With the On Writing & Riding series reaching its finale, I wanted one last post of all the blogs featured over the past month. My blog selection process was not based on any particular criteria. Rather, I simply asked these questions, “What bicycling blogs do I like and look forward to reading?” “What blogs do I want to learn more about?” This list answers those … Continue reading On Writing & Riding: The Full List
Today is the final installment of the On Writing & Riding Series. These interviews evolved out of a desire to learn about the behind-the-blog thoughts of some of my favorite bloggers. Many thanks to all who took the time to contribute and be part of this series.
We close On Writing & Riding with Iron Rider, who writes primarily about randonneuring (although he coffeeneurs too!).
Iron Rider’s posts not only capture a ride well, but he has always seemed to enjoy a sense of freedom with his writing. He is not afraid to experiment and vary the way he expresses himself, and that keeps me coming back to his writing.
“Sometimes you’re the lead guitarist, thrashing through power chords with a raw energy and other times you’re in the back with the tambourine, beating it against the front of your leg and swaying side to side.”
If you live and ride in Washington, D.C., you might be able to guess today’s On Writing & Riding guest. Who else could it be but Brian, of Tales From The Sharrows. For more than two years, Brian blogged his commute into the office as well as the ride home. Well-known (and dare I say loved?) in #BikeDC, this series would not be complete without featuring him.
Continue reading “On Writing & Riding: Tales From The Sharrows”
It’s the final week of the On Writing & Riding series. Only three blogs remain! I hope you’ve liked following along.
Today we go to San Francisco for a conversation with mmmmbike!, another of my favorite randonneuring blogs.
When I read mmmmbike!, this is some of what dances through my mind. Ride over mountains. Ride by the ocean. Ride on pavement and even on dirt. Pursue your goals with gusto. Share the challenge and make good rando-memories with your friends.
I first came to know anniebikes through comments she made on other blogs I read. She is one of few bloggers I know who not only takes time to write her own content, but regularly reads and thoughtfully comments on others’ posts.
Annie writes frankly about day rides near her home in Vermont and the self-supported touring she does in a variety of places. (This past year Annie rode the Great Allegheny Passage and C&O Canal.) Annie also explores other bike-related topics, like this recent favorite of mine, Fat Bikes in the Olympics? For Annie, the bicycle is part of everyday life.
Your bicycle can take you to faraway places, if you let it. It can take you out of the familiar city into terrain you’ve only heard about and maybe only previously considered in an abstract way on some map you saw once
That’s what I think about when I read Nicholas’s writing about his and Lael’s travels on gypsy by trade. Don’t weigh yourself down with anything extra. Get on your bike. Be resourceful. Explore. Better yet, do it all with your partner.
BicycleKitty is a high-mileage bike rider who hails from Portland, Oregon. Her cycling interests range from alley cats to randonneuring… and most recently, cyclocross.
Direct and engaging in her writing style, I always look forward to reading BicycleKitty. She’s also the kind of rider who wants to try new things and push her own limits. I’m so glad she shares her experiences on her blog.
Today’s On Writing & Riding finds us spending some time with Shawn Granton, the man behind Urban Adventure League.
Many readers may be familiar with Urban Adventure League, either through Shawn’s drawings, recaps of rides around Portland, or perhaps through his passion for three-speeds and letter writing (yes, real letters!).
Continue reading “On Writing & Riding: Urban Adventure League”
Not having much familiarity with family biking (except for my own family bicycling tales growing up), I wanted to see how others made transportation cycling with kids work. Through last year’s Errandonnee I caught a glimpse into how Family Ride out in Seattle, Washington, does it.
Filled with stories that make it seem as though anyone can do transportation cycling with their kids, Family Ride has given me a front seat to seeing how family biking happens in an urban area and how it changes as kids get older. As time has passed, it’s been exciting to watch Family Ride’s children transition from spending their time on the back of the bike to riding independently. And, most exciting, I also see the next generation of cyclists in action.
Bike advocate, transportation cyclist, bike blogger, community bike shop volunteer. These are a few of the terms that describe Tim, the writer behind An Old Guy on 2 Wheels, who lives and blogs in Austin, Texas.
I began reading An Old Guy on 2 Wheels when I was going through my Surly Big Dummy infatuation. The errands and shopping Tim could do with that bike made me ponder a world where everyone ditched their cars and owned something like a Big Dummy. It’s a great visual.
Continue reading “On Writing & Riding: An Old Guy on 2 Wheels”
I’ve become a regular reader of several randonneuring blogs, including today’s feature, The Hudson Valley Randonneur written by George S., who is based in the Hudson River Valley of New York state.
I was already a regular reader of The Hudson Valley Randonneur in 2010 when Felkerino and I were part of a ride in which George was hit from behind by a car. We came upon the scene a few minutes after it happened and watched as George was placed on a stretcher and driven off in an ambulance while his bike lay mangled in the road.
George wrote about his lengthy healing process and recuperation on The Hudson Valley Randonneur, and set his sights on randonneuring again. Honesty, determination, and optimism permeated his posts as he came ever-closer to achieving his goal. Over time, I realized that those qualities are present in a lot of George’s writing. It’s one of many reasons I enjoy reading The Hudson Valley Randonneur.
Continue reading “On Writing & Riding: The Hudson Valley Randonneur”
If you read blogs about bicycling, it is quite likely that you know of Kent’s Bike Blog. Kent is based in Issaquah, Washington, and his was one of the first blogs I turned to when I first became interested in long-distance riding. I wanted to read others’ stories of long rides and learn from their experiences.
At the time I began reading his blog, Kent was writing reports of his randonneuring rides as well as his time riding the Great Divide Mountain Bike Race (on a single speed, no less). Kent’s Bike Blog inspired me.
Later I discovered that he also loves to read and I’ve actually read a few books based on his recommendations. He has even put together an extensive list of bicycling books that you may want to peruse, 50 Good Bicycle Books and 50 More Good Bicycle Books. I am thrilled he agreed to be part of this On Writing & Riding series.
On Writing & Riding goes back across the pond (as the farmers in my hometown would say) to talk with Sally of Town Mouse. I began reading Town Mouse over a year ago. It caught my attention because I really know nothing about Scotland or its bicycling infrastructure. The posts about the roads, weather, and general cycling in Sally’s geographic area intrigued me and I became a regular reader.
Not only does Sally write for her own personal blog, but she is also active with the Cycling Embassy of Great Britain, which I ask her about in the questions that follow. The blog roundups she writes for that site will knock your socks off. See “The Great Big Pavement Cycling Bike Blog Roundup” for a recent example. They really are beyond compare and I can only imagine the amount of reading and thought that goes into putting them together.
Thank you, Sally, for being part of this series! One question I forgot to ask– will this interview make the Cycling Embassy of Great Britain blog roundup?
I began reading Pondero late last year and it quickly became one of my must-read blogs.
Pondero has a good sense of humor and an affinity for bike rides, coffee in the country, and relaxed moments hanging out with his bikes (at least two of which are Rivendells).
His recent post, “Roadside Encounter,” illustrating one of his recent coffee in the country experiences still makes me laugh when I read it and may give you a sense of what I mean.
Most of all, whenever all the cars and asphalt start to get to me, reading Pondero gives me a virtual change of scenery and helps fuel my own bicycling get-aways from the city.
For this edition of “On Writing & Riding” we’re taking a trip to the Pennines in England to chat with Georgie, the author of Pennine Pedaling.
I first “met” Georgie through the 2012 edition of the Coffeeneuring Challenge and quickly learned that she has a love for dirt roads, hilly terrain, and good views. And they all seem right off her doorstep.
