Bike to Work week

Once again, I'll be leading a bike convoy from Minnehaha Park to downtown Minneapolis for Bike to Work week. I realize that National Bike to Work week is long over, but the City of Minneapolis decided to be different this year. Hoping for a warmer morning to encourage more participation, I believe. Here's the basic details of what will be coming, starting next Saturday the 5th of June:

Saturday, June 5 (Kick Off)
Twin Cities Heart Walk - Hosted by Target Field! more...
National Trails Day
Greenway Challengemore...

Sunday, June 6
Grand Old Day - See Bike Walk Week in the parade or stop by the booth! Free bike parking on the Ayd Mill bridge and a free transit pass to help you get there. more...
Tuesday, June 8
Film Screening: Beyond the Motor City - 7pm, Oak Street Cinema. Q&A to follow with director Aaron Woolf and local bicycle business leaders and activists. more...

Wednesday, June 9
Women's Wednesday - Wear red to support women's health and join the fun with morning and evening rides and a photo contest. more...

Thursday, June 10
Bike Walk to Work Day - Featuring Celebrations Locations all over town. more...
Nice Ride bike sharing program launch - Noon ride along Nicollet Mall in Downtown Minneapolis, from the Central Library to Peavey Plaza

Sunday, June 13
Bike to the Twins Game - Presented by OptumHealth (wut?). Gift bags to the first 1000 fans who bike to the 1:10 pm game. A bike corral will be setup just off the Cedar Lake Trail on Glenwood in Ramp A in addition to the 400 ramps around the ballpark.
Volunteer for one of the events, to lead a ride into town or to help spread the word in your neighborhood or office. Bike/Walk is looking for sponsors and more celebration locations for these events. Contact the organizers for more information.

Check out the Bike to Work website for more info, and don't forget to register. Hopefully, I'll see you Thursday morning if you're a South Mpls to Downtown commuter!

Blog up

This past Friday, a few local bike types responded to a call put out by Mr. SnakShak to have a beer or three at the end of a long work week. The timing turned out perfect as the two weeks prior were cold and rainy, but Friday was partly sunny and the temps cracked into the 70s. Beers were drank, tales were told, laughs were laughed. I'm glad I went, and if the call goes out and schedules allow, I'll do it again. And next time I'll try to post something here in advance to get the word out to more like minded folk.


Laughs were indeed laughed.


Brother Yam and Jim K. ponder the imponderable.


Kay and Joe enjoy the first sun we've seen in weeks.


A beer/bike tableau.


I think his hair really is getting fuller and thicker.


Despite Joe and Molly's valiant attempt, Brother Yam and I won the "Cutest Couple" award. But it was a close contest.


Yam influencing the judges.

Angel, my Angel

Long time readers of this blog may remember that I have a special relationship with The Angel Formerly Known as Specialized. She first came to my attention during the 2006 Tour of California, and became something of a celebrity in the cycling world in 2007. Sadly, Specialized decided not to renew her as a spokes-angel for the 2008 cycling season. I lamented this fact in January of 2008 on the blog, and surprise surprise got a comment from the angel herself, Jana Ireton:

Hello Pete,

I see my heavenly news travels fast. I wanted to personally send you kisses saying thank you for posting me on your blog these past couple of years. I'm very happy that you've haven't forgotten about me and hopefully you never will.

Many Thanks, Jana

With kisses! Clearly, this was a high water mark for this blog. But just as time heals all wounds, it also makes memories fade. And I'm sorry to say that I kind of forgot about The Angel. But apparently, she didn't forget about me. I was surprised to get another comment from Jana on last week's Duathlon post.

Hi Pete, awesome job on all your multi-sports, especially the 7K event with your wife. My dad and I just participated in the Avia Wildflower Triathlon 2wks ago.

I wanted to send you the wonderful news that I will be wearing the wings again this year for Tour of California 2010. It has been 2 years since my last appearance and I am happy to announce I have a new sponsor this year with Team Echelon as "The Angel of Echelon".

