bicycling
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Freedom on Two Wheels: Grace of Women BikeDC
First and foremost, riding bicycles has brought me closer to the vibrant biking community of D.C. It has heightened my appreciation of nature & my environmental concerns. I also believe it has made me a healthier and much happier individual. —Grace As I began putting together today’s Women BikeDC feature, I realized that I have… Continue reading
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Eat If It Looks Good? Not So Fast: Fueling on Brevets
This year, I began to be more deliberate about how I eat during brevets, especially the 400K and 600K distances. I’m not the best eater nor am I a nutrition expert, but I have ridden a fair number of long rides up to 1200K distances employing both good and regrettable fueling strategies over the years. Experience has been a fine teacher. Continue reading
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Stop telling the bike commuter it’s going to rain: Reba of Women BikeDC
I find the bike riding population in D.C. to be eclectic and interesting. I talk to a lot of people, sometimes I don’t get their name or their history, we just share the moment we are in and then ride on. Biking is about being present in the moment you are in and not trying… Continue reading
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Finding Your Randonneur Superpower
When you begin to dabble in the randonneuring arts, you may have an inkling of what your cycling strengths are. You may develop additional skills for riding long-distance. However, it is only through doing brevets over time that your randonneur superpower will reveal itself to you. Continue reading
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Living On In Memories
This past weekend I had one of the best rides of my life on the D.C. Randonneurs 600K brevet, and that’s not the randonnesia talking. The course layout, weather, and randonneur fellowship combined to set up a practically perfect 375 miles. Continue reading
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Randonneuring Beneath the Stars
The sun flares orange and pink, drops behind the mountains, and leaves us. Felkerino and I pause to don night gear, assess our 600K progress, and estimate the hours of night riding ahead. Continue reading
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Addicting, Fun, Rewarding: Cyndi of Women BikeDC
My favorite thing about riding in D.C. is the community. These people just rock and make riding a bike fun. I mean, who else is going to think riding around Hains Point countless times during the middle of winter of is a good idea? –Cyndi J. I met Cyndi, a year-round cyclist who puts up… Continue reading
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600K Brevet Packing List
I’ve been readying for the weekend’s big ride– the D.C. Randonneurs 600K. I stew in my nervousness and look frequently at regional weather forecasts. I burn off steam with short runs and rides, during which I consider and reconsider all I need for two days of pedaling. Continue reading
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Nothing To It But To Do It: Linel of Women BikeDC, Part 2
Women are expected to look pretty and be delicate and dependent, among many other things. Riding a bike requires uprooting at least some of those gender assumptions, forcing ourselves and others to rethink preconceived ideas of what women can or cannot, or should or should not do. —Linel We’re back for the second half of… Continue reading
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Nothing To It But To Do It: Linel of Women BikeDC, Part 1
I have learned to approach many hurdles in life as if they were a ride on a new road. At first you might feel apprehensive and tentative, but once you do it, it becomes clear that all it takes is committing to that first push of the pedal. You may go slow or even fall… Continue reading
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Summer Legs on the C&O
Lately I haven’t had a lot of words to describe my riding. I have things to write, but my mind has been fuzzy and my motivation rather stilted with regard to writing any posts. I also have some work things that have required my time and attention. However, friends, I have been riding. My summer legs… Continue reading
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Our Friend Jerry is Going Coast to Coast: Bike Touring Alaska to D.C.
