
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August 11, 2011
Local cyclists in cycling safety videos
You might have noticed Austin cyclist and freelance journalist Ian Dille in a series of Road ID commercials that aired during the Tour de France recently.
Dille’s Super Squadra teammates Alan Ting and Shane Haga and mountain biker Shae Rainer are seen in the clips, too.
Bob Mionske, a former Olympian who now works as a lawyer specializing in cyclist injury cases, commentates.
The videos are loaded with safe cycling tips, and are useful for experienced cyclists as well as beginners.
The one posted above deals with intersections and ramps. Others focus on riding in groups, pacelines, passing and cornering. There’s even one titled “Advice for Drivers.”
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July 28, 2011
Livestrong to host training ride, run
If you’re thinking of biking or running in the Team Livestrong Challenge this October, heads up.
Livestrong will host a training ride and run starting at 7 a.m. Saturday to help prepare you for the Oct. 15-16 events.
Mellow Johnny’s and Austin Cycle Camp will lead training bike rides of 20 miles and 40 miles. Luke’s Locker will lead training runs of 3 and 6 miles.
Both start and finish at Livestrong Headquarters, 2201 E. Sixth Street.
Afterward, you can get free breakfast and product samples, information about the Team Livestrong Challenge and take a tour of Livestrong Headquarters.
It’s free and open to everyone.
For more information and to register, go here.
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July 25, 2011
Bike stamps coming in 2012
Next year, I’ll be sending my snail mail correspondence with bicycle-themed postage stamps.
The U.S. Postal Service has unveiled a set of four Bicycling Forever stamps — one featuring a kid on a bike with training wheels, one showing a commuter pedaling to work (my fave!), one with a zooming road racer, and another with a high-flying BMX rider.
The stamps will be issued sometime in 2012. They are “forever” stamps, which means their value will always equal the current first-class mail one-ounce rate.
Art director Phil Jordan designed the two-wheeled stamps using illustrations by John Mattos.
Here’s an interesting factoid: The U.S. Postal Service delivers mail by bicycle in parts of Arizona and Florida.
Come on, Texas!
(The illustration above shows a preliminary image of what the stamps will look like. Copyright US Postal Service.)
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: cycling
July 18, 2011
Bike lane closures planned
Heads up, bike commuters. We’ve got a couple of bike lane closures coming up, according to Nadia Barrera, the city of Austin’s Bicycle/Pedestrian Project coordinator.
- Shoal Creek Boulevard — The northbound and southbound bicycle lane on Shoal Creek Boulevard will be closed most of this week near the intersection at 46th Street. Crews are working on storm drain improvements.
- Lance Armstrong Bikeway — The Austin Water Utility will begin refurbishing an aging section of a 42-inch wastewater pipe that runs below Cesar Chavez Street to Brazos Street. The Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge will remain open and the pipe will run along the east-facing railing. Orange security fencing and cones will separate the bypass pipe from bicycles and pedestrians. In addition, there will be lane closures on the Lance Armstrong Bikeway, San Antonio Street, Cesar Chavez Street and the cul-de-sac at the end of Brazos Street (south of Cesar Chavez) to station construction equipment. The project should be complete by Aug. 22.
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July 13, 2011
B-Cycle demo planned at Mellow Johnny's
Imagine if Austin had a bike share system, where locals and tourists could check out a bicycle from a self-service station, pedal from Barton Springs to South Congress, then zip up to a kiosk near the University of Texas to return it.
Denver, Washington, D.C., Chicago and Minneapolis all have such systems, and San Antonio launched one this spring.
Now a group of private supporters, led by Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop, is rallying to make an Austin bike share system a reality.
On Thursday, the bike shop will host a demonstration and presentation by B-Cycle, which operates a program in San Antonio. They’ll demonstrate how the system works and let visitors test ride the sturdy bikes.
The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 14 at Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop, 400 Nueces Street. The shop will provide appetizers and refreshments.
The San Antonio system started with 14 stations. The Austin system likely would be larger, with about 50 stations and 550 bikes in the downtown grid.
“We are working to build private sector support for a bike share system that has a lot of interest and a groundswell of financial support already,” Mellow Johnny’s general manager Craig Staley said in a press release.
The bike shop has organized a group of private supporters to partner with the City of Austin and pledge a financial match in applying for an upcoming $74 million Capitol Area Metropolitan Planning Organization grant.
“The CAMPO Grant is the last piece of the puzzle that will make bike share a reality for Austin,” Staley said.
Supporters hope to get a bike share system in place in Austin in 2012.
A separate Friday morning demo is planned as part of the Downtown Austin Alliance’s Issues and Eggs meeting at 8:30 a.m. at St. David’s Episcopal Church, 301 E. 8th Street. An RSVP is required for the Friday meeting; email rsvp@downtownaustin.com or call 381-6270 by 5 p.m. Wednesday.
To learn more about the San Antonio bike share system and Austin’s efforts to get a similar system, read this article I wrote in April.
(Photo above by Ricardo Brazziell of the Austin American-Statesman.)
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July 1, 2011
Is it legal to bike on Austin's sidewalks?
People ask me all the time if it’s legal to ride a bike on sidewalks in Austin.
The short answer? It’s legal in most places.
It’s not legal, however, to bike on the sidewalks of the downtown business district or on the University of Texas campus.
That means no bikes on sidewalks on Guadalupe Street between Martin Luther King Boulevard and 26th Street; Sixth Street between Interstate 35 and Guadalupe Street; Congress Avenue between Fourth and 11th streets; and anywhere there’s a “no bikes on sidewalks” sign.
UT regulations bar cyclists from riding on all sidewalks on campus. (Yep, it’s true. But not always enforced.)
It’s OK to park or stop your bike on a sidewalk as long as you don’t obstruct pedestrian traffic.
For more information, go here.
Have you seen the Austin Police Department’s community biking page? It includes some information about biking on sidewalks, as well as other cycling laws and ordinances, safety tips, information about what to do if your bike gets stolen, and some other helpful links. See it here.
(Photo by Laura Skelding.)
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June 30, 2011
Austin Cycling Association launches iPhone app
Need some help organizing your bicycling plans?
The Austin Cycling Association has unveiled its own iPhone application, so cyclists can check the group’s activity schedule. And it’s free!
Just think. With a few taps of your iPhone screen, you can double check where an ACA group ride starts, and consult Google Maps to find out the best way to get there.
You can also email or call ride leaders, check the group’s education calendar and link to the group’s website to register for classes offered to members and non-members.
ACA members can also access an archive of ride maps and download them directly to their iPhones.
To get the app, go to the Apple App Store and search for Austin Cycling Association Rides and Events. It’s also available on the web here.
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June 29, 2011
Motorcyclist dies after crash with bicyclist
If you needed proof of the importance of riding a bicycle in a predictable manner, pay attention.
A motorcyclist died Tuesday of injuries sustained Saturday when his motorcycle crashed into a bicycle.
Police say the bicyclist turned in front of a Honda motorcycle driven by 65-year-old William Skelton at the intersection of Arroyo Seco and Romeria Drive.
Skelton wasn’t wearing a helmet.
One of the best tips for staying safe while riding a bike? Ride predictably. Don’t suddenly make a turn without checking traffic behind you first. Don’t dart in and out of cars parked along the side of the road. As much as possible, ride in a straight line.
I’m sorry for all parties involved in this accident.
Read the entire article here.
Correction: The blog above was corrected to include the correct age of the motorcyclist and the correct make of the motorcycle.
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June 15, 2011
Team Ride Red set to Race Across America
Jake North Photography
Four Austin-based cyclists are about to embark on the toughest thing they’ve ever done — they’re cycling across the whole United States of America.
Susan Farago, Sue Schrader, Carol Pope and Vicki Ford will push off from Oceanside, Calif., at 2 p.m. Saturday in the famously grueling Race Across America (RAAM).
They’ll roll over deserts, slog up mountains and whisk past cities. In all, they’ll cover more than 3,000 miles, 12 states and 170,000 feet of grinding uphills.
I spoke to Farago this morning. She was at a rental car parking lot in Oceanside, awaiting the arrival of the rest of her teammates and mentally preparing for what lies ahead.
“This is going to be really, really challenging not only from physical standpoint, but that mental space you find yourself in where you’re just battling your own will to keep going and work through those dark times,” she said. “The upshot is there will be four of us spurring each other on.”
Rumor has it there’s also a gorilla suit packed into one of the support vehicles, which should help keep spirits up.
Farago knows their muscles will ache, their sweat will pour, and they’ll yearn for a soft pillow. But they’ve put in thousands of training miles and have been tapering the last two weeks.
“We’re antsy and ready to go,” she said.
All four women are strong cyclists, with multiple Ironman triathlons under their belts. They’ve got a plan, too. While two of the women rest, the other two will alternate cycling for 20- or 30-minute stretches.
Solo riders have up to 12 days to complete the distance; teams have up to nine days. If everything goes smoothly, Team Ride Red hopes to finish in seven days and eight hours. That would put them at the finish next Sunday morning.
Temperatures in Oceanside this morning were in the mid-50s, but once the team rides 30 miles inland it will quickly heat up. The forecast calls for temperatures between 100 and 105 in California and Arizona when they cross.
“We train in Austin, right, so we’re kind of used to it. Sort of. I hope,” Farago said.
“I guess for me the biggest worry is something happening that’s out of our control. If one of us gets injured or sick or something happens to one of the vehicles, that type of thing.”
Team Ride Red, sponsored by the Heart Hospital of Austin and the Texas Beef Council, is the only Texas team in the race. The women are racing to raise awareness about heart disease and stroke, the number one killer of women. They’re riding for the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign.
Cardiovascular disease kills 430,000 women each year — more than the next five causes of death combined.
To track the team’s progress online, go here.
For more information about Race Across America, go here.
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June 13, 2011
Why do you love your bike?
Do you love your bike?
I do. Mine’s orange, and I call it The Cheetoh.
My husband built it for me, after my last bike, The Bumble (yellow and black), got stolen from a bike rack in the courtyard of the Austin American-Statesman about five years ago.
A new book recently came across my desk. “I Love My Bike,” by Matthew Finkle and Brittain Sullivan ($16.95, Chronicle Books), will make you yearn for the day you rode for the first time without training wheels.
It’s 159 pages of portraits of people and their bikes.
There are commuters and BMXers and roadies and fixies and hipsters and hybrids and banana seats and monkey bars.
And a lot of weird mustaches, actually. I’m not sure what that’s about.
Want the book? The person who best describes their bike and why they love it, and posts it on this blog, wins!
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June 9, 2011
Bike lanes: Not always the best option
No, you’re not required to ride in the bike lane if it’s there. Sometimes it’s not safe!
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June 6, 2011
Social Cycling ATX volunteers bike with blind students
I spent a recent evening cycling with some visually impaired students from the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
Each Monday during the school year, a group from Social Cycling Austin meets at the school and escorts a small group of students, who ride on the back of tandem bicycles, on a ride through nearby neighborhoods.
I caught up with the group on Memorial Day, their last ride of the season. (They’re taking the summer off, but will start riding again when school starts in the fall.)
About five visually impaired students climbed on the back of tandem bikes, provided by the school and local bike shops. Seasoned volunteers from the bike group ride on the front seat, in the captain position. The visually impaired cyclists rode in back, in the stoker slot.
Together, they pedaled in unison.
I was amazed at the fearlessness of the stokers. They’ve got to pay attention to the captains, pedaling on cue and easing up at street lights and stop signs. Some had never ridden a bike before.
Clearly, they enjoyed the ride. And with so much biking company, who wouldn’t?
We rolled away from the school, took some back streets over to Shoal Creek Boulevard, and headed north. In all, about 50 cyclists participated in the ride.
I was happy to tag along. It reminded me of that feeling of freedom you get when you first learn to ride a bike.
For more information about Social Cycling Austin, which hosts informal group bike rides nearly every day of the week, go to http://www.socialcyclingatx.com/ or friend Social Cycling Austin on Facebook.
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May 20, 2011
Which Bike to Work stations did you visit?
Happy Bike to Work Day, everyone!
I stopped by the free breakfast station on Shoal Creek Boulevard this morning and snagged a hot bean and rice taco, compliments of the League of Bicycling Voters. (That’s Lane Wimberley, above, marveling at how quickly I can throw back a breakfast taco. Yum!)
Shops and groups all over town set up breakfast stations to fuel hungry cyclists this morning. One cyclist who stopped by the Shoal Creek station was on a mission to hit as many as he could. He’d mapped out a route to about 30 stops. No time to chat!
The buzz on the street? The breakfast station at Wheatsville Co-op on Guadalupe Street apparently had an impressive spread. Cyclists flocked there in droves, taking over the patio and inhaling an entire buffet of munchies.
Which stations did you hit? Which were the best ones? You can share your photos here.
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May 18, 2011
Great Northern: For bikes, walkers or runners?
Have you ever run or cycled along Great Northern Boulevard, that north-south roadway that parallels Loop 1 (Mopac) in north central Austin?
With a two-way bike lane on the west side of the road, it’s a popular route for cyclists and runners. Based on emails I get from readers, it’s also the topic of ongoing frustration for some.
Runners and walkers grumble that cyclists whiz by them so quickly they have to leap out of the way lest they get mowed down.
On the other hand, cyclists complain that runners and walkers clog the lanes, which are clearly marked for use by bikes and were not designed for pedestrian use.
I checked with Annick Beaudet, head of the city’s bike and pedestrian program, to get her take on the situation.
“For everyone to be safe, (the lane) should be used by its designed user, which is bicycles, and not pedestrians,” she said.
The city installed sidewalks on Shoal Creek Boulevard, a wide block to the east, to accommodate pedestrian circulation in the neighborhood, she said. (Sidewalks also run partway along the east side of Great Northern, from Gullett Elementary School to just south of the pedestrian crossing over MoPac at Far West Boulevard.)
“The sidewalk should be used for its intended use and design — pedestrians — and the bike lane should be used by its intended users — bicyclists — and it’s as simple as that,” Beaudet said. “Those are the resources we have right now, knowing there are a lot of pedestrians and cyclists in that corridor.”
Walkers and runners who use the bike lanes and cyclists who ride on the sidewalks compromise all users’ safety, she added.
That said, walkers and runners aren’t going to quit using Great Northern.
I confess, I’m one of them. I live in the neighborhod, and use Great Northern for both cycling and running. Great Northern is one side of a perfect 4-mile loop from my house.
If you’re going to do this, pay attention. Know if a cyclist is coming; get out of the way. The cyclist has right of way.
And remember, if the two-way lanes hadn’t been installed for bicycles, the entire road would be used for motor vehicle travel lanes.
The lanes were designed for spokes and handlebars, not running shoes.
(The photo above by Statesman photographer Kelly West shows cyclist Ron Burzese with his bike in the marked bike lane on Great Northern Boulevard.)
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May 16, 2011
Cyclists, motorists: Can't we get along?
What do you think about this public service announcement from the city of Austin?
Permalink | Comments (7) | Categories: cycling
May 5, 2011
Austin Bike Poster Show opens Friday
It’s National Bike Month!
While we await the arrival of one of Bike to Work Day on Friday, May 20 (one of my favorite days of the year!), there’s plenty of time to catch the Austin Bike Poster Show, an artistic celebration of Austin’s two-wheeled scene.
This year’s show opens with a reception from 7-9 p.m. Friday at The Frame Corner Gallery, 5601 Adams Avenue. (That’s just south of Karavel Shoes off of Burnet Road.) Besides food, beer and music, the folks who made the posters in this year’s show will be on hand. Posters will be available for purchase, with 10 percent of proceeds benefitting the Lamar Safe Routes to School program.
This year’s show features 20 posters. Artists were asked to create a design and message that inspires people in Austin to travel by bicycle.
Go here to see the posters and vote on best overall. The winning piece will be recognized by Mayor Lee Leffingwell on May 26 at City Hall. Voting closes at midnight May 11.
National Bike Month, by the way, marks one year since I became an almost full-time bike commuter. Since last May, I’ve logged nearly 3,000 miles riding my bike to and from work and gone from filling my car’s gas tank once a week to once every two months.
How about you? Do you pedal to work?
Permalink | | Categories: cycling
May 4, 2011
Letter illustrates venom between cyclists, motorists
If you thought blowing through a stop sign on a bike didn’t matter, read the letter above. (I’ve typed the text in below, in case you can’t read it.)
Al Bastidas, founder of the non-profit group Please Be Kind to Cyclists, received the anonymous letter this week, following an article I wrote in the Austin American-Statesman about his campaign to improve relations between cyclists and motorists. (Read my article below.)
I’m a daily bike commuter. It irks me to no end when I see other cyclists blast through stop signs or disobey traffic laws. Likewise, it ticks me off when cars and trucks speed down city streets, roll through stop signs or do anything else illegal.
And it really, really angers me when motorists complain about cyclists disregarding the law, as if every single one of us was out there blowing through stop signs willy nilly.
As I’ve said over and over, there are good cyclists and bad cyclists, just as there are good motorists and bad motorists.
But as cyclists, we should strive to stick to the laws — to keep ourselves safe and to act as ambassadors for the cycling community.
It’s pretty simple. It’s about respect, on both sides of this issue.
Any time a cyclist charges through an intersection without pause, he’s acting as a neon billboard for motorists who are just looking for a reason to dislike bikers.
“No matter how hard we work spreading our message and bringing awareness, the purpose almost gets defeated by such actions,” Bastidas told me after sending me a copy of the letter, which was mailed to his home address.
Bastidas says part of the problem is that our city doesn’t have enough infrastructure to support both cyclists and drivers.
“The cycling culture is growing faster than the change required for both to share the road,” he says. “We need an infrastructure where cyclists can have a place on the road; this would change or reduce this type of behavior substantially.”
Yes, it would be easier if we had separated bike lanes and trails. But the fact is we don’t. So, we all need to slow down, look out for the other guy and obey the laws.
Because some of the people out there, like the one who wrote the letter above, are jerks.
Stay safe.
Here’s the text of the letter sent to Bastidas, in case you can’t read it:
RE: Cycle City USA (Statesman 4-25-11)
Hey Al - Read your story and it was unfortunate but I don’t really feel any remorse for you or other cyclists and here’s why. On the same day as your article I was running errands on S. Congress and was stopped at a red light along with a number of other vehicles.
Well, gosh, here comes a Lance wannabe in his outfit (sort of like yours). His little helmet and sunglasses. Guess what! Right thru the red and then proceeded to also go thru the next red down the road. I see this every day.
So we auto/truck drivers are supposed to feel sorry for you guys? Get real!
As for your “Please Be Kind to Cyclists” bumper stickers, how about one that reads “Cyclists need to obey traffic laws”?
PS - Keep riding and sooner or later - BLAM! From some vehicle.
Good luck
Here’s what I wrote about Bastidas on April 25:
From accident to safety campaign
By Pam LeBlanc Austin American-Statesman
Al Bastidas got hit by a car while cycling in 2002, incurring injuries so traumatic he was hospitalized a month, needed five surgeries and had to quit his job as a design engineer.
He was reminded how lucky he was to survive four years later, when Gay Posey-Simmons was killed while cycling along Capital of Texas Highway (Loop 360).
Jarred by her death, he painted the words “ Please Be Kind to Cyclists” on a sheet, hung it from his van and drove slowly up and down the road where she’d been hit by a vehicle pulling a trailer. Then he, his wife and daughter hand-painted 60 signs imploring motorists to be nice to cyclists and planted them along popular biking routes.
Now yellow-and-black “ Please Be Kind to Cyclists” bumper stickers can be seen on vehicles all over the city and beyond, and Bastidas has turned his simple message into a grass-roots nonprofit organization that works to increase harmony between motorists and cyclists.
Bastidas, a former triathlete, hopes his signs remind motorists that bicyclists are on the road.
“Whatever you’re doing - talking to your kids in the back seat, playing music, talking on your cell phone - stop that until you pass the cyclist. Be in the moment,” he says. Increase your tolerance, too. “That cyclist in front of you is a human - a doctor, a teacher, a mother - not just a cyclist.”
He encourages cyclists to respect motorists and obey traffic laws, too.
Please Be Kind to Cyclists needs donations to continue its educational push through videos, billboards and public service announcements, he says. For more information about the campaign, to make a donation or buy “ Please Be Kind to Cyclists” bumper stickers, T-shirts or cycling jerseys, go to www.bekindtocyclists.org.
Permalink | Comments (18) | Categories: cycling
April 29, 2011
Memorial ride for cyclist
UPDATE: I’ve added details about the hit-and-run accident to the end of this blog.
A memorial ride has been planned to honor Andrew Runciman, the cyclist killed by a hit-and-run driver last weekend on South Lamar Boulevard.
From the press release:
“Please join family, friends and members of the Austin cycling community at 6:30 p.m. Saturday April 30 on the Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge over Lady Bird Lake for a memorial ride and ghost bike dedication in memory of Andrew Runciman, a cyclist who was killed in a hit and run incident in Austin on the night of Saturday April 23.
We will meet at the bridge at 6:30 p.m. and leave at 7 p.m. for a memorial ride leading to a ghost bike dedication at 3506 S Lamar Blvd., in front of Red’s Porch. The dedication will start when the ride arrives at around 7:30 p.m.. After the ceremony we will continue the memorial ride that will end back at the bridge.”
And please, be careful out there.
I’m a daily bike commuter, and every time I hear about a cyclist getting hit while riding it makes me incredibly sad.
It’s also a reminder that everyone needs to slow down out there. Cyclists and motorists must share the road and pay attention. And obey traffic laws.
Please wear a helmet, cyclists.
According to police reporters, Runciman was struck by a dark colored SUV while riding his bicycle southbound on South Lamar Boulevard late Saturday, April 23.
Runciman was reported riding in the far right lane of Lamar. The SUV, which was also headed southbound, left the scene of the accident.
He was transported to University Medical Center at Brackenridge and was pronounced dead Sunday.
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call APD Vehicular Homicide Unit Detectives at (512) 974-8164.
Republic of Austin has an excellent blog post about last weekend’s hit and run death of cyclist Andrew Runciman, along with tips on how cyclists and motorists can co-exist.
Read them here.
Runciman worked as an implementation engineer at Bazaarvoice. He moved to Austin in September. Co-workers at the company say they plan to show up at the memorial ride in force, and word is spreading quickly in the cycling community.
His father Tom posted this particularly poignant comment on the Republic of Austin blog:
April 27, 2011
I am Andrew’s dad. I can’t tell you the pain we are going through. Andrew was a special human being. We home schooled him through primary grades and he went to a liberal arts high school. He had vast interests in ancient history, Latin, art, math, music, graphics arts and of course computer programming. The world has lost an incredible human being.
He just moved to Austin in September and did not have the money to move his bike or his helmet. Just weeks ago he had enough money to buy a bike but he did not have a helmet yet, but I don’t think a helmet would have helped. He was hit with such force he was probably dead at the scene except for modern medicine and mechanical ventilation. I think a helmet would have made it worse. He would have ended up as a vegetable or a quadriplegic.
Austin, we need to catch the person that did this.
And we need to change the structure of transportation in this country. Andrew and I traveled to Europe and we saw the bike lanes separated from motorized traffic. We both wondered why can’t this be done in the USA. Bike lanes don’t work. You must have a separate roadway for bikes. When will we ever learn in this country.
My wife and daughter will live on but we will never be teh same again without the presence of Andrew.”
Permalink | | Categories: cycling
April 28, 2011
Bush bikes at Big Bend Ranch State Park
(Barrett Durst, superintendent of Big Bend Ranch State Park, poses with former president George W. Bush during three days of mountain biking at the park. Photo by Paul Morse.)
Barrett Durst, superintendent of Big Bend Ranch State Park, was still recovering this morning after three days of mountain biking with former President George W. Bush.
“President Bush is amazing,” said Durst, 30. “He can make people bonk, including me.”
That caught my attention. I pedaled for four days through Big Bend Ranch State Park with Durst last December. He charged ahead of our little band of riders with ease, pausing now and then to let us catch up. If the former prez impressed Durst with his speed and endurance, he had to be a strong rider.
“I was expecting a 5 mph pace all day, with lots of stops and checking views. It was straight moving, we booked it,” Durst said. “President Bush is the most in shape person at 65 years old I’ve ever seen, no doubt. He freakin’ rocked it.”
Durst, along with Mike Long of Desert Sports and a few other guides, led the group of about 40 riders, including 14 injured veterans from the Wounded Warrior Project, the Ride2Recover, the Challenged Athletes Foundation and World T.E.A.M. Sports, as they explored a tangle of trails in Big Bend Ranch State Park near Lajitas. (They were at the state park, not the national park, as reported elsewhere.)
The group rode 13 miles the first day, 30 miles the second and 21 miles the third, rambling up and down desert mesas, dodging calf-raking cactus, slogging through tire-grabbing sand and clattering up and down rocky ledges.
Among the trails they tackled were part of the park’s Dome Trail, a singletrack path that tumbles over rocky ledges and weaves along steep inclines, and stretches of the Contrabando Trail.
Bush rode a full-suspension, carbon-fiber Superfly Trek mountain bike with 29-inch wheels, and brought a spare in case one broke down.
“He was pushing me. He’s smoking awesome,” Durst said.
Durst was charged with making sure Bush stayed hydrated. Helicopters were on standby, and a doctor and orthopedic surgeon rode with the group.
“He was very, very personable, absolutely hilarious, very funny,” Durst said. “Everytime he was excited and having a good time, he’d say ‘Yeah baby, yeah! That’s what I’m talking about!’”
Durst said he was equally impressed by the Wounded Warriors, some of whom rode with prosthetic limbs. “I told them ‘You guys inspire me to be a better person.’ They were better than me with less limbs. They were tearing it up.”
Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong of Austin also joined the group for the last day of riding.
This morning, things had slowed down at the state park, and Durst was taking the chance to let his leg muscles relax.
“I am exhausted,” he laughed.
Note, the text was clarified at 10:15 a.m. to add that athletes from four non-profit organizations, the Wounded Warrior Project, the Ride2Recover, the Challenged Athletes Foundation and World T.E.A.M. Sports, participated in the Warrior 100K event.
(The above photo shows George Bush and Lance Armstrong at Big Bend Ranch State Park. AP Photo/Odessa American, Heather Leiphart)
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April 26, 2011
Cyclist to talk about Precious, a bike with a brain
Wonder what it’s like to ride a bike with a brain?
New York City writer and cyclist Janeen McCrae can tell you. Last summer she rode a bike bristling with sensors that collected data and automatically Tweeted — and if that’s not a brainy bike I don’t know what is — from Yorktown, Va., to Astoria, Ore.
She called the bike Precious, and their ride was tracked in real time at a website created for the project.
Four days and 100 miles into her first attempt at the ride, McCrae crashed. She broke her wrist and lay in a roadside ditch until someone found her. She started her trek again a few months later.
McCrae and her bike posted updates during their 73-day, 4,400-mile ride, raising more than $7,500 for LiveStrong, the Austin-based non-profit dedicated to people living with cancer. Then they flew to Austin and road with Team Fatty in the 88-mile Austin LiveStrong Challenge.
McCrae will talk about her solo, cross-country bike trip as part of a women’s bike maintenance class from 6:30 - 8 p.m. today at Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop, 400 Nueces St.
She’ll speak again during a free public presentation from 6:30-8 p.m. Wednesday in Room 2.112A of the University Teaching Center at the University of Texas campus. She’ll talk about the tools and technology that went into building both the bike and the web site that hosted her trek online, and how she managed the project from the road.
For more information about Wednesday’s presentation email david.burns@mccombs.utexas.edu.
McCrae is writing a book about her experiences with Precious. For more information go to her website.
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April 25, 2011
Mellow Johnny's Spring Classic this weekend
I spent a couple of hours Friday tearing around Juan Pelota Ranch, Lance Armstrong’s hill country retreat, on my mountain bike, checking out the course for this weekend’s Mellow Johnny’s Spring Classic.
Maybe tearing is the wrong word. I cruised.
But the riders coming in for the event, a world class pro mountain bike race, will be blasting up rocky inclines, zipping around leaf-strewn dirt trails and popping over limestone crags at impressive speed.