Please see press release here:
http://www.echelongranfondo.org/portland/index.html

My mission this year as protector and healer extends beyond the road race of energizing the peloton at TOC working with the Echelon beneficiary partners and spreading good will and encouragement to those who need it the most. Team Echelon is gearing up for our Gran Fondo on May 23rd this year in Napa, CA. Our fundraising partnership benefits LIVESTRONG® and local cancer institutions, Queen of Valley Hospital and the Martin O’Neil Cancer Center. Later this year in the fall on Sept. 26th, another Echelon Gran Fondo will follow in Portland, OR with the gracious assistance of professional cyclist Chris Horner serving as our ambassador. For anyone who would like to support our cause in the fight against cancer may do so at The Angel of Echelon's Team Page:
http://echelon.kintera.org/faf/search/searchTeamPart.asp?ievent=337492&team=3746060

Please look for my wings on the horizon at TOC 2010 Stages 2, 3, and 4.

Your Angel of Echelon,
Jana Ireton
(please credit all photos taken by Michael Sexton)

This can only mean one thing: Ms. Ireton is positively smitten with me. And she's gotten a snappy new outfit to impress me.








More high res photos (by Michael Sexton) of the lovely new outfit can be found here.

Hello, Sierra Nevada reps!

Substitute the word "blogger" for "cartoonist" and "blog" for "comic strip" and you have my plan for free beer in a nutshell. 

Sierra Nevada Beer!
Sierra Nevada Beer!
Sierra Nevada Beer!
Sierra Nevada Beer!

FYI, my mailbox is not exceedingly large, so you may want to consider UPS or FedEx.  Whichever offers refridgerated delivery service.

I have multisported. Or, Just Du It.

Regular readers may remember that in March I ran a 7k event with my lovely wife. What I did not mention in the post about the race was one of the conversations wife and I had while running/walking:

Wife: Oh, by the way, I signed us up for a Duathlon.
Me: A what?
Wife: A duathlon. 2 miles of running, 14 miles of biking, followed by 3 more miles of running.
Me: US??

Fast forward to last weekend, when the duathlon was upon us. Our friends Eric & Val drove down from St. Cloud Friday night so we could all hit the road bright and early Saturday morning.

On our arrival, we unloaded the bikes and walked our stuff down to the transition area. Though for me, it was more of a "stuff storage" area. I swapped out the clipless pedals the night before for an old set of platforms so I wouldn't have to change shoes. And if you don't change shoes, it's not really a true transition, is it? Here's a photo of the lovely wife in the stuff storage area modeling the shirt she got:

The race itself went much better than I expected. When it comes to running, I either have days when it's a torturous thing that I wouldn't inflict on my worst enemy, or it's something to be tolerated. I believe actual runners call those "good days." Anyway, Saturday was a "good day" for me. We more or less ran the first two miles as a group. Eric, who is always the fastest of the bunch, took off ahead around mile 1 and the rest of us made it to the stuff storage area close together.

Wife and I made great time on the first half of the out and back bike portion, thanks to a fantastic tailwind. But as all cyclists know, a fantastic tailwind on the first half of an out and back course is a terrible thing to have. Because when we turned to the "back" portion, there was Mr. Headwind. Beastly. We slogged our way the remaining 7 miles and somehow managed to stay upright, despite the 30+ mph gusts.

When we hit the final 3 miles, I somehow lost the Wife. As we headed up a small rise I noticed she was about 100 yards behind me. I slowed my pace a bit and figured she would catch me, but didn't want to stop because I wanted to take advantage of how good I was feeling. Make hay while the sun shines and all that. Now if you follow her blog, you know she's been plagued with more injuries over the last 2 years than anybody should have to put up with. And she was taking it easy, so she never did actually catch me.

I had told myself I would run to the turn around point (1.5 miles) and could take a walk break if I was feeling crappy, or could switch to a walk run plan if needed. After turning around I started walking for probably 1/4 of a mile. At this point, a tiny little woman passed me. Reading the race results later I found she was 50 years old. She was running a casual pace and I thought "I can do that." So I tucked in behind her, and every time I wanted to stop I thought "She's not stopping" and kept running.

My final time was just over 2 hours, which I was extremely happy with. I finished faster than the Wife, and it may be the only time I can ever say that. Not that it bothers me that she's a better runner than I am. Far from it. I know that the only reason I finished ahead of her was her Achilles tendon and luck. And I'm OK with that.

Friday and Friday

Last Friday I took the River Road home for the first time in probably a year.  In the time of my absence, the city of Minneapolis repaved the crappy biking/walking path and it's now like buttah.  Seriously, it was a great ride.  They not only repaved the blocktop, but redid almost all of the curb cuts so they are smooth transitions.  It makes a huge difference, and makes me want to take that alternate route a little more frequently.  Get out there and enjoy it now before the paths are overrun by people who can't walk in a straight line while pushing a stroller, talking on the cell phone, drinking from a plastic bottle of water and walking their dog on the 30 foot retract-o-leash completely take over.

