I just read this article which I found via the venerable BSNYC web log, and was for some reason moved to pen a letter to its author. I decided to copy the letter here because I think this is the most neatly composed explanation I've been able to write concerning my growing irritation with this whole chic-cycling movement (if it can be called such).
Though I point to several direct references from the article, I like to think of it as an open letter to all those pretty young ladies you'll frequently see egregiously breaking the law or too preoccupied with being/looking stylish to care that they're a danger to themselves and all other road-users (except for cars, of course; after all, it is their road that they graciously allow us to use the shittiest parts of)
Ms. La Ferla,
Having just read your article "Bicycle Chic Gains Speed," and myself being an avid cyclist, I thought you might be interested to know how your article is being received by people of my ilk, though I'm fully aware that we likely aren't your target audience, so to speak.
Firstly, in the interest of clarity, I think articles such as yours should take care when stereotyping cyclists with sweeping generalizations of language. For instance, where you write "...Mr. Bliss said, referring mostly to the athletes and messengers who whiz by in that all-too-familiar forward-thrust posture that has, he said, 'alienated every pedestrian.'" While you are correct in implying that people who flaunt the law and appear reckless are often riding racing-style bicycles (typified by handlebars with drops), it is certainly not a truism, and I think it's an exaggeration that lumps many well-meaning cyclists in with the malfeasant. This "forward-thrust posture" you refer to, while perhaps not the most comfortable for EVERY cyclist, is in fact the most mechanically efficient way to power a bicycle, resulting in a greater capacity for speed and maneuverability than an upright position.
Further to this point, you later go on to describe Ms. Page-Green who apparently "...likes to speed around on the sidewalk, has encountered hostility. 'When you’re going too fast, people get mad at you,' she said. 'I’ve had canes waved at me in the distance.'" It strikes me as odd that in the very same article where recreational-, utility-, and professional-cyclists (messengers) are roundly vilified, blatantly illegal cycling (NYC Traffic Code says nobody over the age of 12 may operate any wheeled vehicle on a sidewalk) and a pedestrian's appropriate reaction thereto is blithely excused as mere happenstance. In my thinking, actions like this are more to blame for any alienation cyclists may feel from pedestrians.
Considering the article was written not for experienced cyclists, but presumably for fashionable ladies, I think it would be best to at least make mention of the fact that doing something like that, while perhaps stylish in some way, is the principal obstacle to cyclists as a whole gaining respect from pedestrians who, contrary to what you state in the very next sentence, are quite vocal about cyclists not respecting pedestrian space (consider too, that elderly pedestrians, the cane-shakers, are our most outspoken and active detractors).
I'm sure you don't care, but in the interest of accuracy, you should also note that no cyclist wears latex. Racing cyclists and touring cyclists wear a fabric called Lycra, which is composed of a spandex-like material (and is much thicker as well) that offers free movement and greater comfort when in the saddle for a long time... Also, you mention aerodynamic helmets. These are worn by almost no one aside from professional road racing cyclists doing a variety of race called a Time Trial, where they will don the archetypal "pterodactyl" helmet to lessen drag and thus move faster with greater ease. I have seen in my ten years living and riding in this city, exactly one (1) person wearing an aero helmet... and it was done as a joke.
I thank you for taking the time to read this through, and I can assure you, knowing the NYTimes is at least mentioning cycling in a somewhat positive light makes me hopeful for a day when a majority of New Yorkers get on two wheels. Cycling is not only my favorite sport, but also my favorite mode of conveyance, leisure activity, hobby, and way to keep fit. Verily, this growth in popularity is not bad thing, but we must remember the most wonderful and irritating part of bicycles is that anyone of any age, of any social strata, of any level of experience, can swing their leg over a bike and go merrily about their day in speed and comfort; but many potential cyclists have ZERO knowledge of how to cycle legally and courteously, perhaps you could make mention of the prevalence of well dressed ladies riding the wrong direction (against traffic), as they are the worst offenders aside from food delivery guys (who almost unanimously refuse to ride with traffic).
Kindest Regards,
Erik Pedersen
Showing posts with label cycling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cycling. Show all posts
4.07.2010
Race Report: Central Park 4/4
After the mediocre race Saturday, I was amped when I woke up at 3:45am Sunday morning. In a previous race report, I mentioned a certain breakaway I barely hung onto, and the fellow who initiated it contacted me after finding this blog. So after a barrage of e-mails, we resolved to work together in breaking from the field Sunday, giving me lots to ponder and prepare for leading up to the race.
I made my way over the williamsburg bridge (which, incidentally they've just today begun to resurface and re-stripe in a hopefully safer manner) into the eerily desolate streets of Manhattan, and took 1st ave pretty much all the way to the park. Funny thing about 1st on a Sunday at that hour is most people you see on the sidewalk are wasted and most of the cars you see are cops keeping them in check.
Kind of odd to be the only leaving home instead of struggling toward it...
I got to the start a little too early, I guess, because the organizers were just starting to place the cones out on the course when I made it to the park... I sat around eating apples and bananas waiting for them to finish setting up the check-in table...
I putzed around for a while, did a real fast warm-up lap, took a whiz, and ate another banana before it was starting to get crowded with racers.
We all lined up for the start, same as at Prospect Park, though this time behind the masters (35+). I guess the commissaire thought our fields were too small so he announced that we (the 5's) would be "racing with" the masters though scored separately. This of course elicited groans of irritation from the masters and clacking of kneecaps from the 5's.
I guess it would've possibly been more accurate for the commissaire to say "a few of the 5's will be racing with the masters, the rest of you are fucked."
At the whistle, the pace was almost 30mph. I'm not certain, but I think a LOT of the 5 field got dropped right then and there. I settled in behind my new acquaintance as we were still planning on trying our attack sometime around the second lap. we sat in the peloton and I was surprised at how much effort was required to stay in contact with these old farts - they were truckin!
I definitely didn't completely cast off any intention of attacking but by the end of the first lap, I knew it wouldn't stick; I was already feeling a little tired from the maniacal pace being set and there was no way we'd stay away with the peloton moving so fast.
On the hill at the second lap I followed my wheel up through the field a bit and saw the orange jersey of the Champion System guy from the day before driving the pace on the front again. No wonder we were going so fast. His m.o. is to ride away solo, but the masters weren't having any of that nonsense, keeping him reeled in the whole time.
At this point I began to notice that I couldn't see that many category 5 numbers (they give each category a different color, the masters are all different colors); I knew of the Champ-Sys guy, my Kissena friend, myself and I kept seeing one other guy, but that was about it. I immediately recognized why it was I was feeling so good about this race: I was riding with sane, skilled racers who hold their lines and stay out of trouble.
By the time the third lap came around I was simultaneously deep in concentration trying to place myself well for the final lap (oh yeah, I forgot to mention, we never attacked; I knew it was a pipe-dream from the moment the pace settled in) and also having the time of my life zipping around, not worrying so much that some noob was going to slide out in front of me.
We crossed the line and the pace jumped again, as we passed the reservoir I looked down at the speedometer and I was registering at 33.5mph on a flat (whoa). I tried to follow my wheel up through the field but he passed someone right before a turn and another rider compressed in front of me so I lost contact with my only ally.
I did a mid-field attack of sorts to try and move up into the leadout, where I was supposed to be. This was a mistake because immediately following that we entered the snaking downhill which doesn't last long enough to recuperate before the Harlem Hill. The Kissena guy moved up at the bottom of the hill and I followed as long as I could.
I felt my thighs pumping acid again (is that what VO2 max feels like?) but gritted my teeth and powered on as far and as fast as I could. About twenty meters from the crest of the hill I completely blew up.
There was nothing I could do... I had to sit, drop into the small chainring, bigger cogs, and keep the pedals spinning to keep my previous position (I climb fast, so I usually gain 10-15 places on these small hills). I think one of the masters could tell I suddenly started pedaling squares because as he passed, he patted me on the back and offered a quick word of encouragement.
I managed to stay in contact with the middle of the peloton and was heartened that I felt almost immediately recuperated in less than a few minutes. I again made my way toward the front and the masters kindly let me through since they still had a lap to go and we were lining up for the sprint.
Actually, lining up is a bit of a misnomer, a few guys at the front were in contention for a sprint finish but I certainly wasn't. On the shallow climb to the finish line I was sitting in around 20th place and tried to make up a few places using my only real talent on the bike: climbing. About halfway up I realized I wasn't passing anyone in my own field so I stopped hurting myself and held my position for the last 20 meters or so.
We rolled over the line and judging by the number of 5's I saw who pulled off to let the masters continue, I think I got eighth place, or near thereto.
None of our planning was put to use and neither of us won (not even the Champ-Sys dude!) but all in all it was a spectacular race. I think that before I started racing, this is what I imagined all races to be like, not the lolling, 15mph starts of the usual cat 5 races. Considering I held onto the front of a field that was going MUCH faster than I was used to, and that was above my skill level, I felt pretty good about my effort.
-
I've often noted that racing a bicycle is a lot like playing a car-racing video game (sorry, I'm of the "Gran Turismo generation"). Since Gran Turismo was, when I was growing up, the A-1 racing game, I tend to draw a lot of parallels between racing my bike and my virtual sports cars. One thing in particular is how the first time you play the game, it seems easy, though you definitely won't come in first... After getting the hang of things, you become better and better at "driving" and even with an unmodified car, you can school noobs on almost any track.
So naturally I wonder if my experience racing with the masters this Sunday will affect my performance this coming weekend. If we're not grouped with a lower category again, I wonder if I'll feel more able to play with the field, make effective moves, and possibly ride away on an attack...
Saturday I'll be in Newark for the Cherry Blossom Challenge, and Sunday I'll be back at Central Park...
Until next time
I made my way over the williamsburg bridge (which, incidentally they've just today begun to resurface and re-stripe in a hopefully safer manner) into the eerily desolate streets of Manhattan, and took 1st ave pretty much all the way to the park. Funny thing about 1st on a Sunday at that hour is most people you see on the sidewalk are wasted and most of the cars you see are cops keeping them in check.
Kind of odd to be the only leaving home instead of struggling toward it...
I got to the start a little too early, I guess, because the organizers were just starting to place the cones out on the course when I made it to the park... I sat around eating apples and bananas waiting for them to finish setting up the check-in table...
I putzed around for a while, did a real fast warm-up lap, took a whiz, and ate another banana before it was starting to get crowded with racers.
