Every year I work with WABA (www.WABA.org) and Bike Arlington (http://www.bikearlington.com/) to give out bike lights to help people with being seen. It saves lives! This is really popular with volunteers as well as with the general public. Any time I'm doing any kind of advocacy on the local trails, I get asked if "we" are going to be giving out lights again this year. I say that we are, but that they should not let that keep them from purchasing lights and reflective gear on their own. Lately the number of people who are perfectly capable of affording their own lights, but hold off so that they can get free ones from local advocacy groups kind of rubs me the wrong way. I still do the main give-aways. They are important, really help and are a very visible way of doing advocacy that improves cyclists standing in the community. It is important outreach.
I've started another quest of my own on the side though. With the help of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (www.waba.org) and its Suburban Outreach program, I've been going to un-official day labor sites early in the morning and at quitting time to give out lights to people who ride their bikes to and from every day. I don't speak Spanish, but manage to make myself understood. WABA has some great stickers in Spanish that I've been using as my business cards.
The reception has been awesome! I've visited 4 different day labor meet-up spots so far. I've got a few more that I want to hit in the next week or two. I've noticed many, many more people riding with lights as I make my early morning rounds.
I started going to a few restaurant districts around 2 in the afternoon, when the dinner shift is arriving at work and handing out lights. I don't hang around for closing, but I'm guessing the lights come in handy for the ride home.
I love seeing the lights we all give away on the bike paths of the DC metro area. Seeing some in other areas being ridden before dawn and after dark makes me even more happy.
Rock on!
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
The Blue and the Blue
I'm a weird magnet. I've been that way for as far back as I can remember. The last 2 days were an interesting contrast. I've taken to doing working lunches at places that have cheap food and free wifi. It is a different setting from which to work and study.
Yesterday was election day. The Pancake House was packed with college kids who had the day off because it was election day. They were all quite individual. They dressed completely differently, but somehow managed to all be wearing virtually the same combination of sweat pants or PJ bottoms, tight t-shirt with a flannel shirt over the top with the sleeves rolled up. Most had baseball caps of some kind over their not-naturally colored hair and bed-head style. The ones that didn't were doing so to show off the part of their head that had been shaved. Interestingly the sound-track was made up of a bunch of music that the kids parents probably would have liked but that they hated.
Today I lunched at the local deli. Much of the hair color came from a bottle, rather than mother nature, but the age group was quite different. Blue, red and purple were the main color groupings. There was one lady with pink hair. It looked awesome. The uniform was also remarkably uniform. The music soundtrack was almost completely made up of songs that their children would have LOVED, but they hated.
Yesterday some of the kids geeked-out on my cross bike… laughing at some of the stickers and generally liking it.
Today the topic of discussion was my cargo bike. One gentleman walked up and sat down at my table as I chowed down on my burger and asked me to explain my bike. His 2-pack-a-day voice could barely be heard over A-Ha's "Take on Me". We talked about the bike for a few… I explained that I was going shopping, but I don't drive, so this bike lets me carry stuff. He thanked me and got up and went back to his table.
This opened the flood gates. Representatives from 8 or 9 of the other tables started filing over to ask about the bike. We talked, laughed and generally had a good lunch. I got no work done. Eventually I got invited to go for a frozen yogurt date 4-doors down at the local God-Fearin' Yogurt place. Once we all had our yogurt, the conversation about the bike, cycling and what exactly I do continued.
Eventually I had to say my goodbyes and head for the grocery store. Two came with me to do a little shopping and watch what it looked like when I loaded groceries on the back of the bike. I was invited to the Italian Inn tomorrow for lunch.
I likely won't see the college kids until next election day. I'll report back on that.
Yesterday was election day. The Pancake House was packed with college kids who had the day off because it was election day. They were all quite individual. They dressed completely differently, but somehow managed to all be wearing virtually the same combination of sweat pants or PJ bottoms, tight t-shirt with a flannel shirt over the top with the sleeves rolled up. Most had baseball caps of some kind over their not-naturally colored hair and bed-head style. The ones that didn't were doing so to show off the part of their head that had been shaved. Interestingly the sound-track was made up of a bunch of music that the kids parents probably would have liked but that they hated.