The weather has been so nice this week, it might be time to declare "stop for a beer at Sea Salt" season open.  I'm tentatively thinking Friday the 23rd would be an excellent time to start what could, ideally, be a monthly event.  My commute puts me in the neighborhood roughly between 4:30 and 5.  If I get any interested parties, I can narrow it down further.

Little help from my friends?

So today at work, the fluorescent light in the bathroom is flickering like mad.  I thought to myself, more than once, this is like peeing in a disco.  And a couple repeats the word disco dredged up memories of "Me Lost Me Cookie at the Disco", which I sadly discovered in my early 20s.  I had a friend in my college/no-college period who loved it to death and introduced me to it.  I'm pretty sure it was included on a super-Boss mix tape made for my infamous "Help me, I'm naked!" 23rd birthday party.

 

So, here's where I need the help.

1.  Who was this friend who introduced me to Sesame Street disco?

2.  What other songs were on the super-Boss mix tape?  In addition to the aformentioned disco song, I believe it also had Copacabana and Electric Avenue on it.  Super. Boss.

3.  Bonus question:  Who made the super-Boss mix tape?

 

Put your Thinking Toques on!

Got Lucky

Me on the Broadway bridge, Mississippi in the background.

Wife and I ran the Get Lucky 7k event yesterday. Or more accurately, we participated. She's had a rough 6 weeks or so with illness and whatnot. And me, I'm just slow. It was nice for me to have her hobbled, since that meant I could keep up with her. Though she did manage to beat me in the official timed results by one second. It was a nice event, well planned and an enjoyable route. We started at Mill Ruins park, ran on the River Road to the Broadway St. bridge and then came back on the other side of the river via St. Anthony Main to finish on the Stone Arch Bridge. I was extremely tempted to stop at the Astor Cafe for an egg and cheese sandwich, but pressed on.

After the race we made our way over to the new Kieran's location in Block E and braved the crowds for our free pint of Finnegan's. The Block E location was nice, and we actually enjoyed 3 Finnegan's between us, thanks to a non-beer drinking runner who gave us her free beer coupon. Then, thanks to the wife's ingenuity, we discovered there was an unadvertised buffet in the back room. After scarfing some more yummy carbs we hopped the train back home.

I spent the remainder of the day horizontal on the the couch in front of Final 5 hockey. It was an enjoyable day, even though The Sioux goons took the Broadmoor.

Studs off

Over the weekend I pulled the Kuwahara off the bike hooks in the garage and knocked the dust off of it.  Pumped up the tires, replaced the saddle I'd robbed earlier this winter, and gave it a quick once over.  Thanks to a super craigslist deal I picked up another B17 this winter, so now I can have Brooks on the Kuwahara and the winter commuter.  Hopefully this will reduce the amount of saddle swapping I do. 

 

Out of curiousity I checked my records to see when I have stopped riding the studded tire bike in past years.  I've been using Google Documents to track my bike mileage since 2006.  In 2006 I transposed some of my mileage from the spiral bound notebook I'd been using, but I didn't have a bike associated with those miles.  So 2007 is the first year I can accurately say when I stopped riding the studded commuter. 

 

2007 - Last ride was on March 9

2008 - Last ride was on April 1

2009 - Last ride was on March 11

 

So it's not my imagination, it's getting to be about that time.  I rode the studded bike today just to get the lay of the land, but after the warm weekend and the fact that it never dropped below freezing last night, the Kuwahara could be getting the nod sooner rather than later.  Of course, we've got hockey tourney blizzards coming up, so I won't pack the studs too far away.

March Madness

It's been above freezing here in MN nearly every day for the last two weeks. Maybe longer, I haven't kept official records. The snow and ice are melting and people are losing their heads. Lots of chatter about removing the studded tires. Brother Yam said it best, "There's the whole month of March ahead, capiche? A little sunlight, a little thawing and you lose your head? Keep your sh*t together! It ain't over yet, not by a damn sight."

Personally, I have a winter bike that has studs on it year round. Once the weather warms, I just stop riding it. But I admit, these warm days have me pondering taking another ride to work. There's three or four trouble spots on my commute that still (in my opinion) require studs, but most of my route is down to bare pavement. So I ponder, is it worth it to stop and walk those few spots, and ride stud-free the remaining portion? It's kind of like boots and a heavy winter jacket. Once you stop wearing them, it's hard to go back even if conditions warrant it again.

