...Breezy Point - Photo tour of Brooklyn

I played hookey today. Called in sick, made breakfast and saw that moo off on her trip to Boston.

Since I rode the subway in yesterday to give my legs a rest, I was antsy to spin the pedals a bit. On the few days every month that I find myself on a train, I'm struck by the bland normality of it all.

So in a fitting rebuttal to the previous day's lack of cycling, I decided to go check out the Rockaways and Floyd Bennet Field. I took my usual route to Prospect Park and after a half lap, I rode out onto Coney Island Ave and swung over to Bedford via Ditmas Ave, where one could easily be fooled into thinking they were in middle-american suburbia, as that Moohare recently pointed out.


Check it out, there was even a bona-fide strip mall somewhere along the route


Though in keeping with its Brooklyn-ness, there were plenty of salmon and aging-jew-minivan-operators to test your patience. Riding on Avenue U to hook up with Flatbush, I was surprised at the lush pastoral ambiance of south brooklyn...


I continued down Flatbush across the bridge over the Belt Parkway and was sternly admonished for riding in traffic (despite the fact that I was travelling at-speed or faster than traffic most of the time) by passing beach-goers. I relented and entered what I discovered to be an ample yet shoddy bike path leading to the marine parkway bridge and the rockaways beyond.


Though it was wide and sparsely populated on a friday, It was littered with trash and other irritating debris that made me regret getting bullied onto the sidewalk. However I quickly forgot about my frustrations because once on the bridge I was greeted with awesome views of the city to my back, and an unmuddied Atlantic Americana at my face.



Heading out to the point after crossing the bridge, I meandered into what I can only assume was some sort of gated beach community x hobbit 'collabo'. I realized this because happening upon the continuation of Bedford Avenue across from the mainland, I noted that the rockaway-ers are both fiercely patriotic, and habitually pedestrian...




Despite the obvious inconvenience of living on a pedestrian-only street, I like the set up and wish more places were like this. I didn't venture to the beach here, thinking I could make it all the way out to the point. Unfortunately, I was wrong; two sour women 'manning' a toll booth at the end of this street demanded I return from whence I came. I should've paid closer attention to the signage...


Fearing for the life-span of my drivetrain and needless arguments, I turned around and proceeded back across the bridge, the road bed of which is curiously made of steel grating so when cars whizz by on it, it makes the eeriest wooOOOooo sound.

Spooked and frightened I rode back up toward the city past a destination i have long desired to visit, Floyd Bennet Field.


Two of the original airplane hangars have been renovated into a sports complex similar in kind to a gym. The other four were in such disrepair, I was hardpressed not to go exploring.



But nothing was better than getting out onto the runways. despite the grass filled cracks in the pavement, I've never before biked on something so wide and flat ( ok, thats a lie, I did grow up in Houston after all). I easily hit a sustainable 26.5 mph, flying around the base with reckless abandon.


I saw this guy there sailing a tricycle, it appeared.


I was very curious about this land-boat and was determined to know more about its construction until I saw it break.


The guy at the helm started shouting explatives so I rode on, not wanting any part of his negativity, however justified it may have been.

As usual, the ride back was much the same as before, except instead of riding up through Prospect Park again, I took Bedford the entire way, past imposing public housing projects that signal one's return to the jungle.

... Video Wednesdays (on Thursday)

I think bicycle races are really exciting but I know that like golf, lots of people find it tests their patience to watch them. Frankly, I'm with them on that; for the most part, bike races are pretty boring until the last ten km or so.

I only like to watch the grand tours to report on them here and to hopefully be lucky enough to witness rare or possibly news-worthy action like crashes, attacks and my personal favorite, the sprints.

When you see a bike race as filmed from a motorcycle keeping pace with the peloton or a helicopter overhead, the speed with which the riders are traveling loses its impact somewhat. That's why i was glad to have stumbled across this video of the Post Danmark Rundt at Copenhagenize earlier today:

Tour of Denmark 2008 - Bicycle Race from Colville Andersen on Vimeo.

Though I'm reposting this video for an entirely different reason than Mikael did; I really enjoy the angle and anonymity of this video. I'm not so interested in the reactions of passing Copenhageners as I am with how it shows how brutally fast the end of a road race can be... a blur of wheels and smooth claves, gone in little over 7 seconds (save the stragglers, of course).