We all lined up for the start, same as at Prospect Park, though this time behind the masters (35+). I guess the commissaire thought our fields were too small so he announced that we (the 5's) would be "racing with" the masters though scored separately. This of course elicited groans of irritation from the masters and clacking of kneecaps from the 5's.
I guess it would've possibly been more accurate for the commissaire to say "a few of the 5's will be racing with the masters, the rest of you are fucked."
At the whistle, the pace was almost 30mph. I'm not certain, but I think a LOT of the 5 field got dropped right then and there. I settled in behind my new acquaintance as we were still planning on trying our attack sometime around the second lap. we sat in the peloton and I was surprised at how much effort was required to stay in contact with these old farts - they were truckin!
I definitely didn't completely cast off any intention of attacking but by the end of the first lap, I knew it wouldn't stick; I was already feeling a little tired from the maniacal pace being set and there was no way we'd stay away with the peloton moving so fast.
On the hill at the second lap I followed my wheel up through the field a bit and saw the orange jersey of the Champion System guy from the day before driving the pace on the front again. No wonder we were going so fast. His m.o. is to ride away solo, but the masters weren't having any of that nonsense, keeping him reeled in the whole time.
At this point I began to notice that I couldn't see that many category 5 numbers (they give each category a different color, the masters are all different colors); I knew of the Champ-Sys guy, my Kissena friend, myself and I kept seeing one other guy, but that was about it. I immediately recognized why it was I was feeling so good about this race: I was riding with sane, skilled racers who hold their lines and stay out of trouble.
By the time the third lap came around I was simultaneously deep in concentration trying to place myself well for the final lap (oh yeah, I forgot to mention, we never attacked; I knew it was a pipe-dream from the moment the pace settled in) and also having the time of my life zipping around, not worrying so much that some noob was going to slide out in front of me.
We crossed the line and the pace jumped again, as we passed the reservoir I looked down at the speedometer and I was registering at 33.5mph on a flat (whoa). I tried to follow my wheel up through the field but he passed someone right before a turn and another rider compressed in front of me so I lost contact with my only ally.
I did a mid-field attack of sorts to try and move up into the leadout, where I was supposed to be. This was a mistake because immediately following that we entered the snaking downhill which doesn't last long enough to recuperate before the Harlem Hill. The Kissena guy moved up at the bottom of the hill and I followed as long as I could.
I felt my thighs pumping acid again (is that what VO2 max feels like?) but gritted my teeth and powered on as far and as fast as I could. About twenty meters from the crest of the hill I completely blew up.
There was nothing I could do... I had to sit, drop into the small chainring, bigger cogs, and keep the pedals spinning to keep my previous position (I climb fast, so I usually gain 10-15 places on these small hills). I think one of the masters could tell I suddenly started pedaling squares because as he passed, he patted me on the back and offered a quick word of encouragement.
I managed to stay in contact with the middle of the peloton and was heartened that I felt almost immediately recuperated in less than a few minutes. I again made my way toward the front and the masters kindly let me through since they still had a lap to go and we were lining up for the sprint.
Actually, lining up is a bit of a misnomer, a few guys at the front were in contention for a sprint finish but I certainly wasn't. On the shallow climb to the finish line I was sitting in around 20th place and tried to make up a few places using my only real talent on the bike: climbing. About halfway up I realized I wasn't passing anyone in my own field so I stopped hurting myself and held my position for the last 20 meters or so.
We rolled over the line and judging by the number of 5's I saw who pulled off to let the masters continue, I think I got eighth place, or near thereto.
None of our planning was put to use and neither of us won (not even the Champ-Sys dude!) but all in all it was a spectacular race. I think that before I started racing, this is what I imagined all races to be like, not the lolling, 15mph starts of the usual cat 5 races. Considering I held onto the front of a field that was going MUCH faster than I was used to, and that was above my skill level, I felt pretty good about my effort.
-
I've often noted that racing a bicycle is a lot like playing a car-racing video game (sorry, I'm of the "Gran Turismo generation"). Since Gran Turismo was, when I was growing up, the A-1 racing game, I tend to draw a lot of parallels between racing my bike and my virtual sports cars. One thing in particular is how the first time you play the game, it seems easy, though you definitely won't come in first... After getting the hang of things, you become better and better at "driving" and even with an unmodified car, you can school noobs on almost any track.
So naturally I wonder if my experience racing with the masters this Sunday will affect my performance this coming weekend. If we're not grouped with a lower category again, I wonder if I'll feel more able to play with the field, make effective moves, and possibly ride away on an attack...
Saturday I'll be in Newark for the Cherry Blossom Challenge, and Sunday I'll be back at Central Park...
Until next time
4.06.2010
...paparazzi
Real fast, I thought I'd share a couple images from the races with y'all.
All of these photosets were found via cyclingreporter.com, which I recently found to be an awesome repository of NYC's local races. let the narcissism commence:
All of these photosets were found via cyclingreporter.com, which I recently found to be an awesome repository of NYC's local races. let the narcissism commence:
FBF 3/27 via Eddie Mazaev's Flickr
FBF 3/27 via Eddie Mazaev's Flickr
FBF 3/20 via Eddie Mazaev's Flickr
FBF 3/27 via Gina Green @ Organic Athlete
...a quick lesson in race tactics/ettiquete
As a fast follow-up to saturday's race report, I wanted to explore an interesting phenomena that I believe only happens in the 5's.
When recreationally riding or competitively racing, one quickly realizes the benefits of drafting behind others, letting them do the work for you. In time, you get more comfortable riding extremely (onlookers might use the term suicidally) close to others at high rates of speed, building trust amongst the group. There are a multitude of ways to draft, but categorically, they can be divided into two distinct types:
cooperative pacelining and uncooperative drafting (aka wheelsucking)
Study for a moment, if you will, the above diagram showing four of the more common formations. Note that in each, the arrows imply group effort; when the lead rider is tired or has pulled his fair share, he slides to the back, while a fresh rider "pulls through", all the while maintaining the pace.
Obviously this is a grossly idealized representation of cycling in formation as any number issues can and will disrupt the smoothness of the group. Professional teams ride in this way while on training rides; and though things certainly appear more disorganized in a professional-level race, that is simply due to the simple fact that its a race and jockeying for position, blocking, etc.. are obvious tactics to be employed. Nonetheless, talented racers still concede that without the combined efforts of different riders from different teams, the race will suffer.
Now in category 5, my current hovel, racing tactics are either unknown or disregarded by nearly everyone. Even those who, like myself, have familiarized themselves with good racing skills, don't make use of these rudimentary maneuvers.
This is exemplified at pretty much every cat 5 race in the following way:
1. There is a peloton (if it could be called such) and at the front of that group there certainly is a leadout train comprised of 5-10 of the stronger riders in the field. They will do the majority of the work for the entire race.
2. Everyone is worried about getting dropped so nobody risks hard efforts on the front trying to do things like chase breakaways or drive the pace higher.
3. Nearly everyone is gunning for first (who doesn't want to win?), and coupled with the above point, riders huddle en masse, trying to conserve as much energy as possible for the sprint.
4. The pace fluctuates dramatically. Since most are concerned about their ability to just hang on, when one rider who's been pulling for far longer than he really should have tires, nobody pulls through. His pace drops significantly, which in turn slows the whole field.
To this last point, Every time I've pulled on the front to help out of just to try and blow the field apart, those that hang onto my wheel simply stay there. Swerve to the left and the leadout swerves left, swerve right, they go right... At Floyd Bennett Field on the previous weekend, I had to physically turn around, look the next rider in the eye and yell, "PULL! I'M OFF!" only then did someone share in the responsibility of keeping the pace up.
I think that if I can establish a breakaway with some other riders this weekend, we'll likely get an opportunity to make use of some serious progressive pacelining. Then again, when you try to break from the field in the 5's, everyone sees their chances at first disappearing and they all suddenly find their legs, making successful breaks rare.
As an aside, my favorite formation to see or be a part of is what I call progressive pacelining. It's the same as the single paceline illustrated above, but the direction of the arrows is reversed so the last rider rides up and takes the front position from the now-second-in-line rider. This very fast formation is used when you sense the peloton breathing down your neck but you think you've still got a chance to stay away. good stuff.
Hopefully once in the 4's or on a team, I'll have more support from other riders and we can make lemonade of lemons.
that is all.
When recreationally riding or competitively racing, one quickly realizes the benefits of drafting behind others, letting them do the work for you. In time, you get more comfortable riding extremely (onlookers might use the term suicidally) close to others at high rates of speed, building trust amongst the group. There are a multitude of ways to draft, but categorically, they can be divided into two distinct types:
cooperative pacelining and uncooperative drafting (aka wheelsucking)
Study for a moment, if you will, the above diagram showing four of the more common formations. Note that in each, the arrows imply group effort; when the lead rider is tired or has pulled his fair share, he slides to the back, while a fresh rider "pulls through", all the while maintaining the pace.
Obviously this is a grossly idealized representation of cycling in formation as any number issues can and will disrupt the smoothness of the group. Professional teams ride in this way while on training rides; and though things certainly appear more disorganized in a professional-level race, that is simply due to the simple fact that its a race and jockeying for position, blocking, etc.. are obvious tactics to be employed. Nonetheless, talented racers still concede that without the combined efforts of different riders from different teams, the race will suffer.
Now in category 5, my current hovel, racing tactics are either unknown or disregarded by nearly everyone. Even those who, like myself, have familiarized themselves with good racing skills, don't make use of these rudimentary maneuvers.
This is exemplified at pretty much every cat 5 race in the following way:
1. There is a peloton (if it could be called such) and at the front of that group there certainly is a leadout train comprised of 5-10 of the stronger riders in the field. They will do the majority of the work for the entire race.
2. Everyone is worried about getting dropped so nobody risks hard efforts on the front trying to do things like chase breakaways or drive the pace higher.
3. Nearly everyone is gunning for first (who doesn't want to win?), and coupled with the above point, riders huddle en masse, trying to conserve as much energy as possible for the sprint.
4. The pace fluctuates dramatically. Since most are concerned about their ability to just hang on, when one rider who's been pulling for far longer than he really should have tires, nobody pulls through. His pace drops significantly, which in turn slows the whole field.
To this last point, Every time I've pulled on the front to help out of just to try and blow the field apart, those that hang onto my wheel simply stay there. Swerve to the left and the leadout swerves left, swerve right, they go right... At Floyd Bennett Field on the previous weekend, I had to physically turn around, look the next rider in the eye and yell, "PULL! I'M OFF!" only then did someone share in the responsibility of keeping the pace up.