I only rode to work one day this past week, but I picked a good day for it. Tuesday on the way home from work I ran into The Clown Prince of Mpls Cycling and the Mrs. coming out of Freewheel on the Greenway. Stopped and chatted for a minute. They were out marking the one year anniversary of Ray's early release from the service of the City of Richfield by pumping some money into the local bike shop economy. It's good knowing he's out there, taking her easy for all us sinners.

Pizza the Hutt

I started the weekend out by meeting a long time friend for a couple of beers, pizza and Gopher Hockey. We had a nice time catching up and watching the Gophers skate to a win. A rarity this season for them. Then Saturday morning the clan all headed north for a birthday party. Our very favorite niece/cousin Brooke was turning 2 and we wanted to celebrate all things Elmo with her. We had lunch with the party, and again I had pizza, along with various other goodies. Saturday afternoon spooled into Saturday night, and the good wife suggested getting a take and bake for dinner. I thought, Cool. Then for brunch today, I had a slice of leftover pizza. And I wonder why the Wii tells me I'm over my ideal weight.

I'm gonna Get Lucky!

To prove that "stupid is as stupid does", I just signed up for another footrace.  Or since my wife talked me into it, perhaps a better saying is "man has will, but woman has her way."  There's probably truth in both, but I still think the first is more appropriate.  Of course, "After the Olympics, everything looks so damned easy."

 

In the last year I've signed up for three different 5k events.  The first, I never even started because of a knee issue during training.  Admittedly it was day late and a dollar short training, but still not an auspicious start.  The second I finished in about 37 minutes.  Slow but steady, and only a couple of walk breaks.  After the second event I stopped running.   Then, the 3rd event was sprung on me with only a day or two notice.  I ran an out and back for that one.  I ran about 90% of the out and probably 60% of the back.  So the glass half full person would say, "Well look, you're improving!"  And maybe so.  But the glass half empty sort would say that it doesn't seem to make a lot of sense signing up for a 7k (that's 29% more!) when it's been a struggle to finish a 5k. 

 

So why did I sign up?  Beats me.  But the fact that there's a free beer at Kieran's at the end didn't hurt.  Because when you come down to it, I'm not a glass half empty or glass half full kind of guy.  I'm a glass full of beer kind of guy.

Overdue

As the winter drags on MN has been getting more and more snow.  Though the wing is back to about 95% I've chosen to not ride across the dreaded Mendota Bridge until it's been plowed.  That makes today the second time in the last two weeks that I've ridden my bike to work.  There was a noticeable improvement in today's ride because I finally replaced the bolt on my Brooks B67 and transferred it to the winter bike.  The old pleather Raleigh saddle I had been using wasn't the most uncomfortable saddle in the world.  But I believe it knows the most uncomfortable saddle in the world.  I'm sure they have been out for drinks together and see eye to eye on many points.

 

Regardless of what Punxatawny Phil said, now that I have done this basic upgrade to the winter bike, spring should be right around the corner.

Racers Wanted

Tomorrow the good wife and I will be participating in the First Annual 'Why the *!%*!" do I live in MN-Saunders 5K'. I'll be participating on foot, against my wishes. So feel free to join us. There's a whole half a weekend still left. Run, walk, ride your bike, it's all good. And if you participate, let me know. I'll expect Race Reports. "I did it." will be good enough.

Back in a saddle

I know, the phrase is "Back in the saddle" not "Back in a saddle" but it seems more appropriate this way.  I've ridden my bike three days this week.  Normally I move my Brooks B67 from my Kuwahara to my winter bike once it becomes studded snow tire season.  I love my Brooks, but they are pricey enough that I can't afford to outfit the entire fleet with them.  So I have a B17 and a B67 and I move them around, based on what bike I'm riding a lot at the time.  But I haven't moved the B67 to the winter bike because at some point in the last 3 months one of the bolts connecting the springs to the frame of the saddle fell off.  I stopped in at HCWHQ Tuesday and Jim gave me a bolt that may do the trick.  I'll probably give it a whirl this weekend.

