-
Birthday Week Bike Rides in BikeDC
Dear Washington, D.C., my current city of residence, I discovered a better way to maneuver around you after too many years as a subterranean Metro passenger. Continue reading
-
Randonneuring In Retrospect
I’m a randonneur romantic. Sure, longer brevets almost always include periods where I question my recreational pursuits due to discomfort, exhaustion, or some dissatisfaction with a route segment, but they don’t hang on. Eventually, those feelings fade and bike riding reclaims its place on my list of favorite things to do. Continue reading
-
The End of the Errandonnee Era
To quote Bike Like Crazy, it’s the end of the the Errandonnee era– for 2015, that is. Don’t be too sad, though. Spring is on its way, errands go on, and we’ll be back next year. Continue reading
-
D.C. Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon: A Soggy Sign of Spring
Whenever the transition from winter to spring begins to occur, I greet it with incredulity. But how? Less than two weeks ago, the city was coated in snow. Ten days ago, I made a snowman during a snow day run. A UPI photographer even caught me in the act. Continue reading
-
Errandonnee 2015 Blog Highlights and Blogroll!
Four days and change remain for those on a quest to complete the 2015 Errandonnee. On March 17, the Errandonnee is over and you can cry into green beers and return to your regularly scheduled errand programming. You will also be able to pedal down memory lane when the Errandonnee is said and done with the posts, tweets,… Continue reading
-
Bringing Made-Up Words to Life: Coffeeneuring and Errandonnee
I don’t mean to shock anyone, but the words “coffeeneuring” and “errandonnee” are totally made-up words. That’s right, both are fake words used to describe activities that people do on bicycles. These terms were born out of similar circumstances. Continue reading
-
Errandonnee 2015 Update: Best Year Yet?
As I write, there is warmth in the air and light in the sky here in D.C. Lots of people were out and about this weekend, not only to celebrate the warm weather and the arrival of Daylight Savings, but to make inroads on their Errandonnee quests! If you haven’t started the Errandonnee, it’s not too late.… Continue reading
-
The Truth and Nonsense of the N+1 Principle of Bicycles
If you’ve been around bikes long enough, you’re likely familiar with the “n+1” principle. Velominati describes it as follows: The correct number of bikes to own is n+1. While the minimum number of bikes one should own is three, the correct number is n+1, where n is the number of bikes currently owned. This equation may… Continue reading
-
St. Patrick’s Day 5K Run Report
The last time I ran a 5K race was in 1991. As a long-distance touring cyclist and occasional marathon runner, I don’t participate in many short-distance running events. I have many excuses for this: the price per mile is high compared to a marathon or a brevet; I’m not fast; and mostly, I prefer endurance stuff. However, this… Continue reading
-
Blink and You’ll Miss It: Rediscovering Home
An unexpected trip to Iowa gave me renewed practice with the geographic vagueries I use when describing my childhood home. North-central Iowa. Sixty miles from Des Moines. Seven miles off the interstate. Blink and you’ll miss it. I spent years resenting my no stoplights, “never heard of it” hometown. I yearned for the urban life– shopping… Continue reading
-
Winter Challenge: The 2015 Errandonnee
Hey winter, you’re not the boss of me. It’s time for a March challenge designed for the utility cyclist with errands to do, even during cold winter days– the Errandonnee! The tweet version of the Errandonnee is: Errandonnee: Complete 12 errands in 12 days and ride a total of 30 miles by bike between March 5-16,… Continue reading
-
Run Cocoon
During a week of intense uncertainty and worry, the running routine has become an effort to keep emotions in check and preserve some aspect of normal. Continue reading
-
Whatevering Runner
After a few hours spent contemplating Facebook and the gray of the day, I convince myself that I am letting something good slip away by not going outside for a few running miles. I shelled out all that money on winter gear, why not give it a chance to shine. A clumsy sort-out of layers and I’m… Continue reading
-
Errandonnee 2015 Preview
Errandonnee fans and scenesters! Cold and snow are here, and soon the Errandonnee will also join us. Save the Dates: March 5 – March 16, 2015 12 days. 12 errands. 30 total miles. Continue reading
-
Like Father, Like Daughter: Passing On The Running Routine
My dad ran every day when I was growing up. Weekdays, weekends, even when he wasn’t feeling so hot. Every day I saw my father configure his days around work, family, and his daily run. Subconsciously, I memorized his running routine. Continue reading
-
The Randonap
Since beginning my glamorous randonneuring career in 2005, I’ve not only ridden in places I never imagined, but I’ve dozed in an assortment of spots I never before would have considered comfortable or conducive to sleeping. Ride long enough, sleep little enough, and you too will find yourself mastering the strategy of the perfect randonap. Continue reading