I think that if I can establish a breakaway with some other riders this weekend, we'll likely get an opportunity to make use of some serious progressive pacelining. Then again, when you try to break from the field in the 5's, everyone sees their chances at first disappearing and they all suddenly find their legs, making successful breaks rare.
As an aside, my favorite formation to see or be a part of is what I call progressive pacelining. It's the same as the single paceline illustrated above, but the direction of the arrows is reversed so the last rider rides up and takes the front position from the now-second-in-line rider. This very fast formation is used when you sense the peloton breathing down your neck but you think you've still got a chance to stay away. good stuff.
Hopefully once in the 4's or on a team, I'll have more support from other riders and we can make lemonade of lemons.
that is all.
...Race Report: Prospect Park 4/3
Last week I borrowed a friend's fixed gear bike to putz around on at my leisure... Thursday I met someone for a screening of some rare films set to jazz at the Anthology Film Archives and decided it would be a good opportunity to ride the fixie to work since there is far less to quickly and easily steal off a single gear bicycle than a road bike.
All went according to plan and I had an awesome time. Only after getting home that evening did I realize that April had started.
April fools, legs....
I woke Friday and had the worst ache in both legs; both right above my patella and just below my iliac crest, so I decided to ride the train to work in anticipation of the next day's race. Though I managed to get off a little early that day to go home and soak in the tub, I wasn't feeling 100% Saturday morning.
I arrived at the start line with too little time to do a warm-up lap and barely had my number pinned before they had everyone line up for the start. However, I did manage to wake up on time and eat a decent breakfast, digest it for the most part, and torque test the bike, so all was not lost...
On the first lap the field made it's way up the hill and as I got to about the halfway point where the road snakes a bit, my thighs were pumping not blood and lymph, but pure battery acid. I gritted my teeth and fought through it, staying in contact with the race.
While there weren't any crashes (update: come to think of it there was one crash, but it was some guy who made himself fall on the sprint... we all got a good chuckle out of that), there were a couple squirrely, ego-driven riders (namely a guy in a yellow kit with purple cotton[?] arm and leg warmers) who made the whole damn race a nerve fest once again. I've decided that the only place to be in a prospect race is on the front. Granted, it takes a lot more energy to be on the front for the whole race, but not having to worry about the crappy bike-handlers all around you, makes it that much more pleasant.
On the second lap a guy in an orange champion system kit, who happened to be pulling on the front the first lap, rode away. I saw him go and wanted to give chase but I was boxed in in the middle right of the field, so first chance I got I broke away and tried valiantly to bridge to the solo rider up the road. In retrospect, I launched at a pretty good spot, on the slightly uphill section about half a K from the finish line, just after the pace slowed for that one-lane business after the downhill.
Apparently I yanked the peloton behind me for a while before they let me go, though I realized on the hill that no matter how hard I tried, I wasn't going to catch the Champion System guy, I'd likely blow my cork trying, and would probably be better off settling back in with the pack to vie for second place, so that's what I did.
As I crested the hill, the peloton caught me. When I climb I sorta go at my own pace and get irritated when I have to ride uncomfortably slow to not be that dick weaving through everyone, so I rode next to two Hudson riders who had been pulling on the front most of the time.
The first one says to me with a Slavic accent, "let him go."
Not realizing he was advising me to do what I'd just decided to, I said, "huh?"
he says, "that guy has won every race he's been in.... He's a former pro or something."
This kinda threw me for a loop because my legs were finally waking up after that hard effort and I was chomping at the bit to reel him in somehow. I asked those two If they were interested in organizing a break to try and catch him and they both silently shook their heads no.
Oh well, I slid back to about tenth place and stayed there for most of the rest of the race.
Somehow I moved back about 5-10 places where the road narrows and wasn't in a very good spot for the sprint so I just sat up, let the crazies battle it out and rolled over the line toward the front-ish of the pack. 20th maybe?
After the race I was riding home, mulling over the mornings events and started to feel a little annoyed at myself. This was my fourth race ever, but I felt as though I wasn't putting down the power I should, and wasn't racing as intelligently as I normally do. My minorly bummed 'tude became morphed into majorly bummed/pissed after I got completely cut off by a cop making a right turn into me (against the light, of course).
I went to the diner and resolved to do better in the future (what else can you do aside from making shallow promises to yourself) over a big plate of complex carbohydrates.
All went according to plan and I had an awesome time. Only after getting home that evening did I realize that April had started.
April fools, legs....
I woke Friday and had the worst ache in both legs; both right above my patella and just below my iliac crest, so I decided to ride the train to work in anticipation of the next day's race. Though I managed to get off a little early that day to go home and soak in the tub, I wasn't feeling 100% Saturday morning.
I arrived at the start line with too little time to do a warm-up lap and barely had my number pinned before they had everyone line up for the start. However, I did manage to wake up on time and eat a decent breakfast, digest it for the most part, and torque test the bike, so all was not lost...
On the first lap the field made it's way up the hill and as I got to about the halfway point where the road snakes a bit, my thighs were pumping not blood and lymph, but pure battery acid. I gritted my teeth and fought through it, staying in contact with the race.
While there weren't any crashes (update: come to think of it there was one crash, but it was some guy who made himself fall on the sprint... we all got a good chuckle out of that), there were a couple squirrely, ego-driven riders (namely a guy in a yellow kit with purple cotton[?] arm and leg warmers) who made the whole damn race a nerve fest once again. I've decided that the only place to be in a prospect race is on the front. Granted, it takes a lot more energy to be on the front for the whole race, but not having to worry about the crappy bike-handlers all around you, makes it that much more pleasant.
On the second lap a guy in an orange champion system kit, who happened to be pulling on the front the first lap, rode away. I saw him go and wanted to give chase but I was boxed in in the middle right of the field, so first chance I got I broke away and tried valiantly to bridge to the solo rider up the road. In retrospect, I launched at a pretty good spot, on the slightly uphill section about half a K from the finish line, just after the pace slowed for that one-lane business after the downhill.
Apparently I yanked the peloton behind me for a while before they let me go, though I realized on the hill that no matter how hard I tried, I wasn't going to catch the Champion System guy, I'd likely blow my cork trying, and would probably be better off settling back in with the pack to vie for second place, so that's what I did.
As I crested the hill, the peloton caught me. When I climb I sorta go at my own pace and get irritated when I have to ride uncomfortably slow to not be that dick weaving through everyone, so I rode next to two Hudson riders who had been pulling on the front most of the time.
The first one says to me with a Slavic accent, "let him go."
Not realizing he was advising me to do what I'd just decided to, I said, "huh?"
he says, "that guy has won every race he's been in.... He's a former pro or something."
This kinda threw me for a loop because my legs were finally waking up after that hard effort and I was chomping at the bit to reel him in somehow. I asked those two If they were interested in organizing a break to try and catch him and they both silently shook their heads no.
Oh well, I slid back to about tenth place and stayed there for most of the rest of the race.
Somehow I moved back about 5-10 places where the road narrows and wasn't in a very good spot for the sprint so I just sat up, let the crazies battle it out and rolled over the line toward the front-ish of the pack. 20th maybe?
After the race I was riding home, mulling over the mornings events and started to feel a little annoyed at myself. This was my fourth race ever, but I felt as though I wasn't putting down the power I should, and wasn't racing as intelligently as I normally do. My minorly bummed 'tude became morphed into majorly bummed/pissed after I got completely cut off by a cop making a right turn into me (against the light, of course).
I went to the diner and resolved to do better in the future (what else can you do aside from making shallow promises to yourself) over a big plate of complex carbohydrates.
3.29.2010
...Race Report: Prospect Park 3/28
I just spent an hour scouring the web for photos of yesterday's race at Prospect Park but have come up empty-handed... I guess it takes the photographers a while to post. Considering there were at least a dozen scattered around the course, I have no doubt I'll soon come across stunning images of myself sitting, scared shitless, in the middle of the peloton.
I think that's the best summary of the race: scary as fuck. the field was limited to 50 and it was either totally full or exceeded by ten to twenty; save the 5boro bike tour, I've never ridden with so many people at once...
I awoke at 4:30am sharp and proceeded to do a very abbreviated version of what I guess is becoming my pre-race ritual: I showered, ran a razor over the knees (stubbly knees are terrible for riding), ate a couple bowls of cereal and some bananas while air-drying the "crotchal region", dressed, ran a baby-wipe or two over the bike, oiled the chain a little, and double checked that all my supplies were in order.
I got to the start about half an hour before we got under way and was stoked that being of the internet generation, I had the foresight to preregister. The line for registration was really, really long.
The start was fairly different from how it's done at FBF, instead of intermittent start times, all the racers were instructed to line up in packs according to field, with us lowly cat5's at the very back. We rolled up to the line and with a peep of the whistle, we were off.
I felt really pensive about this race for several reasons. First, to me this is home-court, I ride here damn near every day and know the route like the back of my hand, giving me somewhat of an edge over the bridge and tunnel racers. Secondly, and as I said before, there were a LOT of people... seeing the park literally packed from edge to edge with bicycles was beguiling to say the least.
We rolled around at a not-too-tiring pace for the entire "race".
On the back stretch, the course rapidly narrows to one lane from two and there's a line of fixed white plastic bollards that divide the road there. in front of those the organizers had placed a line of six miniature orange cones to compress the field for that turn.On the first lap I was following a wheel on the extreme right of the road when the field tightened up for that turn, he veered scarily to the left and I was presented with a line of cones to roll over and there was nothing I could do about it.
I totally expected to crash but didn't (whew!) but I sent all six cones bouncing around in the peloton.
On the very next lap, after passing the Grand Army Plaza entrance, a BSR rider crashed somehow. Fortunately I was all the way to the right of the field and it happened all the way to the left, so I don't know the exact circumstances of how it transpired. All I saw was a lone bicycle fly up over the peloton, followed by three riders and their bikes, and then a tangle of 5-8 laying on the ground.
The pace quickened after that as though everyone not involved saw an opportunity to make a move... you should never look behind you (unless you're definitely in the lead), so I'm not certain, but I think that crash cut the field in two; those who jumped after the crash (of which I was a part) and those caught in the fray who had to slow down and go around.
Nothing interesting happened in the next four laps, except that I made damn sure to stay in the middle on that dang turn where I nearly ate it.