Today I lunched at the local deli. Much of the hair color came from a bottle, rather than mother nature, but the age group was quite different. Blue, red and purple were the main color groupings. There was one lady with pink hair. It looked awesome. The uniform was also remarkably uniform. The music soundtrack was almost completely made up of songs that their children would have LOVED, but they hated.
Yesterday some of the kids geeked-out on my cross bike… laughing at some of the stickers and generally liking it.
Today the topic of discussion was my cargo bike. One gentleman walked up and sat down at my table as I chowed down on my burger and asked me to explain my bike. His 2-pack-a-day voice could barely be heard over A-Ha's "Take on Me". We talked about the bike for a few… I explained that I was going shopping, but I don't drive, so this bike lets me carry stuff. He thanked me and got up and went back to his table.
This opened the flood gates. Representatives from 8 or 9 of the other tables started filing over to ask about the bike. We talked, laughed and generally had a good lunch. I got no work done. Eventually I got invited to go for a frozen yogurt date 4-doors down at the local God-Fearin' Yogurt place. Once we all had our yogurt, the conversation about the bike, cycling and what exactly I do continued.
Eventually I had to say my goodbyes and head for the grocery store. Two came with me to do a little shopping and watch what it looked like when I loaded groceries on the back of the bike. I was invited to the Italian Inn tomorrow for lunch.
I likely won't see the college kids until next election day. I'll report back on that.
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, Cyclists are from Uranus: The bike advocates wardrobe…
I'm a cyclist. Oddly enough, that kind of makes things a little difficult for me when it comes to dressing correctly to do bike advocacy work. Most events that I need to go to involve at least a 15 mile ride to get there, and a similar ride home. Most comfy clothes for that for me come from the Tour de France wanna-be catalogue. Trying to talk to people about cycling in such an outfit is about as effective as dressing up like a Martian and speaking using a vocabulary based upon variations on "Ack ACK ack!"
Happily it appears that the summer heat is over. I can dress in "human" clothes and not completely sweat through them 5 minutes after leaving the house. Temps in the 70s or lower are my friend. I can ride in jeans and a light shirt and arrive not entirely stinky. I still don't do so well with cotton t-shirts. They just turn into sweat sponges.
Why can't I just wear human clothes? My other advocacy friends seem to do just fine in them. The answer is that I can wear human clothes to some point. Jeans, shorts and some casual shirts work well for me. While I love cotton shirts, doing any kind of cycling in them makes me sweat enough that it makes me look like I'm entering a wet t-shirt contest. No-one wants to talk to me in such a state. As temps get cooler, I'm able to wear more and more human clothes. I rode 25 miles in jeans today and was fine.
I have found some things that work pretty well for me…. when weather is warm or cold.
Shorts: Roadie bibs work fine under cargo or casual shorts. I like the cargo variety since they have big pockets and advocacy usually does better with pockets. Again, if the temps are in the lower 70s or cooler, I can ride in them and not be too sweaty when I arrive. Cycling baggy shorts never really look like real baggy shorts. I've found few that really do at least.
Club Ride Jerseys (http://www.clubrideapparel.com/). These are basically collared shirts that look like they're out of an 1970's Western shirt catalogue. Mother of pearl snaps, yokes and interesting plaids. They've also got the benefit of being well vented and have useful pickets. They're made of material that wicks well and they look almost normal. I grew up around Western wear… worked with horses when I was young and even knew how to rope a calf at some point in my life. The latter is a skill that I seem to have lost over the years. (When writing this, I attempted to rope my cat Mao!. It took me 4 tries to get it right. Wow did he flip out! Totally a worth-while use of my time.) What was I talking about? Oh yeah… Western shirts. I've worn them for years, so I'm okay feeling like a human in them. People look at me weird, but at least they sometimes mistake me for species human.
Giro New Road clothes. Okay… these are a new find for me. I work at Freshbikes and they're one of the only stocking dealers of Giro's new casual clothing line. http://www.giro.com/us_en/newroad/?gclid=CI6ZgsiDlboCFcuZ4Aod8kEAUw#intro
The shirts are sewn in the US using Merino wool from New Zealand. So is the base layer. The base layer, by the way, is on par with the best I've ever used. It reminds me of Ibex, but is lighter and deals with warmer temperature ranges. Very well made and fits great. The shirts range from wool jerseys to casual, collared shirts with a few cycling features… like a rear pocket.
