bicycling
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Dedicated to the Cause: Calista’s Road to PBP 2015
I recently had the pleasure of talking with D.C. Randonneurs and RUSA member, Calista Phillips, who had a great year on the bike. Some of you may have already seen this feature in the latest edition of American Randonneur, but I present it again in full here. In 2015, Calista completed three 1200Ks (including PBP), and… Continue reading
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D.C. Randonneurs 2016 Flèche: The Only Way Out Is Through
Thanks Felkerino, MG, Jose, Steve and Kip for the ride. I sure enjoyed all those gravel roads and the 20 percent hills and the hail and snow squalls and the crazy wind situation and all the tree debris littering the roads and trails the whole night and the cold and the moaning and drama and the… Continue reading
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The Road to the Flèche: Team If We Lived Here…
One of the many motivators behind Felkerino’s and my increased riding miles in the early months of this year was our decision to take part in the D.C. Randonneurs flèche, which kicks off this coming weekend (April 1). The flèche is a rules-laden team event, many of which make no sense to me, but that I follow anyway… Continue reading
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Kidical Riding All Year Long: Freezing Saddles with Justin and Kid-D
I love showing KidD the sights, sounds, smells, and richness of the city by bike – and winter is no different. We see the huge Christmas wreaths at Union Station, we watch the daffodils come up by the Senate Park, and we see the water freeze “into ice!” at the Capitol Grounds. We learn to… Continue reading
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Peaceful, Meditative, Beautiful: Freezing Saddles with Ian
The colder it gets means fewer people are out on the paths and it can be incredibly peaceful. Imagine riding an empty bike trail on a cold morning as the sun rises right behind you. How can you have a bad day, when your days starts out like that? –Ian Freezing Saddles rider and fellow… Continue reading
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From BikeDC to Missoula, MT: Freezing Saddles with Emma W.
One of the reasons I became interested in Freezing Saddles was thanks to all the posts of support made by Emma W. – who I interviewed this summer for my Women BikeDC series – on the Women & Bicycles Facebook group. She first exposed me to the idea that Freezing Saddles might embrace a larger group… Continue reading
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Easier Than You Think! Freezing Saddles & Winter Cycling with Eric B.
The Freezing Saddles series rolls on with Eric – an astrophysicist, creator of 3-D-printer prosthetic hands, and of course, cyclist. A fellow teammate of mine in the Bike Arlington Freezing Saddles competition, Eric says one of the keys to winter riding success is in keeping the hands and toes toasty. (He’s still working on a system… Continue reading
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Winter Riding? Just Do It! A Freezing Saddles Talk with Caleb
As roads in the area continue to clear and forecasts indicate even more melting in the coming days, we’re back with another Freezing Saddles talk. Today’s edition features Caleb, a Friday Coffee Club regular who lives in Maryland and rides daily into the District– all year round. Caleb is a proponent of the Keep It Simple… Continue reading
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Bon Courage: Theresa’s 2015 Paris-Brest-Paris
Sometimes when conditions conspire to limit my ability to be outdoors, I turn to the stories of rides gone by for inspiration. Today I’m honored to post one such story, Theresa Furnari’s 2015 recount of riding Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP). As I read “Bon Courage,” I remember the dedication and tenacity one needs to take on a ride like PBP,… Continue reading
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New Year, New Me: Freezing Saddles
At the encouragement of my randonneur and real life spouse, I signed up for a D.C.-area winter cycling challenge called Freezing Saddles. Now in its fourth or fifth year, Freezing Saddles has woven itself into the fabric of the local cycling community, such that it feels like it has always been here. The challenge began on… Continue reading
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12 Months By the Potomac River
Ever since I moved near the D.C. waterfront, the Potomac River has silently shaped my movement. I sidle along it to leave the city and head into Maryland. I must cross it by way of one of two or three bridges to reach Virginia. Continue reading
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Friends Don’t Let Friends Sit on the Couch: Horsing Around Sugarloaf 200K
Lately I’ve had the uncomfortable sensation that my life is on top of me, its everyday demands pushing me into the cushions, reducing me to a sedentary state. It hasn’t felt good. Continue reading
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John and Lynne
When I began riding bikes with the D.C. Randonneurs, I didn’t imagine the significant role this activity, as well as the people involved in it, would have on my life. But the randonneuring community is small and the rides are long. Preparation for events leads to pick-up rides through the countryside with other randonneurs. Continue reading
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The Versatility of the Bike Helmet
Whenever conversations about bike helmets begin, controversy is seldom far behind. Today I’d like to take an opportunity to redirect the conventional helmet discussion and instead explore its versatility. Continue reading