In a slightly bullshitty turn of events, the Pro1/2/3 breakaway caught the 5's on the downhill right before our finish, so the commisare was forced to neutralize our field (meaning pace gets regulated by the commisare's car, not supported by it, and attacks are not allowed) until about 50-100m from the line. This, of course, meant the peloton expanded like a slinky going in for the finish and not wanting to muscle my way up through ten to twenty egomaniacal riders, I sat in for about 15th place.
In retrospect, this race suffered from a few things that it doesn't take a seasoned pro to notice.
First, the leadout was completely disorganized, resulting as I said, in a pretty slow race. we finished seven laps (25mi) in 1:04:36 (at least that was my time, and I finished with the front). When I train at Prospect Park, I do seven laps in exactly one hour. I don't know how to get people to share an effort on the front, especially when it could very well cost them valuable energy required for the sprint, but someone's gotta take charge. maybe next week that'll be me.
Secondly, the only attacks came on the downhill section. I'm not sure what advice they've been listening to but that's a seriously futile effort. the peloton rapidly gobbled them back up and they finished with nothing to show for it.
Lastly (though not least-ly), because of the general lack of skill in the 5's, tactics (aside from attacking and riding fast), are pretty much useless. This is kind of a bummer, but makes me want to get to the 4's that much quicker, since I'll be both more familiar with the other riders, and all the non-hackers will be in the 5's still.
Not to give away my master plan, but considering the lazy speed with which this race went off, I think this coming Saturday I'm going to do the following: start at the middle of the peloton and hold my position for two to three laps. on the fourth or fifth lap I'm going to make my way, slowly and quietly, into the leadout train. I'll take a pull or two, and then attack on the main hill at the bell lap. I think this'll work 'cause the peloton was only doing 17-19mph up that hill and if I'm feeling rested, I can shoot up that fucker at 25 easy. considering uphill sections negate the positive effects of drafting, I don't expect too many people to follow closely. I'll put my head down and hammer that shit to the finish. Unless the leadout train can pull it's head out of it's ass and get organized, I should have a pretty good chance of staying away and coming out with 1st. If I don't, at least it'll have been a good effort and I won't finish feeling just-warmed-up.
Criticism aside, bicycle racing is still probably the most fun I've had doing a "sport" ever, and you can rest assured that even the most negative experiences I (have had/will have) are at least educational and therefore positive to some degree.
Lookin' forward to this weekend... come out if you can pull yourself out of bed before 6:30am and watch me either win or hurt myself trying.
I think that's the best summary of the race: scary as fuck. the field was limited to 50 and it was either totally full or exceeded by ten to twenty; save the 5boro bike tour, I've never ridden with so many people at once...
I awoke at 4:30am sharp and proceeded to do a very abbreviated version of what I guess is becoming my pre-race ritual: I showered, ran a razor over the knees (stubbly knees are terrible for riding), ate a couple bowls of cereal and some bananas while air-drying the "crotchal region", dressed, ran a baby-wipe or two over the bike, oiled the chain a little, and double checked that all my supplies were in order.
I got to the start about half an hour before we got under way and was stoked that being of the internet generation, I had the foresight to preregister. The line for registration was really, really long.
The start was fairly different from how it's done at FBF, instead of intermittent start times, all the racers were instructed to line up in packs according to field, with us lowly cat5's at the very back. We rolled up to the line and with a peep of the whistle, we were off.
I felt really pensive about this race for several reasons. First, to me this is home-court, I ride here damn near every day and know the route like the back of my hand, giving me somewhat of an edge over the bridge and tunnel racers. Secondly, and as I said before, there were a LOT of people... seeing the park literally packed from edge to edge with bicycles was beguiling to say the least.
We rolled around at a not-too-tiring pace for the entire "race".
On the back stretch, the course rapidly narrows to one lane from two and there's a line of fixed white plastic bollards that divide the road there. in front of those the organizers had placed a line of six miniature orange cones to compress the field for that turn.On the first lap I was following a wheel on the extreme right of the road when the field tightened up for that turn, he veered scarily to the left and I was presented with a line of cones to roll over and there was nothing I could do about it.
I totally expected to crash but didn't (whew!) but I sent all six cones bouncing around in the peloton.
On the very next lap, after passing the Grand Army Plaza entrance, a BSR rider crashed somehow. Fortunately I was all the way to the right of the field and it happened all the way to the left, so I don't know the exact circumstances of how it transpired. All I saw was a lone bicycle fly up over the peloton, followed by three riders and their bikes, and then a tangle of 5-8 laying on the ground.
The pace quickened after that as though everyone not involved saw an opportunity to make a move... you should never look behind you (unless you're definitely in the lead), so I'm not certain, but I think that crash cut the field in two; those who jumped after the crash (of which I was a part) and those caught in the fray who had to slow down and go around.
Nothing interesting happened in the next four laps, except that I made damn sure to stay in the middle on that dang turn where I nearly ate it.
In a slightly bullshitty turn of events, the Pro1/2/3 breakaway caught the 5's on the downhill right before our finish, so the commisare was forced to neutralize our field (meaning pace gets regulated by the commisare's car, not supported by it, and attacks are not allowed) until about 50-100m from the line. This, of course, meant the peloton expanded like a slinky going in for the finish and not wanting to muscle my way up through ten to twenty egomaniacal riders, I sat in for about 15th place.
In retrospect, this race suffered from a few things that it doesn't take a seasoned pro to notice.
First, the leadout was completely disorganized, resulting as I said, in a pretty slow race. we finished seven laps (25mi) in 1:04:36 (at least that was my time, and I finished with the front). When I train at Prospect Park, I do seven laps in exactly one hour. I don't know how to get people to share an effort on the front, especially when it could very well cost them valuable energy required for the sprint, but someone's gotta take charge. maybe next week that'll be me.
Secondly, the only attacks came on the downhill section. I'm not sure what advice they've been listening to but that's a seriously futile effort. the peloton rapidly gobbled them back up and they finished with nothing to show for it.
Lastly (though not least-ly), because of the general lack of skill in the 5's, tactics (aside from attacking and riding fast), are pretty much useless. This is kind of a bummer, but makes me want to get to the 4's that much quicker, since I'll be both more familiar with the other riders, and all the non-hackers will be in the 5's still.
Not to give away my master plan, but considering the lazy speed with which this race went off, I think this coming Saturday I'm going to do the following: start at the middle of the peloton and hold my position for two to three laps. on the fourth or fifth lap I'm going to make my way, slowly and quietly, into the leadout train. I'll take a pull or two, and then attack on the main hill at the bell lap. I think this'll work 'cause the peloton was only doing 17-19mph up that hill and if I'm feeling rested, I can shoot up that fucker at 25 easy. considering uphill sections negate the positive effects of drafting, I don't expect too many people to follow closely. I'll put my head down and hammer that shit to the finish. Unless the leadout train can pull it's head out of it's ass and get organized, I should have a pretty good chance of staying away and coming out with 1st. If I don't, at least it'll have been a good effort and I won't finish feeling just-warmed-up.
Criticism aside, bicycle racing is still probably the most fun I've had doing a "sport" ever, and you can rest assured that even the most negative experiences I (have had/will have) are at least educational and therefore positive to some degree.
Lookin' forward to this weekend... come out if you can pull yourself out of bed before 6:30am and watch me either win or hurt myself trying.
...Race Report: FBF 3/27
Since I laid out the nature of the Floyd Bennett course last week, I'll spare you its description suffice to say it is very flat and very windy.
Last weekend Kissena included several women's fields in the lineup, though not this week, so when I arrived at the staging area it felt strangely empty. Considering it was a mere 40 degrees out despite being sunny, I think most people were content to hang out in their cars prior to the start so as to keep their toes warm. Basically I was one of only a handful of people hanging out by the start/finish.
A guy I raced with last week had a car and offered I sit with him for a while and let my toes thaw a bit right before the race, which I was most grateful for since we all know, cold feet are slow feet.
Charlie (Kissena's magnanimous race director), called the Pro1/2/3 field to the line and had us 5's line up behind them as usual, and after a brief lecture about racing smart, we were off.
Not to spoil the story, but luckily there were no crashes or major mechanicals that morning. The field started off at a moderate pace of around 22mph and stayed there for pretty much the rest of the race.
Using what I learned from last week, I hung out a lot more in with the peloton trying to conserve energy for a hard effort on the last few laps. While sitting back there I was joking around with a few other racers that this seemed more like a tepid Sunday ride than a race-with-a-capital-r.
To be honest I got a little fed up just sitting in the pack so I moved up and started driving at the front with another guy I met last week (in yellow, above, I'm the one in black and white on his wheel). Apparently (and according to these photos I found), after the third lap or so we managed to drop over half the field... I only realized this when I floated toward what I thought was the middle of the peloton for some r&r before the final laps only to find that I was at the very back of the group!
We again joked around about the pace and that pretty much everyone left was going to get a top-ten spot.
I drove hard again on the front, hoping to either establish a break or obliterate the field some more (that's me above, punishing my competitors), which seemed to work at least a bit.
I was leading by a bike length or two on the bell lap which would've been fine had I really worn out everyone else. However, with about half a mile to go, a young polish guy launched an attack that I and only six others managed to hang onto.
Now we're racing! I dropped two or three cogs and stood, made it to about 35mph at the line but only managed to snag fifth or so (I've found that unless you're first or second with a big gap, it's pretty difficult to gauge where you finished). Considering I was last to grab onto the attack, and passed two or three people before the line, it wasn't a total loss.
I guess could look at it as though I was the fourth-best loser (how's that for optimism?), but I want better. I want to win.
Last weekend Kissena included several women's fields in the lineup, though not this week, so when I arrived at the staging area it felt strangely empty. Considering it was a mere 40 degrees out despite being sunny, I think most people were content to hang out in their cars prior to the start so as to keep their toes warm. Basically I was one of only a handful of people hanging out by the start/finish.
A guy I raced with last week had a car and offered I sit with him for a while and let my toes thaw a bit right before the race, which I was most grateful for since we all know, cold feet are slow feet.
Charlie (Kissena's magnanimous race director), called the Pro1/2/3 field to the line and had us 5's line up behind them as usual, and after a brief lecture about racing smart, we were off.
Not to spoil the story, but luckily there were no crashes or major mechanicals that morning. The field started off at a moderate pace of around 22mph and stayed there for pretty much the rest of the race.