I got a casual rain jacket and vest from them. In addition to being a nice quality, it is waterproof and well vented. It is a cycling jacket that looks like a cool casual jacket when I'm off the bike. The vest is kinda neat too. I chose the white color for higher visibility. They have some reflective elements on them that help with visibility, but I think the white definitely has a leg up on the gray color.
Shoes are the hard part. I like my clipless pedals! I like carbon-soled racing shoes too. Those just don't cut it as advocacy footwear though. They scream "I'm a bike freak that you can't relate to!" way too loud.
I've found three options that seem to work well. Giro makes a shoe called the Republic that looks like a bowling shoe. Bowling shoes are AWESOME!!!! though I wish the Giro looked like rental bowling shoes… red, white and blue with a big #12 on the back. These don't. They look like normal, lace-up bowling shoes. A human might wear such shoes outside of a bowling alley and they are kind of normal when worn with jeans.
Giro also makes a DH or freeride shoe called the Chamber that looks a lot like a sneaker. They look comfy and will probably find their way into my world.
I'm also lucky to work in at Freshbikes, a shop that sells Giro clothes and shoes.
Finally Keen (http://www.keenfootwear.com/us/en/wall/shoes/men/pedal) makes a cycling sandal that looks like a modern incarnation of the Birkenstock. If I wear them with wool socks, I'll be a granola.
I just need to be very careful how I put these things together. I find it extremely difficult to avoid dressing like a rodeo clown. I know that would be totally counterproductive. I'm sure I could mix granola, cowboy and urban hipster and come up with something utterly ridiculous. I do, however, have the ability to resist such temptations and look like something semi-human when riding a bicycle. That is my quest!
If you see me riding around downtown or catch my flickr feed (http://www.flickr.com/photos/pedrogringo/), please let me know how I'm doing.
Thanks!
Pete
Happily it appears that the summer heat is over. I can dress in "human" clothes and not completely sweat through them 5 minutes after leaving the house. Temps in the 70s or lower are my friend. I can ride in jeans and a light shirt and arrive not entirely stinky. I still don't do so well with cotton t-shirts. They just turn into sweat sponges.
Why can't I just wear human clothes? My other advocacy friends seem to do just fine in them. The answer is that I can wear human clothes to some point. Jeans, shorts and some casual shirts work well for me. While I love cotton shirts, doing any kind of cycling in them makes me sweat enough that it makes me look like I'm entering a wet t-shirt contest. No-one wants to talk to me in such a state. As temps get cooler, I'm able to wear more and more human clothes. I rode 25 miles in jeans today and was fine.
I have found some things that work pretty well for me…. when weather is warm or cold.
Shorts: Roadie bibs work fine under cargo or casual shorts. I like the cargo variety since they have big pockets and advocacy usually does better with pockets. Again, if the temps are in the lower 70s or cooler, I can ride in them and not be too sweaty when I arrive. Cycling baggy shorts never really look like real baggy shorts. I've found few that really do at least.
Club Ride Jerseys (http://www.clubrideapparel.com/). These are basically collared shirts that look like they're out of an 1970's Western shirt catalogue. Mother of pearl snaps, yokes and interesting plaids. They've also got the benefit of being well vented and have useful pickets. They're made of material that wicks well and they look almost normal. I grew up around Western wear… worked with horses when I was young and even knew how to rope a calf at some point in my life. The latter is a skill that I seem to have lost over the years. (When writing this, I attempted to rope my cat Mao!. It took me 4 tries to get it right. Wow did he flip out! Totally a worth-while use of my time.) What was I talking about? Oh yeah… Western shirts. I've worn them for years, so I'm okay feeling like a human in them. People look at me weird, but at least they sometimes mistake me for species human.
Giro New Road clothes. Okay… these are a new find for me. I work at Freshbikes and they're one of the only stocking dealers of Giro's new casual clothing line. http://www.giro.com/us_en/newroad/?gclid=CI6ZgsiDlboCFcuZ4Aod8kEAUw#intro
The shirts are sewn in the US using Merino wool from New Zealand. So is the base layer. The base layer, by the way, is on par with the best I've ever used. It reminds me of Ibex, but is lighter and deals with warmer temperature ranges. Very well made and fits great. The shirts range from wool jerseys to casual, collared shirts with a few cycling features… like a rear pocket.