-
Figuring Out How to Speak Bike
Recently Elly Blue put a question out to the Twitterverse, asking people about the things they found difficult when first taking up cycling. Her question took me back to 2003 or so when I began cycling around Washington, D.C., for transportation and fitness. Continue reading
-
Building Up to Brevet Distances
Like a lot of randonneurs, Felkerino and I have developed a method that serves us well in our preparation and training for brevets. I see our approach as one that works for people who have other activities vying for their time and attention (be it job, family, or other pursuits) and for those who have… Continue reading
-
Why Write About Bicycling
As I was padding around the Mall on a meditative lunch run, I pondered what keeps me writing about time spent on my bicycle. Continue reading
-
2015 Question Marks
January– a cold month prone to dreary days and shades of brown on all sides– is generally an optimal time for me to hang out inside and ponder big ideas for the year ahead. Usually at least two or three appealing active undertakings grab me and won’t let me go. Last year those big doings… Continue reading
-
Friday Coffee Club Turns Three
Today we celebrated three years since that first tweet from Felkerino introducing Friday Coffee Club, a weekly D.C. meetup of commuting cyclists around the area. Three full years, and we’re still meeting and enjoying morning beverages together. I don’t want to overanalyze the reasons why people continue to come to Friday Coffee Club, but I’ll throw a few thoughts onto… Continue reading
-
Bikes Are Not Family Members, But…
After a month spent in delightful lollygag mode, Felkerino and I pumped up the tires on the Co-Motion Java tandem for our first century ride of 2015. As I rode along looking alternately at Felkerino’s backside and a somewhat snotty top tube resulting from my runny nose, I was wholly grateful for the hours and… Continue reading
-
Lifestyle Changes in Small Packages: Brown Bag Lunch
In 2013, I read David A. Kessler’s somewhat horrifying yet engrossing book The End of Overeating, in which he provides an inside look at how the food industry perpetually entices us to shove the ideal mix of sugar, fat, salt, and who knows what else down our throats. After being shown how I was being taken… Continue reading
-
Coffeeneuring Housekeeping: Patches
This note is specifically for the Coffeeneuring Class of 2014. All patches were mailed on December 30, both to those living in the U.S. as well as the International Cadre of Coffeeneurs. What I’m saying is everyone should have received the patches they ordered/earned (unless you are a D.C.-based person, in which case I should… Continue reading
-
PBP 2015: To Go or Not to Go Again?
The turning of the calendar to 2015 also means the arrival of a “PBP year.” Paris-Brest-Paris, the most heralded, historic, and international of all grand randonnees now peeps its head around the corner and beckons to us randonneurs, a mere eight months away. I thought that deciding on a return trip to PBP would take little internal debate.… Continue reading
-
Combating Cynicism Through Active Commutes
Today I was reading David Foster Wallace’s commencement speech “This is Water.” In it, he addresses the theme of selfishness, as well as the tedious aspects of adult life and how we all construct and view our life experiences. Our challenge, he says, is to step outside ourselves, take an active role in interpreting our surroundings, and… Continue reading
-
BikeDC Commutes 2014: The Months in Photos
As I was assembling my recent post about 12 months of running in D.C., I realized that I wanted a memory of the past year’s bike commutes in the city. Considering I spent much of the year feeling blasé about the urban bike experience, my photos make it seem like it wasn’t so bad. As if I enjoyed… Continue reading
-
The Wheelman’s Song
Those of you who follow me on Instagram may have noticed that I’ve been perusing old issues of The Wheelman and Good Roads. Both magazines were publications of the League of American Wheelman, which is now the Bike League, and date back to the late 1800’s, when people’s fascination with the bicycle was just beginning… Continue reading
-
RunDC: 12 Months of Running in Washington, D.C.
I am on my way to Kindergarten. My mom has packed my lunch for me. I stuff it in my backpack, shrug on my coat, and point my two little feet toward school. It’s three blocks away– three country blocks and I have five-year-old legs, but still… it’s three blocks. And I have 30 minutes… Continue reading
-
Dig Deep. Flow Like Water: Goals Met and Unmet in 2014
As each calendar year begins, I consider the activities I’d like to accomplish and how I want to go about them. I record my intended approach as a theme. The emergence of a year’s theme is based partly on anticipation, a bit on what’s transpired in the past, and my mood at the time. I usually flesh it out in… Continue reading
Chasing MailBoxes 