Using what I learned from last week, I hung out a lot more in with the peloton trying to conserve energy for a hard effort on the last few laps. While sitting back there I was joking around with a few other racers that this seemed more like a tepid Sunday ride than a race-with-a-capital-r.
To be honest I got a little fed up just sitting in the pack so I moved up and started driving at the front with another guy I met last week (in yellow, above, I'm the one in black and white on his wheel). Apparently (and according to these photos I found), after the third lap or so we managed to drop over half the field... I only realized this when I floated toward what I thought was the middle of the peloton for some r&r before the final laps only to find that I was at the very back of the group!
We again joked around about the pace and that pretty much everyone left was going to get a top-ten spot.
I drove hard again on the front, hoping to either establish a break or obliterate the field some more (that's me above, punishing my competitors), which seemed to work at least a bit.
I was leading by a bike length or two on the bell lap which would've been fine had I really worn out everyone else. However, with about half a mile to go, a young polish guy launched an attack that I and only six others managed to hang onto.
Now we're racing! I dropped two or three cogs and stood, made it to about 35mph at the line but only managed to snag fifth or so (I've found that unless you're first or second with a big gap, it's pretty difficult to gauge where you finished). Considering I was last to grab onto the attack, and passed two or three people before the line, it wasn't a total loss.
I guess could look at it as though I was the fourth-best loser (how's that for optimism?), but I want better. I want to win.
3.24.2010
...wowzers
I just want to preface this long overdue post with a short apology. I've somehow lost two things that are rather precious to me in the past week which adversely affect my ability to post topically on the recent events of my life: my ipod and the USB cable that connects my phone to the computer. Since I've always got my phone with me that's where most pertinent media is stored.
Oh wait. fuck. I forgot about bluetooth. nevermind, that just requires posting from my up-to-date computer and not the glorified paperweight I'm currently using.
Moving right along, I finally did a race at Floyd Bennett Field.
Going into the race I really had no idea what to expect... I assumed that either my fitness was sufficient to easily race the course without breaking a sweat, or it would be so hard I'd get dropped like a hot rock within a lap or two. In short, I'd never done this before so I got some serious flutterby action in the stomach while waiting for the PRO/1-2-3 race to get moving so we could start.
Charlie Issendorf, the race director for Kissena, implored us to stay safe and reminded us of some rules pertaining mishaps and what to do should we get lapped by the PRO/1-2-3 field, which never happened. then we were off...
The First Lap
Right off the line the pace immediately jumped to 25mph+ and after the first turn we ran into a considerable headwind but stayed above 20mph. The first turn is a slow right at the apex of which is a very fast surface change, immediately after going over that the first time I heard "PSSSSSSSSSSSSSST.......awwww fuck!" from right behind me... rider out.
I got myself mixed in with the "lead group" when I chased down an unsuccessful break that was moving really fast in the slight tailwind that had battered us earlier. I had intended to bridge up to it so as to not get dropped from contention but that encouraged the peloton to move up too, so before long the group was tight on the front again. I pulled at the front for a minute or so and dropped back to catch my breath as we completed the first lap. Lesson learned: never attack in a tailwind.
Mid-Race
The next two laps were uneventful aside from people getting popped off the back, which was of no concern to me... I pulled once or twice more and decided that if I kept doing that, I wouldn't have any matches left for the inevitable speed-increase at the bell-lap. I sat in the peloton for most of the rest of the race and slowly moved up through the middle of the pack staying around 15th off the front.
I was surprised at how fast we were going; I was sitting up, pedaling at a comfortable pace and was being sucked along at around 30mph the whole time.
I've done pacelining before, and while you can certainly feel the positive effects of someone breaking the air for you, it becomes magnified when riding 40-50 people deep... While I don't want to be a wheelsucker, I think this Saturday I'm going to sit up mid-pack as much as possible and save everything I've got for the sprint.
At one point I got stuck fighting for myself on the windward side of the pack and had to really hoof it to stay in contact with the group.. I moved up through the field, and in retrospect, I'm glad I did because no sooner than I had gotten into position for the final turn of the third lap than I hear the grinding, scraping and thudding of a crash directly behind me. My first instinct was to turn around and look but I reminded myself that this was in fact a race and that their misfortune was none of my concern (this time). Later I discovered the guy sitting on my wheel slid out and took two others with him. Lesson learned: Love the draft, fear the wind.
Final Lap
As we started the bell lap, the pace remained relatively docile. I had assumed the pace would immediately jump 5-10mph upon hearing the bell but I couldn't complain, I had tried to establish my position at the front on the fourth lap and nearly cooked my legs trying to pull too long. I was sitting in roughly thirtieth place at this point.
I spent the majority of the last lap positioning myself for the sprint and quietly moved up to about fifth, letting the front of the peloton lead me out.
At the final turn I was in third position and with the finish rapidly approaching, I was surprised nobody had initiated the sprint. I'd watched enough races to know what to do; I dropped two cogs, stood, and took off...
Too soon. Two guys came around me on either side at full tilt and once fully ahead of me the guy at my 1 o'clock veered sharply into the guy at my 11 and I was forced to tap my rear brake (which can be a little frightening at 40mph) just a tiny bit. Hitting the brake forced me to scrub just enough speed that right before the line I got passed by several people and managed to finish about tenth (maybe ninth, maybe eleventh).
Concerning that near-crash, what the first rider did is a super novice move, you should hold your line at all times; even when you're swinging the bike around for leverage in a sprint, your wheels should be tracking a straight line. The offended rider rightly filed an official complaint with the organizer and the offending rider will likely be given a stern warning if he's not banned from racing there for a while. Lesson learned: stay off the brakes.
All in all, I had an awesome time at FBF... so much so that I've already pre-registered for two races this coming weekend: another FBF race of the same format, and a seven lap (25mi) race at Prospect Park on Sunday. Stay tuned for thorough reports from both this weekend
Ride fast...
Oh wait. fuck. I forgot about bluetooth. nevermind, that just requires posting from my up-to-date computer and not the glorified paperweight I'm currently using.
Moving right along, I finally did a race at Floyd Bennett Field.
(race course in red, start/finish was actually by the parking lot on the right near the water)
Charlie Issendorf, the race director for Kissena, implored us to stay safe and reminded us of some rules pertaining mishaps and what to do should we get lapped by the PRO/1-2-3 field, which never happened. then we were off...
The First Lap
Right off the line the pace immediately jumped to 25mph+ and after the first turn we ran into a considerable headwind but stayed above 20mph. The first turn is a slow right at the apex of which is a very fast surface change, immediately after going over that the first time I heard "PSSSSSSSSSSSSSST.......awwww fuck!" from right behind me... rider out.
I got myself mixed in with the "lead group" when I chased down an unsuccessful break that was moving really fast in the slight tailwind that had battered us earlier. I had intended to bridge up to it so as to not get dropped from contention but that encouraged the peloton to move up too, so before long the group was tight on the front again. I pulled at the front for a minute or so and dropped back to catch my breath as we completed the first lap. Lesson learned: never attack in a tailwind.
Mid-Race
The next two laps were uneventful aside from people getting popped off the back, which was of no concern to me... I pulled once or twice more and decided that if I kept doing that, I wouldn't have any matches left for the inevitable speed-increase at the bell-lap. I sat in the peloton for most of the rest of the race and slowly moved up through the middle of the pack staying around 15th off the front.
I was surprised at how fast we were going; I was sitting up, pedaling at a comfortable pace and was being sucked along at around 30mph the whole time.
I've done pacelining before, and while you can certainly feel the positive effects of someone breaking the air for you, it becomes magnified when riding 40-50 people deep... While I don't want to be a wheelsucker, I think this Saturday I'm going to sit up mid-pack as much as possible and save everything I've got for the sprint.
At one point I got stuck fighting for myself on the windward side of the pack and had to really hoof it to stay in contact with the group.. I moved up through the field, and in retrospect, I'm glad I did because no sooner than I had gotten into position for the final turn of the third lap than I hear the grinding, scraping and thudding of a crash directly behind me. My first instinct was to turn around and look but I reminded myself that this was in fact a race and that their misfortune was none of my concern (this time). Later I discovered the guy sitting on my wheel slid out and took two others with him. Lesson learned: Love the draft, fear the wind.
Final Lap
As we started the bell lap, the pace remained relatively docile. I had assumed the pace would immediately jump 5-10mph upon hearing the bell but I couldn't complain, I had tried to establish my position at the front on the fourth lap and nearly cooked my legs trying to pull too long. I was sitting in roughly thirtieth place at this point.
I spent the majority of the last lap positioning myself for the sprint and quietly moved up to about fifth, letting the front of the peloton lead me out.
At the final turn I was in third position and with the finish rapidly approaching, I was surprised nobody had initiated the sprint. I'd watched enough races to know what to do; I dropped two cogs, stood, and took off...
Too soon. Two guys came around me on either side at full tilt and once fully ahead of me the guy at my 1 o'clock veered sharply into the guy at my 11 and I was forced to tap my rear brake (which can be a little frightening at 40mph) just a tiny bit. Hitting the brake forced me to scrub just enough speed that right before the line I got passed by several people and managed to finish about tenth (maybe ninth, maybe eleventh).
Concerning that near-crash, what the first rider did is a super novice move, you should hold your line at all times; even when you're swinging the bike around for leverage in a sprint, your wheels should be tracking a straight line. The offended rider rightly filed an official complaint with the organizer and the offending rider will likely be given a stern warning if he's not banned from racing there for a while. Lesson learned: stay off the brakes.
All in all, I had an awesome time at FBF... so much so that I've already pre-registered for two races this coming weekend: another FBF race of the same format, and a seven lap (25mi) race at Prospect Park on Sunday. Stay tuned for thorough reports from both this weekend
Ride fast...
3.09.2010
...seasonably clean and a prelude to justice
So if you hadn't been keeping up on the weather situation in the northeast, It's finally starting to feel like spring 'round these parts... In large part the snow is gone and the temperature has been an extraordinarily seasonable 50ish degrees for the past four days. The best part is that the streets aren't perpetually wet and grimy anymore, meaning my use of baby wipes has decreased dramatically.
I had meant to give this further credence in a full post entitled "...washing the bike: my way or the highway" but figured it didn't have the gravity to be a stand-alone post. In short, washing one's bike is a critical part of bike maintenance, providing a golden opportunity to spot and fix any potential problems, though during the winter months can be a finger-numbing, icy affair.