The property, about 45 minutes west of Austin near Dripping Springs, is beautiful. (It’s also listed for sale, in case you are in the market for a 450-acre hill country ranch owned by a seven-time Tour de France winner.) Much of it has been cleared of cedar, leaving wide open expanses that ripple with long gold and rust-colored grasses and craggy old live oak trees. The Pedernales River borders one side, and Armstrong’s house is perched on a hill that overlooks the whole spread, an infiniti-edge pool in back.
The Spring Classic is the fourth stop of the seven-race Pro XCT national mountain bike racing tour. The course was designed by Armstrong and friends.
The route twists through fields, over a couple of narrow bike bridges, and up a whopper of a hill at the end of the 3.7-mile singletrack loop that will be used in this weekend’s races. Organizers have dubbed that incline Mount Juantoux, and it’s the perfect spot to watch racers jockey for position as they near the finish line.
The race will be run in loops, and it should take riders between 14 and 16 minutes per lap. That means fans can watch a lot of the action. Two fan watching zones will be set up, and people are encouraged to bring noise makers and dress in wacky costumes, a la the Tour de France. A 2011 Mellow Johnny’s Classic Super Fan will be named.
Last year’s race drew 1,200 racers, making it the biggest mountain bike race in Texas. Some of the racers are raising money Livestrong, the Austin-based non-profit created by Armstrong to help people living with cancer. Last year’s event raised about $40,000 for LiveStrong.
No word yet if Armstrong will be in attendance.
There will be a vendor expo and activity area, with food from Juan Pelota Café, Hat Creek Burgers and Wahoo’s Fish Taco’s. Dogs are allowed but must be leashed. And pick up after your pet!
Always wanted to ride your bike at Armstrong’s ranch yourself? You can! Registered racers and non-racers who sign up ahead of time and pay $5 can ride the course from 2-4 p.m. Thursday. (For more information go here.)
New this year? A kickoff party benefitting the Texas High School Mountain Bike League, which will host its inaugural season in 2012, is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday at Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop, 400 Nueces St. The league is part of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association.
Top male and female pro riders from around the country, including past winners Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski and Max Plaxton, along with Adam Craig, Blake Harlan, Jason Sager, Heather Irmiger and Lea Davison, are expected to attend the party, which is free and open to the public.
For more information about the kickoff party, go here.
Gates open at 6:45 a.m. Saturday. Category 3 races start at 8:45 a.m. The Pro Women start at 10:30 a.m., the Kids Cup starts at 11:15 a.m. and the Pro Men start at 1:15 p.m. Juan Pelota Ranch will close at 6 p.m. Racing continues on Sunday.
For more information about the event and directions to the ranch, go here.
(Pam and Ted Arnold of Mellow Johnny’s, above, cycling at Juan Pelota Ranch.)
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April 21, 2011
Alamo's Rolling Roadshow features cycling flick
Wanna slurp pasta, gnaw ribeyes and sip wine while watching one of the most celebrated bicycle films of all time?
The Alamo’s Rolling Roadshow brings 1948’s “Bicycle Thieves,” directed by Vittorio De Sica, to the lawn of Tim and Karrie League’s home at 8 p.m. Saturday, April 23. The Leagues are the owners of the Alamo Drafthouse.
The screening benefits the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Think of it as a post-event celebration of the BP MS150, the two-day charity bike ride from Austin to Houston that took place last weekend.
Better yet? Ride your bike there! The audience is sure to be stacked with proponents of two-wheeled transport.
The Alamo website describes the flick as a neo-realist classic about a poor man whose future is threatened by the simple act of a bicycle theft. (Yick. I know how it feels to have my bicycle stolen.)
Executive Chef Chris Kincaid will prepared an Italian feast featuring pasta puttanesca with seared scallops, salad, ribeye milanese with baby artichoke and sweet potato gnocchi, and grilled strawberries with ravioli di ricotta and zabaglione, all paired with appropriate wines.
Tickets are $75 each.
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April 20, 2011
Casting call: Bicyclists needed
Interested in appearing in a public service announcement about bicycle safety and awareness?
Bicyclists (and their bikes) are needed for a video shoot from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 23.
Participants will meet at Auditorium Shores.
For more information email info@cosmicmammoth.com.
Permalink | | Categories: cycling
April 19, 2011
Viva la bicicleta!
Voila, my new fave T-shirt.
Al Bastidas, the man who brought you the Please Be Kind to Cyclists campaign in all its black-and-yellow bumper sticker glory, is now selling T-shirts at www.vivalabicicleta.com.
Nice message, nice T, nice cause.
Cost is $25 online. (The shirts are also available at area bike shops.)
A portion of proceeds goes to the non-profit Please Be Kind to Cyclists, which works to educate cyclists and motorists to obey traffic laws and share the road.
Viva la bicicleta!
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April 15, 2011
Trying out San Antonio B-cycle
I headed to San Antonio last week to check out the city’s new bike share program. Austin is looking at getting something similar, and I wanted to try it myself.
Here’s how it works: If you buy a yearly membership ($25 a year now, soon to go up to $60 a year) to San Antonio B-cycle, you get a swipe card that you can take to any of 14 bike stations around downtown. You use the card to check out a bike, and have 30 minutes to ride it before you check it back in to any of the other stations. If you keep a bike longer than 30 minutes at a time, you pay an extra $2 every half hour.
You can also use a credit card to buy a $10 day pass.
We stopped by The Hub in Hemisfair Plaza, where operations for San Antonio B-cycle are headquartered. We met the folks who run and maintain the system, which opened in late March. Then we all hopped on big gray B-cycles and started pedaling.
My first reaction? The seats are broad and cushy, and you sit fairly upright while you ride. That’s good. But the bikes, which have big baskets attached to the front, seemed top-heavy and tippy at first.
Also, San Antonio is flat. Austin’s pretty hilly. I wondered how easy it would be to slog up a big hill on one of these 40-pound, three-gear bikes.
After a few minutes, I got more or less used to the feel of the bike. It’s just different than my regular commuter, which I ride back and forth to work every day. The bikes aren’t for everyone, but most folks should be able to use them fairly easily.
San Antonio has a decent network of bike lanes in the area we rode. We pedaled south through the King William historic neighborhood to Tito’s in Southtown.
We weren’t near a bike station, so we locked our bikes to a rack around the corner. The B-cycles come with a cable lock attached to the front of each bike, so you can lock it even if you’re not at one of the official stations.
We fueled up (the vegetarian enchiladas are the bomb!) and headed back out. As we unlocked our bikes from the rack, a trio of pedestrians stopped to ask us about the bikes. As we rode down the street, a few folks hollered out at us, admiring them.
We rode a mile or two farther south, until we got to the Blue Star complex on South Alamo Street, home to a brew pub, a bike shop and some other cool attractions. It’s all nestled right along the river, and bikes are the perfect way to get there. A B-cycle station is conveniently located in the midst of the action.
I wondered what would happen if you got to a bike station to check in your ride and all the parking slots were filled. It turns out the stations are prepared for that possibility. You swipe your card, press a button, and the kiosk gives you directions to the closest stations with open docks. And it gives you extra time to get there.
From Blue Star, we got back on the streets and pedaled north, back toward Hemisfair Plaza.
So far, San Antonio has just 14 stations and 140 bikes. They hope to expand to 50 stations and 500 bikes in the next two years.
Austin is talking about starting with a system of 30 stations and 300 bikes, and expanding after that.
What do you think about bike sharing? Have you tried it in another city? How do you think it would work in Austin?
(Photos by Ricardo Brazzeil. That’s me in the photo above; the bottom shot shows Eileen Schaubert of Mellow Johnny’s on the left and me in the background.)
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April 13, 2011
Thursday night bike races to benefit Fort Davis fire victims
The promoter and sponsors of the weekly bike races at The Driveway in East Austin are turning this week’s crits into a fund-raiser for people affected by the wildfires in Fort Davis.
Fort Davis hosts the annual Hammerfest Stage Race and other annual cycling events, which are popular among Austin racers. Cyclists who were racing Hammerfest last weekend were evacuated from the course mid-race.
“Cyclists form a tight-knit community and the enthusiasm shown by the sponsors, racers and spectators of the Pure Austin Driveway Series reciprocates the generosity and loyalty the Fort Davis community has shown to bike riders and racers over the years,” said Andrew Willis, owner of Holland Racing, which puts on the crits every Thursday night from mid-March to mid-October.
Holland Racing, along with race sponsors Betty Chang of Keller Williams Realty, Paul Hurdlow of DLA Piper, Beto Boggiano of PURE Austin Fitness, Kenny Hill Autowerks, Mellow Johnny’s, Austinbikes and others, hope to raise $5,000. The money will be matched by a pledge from the Texas Bicycle Racing Association.
The Driveway Austin is located at 8400 Delwau Lane. Racing will begin at 5 p.m. Thursday and last until about 8 p.m.
(Statesman photo by Larry Kolvoord.)
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Last minute BP MS150 details
Are you riding the BP MS 150 this weekend?
The weather looks perfect, although it could be breezy. Forecasts call for sunny skies and a high of 84 on Saturday and 85 on Sunday.
I’m not riding this year, but I’ve done the two-day, 180-mile bicycling road trip from Houston to Austin before. It’s tons of fun!
Last year, 12,000 cyclists raised more than $16 million for multiple sclerosis through the fund-raising ride, organized by the National MS Society: Lone Star. Since the ride began in 1985, cyclists have raised more than $131 million.
The ride starts at Tully Stadium in Houston, overnights at the Fayette County Fairgrounds in La Grange, and finishes at the state capitol.
Here are some last minute tips for riders:
- For ride alerts and weather bulletins, text BPRIDER to 777111 (standard text rates may apply). To opt out, text STOP to 777111. You can also call the event hotline at 832-384-9002.
- If you haven’t picked up your packet yet, the last chance to do so is from 2-9 p.m. Friday at the Houston Expo at the Omni Westside, 13210 Katy Freeway in Houston.
- If you still need a ride from Austin to Houston before or after the ride, today (Wednesday) is the last day to reserve a spot. Go here.
- Group cycling has its own form of communication. Upcoming road hazards, directions and need-to-know info can be relayed through the pack by gestures and words. One of the most important? Loudly and clearly say “On your left” if you are passing a slower cyclist.
- The host radio station in La Grange is Hot Country 104.9 KBUK. Tune in.
- Wireless Metro will provide live streaming video of the Tully Stadium start and La Grange finish on Saturday, and the La Grange start and Austin finish on Sunday. Supporters can watch via the link that will be posted on the BP MS 150 home page.
- Wireless Metro is providing complementary WiFi at the La Grange overnight on Saturday. Wireless Metro will also provide a complementary Internet cafe and electronics charging station Saturday.
- Supporters driving into La Grange on Saturday cannot park at the fairgrounds. There will be two parking lots at the La Grange High School football stadium and the Knights of Columbus Hall with shuttles running to the overnight sites.
- Five customer service booths will be set up at the fairgrounds in La Grange on Saturday. Look for the yellow flags.
- For more information about the ride, go here.
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April 5, 2011
More bike lane improvements coming
Good news, fellow bicycle commuters.
You know those scary narrow bike lanes on Lake Austin Boulevard between Exposition Boulevard and Red Bud Trail? Improvements are coming.
A project to widen the existing bike lanes and improve stormwater drainage on the route begins today and should be complete by fall, according to Nadia Barrera, bicycle/pedestrian project coordinator for the city of Austin.
This news makes me happy. I ride this path often during warm weather, pedaling from Walsh Boat Landing where I water ski a couple of mornings a week, to the Austin American-Statesman offices.
Bring it on!
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April 1, 2011
'Bicycling' article on Lance Armstrong: "He's Done"
Lance Armstrong stares out from the cover of the May edition of Bicycling magazine, due out next week. (Lucky me. Mine arrives early.)
“He’s done, (but is he finished?)” screams the headline. Then, in smaller print on the other side of the page, a tease to an equally intriguing article: “Eat more pizza!”
Inside, the mag devotes 11 pages to an article by journalist Bill Strickland, who writes that he’s now convinced that Armstrong doped. Strickland spent years covering the cyclist and wrote the 2010 book “Tour de Lance.”
Interesting stuff, with cool graphics and diagrams, but Strickland never really says specifically what changed his mind.
Instead, he says this: “It wasn’t Floyd Landis for me, or the federal investigation, or any public revelation. My catalyst was another one of those statements that was never said by someone I never talked with. It was not from one of Armstrong’s opponents. It was not from anyone who will gain any clemency by affirming it under oath. It was an admission that doping had occurred, one disguised so it could assume innocence but unmistakable to me in meaning.”
But he doesn’t go on to explain that admission. We’re left with nothing new.
(Photo above by Statesman photographer Deborah Cannon, 2008)
Permalink | Comments (3) | Categories: cycling
Cyclists to host City Council candidate forum Monday
Cyclists, heads up.
Three of the seven Austin City Council positions are up for election in May, and Austin cyclists are hoping a bike-savvy candidate gets the job.
The Austin Cycling Association and the League of Bicycling Voters will host a candidate forum from 7:30-9:30 p.m. Monday in Room 1308 of Welch Hall at the University of Texas.
Got a cycling question for the potential new council members? Post it here!
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March 24, 2011
My many-toed kitty friend
I see the coolest stuff while riding my bike back and forth to work! The latest find: A polydactyl kitty.
Most cats have 18 toes — five each on their front paws and four toes on each hind paw. Polydactyl cats have up to seven toes on their front or rear toes.
My new friend, who is extra lovey and wears a collar, has, I think, six toes on each front paw. I haven’t checked the hind feet.
Apparently, polydactyl cats over the years were popular as ship’s cats. Author Ernest Hemingway received a polydactyl cat as a gift from a captain, and the descendants of that cat now populate Key West, Fla.
According to some information I scrounged up on the Internet, some kittens with extra toes have a harder time learning to walk. (Wouldn’t you?) But as they grow older, many polydactyl cats are more dexterous than normal cats.
Some can even open latches or catch objects with a single paw, according to Wikipedia.
I wonder if my new friend can jam jars or type on a computer?
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March 23, 2011
Thieves nab six bikes from KirkLee
Six bicycles, including one featured in Bicycling Magazine’s Dream Road Bike of the Year competition, were stolen from a custom bike builder’s shop in Austin.
The bikes, valued at $40,000, were taken between 10 a.m. Monday and 7 a.m. Tuesday from the KirkLee Sports workshop at the home of Brad Cason and Cecilia Burnside, 1006 Brentwood St.
Cason, founder of KirkLee Sports, builds hand-crafted carbon-fiber road and mountain bikes.
The missing bikes include:
- KirkLee custom road bike, black with white logos, Sram Force components and Rolf Vector Pro wheels
- KirkLee Hibiscus flowers custom road bike, light blue with hibiscus flowers paint job, Sram Red components and DT Swiss 240 wheels
- KirkLee custom road bike featured in Bicycling Magazine’s Dream Road Bike of the Year competition (shown in photo above), marbleized blue front end with black rear end, Sram Red components and Easton EA-90SLX wheels
- KirkLee 26-inch mountain bike, black with red KirkLee logos and white stripes on the top and down tube and Sram XO components.
- Specialized Hardrock mountain bike, bright green with Shimano STX components and Rock Shox Jett front fork.
- Santa Cruz Superlight mountain bike, anodized silver with SRAM X-9 components and Fox front fork.
The bikes, Burnside says, are unique. “People who know bikes will know them,” she said.
Fliers have been distributed to area bike shops. For more information go to www.kirkleebicycles.com.
The couple was home at the time of the break-in. Their greyhound didn’t notice a disturbance.
Anyone with information about the bikes is asked to call KirkLee at (512) 371-9661 or email info@kirkleebicycles.com.
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I almost got hit on my bike
I came within 6 inches of getting hit by a car during my commute home yesterday.
I guess after a year of almost daily bike commutes, and another six or seven years of once-a-week commutes, it was bound to happen. It sure scared the heck out of me.
I was traveling north on West Avenue, between West Fifth and West Sixth Street. Lots of cars were parallel parked along the east side of the street, across from Lucy’s Retired Surfers Bar.
Just as I approached an alley, a car popped out, not even slowing.
I smashed my brakes, my bike lurched onto its front wheel and I ended up, somehow, on my feet next to it.
The woman driving the car seemed horrified. She apologized profusely. She knew she hadn’t looked carefully to the left. She’d only glanced quickly enough to see that no cars were coming.
My bright fluorescent yellow vest was concealed behind the row of parked cars.
I wasn’t hurt at all, but the near miss sure got my attention. I had to pull off on the side of the road and let the adrenalin dissipate before I continued home.
Heads up, people.
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March 16, 2011
Bicyclists in Rollingwood
I bike past this sign on my way to and from swim practice at the Rollingwood Pool, and I have to say, it sort of ticks me off.
I know it’s meant to foster goodwill between motorists and bicyclists, but as a cyclist it actually makes me feel unwelcome.
First, cyclists are legally allowed in Rollingwood. The streets are public. We have as much of a right as cars to use public streets and don’t need an invitation to ride on them.
The sign also implies that bicyclists don’t normally obey traffic laws.
Some do, some don’t. Just as I see cyclists rolling through stop signs, I see cars rolling through them. I also see cars breaking the posted speed limit.
Offenders ride bikes and drive cars. But not every cyclist — or every motorist — is an offender.
The sign also implies that Rollingwood has a special set of rules — as if cyclists have to obey laws there, but not anywhere else.
Grrrr.
Thoughts?
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March 9, 2011
Austin car dealerships offer loaner bikes
I’ve heard of dealerships providing loaner vehicles when you drop off a car for service, but here’s a new one: Loaner bicycles.
At First Texas Honda, Austin Subaru and Austin Infiniti, all part of Austin’s Continental Automotive Group, you can borrow a bicycle while your car is in the shop.
The Felt Cafe cruiser bikes come with a lock, bell, light, rack, bottle holder and helmet. You have to supply the muscle power.
“If this were to work anywhere, we figure Austin’s a great environment for it,” says Will Hardeman, managing partner of Continental Automotive Group. “A lot of people are into cycliing and care about the environment and don’t want to use any carbon emissions just to run unimportant errands.”
“On the business side, it’s also cheaper. There’s almost zero maintenance costs,” Hardeman says.
The only dealership in the group that’s not offering loaner bikes is Mercedes-Benz of Austin. “We’re not sure it would be used there,” Hardeman says. (Ha!)
Each dealership has three loaner bikes. Compare that to a loaner fleet of 19 motor vehicles at the Subaru dealership.
“If that number were reversed, that would be a good world to live in,” Hardeman says. (Anyone notice the irony here?)
The new loaner program has been up and running about two weeks. Hardeman was unsure how many times the bikes had been used. If the program proves popular, though, he says the company will add more bikes.
The idea came from a Subaru dealership in Denver that loans out bikes, and Austin customers who for years have been bringing their own bikes to the dealership, Hardeman says.
“We currently have plenty of customers who put their bikes in their trunk. When they drop off their car they get out their bike and ride away, then return when it’s time to pick up their car,” he says.
Customers can keep the loaner bikes for a few hours or overnight.
Slackers need not worry. Loaner cars are still available at the Subaru and Infiniti dealerships, and the Honda dealership has a shuttle.
Loaner bikes are available at First Texas Honda, 1301 W. Koenig Lane, 381-1342; Austin Subaru, 200 W. Huntland Drive, 323-2837; and Austin Infiniti, 8140 Burnet Road, 454-9489. For more information go here.
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March 8, 2011
Thoughts on Pfluger Bridge extension
The just-opened extension of the Pfluger Bridge made my dash from the Austin American-Statesman offices to the TownLake YMCA for an interview yesterday extra speedy.
I hopped on my bike here at the newspaper office, pedaled down the hike-and-bike trail to the south end of the Pfluger Bridge, zipped across the span and — happy day! — down the new ramp that terminates near Luke’s Locker running store on the north side of the river. (Perfect location for them, by the way.)
From there it was easy to roll over to the YMCA, where I met with participants in the LiveStrong at the YMCA program.
The extension of the Pfluger Bridge opened in late February, after 10 months of construction. The 207-foot extension cost about $3.5 million.
It definitely makes the trip across West Cesar Chavez Street safer for cyclists and pedestrians.
I’ve got just one wee quibble — I wish the design meshed better with that of the rest of the pedestrian bridge.
To me, it seems disjointed. The main part of the bridge has metal rails that allow a gorgeous view of the river. It’s open and airy, and I can watch paddlers and rowers as I chug across it.
The new extension is paneled in long strips of wood.
Pedaling down the new extension is like coasting down a plank-lined halfpipe. It made me a little claustrophobic, and it’s going to feel hot and exposed in the dead of summer.
I’m happy it’s finally open, even if it is a bit of a Franken-bridge.
What do you think about the extension?
/Permalink | Comments (13) | Categories: cycling
LBJ 100 Bicycle Tour
Want to learn a little presidential history from the seat of your bicycle?
The fourth Annual LBJ 100 Bicycle Tour, “A Ride to Preserve History,” is scheduled for March 26 at the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park.
The ride begins at 9 a.m. on the historic LBJ Ranch airstrip near Stonewall. Cyclists can choose from 10, 30, 44 or 65-mile routes.
Luci Baines Johnson will also lead a 10-mile historical tour or the ranch starting at 2:30 p.m. That tour will include her personal stories about her parents and life on the ranch in the 1960s. It includes several stops at various historic locations.
Cost is $40 (discounts for children, tandem riders and families) and includes the ride route of your choice, a post-ride hot meal, ranger-led tour of the Texas White House, and the tour led by Luci Johnson.
Registration is online at www.LBJ100BicycleTour.org.
The LBJ 100 Bicycle Tour is sponsored by the Friends of Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park, the Hill Country Bicycle Touring Club, the National Park Service, and Western National Parks and Monuments Association. All net proceeds will support the educational programs and historic preservation of Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park.
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March 7, 2011
Cyclists to lobby Legislature
Texas bicyclists are trying to get a foot in the Capitol door this legislative session.
Bike Lobby Day is scheduled for Monday, March 21, and registration is now open for what has been dubbed Cyclists in Suits day.
The goal is for cyclists from every legislative district in Texas to visit the capitol and remind lawmakers that they are voters and want their cycling interests represented.
The group, organized by the non-profit cycling advocacy organization BikeTexas, will specifically push for passage of the Complete Streets bill filed by Sen. Rodney Ellis (D-Houston) and Rep. Linda Harper-Brown (R-Irving).
The law would encourage agencies constructing new or renovating existing roads using state or federal funding to include bicycle and pedestrian improvements such as bike lanes, sidewalks, crosswalks, pedestrian signals, curb cuts and other devices.
The group will meet between 8:15 and 8:30 in Room E1.004 of the Capitol Extension building. Cyclists will be briefed on issues and how to most effectively lobby legislators. Starting at 9:30 a.m., they will meet with lawmakers and their staff about bills of concern to Texas cyclists. Afterward, the group will head to the BikeTexas offices, 1902 E. 6th St., for happy hour.
To register, go here.
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March 2, 2011
Casting call: Bicyclists needed
Looking for your big acting break? Bicyclists are needed for a City of Austin bicycle safety campaign film.
(Hopefully, unlike the woman in the photo above, they’ll be wearing helmets.)
All types of cyclists are needed. To be considered, email a photo of yourself and a brief description of how and where you ride to info@CosmicMammoth.com.
Shooting will take place March 4 and 5.
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February 23, 2011
Save gas money - ride a bike
I read today that gas has hit $3 a gallon here in Austin.
You know what? I don’t really care.
In fact, a part of me wishes it would go up to $4 or even $5 a gallon. Maybe that would encourage other people to do what I’ve done — switch to riding a bicycle to work.
I’ve pedaled to work once a week for years. Last May, inspired by Bicycle Sport Shop’s Commuter Challenge, I ramped it up. Since then, I’ve biked to work most days.
No, I did not ride during the arctic blast a few weeks ago. Yes, I do pedal even when it’s 105 degrees outside.
My round-trip commute is about 14 miles. On days I have swim practice, I add another 5 miles to the total. It’s fun, it makes me feel like a kid and I squeeze in some extra, incidental exercise.
I’m lucky. About half my ride is along the Shoal Creek hike-and-bike trail. We’ve got showers available here at the newspaper building so (hopefully) I don’t gross out my co-workers too much.
These days, it costs about $35 to fill up my Volkswagen Passat. I used to fill it up once a week, but I hated doing it. So I stopped.
Now I mainly use my car on weekends, to do grocery shopping and run errands. And I only have to gas up about once every two months.
It feels good.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: cycling
January 13, 2011
Win "Zinn & the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance"
Who needs a little help maintaining their mountain bike?
I’ve got a copy of the Bible of mountain bike repair, “Zinn & the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance” by Lennard Zinn ($24.95, VeloPress).
The 464-page paperback reference manual, stuffed with explanatory text and line drawings that explain everything from how to install brake cables to trouble shooting mysterious creaking noises to truing wheels, would look much better covered with grease and residing in your bike shed than sitting here in pristine condition on my desk.
If you want it, post here telling me why you deserve it.
This is a good one, trust me!
Non-cyclists need not apply. I really want this book to go to someone who will use it. (And my husband already has a copy.)
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January 6, 2011
Really, Forbes? Austin is flat and bike friendly?
Not to be a party pooper, but I don’t get it.
Forbestraveler.com just named Austin one of its most bike-friendly cities.
Among the reasons? “It’s flat, friendly and filled with over 100,000 students…”
It also touts the “bike lanes every few blocks in all directions.”
And mentions hometown hero Lance Armstrong. (Whose Tweet on the subject alerted me to the list in the first place. Follow him on Twitter at @lancearmstrong.)
Read the whole article here http://yhoo.it/f7PBNS
Um, when was the last time someone from Forbes actually cycled through Austin?
It’s not flat. Trust me. I ride my bike to work every day. And I’m still looking for all those bike lanes.
Don’t get me wrong. We’re making improvements.
Austin makes the list alongside Eugene, Ore.; Boulder, Colo.; San Diego, Calif.; Seattle, Wash.; New York, N.Y.; and Minneapolis, Minn.
Thoughts?
Permalink | Comments (8) | Categories: cycling
December 27, 2010
2010 saw addition of bike lanes
Austin cyclists got 11 new miles of improved bicycle lanes in 2010.
Nadia Barrera of the city’s Bicycle Pedestrian Project sent over this chart, which shows the ever-increasing number of miles of bike lanes in our city.
Back in 1998, when I moved back to Austin from McAllen, Texas, we had about 60 miles of improved bike lanes in the city. Today we’ve got more than 170 miles.
In the last year, the program also distributed more than 5,000 bike maps and completed Waller Creek Bridge at Fourth and Red River streets, completing a longtime gap in the Lance Armstrong Bikeway.
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December 26, 2010
Resolution Ride
Who said Austin had a cycling off season?
Lest you start your year on a lazy note, Bicycle Sport Shop announces its 2011 Resolution Ride.
The no-excuses, 25- and 55-mile ride options will depart at 9 a.m. Saturday Jan. 1 from Bicycle Sport Shop’s north location at 9900 W. Parmer Lane.
Coaches from Austin Cycle Camp will lead the no-drop rides, which will end with organic breakfast tacos from the Taco Taxi and a keg of Real Ale.
Registration is free, but you must sign up in advance here www.bicyclesportshop.com. All registered riders are entered to win raffle prices.
The Resolution Ride is the first ride in the 2011 Bicycle Sport Shop Signature Cycling Series.
Resolve to ride!
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December 16, 2010
JB and Sandy give away bikes Friday
Remember the first bike you ever had? That feeling of freedom when you rolled down the driveway and into the great beyond?
My first real bike was purple and had a banana seat and monkey bars, and my world expanded exponentially the moment I climbed aboard. I could pedal to the park, the convenience store and school. I’m still riding a bike today, 40 years later.
More than 800 Austin area kids will get that rush of freedom that a new bike brings this year, thanks to the JB and Sandy Morning Show on radio station Mix 94.7.
The DJs led a community-wide effort to raise money to give buy new Trek bicycles, helmets and locks for kids nominated by listeners.
The bikes get distributed on Friday, when the show broadcasts live at Mellow Johnny’s Bicycle Shop, 400 Nueces St.
It’s the 14th year of the promotion, which has raised more than $1 million.
Permalink | | Categories: cycling
December 15, 2010
New lights on Shoal Creek trail
Updated at 12:15 p.m. Thursday to add cost of lights and correct that the Public Works Department, not Texas Parks and Wildlife, contributed to the project.