I got a casual rain jacket and vest from them. In addition to being a nice quality, it is waterproof and well vented. It is a cycling jacket that looks like a cool casual jacket when I'm off the bike. The vest is kinda neat too. I chose the white color for higher visibility. They have some reflective elements on them that help with visibility, but I think the white definitely has a leg up on the gray color.
Shoes are the hard part. I like my clipless pedals! I like carbon-soled racing shoes too. Those just don't cut it as advocacy footwear though. They scream "I'm a bike freak that you can't relate to!" way too loud.
I've found three options that seem to work well. Giro makes a shoe called the Republic that looks like a bowling shoe. Bowling shoes are AWESOME!!!! though I wish the Giro looked like rental bowling shoes… red, white and blue with a big #12 on the back. These don't. They look like normal, lace-up bowling shoes. A human might wear such shoes outside of a bowling alley and they are kind of normal when worn with jeans.
Giro also makes a DH or freeride shoe called the Chamber that looks a lot like a sneaker. They look comfy and will probably find their way into my world.
I'm also lucky to work in at Freshbikes, a shop that sells Giro clothes and shoes.
Finally Keen (http://www.keenfootwear.com/us/en/wall/shoes/men/pedal) makes a cycling sandal that looks like a modern incarnation of the Birkenstock. If I wear them with wool socks, I'll be a granola.
I just need to be very careful how I put these things together. I find it extremely difficult to avoid dressing like a rodeo clown. I know that would be totally counterproductive. I'm sure I could mix granola, cowboy and urban hipster and come up with something utterly ridiculous. I do, however, have the ability to resist such temptations and look like something semi-human when riding a bicycle. That is my quest!
If you see me riding around downtown or catch my flickr feed (http://www.flickr.com/photos/pedrogringo/), please let me know how I'm doing.
Thanks!
Pete
Friday, October 11, 2013
Advocacy and Construction on the 15th St. Cycletrack
I'm often praised and laughed at for my stubborn adherence to the idea that positive interactions are the best way to make advocacy happen in my daily riding. As a WABA DC Bike Ambassador, it's my JOB to set a good example and have positive interactions with everyone traveling through our nation's capitol. This morning my cool was challenged BIGTIME! There's a short stretch of the 15th Street Cycletrack that has been under construction for a few weeks and the bollards and paint have been removed. People not familiar with the intersection think that this is now a turn lane. What makes this extremely dangerous for Northbound cyclists is that this stretch of 15th Street is one-way heading south. Northbound cyclists are riding against traffic. In the cycle track, that is completely normal and legal. Outside of the cycle track that behavior would be dangerous and illegal.
Blog posts like this are virtually useless without photos… and this one has an amazing photo. My friend Joe was on the sidewalk with iPhone ready. I didn't find out until 2 hours later that he was even there. (Photo by my friend Joe Flood... amazing photographer with a great eye for downtown Washington, DC. HERE is the original link to his photo.)
I was riding into this section of the bike lane with my friend Lyds… who doesn't do a lot of city riding. She's a country girl. As I'm about to enter the construction area, an Audi pulls into it VERY quickly. He came to a quick stop and so did I with about 12" to spare. He was angry. He thought I was a cyclist riding the wrong way on a 1-way street in HIS lane. It is an easy mistake to make. I was hot too. My blood was pumping from almost becoming an Audi hood ornament. We both started off forcefully… He said I was going the wrong way in his lane. I said he was driving in the bike lane. This took him by surprise. He asked if it was 2-way traffic for bikes. I said it was. He said he was sorry. I said "no problem…. Be safe!" He smiled and gave me a thumbs up. I told him to have a good day.
He drove off. We rode on. It could have been a horrible situation and a completely negative interaction. It wasn't. It was the power of positive interactions… I kept my cool… outwardly at least. He backed off when he realize that he'd made a mistake… one that was very easy to make. All ended well.