After riding around on less than ideal roads, I would bring my bike in and proceed to spend an hour, a quarter roll of paper towels, and a couple ounces of green clean getting my ride all sparkly clean again... then I discovered the baby-wipe miracle...
Not only are they ideal for sanitizing the rear-ends of one's spawn, they make cleaning your bike a cinch! A pack of these "hops" wipes goes for about $2 at the local grocer and using only about ten, I can get my bike VASTLY cleaner than any combination of paper towels and liquid cleaner. Plus, they're already soaked with some antibacterial stuff.
Of course nothing can beat giving the bike a good douse with a hose, but to give your wheels that new-bike sheen, baby wipes are the way to go. Additionally, considering I've adopted the most roadie-esque variety of handlebar tape, packing a few in my jersey pockets for a ride make it possible to maintain the tape's whiteness while allowing mid-ride fiddling.
Anyway, despite the fair weather and outdoor bike-washing opportunities it presents, I got this in my e-mail inbox last Wednesday:
Anyway, I always see the "embro guys" when cycling upstate or at the popular spots around the city, and their jerseys make me long for a nice espresso drink while churning away the miles.
If only I had SAG support vehicles to bring me tasty beverages while on-bike...
Alas I do not... the only vehicles following me are blind hasids and bored cops trying to fill their quota before year's end.
I don't think I made mention of this but on New Year's Eve I got a summons for riding without a "bike hat" (cops words, honest) and despite my thorough knowledge of traffic laws, could not convince them I was in the right and that they were wasting everyone's time issuing frivolous summonses.
So I've printed out copies of the NYC traffic code, NYS traffic code, highlighted all the relevant passages, and assembled them all in a lawyer-chic legal manila folder... Fortunately or unfortunately (depending on if you enjoy "sticking it to the man") much of my indignation and ire has burnt off since that unpleasant exchange with the police, and I'll have to muster some courage to not shrink from my constitutionally protected right to have the floor and state my case against the city.
No, I'm not suing anyone, though I know I'll feel as though I pussied out if I just go, let the judge dismiss the ticket, and go about my day, so I'm going to demand a moment to scold the government for their refusal to defend cyclists' rights and instead pester us and impede our pursuit of life and happiness at the cost of both my wages and the judicial system's time.
To that end, I'll let you know Thursday how tomorrow's trip to the county courthouse went...If they'll listen, that is.
Oh well, wish me luck, I'm speaking on behalf of everyone on a bike...
I had meant to give this further credence in a full post entitled "...washing the bike: my way or the highway" but figured it didn't have the gravity to be a stand-alone post. In short, washing one's bike is a critical part of bike maintenance, providing a golden opportunity to spot and fix any potential problems, though during the winter months can be a finger-numbing, icy affair.
After riding around on less than ideal roads, I would bring my bike in and proceed to spend an hour, a quarter roll of paper towels, and a couple ounces of green clean getting my ride all sparkly clean again... then I discovered the baby-wipe miracle...
Not only are they ideal for sanitizing the rear-ends of one's spawn, they make cleaning your bike a cinch! A pack of these "hops" wipes goes for about $2 at the local grocer and using only about ten, I can get my bike VASTLY cleaner than any combination of paper towels and liquid cleaner. Plus, they're already soaked with some antibacterial stuff.
Of course nothing can beat giving the bike a good douse with a hose, but to give your wheels that new-bike sheen, baby wipes are the way to go. Additionally, considering I've adopted the most roadie-esque variety of handlebar tape, packing a few in my jersey pockets for a ride make it possible to maintain the tape's whiteness while allowing mid-ride fiddling.
Anyway, despite the fair weather and outdoor bike-washing opportunities it presents, I got this in my e-mail inbox last Wednesday:
FROM: Brooklyn Spring Series - CANCELED
------------------------------
-------------------
All,
This Saturday's Brooklyn Spring Series race at Floyd Bennett Field is canceled. While most of the snow from last week's snow storm has melted on the course the resulting affect is huge lake-like puddles have formed on the course and it's not safe to have the race. With more rain/snow predicted this week the decision has been made now to cancel the race.
Since you have pre-registered for this event I would like to extend a credit to either the March 20 or March 27 race.
Please let me know which race I can add you to the start list for.
Charlie Issendorf
Race Director
Kissena Cycling Club
-------------------------------------------------
This message was sent as a service to promoters
of BikeReg.com. Please notify tech@BikeReg.com
with any abuse of the service. Thank You.
-------------------------------------------------
So I replied that I'm down for the March 20th race, so be on the lookout for a post detailing my experiences therefrom. I've read that it's a good idea to keep a cycling journal of one's experiences at races as a training tool. Most obviously so you can look back on your palmares, relive victories, and study defeats; but it also acts as a fail-safe in case your attendance or (heaven forbid) your podium spot is overlooked by USAC.
So I'm planning on using this blog as that "race diary" for three interconnected reasons:
- This site is already up and running...
- I often can't think of anything to write...
- I'm lazy.
Anyway, I always see the "embro guys" when cycling upstate or at the popular spots around the city, and their jerseys make me long for a nice espresso drink while churning away the miles.
(reblogged via riding pretty)
If only I had SAG support vehicles to bring me tasty beverages while on-bike...
Alas I do not... the only vehicles following me are blind hasids and bored cops trying to fill their quota before year's end.
I don't think I made mention of this but on New Year's Eve I got a summons for riding without a "bike hat" (cops words, honest) and despite my thorough knowledge of traffic laws, could not convince them I was in the right and that they were wasting everyone's time issuing frivolous summonses.
So I've printed out copies of the NYC traffic code, NYS traffic code, highlighted all the relevant passages, and assembled them all in a lawyer-chic legal manila folder... Fortunately or unfortunately (depending on if you enjoy "sticking it to the man") much of my indignation and ire has burnt off since that unpleasant exchange with the police, and I'll have to muster some courage to not shrink from my constitutionally protected right to have the floor and state my case against the city.
No, I'm not suing anyone, though I know I'll feel as though I pussied out if I just go, let the judge dismiss the ticket, and go about my day, so I'm going to demand a moment to scold the government for their refusal to defend cyclists' rights and instead pester us and impede our pursuit of life and happiness at the cost of both my wages and the judicial system's time.
To that end, I'll let you know Thursday how tomorrow's trip to the county courthouse went...If they'll listen, that is.
Oh well, wish me luck, I'm speaking on behalf of everyone on a bike...
2.23.2010
...Fixed Gear Free-Stalin (like it's 1896) on Bedford Ave!
Image swiped from Gothamist
Take that Hasids! An even more antiquated and repressive society than yours and (gasp!) they're on bicycles! I wonder if they oraganized any tweed rides back in those days, or if they had to revert to knickerbocker-themed rides instead since everyone was in ridiculous wool pantaloons to begin with...
...wish it wasn't rainin'
image scooped from pedalfar
...but it is... while I prefer to be riding, sometimes I dig being all cozy inside with hot coffee, chilled out tunes and something to keep busy with. The rain just stokes the productivity.
2.12.2010
...fun with diagrams
image used without permission via cycling tips
This is a real neat little example of why motorists are full of shit when they pull out the "bicycles slow down traffic" argument when rationalizing their desire for cyclists to not ride on "their road." This article was reposted by Wade at Cycling Tips (link under picture). It's nice to know that cycling to work is more time efficient (and by extension and necessity, more cost, energy, etc.. efficient) in places other than just NYC.
It really cracks me up when a car drives SUPER close behind me when I'm riding in the middle of a lane, in a blatantly passive-aggressive maneuver, passes me as close as their mirrors will allow, and then gets stuck at a red light that I can just blow through (when cross-traffic permits, of course).
One time recently, that exact situation unfolded as I was riding to the bridge on the now bikelane-less Bedford Ave. Since I was kind of in a pissy mood (pre-9am is when you get to meet grouchy erk) to begin with, I passed him at the light and muttered under my breath something to the effect of "go fuck yourself you fucking meathead jackass." Of course he couldn't hear what I said but I think he could see my lips moving because he rolled down his passenger window and said "Yo! did you say something?"
I decided to take a moment while the light was red to learn him some traffic etiquette, and to my surprise he was quite courteous and actually listened to me! He also seemed to concede the facts that (a) I too pay taxes for roadways in the city, and (b) I have just as much right as anyone to use a lane of traffic, regardless my choice of transport.
In hindsight I'm proud of myself for wiping my face of the all too typical inward disgust and loathing associated with overtly aggressive motorists, as I was able to have a meaningful exchange that hopefully benefited another cyclist riding with him later on.
I think it is important to recognize our impact on other cyclists and to not simply worry about our own well being. I've noticed from personal experience that a simple wave or nod (or combination of the two) when a motorist (or anyone else for that matter) does you right, will go a long way to improving everyone's daily lives.
Kim Jong Irrrrr. source unknown.
Super Badass Racing Bike Buildup Status Update: Apparently NYC Velo lied to me last Tuesday when they said my seatpost and stem were going to be here today... Therefore, unveiling photos will be posted this coming Wednesday. Sorry, I know y'all were dying to see it...
2.11.2010
...new toys, necessary delays, and a peek under the drop cloth
Given the amount of time, effort and money (gathered through time and effort) I've invested in making a legitimate racing machine out of the Allez, I think it's only right that I resist the temptation to let it "drop" until it's complete...completely complete.
After having the most crucial components installed and taking it for a few quick spins to get accustomed with the new gear, I realized that it was missing a few finishing touches.
So tomorrow evening I will take delivery of this...
...from the good folks at NYC Velo (anyone who supplies me with "free" espresso while placing orders qualifies as good people).
I hope to find the time to install these guys on the bike prior to the phryday festivities, after which I will get the whole set up cleaned to a sparkle and go at it with a camera and tripod for the purposes of posterity and gloating (mostly gloating).
Anyways, here are a few spy photos of the build thus far...
Ok enough titillation for one day...
RIP Alexander McQueen, Franco Ballerini, and Lino Gastaldello.
and I'm out...
Update: Sorry about the shitty formatting; blogger has this new post-composing interface that is excruciatingly inconsistent... all those photos are supposed to line up vertically, though don't worry, I'll hopefully have it resolved soon.
After having the most crucial components installed and taking it for a few quick spins to get accustomed with the new gear, I realized that it was missing a few finishing touches.
So tomorrow evening I will take delivery of this...
...and this...
...from the good folks at NYC Velo (anyone who supplies me with "free" espresso while placing orders qualifies as good people).