Some new lights on the Shoal Creek hike-and-bike trail just made my winter commute a little easier.
Two bright bulbs now illuminate the underpass at 38th Street.
The spot used to be dismally dark, and even with my white bike headlight, I hated scooting through it.
Who knew what I wouldn’t see until I was upon it? A rat? A log? A sleeping human? A moldy cheeseburger? Cockroaches?
The lights were installed as part of a collaboration between the city of Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department, Austin Energy and the Public Works Department.
The lights cost about $5,000.
Annick Beaudet, head of the city’s bike and pedestrian program, says additional lights may be installed at other strategic locations along the city’s busiest trails.
Permalink | | Categories: cycling
December 11, 2010
Mountain biking Big Bend Ranch
You can read more about my November mountain biking trip to Big Bend Ranch State Park in Sunday’s Austin American-Statesman.
The story will appear in the Travel section, inside the Life & Arts part of the paper.
While we were at the park cycling, a film crew from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department was there, getting footage for a story about the park as a hot new cycling destination.
No word yet when the episode will air on television, but I’ll keep you posted.
Watch the clip below to get a taste of what it’s like to bike at the park.
And no, that’s not me sailing over the handlebars.
The crew actually filmed three different groups of riders. We’re the ones who stayed in their seats!
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December 3, 2010
You can still register for Urban Farm Bicycle Tour
This weekend, foodies and cyclists join forces to do two of their favorite things — eat and pedal.
What could be better?
Participants in the third annual Urban Farm Bicycle Tour, presented by Bicycle Sport Shop, will bike to farm and garden spots around Austin, where they will sample food prepared by local chefs.
Participants can join the roving pack at any of four locations:
- Bicycle Sport Shop Central, 517 South Lamar Blvd., at 9 a.m. (14-mile round trip)
- Triangle Farmers’ Market, 46th Street at Lamar Blvd., at 9 a.m. (32-mile round trip)
- Sunset Valley Farmers’ Market, 3200 Jones Road/Toney Burger Center, at 9:30am (27-mile round trip)
- Farmers’ Market, Republic Square Park, 4th at Guadalupe Streets, at 10 a.m. (10-mile round trip)
Entry fee is $25 per person or $40 per family and includes chef-prepared tastings and samples during the tour stops. A $20 add-on includes the Urban Roots Farm Pig Roast and Harvest Dinner.
Online registration for the event is closed, but you can still sign up during packet pickup from noon to 6 p.m. today (Friday) at Bicycle Sport Shop, 517 S. Lamar Blvd., or at the downtown farmer’s market, Fourth and Guadalupe Streets, from 9-10 a.m. Saturday.
Proceeds benefit Youthlaunch’s Urban Roots Program.
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November 30, 2010
Bicycle Film Festival starts Friday
What would you do if you got hit by a bus while riding your bicycle in New York City?
When it happened to Brendt Barbur in 2001, he didn’t get bitter. Instead, he started the Bicycle Film Festival, which celebrates the bike through music, art and film.
The Bicycle Film Festival marks its 10th anniversary this year, and its third appearance in Austin.
Screenings will take place Dec. 2-5 at Super! Alright!, 301 Chicon, Suite A. There’s free bike valet parking, of course.
All programs are $10; a festival pass is $25.
The lineup looks cool…
Thursday Dec. 2 Kickoff Party with Goldsprints • 9 p.m. -1 a.m. The Scoot Inn, 1308 E. 4th St.
Friday Dec. 3 • 7 p.m. “The Birth of Big Air,” a tribute to the BMX legend Mat Hoffman.
• 9 p.m. “Empire,” featuring the best urban cyclists in New York City.
• After party at Liberty, 1618 1/2 E. Sixth St.
Saturday Dec. 4 • 11 a.m. Off-road ride, starting at ATX Bikes, 5000 W. Slaughter Lane, and ending at Super! Alright!
• 1 p.m. Road ride, starting at ATX Bikes, 5000 W. Slaughter Lane, and ending at Super! Alright!
• 3 p.m. “Bike Shorts,” a collection of award-winning films from around the world, including “Lalo,” the story of a Mexican food delivery rider, “The Bristol Bike Project,” • about a UK bike workshop providing free transportation to refugees, “Jitensha,” the story of a dismantled bike, and others.
• 5 p.m. “The Cyclocross Meeting,” a look at the explosion of the U.S. cyclocross scene and the emerging Japanese scene.
• 7 p.m. “Riding the Long White Cloud,” a documentary about seven pro skateboarders who attempt to cycle New Zealand’s North Island.
For more information or to buy tickets online, go here.
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November 22, 2010
Mountain biking at Walnut Creek
I swapped the slick commuter tires on my bike for slightly knobbier ones (OK, Chris did it for me) and headed to Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park for a ride Sunday morning.
Our friend Andrew clicked on a GPS unit before we started, and recorded all kinds of cool info.
We rode 8.08 miles at an average moving speed of 6.7 mph. It took us 1 hour, 16 minutes and 55 seconds, but we stopped for 4 minutes and 30 seconds during that ride to regroup and catch our breath.
Below is the route we recorded, and the elevation profile associated with it.
Walnut Creek, with its twisty, smooth-packed trails, offers plenty of beginner-friendly terrain to practice skills like weaving between trees, riding banked turns and zipping up and down short, quick dips.
No endos, thank goodness. What’s your fave place to ride?
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November 12, 2010
Austin a finalist in Copenhagen bike idea contest
One of the most bicycle friendly cities in the world is smitten by a biking idea from Austin.
Austin was “short-listed” this week as a contender in a world-wide contest sponsored by the city of Copenhagen on how it can become an even better bicycle city.
In all, 37 cities from 17 countries around the world submitted ideas. Austin’s idea, based on the public-private partnership between Yellow Bike Project and the city of Austin, made the top six.
Yellow Bike Project operated in a free city of Austin warehouse for a decade. In 2009, the non-profit organization, run by volunteers, signed a 100-year lease for a small parcel of land in east Austin. It built a self-financed $300,000 community bike shop there where the public can go to borrow tools and get tips on maintaining their bicycles.
The deal guaranteed long-term sustainability for Yellow Bike. More than 2,000 people visit the shop each year to learn how to care for their bicycles.
“If you’re really embracing bikes as transportation, there needs to be place to borrow tools and learn how to do things,” says Annick Beaudet, manager of the City of Austin’s Bicycle Program. “A place to breed the culture. It can’t just be retail.”
Austin leaders suggested that the city of Copenhagen could encourage even more people there to bike if they set aside land for a community bike shop and found volunteers to run it.
Three contest winners will be announced next week. Read more about the contest here.
The other finalists in the contest were from Sweden, The Netherlands, Greece, Germany and Spain. Ideas ranged from a digital network that helps cyclists figure out bike routes to secure downtown bike sheds where people can store their bikes to prevent theft and vandalism.
The brains behind the top three ideas will participate in an idea forum next week in Copenhagen. If Austin is chosen, representatives would likely participate by computer conferencing.
“Austin is doing some things that are very unique — world-level unique,” Beaudet says. “We have our shortcomings, but we also do things that are great and this is an example.”
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November 10, 2010
Bicycle Advisory Council elections
Do you commute to work by bike? Are you a recreational cyclist? Do you spend more time on two wheels than four?
The Bicycle Advisory Council will elect five new voting members and two alternate members during its fall elections next month.
The Austin Bicycle Advisory Council advises the City of Austin on all matters relating to the use of bicycles. The council provides a direct link from the cycling community to the City of Austin staff in regards to policies, programs and projects. Its voting members approve resolutions for or against key cycling policies, projects and programs.
To apply, fill out the application here by 5 p.m. Monday Nov. 15.
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November 9, 2010
Mountain biking Big Bend Ranch
I’m still riding a high from my four-day epic mountain biking trek through Big Bend Ranch State Park.
Tarantulas? Check. Cactus maulings? Check. Big starry skies? Check. Some of the most awesome off-road biking terrain in the state? Double - no triple - check.
We averaged about 25 miles a day on our Ride to the Other Side of Nowhere, rolling (and walking) our bikes up and down the harsh, remote terrain of West Texas.
Besides me, the cyclists in our group included Dan Sholly, deputy director of state parks for Texas Parks and Wildlife; Barrett Durst, superintendent of Big Bend Ranch State Park; my husband Chris; my friend Marcy Stellfox. Naturalist David Riskind provided top-notch SAG support.
If you’re used to thinking in road biking terms, trust me. Twenty-five miles on a mountain bike in terrain like this, with pit stops to check out the scenery and refuel, makes for an all-day affair.
We pedaled past amazing sites, including a long abandoned mercury mine, rock art thousands of years old and the ruins of an old sheep ranching home. The landscape constantly surprised us — we slogged through dry sandy creek beds, bombed down scree-covered hillsides, pumped up ledgy single track and collapsed each night after a feast around the campfire.
Big Bend Ranch State Park, the 300,000-acre desert expanse west of Big Bend National Park, officially goes down in my book as a new mountain biking mecca. Who needs Moab?
I’ll be writing about the experience for a December travel story in the American-Statesman.
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November 2, 2010
Biking Big Bend Ranch State Park
I’m rolling out soon on my next adventure — a four-day, 108-mile mountain bike jaunt through Big Bend Ranch State Park, the more rugged and remote neighbor of Big Bend National Park.
I’ve been itching to check out some of the new mountain bike trails there. We’ll be riding “The Other Side of Nowhere Epic Ride.” The loop starts west of Lajitas. From there, we’ll dodge cactus and tarantulas as we head north into the belly of the park.
Texas Parks and Wildlife recently published a booklet called “The Big Bend Ranch Bike Guide” that outlines dozens of bikable trails at Big Bend Ranch. It closes with a hilarious account of a retired National Park Service ranger’s experience getting caught in a rainstorm while biking there. (Hilarious only because he survived the ordeal.)
I’ll be pedaling with Barrett Durst, the superintendent of the park, and Dan Sholly, deputy director of state parks at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. My husband and a friend are coming, too. We’ve got a support vehicle lined up to carry our gear (how convenient is that!) and haul us out if we get too tired to finish.
I’ve camped at Big Bend Ranch several times. I even rode a bike a few miles through the desert once. But I’ve never done a long staged bike ride there, and I can’t wait.
We’ll be pausing to check out old ranch ruins, Native American rock art and some pretty cool views along the way. We’ll be camping under the biggest sky in Texas, cooking on a campfire and, maybe, falling asleep to the howl of coyotes.
Look for a report after I return.
(That’s my husband Chris, above, tuning up my bike for the trip! Isn’t he cute?)
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October 26, 2010
Try bikeshare in Austin Wednesday
Wish Austin had its own bikeshare system?
You can get an idea of how it would work here from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Wednesday at City Hall Plaza, 301 W. Second St. Stop by to check a bike in and out as if you were a member of a bikeshare network in Austin.
Many American cities are considering bikeshare systems similar to those of Paris, Minneapolis, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Denver.
Bikeshare systems allow residents and visitors to check a bike out from a network of automated bike stations, ride to their destination and return the bike to a different station. Supporters say an automated solar-powered bike sharing program could reduce traffic congestion and create a healthier city.
Here’s a link to a blog entry I wrote about the Bikeshare program in Denver this summer. That city has about 50 bike stations with a total of 500 bikes throughout downtown and in surrounding neighborhoods.
For more information on bikeshare programs worldwide, go here.
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October 21, 2010
Dear fellow commuter, please don't be a jerk
Dear Fellow Commuter,
Yes, you. The guy with gray hair and black helmet riding a black bike with a khaki-colored backpack strapped to a rack.
You first passed me on Shoal Creek Boulevard, just south of Koenig Lane. I followed you along the Shoal Creek hike-and-bike trail and all the way down Lamar Boulevard near downtown.
Nice job blasting through three traffic lights and one stop sign.
You probably got to your destination a full minute faster than if you’d obeyed the law. And in the process, you ticked off a passel of motorists who will probably tell their friends how all cyclists ignore traffic laws.
Come on. Pay attention.
If you don’t care about obeying traffic laws for your own safety, at least do it for the rest of the biking public, who wants (and deserves) the respect of motorists.
Thank you,
Safety Pam
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October 20, 2010
Gearing up for Livestrong Challenge
It looks like Sunday’s Livestrong Challenge Ride could be a warm one. The weather forecast calls for a high of 86 with a tiny chance of rain.
That shouldn’t stop more than 3,000 people who have registered to ride 10, 20, 45, 65 or 90 miles through the Hill Country west of Austin. The ride starts at 8 a.m. at Dripping Springs Middle School, 111 Tiger Lane in Dripping Springs.
Registration for the ride is now closed, but if you’ve already signed up, packet pickup is from noon to 7 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Livestrong Village set up at the Austin Convention Center, 500 E. Cesar Chavez St.
Besides registration packets, there will be cancer information and screenings, sports gear, apparel and new product demonstrations. Chris Carmichael, personal coach to seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, and fellow Team RadioShack rider Levi Leipheimer will make appearances, too, offering cycling tips, posing for photos and signing autographs.
Leipheimer is scheduled to appear from 6-7 p.m. Friday and 10-11 a.m. Saturday. Carmichael will appear from 4-5 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m.-noon Saturday.
The bike ride isn’t all that’s on tap.
More than 2,000 people have registered for the Livestrong Challenge 5K, which kicks off at 8 a.m. Saturday at the South First Street bridge at Lady Bird Lake. A special fund-raising appreciation dinner Saturday night will honor participants who have raised $3,000 or more.
More than 104,000 Texans will be diagnosed with cancer in 2010, and more than 37,000 Texans will lose their lives to the disease. In the past 14 years, Livestrong Challenge participants and donors have raised more than $60 million to help people living with the disease.
(Photo above by Eric Schlegel)
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October 13, 2010
Biking to ACL Fest
Like thousands of other music fans, I rode my bike to this year’s Austin City Limits music festival.
The ride from my house took about 30 minutes.
We parked in a huge bike parking area outside the northwest gate, hosted by Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop. Another bike parking area was situated on the south side of the festival grounds.
Cyclists who didn’t park in the lots chained their bikes to fences, trees, posts and everything else. Not as many as last year, though.
“There were more racks this year, leaving fewer bikes hanging from the trees,” says Eileen Schaubert of Mellow Johnny’s.
According to Mellow Johnny’s, at least 5,000 people parked their bikes in the designated pens.
Some folks who didn’t ride their own bikes hitched rides on pedicabs, too. I saw hundreds of the trailer-toting bike taxis lined up along Barton Springs Road and carting fans to and from their cars.
Did you bike to the fest?
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October 7, 2010
Jogger hit by cyclist in Dallas dies
I wrote here recently that it’s dangerous to wear headphones on the city’s heavily-used hike-and-bike trails.
This weekend, a 28-year-old Dallas woman died after she was struck by a cyclist while jogging on the crowded Katy Trail.
Police said the cyclist was attempting to pass Lauren Huddleston was when she abruptly changed directions. Huddleston was wearing headphones and may not have heard the cyclist approaching, police said. She slammed her head against the pavement and died of head injuries Sunday.
Read the initial report here and a followup here.
The accident has ignited a firestorm in Dallas. Some runners are blaming bicyclists for riding too fast on the crowded trail. Others say pedestrians have more of a responsibility to remain alert and aware.
Both are right.
I bike to work almost every day, and the last part of my commute is along Lady Bird Lake. Nearly every day, I encounter folks so wrapped up in their music that they don’t hear me ringing my bell to let them know I’m coming.
No, I’m not tearing down the road at breakneck speed.
But I am a trail user, just like you. And we all need to share the space we’ve got.
I’m trying to be safe — that’s why I call out or ring my bell to let you know I’m coming. But if your ears are covered up and you can’t hear me, how can I let you know I’m there?
What do you think? How can we make the trail around Lady Bird Lake more safe?
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Pink handlebars are cool!
Cyclists, put this on your to-do list: Make a $10 donation to the Austin Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure and get a cool pink wrap job or pink handlebar grips for your ride at Bicycle Sport Shop.
The photo above shows senior mechanic Tim Keating wrapping some bars. Pretty snazzy, eh?
The Tape for the Cure promotion continues through the month of October at all Bicycle Sport Shop locations.
Read more about it here.
And remember, real men look great with pink handlebars on their bikes.
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October 4, 2010
Documentary details grueling Race Across America
What qualifies as a long bike ride to you?
Fifty miles? One hundred?
Competitors in the Race Across America, fondly known as RAAM, pedal 3,000 miles as they cross from the west coast to the east coast of the United States by bicycle. The top cyclists finish in fewer than 10 days.
They hardly sleep, the sun burns their skin raw and they struggle to stay upright and awake on their bikes. The race pushes them to the brink of physical and mental exhaustion.
On Sept. 24, ultra cyclist Jure Robic, five-time winner of RAAM, died in a crash with a car while training in his home town of Jesenice, Slovenia.
Oddly, the accident happened just a few days after I had lunch with Rick Kent, an Austin photographer and retired athlete who finished RAAM five times. Kent no longer cycles competitively — he has multiple sclerosis — but we talked about the grueling race, and what it takes to finish it.
We also talked about the film “Bicycle Dreams: The Race Across America.” A copy of that documentary, by filmmaker Stephen Auerbach, was sitting on my desk at work.
Time for me to watch it.
Auerbach and his crew used 18 cameras to capture the highs — and horrific lows — of the race. The documentary covers the 2005 edition of RAAM, in which cyclist and orthopedic surgeon Dr. Bob Breedlove died. Robic won the solo race that year.
Watching the film, I alternated between outrage that people would do this to their bodies (and to other drivers on the road, who might be unaware that half-asleep, exhausted cyclists are speeding down the pavement) to sheer awe of the ones who pushed through.
RAAM is one crazy race.
I recently chatted with Auerbach by email. He called Robic’s death a tragedy.
“It’s a horrible tragedy when any cyclist is killed on the road,” he said. “This problem goes way beyond ultracyclists. I’m not sure what can be done to make the roads safer. I’m scared for cyclists. Drivers are distracted. That said, many cyclists take chances that they should not.”
As for Robic, he says “there was no ‘empty’ in his tank.”
“He was not crazy, he just liked to do his job,” Auerbach said. “And his job was to be the best. The cruel twist that he was the best in the world at something the world didn’t really care about didn’t stop him. He was a painter on a planet of blind people. He raced for all of us. To witness his prowess was to witness the life force at its peak, its apex. Jure wasn’t about winning races, he was about demonstrating that more than we could even imagine is possible, and in every arena of human endeavor, not just sport.”
Auerbach compared RAAM to marriage.
“Sometimes you love it, sometimes you hate it. It gives and it takes away. It requires sacrifices, but it offers bounty. It can thrust you into poverty or offer you riches beyond imagination. It requires pure commitment and the shouldering of the adult responsibility. You must boil ego down in order to exist within its parameters. It’s earthy and spiritual. It’s down to earth and it’s out of this world. You want to curse it, you want to honor it. You want to never see it again, you want to renew your vows.”
To see a trailer for the documentary film, go here.
What are your thoughts on the race?
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October 1, 2010
Safety Pam bikes to work
Yep, I know. I look like the kid who collects stray grocery carts from the parking lot at the HEB.
Frankly, when I’m riding my bike to and from work, I don’t care how silly I look, as long as you can see me.
That’s why I deck myself out in a flourescent yellow safety vest. I’ve got a flashing red blinkie light in the back and a white headlight in the front of my bike, plus cool screw-on caps for the air valves of my tires that flash red when I roll.
The latest addition to my Safety Pam outfit? That nifty reflective sash.
One of my co-workers fashioned it for me. I love it because it’s lightweight, it doesn’t make me hot and it’s easy to toss over whatever I’m wearing.
See? You don’t have to buy expensive gear to make yourself more visible.
What do you wear to commute?
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September 28, 2010
Goose wants retraction
The goose I wrote about in my Fit City column last week came knocking today.
I think it wants a retraction.
Since I wrote about the goose, explaining how I sometimes have to wait before it allows me to pedal past on my way to the office, I’ve gotten lots of emails. Some are from other folks who’ve been shooed off the trail by it; others are from friends of the goose, who say it’s harmless.
One reader, Cliff Koeninger, says the goose, which he calls Lucy, is one of his best friends. He met the bird about a year ago, and says it is very gentle and kind hearted. It hangs out on the trail around Lady Bird Lake, next to the Hyatt Regency.
“You do her a disservice by calling her aggressive,” he says. “She has been abused by kids, dogs, and women with big purses slamming her in the head. A dog tore her leg once. I’ve seen kids hit her with light sabers and throw rocks at her. Once I held her and removed a fishing line that got wrapped around her foot.”
OK, now I feel bad.
Really, I love animals. I gave Lucy a wide berth because it seemed like she wasn’t out to win any congeniality contests.
Cliff promises to formally introduce me to Lucy soon.
Clearly, the goose is all for the meeting. Apparently that’s why she stopped by to say hi today.
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September 27, 2010
Please, take off your headphones on the trail
I officially think headphones are a bad idea on the hike-and-bike trail.
I ride my bike to work almost every day. Several times a week, I encounter someone — usually on the trail around Lady Bird Lake — so caught up in what’s going on underneath their headphones that they’re clueless as to what’s going on the trail.
I call out, trying to warn them I’m coming up from behind. Or I ring the bell on my handlebars to give them a heads up.
No response.
As a cyclist, I don’t want to surprise anyone on the trail. But when you’re so wrapped up in your music that your oblivious to other people using the path, it’s a problem. If you’re walking three abreast or in the middle of the trail, I’ve got no way to ask you to let me by.
So please. Put down the headphones and enjoy the outdoors a la natural.
We’ll all be safer that way.
Permalink | Comments (12) | Categories: cycling
September 17, 2010
Lance Armstrong registers first count on Austin bikeway
Guess who was the first cyclist officially counted on the Lance Armstrong Bikeway?
Yep, Armstrong himself.
And no, it wasn’t planned.
City crews installing new bicycle traffic counters on the east-west bikeway this morning had just laid down rider-counting equipment at about 10:30 a.m. when a bicyclist pedaled over it, registering the first count.
They looked up and were surprised to see what looked like the seven-time Tour de France winner zipping away. The cyclist confirmed the sighting by email later in the day, city officials said.
“Seriously, it truly was a coincidence,” said Sara Hartley, communications manager for the public works department. “Is that the craziest thing ever?”
The new equipment is being installed to determine how many cyclists are using the bikeway. Permanent counters are being installed on the bikeway near Shoal Creek and at Fourth Street, near the convention center.
Mobile bicycle traffic counters that take 24-hour readings will be installed along other biking routes around the city.
The counters will allow the city to better plan cycling improvements around the city.
(Photo by Graham Hughes.)
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September 3, 2010
Stanton Truxillo recovering from heart attack
When Stanton Truxillo collapsed in the road while bicycling last month, someone leaped out of a car and performed cardio pulmonary resuscitation on him.
Truxillo, former president of the Austin Cycling Association, is home now, recovering after quadruple bypass surgery. But he still doesn’t know who kept his heart pumping in those crucial moments after he suffered a massive heart attack.
Truxillo was pedaling along a 40-mile route from Mozart’s coffee shop on Lake Austin Boulevard to Creedmore and back on Aug. 3 when he started feeling un-well.
“It was nothing specific, maybe a little heartburn,” Truxillo said this week by phone from his home.
The group had strung out on Old Lockhart Road when he told some of his fellow cyclists that he was going to stop and call for a ride home.
For Truxillo, that’s unheard of. His buddies knew something was seriously wrong.
A few seconds later, Truxillo knew he had to stop immediately. That’s when he blacked out, collapsing onto another cyclist and crashing to the ground on Slaughter Road.
Someone unclipped him from his pedals. None of the cyclists with him knew CPR. While one of them called 911, another ran into traffic and started stopping cars, asking if anyone knew CPR.
Someone did.
That person jumped out of his car and came to Truxillo’s aid.
“It was so fast that he was starting CPR before the 911 operator even answered the phone,” Truxillo says.
The man was performing CPR when the first emergency vehicle arrived and continued pumping Truxillo’s heart for him until a second emergency vehicle showed up.
Then he stepped back into his car and drove anonymously away.
“I have no idea who this Good Samaritan is,” Truxillo says.
Truxillo was rushed to St. David’s South Austin Hospital, where doctors put him into an induced coma for a day and a half. A week after he came out of the coma, he had quadruple bypass surgery.
“By all odds I should have been dead,” he says. “But doctors said my fitness had a major bit to play in my surviving.”
Truxillo, 69, has been cycling his entire adult life. He started as a child, commuted by bike through graduate school and his first few jobs, and raced for 15 or 20 years. He never stopped biking.
He had a history of high cholesterol and had been taking statins for the last five years.
Doctors tell him that after a few months of rehabilitation he should be back to normal. He hopes to be back on his bicycle in a few months.
And he hopes to find out who gave him CPR that Tuesday morning, so he can thank him.
Permalink | Comments (7) | Categories: cycling
September 1, 2010
Texas 4000 for Cancer partners with LiveStrong
Big news from the Texas 4000 for Cancer folks, who just wrapped up their seventh 4,687-mile bicycle ride from Austin to Anchorage in the name of cancer awareness.
The non-profit organization is teaming up with LiveStrong as a title sponsor, starting next year.
It makes sense. Both groups are on a mission to help those affected by cancer, either through funding research and spreading the word about early detection and prevention or survivorship for those living with the disease.
“Our missions are so similar and the energy and passion all align, so we want to work together to make a greater impact,” says Jamille Ruebsahm, executive director of Texas 4000 for Cancer. “We think we’ll be able to grow together and reach more people.”
Katherine McLane, senior director of communications and external affairs at LiveStrong, agrees.
“From our perspective, we share a mission,” McLane says. “This is group of young people who have come together and established something really innovative and lucrative. They’re the next generation of the cancer community. We share the spirit of what they’re doing and want to be a part of it and support them.”
Texas 4000 for Cancer has raised approximately $1.9 million for fighting cancer since 2004.
This year’s cyclists arrived in Anchorage on Aug. 13. Next year’s 50 or so riders already have been chosen and are preparing for the 2011 LiveStrong Texas 4000 for Cancer ride. They’ll leave Austin in June.
LiveStrong will provide financial support for the ride and work with Texas 4000 to plan more community events along the cycling route.
“We’re thrilled about the partnership,” Ruebsahm says. “We’ll be able to make a greater impact, reach more people and move the battle line forward in the fight against cancer.”
No word yet on whether Austin’s most famous cyclist, Lance Armstrong, founder of LiveStrong, will pedal at least part of the way…
For more information, go to www.texas4000.org.
Permalink | | Categories: cycling
August 31, 2010
Austin bike collisions
Check out this interesting map, which shows hot spots for bicycle collisions in Austin from 2008 through mid-August 2010.
HERE’S A LINK TO SEE THE MAP LARGER:
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: cycling
August 27, 2010
Win free cycling book
I love riding my bike every day.
Sure, it’s sometimes tough pedaling home when it’s 105 degrees outside, but most days I look forward to the commute.
In the last year, cycling has gone from something I do on weekends for fun and exercise to a way of life. It’s my mode of transportation.
I don’t get stuck in traffic, I hardly ever have to put gas in my car (twice since April!) and I get a little exercise without even trying.
Lots of other folks feel the same way I do about bikes.
A copy of a collection of essays about cycling just landed on my desk.
Would you like to win it? Post here, telling me why you deserve my copy of “Cycling — Philosophy for Everyone: A Philosophical Tour de Force.”
Best answer wins. And I like humor.
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August 26, 2010
Cycling with eggs
Ooops!
Two casualties yesterday while transporting a carton of farm fresh eggs from work home by bicycle.
I’ve done this before, and nothing cracked.
I ride my bike to and from work most days. My commute is 15 miles round trip, mainly along the Shoal Creek Hike and Bike Trail.
A friend of mine brought the eggs from the farm next to her property in Llano. I wrapped them in a towel, popped them in the trunk that clips to the back of my bike and sped home.
Last time, no injuries. This time, I must have pedaled too quickly.
How eggs-asperating!
What’s the strangest thing you’ve transported by bike?
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August 24, 2010
Report Austin trail problems
Got an issue with a section of trail in Austin?
