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Cycling-Specific Commentary: Ride Safe!
If you regularly ride a bike, you know that people will say some weird stuff to you. Stuff they wouldn’t say if you were, say, walking. Or, let’s say, in a car. This week, the phrase I kept hearing whenever I left my office with my bike in tow was “Ride safe!” Me: “Have a… Continue reading
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Time for a Road ID
This past week I bought a Road ID. Initially, I blamed my purchase on all the Road ID ads run during the Tour de France coverage for filling my mind with how much I needed one. Marketing, I tell you! Really, though, I can’t blame the Tour ads for my recent purchase. I decided to… Continue reading
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Making Yourself Part of the City: Laura M. on #BikeDC Speaks
Time for another edition of #BikeDC Speaks. This week’s post is brought to us by D.C. bike commuter and transportation cyclist Laura M., also known as @grafxnerd on the Twitterverse. Twitter and the magical #BikeDC hashtag is how I first “met” her! Laura has a keen eye for detail which is not only apparent in… Continue reading
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On Bicycling and Other Pursuits: How Much is Enough?
The past couple of weeks I have not spent much time on the bike. Rather I’ve been catching up on things that went neglected while Felkerino and I focused on the brevets and our trip to Colorado for the High Country 1200K. It’s been a nice release to know that our big bicycling event for… Continue reading
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Friday Link Love: Long Ride Edition
Happy Friday, everyone. We’ve made it through another week. Go team. It’s been quite a while since I did a Friday Link Love post, but this week I’m bringing it back. Without further ado, here are some of the good things I’ve been reading of late. Tour Divide While I can never imagine riding the… Continue reading
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Cupcake Ramblin’ with Sol and BicycleSPACE
BicycleSPACE, one of D.C.’s local bike shops, has done an excellent job of building community through their group rides. Felkerino and I have attended a few of their evening social rides in the past and, while they were literally not my speed in terms of the pace with which they meandered through town, they were… Continue reading
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Freedom!: Ultrarunnergirl on #BikeDC Speaks
Kirstin, aka Ultrarunnergirl, is one of the many great people I’ve met through #FridayCoffeeClub (which you should think about attending, if you do not already). As her blog suggests, Kirstin is an ultrarunner as well as a cyclist, and is one of few people I know who also run commutes when she’s not out bike… Continue reading
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Memories of Donald Boothby and the Cascade 1200K
Donald Boothby, a Seattle randonneur, died of cancer this past week. I did not know Donald well, but he left such an impression on me during the 2006 edition of the Cascade 1200K, that I wanted to share the fond memories I have of him. One of the best things about randonneuring is the people… Continue reading
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Don’t Overthink It: #BikeDC Speaks to Joan O.
Now that the big vacation has ended, #BikeDC Speaks has returned to the front page! This week features a guest post from Joan O., a transportation and recreational cyclist who calls Arlington, Virginia, home. I’ve gotten to know Joan from seeing her out and about on some of the same roads I regularly travel. She’s… Continue reading
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Colorado High Country 1200K Photos
Hard for me to believe that the Colorado High Country 1200K is now in the books. Felkerino and I spent the last six months working toward this event, and suddenly it’s back to business as usual. No 1200K on the horizon, just the regular routine. To keep the post-event blues at bay, I’ve been reviewing,… Continue reading
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And We Made It: High Country 1200k
Friends, Felkerino and I officially finished the High Country 1200K yesterday in just under 83 hours. To give you a brief summary (full report and pics later), we had an incredibly good ride. Our bodies held up well, weather was pleasant, and we spent lots of miles chatting and pedaling with some great randonneurs. John… Continue reading
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And We’re Off: High Country 1200K
If you’re reading this, we’re off riding the High Country 1200K!!! Rider updates will happen on the High Country blog as the event unfolds. Felkerino (@dailyrandonneur) and I (@gypsybug) will post updates of our adventure via Twitter, using the hash tag #hc1200. Fellow DC Randonneur Bill (@bicyclic) is riding, too, so be sure to check… Continue reading
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Cupcake Commuting: (Hot as) Hello Cupcake Edition
This past week, Felkerino and I ventured out with his daughter to do some cupcake commuting. Destination: Hello Cupcake on Capitol Hill. Sheesh, was it hot. Temperatures hovered around 100 degrees and bright sun abounded. Curious to see how cupcakes would fare in the Hello Cupcake to-go box, we each committed to eating a cupcake… Continue reading
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Bikes to Like: Steve H.’s Rivendell, A. Homer Hilsen
It’s been a while, but today’s post features to another great Bikes to Like with Steve H.! I met Steve on last year’s D.C. Randonneurs Flatbread 200K, and was quite taken with his bike, as well as its setup. I asked him if he would be part of Bikes to Like and, lucky for me,… Continue reading
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#BikeDC Speaks to Lisa S.: Growing Up as a Cyclist