I hope to find the time to install these guys on the bike prior to the phryday festivities, after which I will get the whole set up cleaned to a sparkle and go at it with a camera and tripod for the purposes of posterity and gloating (mostly gloating).
Anyways, here are a few spy photos of the build thus far...
Ok enough titillation for one day...
RIP Alexander McQueen, Franco Ballerini, and Lino Gastaldello.
and I'm out...
Update: Sorry about the shitty formatting; blogger has this new post-composing interface that is excruciatingly inconsistent... all those photos are supposed to line up vertically, though don't worry, I'll hopefully have it resolved soon.
2.09.2010
... back from the land of wherever
Happy holdays everybody. And happy new year as well, for that matter.
After a lengthy sabbatical from blogging, I have decided to return to posting about shit I find here or there that piques my interest or earns my ire. Of course that presupposes my having mountains of cool stuff worth looking at which (while perhaps I do now) is not always the case; especially after divulging it in large heaps on a daily basis.
Since my last post, I've had a life filled with both tumult and elation, though (for better or worse) more so of the tumultuous.
I spent Christmas in Washington State with the folks and opened some really great gifts between traipsing around the verdant wilderness of the northwest, which I must add, is just as foggy and moist as one would expect it to be.
The non-gift highlights of that trip were finally getting to see some of Seattle, including the Pike St. Market and the space needle.
Worth mentioning is the EMP/SFM. While its collections were totally rad, the "architecture" in which it was housed was bile-eliciting to say the least. I found it humorous that the first thing people said to me when I told them I wouldn't discuss my distaste of the building with them was, "It's supposed to look like a smashed guitar from above."
Fortunately for Frankie, it's adjacent to the space needle so that perspective is available, though I find it odd that one would design a thing to be viewed from another thing altogether.
This is certainly a topic for the Philosoraptor to tackle at some future date.
After a lengthy sabbatical from blogging, I have decided to return to posting about shit I find here or there that piques my interest or earns my ire. Of course that presupposes my having mountains of cool stuff worth looking at which (while perhaps I do now) is not always the case; especially after divulging it in large heaps on a daily basis.
Since my last post, I've had a life filled with both tumult and elation, though (for better or worse) more so of the tumultuous.
I spent Christmas in Washington State with the folks and opened some really great gifts between traipsing around the verdant wilderness of the northwest, which I must add, is just as foggy and moist as one would expect it to be.
The non-gift highlights of that trip were finally getting to see some of Seattle, including the Pike St. Market and the space needle.
Worth mentioning is the EMP/SFM. While its collections were totally rad, the "architecture" in which it was housed was bile-eliciting to say the least. I found it humorous that the first thing people said to me when I told them I wouldn't discuss my distaste of the building with them was, "It's supposed to look like a smashed guitar from above."
Fortunately for Frankie, it's adjacent to the space needle so that perspective is available, though I find it odd that one would design a thing to be viewed from another thing altogether.
This is certainly a topic for the Philosoraptor to tackle at some future date.
Anyway, returning to the city (new yorkers are so insular that they feel it unnecessary to preface 'city' with 'new york'), I turned my attention to several pressing matters that required my immediate attention, most importantly, the rapidly advancing first race of the [road] season.
Noting that my bicycle was in dire need of some sexification, I proceeded to spend countless hours at "work" perusing competitive cyclist (the most verbose and simultaneously selectively stocked bike-parts website), posting inane questions to bikeforums, and fantasizing about all sorts superfluous bells and whistles for my ride (as a figure of speech only, every roadie knows that bells are needlessly heavy and can easily be replaced by whistling.... with one's lips, that is).
Anyway, I'll save the bike-upgrade discussion for a later date, just wanted to say, "Hello, I'm back."
12.08.2009
... Teitelbaum v. Teitelbaum and the Birth of Responsible Cycling
If you live in Brooklyn and ride a bicycle, it is likely that Bedford Avenue is not only convenient for you, but downright necessary. That's why when the city had 14 blocks of it ripped up from Flushing Avenue to Division Avenue last week, pretty much everyone on two wheels got pissed.
A lot of strong words and sweeping accusations were made as to the reasoning behind the bike lane's removal, but in the 'end' nobody's gotten a straight answer from either the Hasidic community through which the lane passed, or any city agencies (It should be noted that the stretch of removed lane lies squarely within the portion of Williamsburg most densely populated by the Hasids) directly responsible.
The silence of the City, to say the least, is rather troubling. I for one don't like knowing that the government (at any scale) has the blatant disregard for its own citizenry to refuse to explain what it is doing, especially when what it is doing has a dramatic and adverse effect on its "green" ambitions and public safety.
For better or worse, hundreds if not thousands of cyclists ride this road every day to access both manhattan via the bridge and North Williamsburg; so it is to be expected that some bored hipsters would get it in their heads to retaliate with the only weapons they have -- art supplies and oodles of free time.
Rumor had it that these "gorillas" (whatever that means) were stopped by the Hasid community watch (Shomrim) who then notified the NYPD, who then arrested those involved. Of course, that rumor came from a Hasidic blog and turned out to be completely false. While both the Shomrim and NYPD showed up, nobody was arrested and nobody was even issued a summons. then again, nobody ever said Hasids held ideals of virtue and truth too high...
Despite what I just wrote, I don't like to pass judgment on a people before I know all I can about them and their customs. I have spent a great deal of time trying desperately to understand the mentality of Hasidic Jews and why they do the seemingly illogical and anti social things they do...
Unfortunately, I have had little to no luck on this front, thanks in large part to the tradition of strict isolationism they practice; so I am left only with speculation. However, there are a few things one can surmise peering in on their society from without:
First, Hasids have a deep-seated belief in "god" (aka yaweh), and must be so convinced both that he exists and that they are his chosen people, they have absolutely no fear of death, which is evidenced by the alarming frequency and heedlessness with which they jaywalk on every roadway that may stand in their way.
What's even worse is the fact that cavalier attitude toward very dangerous traffic sets an extremely bad example for their children, who flit in and out of the roadway with even less care than do their parents.
This is annoying because their principal argument for the Bedford Bike lane's removal is safety for their children, which given their pedestrian habits (pun very much intended) is complete bullshit. Their other argument is that girls on bicycles riding through their neighborhood dress in too racy a manner for their taste, and that for the preservation of their chauvanistic culture, the lascivious display of ankles and shoulders must stop, lest it give their women some crazy idea that they have a right to make decisions for themselves.
Secondly, Hasidic Jews openly dislike anyone falling into their "goiyem" category, and are socially encouraged to extort, defraud, and generally cause indirect financial hardship for anyone not like them.
For people so concerned with persecution and acceptance (nearly every jewish holiday has something to do with their ancestor's problems in Egypt, Palestine, Europe, etc...) they're really quite blind when it comes to reflecting on their own actions.
At any rate, what I found interesting in my research into these religious zealots is that within their hermetic enclave, they have divided into rivaling factions that have such animosity that they can be expected to vote against anything the other votes for. Roughly half of the Hasids in this neighborhood identify either with this guy, Zalman Teitelbaum;
Or this guy, Aaron Teitelbaum.
The particulars of these brothers' connection is complex and largely apochryphal, so i'll just leave it that Zalman, the usurper, hates the Bedford ave bike lane and so naturally, Aaron loves it. So it turns out that several members of the A. Teitelbaum sect were slated to come out to help the hipsters reinstate the bike lane, but made only a token appearance.
Since there is no clear way to make cyclists, hipsters, and Hasids happy; I wonder if something drastic could at least help move things in a positive direction.
What if there were no such things as bike lanes? I had previously tried mightily to rate and explain the pros and cons of bike lanes, though quickly came to the realisation that all bike lanes everywhere suffer from the exact same problems, no matter how they are designed or where they are implemented:
Bike-Salmon,
Double- or otherwise illegally- parked cars,
and pedestrians,
If you think about it, cordoning off a stripe of roadway is extraordinarily convenient for everyone except the cyclists it is supposed to be for. It is a secure area for salmoning where if it did not exist, the salmon might be too frightened to ride upstream. It is an out-of-the-way spot for taxis, delivery trucks, and the Police to park while conducting their business. It is a great place for pedestrians to walk while waiting to jaywalk or hail a cab.
In short, all of these problems might be at least partially solved if bike lanes simply didn't exist. People who double park might feel more self conscious about blocking a dedicated traffic lane as opposed to a bike lane since bikes apparently don't belong on the road anyway. Pedestrians might stay on the sidewalk or at least be more cautious about leading out from between parked cars to jaywalk...
Of course this would stymie our collective effort to get as many people on bikes as possible (as a "green" initiative only), as many riders inexperienced with riding in real traffic would simply opt to take the subway instead out of fear. But imagine for a moment if, due to the lack of bike lanes, thousands of people continued to ride their bicycles, though in traffic and not cowering at the roadside waiting to get sideswiped.
I think it would literally force drivers and pedestrians to once and for all take us seriously as legitimate road users. Also, motorists wouldn't be able to bitch that we're robbing them of a lane anymore, so we'd simultaneously be disarming our most vocal opponents of their most tired tirade.
Though this will never happen. Bike lanes are now the barometer of "green-ness" and if the government can't fool people into thinking it has their best interests in mind with sad little bike lanes, how will we then be fed self-satisfaction?
Sorry about the rant.... and the title-bomb... just had to get this off my chest
A lot of strong words and sweeping accusations were made as to the reasoning behind the bike lane's removal, but in the 'end' nobody's gotten a straight answer from either the Hasidic community through which the lane passed, or any city agencies (It should be noted that the stretch of removed lane lies squarely within the portion of Williamsburg most densely populated by the Hasids) directly responsible.
The silence of the City, to say the least, is rather troubling. I for one don't like knowing that the government (at any scale) has the blatant disregard for its own citizenry to refuse to explain what it is doing, especially when what it is doing has a dramatic and adverse effect on its "green" ambitions and public safety.
For better or worse, hundreds if not thousands of cyclists ride this road every day to access both manhattan via the bridge and North Williamsburg; so it is to be expected that some bored hipsters would get it in their heads to retaliate with the only weapons they have -- art supplies and oodles of free time.
Rumor had it that these "gorillas" (whatever that means) were stopped by the Hasid community watch (Shomrim) who then notified the NYPD, who then arrested those involved. Of course, that rumor came from a Hasidic blog and turned out to be completely false. While both the Shomrim and NYPD showed up, nobody was arrested and nobody was even issued a summons. then again, nobody ever said Hasids held ideals of virtue and truth too high...