This from Annick Beaudet in the City of Austin’s Department of Public Works:
“The City of Austin Public Works Department, Neighborhood Connectivity Division would like your input on specific urban trails and/or trail segments that need maintenance. With Urban Trails under our division, PW management is investigating support the department could provide, during the slower winter road maintanance period, in urban trail maintenance. This could be, but is not limited to, issues with the surface condition/erosion, vegetation overgrowth, limb trimming, trash/debris removal, sight distance and American Disability Act concerns.
The scope of your comments should be limited to trails which serve both a transportation and recreational function.”
E-mail your concerns to Nadia Barrera at nadia.barera@ci.austin.tx.us by midnight Wednesday, Aug. 25.
Permalink | | Categories: cycling
August 13, 2010
Texas 4000 cyclists almost to Anchorage
With more than 4,600 miles under their bike tires, they’ve almost made it.
Fifty-three University of Texas students cycling from Texas to Alaska — that’s twice the distance of the Tour de France — are expected to roll into Anchorage today.
The Sense Corp Texas 4000 for Cancer, a fund-raiser to raise awareness about and money for cancer research, started in Austin June 4.
Along the way, the cyclists encountered forest fires, rain storms, sore muscles, wild raspberries and endless miles of pavement. They also gobbled down 6,000 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, slathered on 4 gallons of sunscreen, and fixed about 350 flat tires.
The photo at top, from Sarah Russ, who flew to Alaska to meet the bikers, shows the gang this morning, preparing for their last day’s ride.
The second photo shows three of the riders — from left to right, Jordan Deathe, Mahek Mehta and Dyar Bentz — taking a break on the 69th day of the 70-day ride. They’re outside of Sutton, Alaska, about 60 miles from Anchorage.
Organizers say the group encountered no major problems along the way.
Want to welcome them home?
A dinner and gala for is planned for Aug. 28 at the Hyatt Regency. The event will feature music by Austin’s Radiostar, plus dinner, dancing and a silent auction, with proceeds going to cancer research. The cyclists will be on hand to celebrate.
The event starts at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $175 per person or $1,000 to sponsor a rider.
Last year’s tribute dinner raised more than $65,000 to support the Texas 4000 mission. For tickets or more information, go here.
Cancer survivor Chris Condit started Texas 4000 for Cancer seven years ago to share a message of hope, knowledge and charity to those with cancer. Since then, more than 300 students have finished the ride — and raised more than $1.5 million in the process.
Participating cyclists each must raise at least $4,500 for cancer research.
This year, the Texas 4000 team camped outdoors for half of their journey. They spent remaining nights in school gymnasiums, host families’ homes, churches and even one night in a hotel, which was donated.
Permalink | | Categories: cycling
August 11, 2010
Ring of Fire Ride
Wichita Falls has the Hotter ‘n Hell 100, and now we’ve got the Ring of Fire.
For cyclists interested in seeing how hot they can get before they self-combust, Red Licorice Events presents the Ring of Fire Ride benefitting Ronald McDonald House Charities this Saturday in Luckenbach.
Actually, the ride starts before it gets truly hot, by Texas standards anyway, and it’s followed by a party with live music and food and beer vendors.
Riders can choose from distances of 13, 40, 65 or 110 miles, and can ride or race the event. The action starts at 7:30 a.m.
Luckenbach is about an hour and 15 minutes west of hear, near Fredericksburg.
We’re into late registration now. The untimed ride costs $65 (any distance). The timed 65-mile or 110-mile race is $70 ($220 for team of four).
For more information or to register, go here.
Permalink | | Categories: cycling
August 4, 2010
Is bike sharing a plot to destroy America?
Remember the Denver bike sharing program I blogged about last week?
It turns out the program is a United Nations plot to destroy America, according to a candidate for governor of Colorado.
Read the Huffington post’s version of the story here.
Meanwhile, I’m still in favor of starting a similar program here in Austin — whether or not it turns us into “a United Nations community” like gubernatorial candidate Dan Maes has warned voters about.
Despite what Maes says, the bike sharing program rocks. Once you register for the program, you can borrow a bicycle from any one of the roughly 50 stations around downtown for a small fee.
Chicago, Minneapolis and Boston have similar programs.
Here in my own personal Austin-based land of bike commuting, big news. I finally had to fill up the gas tank of my car yesterday, for only the second time since April.
Yes, since April!
I’ve been riding my bike almost everywhere - to swim practice, to work, to do errands, to do almost everything except grocery shop. And I’d do that by bike, too, if I could stuff a week’s worth of soy milk, watermelon, wine, tofu, beans, toilet paper, bread, cereal and grapefruit juice into my bike trunk.
What I love most about it (besides how much gas I’m saving), is that I feel like a kid zipping down the Shoal Creek hike and bike trail on my way to work. And when I get here, I’ve already gotten a good workout in without even thinking about it.
Yay bikes!
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July 30, 2010
Austin needs bike-sharing like Denver
While walking in downtown Denver last weekend, I passed one of the city’s new bike stations, where you can borrow a bicycle for a small fee.
The city has about 50 of the stations with a total of 500 bikes throughout downtown and in surrounding neighborhoods.
When I first passed the station, two women were wheeling away shiny red bikes with big metal baskets on the front. Only two bikes remained in the racks.
When I passed by about four hours later, the rack was full, a stable of 20 or so snappy looking pedal-powered vehicles ready to be rented.
During the day, I saw several groups of riders pedaling around on the distinctive rental bikes.
Denver launched its bike-sharing program in April, after testing a similar system during the Democratic National Convention in 2008.
Since then, Chicago, Minneapolis and Boston all have started bike-sharing programs.
Users sign up online or buy a 24-hour pass at the so-called B-station. They pick up a bike, ride it wherever they need to go, and return it either to the same station or another official B-station.
A 24-hour pass costs $5; a 30-day pass is $30; a seven-day pass is $20; and an annual membership is $65. Once you’ve got a pass or membership, rides of 30 minutes or less are free. Beyond that, usage fees apply. It costs $1.10 for 31 to 60 minutes; $3.30 for 61 to 90 minutes; $6.60 for 91 to 120 minutes; and $4.40 for every 30 minutes thereafter.
For more information about Denver’s system, go here.
I wish Austin would start a bike sharing program!
I can just imagine stations near the state capitol, the UT campus, Sixth Street, Zilker Park, the South Congress Avenue shopping area, City Hall, Auditorium Shores, the warehouse district, Fiesta Gardens and more.
What do you think? Would you rent a bike?
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July 22, 2010
Mountain biking in Colorado
They call it mountain biking in Central Texas, and we’ve got some top-notch trails on the Barton Creek Greenbelt, Emma Long Metropolitan Park and Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park.
But I’d like to know what it’s like to ride off-road in the real mountains of Colorado — the Rocky Mountains.
I’m in Breckenridge, Colo., today, doing just that.
I’m probably gasping like a guppy as we speak, trying to suck as much oxygen as I can out of the high-altitude air I’m breathing.
I wonder if all those miles I’ve put in cycling to and from work will come in handy?
I’ll let you know when I get back.
What’s your favorite mountain bike trail? Does mountain bike riding in Austin stack up to riding the Rockies? Am I going to get my butt kicked today?
Have any tips for me while I’m up here? I’ll be spending the next few days camping in a pop-up trailer at Rocky Mountain National Park with my sister and her husband.
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July 20, 2010
Biking the Kal-Haven Trail
While vacationing in Michigan recently, I rented a bike and checked out the Kal-Haven Trail, a 33.5-mile multi-use trail that runs from South Haven to Kalamazoo.
Awesome!
The bike rental cost $14; entry fee to the trail was $3, which I slipped into a drop box at the trailhead in South Haven.
The route, part of the Rails-to-Trails program that converts old railroad tracks to hike-and-bike (and cross country ski and snow mobile) trails, stretched out long and straight from the quaint little resort town on Lake Michigan where my mom lives.
I rolled past the Black River, over a wonderful covered bridge, past fields of blueberry bushes and into the woods.
I know Texas has trees, but it doesn’t have trees like this, which grow tall and thick and spread their shady arms overhead like a protective umbrella.
I passed a few runners and other cyclists close to town, but the farther away from South Haven I pedaled, the fewer folks I saw. I rode 15 miles out, then turned and came back the same 15.
No hills, no traffic, no stoplights, no cars to deal with — just miles of limestone/slag path, a herd of baby frogs and the occasional swam of mosquitoes.
There’s also a quirky little museum in a train car and a little shop that bakes up fresh cinnamon rolls along the way.
Next time, I’m going all the way to Kalamazoo! Folks at the bike shop told me a shuttle service will pick you up and bring you back to South Haven for $6 a person.
What’s your favorite bike trail? Where is it?
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July 13, 2010
Vancouver separated bike lane
Check out this video from Vancouver, where they’ve installed a separated bike lane.
Do you think a separated bike lane would work in Austin? Why or why not?
Where should it be?
Permalink | Comments (4) | Categories: cycling
July 5, 2010
Win book about cyclist Cavendish
In honor of the start of the Tour de France, I’m giving away a copy of “Boy Racer: My Journey to Tour de France Record-Breaker” (VeloPress, $21.95) by Mark Cavendish.
A sprinting specialist in the world of cycling, Cavendish is riding for the American cycling team HTC-Columbia in this year’s Tour.
He was born on the Isle of Man and written off as “fat” and “useless” in his youth. He won six stages of the 2009 Tour de France and four stages in the 2008 race.
Post here, telling me why you deserve this book. I’ll pick winners next week.
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July 2, 2010
Tour de France kickoff party
Itching to chalk up the streets like a real Tour de France fan? Want to dress like a wacky European bike racing junkie? Craving a crepe or baguette sandwich?
The 97th Tour de France kicks off this weekend, and the Austin bike shop owned by seven-time tour winner Lance Armstrong is hosting a celebration.
Highlights of Saturday’s bash include a photo booth where you can pose with other cyclists in the race peleton or climbing the French Alps, a “King of the Mountain” climbing wall, hourly raffles for bike gear, music, a painting wall, music, adult beverages and a Publicité Caravan that will shower guests with trinkets, samples and toy makers. Beer, wine and champagne will be available, and the store (which has a new Radio Shack Store inside it) will stay open until 9 p.m.
Oui!
When it gets dark, the tour prologue and the first individual time trial will be shown on a big screen in the parking lot.
Festivities are scheduled from 6-10 p.m. Saturday at Mellow Johnny’s, 400 Nueces St. For more information call the shop at 473-0222.
The TV at the store will be tuned to the Tour throughout July. “Come in for a coffee and see what the owner has in his legs,” screams a flyer announcing the events.
Another party is planned for Stage 17.
Let’s hope Armstrong is still in it by then.
(That’s our man, above, doing his thing in the Tour de Suisse last month.)
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: cycling
July 1, 2010
Texas town cracks down on group bike rides
A small town in North Texas is cracking down on group bicycle rides.
Under Bartonville’s newly expanded public events law, any group of 10 or more bicyclists must apply 45 days in advance and buy a $50 permit in order to roll through town, according to an article in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Read the entire article here .
The town doesn’t just hate cyclists, either. The law, approved June 15, also applies to groups of 10 or more walkers or runners.
I can hear it now. “Call the cops! I just saw 11 joggers trot by!”
City officials say they’re just trying to make their town safe for drivers and cyclists.
That’s a load of unwashed cycling shorts.
Intentionally or not, Bartonville is promoting a sedentary lifestyle and discouraging people from exercising. Officials there apparently forgot that cyclists — and walkers and runners — pay taxes that fund road construction.
I hope the amnesia doesn’t spread.
The new law understandably has Fort Worth area cyclists ticked off. Some are talking about boycotting the tiny town, population 1,500.
I doubt they’ll miss much.
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June 29, 2010
Fund-raiser's goal: High school mountain bike racing
Mountain biking as a high school sport? I wish they’d had it when I was in school …
It could happen in Texas, if the Texas High School Cycling League wins its bid to become a project league of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association in 2011. If that happens, the organization plans to start a racing league for Texas high school students in spring 2012.
To help in its efforts, the league will host a fund-raising screening of “Ride the Divide” at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Lake Creek Alamo Drafthouse, 13729 N. Highway 183. A question and answer session with the film’s executive producer and director will follow.
“Ride the Divide” is a documentary about The Tour Divide, dubbed the world’s toughest mountain bike race.
Riders climb more than 200,000 feet as they pedal more than 2,700 miles along the Continental Divide in the Rocky Mountains, from Canada to Mexico. (That’s like ascending Mount Everest from sea level seven times, in case you’re wondering.) And they do it with no support.
Ack!
The racers, who suffer everything from horrendous blisters to total fatigue, set an example for student athletes in Texas, says Vance McMurry, founding committee chair of the Texas League.
The event is sponsored by Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop, Bicycle Sport Shop and El Arroyo. Cycling gear and gift certificates will be raffled during the show.
For more information about the movie, go to www.ridethedividemovie.com.
For more information on the Texas High School Cycling League, go to http://www.texasmtb.org or call 512-586-9230.
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June 21, 2010
Outside responds to Lance Armstrong's complaint
Outside magazine has responded to Lance Armstrong’s complaint about the cover photo on the latest issue.
“We cop to it right there on the cover — see the line reading, ‘Note: Not Armstrong’s real T-shirt,’” Outside editors said in an item posted at http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=45&aid=185528, a website dedicated to journalism issues.
“We wanted to create a provocative image and make a bold statement about the fact that, because of Armstrong’s age, many cycling fans are skeptical of his chances in this year’s Tour de France.”
Hmmmm.
In case you missed it, Outside printed a photo of the seven-time Tour de France winner wearing a Tshirt that said “38. BFD.”
Armstrong was actually wearing a plain Tshirt at the photo shoot and was angry when he saw the photoshopped cover.
I still think what the magazine did was wrong.
Why didn’t they just tell Armstrong what they wanted to do? Why not simply ask him to wear a real T-shirt printed with the message?
Maybe they knew he’d decline … for good reason.
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June 18, 2010
Attention bike commuters: Trail closure
Heads up, bike commuters.
The Stratford trail will be closed for two to three weeks starting Monday, June 21, for renovation of the trailhead at Barton Springs.
The photo above shows the scope of the work.
Nadia Barrera, bicycle/pedestrian project coordinator at the City of Austin, provided this information.
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Lance Armstrong ticked about magazine cover
Lance Armstrong is ticked off about his cover shot on the latest issue of Outside magazine.
The photo shows the Austin cyclist, who will start his bid for his eighth Tour de France victory on July 3, wearing a blue Tshirt that says “38. BFD.”
He’s 38 years old. You can probably figure out what BFD stands for.
Armstrong, it turns out, wasn’t wearing that shirt — the magazine altered the solid-colored shirt he was wearing, apparently without letting the cyclist know.
“Just saw the cover of the new Outside mag w/ yours truly on it. Nice photoshop on a plain t-shirt guys. That’s some lame (BS),” he Tweeted to his 2.5 million followers on Wednesday.
The magazine does explain in small print that the Tshirt text was added after the fact.
The headline was none too flattering, either. It says, “His age, new rival, the latest scandal: Is this the end for Lance?”
I don’t get it. Did the magazine think Armstrong wouldn’t notice? If they wanted to add the T-shirt text, why didn’t they tell him about it, or ask him to wear a pre-printed shirt so they didn’t have to cheat? They must have realized Armstrong wouldn’t have approved, or they’d have told him before going to press.
So, what do you think? Does Armstrong have a right to be mad? Or was the magazine within its rights?
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June 17, 2010
Unicyclist runs red light, gets ticket
AJ Greig might be the only guy in Austin who’s not angry about getting a ticket for running a red light.
Greig, 34, was riding his unicycle home at about 10:30 p.m. last Thursday when he succumbed to temptation and rolled through a red light at the intersection of South Congress Avenue and Elizabeth Street.
He knows what he did was wrong (and inherently dangerous). He’s been using a unicycle as his main mode of transportation for most of the past 10 years.
“I’ve been working very diligently on still stands, so if I come to a light I can rock back and forth until the light changes,” he says. “I know this sounds stupid, but that’s the only light I didn’t stop at.”
It turns out a police car was at the same intersection, just a few cars behind Greig. A block and a half later, Greig noticed flashing red lights.
“I looked behind me, thinking ‘That can’t be for me,’” Greig says.
He quickly realized it was.
“He nailed me,” Greig says. “I don’t know why I didn’t stop. I’m absolutely not mad at (the police); they were just doing their job.”
Greig says the police officer told him all traffic offenders have to be treated equally, whether they’re in cars or on bicycles — or even unicycles.
“When he said that, I was beaming,” Greig says. “I was so excited to be considered just another cyclist.”
That made the ticket — a moving violation with a penalty of $217 — sting a little less. He also says he’s annoyed with himself for not making a complete stop.
Greig says he is planning to take the new defensive cycling class offered by the Austin Cycling Association. Cyclists who take the class, created in partnership with the Austin Municipal Court, can qualify to have their traffic tickets waived.
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June 15, 2010
Bike Snob at Mellow Johnny's
Cycling’s most hilarious blogger is coming to Mellow Johnny’s Wednesday as part of a six-city tour promoting his book, “Bike Snob NYC: Systematically & Mercilessly Realigning the World of Cycling.”
Bike Snob, aka Eben Weiss, will lead a one-hour urban ride starting at 10:30 a.m. from the shop, 400 Nueces St.
At 6 p.m., he’ll return for a talk, book signing, drinks, music and a “Cycling Stereotype Pageant.” Bike Snob will pick winners in categories that include The Roadie, the Mountain Biker, the Cyclocrosser, the Triathlete, the Urban Cyclist, the Messenger, the Beautiful Godzilla, the Retro-Grouch, the Righteous Cyclist, the Lone Wolf and the Contraption Captain.
Need inspiration? Check Weiss’ blog here.
I love his bit about dressing as Floyd Landis, the cyclist who won the Tour de France a few years ago and then had his victory yanked when he tested positive for drugs. And the bit about buying used cycling shorts.
Ha!
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June 13, 2010
Two wheels and four paws
Some folks carry spare tire tubes and an air pump when they cycle. Mike Gaudion totes his toy poodle.
Oleta, a poofy white, 15-pound bundle of energy, rides on a specially rigged padded platform attached to the top tube of Gaudion’s bike, ears whipping in the breeze as her master pedals down country roads and gravel trails.
“She absolutely loves it,” Gaudion says.
Gaudion adopted the 7-year-old dog from his mother about a year ago and quickly realized the pup hated to be left alone. Oleta whined and cried so much when he wheeled away on his mountain bike that he tried taking her along. He tucked her in a sling, but she wriggled in annoyance.
Eventually he outfitted his bike with a padded platform and fashioned a safety harness that attaches to his body to hold his canine partner steady.
Team Oleta was born.
Oleta soon became a fixture on the hike-and-bike trail around Lady Bird Lake, where she watches for squirrels as Gaudion, 44, pedals away. (Gaudion, by the way, has lost 60 pounds since taking up cycling 3 years ago.)
Oleta loves speed, so Gaudion bought a lickety-split carbon fiber road bike and equipped it with a dog-friendly platform, too. When they’re going fast, Oleta puts her paws on the blue foam pads on top of the handlebars, in what Gaudion calls the “arrow dog” position.
“She does not like getting passed,” says Gaudion, a retired boat mechanic who now drives school buses. “Someone passes and she looks up at me like ‘Come on fat guy, let’s go!’”
Last October, Team Oleta entered its first official group bike ride, the Livestrong Challenge. They logged 20 miles.
Since then, they’ve participated in cycling events throughout Central Texas, including the LBJ 100 Bicycle Tour, the Pedal Power Wildflower Ride, the Red Poppy Ride, the Armadillo Hill Country Classic, the Atlas Ride and the Real Ale Ride.
Their longest ride to date has been 65 miles, but Gaudion says a century ride is in their future.
Soon Oleta will have her own helmet. A friend has carved a tiny prototype out of foam and plastic, but the design isn’t quite right yet.
Oleta, for the record, doesn’t wear Spandex shorts.
Team Oleta does, however, have its own FaceBook page, with a few dozen online admirers.
(Photo at top shows Gaudion and Oleta at the Real Ale Ride last month, where they rode 65 miles. Photo by Ami Larson. Smaller photo shows Team Oleta at the Armadillo Hill Country Ride and was taken by Mary Beer.)
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June 9, 2010
Shammies 'N Koozies postponed due to flooding
The first-ever Shammies ‘N Koozies event, scheduled for Saturday, has been postponed due to flooding in Comal County.
Rockin’ R River Rides, which was to have been the finish venue for the event, lost much of its inventory and is partially under water.
“Shammies ‘N Koozies will happen - just not this weekend. We will regroup with all agencies and entities involved and schedule a date later in the summer,” says Lesley Smith of Cadence Sports. “If you have already registered, your registration will be credited towards the alternate date. If you have a conflict with the new date, please let us know via email and we’ll defer your registration to the 2011 Shammies ‘N Koozies.”
I love the concept of this event, by the way.
Participants pick a 45-mile or 65-mile fully-supported bike ride that starts in Wimberley and ends in New Braunfels. After a barbecue lunch, they grab innertubes and plunge into the Guadalupe River for the trip downstream.
For more information, go to www.shammiesnkoozies.com.
Permalink | | Categories: cycling
June 7, 2010
Closing ceremonies of Austin Bike Month
The winners of the Austin Commuter Challenge basked in glory and claimed their impressive trophies at Sunday’s closing ceremonies of Austin Bike Month.
I rode my bike down for the festivities, which included food, music and free beer at the Rock Garden at Zilker Park. Thanks to Alvaro Bastidas, founder of Please Be Kind to Cyclists, who organized the event.
I enjoyed talking smack with the boys of Circle C Ranch Cycling Club, who claimed their second trophy in the 30-day team challenge by logging 1,409 trips for 4,494 miles. Second place went to Team Bike Mojo, and third place went to It’s Always Greener.
Turns out I wasn’t the only one who became obsessed with the team contest, which was based on how many trips cyclists took during the month of May.
Some folks plotted the location of all-night businesses, so they could take bike trips after hours, adding to their tallies. Others developed wicked coffee habits, cycling back and forth to get their daily caffeine fix. (Perhaps we can get Starbucks on board as a sponsor next year?) All of us begged our spouses to leave all the post office-hopping, grocery-grabbing errands to us.
It was tons of fun. Thanks to Chris Carter at Bicycle Sport Shop, who spearheaded the challenge.
Bill Simons, aka “The Ginger Sloth,” logged a whopping 580 miles and 280 trips to win the individual cup. He was so thrilled he promptly filled the shimmering vessel with free beer and partook. He’s a real inspiration!
Circle C Ranch Cycling Club also won the miles version of the contest, logging a total of 4,363 miles, and the Robinson Maulers won the Family Week contest. Special kudos to Bryker Woods Elementary, the only school that participated.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: cycling
Lance Armstrong Bikeway art dedication
Have you seen those yellow things out on the trail around Lady Bird Lake?
I have to confess. At first I thought some of them were random bits of construction materials.
Turns out it’s the latest public art project commissioned by the city of Austin Art in Public Places program for the Lance Armstrong Bikeway, an east-west, 6-mile bike route through downtown Austin.
The series of wide yellow steel loops come in different sizes and shapes. Some are as tall as a person; others are about thigh level. Some double as benches; two are sculptural “tunnels.” There’s also a painted gradient in several spots.
The artwork is designed to help people find and stay on the bikeway. Some of the pieces double as rest stop amenities along the way.
The 27 pieces are the creation of artist collective NextProject, made up of Leah Davis, Robert Gay and Jack Sanders. They’ll discuss the work and lead a guided tour of the bikeway at a dedication of the public art on Saturday, June 12.
I’m guessing the yellow signifies the yellow jersey local cyclist Armstrong claimed in his record seven Tour de France victories.
An early-bird art ride will kick off the event at 8:30 a.m., as part of the “Scout-A-Route” ride series by the Austin Cycling Association. That ride will start at Mellow Johnny’s, 400 Nueces St. The ride will include stops at various art installations along the route, with commentary from the artists.
At 10:30 a.m., the ride will stop at the MoPac Bridge along Veterans Drive for a formal dedication, ribbon cutting ceremony and performance by the Austin Bike Zoo.
Afterward, the group will ride 2 miles back to Mellow Johnny’s.
The entire 12-mile ride is open to the public. Helmets are required. The route includes on-street and off-street marked paths from Veterans Drive on the west to Shady Lane on the east.
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June 3, 2010
Defensive Cycling Class lets bikers erase tickets
Coming soon — a defensive cycling class that gives bicyclists who have received traffic tickets a chance to have them erased.
The Austin Cycling Association has partnered with the Austin Municipal Court to offer the class, one of the nation’s first defensive cycling courses.
Cyclists who successfully complete the three-hour class, which costs $25, will receive a certificate that the court may honor to dismiss a traffic ticket.
“It’s one of the first in the country and, aside from the equal treatment aspect, I like that our court recognizes the benefit of allowing cyclists an opportunity to become educated about riding safely in cooperation with traffic instead of just paying a fine and continuing to do whatever it was that they were cited for doing,” says Wes Robinson, director of education for the Austin Cycling Association.
In Austin, cyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as motorists. That means they have the right to ride on any roadway unless prohibited by a specific local ordinance. They also must follow all the same traffic laws as motorists.
Instructors certified by the League of American Bicyclists will teach the classes, which will include safe cycling tips. They’ll take place at the BikeTexas offices, 1902 E. Sixth St.
Classes are scheduled for the following dates:
- 6 p.m. July 7
- 9 a.m. Aug. 7
- 6 p.m. Sept. 1
- 9 a.m. Oct. 2
- 6 p.m. Nov. 3
- 9 a.m. Dec. 4
To register, go to http://bit.ly/a3tTOp. The course can be taken once every 12 months.
Ticketed cyclists can also sign up to take the class at the clerk’s window at the Municipal Court starting June 1.
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June 1, 2010
10 things Commuter Challenge taught me
The Austin Commuter Challenge has officially ended, and I’m proud to report that Team Statesman recorded 517 trips and 2,086 miles.
That puts us unofficially in eighth place out of 58 teams, although we won’t know for sure until results are announced at the Austin Bike Month Closing Celebration.
It looks like Circle C Ranch Cycling Club took first place for the second year in a row, squeaking past Bryker Woods Elementary.
The contest is based on trips, not on miles, and Circle C logged 1,409 trips. But they also logged 4,494 miles — and that’s a whole lot.
I’m also impressed with Team Bike Mojo, which racked up 1,055 trips and 4,909 miles. That’s more miles than any other team! Way to go!
The closing party from 2-8 p.m. Sunday, June 6 at the Zilker Rock Garden in Zilker Park looks like fun. There will be free beer, food, live music, mountain bike demos, BMX trick demonstrations and more.
Congrats to everyone who participated in the contest, and see you at closing ceremonies!
Things I learned from doing the Austin Commuter Challenge:
- 1. I can get almost anywhere I need to go by bike.
- 2. It’s possible to transport a carton of eggs from downtown to Allendale by bike, without cracking a one.
- 3. It’s more fun to bike to happy hour!
- 4. Hills get easier after a few weeks.
- 5. Padded mountain biking shorts are tres chic (in my world.)
- 6. Eau de Sweat is an acquired taste.
- 7. Some people can run faster than I can pedal my bike.
- 8. Helmet hair is all the rage (in my office cubicle.)
- 9. You can inhale a cloud of gnats and live to tell about it.
- 10. I love to bike!
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May 28, 2010
Hi, I'm a bike commuter
I’ve become a bike commuting maniac.
I’ve ridden my bike to work once a week for the last six or seven years. But when we formed an Austin American Statesman team for the Austin Commuter Challenge this month, I ramped it up.
I ride 16 miles round trip to work and back almost every day. I pedal to swim practice, the bank, the post office, the hair salon, the grocery store, the pharmacy, my friends’ houses — just about everywhere.
In the last two weeks alone, I’ve logged more than 250 miles on my commuter bike! (And haven’t had to put gas in my car for three weeks.)
It’s changed my perspective. Instead of automatically grabbing for the car keys, I think of my bike first.
I can go almost everywhere I need to go on my bike.
I’ve had only a few exceptions: A story interview in San Marcos, another in Lago Vista. A resupply trip to the grocery store after I was out of town for 11 days.
It’s fun. I try to go faster every day.
