this foul velocipede November 2, 2009
Posted by Sarah in bicycles, Bicycling, bikes, Humor.3 comments
Daydreams of mine:
Moving to Portland? check
Learning to weld? check
yeah…..
Biking Amsterdam October 7, 2009
Posted by Sarah in Amsterdam, bicycles, Bicycling, Bike advocacy, bikes, Vacation.2 comments
My rental bike
It’s true. Biking in Amsterdam lives up to every single fantasty that American cycling enthusiasts hold about it. The infrastructure is amazing, the drivers actively avoid cyclists, and even the pedestrians are aware of cyclists! After about a mile of riding, when I realized the shocking truth that nobody was trying to kill me, my hyperawareness began melting away, and I felt relaxed and free.
I watched friends meet up by bike, pedalling along and chatting. Parents joked and sang to their young children, and nobody screamed at them for endangering their child’s life by taking them on a bike. Lovers rode side by side holding hands. Nobody wore a helmet.
And on Monday morning, an even stranger thing happened. During rush hour, bikes outnumbered cars on the road. My mind exploded. So this is what a city can be.
I like it.
Bike blogs September 18, 2009
Posted by Sarah in bicycles, Bicycling, bikes, Blogs.add a comment
It’s been a bit since my last bike post…I remember the days when every week brought at least a couple of bike posts. But then, those were the days when I posted religiously every day. So hey, why not pass the cycling/blogging torch to a couple of sites that are updating regularly.
The first is a friend I met in a cycling forum – this guy has the energy of about ten energizer bunnies, it’s seriously impressive. When his girlfriend had an opportunity to move across the country, he quit his job to follow her on his bike. Read about his adventures here.
The second blog is a big official production by Trek, but the draw for me is that one of my mountain biking buddies was chosen to blog for them. Amy’s a really great person, and I’m thrilled for her. The gig included a brand new carbon fiber bike, and I love hearing the joy in her voice when she talks about it. You can read her winning essay here, but definitely check out the other women on the blog as well. They’re all pretty damn incredible.
Eileen Sheridan, 1950s cyclist September 8, 2009
Posted by Sarah in bicycles, Bicycling, bikes, My 2 cents, Video.add a comment
Click the image above to see the video clip. I’m betting that Eileen was a pretty amazing woman, but I’m also cringing at a time when many men believed a woman’s place was in the home! Thank you womens lib, and thank you Title IX.
Montebello mtb ride September 2, 2009
Posted by Sarah in bicycles, Bicycling, bikes, Mountain biking.1 comment so far
Pics from last Sunday’s 20mi with 3k’ of climbing ride on the Canyon Trail in the Montebello Open Space Preserve. This is by far the longest mountain bike ride I’ve ever done and the temps were in the 80s – that’s damn toasty in my world. I drank an entire camelback plus two bottles of water and would like to give a huge shout out to whoever got Nuun on the market. I had to cut last week’s mountain bike trip at Skeggs short because I was getting lightheaded in the heat, but was pretty much unfazed by the heat this time. Yay.
I was also pleased that all the riding I’ve done at Arastradero OSP prepared me pretty well for most of the technical stuff on the Canyon Trail – I successfully rode a bunch of it and then hike n biked the rest. Not bad for only a year of mountain biking!
on the way up to the trails
my trusty ride
rock garden, thinking about it
Post lunch. A pastrami sandwhich has never tasted so good!
O thank god, the top! We mistakenly took a brutally steep & exposed fire road up the last section instead of the nice, shady singletrack we wanted, but it was all good once we saw these vistas/knew we were mostly done climbing for the day.
I ended the ride with salt on my face and dirt on my legs. Pretty good sign of a great day.
dna sacrifice to the mtb gods July 22, 2009
Posted by Sarah in bicycles, Bicycling, bikes, Mountain biking.2 comments
This looks way more dramatic than it actually was. I hit a patch of sand at the bottom of a hill and went down. I landed in knee high grass (good), but since it’s July in California, the grass is bone dry and prickly. I spent the rest of the evening removing blades of grass from my shorts, my jersey, my bike, and even my sports bra and socks!
I almost wish the story of the wreck was as impressive as the bruising…I’m tempted to invent something involving a mountain lion and a heroic rescue, but alas, I’m lacking any scrapes that could pass as tooth or claw marks.
bike video June 15, 2009
Posted by Sarah in bicycles, Bicycling, Video.2 comments
Just another “I’d rather be biking” video. My plantar fasciitis has been acting up again, so I’ve had less time on the bike than I’d like.
And in blogging news, I’m officially moving to a MWF schedule for posts since the daily thing just isn’t happening any more. Unless of course I wind up with a bunch of cool stuff to share with you…then all bets are off. (There are enough rules in life without adding more of my own, wouldn’t you say?)
What I’ve known all along… June 9, 2009
Posted by Sarah in bicycles, Bicycling, Bike advocacy.add a comment
The more people riding bikes, the better!
This graph charts the decrease in cycling related casualties against the number of cyclists in New York City. Part of the decrease is probably due to the improvements in bike infrastructure, but as the number of cyclists increase, motorists become more accustomed to driving safely around them. You can test that theory with these awareness tests.
Sunday Streets June 8, 2009
Posted by Sarah in bicycles, Bicycling, San Francisco.add a comment
I hit up Sunday Streets with two really good friends yesterday. We toodled around through the throngs, grabbed lunch, and generally enjoyed the sunshine.
Maker Faire June 2, 2009
Posted by Sarah in bicycles, Bicycling, Bike advocacy, bikes, fire art, Geekiness, the arts.add a comment
On Sunday, I met up with a couple of friends to bike over to the Maker Faire, a DIY festival of very cool proportions. Bike valet parking courtesy of the SVBC - they’d parked almost 1600 bikes when we picked ours up!
Here are some highlights of the festival:
I’m generally a fan of anything dangerous enough to warrant a sign like this!
Miscellaneous fire art from the Flaming Lotus Girls. The Burning Man crowd was well represented.
There were lots and lots of bicycle inspired contraptions, but we went for the biggest and the best and they actually let us drive the mother ship! (The stylishly rolled pants? A must for any cyclist, especially those who forget to unroll their pants after arriving.)
Hula hooping! I cannot remember the last time I laughed so much. The video clip.