3 things to note. 1) I can't believe Joe was at that intersection with phone ready enough to capture that image. He said the same thing to me in a text message later that afternoon.
2) My friend BJ said that's the first time he has ever seen me not smiling when I'm on a bike. I've known Beej for almost 10 years and he's probably right.
3) There's a lot of construction going on along the 15th Street Cycletrack. There are signs up that say we should select a different route. I do NOT choose another route for the reason that I ride to interact with EVERYONE along that stretch. I talk to the construction guys to have POSITIVE interactions with them so they see that I'm NOT some law-breaking cyclist that is just in their way. It gets results. Many times they've put out cones to help make room for cyclists in the traffic lanes. They're not legally required to do that! Having positive interactions with people gives them a more complex view of cyclists. When we're polite, nice and law-abiding, people notice and respond well in return. It makes a difference for me EVERY DAY!
Thanks again Joe for that amazing photo.
Rock on people!
Pete
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Bike To School Day: A quick report.
I never do small blog posts. Well almost never.
I was so wrapped up in stuff that I didn't get any events planned for Bike To School Day. I suck. I was, however, riding into town to have coffee with friends this morning when I saw a convoy of kids and parents heading to school. They were slowing to make a left turn as I approached. I wanted to watch the parade and cheer them on, so I unclipped and pulled off to the side. I got my camera out to snap some photos. I cheered them on. They were all ear to ear smiles. It was 4 parents and 3 kids and they were really proud and happy to be riding.
It was only when I turned around to check traffic before pulling back onto the trail that I noticed that 6 cyclists behind me had also pulled off to watch the procession. Every one of the spectators also had huge smiles on their faces.
I'm glad I'm not the only sap that is happy about seeing stuff like this.
Rock on, people.
Pete
I was so wrapped up in stuff that I didn't get any events planned for Bike To School Day. I suck. I was, however, riding into town to have coffee with friends this morning when I saw a convoy of kids and parents heading to school. They were slowing to make a left turn as I approached. I wanted to watch the parade and cheer them on, so I unclipped and pulled off to the side. I got my camera out to snap some photos. I cheered them on. They were all ear to ear smiles. It was 4 parents and 3 kids and they were really proud and happy to be riding.
It was only when I turned around to check traffic before pulling back onto the trail that I noticed that 6 cyclists behind me had also pulled off to watch the procession. Every one of the spectators also had huge smiles on their faces.
I'm glad I'm not the only sap that is happy about seeing stuff like this.
Rock on, people.
Pete
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Chain Wear: Don't let it go to long!!!!
This is one of those "Let my life serve as an example" sort of posts. :D
I'm usually pretty good about keeping an eye on chain wear so that I don't have to do a wholesale drivetrain "upgrade" but failed miserably this time. I hadn't messed with the chain on the fat fixie for wayyyyyy tooo long. I went to put a new chain on last night and when I went for a shakedown ride, all I heard was crunching and grinding out of a perfectly clean and partially new drivetrain. What should have been a $20 fix ended up costing me $150.
Background: As your ride, your chain stretches and wears. If you don't clean your chain often, that process happens quicker. If you ride with a chain that is stretched and worn, the cogs (gears in the back) and the chainrings (gears in the front) wear to match the longer, worn out chain. When you finally do get around to replacing your chain, the bike will no longer pedal or shift correctly. Any time you put pressure on the pedals, the gears will pop and grind.
The "solution": If you've waited too long the only solution is to change the chain, chainrings and cogs all at once. That gets expensive. One reason you see seemingly nice, lower-end bikes on Craigslist at a good deal is that someone paid $500 for a new bike two years ago, ignored the chain and just heard from their mechanic that is going to cost $300 to replace chain, cogs and chainrings. Buyer beware!
How do I avoid this?: There are many companies that make tools that measure how much your chain has worn. They're simple to use and quite reliable. Use them frequently... especially if you ride when it is wet or don't clean your chain often. When the gauge says that your chain should be replaced... or is getting close to needing to be replaced, buy a new chain and do it!!! The fix is easy to do. It is a great job for someone wanting to start doing their own repairs.