The best part is feeling my body get stronger with every trip. The hills that once pooped me out aren’t quite so daunting. I’m getting “cyclist’s legs!”
For the most part, reaction from motorists has been polite. I get lots of smiles from other cyclists.
I’ve seen cool stuff — a guy hoisting a massive fish out of the lake, a cat catching a squirrel, a snake in the creek, a family of swans, friends out for a run, new construction, my neighbors. Bike commuting is a great way to see what’s going on in your city.
I’ll be sorry when the Austin Commuter Challenge ends on May 31. But I won’t quit commuting.
Permalink | | Categories: cycling
May 27, 2010
Bike races at Lance's ranch
While the tri geeks take over downtown Austin, the mountain bikers will flock to Juan Pelota Ranch in Dripping Springs — Lance Armstrong’s Hill Country spread — for the Mellow Johnny’s Spring Classic this weekend.
Yep, it’s your chance to get a peek at the seven-time Tour de France winner’s home turf.
Spectators are welcome. Hat Creek Burgers and Wahoo’s will be serving up burgers and tacos, and the Juan Pelota Coffee Wagon will provide caffeine. Beer will be available, too.
You can even shop for cool bike stuff at the on-site expo, which will be open from 7 a.m. - 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Last year about 700 racers competed in the Spring Classic. (Hey, hasn’t anybody checked the thermometer? Isn’t it summer yet?) Pre-registration for this year’s race, which is now an official Pro XCT event, is now closed.
The Pro Women’s Race starts at 10:30 a.m. Saturday; Pro Men’s race is at 1 p.m. Saturday. Category 3 race starts at 8:45 a.m. Saturday; Category 1 and 2 races start at 9 and 11 a.m. Sunday.
For a video of the course, directions to the ranch and more details go here http://www.mellowclassic.blogspot.com/.
A kick-off party is scheduled for 7-10 p.m. tonight (Thursday) at Mellow Johnny’s, 400 Nueces St.
Permalink | | Categories: cycling
May 21, 2010
Coffee from Circle C Ranch Cycling Club
I take back everything bad I said about Circle C Ranch Cycling Club.
They delivered an iced coffee — by bike — to me today.
Tom Dobbs and Bill Maroon rolled up, cup of iced joe in hand, so I didn’t have to make the long quarter-mile trip over to Dominican Joe’s to take my own coffee break. That way, they got to log a couple of trips each while I sat on my butt in my cube.
That’s Bill in the photos.
We’re all participating in the Austin Commuter Challenge, a 30-day team contest to see who can log the most trips by bike.
I griped a few weeks back about the Circle C team, because a couple of members were logging trips to the community mailbox and making ridiculous numbers of trips to the nearby Starbuck’s, just so they could count the trips in the contest.
Some might call it sand bagging.
It turns out the team I really need to be ragging on is Team Bike Mojo, where rider “eereid” on Thursday logged a round trip ride of 0.14 miles to the mailbox and counted it as TWO trips!
That’s just pathetic.
Team Statesman, in the meantime, continues to make steady progress.
We’re in eighth place out of 58 teams at the moment. We’ve collectively logged 1,459 miles since May 1.
If the contest were based on mileage alone, we’d be in fourth place!
Permalink | Comments (3) | Categories: cycling
A week of bike commutes
I rode my bike to work all five days this week, a new personal record.
This Austin Commuter Challenge has really lit a fire under my (bike) seat, inspiring me to take trips I’d normally take by car on my bicycle.
Besides pedaling to work, I’ve biked to happy hour, the hair salon, dinner with a friend, the grocery store, the pharmacy, REI, lunch and a couple of interviews.
I even transported a carton of eggs 8 miles without cracking a one!
My only snafu? Last night, I broke the chain on my bike grinding up a hill. Luckily I was less than a mile from home. I picked up the greasy chain and walked it in. This morning I borrowed my husband’s bike as a replacement until I get mine mended.
Today is Bike to Work Day. I zipped by the free breakfast station at Far West and Shoal Creek Boulevard for a free breakfast burrito (thanks!) on my way to swim practice this morning and took a couple of snaps with my iPhone.
This afternoon, the fun continues. One of the members of the Team Circle C, that commuting team that logs quarter- and half-mile trips to nearby destinations like the mailbox, has promised to deliver me iced coffee — so I don’t have to make the trip (and log the points) myself!
Those sneaky cyclists!
I fear instead of shaming them, I’ve inspired them to log even more trips. In fact, I know I have.
Here’s what Bill, today’s coffee delivery guy, wrote me: “Thanks for lighting a fire under the already diligent CCRCC teams butt.”
Team Captain Wes Robinson even offered to hand deliver my mail to me.
Stay tuned for delivery photos if it happens …
Cyclists enjoying free burritos at Bike to Work station.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Categories: cycling
May 20, 2010
How much can you save biking to work?
How much can you save riding your bike to work?
I save $6.06 per day, according to a handy online calculator.
Enter the length of your daily commute and any parking costs or toll expenses. Click a button and it spits out your savings.
My commute is 16 miles round trip, but I don’t have any parking or toll costs.
How are the results determined? Here’s what the website says:
“The per-mile cost of driving to work is 50 cents, including gasoline, insurance, maintenance and depreciation, according to the IRS’ 2010 standard mileage rates. Actual rates may vary by vehicle.
“The per-mile cost of biking is 9.6 cents and includes maintenance and depreciation, based on interviews with U.S. cycling organizations and previously published research, most notably from Road Kill: How Solo Driving Runs Down the Economy.
“Monthly parking fees are broken down to a per-day average on the basis of 19.3 workdays per month, a figure derived from Bureau of Labor Statistics guidelines.”
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May 19, 2010
Ride of Silence tonight
Austin cyclists will ride through the city tonight in honor of cyclists killed on Texas roads.
The event begins with a 6:30 p.m. dedication ceremony at Pfluger Bridge over Lady Bird Lake. An 8-mile ride will follow at 7 p.m.
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, more than 1,000 people die in bicycle accidents every year. More than 500,000 other cyclists suffer non-fatal injuries.
The Ride of Silence aims to highlight the need for drivers and cyclists to learn how to share the road.
Ride of Silence events are planned in 49 U.S. states and more than two dozen nation.
Permalink | | Categories: cycling
May 18, 2010
Biking to work
Team Statesman is currently in 13th place in the Austin Commuter Challenge.
Time to ramp it up!
I’ve been gone for 12 days, and I’m trying to make up for lost pedal time. I rode to swim practice yesterday morning and then to work. I rode to work again today.
I’ve been a pretty regular once-a-week bike commuter for the past six or seven years.
I love it. My commute is about 8 miles, most of it along the Shoal Creek hike-and-bike trail. I get to cross creeks, look for snakes, rumble over gravel paths and listen to birds chirp. I also get to roll past traffic backed up on Lamar Boulevard.
When I get to work, I’ve already got a workout under my belt. And I feel like a kid!
I’m lucky that the Statesman has nice shower facilities, and I can clean up here.
I can’t always commute, because I have far-flung, off-site interviews, but with a little advance planning it’s not as hard as you might think. I ride a mountain bike rigged with a trunk on a rack in the back. I’ve got lights for night and a U-lock to secure it here at my office. I always wear a helmet. When I’m riding at night, I wear a vest with LED lights on it.
Friday is Bike to Work day. That means free breakfast!
Stop by one of the following locations between 7-9 a.m. to fuel your ride:
- AJ’s Cyclery, 10019 W. Parmer Lane.
- Banister Lane at Casey Street.
- Bicycle Sport Shop, 517 S. Lamar Blvd.
- BikeTexas, 1902 E. Sixth St.
- Bouldin Creek Cafe, 1501 S. 1st St.
- Capital MetroRail, Plaza Saltillo Station, 2910 East Fifth St.
- City Hall Plaza, 301 W. Second St.
- One Texas Center, 505 Barton Springs Road.
- Flipnotics, 1601 Barton Springs Road.
- Freewheeling Bicycles, 24th and San Gabriel streets.
- Mellow Johnny’s, Fourth at Nueces streets.
- The Peddler, 119 E. North Loop Blvd.
- Shoal Creek Boulevard at Far West right of way.
- Thunderbird Coffee, 2200 Manor Road.
- Wheatsville Coop, 3101 Guadalupe St.
- Whole Foods, Sixth Street at Lamar Boulevard.
- Whole Foods Gateway, 9607 Research Blvd.
- Yellow Bike Project, 1200 Webberville Road.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: cycling
May 4, 2010
Commuting to the mailbox
Clearly I need to develop a coffee habit. Or move my mailbox farther away from the front door.
The Austin Commuter Challenge has begun, and so far the Circle C Ranch Cycling Club is dominating.
The challenge is scored by the number of trips taken by bike. Distance doesn’t matter. Each trip, whether it’s 1 mile or 30, earns a single point.
I thought I was doing well over the weekend, logging trips by bike to my Dad’s house (4 miles each way) and to a friend’s Kentucky Derby party (2 miles away). And this morning, I pedaled 8 miles to work. (And met a blog reader, Carry, who also was biking to work!)
But the Circle C Ranch team cleaned up.
Jealous, I peeked at Team Captain Wes Robinson’s stats.
In the first two days of the challenge, he logged a whopping nine trips by bike.
But how?!
As it turns out, the boy is making a lot of trips to Starbucks. And the mailbox.
Yep. He lives in a neighborhood with one of those community mailboxes. And it’s half a mile from his house, so he racks up 2 points each time he checks his mail. Starbuck’s is a mile from his home. So he gets points for satisfying his caffeine fix, too.
Apparently he used to make those trips by car!
Robinson’s team, you may not be surprised to hear, won last year’s team commuter challenge. They replaced 972 car trips with bike trips and logged 2,873 miles.
“I think that’s point of competition, to get folks who don’t ride 500 miles a month to log a bunch of short trips,” Robinson says.
In all, more than 300 people participated in the challenge last year, logging more than 8,400 trips.
I’m thinking of getting my mail delivered to a friend’s house, just so I have a reason to ride down the street.
The photo above shows last year’s winning Circle C Team.
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April 27, 2010
Team Statesman enters Austin Commuter Challenge
We’re in!
Team Statesman is registered for the Austin Commuter Challenge, and we’re 13 members strong (and counting).
So far, 35 teams have signed up for the challenge, in which cyclists compete to see which team can log the most trips by bike.
Trip distance doesn’t matter, it’s all about how many times you hop on your bike instead of turning a key in your car’s ignition.
Trips to work count, as do trips to the grocery store, to the neighborhood restaurant or to visit friends. The only trips that don’t count are those taken just to get exercise. (And those count for keeping you healthy, even if they don’t help rack up points in this challenge.)
The contest officially begins on Saturday.
Look out. I’m going to be riding everywhere. That’s me in the photo above, riding the bike I dubbed The Cheetoh to work along the Shoal Creek hike-and-bike trail.
Have you registered?
Do it now here.
And post here why you ride your bike instead of drive your car or truck.
Permalink | | Categories: cycling
April 20, 2010
How does Austin fund bike infrastructure?
Thought I’d post a presentation from the City of Austin about where funding for Austin’s bike/pedestrian programs come from, in light of John Kelso’s column about the bike boulevard today.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: cycling
April 19, 2010
Long Beach's bike friendly mission
Check out this video of how Long Beach, Calif., is making itself more bike friendly.
It comes from Charlie Gandy, a former Texas legislator and Austin resident who now works as the mobility coordinator for Long Beach, Calif.
Long Beach is a beach town south of Los Angeles. Three years ago, residents there elected a slate of new city council members with bike-friendly agendas. Since then, they’ve pushed cycling as a way to differentiate their city from their more car-centric neighbors.
They even installed artwork and a sign on City Hall that says “The most bicycle friendly city in America.”
A spate of infrastructure, from a downtown bike station where people can park their bikes for free, green-painted lanes called sharrows that alert motorists that cyclists frequent the area, and bike corrals that hold eight to 12 bicycles instead of a single car, has been installed. In the next few months, crews are putting in new bike lanes separated from motor traffic by barriers.
They’re even creating something that’s been discussed in Austin — the first bike boulevard in Southern California. The idea, which emphasizes bike and pedestrian traffic over motor traffic, was so embraced by the community that planners expanded it from including five traffic circles to seven.
Cyclists not only exist in Long Beach, they’re encouraged to ride there. What a concept.
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April 12, 2010
Pedal Power Wildflower Ride was amazing
My legs are pooped today, the after effects of a one-two punch this weekend: The Pedal Power Wildflower Ride on Saturday and the Capitol 10,000 on Sunday.
But boy, was it fun.
My husband Chris and I have done the Pedal Power ride four or five times. It’s a great supported ride that benefits the Hill Country Children’s Advocacy Center. We do the 62-mile route, which starts and finishes at the LBJ Ranch. It winds through some of the most spectacular wildflower viewing areas in Central Texas, including the famous Willow City Loop.
Raj Randeri (who took some of these photos), Katie Ryan and Charlie McCabe joined me and Chris for the ride this year.
Highlights?
The flowers. This year’s show was the best ever, and I’m not just talking bluebonnets. Besides those rivers of blue, we saw white prickly poppies, Mexican blankets, winecups, Indian paintbrush, phlox, Mexican hats and more. Gorgeous!
That giant downhill. Yikes! I’m trying to train myself not to grip the brakes down that screaming downhill on Highway 16, but it’s tough. Anyway, the miles slide away like unspooling thread. Until…
That giant uphill. OK, we whine about it every mile of the way leading up to it, but there’s something about pedaling a bike up that enormous hill at about the midway point that makes me feel like Super Woman.
The cattle. At one point, we had to pedal around a gigantic brown and white steer standing in the middle of the road. Now that kind of traffic I don’t mind!
The wind. Not exactly a highlight, but I will remember this year’s ride for that stiff wind that built during the day. It’s like an unending hill that you can’t see. Ugh.
The rest stops. This ride has the best aid stations! Besides water and sports drinks, riders feast on beef jerky, fruit, sausage wraps, cookies, granola bars, crackers, cheese and more. Is it possible to finish a ride weighing more than when you started?
The homemade spaghetti lunch at the finish. No store-bought meal here. These folks gather the crockpots and cook up a mountain of pasta and sauce (including vegetarian!) for hungry riders.
Did you do the ride? What did you like/dislike? Other favorite rides or wildflower viewing spots?
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April 9, 2010
Pro cyclist killed by street racers
A professional cyclist in California was hit and killed yesterday by teen-age street racers, according to news reports.
The cyclist, 27-year-old Jorge Alvarado of Ontario, Calif., was struck by a speeding Honda Accord driven by an 18-year-old. The Accord was allegedly racing two other cars driven by high school students, and crossed onto the wrong side of the road while trying to pass them, according to sheriff’s officials in San Bernardino County.
Alvarado was thrown from his bike, landed in a nearby field and died at the scene. He was a member of the Bahati Foundation Pro Cycling Team.
Read more in this article from KTLA.com.
According to the blog bikinginla.wordpress.com, Alvarado won the recent UCLA Road Race and finished fifth in the Redlands Classic Pro/Am Criterion. He was scheduled to compete in the Dana Point Grand Prix this weekend.
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April 7, 2010
Bicycling Mag ranks Austin 11th among bike-friendly cities
Austin ranks 11th in Bicycling Magazine’s list of America’s 50 Top Bike-Friendly cities.
Do we deserve it? Debatable.
The magazine looked closely at infrastructure, from segregated bike lanes to bike racks and bike boulevards, when compiling its list. Editors also looked for “a vibrant and diverse bike culture” and “smart, savvy bike shops.”
Well, we’re making great strides in Austin.
In the last few years, the city has added miles of bike lanes, including stretches on Exposition Boulevard and Anderson Lane. It’s also experimenting with the use of road markings like bike boxes at the front of intersections and painted markings to alert motorists that bikes might be crossing lanes. All good stuff.
Some cyclists howled this week when plans for a downtown bike boulevard, which encourages bike traffic and discourages through motor traffic on certain stretches of road, were watered down.
But looking at the broader picture, the situation is better than it was even five years ago. And the process the city’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Program went through in making its recommendation to install road cushions on both Rio Grande Boulevard and Nueces Street helps it earn credibility. City staff listened to community concerns, gathered more data, evaluated it and modified their recommendation based on that data.
Yes, it would have been nice to have a real bike boulevard. But we’re making progress.
We’ve got a great bike culture here, with tons of weekly social rides and hammerhead training rides. We’ve got weekly bike criterion and lots of other races. We’ve got a network of mountain biking trails. And we’ve got plenty of small bike shops.
Certainly, there’s room for improvement before we reach the likes of top-ranking cities like Minneapolis, Portland, Ore., Boulder, Colo., or Seattle. But we’re on our way.
To read Bicycling Magazine’s full report, go here.
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City wants input on new bike map
The city of Austin wants input from cyclists as it updates its city bicycle map.
To help out, you can answer questions in an online survey here.
The current map, last updated in Fall 2008, outlines cycling routes and categorizes their difficulty level by marking them in three different colors.
Map designers want to know if you’d also like features like hills, bike shops, trail access points, places to swim and rail or bus stops marked on the new map.
What kind of supplemental information — tips for parking your bike, carrying loads, using public transit — would you like to see included?
Would you rather the map be wallet-sized or wall-sized?
How large an area should the map cover?
Should it be one-sided or two-sided?
Once you’ve aired your opinion, get on your bike and ride!
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: cycling
April 2, 2010
Police seek help in solving bike thefts
This from the Austin Police Department:
Has your bike been stolen?
Austin Police North Bureau detectives are currently investigating a series of bicycle thefts that occurred during the middle of February, in the area north of downtown and south of Koenig Lane.
The suspects have been pawning the stolen bicycles or selling them to bike resale shops throughout the city. The North Bureau detectives would like to encourage anyone in this area that was a victim of bike theft and failed to report the theft to call 311 and make a report.
Please try to give as much detailed information about the bicycle as you can. We are attempting to link the bikes that the suspects pawned to the proper owner of the bike.
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March 25, 2010
Light up your bike!
What do you think?
Does this bike light have value as a safety mechanism to make you more visible on your commute home or is it better off as decor for the next night-time bike parade?
The Bike Glow Safety Light is a 10-foot flexible tube that wraps around the frame of your bike.
The lights can be set for constant illumination, slow flashing or fast flashing modes. The system is powered by two AA batteries in a small pack that also attaches to the bike.
It comes in eight colors and sells for $24.95 at www.bikeglow.com.
I can’t decide if I like it or if it’s just plain goofy.
Permalink | Comments (5) | Categories: cycling
March 17, 2010
Flying with your bike
A flurry of sorts broke out on Twitter yesterday, when Doug Ulman, president and CEO of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, asked Southwest Airlines to be the first airline to carry bikes for free.
Southwest Airlines Tweeted back, saying that bikes do fly for free on its planes.
Doug re-Tweeted the response and thanked Southwest Airlines. So did I. So did a bunch of other folks.
But Austin-based triathlete Mark Cathcart emailed me later, to point out that the airline’s policy isn’t really all that different from most domestic airline’s policies — and that it’s only free to take your bike if it meets very specific requirements. Cathcart has flown more than 100 times with his bicycle, although he says he’s never tried to take his bike on a Southwest Airlines flight.
Southwest’s policy specifies that:
“Non-motorized Bicycles, including Bike Friday and Co-Pilot, will be accepted in substitution of a free piece of checked baggage at no additional charge provided the bicycle is properly packaged and the box containing the bicycle fits within the 62-inch sizing limit and weighs 50 lbs or less . (Maximum weight is 50 pounds and maximum size is 62 inches (length + width + height) per checked piece of luggage). The handlebars, kickstand, and pedals must be removed and placed inside the box. A $50 each-way charge applies to bicycles that don’t meet the above criteria. Bicycles packaged in a cardboard box or soft-sided case will be transported as a conditionally accepted item.”
Read the entire policy here.
Cathcart’s response?
First, he points out, you can only take your bike as one of your two pieces of entitled luggage if it’s in a box and measures less than 62 linear (height plus length plus width) inches.
“There are NO standard bike boxes of this size,” he says.
If your frame has couplings that allow it to be taken apart, it can fit in a box that small, Cathcart says. And if you have a frame that is 42cm with 650c wheels, it might fit in a box that size, he says.
Or you could just build your own bike box to fit the specifications.
Cathcart also points out that the policy says cardboard box and soft-sided cases will be accepted conditionally.
Beyond that? It’s a $50 charge each way. Better than many air carriers, but not free.
Read Cathcart’s entire blog on the topic here.
Happily, Cathcart notes that Southwest does allow travelers to pack two small spare gas cylinders — like CO2 cartridges used to inflate bike tires.
“Now that’s news. Thanks Southwest!”
And thanks for the clarification, Mark.
Anyone else have tips for traveling with bikes?
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: cycling
March 16, 2010
Bike route temporarily closed
The Lance Armstrong Bikeway on 4th Street between Trinity and Red River streets will be closed until the bridge over Waller Creek is complete in May.
The barricades now in place are a safety precaution for cyclists, according to Nadia Barrera, Bicycle/Pedestrian Project Coordinator for the city of Austin.
Prior to the installation of the barricades, cyclists were riding on the rail line, compromising their safety, and ignoring the detour sign placed at Red River and 4th Street, Barrera says.
Additional barricades were installed because the CapMetro commuter rail line is opening.
“If cyclists are riding between the rails, they could potentially be in conflict with the train,” Barrera says. “We would like to discourage this activity as much as possible, and encourage cyclists to use 5th Street as an alternative until the bridge over Waller Creek is installed and crossing the rail line by bicycle will no longer be necessary.”
Cyclists heading eastbound on 4th Street should turn left (northbound) on Trinity and continue eastbound on 5th Street.
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Biking from Van Horn to Guadalupe Mountains
I’m back from my windy West Texas adventure!
I’ll be writing about what it’s like to bicycle from Van Horn to the foot of the Guadalupe Mountains National Park in an upcoming Fit City column. I’ll also be writing about camping and hiking at the park in a future travel article.
Until then, here are a few thoughts …
- 1. Highway 54 north of Van Horn is a gorgeous place to ride your bike. There’s hardly any traffic, mountains snuggle up to the road on both sides, and the terrain varies from flat to almost flat.
- 2. When the weather forecast calls for wind in West Texas, they mean it. (And yes, it’s possible for it to blow so hard you have to pedal downhill.)
- 3. Be sure to check out the high security gate about 20 miles north of Van Horn. That’s the entrance to a commercial spaceport being built by Blue Origin, owned by Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos.
- 4. We had to sag it halfway through our 54-mile ride due to winds, but I want to go back and try it again.
- 5. It’s not always that windy in Van Horn. In fact, it was still as a tomb two days after our ride.
- 6. Hotel El Capitan in Van Horn, designed by the same architect who built The Gage in Marathon and the Paisano in Marfa, makes a comfortable, bike-friendly home base for your exploration.
- 7. Yes, it’s possible for it to snow in the Guadalupe Mountains in March!
- 8. Even if it snows in the Guadalupe Mountains in March, you can still enjoy numerous beautiful hikes.
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March 9, 2010
Heading into the wind (on a bike)
Just how much wind is too much when you’re riding?
I’m leaving Wednesday for West Texas. On Thursday, some friends and I are planning to bicycle Highway 54, from Hotel El Capitan in Van Horn to the intersection with Highway 62, in the shadow of Guadalupe Mountains National Park.
Originally, I was worried that the ride would be hilly, but it turns out the route is (surprise!) relatively flat. Here’s the elevation profile:
Now, if you continued into the park you’d hit mountains, but that’s not part of our biking plan.
I’m no longer worried about hills. Now I’m worried about wind.
This morning, winds were gusting to 50 mph. In the next few days, winds are forecast to gust to 60 mph. (Actually, that’s an improvement from the 70 mph they were forecasting yesterday when I checked.)
Our ride is Thursday. The forecast seems a little better for Thursday: “Partly cloudy. Windy. Highs in the upper 50s. West winds 20 to 30 mph.” Go here to see the whole forecast. We’ll be camping in the park at the end of our ride, then hiking to the top of Guadalupe Peak, the tallest mountain in Texas, on Friday.
So … what happens when you (try to) ride in winds that stiff? Is it possible? Is it like a never-ending incline?
Shall I reserve my spot on the SAG wagon right now?
Anybody out there have experience cycling in high winds? Anybody ever hiked Guadalupe Peak?
I’ll let you know how it went when I get back. ‘Til then, I’ll be Blowin’ in the Wind…
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: cycling
March 5, 2010
Please Be Kind to Cyclists ride
Nearly four years ago, Gay Simmons-Posey was struck and killed by a hit-and-run motorist while riding her bicycle on Loop 360. She was 40 at the time, and training for the BP MS 150 Bike Tour from Houston to Austin.
At 8 a.m. next Saturday, Austin cyclists will gather for a ride to honor her and others killed while biking on area roads. The third annual Please Be Kind to Cyclists ride starts at 8 a.m. March 13 in the parking lot of Pure Austin gym, 907 W. Fifth St.
“Let us all send a message of awareness to be kind to cyclists; that we can all co-exist and share the same roads,” says Al Bastidas, founder of the non-profit organization Please Be Kind to Cyclists. Bastidas was himself hit by a car and injured while riding his bicycle in 2002. “Let’s make 2010 a year where no cyclists will die on the roads of Texas.”
For more information Please Be Kind to Cyclists, go to www.bekindtocyclicsts.com.
Live music, breakfast tacos, coffee and drinks will be provided. Please Be Kind to Cyclists T-shirts will be available and a membership to Pure Austin also will be given away. The event is free but donations will be accepted.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Categories: cycling
March 4, 2010
San Antonio approves 3-foot passing law
Cyclists know how scary it feels when a car or truck passes at close range.
I’ve had folks honk their horn at me (for no reason) just as they zoom by. Once someone spit on me when I was riding a rural road.
Cyclists have a legal right to be on public roadways, which they help fund through taxes.
Last year, the city of Austin put a 3-foot passing law into effect. Now San Antonio has done the same.
This from the Texas Bicycle Coalition:
- Congratulations to the citizens of the Alamo City, who now have a Safe Passing Ordinance! On a rainy Thursday, February 4, 2010, San Antonio City Council passed the Safe Passing Ordinance with the same language as SB 488, the Safe Passing Bill. The Safe Passing bill passed overwhelmingly in the 2009 State Legislative Session, but was subsequently vetoed by Governor Perry. Like the statewide bill, this local ordinance lists cyclists as well as pedestrians, motorcyclists, tow truck operators and other vulnerable road users as requiring special consideration when encountered on the roadway by motorists.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: cycling
February 23, 2010
Meet mountain bike guru Gary Fisher
Meet the man behind the bike!
Gary Fisher, who is considered one of the inventors of the modern bike, is coming to Austin.
He’ll be at Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop, 400 Nueces St., for team presentations, a bike talk and question and answer session, food and music from 7-9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 26. At 9 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 27, he’ll lead a 35-40 mile rolling bike ride departing from the bike shop.
Fisher’s known for wearing some pretty rad clothes at times. I wonder what he’ll be wearing?
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: cycling
February 10, 2010
Stolen Livestrong team bike returned to Mellow Johnny's
A bicycle stolen from the Trek Livestong U23 Cycling Team, a development team sponsored by Lance Armstrong, has been recovered and returned to Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop.
The team issue time trial bike was stolen from the shop in November and discovered at a flea market in Mexico in early January. It finally made it back to Austin on Tuesday.
Thieves had smashed a glass back door at Mellow Johnny’s to get the bike, ridden by team member Ryan Baumann, according to Craig Staley, general manager of Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop.
The high-end racing bike is valued at more than $10,000.
The bike, bearing Bauman’s name, traveled south through Texas and eventually landed at a flea market in Guanajuato, Mexico.
A cyclist purchased it for a bargain, but it was recognized by his local Trek dealer when he brought it in for service.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: cycling
February 8, 2010
Win copy of cyclist Saul Raisin's book
In April 2006, young American cycling phenomenon Saul Raisin crashed while racing in France.
At first, his biggest worries were broken bones and road rash. But a few days later, he suffered swelling in the brain and slipped into a coma. He underwent emergency brain surgery and spent months recovering.
A doctor told him he might never walk again, and that he would have to adapt to a new life, one where he might need a wheelchair.
“I told him that I would run one day,” Raisin says. “And do you know what? Run I did. I ran all 26.2 miles of the New York City Marathon and I’ll keep running.”