...back from nowhere

Sorry about the recent lack of posts. I've been pretty busy for a change, working on getting my parent's beach house to a build-able state and hunting for new employment as I had mentioned last week.

Alas, the transition from 'architect erk' to 'bike mechanic erk' isn't going as smoothly as I'd planned, especially considering the recent upswing in available freelance telecommuting positions for draftsmen such as myself. While I'd be very content doing zen shit like polishing bearing races, It would be sweet if I could snag a job where my commute is 20 feet and the local lunch spot is my kitchen, imagine the freedom!

Fear not though, soon there will be an ebb to my workload and I can resume blogging about the frivolities and tomfoolery of society and it's denizens.

One subject that has piqued my curiosity (and will surely soon be the focus of in-depth cultural analysis by yours truly) is the dramatic spread of hipsterdom throughout the country.

Only a few years ago, tight pants, day-glo throwback sneakers, and garishly patterned sweatshirts were merely a novelty of the late-eighties-early-nineties, places like NYC, and other dense urban places populated by kind-of-artsy 'twenty somethings'. Now, when taking bike trips and such to more rural locales, I notice that the hipness has been latched onto by youngsters everywhere.

This notion that it's hip to be hip ironically lies in stark contrast to what was previously deemed hip in the era to which hipsters seem to ascribe themselves. I don't usually take issue with most of the fashion faux pas I see (as I'm certain that to some, I probably look like a tool of one subculture or another), though some trends I find troublingly popular and under critiqued.

One such trend is girls wearing is 'mom-cut' jeans and shorts. You know, the ones with three extra inches of fabric above the natural waist and extra lateral room for post childbirth hip expansion?


I'm really not sure why this is becoming a 'hip' look. I can't speak for everyone, but when I see chicks in pants like this, I throw up a little in my mouth. Certainly, more shapely women can appropriate this (aesthetic?) mode to sexier ends, but for regular people with regular rumps, pants like this are just about the most unflattering thing one could wear.

I suppose if your goal is to quell cat-calls, then wearing these would likely aid in your de-sexification to positive effect. The flip side is that the wearer is rendered sexually mute and will experience difficulty securing a mate of the opposite sex; so maybe carrying mace or a rape whistle would be a bit more reasonable in everyday circumstances.

However, I am nonetheless worried about this influx of high-waisted pants. Has there been a spike in cases of Oedipus complexes amongst male hipsters? Because usually men aren't attracted to saggy butt-cheeks and cinched bellies, this must be the case. Either that or (the more likely scenario) women just don't really care what guys think and dress more so for each other in an unspoken, platonic fashion competition.

Whatever the case, please, women of the world, heed the satire of SNL!



My only hope is that like these women, hipsterdom is acting out a wardrobe deadpan comedy (WDC from now on) as opposed to truly and wholeheartedly liking antiquated failures of fashion. Who knows, Pharrell seems intent on pushing this wave of bubblegum bullshit to the breaking point by opening kitchy stores like the new BBC/Ice Cream store in SOHO.

'til next time friends, ride safe.

...a good day for a brewski

Since around 9000 BC, man (and occasionally woman) has imbibed himself with grain-based alcohols, arguably the most popular of which is beer. Being the third most popular drink in the world (behind water and tea, apparently), beers are numerous in kind and vary widely in flavor and content, yielding very specific tastes and preferences amongst those that enjoy the foamy beverage.

This was evidenced yesterday, when our man Bam shared a chat over a cold one with Henry Louis Gates Jr. and the Cambridge police officer that arrested him for disorderly conduct, Sargent James Crowley. Also in attendance was VP Joe Biden, but he had a non alcoholic brew (either he previously had problems with drinking, or he needed to drive somewhere later), so he can't really claim participation in the 'Beer Summit'.


Gates and Crowley were in good form, choosing Sam Adams Light and Blue Moon, respectively; though Obama once again donned his 'everyman' persona opting for Bud Light of all things... Biden drank an ironic brew called Bucklers.

I must tip my hat to Obama... It's no secret that I'm a fan of his, but a chat over a beer to cool the hot hearts of those at the center of a media-hyped 'controversy' on a beautiful summer evening seems to me to be a great way to make amends and quell animosities. I have rarely been in the mood to start shit with people while drinking beer, and can attest to it's friendliness-inducing nature.