Links:
Chain wear gauge: http://www.parktool.com/product/chain-wear-indicator-CC-3-2
Chain wear video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pUgHM8HU2Q
Everything you ever wanted to know about chains and much, much more from Sheldon Brown (MHRIP): http://sheldonbrown.com/chains.html
Hope that is somewhat helpful.
Love,
Pete
I'm usually pretty good about keeping an eye on chain wear so that I don't have to do a wholesale drivetrain "upgrade" but failed miserably this time. I hadn't messed with the chain on the fat fixie for wayyyyyy tooo long. I went to put a new chain on last night and when I went for a shakedown ride, all I heard was crunching and grinding out of a perfectly clean and partially new drivetrain. What should have been a $20 fix ended up costing me $150.
Background: As your ride, your chain stretches and wears. If you don't clean your chain often, that process happens quicker. If you ride with a chain that is stretched and worn, the cogs (gears in the back) and the chainrings (gears in the front) wear to match the longer, worn out chain. When you finally do get around to replacing your chain, the bike will no longer pedal or shift correctly. Any time you put pressure on the pedals, the gears will pop and grind.
The "solution": If you've waited too long the only solution is to change the chain, chainrings and cogs all at once. That gets expensive. One reason you see seemingly nice, lower-end bikes on Craigslist at a good deal is that someone paid $500 for a new bike two years ago, ignored the chain and just heard from their mechanic that is going to cost $300 to replace chain, cogs and chainrings. Buyer beware!
How do I avoid this?: There are many companies that make tools that measure how much your chain has worn. They're simple to use and quite reliable. Use them frequently... especially if you ride when it is wet or don't clean your chain often. When the gauge says that your chain should be replaced... or is getting close to needing to be replaced, buy a new chain and do it!!! The fix is easy to do. It is a great job for someone wanting to start doing their own repairs.
Links:
Chain wear gauge: http://www.parktool.com/product/chain-wear-indicator-CC-3-2
Chain wear video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pUgHM8HU2Q
Everything you ever wanted to know about chains and much, much more from Sheldon Brown (MHRIP): http://sheldonbrown.com/chains.html
Hope that is somewhat helpful.
Love,
Pete
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Dirty Kanza 200 race with the Service Course/ World Bicycle Relief team.
Dirty Kanza is a 200 mile, gravel road race in the Flint Hills surrounding Emporia, Kansas. There are 3 checkpoints on the race course where racers can get supplies and help from their support crew (which they must provide). The checkpoints are also where racers get the directions to the next checkpoint. The course is marked, but the maps that are handed out at the beginning of each sector are what really guide you. People think of Kansas as flat, but this year's Kanza route climbed over 12,000 feet during the 200 miles. The climbs were not particularly steep, but the constant undulation takes its toll over the miles.
I raced Dirty Kanza with a group from the Service Course/ World Bicycle Relief team put together by my friend Nick Legan. Nick, Kristen Peterson, Chris Case and Jess D'Amato are often part of the Service Course team. For this event Rebecca Rusch and I were invited to join for this event. World Bicycle Relief is a COOL organization that realizes the power of the bicycle to improve people's lives. In Africa, a bicycle means access to education, health care and employment. WBR sends purpose-built bicycles to people in need in Africa, teaches mechanics and helps start cottage industries around bicycles in these areas. A $134 donation sends a bike to Africa. $50 provides a tool kit and training to use it. $20 provides replacement wheels (the most common part to wear out) to people in need. So far over 130,000 bikes have been sent through this program. Our goal is to send 200 more. Your help is appreciated.
Donation Link: http://action.worldbicyclerelief.org/page/outreach/view/individual/DK200
Kansas? What the heck is there to ride in Kansas??? Hundreds of miles of beautiful dirt roads in many different forms is the answer to that question. There are well-maintained gravel roads and others that could best be described as "farm tracks". There are plenty of B roads... some C and even a few D roads. The other thing you need to be prepared for is how lovely the terrain is. There had been plenty of rain in the weeks leading up to the race so the entire countryside was lush and green. Wildflowers were in bloom. You cannot imagine how huge a Kansas sky is until you see one. Panoramic photos can give a small feel for what Kansas feels like, but they don't really give you the true impact of a small ribbon of gravel road stretching off to the horizon rolling over hill after hill after hill. It is lovely to see, and somewhat ominous to ride.