Raisin’s fight back to health is an inspiring story, told in his book “Tour de Life: From Coma to Competition,” co-written by Dave Shields.
“When I was in the hospital I told my friends and family if I was to ever live a normal life again that I wanted to give back and help people like me,” Raisin said by phone recently. “That is why I wrote ‘Tour de Life,’ to share my story with others to let them know that they are not alone … Even in the worst of times, never give up hope and fight to the finish. Take your given talents and use them to the max. Do not take no for a answer.”
“My book is about the power of hope and miracles do happen.”
Raisin lives in Dalton, Ga., where he’s now preparing to run the ING Georgia marathon on March 21.
He’s been to Austin several times. “I love Austin,” he says. “The cycling community is one of the best in the country.”
For more information about the Raisin Hope Foundation, which advocates for people with traumatic brain injuries, go here. For more information about his book, go here.
I’ve got a signed copy of “Tour de Life” to give away. Just post here why you need the book. I’ll pick a winner later this week.
Permalink | Comments (9) | Categories: cycling
February 7, 2010
Sign up for trail building school
Want to learn to build a sustainable mountain biking trail?
The International Mountain Biking Association is sending a team of trail experts to Austin next week to teach volunteers how to build trails that last a long time and require minimal maintenance. That helps reduce trail damage, protect the environment and make the trails more enjoyable. Besides leading the Trailbuilding School, Chris and Leslie Kehmeier of the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew will meet with land managers and work with IMBA-affiliated clubs and members to improve mountain biking opportunities.
Here’s the schedule:
Thursday
Saturday
Sunday
Please RSVP for Saturday’s Trailbuilding School here https://www.imba.com/civicrm/event/info?id=4&reset=1.
For more information, contact Hill Abell at hill@bicyclesportshop.com.
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January 15, 2010
Sign a get well card for Road Rash blogger
Our friends over at Bicycle Sport Shop miss Austin American-Statesman employee and Road Rash blogger Jason Whaley almost as much as we do, it appears.
They’re creating a get well card for Jason from the community, and you can include a personal message by going to their Web site.
Jason was driving home Dec. 29 when he was struck by another car. He’s still hospitalized with broken bones and a head injury.
Jason, your bikes miss you! And so does the cycling community!
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: cycling
January 14, 2010
Cyclist remains in ICU after hit-and-run
UPDATE JAN. 20:
From Mariel’s sister Christine Mentink:
“Mariel is going through a bit of a rough patch this week and last. Part of recovering from brain trauma is going through storming, and she is experiencing quite a bit of it. During this process, Mariel cannot have a many visitors or noise around her and cannot be moved much. Her physical therapy is also extremely limited because of storming, so she has been very immobile the last 20 days since the accident and hopefully that changes soon. Once storming subsides and some troublesome brain fluid subsides (another small setback), the family hopes to move her out of the ICU and to a Chicago rehabilitation facility. Our mom and many relatives live in the area, so it is a better location for her during recovery. So, at the moment, we’re in a waiting period and anxious to start seeing more dramatic progress. However, she is heading in the right direction and we are thankful for that.
Mariel’s friends have put together the following site to try to help her with the costs incurred during this process. It is www.supportmarielmentink.com.”
A 24-year-old woman remains in intensive care at Brackenridge Hospital after she was struck from behind while riding her bike home early New Year’s Day.
Mariel Mentink was pedaling west in the 4700 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard at about 2:30 a.m. when she was hit. She and another cyclist were riding home after a late-night group bike ride to celebrate New Year’s Eve.
The driver fled the scene.
Mentink, a recent graduate of Northern Illinois University who worked as a bike delivery person for Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches in Austin, was wearing a helmet and lights when she was hit.
“That helmet was the difference between life and death,” says her sister, Christine Mentink.
Mentink suffered multiple skull fractures, brain trauma and broken bones in her neck, back, hip and leg, according to her sister. She’s undergone three surgeries. She’s not in a coma, but is medically sedated to reduce the pain.
“She can open her eyes half way and we think she’s tracking people,” Christine Mentink says. “We don’t know how much she’s perceiving because she can’t speak or move.”
Mariel Mentink is the youngest of four siblings, “the baby and the favorite” in a family of urban cyclists, her sister says. She’s an avid seamstress who was trying to start a business selling hats for cyclists at local bike shops. She has a degree in graphic design.
“She had a car that didn’t work, so her primary mode of transportation was her bicycle,” Christine Mentink says.
Two benefits are being planned to help cover Mentink’s medical expenses.
Social Cycling ATX is planning an event Feb. 5 at Red 7, 611 East 7th St. (No details yet.) Another is planned for 5 p.m. Feb. 25 at Shangri-La, 1016 E. Sixth St. It one will include live music, raffles and donations.
The family is also setting up a fund to help cover medical expenses. I’ll post that information when I get it.
The cyclist who was with Mentink when the wreck happened thinks a gray SUV or pickup truck hit her. Anyone with information about the hit-and-run is asked to call the Austin/Travis County Crimestoppers at 472-TIPS.
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January 12, 2010
Help plan Austin's first bike boulevard
I traveled to Portland a few years ago to find out why it gets such rave reviews from cyclists.
I walked across a downtown bridge and watched hundreds of cyclists zip past me in their own bike lanes. That city is geared toward cycling, from plenty of bike racks to the special lines and boxes painted on the pavement to alert motorists that cyclists frequent the area. Some streets — dubbed bike boulevards — even discourage cars and encourage bikes through the use of speed bumps, traffic circles and other traffic calming devices.
Now Austin is planning its first bike boulevard.
A meeting — the second so far — is scheduled for 6-8 p.m. Wednesday at Pease Elementary School, 1106 Rio Grande St.
The Austin Bicycle Plan and draft versions of the city’s Downtown Plan and Great Streets Master Plan all identify Nueces Street — from Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to Third Street — as a bicycle boulevard or bicycle/local access street.
At the first Bike Boulevard Open House in December, some participants suggested designating Rio Grande as the boulevard, instead of Nueces Street.
The League of Bicycling Voters, an advocacy group that promotes cycling in Austin, rejects the Rio Grande plan because it is hillier and doesn’t offer the same connectivity to key facilities — such as the Lance Armstrong Bikeway — as Nueces. See the League of Bicycling Voter’s suggested plan, including a map with proposed facilities, here.
The Jan. 13 meeting will cover pros and cons of each proposal.
The final meeting in the Bike Boulevard Open House series is scheduled for Feb. 24.
For more information go here.
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December 20, 2009
Last minute cycling gift idea
Here’s an excellent last-minute gift suggestion for your cycling buddies — a cycling jersey that says “Don’t Run Me Over.”
Or choose one that says “Slow Down” on the back and “Thanks” (in reverse) on the front. Also nice? One that says “3 Feet” on the back and “Thanks” on the front, or one that says (infiniti symbol) MPG.
Cool!
The jerseys sell for $59.95 on the Share the Damn Road website here. I like the website’s motto, too: “Fed up with Rude and Incompetent Motorists?”
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: cycling
December 7, 2009
Help Austin plan its first bike boulevard
Austin’s going to get its first bicycle boulevard — a shared roadway optimized for bicycle traffic.
The conversion of a stretch of Nueces Street to a bike-friendly street with less motor traffic is part of the Austin Bicycle Plan, approved by the Austin City Council this year, and the draft Downtown Plan.
Want to help design it?
The first — and most important — planning meeting is scheduled for 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 9 at Pease Elementary School, 1106 Rio Grande St.
Additional meetings are set for 6 p.m. Jan. 13 and 6 p.m. Jan. 27.
Bicycle boulevards create a sense of place and are comfortable and attractive to pedestrians, cyclists and motor vehicle users through the installation of signs, markings and traffic mitigation devices, according to Nadia Barrera, the city of Austin’s Bicycle/Pedestrian Project Coordinator,
The meetings will help determine where traffic mitigation devices will be installed.
To learn more about bicycle boulevards, check out these websites:
- http://www.techtransfer.berkeley.edu/newsletter/99-4/bicycles.php
- www.bicyclinginfo.org/faqs/answer.cfm?id=3976
- http://www.nycsr.org/nyc/video-view.php?id=39
- http://www.streetsblog.org/2006/09/27/another-model-berkeleys-bicycle-boulevard-network/
For more information, call Jason Fialkoff at (512) 974-7060 or email him at Jason.fialkoff@ci.austin.tx.us.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: cycling
December 3, 2009
Bikes For Kids
Remember the feeling you got as a kid, when you got a brand-new bike?
The freedom! The independence! The thrill of pedaling down the street, away from home, off on a great adventure!
The JB & Sandy Morning Show on radio station Mix 94.7 hopes to raise enough money to provide 800 new bikes, helmets and locks to needy kids in the Austin area this season. So far, though, fund-raising is off to a slow start, says show host JB Hager.
“In a couple of weeks we may be in a complete panic,” he says.
Over the last 13 years, Bikes For Kids has given away about 12,000 bikes. (That’s Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, above, helping at the giveaway last year.)
One presentation stands out. About three years into the program, JB & Sandy gave bikes to eight kids from a family who had just immigrated to Texas from Viet Nam.
“They were all riding around the parking lot, talking in broken English about how back home getting a bike is like getting a car,” Hager says. “It was pretty neat.”
The disc jockeys started the program six months after starting their radio program in Austin.
“There are lots of great charities that give kids what they need — coats, blankets, school supplies and food,” Hager says. “We asked ourselves ‘What do kids really want more than anything?’ Most kids’ coolest moment, especially during the holidays, is getting a brand-new bike.”
I still remember the bike I got for Christmas one year — purple with a sparkly banana seat. It was beautiful!
Donate to Bikes For Kids (or nominate a recipient) online here or stop by one of the following locations to do it in person:
- Friday, Dec. 4, 6-10 a.m., H.E.B. Four Points, 7301 N. FM 620
- Saturday, Dec. 5, Noon-2 p.m., Southpark Meadows, 9600 S. Interstate-35
- Tuesday, Dec. 8, 7-9 a.m., H.E.B., 600 W. William Cannon
- Wednesday, Dec. 9, 6-10 a.m., Freescale Oak Hill, 6501 W. William Cannon Dr.
- Wednesday, Dec. 9, 3-7 p.m., Freescale Parmer Lane, 7700 W. Parmer Ln.
- Friday, Dec. 11, 6-10 a.m., H.E.B., 10710 Research Blvd., Ste. 200
- Saturday, Dec. 12, Noon-2 p.m., University Oaks, 201 University Blvd. (IH-35 & University Blvd.), Round Rock
- Monday, Dec. 14, 6-10 a.m., Whataburger, 2740 E. Whitestone Blvd., Cedar Park
- Tuesday, Dec, 15, 7-9 a.m., Whataburger, 6301 W. Parmer Ln.
- Wednesday, Dec. 16, 7-9 a.m., Whataburger, 2011 Ranch Road 620 South, Lakeway
- Friday, Dec. 18, Distribution Day, 6-10 a.m., Mellow Johnny’s, 400 Nueces St.
Permalink | Comments (6) | Categories: cycling
November 27, 2009
MS150 registration opens next week
General registration for the National MS Society’s 2010 BP MS 150, taking place April 17-18, opens next week.
It’s a new registration process this year. Priority registration for individuals raising $1,000 or more began in October, followed by registration for top teams in November.
Now it’s time for the rest of us. General registration takes place online at www.ms150.org on two days — Wednesday Dec. 2 and Saturday, Dec. 5. Registration begins at 11 a.m. and will remain open on each date until a pre-determined limit has been reached.
Proceeds from the ride help the 20,000 people affected by multiple sclerosis in 174 Texas counties.
I did the ride a few years ago and had a blast pedaling from Houston to Austin.
For more information, check the FAQ here. www.ms150.org
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November 23, 2009
Who pays for bike infrastructure?
The city of Austin’s Bicycle/Pedestrian Programs fields questions about how bike infrastructure is funded all the time.
So often, in fact, that they’ve come up with a slide show to explain it.
Check it out Where.Does.the.$.go.ppt">here.
“The short answer is that if you have a job, pay a utility bill and live in Austin (i.e. pay property tax/rent), you are paying for the maintenance and construction of City of Austin roads. Gas taxes and registration fees goes to pay for state controlled roadways and highways; which bicyclists don’t tend to use as often,” says Nadia Barrera, Bicycle/Pedestrian Project Coordinator.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Categories: cycling
November 20, 2009
A ciclovia, in Austin?
Imagine temporarily shutting down a city street to motor vehicles and letting cyclists, skaters and runners take over!
Austin officials took the first step toward doing just that, approving a resolution Thursday directing the city manager to work with the community to create a “ciclovia” as part of the 2010 Bike Month activities in May.
“Ciclovia” is a Spanish term that means “bike path.” Ciclovias are especially popular in South America. Every Sunday and holiday since 1976, cities like Bogata, Cali and Medellin block streets to motor vehicles. Bikers, runners and skaters replace cars and trucks, and exercise instructors lead outdoor group aerobics and yoga classes.
The idea is to promote physical activity and health.
In the U.S., ciclovias have taken place in Cleveland, El Paso, Chicago, Portland, Miami, New York City, San Francisco and Wayne County, Mich.
Officials haven’t decided where an Austin event might take place. First, they need to round up volunteers and get help from neighborhoods, says Nadia M. Barrera, Bicycle/Pedestrian Project Coordinator.
Sounds like fun, doesn’t it?
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: cycling
November 19, 2009
City of Austin gets Bicycle Friendly Business award
This just in from the City of Austin:
City of Austin receives prestigious national Bicycle Friendly Business award
Austin, TX - The City of Austin can now count itself as one of the best businesses in the country to work for if you are a bicycling commuter. The League of American Bicyclists announced 45 new Bicycle Friendly Business award winners at the end of September, including the City of Austin.
The BFB program recognizes socially responsible organizations who promote healthy, green workplaces that encourage employees to ride their bikes. The City of Austin is currently the only city in Texas to receive the award and is one of only three government entities in the nation designated.
BFB businesses make bicycle friendliness a core element in the workplace and use innovative tools to promote bicycling as an easy and fun option for transportation and recreation.
“There are a lot of very simple, effective and creative ways that companies are finding to get people back on their bikes, and we recognize those efforts with our BFB awards,” said League President Andy Clarke.
The City of Austin offers a variety of programs and facilities to promote cycling as an alternative commuting solution. A bike share program through the Austin Energy Climate Protection program called City Cycle allows employees to check out bikes and ride to meetings or appointments. There are also locker room and shower facilities in many city buildings to assist commuters.
The PE Bike program is a free fitness initiative for employees to attend indoor cycling classes and a League bicycle education component, Traffic Skills 101. The training is held in-house and led by City of Austin League certified instructors. Over 150 employees have completed the seven-hour training since the programs inception in January 2008. This all helps City employees be better stewards of the roadways, whether driving a bike or a car.
Mayor Lee Leffingwell will receive the award this evening at City Council during Proclamations. On hand to present the Bicycle Friendly Business Award is the Executive Director of Education for the League, Preston Tyree.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: cycling
Bicycles banned on Manor road
Did you read that Manor has adopted a city ordinance banning bicycles from a half-mile stretch of Brenham Street, also known as Blake Manor Road?
That sets a terrible precedent for cyclists.
Ban bikes from a rough stretch of public road in Manor today and who knows what roads will be off-limits to cyclists tomorrow.
“From our perspective … banning any legitimate road user from public infrastructure is never the correct solution, as it sets an ominous precedent for us all,” Lane Wimberley of the League of Bicycling Voters wrote me in an email. “The correct response is to figure out what needs to be done to accommodate the legitimate demand.”
City leaders adopted the ordinance on Oct. 21, saying they had concerns about safety and liability because the two-lane road is cracked and in bad repair. BikeTexas, the Austin Cycling Association, and the League of Bicycling Voters all say the solution to bad roads is not to ban cyclists, but to fix the roads.
Enforcement will begin at the end of the month at the earliest. Violators can be fined up to $200.
Read the entire story in the Austin American-Statesman here.
This is discouraging news.
Bicyclists are tax payers and have a legal right to the road. To ban them is wrong.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: cycling
November 3, 2009
LA doctor convicted of assaulting cyclists
Cyclists are paying close attention to a road rage case in Los Angeles, where a former emergency room doctor was accused this week of assaulting two cyclists by driving his car in front of them and slamming on the brakes.
One of the cyclists crashed through the car’s rear window, breaking his nose and shattering several teeth. The other suffered a shoulder separation and road rash, according to coverage by Velo News.
Christopher Thomas Thompson was convicted of six felonies and faces up to 10 years in prison in the case. The doctor, who has no prior criminal record, will be sentenced Dec. 3, Velo News reports.
The case stems from a July 4, 2008 incident in which the cyclists were riding up a two-lane, dead-end street in the Brentwood subdivision of Los Angeles where Thompson lives. Thompson and the cyclists exchanged words before he stopped his car in front of them.
Thompson was charged with two counts each of assault with a deadly weapon and battery with serious bodily injury as well as reckless driving causing specified injury and mayhem, according to Velo News. He was also convicted of misdemeanor reckless driving in another case.
Thompson’s argument? He said the cyclists were belligerent and bikes are inherently unstable.
Bikes unstable? What about the doctor? (That’s him above, in an Associated Press photo taken by Mel Melcon.)
Thoughts anybody?
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: cycling
October 24, 2009
LiveStrong shadow ride in Baghdad
Check out these photos from Army Major Scott LaRonde, who is stationed in Baghdad, Iraq, and recently organized a bike ride there to raise money for the Austin-based Lance Armstrong Foundation. He’s also organized a 5K run this weekend to shadow the LiveStrong events taking place here.
LaRonde says 23 cyclists participated in the 50-mile ride through Victory Base Camp. He organized the events to honor his father-in-law, who died of cancer earlier this year.
“(We had) only one crash, very minor, a bit of road rash, no one got lost, lots of us got tired and we took a ton of pictures and some video,” LaRonde wrote by email after the ride. “Coming in to work today … was hard.”
The cyclists rode as group most of the way, but broke up for several hill sprints and a 4-kilometer time trial.
“We had all skill levels, several who were competing to win the above mentioned events, and several who biked 50 miles for the first time in their lives,” LaRonde wrote.
Permalink | | Categories: cycling
October 22, 2009
Good news cyclists: Safe passing ordinance approved
The Austin City Council has approved an ordinance requiring motorists to give 3 feet of clearance when passing a bicyclist or other vulnerable road user.
That’s great news for Austin cyclists, who have long believed that existing laws don’t have enough teeth to help keep them safe. Police rarely cite motorists who injure or kill cyclists, and cycling proponents say the new ordinance could help turn that around.
Gov. Rick Perry vetoed a similar statewide bill earlier this year, saying that motorists already are subject to penalties when they are at fault for causing a collision or operating recklessly, whether it is against a vulnerable user or not.
As a regular bicycle commuter, I’m all for any legislation that makes motorists more aware that cyclists have a legal right to the road. (Yes, we’re considered vehicles, and as such have every right to be there.)
I know, I know. Cyclists break the law. They run red lights, they cruise through stop signs, they hog the road and slow down traffic, they bully people off sidewalks. I’m exhausted by these arguments.
Yes, some cyclists break the law. But motorists also break the law. Every time I ride my bike to work I see motorists rolling through four-way stops, speeding down neighborhood streets and making illegal turns.
Both sides are guilty. All we can do to improve the situation is obey the law ourselves.
Now, thankfully, that will mean motorists giving a reasonable berth to folks on two wheels.
I’m also tired of the argument that cyclists don’t deserve to be on our streets because they don’t pay taxes. That’s flat wrong. I ride my bike and I certainly pay the taxes used to maintain our city streets.
What cyclists don’t fund, at least on days they don’t drive their cars, is the gas tax. But that money goes to state and federal highway funding, not to city streets, so it’s a moot point.
Besides, most cyclists also have motor vehicles, so most of us do buy gas and fund those systems too.
The new city ordinance takes effect Nov. 2.
And motorists, relax. The law won’t protect cyclists who are injured or killed while doing something illegal, like blasting through stoplights or veering into oncoming traffic. If a vulnerable road user is breaking the law, that’s a defense for the motorist.
I’m all for enforcement of the law — whether it affects motorists or bicyclists.
Buck up everyone. Take responsibility!
Permalink | Comments (86) | Categories: cycling
October 21, 2009
City installing experimental street markings
Coming soon to a road near you: Painted street markings and signs designed to help cyclists and motorists co-exist more peacefully.
Based on the response from an earlier blog about the city’s proposed 3-foot passing ordinance, we could use a little cooperation.
The City of Austin and the University of Texas Center for Transportation Research are partnering to study four experimental bicycle transportation devices — shared lane markings called “sharrows,” colored bicycle lanes, signs and bicycle boxes.
Installation of the devices begins today (weather permitting) and should be finished by the end of October.
The signs and markings should remind motorists they are driving on routes heavily used by bicycles.
They include:
- Bicycles May Take Full Travel Lane signs: Northbound Lamar Boulevard, from Lamar Square to Barton Springs Road; and southbound Pleasant Valley Road, from Lakeshore Boulevard to 7th Street.
- Bicycle boxes: Southbound Shoal Creek Boulevard at Anderson Lane; and northbound and southbound lanes of Speedway at 38th Street.
- Colored bicycle lanes: Northbound San Jacinto Boulevard and Duval Road; and westbound Dean Keaton Street at Interstate 35.
- Shared Lane markings (“Sharrows”): Guadalupe Street and Lavaca Street, between Cesar Chavez Boulevard and MLK Jr. Boulevard.; 51st Street from Interstate 35 to Airport Boulevard; eastbound and westbound Dean Keaton Street at Interstate 35 and between San Jacinto and Guadalupe Street.
The Mayor’s 2007 Street Smarts Task Force and the 2009 City of Austin Bicycle Master Plan recommended the study. Depending on results, the City of Austin may keep the devices in place beyond the current experimental timeline.
For more information on the City of Austin Bicycle Program, go here.
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Lance Armstrong talks Leadville on the big screen
Brace yourselves, cycling fans. It’ll be all Lance Armstrong all the time around here for the next few days.
Besides the LiveStrong Challenge and all that entails this weekend, you can watch Lance on the big screen Thursday when a panel discussion of the Leadville Trail 100 bike race airs at area movie theaters.
The seven-time Tour de France champion, along with six-time defending Leadville Trail 100 champion Dave Wiens, cycling coach Chris Carmichael, and other elite and amateur cyclists, will discuss training, conditioning tips and the personal challenges they faced in the grueling race in the documentary “Race Across the Sky.”
Armstrong won the race this year, despite a flat tire in the final 10 miles of the race.
The Leadville Trail 100 began as a running race 27 years ago to draw tourism to Leadville, Colo. A mountain bike race was added in 1994 and now draws some 1,000 cyclists. The course includes 14,000 vertical feet of climbing on dirt trails, mining roads and Forest Service roads.
The discussion was recorded in Durango, Colo., on Oct. 20. It airs at 7 p.m. Thursday at Tinseltown USA Pflugerville, 15436 FM 1825; Cinemark Hill Country Galleria, 12800 W Highway 71, Bee Cave; Cinemark Southpark Meadows, 9900 S. Interstate 35; Cinemark Cedar Park, 1335 E. Whitestone Blvd, Cedar Park; and Metropolitan 14, 901 Little Texas Lane. Tickets are $12.50 and are available at the box office or online at www.FathomEvents.com.
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October 20, 2009
Council votes Thursday on safe passing ordinance
UPDATE 2:59 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22
Austin City Council just passed the 3-foot safe passing ordinance.
Gov. Rick Perry vetoed a statewide Safe Passing Bill earlier this year, but Austin could adopt its own version of the law this week.
On Thursday, the Austin City Council will vote on an ordinance to require motorists to give 3 feet clearance when passing a bicyclist or other vulnerable road user, such as a motorcyclist, pedestrian, tow truck operator or emergency worker.
Cyclists (and non-cyclists) can register their support (or non-support) for the ordinance now at any of the kiosks in the atrium of Austin City Hall, 301 W. 2nd St. The ordinance is item number 30 on the agenda; it likely will be heard between 10 a.m. and noon Thursday.
“Just like the police officers feel safer and are safer because of the Move Over Bill, the Safe Passing Bill in time will make it safer for vulnerable road users,” says Robin Stallings, head of BikeTexas, a non-profit organization that supports all things cycling. “Right now, 1,000 vulnerable road users per year are killed in Texas. About 950 of those are split between pedestrians and motorcyclists. About 50 are bicyclists.”
Now, Stallings says, laws are vague, and few motorists who kill or injure cyclists are indicted. “If motorists can’t be prosecuted, then officers don’t want to write the tickets,” he says.
No charges were filed recently when a car hit a tandem bicycle from behind, killing two riders outside of San Antonio.
The law won’t protect cyclists who blast through stoplights or veer into oncoming traffic, either. If a vulnerable road user is breaking the law, that’s a defense for the motorist, Stallings says.
“This isn’t that the motorist has all the responsibility, but they have to take some responsibility, just like if you’re a gun owner you have to take responsibility to keep that gun away from children,” Stallings says. “If you’re going to drive a car, that’s a dangerous weapon if used improperly.”
“Bills like this remind us that we can become way too cavalier … we’re eating breakfast, texting, changing the radio station while we drive, and it’s just not OK to do that.”
The language in the Austin ordinance is nearly identical to language of the bill that passed almost unanimously in the Texas legislature, before Gov. Rick Perry vetoed it. “It’s a really solid piece of legislation that has been vetted through the most conservative legislators in the state,” Stallings says.
Perry’s reason for the veto? “An operator of a motor vehicle is already subject to penalties when he or she is at fault for causing a collision or operating recklessly, whether it is against a ‘vulnerable user’ or not,” he said in a statement.
The states of Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee and Colorado all have passed similar bills requiring at least 3 feet of clearance.
“It’s unfortunate. I believe Gov. Perry was poorly advised when he vetoed this bill and it wasn’t in the best interest of Texans,” Stallings says.
Between now and the next legislative session, BikeTexas will push for safe passing ordinances in as many Texas cities as possible, in hopes of improving chances for passage of a statewide law during the 2011 Texas legislative session.
For more information, call BikeTexas at 512-476-7433 or mail@biketexas.org. Read the text of the Austin ordinance here.
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October 8, 2009
7-year-old loses parents in cycling accident
See this photo?
That little girl, 7-year-old Kylie Bruehler, lost both her parents in a cycling accident last week. A truck hit Gregory and Alexandra Bruehler from behind as they pedaled their tandem bicycle on the shoulder of Highway 16 north of Helotes.
Now Kylie is an orphan.
San Antonio Express-News photographer Tom Reel took the photo at a memorial service held for the Bruehlers. You can see a gallery here.
The paper’s metro columnist, Veronica Flores, wrote about the impact the Bruehlers’ deaths have had on the local cycling community and the inconsistency of how police handle auto-bike accidents. She rightfully criticized Gov. Rick Perry, who vetoed a proposed “3-foot law” that would have required cars to give vulnerable road users a wide berth.
Read her excellent column here.
The clincher?
This line: “Some bicycling enthusiasts darkly joke that, when it comes to how bicyclists are treated on the road, they may as well be deer. But deer don’t leave little girls as orphans.”
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September 21, 2009
The "bike to dinner" gang
Now that the summer inferno has passed, my buddies and I have formed our own “bike to dinner” gang.
We tried it first in the spring, meeting up for happy hour and snacks downtown, then pedaling north to get gelato at Teo’s before heading home. So much fun!
We launched our fall season on Friday. Seven of us rode from the Allendale neighborhood to The Triangle, where we ate dinner at Sago, 4600 W Guadalupe St. It took all of about 15 minutes, and we didn’t have to look for a parking space for our car. We just locked up at a rack outside the restaurant. (Note to developers: More racks, please! Also, access to The Triangle could be better. Please keep cyclists in mind when planning shopping centers. Thank you!)
Hopping on a bike and riding to a destination is so much more fun than driving there (as long as it’s not 105 degrees out). We zipped down Shoal Creek Boulevard, reveling in the coolish air, admiring the fading sun and screaming at my friend Sara to slow down because she was going so fast we could hardly keep up with her bionic legs.
At the restaurant, nobody made fun of our geeky bike clothes and helmets. The food was awesome, too.