What better way to send us into the 4th of July holiday than with another edition of BikeDC Speaks? This week features Lisa S., who I know through randonneuring and Friday Coffee Club, our weekly bike commuter gathering at Swings. Lisa also writes an engaging blog, Rambling Rider, about her rides as well as the… Continue reading
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Pre-Ride Jitters: High Country 1200K
I regularly get some form of the pre-ride jitters before intense multi-day cycling events. I don’t sleep well. I keep thinking I’m forgetting something. The longer the event and the more complicated the travel logistics, the greater the jitters. This year, Felkerino and I signed up to ride the High Country 1200K, which takes place… Continue reading
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The Perfect Commuter Bike: my Surly Long Haul Trucker
Recently, I took a break from riding my Surly Long Haul Trucker because it was just too dirty to ride. Every time I touched the bike I deposited dirt somewhere on my person. I washed it over the weekend (OK, Felkerino washed it over the weekend) and now it’s too clean to ride. In the… Continue reading
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It’s Life Changing: Marc M. on #BikeDC Speaks
This week I’m launching a series of guest posts called “BikeDC Speaks.” And I don’t mean “Passing on your left.” We’re going beyond that. This series explores local cyclists’ thoughts and views about their bicycling experiences in the D.C. area. My first post features Marc M., a fellow Tweep and FridayCoffeeClub regular. Thanks so much,… Continue reading
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Tandem Cycling: Is She Really Not Pedaling?
Those who have never ridden a tandem have a lot of thoughts about what riding a tandem must be like, and they will often share them with Felkerino and me when they see us out and about. I’m not quite sure why; there’s just something about riding that bike. People say some crazy stuff when… Continue reading
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The Evolution of a Transportation and Recreational Cyclist
Today as I rode home listening to my chain plead loudly for me to lube it, I thought back to my return to cycling as an adult. I had used my bike some for transportation in college, but after graduating and moving to Des Moines, Iowa, I essentially stopped cycling and drove most places even… Continue reading
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Randonneuring: When it’s Worth the Effort
I completed my first brevet and Super Randonneur series in 2005. Since then, I’ve completed rides of at least 600K distances each year with the exception of 2007, which I spent in graduate school. Seven years of brevet riding. Up until this year I’ve excitedly anticipated the arrival of the Super Randonneur series. Time to… Continue reading
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D.C. Randonneurs 400K
Some of you may know that Felkerino and I spent the last couple of months preparing to run the D.C. Randonneurs’ 400K. The ride went off this past Saturday, and I put together a non-ride ride report of the experience. It’s not posted here, though. Find it on that other blog I know, The Daily… Continue reading
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Special Ride Clothing: Ibex Cycling Jerseys
While it’s true that special clothing is not required for riding a bicycle, sometimes a particular article of clothing can make a ride that much better, especially a long ride like a brevet or fleche. During Team Table for Five’s fleche ride last month, one of my teammates and I got to talking about what… Continue reading
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Bike to Work Day and #FridayCoffeeClub
This past Friday, the D.C. area celebrated Bike to Work Day. We had perfect sunny weather and only a hint of cool air in the morning so lots and lots of people (over 12,000, according to some reports) took advantage of the bike holiday. I don’t know how those numbers compare to the regular commute… Continue reading
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That Sign on Ohio Drive. BIG SIGH
For the past month or so, the National Park Service has kindly placed a brightly lit sign on the northeast side of Potomac Park (by Hains Point) that “encourages” cyclists to stop at intersections. Specifically it says this: “Bicyclists must obey traffic LAWS.” For a while, the Park Police were stopping cyclists who rode through… Continue reading
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Rainy Day Riding Essentials: Gore Tex Path Paclite Jacket
The past couple of days I’ve made sure to carry or wear those essential items I want to have on hand for rainy days. One of the most basic things I make sure to carry is my rain jacket. The rain jacket that has kept me dry and comfy in dreary weather over the past few… Continue reading
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Spring Training Rides, Leaving the Pavement Behind
The past two weekends, Felkerino and I put the brevet cards aside to enjoy some excellent training rides. As you may know, I like to qualify weekend non-brevet cycling as “training.” It’s like a doctor’s note that excuses me from my household responsibilities. D.C. to Frederick, Maryland – 120 miles Two Saturdays ago, Felkerino and… Continue reading
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Readying the Springtime Gear: Keen Commuter Cycling Sandals
While lots of people laud the greatness of flat pedals, I’m not normally a flat pedals person. I love riding with SPD pedals. The bright snap they make as I clip in, pulling up on the pedal stroke, and the little tick on the pavement when I dismount and walk purposefully to my final destination.… Continue reading
Chasing MailBoxes 