Speaking of how yummy and awesome beer is, It is important to note how nutritious it is and its recognized usefulness to athletes; cyclists in particular. One 12 oz bottle of beer typically contains about 150 calories, 13 grams of carbohydrates, and a gram of protein. It's also is chock full of vitamins and minerals essential to bodies taxed by exercise, they include impressive amounts of B3 (niacin), and B9 (folate), to name a few, and being about 90% water, beer also makes it an excellent beverage for re-hydrating oneself after sweating profusely.

This interesting 1962 Tour de France documentary, forwarded to me by a reader, is testament to this. Note the "pub raids" about halfway through.



I wondered if the fans of a given cyclist would try to bar his rival from raiding their pub in hopes of giving their man a lead...

I really admire the cyclists who competed in the tour prior to the advent of race radios, team cars, air-conditioned lodging, and high tech sports drinks. It took true grit to complete the tour back then, and doping was done more so to dull the pain than it was to increase performance. In fact, it was a generally accepted fact that professional cyclists pulled a Tom Boonen every now and again to keep going under such strenuous conditions.

After I go riding tomorrow, I can guarantee I'll recuperate with a frosty friend or two... you should too!

...keepin it real Thursdays

As we all know by now (I hope), motorists in general have a distinct distaste for cyclists. In places like New York City, the reasons for this are more apparent than in other places. Cyclists make the inefficiencies of cars glaringly obvious to motorists, for instance, as they're stuck in a gridlock that bicycles can slip through like water through a sieve. Fortunately, in this city, if your rights as a cyclist are ever infringed upon, rest assured that there are certain cyclists around you that will exact swift retribution upon the offending car. It's a safety in numbers thing I suppose...

Other places around the country, the number and density of cyclists is much lower, making us vastly outnumbered by cars and trucks on many roadways; yet still, many drivers think it's amusing to taunt cyclists or intentionally press them into guardrails or off the shoulder. They view bicycles as an impediment to the free flow of traffic, since driving safely with a cyclist requires slightly more attention, which I've heard is in short supply these days.

By now, this is old news, but I'll repost it here for posterity. Earlier this week, in Asheville NC, a long-time firefighter for some reason became irate that a man, his wife, and their child were cycling on what the firefighter deemed to be an unsafe street for bikes. Apparently he stopped and started an argument with the father before pulling out a handgun and shooting him in the head! Luckily the bullet passed through his helmet and didn't touch his skull. This is the maniacal firefighter who it seems can't contain his hatred for "bad parenting". Please remember the time-honored tradition of throwing rotten fruits and vegetables at him if you ever have the opportunity.


(a little advice, don't read the comments on that article; they will only serve to aggrivate you in a way only backward thinking car-obsessed people can)

As always, while it seems things are going down the tubes for cyclists elsewhere, in NYC, cyclists rights are on the up-and-up! I've long been a fierce defendant of the bike lanes' boundaries and frequently take it upon myself to make drivers aware of their infringements, often at great risk to my own safety. Though as Gothamist has noted recently, the police are actually ticketing people for blocking bike lanes with their cars (and other things too, I hope)!!!! Personally, I feel rather vindicated by this news, and to be sure, I'll definitely point out offending motorists to any officers I pass (not that the officers themselves give a flying fuck about cyclists).


Other recent victories for cyclists here include the passing of a recent bill that allows bicycles into all buildings in NYC that boast freight elevators, in an effort to promote commuting by bicycle. Much to the chagrin of noted cycling crumudgeon, Mikael (of Copenhagenize and Copenhagen Cycle Chic fame), New York is slowly becoming one of the more bike-friendly megalopoli in this country. While I'm not sure if this bill will really encourage "tens of thousands of commuters to get on two wheels," as TA executive Director Paul Steely White claims; it sure is a step in the right direction.

Maybe one day my dream of a car-free manhattan will come true. Once we get off of this addiction to laziness and preoccupation with safety, I guarantee we will see a fitter, happier, and more prosperous US of A.

Perhaps transportation alternatives could start an automobile smear-campaign with images like these that the aforementioned Mikael designed (I believe they are his brainchild, anyway) to resemble the garish, large, and intentionally obtrusive warning labels found on packs of cigarettes.


I'm really enamored by the idea that perhaps in our warning-label-obsessed society, we can find room for one more, placed squarely on top of dashboards or as permanent, federally mandated bumper stickers, to deride drivers the same way we do smokers. Heck, maybe we could design some warning against the dangers of fatties too!