It was like being 11 years old again. Wooo hooo!
Dates on bikes. You should try it.
What’s your best bike date?
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September 11, 2009
David Byrne talks bikes in Austin; win his book!
For 30 years, David Byrne has used a bike to get around New York City. He even cycles one when he’s touring overseas.
He writes about three decades of pedaling in his new book, “Bicycle Diaries” (Viking, $25.95).
In two weeks he’s coming to Austin to share his thoughts on cycling. He’ll speak as part of a joint panel discussion at 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 27 at the Paramount Theater. Admission to the event, sponsored by Bicycle Sport Shop, the League of Bicycling Voters, Austin Public Library Friends Foundation and the Yellow Bike Project, is free!
Also on the panel? Rob D’Amico, president of the League of Bicycling Voters; Annick Beaudet, bicycle pedestrian co-ordinator for the City of Austin; and urban planner Jana McCann.
Byrne devotes about 34 pages of his 300-page book to biking through American cities like Detroit, Baltimore, Niagara Falls and — surprise! — Sweetwater, Texas. He spends four pages on that West Texas town, where he ate at a steak restaurant, read the local paper and rode through older parts of town. He describes people selling watermelons in parking lots and an American flag fashioned from plastic cups jammed into a chain-link fence.
His assessment? “Most U.S. cities are not very bike-friendly. They’re not very pedestrian-friendly either.”
Then it’s on to bigger digs, like Berlin, Buenos Aires, Istanbul and Manila. An appendix at the end of the book includes tips on bike security, rider safety and clothing. There’s even a list of bicycle activist organizations, and sketches of some funky bike racks he designed for the New York City Department of Transportation.
Want to win a copy of Byrne’s book?
Post on this blog, telling me why you deserve it. Best answer wins.
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September 9, 2009
Gov gets Bicycling's Wheel Sucker award
I wonder if Gov. Perry reads Bicycling magazine. And if he does, I wonder how he feels about his designation, on page 27 of the October issue, as a “Wheel Sucker” for vetoing a bill that would have made it illegal to pass within 3 feet of vulnerable road users in Texas.
“Yet one more ‘bragging right’ that we’re not so proud of here in Texas,” says Leslie Luciano, community relations manager for Bicycle Sport Shop. She stirred the fire after Perry’s veto, Tweeting and vocalizing her disgust with his move and rounding up for support for a similar city-wide 3-foot rule, which was met with approval by the Austin City Council last month. We like Luciano’s spirit!
Here’s the text of the blurb in Bicycling:
“Despite being a cyclist, Texas governor Rick Perry vetoed a bill that would have required cars to give cyclists, pedestrians, equestrians, farm-equipment operators, stranded motorists, motorcyclists, highway workers and tow-truck drivers 3 feet of room when passing. ‘While I am in favor of measures that make our roads safer for everyone,’ he said, ‘this bill … places the liability and responsibility on the operator of a motor vehicle when encountering one of these vulnerable road users.’ If you’d like to tell Perry where he can stick his veto, visit biketexas.org.”
That photo above, by the way? Taken after Perry broke his collarbone — while riding his bike.
Thoughts, anyone?
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August 25, 2009
City to consider safe passing resolution
Earlier this year, Gov. Perry vetoed legislation that would have required motor vehicles to give bicyclists and other vulnerable road users a 3-foot berth when they pass. Now the city of Austin is considering an ordinance that would do the same thing.
The City Council will discuss the item at Thursday’s public meeting. Interested parties can sign up at City Hall now to speak about the issue at that meeting. If you have questions about how to make sure your voice is heard, contact Nadia Barrera, the Bicycle/Pedestrian Project Coordinator, at 974-7142.
You can also register your support or opposition to the resolution without speaking by signing in at the kiosks at City Hall, 301 W. Second St.
Eighteen other states — including our neighbor Louisiana — have similar safe-passing laws.
Perry’s veto to the state legislation came as a surprise to many in the cycling community, especially since the governor is a cyclist himself.
Texas law already requires a “safe driving distance” between vehicles and bicycles, but does not specify how far apart they must be. There were 315 bike-vehicle crashes in Austin last year, one of them fatal, according to police.
For more information, go here.
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August 24, 2009
New bike lanes
More progress to report, bike commuters!
We’ve got new bike lanes on Anderson Lane between Burnet Road and Lamar Boulevard, created by putting the street on a “lane diet” and squeezing an extra 5 feet out for cyclists. That’s the new lanes in the photo above, which looks eastbound on Anderson Lane from Burnet Road.
Lots more infrastructure is in the works, too, according to Nadia Barrera with the city of Austin Bicycle/Pedestrian Program.
Perhaps the biggest is the sweeping improvements planned around the University of Texas campus. Here’s what Barrera reports:
“The existing bicycle climbing lane on Martin Luther King Boulevard will be extended to bicycle lanes on both sides of the roadway from Pearl Street to Red River Street. Crews will also improve the crossings of Guadalupe Street at MLK Boulevard by extending the bicycle lane through the intersection southbound all the way to 17th Street.”
Reverse angle (back-in) parking on Dean Keaton Street will give motorists pulling out of a parking space a better view of approaching cyclists. It will also add to parking capacity. And bicycle lanes on Dean Keaton Street from San Jacinto Boulevard to Manor Road will improve connectivity to existing bicycle lanes on Red River Street and Manor Road. On Dean Keaton, the bikeway will be separated from the vehicle area by a “gore area,” — essentially painted diagonal lines.
Gore-separated bicycle lanes are also planned on part of a stretch of Amherst Drive between Duval Road and Parmer Lane, which will undergo a road diet to make space for bike lanes.
“We know that beginner and child cyclists may feel more comfortable on protected bicycle lanes and we hope that this facility will allow for increased use of the roadway by new cyclists and families in the area,” Barrera reports. “This project modifies the roadway to include a left-hand-turn lane and bicycle lanes.”
Summit Elementary, located on Amherst Drive, will participate for the first time in Bike and Walk to School Day in October. To get your school involved, too, contact Barrera at nadia.barrera@ci.austin.tx.us.
Another pending project is a bike lane on Davis Lane from Escarpment Boulevard to Corran Ferry Drive.
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August 20, 2009
Honoring Kevin Underhill
An obituary for Kevin Underhill, the cyclist who died after a crash at The Driveway Austin Thursday Night Race Series, ran in today’s paper.
Read it here.
I’ve heard from many cyclists who were touched by Kevin. Several wanted to know how they could honor him.
Please note this from today’s obit:
“In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Washington Trails Association (http://wta.org/), Friends of Enchanted Rock (www.friendsofenchantedrock.com), and Texas Organ Sharing Alliance (www.txorgansharing.org).”
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August 17, 2009
Cyclist dies after crash at The Driveway
UPDATE at 5:51 p.m.:
By Pamela LeBlanc Austin American Statesman
Week after week, Kevin Underhill stood on the sidelines during The Driveway Austin Thursday Night Race Series this summer and watched the cyclists race past.
He peppered race organizer Andrew Willis and other cyclists with questions about bike racing. Thursday, Underhill, 40, decided to try the race himself for the first time.
A few laps into the criterium, held on a twisting, closed-circuit paved track east of U.S. Highway183, Underhill apparently crossed wheels with another cyclist in the back of a pack of about 40 bikers and was thrown to the ground. Two other riders went down in the crash but weren’t injured.
Underhill was taken by ambulance to Brackenridge Hospital, where he underwent surgery for critical head injuries. He was removed from life support and died Sunday.
“Even the physicians say it was one in a million tragic accident — they never had anyone die from a 25-mph bike race,” said Carla Underhill Norris, Underhill’s sister.
Underhill was the youngest of nine siblings and grew up in Seattle, where he had climbed and biked since he was 12. He worked as an electrical engineer at National Instruments in Austin until he retired 12 years ago. Since then, he spent much of his time traveling the world to bike and climb. He had spent months cycling across Europe and Japan, and was planning another trip to China.
“He lived his life going 90 mph, he just did,” Norris said. “He was extremely generous, he would do anything for anybody.”
Norris said her brother never wore a bike helmet — a sticking point with her. “(The Thursday race) was the one time he wore a helmet,” she said. “It saves 99.9 percent of people, but at the velocity he hit the ground, it wouldn’t have mattered if he had a helmet on or not. It was that intense an impact.”
Friends remembered Underhill as an avid rock climber nicknamed Chalkfather who was just getting into competitive cycling.
Rick Sladewski, who summited Mount McKinley and mountains in Ecuador and Mexico with him, described him as a patient, natural teacher who wasn’t easily rattled. “If someone wanted to join the group and were new climbers, we would turn them over to Kevin. I called him our safety officer. You had to adhere to Kevin’s rules for double checking harnesses and everything … He also had a grim determination to get to the summit.”
Christina Jeskey, who climbed around Austin and Mexico with him, said Underhill liked to play games, mentor students, study foreign language and train a lot, sometimes loading heavy sacks of rice into a pack and climbing stairs to prepare for an upcoming adventure. He was also known for his careful use and re-use of things.
“He had a pair of those travel pants with zip-off bottoms, and when he wore holes through the knees he just reversed them and switched legs so the holes were in the back,” Jeskey said.
Underhill was still riding the same bike he bought 19 years ago. His family teased him about it, but he’d replaced nearly everything on it but the frame.
This summer, Underhill had been riding weekly with the Lake Travis Cycling Club. “He was a rider who had a sort of contagious enthusiasm that made everyone want to go longer, harder and faster, and he will be missed,” said James Ezell, president of the Lake Travis Cycling club.
Minna Miller, who knew Underhill through rock climbing, says he had raced his bike in several time trials this summer, and was excited to race his first criterium at The Driveway.
Accidents happen frequently at The Driveway Thursday Night Race Series, which is in its fourth year, but are rarely serious. In the 22 weeks of racing this year, an ambulance was called one other time — for a broken collar bone. Of more than 3,500 race starts this season, three racers suffered broken bones, Willis said.
Holland Racing took over management of the series, which runs March to October, this year. The course is certified by USA Cycling. Cyclists pay $20 to compete. Underhill raced in the Cat 4/5 division, for least experienced racers.
“It’s a strong reminder that it’s a dangerous sport and I think people forget that,” Willis said.
A private funeral will be held in Seattle; a memorial service is being planned in Austin. Underhill’s organs have been donated.
“He died doing exactly what he loved,” Norris said. “There aren’t very many people who can say they did everything they wanted to do in life, but he did.”
pleblanc@statesman.com; 445-3994
The family photo above was one of Kevin’s favorite. It was taken during a recent cycling trip to Japan. He studied Japanese before the trip.
Earlier:
UPDATE from the sister of Kevin Underhill, who died after crashing during The Driveway Austin Thursday Night Races:
Carla Underhill Norris, Underhill’s brother, said the death was nobody’s fault. “Even the physicians say it was one in a million tragic accident — they never had anyone die from a 25-mph bike race.”
Underhill was the youngest of nine siblings and grew up in Seattle, where he had climbed and biked since he was 12. He attended the California Institute of Technology, where he earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering. He worked at National Instruments in Austin until he retired 12 years ago.
“He had such a drive to see the world. He just loved to be in nature,” she said. “He lived his life going 90 mph, he just did. He was extremely generous, he would do anything for anybody and it was just a tragic accident.”
He once rode his bike across Europe, and returned in October from another long cycling trek in Japan. He was planning his next cycling trip to China.
In all those trips, Norris said, her brother never wore a bike helmet — a sticking point with her.
“(The Thursday race) was the one time he wore a helmet,” she said. “It saves 99.9 percent of people, but at the velocity he hit the ground, it wouldn’t have mattered if he had a helmet on or not. It was that intensive an impact.”
She said he still rode the bike he bought 19 years ago. “He pretty much replaced everything on that bike 20 times or more,” she said. “The only thing that was the same was the frame. We teased him about it.”
Underhill’s organs have been donated and will affect the lives of at least 10 people, she said.
“He died doing exactly what he loved. There aren’t very many people who can say they did everything they wanted to do in life, but he did.”
Earlier:
Kevin Underhill, the cyclist injured in a crash during The Driveway Austin Thursday Night Race Series, died Sunday after he was removed from life support.
Underhill had been coming to The Driveway for two or two and a half months to watch and ask questions about the races, according to race organizer Andrew Willis.
“He was near the back of the group is all I know,” Willis said of the Cat 4/5 race in which Underhill was riding Thursday. “From riders who saw it, it sounds like he was really nervous and riding really stiff. He got a little freaked out, crossed wheels and did a face plant.”
Forty-three or 44 riders were in the race when the accident happened. An ambulance was on hand and rushed Underhill to the hospital, where he underwent surgery for head injuries.
Family members decided to remove life support for Underhill on Sunday. His organs will be donated.
Accidents are not uncommon at the race series, but usually result in scrapes or bruises. Since this year’s series began in May, three people have suffered broken bones, Willis said. Bike helmets are required.
Underhill was a rock climber and bicycle tourist who had been cycling most of his life.
“He was a really humble, reserved guy and clearly the kind of person who researched things and really got all the info he could before he did something,” Willis said. “He was doing everything right. It was just a horrible, horrible tragedy.”
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August 16, 2009
Cyclist injured at Driveway to be taken off life support
![kevinunderhill2-225x300[1].jpg](http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/shared-blogs/austin/fitcity/upload/2009/08/cyclist_injured_at_driveway_to/kevinunderhill2-225x300%5B1%5D.jpg)
A cyclist injured in a crash at The Driveway Crits on Thursday was to be removed from life support, according to the local blog Training From a Barkalounger.
Kevin Underhill sustained a head injury during the Cat 4/5 race and was rushed to the Brackenridge ER in critical condition, according to the blog.
The incident was also reported on austinontwowheels.org.
Driveway series organizers Andrew Willis has posted about the accident on the TXBRA forum at http://txbra.org/forum3/index.asp?page=loader&forumID=15.
Terrible news for the cycling community. Our thoughts go out to Underhill’s friends and family.
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August 13, 2009
Freedom Riders
Bicycle Sport Shop is hosting the Austin premiere of “Freedom Riders,” a documentary about the evolution of mountain bike trail building, at 8:30 p.m. tonight at Jo’s Coffee on South Congress.
Here’s the press release that crossed my desk:
This documentary follows a group of riders as they transcend outlaw status to develop a precedent setting relationship with the United States Forest Service. Proceeds from ticket sales will benefit the Austin Ridge Riders Mountain Bike Club. Tickets cost $10 and are avaiable online, at Bicycle Sport Shop or at the door. Entry fee will include bike valet, refreshments by Real Ale and a chance to win Freedom Riders Merchandise.
“The film shows how important trails are to the mountain biking community and how a dedicated group of riders followed their passion to create history.” says KGB co-founder Sam Pope.
Freedom Riders is the Dogtown and Z Boys of mountain biking. The film artistically captures the evolution of freeriding from stealth trail building to forging a working relationship with the U.S. Forest Service to establish the first-ever downhill specific trail in Forest Service history in the Teton Pass area of Wyoming. The film showcases the freeriding subculture in North America from where it was to where it is now by highlighting how the sport has obtained its legitimacy in the public eye.
Freedom Riders provides a compelling story of a group of individuals who never let their passion die while looking at the rich culture and history behind the sport. From old-school footage of Tom Richey and Gary Fisher to the time, hours and sweat it takes to build a trail to hucking and ripping down singletrack, Freedom Riders isn’t your typical bike porn film, it tells a story - an important one for any bike lover. The film with also feature an original soundtrack by Grammy Award nominee Luke Reynolds of Astral Kids.
Go here for rider profiles and a photo gallery.
Purchase tickets here or at Bicycle Sport Shop, Lamar Boulevard at Barton Springs Road.
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August 11, 2009
Rogue trails on Balcones Canyonland Preserve land
I’ve gotten so many emails after Sunday’s article about rogue trails in the Barton Creek Greenbelt Wilderness Park that I thought I’d give people a place to get their opinion out here. (To read the full article, about the struggle to balance the needs of hikers, bikers and endangered species on public lands, go here.)
First, I’d like to say that I’m a cyclist myself. I specificially made an effort when I wrote the article NOT to unfairly blame mountain bikers for all the problems. I also made an effort to include the bikers’ side of the story, pointing out the whole Forest Ridge situation.
What I couldn’t do was change the facts. And the fact is that a mountain biker was caught with a saw cutting an illegal trail there in April. I also couldn’t change the fact that some of the land managers and biologists say bikers are contributing to the problem.
In the very least, I hope the article raises a warning flag to whoever is cutting illegal trail — whether they are mountain bikers, hikers or flying trapeze artists — that they are risking access to the greenbelt for the rest of us.
Now, sound off!
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August 5, 2009
City bike program update
I’m still out of town, so here’s an update from the city of Austin Bike Program folks:
“Summertime means that public works crews are resurfacing and reconstructing streets.
Seal coats cure better during the summer. That means that your Bicycle Program staff is working like crazy to take advantage of all the new striping and getting bicycle facilities in where they can. Keep your eyes peeled for new bicycle facilities in your area over the coming months.
- Martin Luther King Boulevard: A climbing lane on Martin Luther King Boulevard headed eastbound from Lamar to Pearl Street. There is also an improved sidewalk for those of you who like to walk your bike up the hill.
- Lacrosse Avenue: Bicycle lanes on Lacrosse Avenue from Natick Lane to Escarpment Boulevard. A concerned citizen submitted this request, and since there was existing bicycle lanes on both sides of the gap, and the roadway was wide enough to simply add a 5-foot bicycle lane, this gap on Lacrosse Avenue was eliminated.
- William Cannon Drive: Bicycle lanes on William Cannon Drive from Interstate 35 to Pleasant Valley Road. This roadway is constructed of concrete.The Bicycle Program worked with the Signs and Markings Division to pay for a stripe removal vehicle to remove the existing stripes and add new ones that included bicycle lanes.
- Latta Drive: Bicycle lanes on Latta Drive from Convict Hill Road to Islander Drive and from Nairn Drive to Davis Lane.
- Mary Street: Dedicated bicycle lanes (without parking) on Mary Street from Congress Boulevard to the Union Pacific railroad tracks (near Lamar Boulevard). With the cooperation and feedback from the Bouldin Creek and Zilker Neighborhood Association, the Bicycle Program and the Transportation Department were able to work out a parking and bicycle facility solution that met the needs of all users of the roadway.
Besides facilities, the Bicycle Program is launching a new promotional campaign, including a public service announcement featuring Lance Armstrong. The next phase? Highlighting commuting by bicycle.
Research for innovative facilities is continuing. The Steck Avenue reconfiguration from Mopac to Burnet Road is under way. Stakeholders are invited to a meeting to discuss the reconfiguration at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 1 at the Pillow Elementary School Cafeteria, 3025 Crosscreek Dr.
Additionally, the sharrow, colored bicycle lane, bicycle box and bicyclists “use full lane,” research by the Center for Transportation Research is going well. The research team is busy watching video of bicycle-motor vehicle interactions at the chosen locations before the devices are put into place. The Bicycle Program hopes to have these devices in place before school starts.”
Stay cool out there, and keep on riding.
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August 2, 2009
Lance to race Leadville 100
The tune-up is done. Now Lance Armstrong can focus on the really tough race — the Leadville 100.
He’ll trade skinny tires for knobby ones for the grueling 100-mile, out-and-back sweat fest.
The race starts in Leadville, Co., elevation 10,200 feet, at 6:30 a.m. Aug. 15. It features steep climbs, serious descents and 14,000 feet of elevation gain.
Seven-time Tour de France champion Armstrong raced it last year, finishing second to six-time Leadville 100 champion Dave Weins by about 2 minutes. Cycling coach Chris Carmichael says Armstrong will race again this year, and I’m betting he’ll have fire in his belly this time. (Read more here.)
Last year, Wiens finished in 6:45:45; Armstrong finished in 6:47:41. The third place finisher was more than 30 minutes back.
Armstrong’s not the only Austin cyclist who’ll be racing. Hill Abell, owner of Bicycle Sport Shop, is planning to compete. His goal is a little more human: He wants to finish in a very respectable 10 hours. Check Monday’s paper for a feature about Abell, who’s done a lot for the Central Texas mountain biking scene.
Good luck!
Learn more iabout the Leadville 100 here.
Permalink | Comments (4) | Categories: cycling
July 28, 2009
Women's bike clinic on Saturday
Sometimes, it’s just less intimidating to learn in a women-only environment. On Saturday, the Austin Flyers Women’s Racing Team will host a women-only cycling clinic at Texas Orthopedics, 4700 Seton Center Parkway.
The day starts with a morning skills and demo session, followed by on-road lesson. Cyclists will break into small groups to practice cornering, bike handling, hills, gearing, group rides, etiquette, pace lines and safety. During lunch, cyclist and attorney Brad Houston will discuss the rules and rights of cyclists on the road. In the afternoon, participants can choose from two of three break-out sessions: Core, Stretching and Strength Training, Equipment and Maintenance; or Training and Racing.
Cost for the clinic is $65 and includes coffee, pastries and lunch. (Discount to Austin Flyers Club members.) Reserve a spot at bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=8806. Online registration closes at 8 a.m. Thursday. Email austinwomenonbikes@gmail.com if you have questions.
Permalink | | Categories: cycling
July 21, 2009
Win "Training Plans for Cyclists"
Thinking of riding the Ride for the Roses this fall? Dreaming of a cycling tour through Italy? (I am!)
You need a copy of “Training Plans for Cyclists,” by Gale Bernhardt (VeloPress, $21.95). And you can win it right here.
Just post at the end of this blog why you deserve the book. Then email your snail mail address to pleblanc@statesman.com. The person with the best answer wins the book.
The over-sized paperback is packed with training plans for people planning to ride centuries, multi-day tours or mountain bike races.
Bernhardt, who coached the USA Triathlon team at the 2004 Olympics and served as chair of the USA Triathlon National Coaching Committee for five years, puts training in plain English. The book includes sections on nutrition, bike fit, gear and training intensity. The bulk of the book is devoted to workout descriptions.
Permalink | Comments (5) | Categories: Triathlon, cycling, fitness books
July 11, 2009
Win "Zinn and the Art of Triathlon Bikes"
Need to know how to ship your bike to the next triathlon? Wonder what body position will give you the best aerodynamics on a tri bike? Want some help installing a third brake lever on your aero bars?
Triathletes, take note. I’ve got a copy of the most excellent “Zinn & the Art of Triathlon Bikes: Aerodynamics, Bike Fit, Speed Tuning, and Maintenance,” by Lennard Zinn ($24.95, VeloPress). It caters specifically to triathletes, and covers everything from bike tuning and maintenance to equipment choice and upgrades and shipping a bike safely from race to race.
Want it? Post here, telling me why you deserve it or need it. Then email your snail mail address to pleblanc@statesman.com.
The 340-page oversized paperback is stuffed with illustrations, tips and exploded views of components. It even tells you when you’ve got a problem best handled by a bike shop pro.
Good luck! I’ve only got one copy!
Permalink | Comments (5) | Categories: cycling
July 8, 2009
Lance Armstrong documentary in the works
More than the usual crowd of cameras are focused on Lance Armstrong as he makes his Tour de France comeback this year.
It seems Hollywood is training a hopeful eye on Austin’s favorite cyclist. Sony Pictures Entertainment sent a crew to France to track Armstrong’s every move.
The filmmakers say it doesn’t matter if Armstrong wins, that his cancer-patient-turned-sports-hero story makes great footage no matter how his return to racing after a 3.5-year hiatus turns out. But they’ve got to be secretly smiling at the 37-year-old cyclist’s performance so far in the world’s biggest bike race.
So far, they’ve filmed Armstrong training with Team Astana, crashing and breaking his collarbone during the Vuelta Castilla y Leon (bet they loved that!), and getting a surprise visit from a drug tester.
What do you think? Would you go see the movie?
Read more about it here.
(Above: Lance Armstrong during the first stage of this year’s Tour de France. Photo credit Associated Press.)
Permalink | Comments (9) | Categories: cycling
Should bike helmets be required?
I know bike helmets are a hot topic in Austin. Remember the push a few years back for a law that would require cyclists to wear one?
People got fired up, arguing over the merit of such a law. Some said it would discourage folks from cycling. Others said it would keep those who cycle safe. Many said they wore a helmet but didn’t want anyone telling them they had to.
It seems like everyone’s got an opinion, so I was intrigued when I saw a Consumer Reports article that said more than half of Americans don’t wear a helmet when they’re biking, even though they see the value of wearing one to prevent injuries. Read the report here.
The online report includes recommendations for fitting a helmet, tips for bike safety, and bike helmet ratings for kids.
So far, we don’t have a helmet law in Austin. Still, I wear a bike helmet every time I get on my bike. I don’t trust the motorists.
What do you think?
Permalink | Comments (20) | Categories: cycling
July 2, 2009
Tour kickoff party at Mellow Johnny's
Oooooo, cycling maniacs. This is it. The Tour de France kicks off Sunday, with our own Lance Armstrong back in the saddle. Can he make it number eight?
Who cares? (Well, I do.) It’s a reason for a party, and Mellow Johnny’s, Armstrong’s Austin bike shop at 4th and Nueces streets, is brewing up a big bash to mark the occasion.
The shop will host a Tour launch party complete with Euro-fan costume contest, a bike parade featuring the Austin Bike Zoo, and a podium photo booth where you can fake a triumphant victory shot complete with yellow jersey, champagne bottle and podium girls. You’ll get a chance to paint the streets like a real Tour fanatic or make your own Tour poster at a craft table. Mellow Johnny’s own Publicité Caravan will shower fans with trinkets, samples and swag. Plus, there will be hourly raffles for chances to win cool bike gear.
French-inspired food including crepes and french fries will be served, along with beer, wine and champagne sold by Royal Blue.
Just like being in France!
The party runs from 6 to 11 p.m. The store will stay open until 9 p.m., when the festivities move to the parking lot, with Stage 1 viewing on the Alamo Drafthouse’s big screen.
Anyone want to predict how Armstrong will do in the Tour this year?
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: cycling
June 26, 2009
Louisiana passes 3-feet law to protect cyclists
UPDATE: Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has signed this bill into law. It goes into effect Aug. 15.
Gov. Rick Perry last week vetoed a 3-foot bill designed to protect “vulnerable users” like cyclists. Louisiana lawmakers are trying to get a similar bill approved in their state.
The bill would require motorists to leave a “safe distance … of not less than 3 feet” when passing a bicyclist, according to an article in the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Read it here.
The bill, passed 37-0 by the Louisiana Senate, also would require a summary of the new law in driving manuals and installation of signs to make motorists aware of the need to share the road.
The bill has been sent to Gov. Bobby Jindal for approval. If it becomes law, it will go into effect Aug. 15 and would be known as the “Colin Goodier Protection Act,” according to the article. Goodier, a fourth-year resident surgeon, was killed last summer in Iberville Parish while training for a triathlon when his bike was struck from behind by a truck.
Break the law and you would face a fine of up to $250. And get this — motorists who “harass, taunt or maliciously throw objects at or in the direction of any person riding a bicycle” face fines of at least $200 and up to 30 days in jail.
Wish we could be more like Louisiana!
Permalink | Comments (5) | Categories: cycling
Urban Assault Ride last-minute details
The wackiest event on your weekend fitness calendar? The New Belgium Urban Assault Ride, of course!
Some 1,500 cyclists have registered for the June 28 pedal-powered scavenger hunt, which promotes cycling, health and sustainability. The race started here in 2003 and is now staged in 10 cities around the country.
Packet pickup is from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday at Opal Divine’s, 3601 S. Congress Ave. The race starts at 8 a.m. Sunday at Fiesta Gardens, 2101 Bergman Ave., east of Interstate 35.
Pairs of cyclists bike all over the city, plotting their own course to checkpoints where they complete physical and mental tasks. Obstacles change every year and at every event, so riders never know what to expect. The first team to hit all the checkpoints and cross the finish line wins a pair of New Belgium Brewing cruiser bikes.
This time, official checkpoints include the Rowing Dock, 2418 Stratford Dr.; Pease Park, 1100 Kingsbury St.; REI, 601 N. Lamar Blvd.; Ozone, 3202-C Guadalupe St.; RunTex, 422 W. Riverside Dr.; Jack and Adams, 1210 Barton Springs Road; and Rogue Running, 500 San Marcos St. Three mystery checkpoints are also on the agenda.