 

I've been riding to the LRT stop at Ft Snelling, which is a route I probably haven't taken in a good 9 months.  It's amazing how many things come back almost unconsciously, like remembering certain potholes and which intersections are scary (like the off-ramp for 94 that basically dumps into a residential neighborhood).  But it's also surprising how much has changed.  Monday morning was the first day the platform extension at Ft Snelling was open, so the train stops at a different point.  Screws up my normal positioning for a clean shot at the bike rack.  Monday afternoon I left work and headed for the Warehouse District stop.  I normally go there rather than Government Plaza because it's the first/last stop on the line.  That means there are very few people on the train that I need to fight past to get to the bike rack.  I headed over to Hennepin and realized, hey, there's no bike lanes on Hennepin any more!  Marq2!  Had to backtrack to Nicollet.  Then once I got to the Warhouse District I realized it's no longer the last stop on the line.  Target Field!  Northstar Line!  But Tuesday I was already adapting to the changes and by next week, assuming I keep riding, it will probably seem like it's always been that way.

Brrr

I managed to get a chilly 8 miles in on Sunday afternoon. Temps were a balmy 9 degrees F when I left the house. I rode up to Fort Snelling, mainly to see what condition the Mendota Bridge was in. Most years, I would give it a B-/C+ as it was hard packed and rideable but not smooth by any means. But this year with the dumping of snow we got, followed immediately by 33 degree temps and rain, I'll give MN/DOT an A for effort. The ice is still all over the roads in my neighborhood, and that's with cars driving it every day.

I enjoyed the ride quite a bit. But it left me wondering if I need to explore some new handlebar options. Over the last few years, I've put Albatross/North Road style bars on several of my bikes, including my primary summer and winter commuters. An hour of riding (that's right, 8 miles in an hour) had my left wrist reminding me that it's not fully recovered. I tried switching hand positions, but on the Albatross style bars anything other than the ends of the bar is really a kludge of a hand position. I've heard many good things about the Titec H-bars, though they seem a bit on the pricey side. I've also talked to a few people who seem to like the On One "M" bars (Mary, Midge and Mungo). However, the On One bars don't seem to be out there in internet world. Makes me wonder if they're discontinued? I also wonder if any will work with the bar end shifter I'm currently using to run the Sturmey hub in my rear winter wheel? In that regard, Origin-8 has a Gary bar that claims to work with bar ends and also is comparable to the Midge. Time to ponder.

I didn't ride in to work today, because it was too darn cold. And I think I need to ease back into riding. I also think there's a reason why most people don't start riding in January. They either go through the fall season, acclimating, or they take the entire winter season off.

May the god of your choice bless you

I know, I know. The blog is on life support, like the oboe it's barely breathing. But when there's a bike themed blog and the author isn't biking much, that's pretty much what happens. I've been doing some running these days, trying to keep the Dunlop Disease from becoming too much. Ran my first 5k on December 12. I was happy to finish, as I hadn't run that distance before the event. Managed to snag the coveted "last in my age division" while I was there. DFL!

As for the bike, I've given myself permission to bag it until spring. And of course, since I gave myself that permission I've been kind of wanting to get out. I was thinking about the HC Christmas Day ride. But with the Storm of the Century bearing down right then, it may not come to pass.

Anyhow, I wanted to give a quick holiday greeting to any readers still out there. At our house, the Three Wise Men go for a ride in the Gravy Boat Sleigh. However you plan to celebrate, spend some time with friends and family.

Hadron Collider

Ever wonder how scientists get around in the Large Hadron Collider? The LHC is a 17 mile underground tunnel in Switzerland where scientists are planning on smacking atoms into one another, with a very low risk of creating black holes here on earth. This picture shows that they rely, at least in part, on the humble bicycle. Pretty cool.

This picture is from a series on Boston.com's The Big Picture, an always wonderful photo blog. Check it out.

Rain rain, go away

Today: A chance of drizzle between noon and 3pm, then a chance of rain after 3pm. Cloudy, with a high near 53. Southeast wind between 3 and 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

 

Whoops.  Shouldn't have ridden the fenderless fixie today, I guess.  But I didn't have a ton of choice, as the rain commuter of choice is missing a bolt on the B67.  It's the bolt that connects one of the springs to the lower support rod, and it gives the saddle a lopsided feel.  I noticed it on Wednesday, but haven't had time to do anything about it.  I wonder if there's a special Brooks bolt I need, or if any old nut/bolt combo will work.

If you give a man a fish

It's said that if you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day.

If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.

 

But if you give a man a fishing pole, tackle box, instruct them on how to use all the equipment, show them a good spot to fish and they're too lazy or stupid to pick up the pole don't they deserve to starve to death? Just maybe?