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Women BikeDC: The Complete Interviews
What motivates women to ride? Why don’t more women take up cycling? How can the metropolitan area be improved for cyclists? What role does cycling play in our lives? These are but a few of the themes explored over the last 18 interviews with the women of Women BikeDC. Yes, 18. I finally counted them all.… Continue reading
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For the Love of It
Not one to let the end of summer pass by while we sip iced tea and laze on our balcony, Felkerino has been unstoppably enthusiastic about weekend rides in the country. His love affair with summer is certainly infectious, and I’ve been happily coming along for the ride. (See what I did there?) Bicycling in the countryside… Continue reading
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Family Coffeeneuring in St. Petersburg, Florida: Downhill or Uphill, Coffeeneuring is for Everyone
With the Coffeeneuring Challenge approaching, it seems a fine time to revisit some of the travels of last year’s coffeeneurs. We kick off this year’s look back with the family Coffeeneuring Challenge team of Paul, Sally, and Joe. Continue reading
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Paris of Women BikeDC: On Coffee Clubs, Bike Shops, and Testing Boundaries
My mind is generally moving 100 miles per hour. The squirrels in there never seem to stop spinning. Being on my bike quiets the squirrels and allows my mind to focus on one or two things– avoiding pot holes or other riders, usually. I’ve found that the more I ride, the saner I am. When… Continue reading
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Beauty Through Motion
Like many women, I struggle with notions of beauty and self-acceptance, especially when it comes to physical appearance. I look in the mirror and immediately see all the ways I’m lacking. If I shaved off a few pounds, and toned up this area here, and then put on a little makeup, I’d look so much better. Continue reading
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Seduced by Speed
I have always seen road bikes as superfluous and silly, the toy of transport for the self-indulgent– those who ride for exercise, sport, and speed, with little interest in practicality. Continue reading
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Trying to Stay Balanced: Carolyn of Women BikeDC
Once I moved to D.C., I began to regularly cycle around town. This city is nice and small, pretty flat, and the public transportation is just good enough to tolerate using, but bad enough that it is frustrating to use every single day. Plus, cycling is so cost effective and efficient. It saves money and… Continue reading
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Becoming an Advocate through Bicycling, for Bicycling: Kelley W. of Women BikeDC
I’m over 50, and getting back into biking as a significant part of my lifestyle has led me into a whole new area of serving my community and region as an advocate. I’ve learned about infrastructure, Safe Routes to School, bike master plans, and I’ve met a whole new group of people in each arena… Continue reading
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Day 11. Crouch to Boise, Idaho: Coming Full Circle
I’m wrapped in the good vibes of finishing our loop of Idaho with a brief foray into Montana. As you may have guessed if you read my previous post, we took the pavement today. Continue reading
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Day 10. Cascade to Crouch, Idaho: Taking Off the Training Wheels
Greetings from Crouch! It smells delicious here, like a sweet wildflower I don’t recognize. The dry air heightens my senses; the afternoon sky is pure blue, and there is no haze, anywhere. Continue reading
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Day 9. McCall to Cascade: An Invitation to the Idaho Mountains
After days of roadside observation of the stand-offish peaks on our tour, Felkerino and I received an invitation to the mountains in the form of the Adventure Cycling Idaho Hot Springs Mountain Bike Route. And so we went. Continue reading
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Day 8. Riggins to McCall, Idaho: 50 Miles Up
Today Felkerino and I had a hard time getting our bike touring act together and ended up leaving Riggins at 9:30 a.m. Gasp! Continue reading
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Day 7. Kooskia to Riggins, Idaho
To make up for our 90-mile gradual downhill to Kooskia, we spent much of the following day climbing. Continue reading
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Joy, Adventure, and Solo Bike Touring: Zoe of Women BikeDC
I started riding when I was 7 or 8. On a trip to the county dump with my dad, we found a gem of a purple bike in the heaps of trash and took it home. He fixed it up, my grandpa spray painted it pink, and I was off! –Zoe I first met Zoe… Continue reading
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Lisa of Women BikeDC
There is a feeling you get when you are just relaxing on a ride, maybe as you sit up and glide into your destination, take a deep breath, and feel at home with yourself and the world. I’ve found that– in situations far removed from the bike, such as meetings– I can re-create that feeling… Continue reading
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Cycling to Get Places: Fionnuala of Women BikeDC
Mostly, I ride because it’s my favorite way of getting around. I like seeing street life and buildings as well as the landscape and nature at the pace that I can take them in. I also enjoy the chance everyday encounters as I travel around the community. This isn’t to say you won’t find me… Continue reading
Chasing MailBoxes 