I did the race a couple of years ago and found myself performing on the stage at Stubbs Bar B-Q Restaurant (that’s us, below), pulling my husband on an oversized inflatable duck in Lady Bird Lake, and jousting on a bicycle.
For more information, go to www.urbanassaultride.com.
Permalink | | Categories: cycling
June 19, 2009
Gov vetoes safe passing bill
UPDATE from Bike Texas:
“Dear fellow Texas cyclists, We are stunned. After passing SB 488 through both houses of the legislature with overwhelming bipartisan margins and responding to every legislator’s concern with information or compromise, Governor Perry killed the bill today. In spite of the huge number of phone calls in the span of two very intense hours, Governor Perry vetoed the Safe Passing bill, SB 488. Thanks to all of you who responded to the BikeTexas Action Alert today and called the Governor’s office. We are extremely disappointed with the Governor’s action. In our view, this reflects a cavalier attitude on the part of the Governor toward the deaths of the 1000 vulnerable road users that are killed annually in Texas. It is well known that Rick Perry rides a bike on the streets and on the trails. Unfortunately, ordinary Texans do not have a security detail to shield them from motorists who drive dangerously. BikeTexas strongly disagrees with the reasoning stated in the veto message from the Governor below. Law enforcement, prosecutors, AAA, AARP, Texas Motorcycle Rights Association and Texas Towing and Storage Association joined BikeTexas in supporting SB 488 because they also believed this bill could have saved lives. We will keep you informed regarding the next steps. Please stay tuned. Respectfully, Robin Stallings Executive Director BikeTexas”
Cyclists take note.
The Texas Bicycle Coalition just sent out an action alert, saying that Gov. Perry plans to veto the Safe Passing Bill and asking cyclist to call and insist that he allow SB 488 to pass.
Here’s what the Coalition’s email says:
“Every cyclist in Texas must call Governor Perry today and insist that he allow SB 488 to pass! The governor mistakenly thinks that the bill puts all of the responsibility on the motorist. There might be time to save the bill if you hurry and make the calls. This is the most important call we have ever asked you to make. Our lives depend on it.
BikeTexas was notified at 12:30 pm CST that Governor Perry plans to veto the Safe Passing Bill. This veto can happen within the next couple of hours TODAY. We need every cyclist in Texas to call NOW and tell the Governor to pass SB 488. More than 1000 vulnerable road users in Texas die every year. This bill will save lives!
You must give the bill number.
CALL both phone NUMBERS:
(512) 463-4375
(512) 463-2000 Governor’s main switchboard until 5 p.m.”
For more information about the bill, go to http://www.biketexas.org/content/view/1115/881/.
The bill requires that cars and light trucks give “vulnerable road users” like cyclists a 3-foot berth when passing. It also requires heavy trucks a 6-foot berth.
Permalink | Comments (8) | Categories: cycling
June 8, 2009
Riding Bastrop-to-Buescher
I pedaled the undulating road linking Bastrop and Buescher state parks on Sunday. Have you ridden there?
The road dips and climbs for 12 miles through the pine forests connecting the two parks. Shade covers nearly the entire route, which makes it a good one for summer, which definitely has kicked in. The route is hilly, but the hills are relatively short. Just when your quads start screaming for mercy, it’s time for a lovely, holler-with-glee downhill.
I’ve ridden the route a dozen or so times, but this time (for the first time ever) we belly flopped into the swimming pool at Bastrop State Park to cool off afterward.
And that pool! It took us a couple of hours to ride to Buescher State Park and back, and we’d worked up a good sweat by the time we finished. We shucked off our bike clothes, yanked on swimsuits (never leave home without one!) and plopped into the pool, which is shaped like an enormous bowl. It’s deep in the middle, too — 8 feet at maximum depth. We paddled around until our core temperatures dropped enough that we wouldn’t melt the seats in our truck, then dragged ourselves out of the water.
It takes about an hour to get to Bastrop State Park from Austin. Admission to the park is $4 a person, but I’ve got a State Park Pass. The $60 annual pass gets you into all Texas state parks for free, so it’s well worth it for me and my husband. It’s $4 to get into the pool for adults, but you get $2 off per person with the pass.
Bastrop always feels like a mini vacation to me, because the scenery is so absolutely un-Austin-like, with all the pine cones and needles. I’ve been going there since I was a kid.
Then it was on to the Roadhouse, just outside the gates of the park, for a late lunch. They’ve got great burgers, but our waitress forgot to turn in our order. Ack! We nearly gnawed off our fingers waiting an hour (!!!) for our lunch to appear. Thumbs down for service, thumbs up for ambiance and food.
(That’s me and Chris above, post bike ride.)
And thumbs up for another great Austin day trip.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: cycling
June 5, 2009
Lance's baby is Tweeting!
We know Lance Armstrong is a Twitter maniac, posting all kinds of interesting — and not so interesting — details about his life on his Twitter account.
He’s a veritable Captain Twitter. At last count (and the number is increasing by the moment), he had 986,611 followers.
But check this: Lance and girlfriend Anna Hansen’s day-old baby son Max apparently has his own Twitter account!
A couple of hours ago, Max had about 300 followers. Now, at 1:27 p.m. Friday, he’s up to 671. (Geez, it’s taken weeks for me to get that kind of following on my Twitter account!)
Max’s first post came this morning: “just had my 1st night of sleep ‘out here’. Quite an contrast.”
And this just in: “hanging out with my mom and dad. they seem pretty cool but they keep staring @ me”
Just not sure what to think about this. Discuss…
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: cycling
May 30, 2009
Real Ale Ride Rocks
My ragged team of cycling buddies sweated up and down some luscious Hill Country rollers this morning during my new favorite cycling event - The Real Ale Ride.
Honestly, what could be better than cruising around Central Texas on a bike for 50 miles, then rolling into a brewery parking lot for beer, BBQ and ice cream?
Nothing.
Which is why this morning’s ride with husband Chris, Charlie McCabe of the Austin Parks Foundation and none other than Mr. Road Rash himself Jason Whaley was so much fun.
Top 5 things about the ride?
Crossing the cool, clear Guadalupe River.
Smooth, low-traffic Hill Country roads.
Drafting off my husband for about 35 miles
The screamin’ downhill where Chris hit 46 mph (and I squeezed my brakes to death)
Pickle juice for all. (Just kidding! I hate pickle juice. Does anyone like that stuff?)
Here are some scenes from the ride:
![band].jpg](http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/shared-blogs/austin/fitcity/upload/2009/05/real_ale_ride_rocks/band%5D.jpg)
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Win a trip to watch Lance in France
How does a trip to Paris to see Lance Armstrong race in the Tour de France sound?
I thought so.
The Lance Armstrong Foundation is giving away round trip airfare for two and lodging with a view of the Eiffel Tower in its first ever “See Lance Race in France” sweepstakes.
The trip will be July 19-26.
To enter, you have to make an $11 contribution to the Lance Armstrong Foundation. (That marks Armstrong’s 11 Tour appearances.)
To enter, go to www.livestrong.org/lancechance. Deadline to enter is June 11 and the winner will be notified on June 17.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: cycling
May 29, 2009
Gearing up for Real Ale Ride
Yahoo! It’s packet pickup time for the Real Ale Ride, which I’ll be doing Saturday out in Blanco.
Haven’t registered yet? You can still sign up for $65 at packet pickup, from 3-6:30 p.m. today at Bicycle Sport Shop Central, Lamar Boulevard and Barton Springs Road, or at the event site in Blanco on Saturday morning.
I’ve never done the ride, but expect it to be hot and hilly. I’ve signed up for the 50-mile route, but 15, 30, 65 and 80-mile options are also available.
I’d do a longer ride, but then it would take too long to get to the barbecue, beer and music at the finish. I’m also thinking of sneaking over to nearby Blanco State Park afterward to hop in the river. It’s one of my favorite places to swim!
A few notes from the organizers:
- Parking will be available near the brewery at 231 San Saba Court. Look for signs and volunteers who will guide you to the appropriate area.
- Arrive no later than 7 a.m. Waves will start lining up at 7:15 a.m., and the 80-mile group will depart at 7:30 a.m., followed by the shorter-distance groups.
- Hydrate! Bring your own water bottle. In an effort to be a green event (yay!), organizers we will not hand out water bottles, although NUUN tablets and Pickle Sport Juice will be available at aid stations.
- Cut Off: 80-mile riders must be at rest stop 4 by 10:15 a.m. to continue or will be diverted to 65 mile route. No shame in taking the shorter route — this is a hilly ride.
- A Specialized Cross Trail bike will be raffled off at noon. Tickets are $5 at packet pickup.
- Music starts at noon Saturday, with entertainment by the Piney Grove Ramblers and Cooper’s Uncle.
- Upgrade for $75 to the Premier Package (which includes a special food line, port-o-lets and keg) through Friday at packet pickup.
- For more information go to http://www.realaleride.com/.
- Whole Foods, Sixth Street at Lamar Boulevard
- One Texas Center, 505 Barton Springs Road
- City Hall Plaza
- Bike Texas, 1902 E. 6th St.
- Mellow Johnny’s, Fourth at Nueces streets
- Wheatsville Coop, 3101 Guadalupe St.
- Bicycle Sport Shop, 517 S. Lamar Blvd.
- Freewheeling Bicycles, 24th St. and San Gabriel
- Orange Bike Project and Longhorn Po-boys, Speedway between Dean Keeton and 21st St.
- The Peddler and Texas Culinary Academy, 119 E. North Loop Blvd.
- Shoal Creek Boulevard at Far West right of way (across from Northwest Park)
- Music City Cycles, 6301 W. Parmer Lane, No. 504
- El Chilito, 2219 Manor Road
- Political Pedal: 4:45 -7:30 p.m. Friday, May 1, City Hall Plaza. Ride bikes with mayoral and city council candidates, Police Chief Art Acevedo and local cycling advocates. The basic ride starts at Austin City Hall and finishes at Uncle Billy’s Brew and Que, 1530 Barton Springs Road. Bikes and helmets are available, but you must call Scott Johnson at 389-2250 in advance to reserve one.
- Shiner Ride: Saturday, May 2. Cyclists depart from Austin and ride 100 miles through small towns and scenic byways on the way to the historic Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner, Texas. Rest Stops every 12-20 miles will be stocked with food, drink and cheering volunteers. The ride is rain or shine. For more info, http://www.shinerbash.com/index.php?page=rideinfo.
- Bike Commuting 101: 7-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 12, REI Austin Downtown. Learn the basics of commuting in Austin, from what kind of bike works, what clothes and tools you need and how to find a route that works for you. Free. Instructor Preston Tyree doesn’t own a car and after 100,000 miles of urban commuting hasn’t ever been hit by a car.
- Bike to Work Day: 7-9 p.m. Friday, May 15. The best-known event of the month! Stop for free breakfast at the following locations: Whole Foods (6th Street and Lamar Boulevard); One Texas Center (505 Barton Springs Road); City Hall Plaza; Bike Texas (1902 E. 6th St.); Mellow Johnny’s (4th and Nueces streets); Wheatsville Coop (3101 Guadalupe St.); Bicycle Sport Shop (517 S. Lamar) Blvd.; Freewheeling Bicycles (24th and San Gabriel streets); Orange Bike Project and Longhorn Po-boys (Speedway between Dean Keeton and 21st Street); The Peddler and Texas Culinary Academy (119 E. North Loop Blvd.); Shoal Creek Boulevard at Far West right of way; Music City Cycles (6301 W. Parmer Lane, #504); and El Chilito (2219 Manor Road). Additional locations may be added.
Who out there has done the ride? What can I expect? Are you doing it this year?
Permalink | | Categories: cycling
May 28, 2009
Lance (the dog) watches Giro d'Italia
Check out this dog. Yep, he’s sporting a yellow jersey, his name is Lance and he’s hanging out at Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop in downtown Austin.
Lance (the dog, that is) made an appearance last night at the shop’s Giro d’Italia watching party. A small crowd tuned in as Lance (Armstrong, the cyclist) finished 10th in the 17th stage of the race, 1 minute and 59 seconds behind stage winner Franco Pellizotti. (Check the latest race report here .) The Austin cyclist and seven-time Tour de France winner remains in 12th place in the race, which ends May 31.
Heart of Texas Lab Rescue took in Lance (the dog) after he was attacked by three pit bulls earlier this year. Ray Hebert, of the rescue group, introduced the sweet, fluffy dog to the race-watchers, and explained that he needed $3,000 of surgery after the attack. He’s healed now, with a glossy coat and bright brown eyes, but needs a loving home.
“He needed a name that would bring him strength and courage to go on,” Hebert told the crowd.
Lance (the dog) seemed to approve of the festivities. He may even have gotten a taste of the Italian-themed snacks.
If you’re interested in adopting Lance (the dog), go to http://hotlabrescue.org/. (Not sure if the yellow jersey is included.)
Heart of Texas Lab Rescue is a non-profit, volunteer-run organization that saves Labrador Retrievers from shelters, pounds and abandonment and places them in caring homes.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Categories: cycling
May 27, 2009
Cyclist hit last Thursday still alive
I’ve gotten several calls and emails from folks who think the 22-year-old cyclist who hit a car in downtown Austin last Thursday night has died.
He’s still alive, according to Austin Police on Wednesday. They are not releasing the injured cyclist’s name.
Witnesses said the cyclist ran a light and collided with a vehicle at the intersection of Fifth and Nueces streets. He was taken to University Medical Center at Brackenridge.
Folks, it’s important to obey traffic laws.
A motorist who runs a light and crashes might not get injured. Chances are a cyclist who does the same will.
Ignoring traffic laws also turns otherwise understanding motorists into anti-cyclist rabble rousers.
I know, I know. Motorists disobey laws too. It doesn’t matter. Let’s do what we can to promote good cyclist-motorist relations.
And best wishes to the injured cyclist.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: cycling
May 22, 2009
Witnesses say cyclist hit by car ran light
Witnesses say a cyclist who collided with a car in downtown Austin last night ran a red light.
The 22-year-old cyclist was critically injured in the wreck that happened about 10:15 p.m. at the intersection of Fifth and Nueces streets. He was taken to University Medical Center at Brackenridge.
This makes me nuts. Every time I ride my bike to work, I see cyclists blowing through stoplights. I know it’s tempting to roll on through, but if for nothing other than improving relations between cyclists and motorists, bike riders should stop at every light and every stop sign.
A motorist who hits another car after running a light might not suffer any life-threatening consequences. A cyclist who collides with a car probably won’t be so lucky.
Oddly, the accident occurred just as the City Council was wrapping up a discussion about the city’s proposed new Bicycle Master Plan. Dozens of cyclists showed up for the meeting, voicing their support for improved bicycle infrastructure throughout the city.
I wonder if the cyclist had attended the meeting.
Pay attention, folks.
And keep the injured cyclist in your thoughts.
Permalink | Comments (9) | Categories: cycling
Witnesses say cyclist hit by car ran light
Witnesses say a cyclist who collided with a car in downtown Austin last night ran a red light.
The 22-year-old cyclist was critically injured in the wreck that happened about 10:15 p.m. at the intersection of Fifth and Nueces streets. He was taken to University Medical Center at Brackenridge.
This makes me nuts. Every time I ride my bike to work, I see cyclists blowing through stoplights. I know it’s tempting to roll on through, but if for nothing other than improving relations between cyclists and motorists, bike riders should stop at every light and every stop sign.
A motorist who hits another car after running a light might not suffer any life-threatening consequences. A cyclist who collides with a car probably won’t be so lucky.
Oddly, the accident occurred just as the City Council was wrapping up a discussion about the city’s proposed new Bicycle Master Plan. Dozens of cyclists showed up for the meeting, voicing their support for improved bicycle infrastructure throughout the city.
I wonder if the cyclist had attended the meeting.
Pay attention, folks.
And keep the injured cyclist in your thoughts.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: cycling
May 17, 2009
More on anti-cycling op-ed piece
My friends and I celebrated Bike to Work Day last Friday by meeting downtown after work for conversation and snacks. (It also happened to be my birthday, which I think is pretty appropriate.)
Besides being a great day to pedal around town (and drop by Teo’s for some pistachio gelato —- yum!), it happened to be sentencing day for convicted bike thief James Clayton, who marked the day with a four-year prison sentence.
Finally, on Friday the Austin American-Statesman published a rebuttal to an anti-cycling article written by local contributor Cindy Stone.
Here’s the rebuttal, by Lane Wimberley, Rob D’Amico and Chris Trickey:
Austin can reap the benefits of being bicycle-friendly Rob D’Amico, Hill Abel and Chris Trickey, LOCAL CONTRIBUTORS Friday, May 15, 2009
On Thursday the City Council will consider an update to Austin’s Bicycle Master Plan, an ambitious and worthy effort that aims to increase the number of bicyclists and make riding safer.
Of primary importance is the plan’s increased efforts to educate the public about bicycling facilities. Public education is crucial, particularly since we have seen recent attacks on the city’s efforts, such as the commentary from Cindy Stone (“Bicycle friendly” should be a two-way street, Friday, May 08, 2009). The article—an inflammatory rant against bicyclists’ efforts to have car-free bike lanes on Exposition Boulevard—contained numerous unsubstantiated statements and falsehoods regarding Exposition and other city projects to increase safety for cyclists in Austin. Contrary to Stone’s claims, the restriping of Exposition to remove parking from bike lanes was a resounding success and a model for balancing the community’s needs. Many residents in the area supported the plan, including the neighborhood association, and the result was car-free bike lanes on a key transportation corridor that still preserved parking on one side of the street for residents (including parking in front of Stone’s house). The plan also added some much needed on-street parking adjacent to a middle-school playfield.
Stone’s contention that bicyclists should carry an ID so that “police can identify their dead body” is crass and only perpetuates the attitude that bikes just need to get out of the way. You may feel that way sometimes riding in your car, but the fact remains that more and more bicyclists pour out on to the streets every day, because it’s an enjoyable, healthy and quick way to get around town. Shoving bikes off to the side just won’t work anymore, so a more sensible approach is to use well-thought-out strategies like those in the Bike Plan update to make things smoother and safer for all of us.
Why do we need bicycles? Simply, they are an extremely economical way to meet many of our city’s goals for a higher quality of life with environmental protection, increased mobility, recreational opportunities and better health.
The Bike Plan update builds on the original plan passed in 1998 and is a comprehensive look at strategies to increase the number of people using bikes for transportation and recreation by providing better facilities like bike lanes, bikeways (on street and separated paths), bike boulevards (streets designed for heavy bicycle use), bike parking and much more. Barriers to bicycle commuting, such as getting past major highways or through more dangerous sections of roadways are key issues addressed, and the plan also outlines goals for how many trips we would like to see taken by bicycle—primarily for commuting—in the coming years.
Projects included can be as big as an extension to the Pfluger Bicycle/Pedestrian Bridge to get bicyclists across Caesar Chavez Boulevard and a bike bridge on MoPac over Barton Creek, or as small as extending bike lanes on a particular street. New strategies like “sharrows”—shared lane markings stenciled on the road that encourage better positioning for bicyclists and cars when sharing the right lane—are included, as are many other new ideas, such as Bike Sharing, which are popping up in cities nationwide.
Finally, the plan includes a lengthy list of recommendations from the Mayor’s Street Smarts Task Force, a group of bicyclists, engineers and other stakeholders that met last year to help increase the viability of all modes of transportation, but particularly with an emphasis on bicycle safety. To gain additional input, the city has conducted several open houses, public meetings and reviews by boards and commissions in the past two years leading up to Thursday’s City Council meeting.
So you don’t even ride a bike? This plan is still a big plus for you. In addition to the benefits outlined above, by creating better facilities we help keep traffic moving by providing separate facilities for bikes, which are usually slower than cars, or we can establish clear expectations for when bikes and cars are to share the road. Knowing what to expect and being aware of the rights and responsibilities of all road users are key to avoiding conflicts and crashes between motorists and bikes.
Austinites can work together to make Austin a world-class bicycling city while still balancing the needs for all modes of transportation. We encourage you to find out more about the Bike Plan update at www.cityofaustin.org/bicycle, and at the sites for the key advocacy organizations in town: The League of Bicycling Voters (www.lobv.org), the Austin Cycling Association (www.austincycling.org) and the Yellow Bike Project (www.austinyellowbike.org).
Rob D’Amico is president of the League of Bicycling Voters. Hill Abel is the owner of Bicycle Sports Shop. Chris Trickey is a cyclist.
Permalink | Comments (5) | Categories: cycling
May 14, 2009
Mellow Johnny's Juan Big Breakfast Ride
Here’s a new twist to the usual Bike to Work Day free breakfast station …
Mellow Johnnys, at Fourth and Nueces streets, is sponsoring the Juan Big Breakfast Ride.
Visit as many Bike to Work Day stations as you can between 7 and 9 a.m. Friday, May 15. At each location, take a digital photo of yourself with enough detail so it’s obvious where you are.
The ride is all in fun, so ride safe and take the time to thank the station volunteers.
Make your way to Mellow Johnny’s or The Peddler Bike Shop by 9 a.m. to submit your photos. The male and female at each store with the most stops wins.
Mellow Johnny’s is doing a few other things for bike commuters on Friday:
Free breakfast locations:
Permalink | | Categories: cycling
Bike to work, get skinny
Need more incentive to ride your bike to work?
According to Trek Bicycle Corporation, the average person loses 13 pounds their first year of commuting by bike.
That’s a lot of crawfish ettouffee, coconut cake and fried catfish — all of which I indulged in during a recent visit to Louisiana.
But wait, there’s more.
Just 3 hours of biking per week, Trek says, can reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke by 50 percent. Think how happy you’ll make your doctor (and family) by pedaling more often.
Other reasons to bike, also from Trek?
Forty percent of all car trips in the U.S. are made within 2 miles of home.
Sixty percent of the pollution created by autos happens in the first few minutes of operation, before pollution control devices can work effectively.
The U.S. could save 462 million gallons of gas a year by boosting bicycle trips just half a percentage point: from 1 percent to 1.5 percent of all trips.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: cycling
May 11, 2009
Rebuttal to anti-cyclist article
My jaw dropped when I read an opinion piece by local contributor Cindy Stone in the Austin American-Statesman a few days ago.
It was full of misinformation, ignorance and the kind of close-minded I’m-better-than-you attitude that makes me want to load my bike into a truck and move someplace like Portland, where people “get” cycling as a lifestyle. (Read Stone’s complete article here: http://www.statesman.com/opinion/content/editorial/stories/05/11/0511stone_edit.html).
I believe that motorists and cyclists can co-exist peacefully. But to do that, we need infrastructure that cuts down on bike-car interaction, lots of education, and a population that understands the benefits of riding bikes.
Stone claims that the city’s Bike and Pedestrian program has fanned what she calls “biker wars.” I’d suggest that she’s done that herself, with her spiteful column.
The city’s proposed new bike plan will go before the City Council on May 21. I hope it passes.
Stone’s columnbounces from point to illogical point, never explains what projects she’s referring to, and makes personal attacks on cyclists. It’s also crass. I got knots in my stomach when I read this sentence from her column, suggesting that cyclists be required to carry ID cards: “That way, when some unsuspecting driver runs them off the road, police can identify their dead body.”
And that’s not fanning the flames?
Drivers who are courteous, follow the law, don’t speed and pay attention shouldn’t have a problem with killing cyclists.
Bicycles are vehicles, and they have as much right to the road as cars and trucks and SUVs. Cyclists are also taxpayers, and as such have paid for our roadways.
Motorists who gripe about cyclsts running stop signs or making illegal maneuvers can’t ignore the fact that motorists run stop signs and make illegal maneuvers too. Yes, some cyclists break the law. So do some motorists. (For more information about bike laws, go to http://bicycleaustin.info/laws/tx-bike.html.)
Stone also suggests that the city “Adopt a PR program that emphasizes a two-way street, not merely pushes motorists out of the way to favor bikers.”
She thinks that the city favors cyclists over motorists? Really?
It’s attitudes like these that make it clear why the League of American Bicyclists recently ranked Texas 36th out of 50 states in its annual U.S. Bicycle Friendly state rankings. (See the whole list here: http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/bicyclefriendlyamerica/bicyclefriendlystate/rankings.php).
Maybe Stone needs a little stress relief. Might I suggest a bike ride?
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May 1, 2009
Pedaling to work ... Snakes in a Creek
In honor of the first day of Bike Month, I pedaled to work this morning.
I try to ride my bike to work once a week. I’ve got an easy commute — it’s about 8 miles each way, most of it on the Shoal Creek Hike and Bike Trail. I live in Allandale, near RM2222 and Loop 1, and the Austin American-Statesman offices are at Congress Avenue and the river. I’ve got trails or bike lanes nearly the entire way.
Two snake spottings highlighted this morning’s ride. The 2-foot slithery critters were swimming in the creek about half a block apart, south of Ninth Street. Also, an osprey landed in a tree along the creek. (Note to self: Never to swim in Shoal Creek.)
It’s like “Wild Kingdom” out there. Over the years, I’ve seen owls, nutrias, snapping turtles, swans, blue herons and one freakishly gigantic (seriously, the size of a dinner plate) frog.
Official Bike Month activities get under way today, starting with a Kick-Off event at City Hall Plaza, 301 W. 2nd St., from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The City’s Neighborhood Connectivity Division, along with the Austin Commuter Challenge, Austin Cycling Association, Bicycle Sport Shop, Bike Texas, Capital Metro, the Political Pedal, Austin Police Department and the City’s PE Department Program are hosting the festivities.
Another important day to remember? Friday, May 15, is Bike to Work Day.
I want to see everyone out there! I’m already planning to swing by for the free breakfast at Whole Foods downtown location.
Ride your bike! It’s fun, you get your daily exercise in the time you could be stuck in traffic, and it takes cars off the road.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Categories: cycling
April 28, 2009
Why ride? Free breakfast and more!
May is Bike Month!
That means the city’s updated Bike Plan heads to the Austin City Council. It also means opportunities to ride with local cycling advocates, learn more about commuting to work on a bike, tons of group rides, and, best of all, free breakfast on Bike to Work Day, May 15.
Austin is one of 23 communities in the United States that has earned silver status in the League of American Bicyclists Bicycle Friendly Community rankings. Nine others have gold status, and three — Davis, Calif., Portland, Ore., and Boulder, Colo. — have platinum status.
What do we need to bump up to gold or platinum status? A lot.
More bike infrastructure, more cyclists, and more plans for the future, says Meghan Cahill, director of communications for the League. We’ve been making progress on that last one. The city has been working on a new Bike Plan, last updated in 1998, will be presented to the Austin City Council in the next few weeks.
Besides plans for new bike routes, it includes provisions for training the entire Austin Police Department on bicycle laws to ensure consistent enforcement.
The plan will be presented to the City Council for possible action on Thursday, May 21. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. To speak at the council meeting, you must sign up in advance in the lobby of City Hall, 301 W. 2nd St.
For a full lineup of Bike Month activities, go to http://www.austincycling.org/bikemonth.
Here are some highlights:
Get on your bike! It saves gas money, keeps cars off the street, whips you into shape, and makes it fun to get around.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: cycling
April 27, 2009
Austin cyclist wins Athens Twilight Crit
Austin-based cyclist Heath Blackgrove, a New Zealand native, won the 30th running of the Athens Twilight Criterium this weekend in downtown Athens, Ga. (Thanks for the photo, Brandon Andrews Photography!)
“It’s the biggest crit in America, and I’ve heard a lot of stories about it. So to win the first time doing it, with a crowd like this, is pretty special,” Blackgrove told VeloNews.
The race was part of a series of races held around Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina over nine days. Blackgrove, 28, was one of three cyclists in a breakaway late in the 80km race.
Weather was perfect and turnout was huge, according to the report.
Other Team Hotel San Jose cyclists finished well, too. Carlos Vargas Columbia was 12th, and Sean Sullivan was 39th. Barry Lee got caught behind a crash could not catch up.
Blackgrove is a former Olympian and 12-time national champion in New Zealand. He started cycling in the United States in 2006, initially racing for Toyota-United. He discovered Austin while racing the Austin Downtown Criterium, where he met directors and management for Team Hotel San Jose. He joined Team Hotel San Jose in 2009. He and his girlfriend Sharyon Johns both now live and train here.