Weather conditions for this year's event were both perfect and awful. Temperatures in the high 60s and low 70s were perfect. Riding over 100 miles into an 18mph headwind, however, often in long stretches, is never easy. Most of sector 2 was either into a strong headwind or with a diagonal headwind... which is often worse. After a 9 mile "breather" heading out of the wind, sector 3 treated us to almost 40 miles of uninterrupted headwinds.
The team had a GREAT day! Christopher Case took 14th overall and was in the lead pack for quite a bit of time. Rebecca won the Women's division for the second year. Kristen was 4th. Nick was 4th in Single Speed class. If I'm not mistaken, Jess had her longest ride ever.
My successes were different. I rode well and finished strong, though not in the time that I would have liked. I had 6 flats... after the 4th flat I devoted my ride to helping others out along their ride. I stopped and checked on people and made sure they had what the needed. I helped fix a bunch of flats. I helped a guy who had started talking to unicorns connect with his support crew. After night fell, I lead a pack for the last 10-15 miles because I had very good lights and many of them did not. I finished 148th out of 670. In a race where barely half the field finished, that's a good thing.
Amazing things about this race:
The community of Emporia, Kansas is truly remarkable. I'm not just talking about the cycling community… I'm talking EVERYONE! We drove into town late on Thursday night and were greeted by bank signs that said "Welcome DK200 Riders!" and banners hung along the main streets. Riding to registration in the morning I had 2 or 3 people drive by and roll down their windows to welcome me and thank me for riding. Walking through town EVERY shop had some special or way of welcoming DK200 riders. Everyone wanted to stop and talk to us. When you consider there were 1000 people in town for the ride, there were a lot of locals doing a lot of welcoming. That's very different than the way Washington, DC locals greet tourists.
The next funny thing about the race had to do with some of the VIPs taking part in the race. There were some big time, famous racers showing up for this event. All the serious Gravel Grinder contenders were here. Some pros and journalists showed up too. The Emporia Gazette honored them by doing trading cards for 20 of the top or notable riders. Somehow I got tossed into that mix. Everyone else had serious racer photos for their trading card… they were represented their sponsors well and responsibly. Since I don't race and have no sponsors, my card looked a little different.
The trading cards were each sponsored by a local business. People who wanted trading cards had to go around to all the local businesses and pick up their card. I had fun going around and seeing all the different cards in businesses. I did some shopping to support the local businesses. It was a great idea! Many of the racers were given a stack of cards, so we didn't have to collect. There was an official signing session in front of the Granada Theater. I had fun signing a few cards and getting some of my cards signed. It was silly and fun.
Talking to people about World Bicycle Relief was great. Being around people who are passionate about bikes is always wonderful. Sharing with people how 1 bicycle can change the life of a family and community is inspiring… especially when folks respond by donating to a great cause. We raised a lot of money and awareness in the "Tent of Awesome" as Nick called it. :D
Arguably my favorite part of the weekend was spending time reconnecting with friends that I hadn't seen for over a year. I'm a sap that way. :D There were a lot of people that I'd met through Ride on Washington and the National Bike Summit that I hadn't seen outside the internet. Spending time turning a pedal, flapping jaw or drinking a beer does my heart good! Y'all are amazing.
As always... Epic rides result in epic piles of stinky laundry….
I'm honestly not sure this weekend could have been more perfect!
Thanks for reading!
Pete
I raced Dirty Kanza with a group from the Service Course/ World Bicycle Relief team put together by my friend Nick Legan. Nick, Kristen Peterson, Chris Case and Jess D'Amato are often part of the Service Course team. For this event Rebecca Rusch and I were invited to join for this event. World Bicycle Relief is a COOL organization that realizes the power of the bicycle to improve people's lives. In Africa, a bicycle means access to education, health care and employment. WBR sends purpose-built bicycles to people in need in Africa, teaches mechanics and helps start cottage industries around bicycles in these areas. A $134 donation sends a bike to Africa. $50 provides a tool kit and training to use it. $20 provides replacement wheels (the most common part to wear out) to people in need. So far over 130,000 bikes have been sent through this program. Our goal is to send 200 more. Your help is appreciated.