Despite what I just wrote, I don't like to pass judgment on a people before I know all I can about them and their customs. I have spent a great deal of time trying desperately to understand the mentality of Hasidic Jews and why they do the seemingly illogical and anti social things they do...
Unfortunately, I have had little to no luck on this front, thanks in large part to the tradition of strict isolationism they practice; so I am left only with speculation. However, there are a few things one can surmise peering in on their society from without:
First, Hasids have a deep-seated belief in "god" (aka yaweh), and must be so convinced both that he exists and that they are his chosen people, they have absolutely no fear of death, which is evidenced by the alarming frequency and heedlessness with which they jaywalk on every roadway that may stand in their way.
What's even worse is the fact that cavalier attitude toward very dangerous traffic sets an extremely bad example for their children, who flit in and out of the roadway with even less care than do their parents.
This is annoying because their principal argument for the Bedford Bike lane's removal is safety for their children, which given their pedestrian habits (pun very much intended) is complete bullshit. Their other argument is that girls on bicycles riding through their neighborhood dress in too racy a manner for their taste, and that for the preservation of their chauvanistic culture, the lascivious display of ankles and shoulders must stop, lest it give their women some crazy idea that they have a right to make decisions for themselves.
Secondly, Hasidic Jews openly dislike anyone falling into their "goiyem" category, and are socially encouraged to extort, defraud, and generally cause indirect financial hardship for anyone not like them.
For people so concerned with persecution and acceptance (nearly every jewish holiday has something to do with their ancestor's problems in Egypt, Palestine, Europe, etc...) they're really quite blind when it comes to reflecting on their own actions.
At any rate, what I found interesting in my research into these religious zealots is that within their hermetic enclave, they have divided into rivaling factions that have such animosity that they can be expected to vote against anything the other votes for. Roughly half of the Hasids in this neighborhood identify either with this guy, Zalman Teitelbaum;
Or this guy, Aaron Teitelbaum.
The particulars of these brothers' connection is complex and largely apochryphal, so i'll just leave it that Zalman, the usurper, hates the Bedford ave bike lane and so naturally, Aaron loves it. So it turns out that several members of the A. Teitelbaum sect were slated to come out to help the hipsters reinstate the bike lane, but made only a token appearance.
Since there is no clear way to make cyclists, hipsters, and Hasids happy; I wonder if something drastic could at least help move things in a positive direction.
What if there were no such things as bike lanes? I had previously tried mightily to rate and explain the pros and cons of bike lanes, though quickly came to the realisation that all bike lanes everywhere suffer from the exact same problems, no matter how they are designed or where they are implemented:
Bike-Salmon,
Double- or otherwise illegally- parked cars,
and pedestrians,
If you think about it, cordoning off a stripe of roadway is extraordinarily convenient for everyone except the cyclists it is supposed to be for. It is a secure area for salmoning where if it did not exist, the salmon might be too frightened to ride upstream. It is an out-of-the-way spot for taxis, delivery trucks, and the Police to park while conducting their business. It is a great place for pedestrians to walk while waiting to jaywalk or hail a cab.
In short, all of these problems might be at least partially solved if bike lanes simply didn't exist. People who double park might feel more self conscious about blocking a dedicated traffic lane as opposed to a bike lane since bikes apparently don't belong on the road anyway. Pedestrians might stay on the sidewalk or at least be more cautious about leading out from between parked cars to jaywalk...
Of course this would stymie our collective effort to get as many people on bikes as possible (as a "green" initiative only), as many riders inexperienced with riding in real traffic would simply opt to take the subway instead out of fear. But imagine for a moment if, due to the lack of bike lanes, thousands of people continued to ride their bicycles, though in traffic and not cowering at the roadside waiting to get sideswiped.
I think it would literally force drivers and pedestrians to once and for all take us seriously as legitimate road users. Also, motorists wouldn't be able to bitch that we're robbing them of a lane anymore, so we'd simultaneously be disarming our most vocal opponents of their most tired tirade.
Though this will never happen. Bike lanes are now the barometer of "green-ness" and if the government can't fool people into thinking it has their best interests in mind with sad little bike lanes, how will we then be fed self-satisfaction?
Sorry about the rant.... and the title-bomb... just had to get this off my chest
12.01.2009
...a yoke for you good eggs
So this engineering student is walking through MIT when his classmate rides up on a sparkling new red bicycle.
He says to him, "Wow, that's a really great bike! how did you come by it?"
"Well," his friend explains, "I was going for a walk the other day and this beautiful woman rode up to me on this bike. She threw it to the ground and then ripped off all of her clothes and threw them aside as well. She looked at me and said, 'Take anything you want!'"
After thinking for a moment, the first student says, "I see you made the right choice, her clothes would never have fit you."
11.26.2009
...Happy Thanksgiving to All or A Tribute to Curious Fishes
Since today is the national day for recalling why we're more fortunate than we would readily admit on "normal" days and food, I thought I'd regale you with a list of things I'm particularly thankful for in the past year...
1. My folks, The best parents a son could ask for! I have them to thank for just about everything, including, but not limited to: my love of bad jokes and even worse puns, an analytic frame of mind, putting up with flighty teenagers for fifteen years, paying for college, and having faith in me to pursue my own interests and convictions.
2. Mr. Bernard B. Bunn. Partner in crime and co-contributor to this blog, me and mr. B are tight like that... This little guy has been inked up since day one, that's how hardcore he is. But he's shy at times too, so I'll tell you what he's thankful for: pets on his nose and stick.
3. Friends. All of 'em. Sorry guys but y'all deserve a shout out as long as it's going: The whole houston crew; Mpshl, Tavern, David, James Bus, Jeff, Rowan, Erika, John Martin, Pillsfuck, "Cole", and all the cool kids from high school. The Brooklyn crew; Ica, Mo, Button, Walker, Heath, the new roomies, the Brooklyn Kubb League, Tina, Dylan, Benjy, Grambo, Mon, Nick, Chris, Brandon, Kenya, Serb, Jimmay, Eric, Nathan "El Maestro" Rodriguez, Chris (diff one), Phil, Marc, Josh, Emily, Jamie, Matt, Zach, Philip, Duffy, and everyone else I missed.
4. My trusty steed: El Diablo Negro
5. NYC, the Imperial City.
6. Architecture, for giving me something to obsess over. And Mexico...
7. Chance encounters with stunning beauty.
8. The Brooklyn Brewery, Frank Lloyd Wright coasters, and cycling caps (white-guy fro is pretty unattractive).
8. The Beach (and beer and Mexico again)
9. Prospect Park. I'm in the best shape of my life largely thanks to the existence of this awesome place. Never gets old.
10. Art, the Met, and Shenanigans (those silly greeks, always playing "got your head, whatcha gonna do about it?")
Lastly I thought it appropriate to thank those adversaries that stir me to action, namely, salmon. Here is a tribute to the salmon I've caught on camera in the past year. In some the salmoning is more difficult to notice than others but all are egregious infractions of directionality:
Sidewalk Salmon, king of morons.
Crippled Djembe Salmon
The elusive musical San Juan Salmon
Dolly salmon (and bike-salmon, if you look close)
Dismounting Salmon
Pedestrian Salmon (this is almost acceptible because only an idiot would use Times Square as the a quick way to go south by bike, and space is limited there to begin with)
Salmon morphing into regular cyclist at 29th and 6th.
Leatherhead Salmon
Legal Salmoning.
Well friends, I'm going to go figure out who's Thanksgiving I'm going to crash, and maybe settle on a turkey sandwich and a couple bottles of vino. Enjoy the grub today and ride safe, turkey is known for breeding lazy peddlers!
Also enjoy this submission to the "Biking Rules" PSA contest:
1. My folks, The best parents a son could ask for! I have them to thank for just about everything, including, but not limited to: my love of bad jokes and even worse puns, an analytic frame of mind, putting up with flighty teenagers for fifteen years, paying for college, and having faith in me to pursue my own interests and convictions.
2. Mr. Bernard B. Bunn. Partner in crime and co-contributor to this blog, me and mr. B are tight like that... This little guy has been inked up since day one, that's how hardcore he is. But he's shy at times too, so I'll tell you what he's thankful for: pets on his nose and stick.
3. Friends. All of 'em. Sorry guys but y'all deserve a shout out as long as it's going: The whole houston crew; Mpshl, Tavern, David, James Bus, Jeff, Rowan, Erika, John Martin, Pillsfuck, "Cole", and all the cool kids from high school. The Brooklyn crew; Ica, Mo, Button, Walker, Heath, the new roomies, the Brooklyn Kubb League, Tina, Dylan, Benjy, Grambo, Mon, Nick, Chris, Brandon, Kenya, Serb, Jimmay, Eric, Nathan "El Maestro" Rodriguez, Chris (diff one), Phil, Marc, Josh, Emily, Jamie, Matt, Zach, Philip, Duffy, and everyone else I missed.
4. My trusty steed: El Diablo Negro
5. NYC, the Imperial City.
6. Architecture, for giving me something to obsess over. And Mexico...
7. Chance encounters with stunning beauty.
8. The Brooklyn Brewery, Frank Lloyd Wright coasters, and cycling caps (white-guy fro is pretty unattractive).
8. The Beach (and beer and Mexico again)
9. Prospect Park. I'm in the best shape of my life largely thanks to the existence of this awesome place. Never gets old.
10. Art, the Met, and Shenanigans (those silly greeks, always playing "got your head, whatcha gonna do about it?")Lastly I thought it appropriate to thank those adversaries that stir me to action, namely, salmon. Here is a tribute to the salmon I've caught on camera in the past year. In some the salmoning is more difficult to notice than others but all are egregious infractions of directionality:
Sidewalk Salmon, king of morons.
Crippled Djembe Salmon
The elusive musical San Juan Salmon
Dolly salmon (and bike-salmon, if you look close)
Dismounting Salmon
Pedestrian Salmon (this is almost acceptible because only an idiot would use Times Square as the a quick way to go south by bike, and space is limited there to begin with)
Salmon morphing into regular cyclist at 29th and 6th.
Leatherhead Salmon
Legal Salmoning.Well friends, I'm going to go figure out who's Thanksgiving I'm going to crash, and maybe settle on a turkey sandwich and a couple bottles of vino. Enjoy the grub today and ride safe, turkey is known for breeding lazy peddlers!
Also enjoy this submission to the "Biking Rules" PSA contest:
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