Donation Link: http://action.worldbicyclerelief.org/page/outreach/view/individual/DK200
Kansas? What the heck is there to ride in Kansas??? Hundreds of miles of beautiful dirt roads in many different forms is the answer to that question. There are well-maintained gravel roads and others that could best be described as "farm tracks". There are plenty of B roads... some C and even a few D roads. The other thing you need to be prepared for is how lovely the terrain is. There had been plenty of rain in the weeks leading up to the race so the entire countryside was lush and green. Wildflowers were in bloom. You cannot imagine how huge a Kansas sky is until you see one. Panoramic photos can give a small feel for what Kansas feels like, but they don't really give you the true impact of a small ribbon of gravel road stretching off to the horizon rolling over hill after hill after hill. It is lovely to see, and somewhat ominous to ride.
Weather conditions for this year's event were both perfect and awful. Temperatures in the high 60s and low 70s were perfect. Riding over 100 miles into an 18mph headwind, however, often in long stretches, is never easy. Most of sector 2 was either into a strong headwind or with a diagonal headwind... which is often worse. After a 9 mile "breather" heading out of the wind, sector 3 treated us to almost 40 miles of uninterrupted headwinds.
The team had a GREAT day! Christopher Case took 14th overall and was in the lead pack for quite a bit of time. Rebecca won the Women's division for the second year. Kristen was 4th. Nick was 4th in Single Speed class. If I'm not mistaken, Jess had her longest ride ever.
My successes were different. I rode well and finished strong, though not in the time that I would have liked. I had 6 flats... after the 4th flat I devoted my ride to helping others out along their ride. I stopped and checked on people and made sure they had what the needed. I helped fix a bunch of flats. I helped a guy who had started talking to unicorns connect with his support crew. After night fell, I lead a pack for the last 10-15 miles because I had very good lights and many of them did not. I finished 148th out of 670. In a race where barely half the field finished, that's a good thing.
Amazing things about this race:
The community of Emporia, Kansas is truly remarkable. I'm not just talking about the cycling community… I'm talking EVERYONE! We drove into town late on Thursday night and were greeted by bank signs that said "Welcome DK200 Riders!" and banners hung along the main streets. Riding to registration in the morning I had 2 or 3 people drive by and roll down their windows to welcome me and thank me for riding. Walking through town EVERY shop had some special or way of welcoming DK200 riders. Everyone wanted to stop and talk to us. When you consider there were 1000 people in town for the ride, there were a lot of locals doing a lot of welcoming. That's very different than the way Washington, DC locals greet tourists.
The next funny thing about the race had to do with some of the VIPs taking part in the race. There were some big time, famous racers showing up for this event. All the serious Gravel Grinder contenders were here. Some pros and journalists showed up too. The Emporia Gazette honored them by doing trading cards for 20 of the top or notable riders. Somehow I got tossed into that mix. Everyone else had serious racer photos for their trading card… they were represented their sponsors well and responsibly. Since I don't race and have no sponsors, my card looked a little different.
The trading cards were each sponsored by a local business. People who wanted trading cards had to go around to all the local businesses and pick up their card. I had fun going around and seeing all the different cards in businesses. I did some shopping to support the local businesses. It was a great idea! Many of the racers were given a stack of cards, so we didn't have to collect. There was an official signing session in front of the Granada Theater. I had fun signing a few cards and getting some of my cards signed. It was silly and fun.
Talking to people about World Bicycle Relief was great. Being around people who are passionate about bikes is always wonderful. Sharing with people how 1 bicycle can change the life of a family and community is inspiring… especially when folks respond by donating to a great cause. We raised a lot of money and awareness in the "Tent of Awesome" as Nick called it. :D
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| Jess D'Amato, my Service Course/World Bicycle Relief teammate |
Arguably my favorite part of the weekend was spending time reconnecting with friends that I hadn't seen for over a year. I'm a sap that way. :D There were a lot of people that I'd met through Ride on Washington and the National Bike Summit that I hadn't seen outside the internet. Spending time turning a pedal, flapping jaw or drinking a beer does my heart good! Y'all are amazing.
As always... Epic rides result in epic piles of stinky laundry….
I'm honestly not sure this weekend could have been more perfect!
Thanks for reading!
Pete
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