Over the last couple of years, Felkerino and I have had the pleasure of getting to know Jerry, a local cyclist and fellow D.C. Randonneur who will be riding a solo coast-to-coast tour from Alaska to Washington, D.C. Continue reading
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Mary P. of Women BikeDC: From 12 Miles to an Ironman
For me and a lot of women on my team, there is a direct correlation between our development as endurance athletes—-often literally from practically nothing—-and our development as strong, independent, badass women. I love seeing both journeys, and the interconnection between them is something that should be celebrated and promoted. That comment comes from Mary… Continue reading
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Women BikeDC with BikeArlington’s Tin Lizzie Rides Again
I’m excited to feature one of my favorite bloggers in today’s Women BikeDC interview. Elizabeth, who writes the blog Tin Lizzie Rides Again, lives and rides in the Arlington area. Some of her recent posts include tips for effective cycling, clothing reviews, as well as highlights of her own bike-friendly and often-reflective sewing projects. I’m… Continue reading
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Randonneuring: Making the Ordinary Extraordinary
Randonneuring events allow ordinary people like me to participate in extraordinary bike rides. Brevets changed my definition of a long day ride, from a century to more than double that– distances I previously could not even conceptualize pedaling. The randonneuring community helped me feel okay as a rider who does not move particularly fast, but has a body that has proven… Continue reading
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Deb of Women BikeDC. Part 2: Woman on a Bike
We’re back with the second half of Deb’s Women BikeDC interview. If you missed Part 1, you can find it here. Today focuses on what it’s like for Deb as a woman who rides, and the reasons why some women might hesitate to take up bicycling. I found her discussion of identity and women’s ability… Continue reading
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Deb of Women BikeDC. Part 1: Infrastructure Beyond D.C. and Turtle Rescues
Every time I post one of the Women BikeDC interview series I feel proud to be part of the women’s cycling community. No matter the barriers, we ride, and cycling has transformed us in many different ways. Today I’m featuring the first part of my interview with Deb, who some of you may know as… Continue reading
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The Mind’s Journey
I began this year feeling quite uncertain, almost ambivalent, about the brevets. The past year has included some serious and unexpected health issues in my family. These scrambled up my head, and prompted a reassessment of that big question “What am I doing with my life?” Continue reading
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Emma of Women BikeDC: A Return to Riding as an Adult and a New Velo Orange Campeur
The Women BikeDC interview series rolls on with today’s feature of fellow Midwesterner turned Mid-Atlantic rider, Emma, who became a daily D.C.-area rider in 2011 and hasn’t stopped riding since. After intensely researching various steel frames, Emma is currently in the process of building up a Velo Orange Campeur. Read on to learn more about her… Continue reading
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Training for a Century Ride
Gear Prudence reached out to me this week about a question he received about training for a century. The person writing in wondered if it was truly necessary to train for a century. The question surprised me somewhat because I am a big believer in preparing for things and avoiding problems when I can. I’m not… Continue reading
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Family Biking and Biking While Pregnant: Gillian of Women BikeDC
I was pretty oblivious to the world of family biking until I began hosting the Errandonnee and a few of the participants were family bikers. The types of errands and transportation cycling done by family bikers fascinated me. It was exciting to see that people could be parents without using a car as the primary mode… Continue reading
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Randonnesia Strikes on the Mother of All 300Ks
“We’re too blessed to be depressed,” a church sign at mile 70 read. Our riding group of three shared a chuckle. We had just climbed Wolf Gap, Mill Gap, and were en route to more gaps and roads with words like “church” and “mountain” in their names. The path ahead gave us pause. Continue reading
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Link Love
The Brewvet starts today. Details on portajohn’s blog. Thinking about PBP? Here’s an excellent article from the Central Florida Regional Brevet Administrator to help determine which start time might be best for you. It was a tough go at Trans Iowa V11 this year. Six Coopers has a report of her attempt, and ImagineGnat took some… Continue reading
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Final Week of 30 Days of Biking (and Poetry) in Washington, D.C.
Over the past month, I engaged in a personal challenge to ride my bike each day, take at least one picture during my ride, and find a poem that somehow encapsulated the day. Poetry has always held a special place for me, but over the years our relationship became distant. I saw it as extra, even… Continue reading
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Women BikeDC With Jackie N. Bike to Live! Part 2
We’re back for the second part of the Women BikeDC interview with Jackie N. of Capitol Hill. Did you miss Part 1? Don’t worry, you can find it here. Today’s questions cover what it’s like to be a woman who rides, and we also talk about the Jackie’s bikes as well her favorite gear. What do… Continue reading
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Women BikeDC With Jackie N. Bike to Live! Part 1
This week I’m launching a new set of interviews featuring some of the women who live and ride in the Washington, D.C., area. The Women BikeDC series delves into the experiences and perspectives of women who ride around the Washington, D.C., area and explores how the city can improve as a cycling-friendly environment. While bicycles are not exactly… Continue reading
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What’s Your Favorite Brevet Distance?
Four years ago, I interviewed 12 randonneurs from different parts of the country about randonneuring. One of the questions I asked them was, “What is your favorite distance of the Super Randonneur series (200, 300, 400, 600K) and why?” With this year’s Super Randonneur series in full swing, I’ve been pondering this question again in my own… Continue reading
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Week Three of 30 Days of Biking (and Poetry) in Washington, D.C.
Bicycling is one of the best ways to fully immerse yourself in a city. As riders, we easily exchange hellos with others on our route. We feel the bumps of the road, see flowers bloom and fall, and watch the waves of people (and buses, did I mention buses?) come and go through the District. Thanks to… Continue reading
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Experience: a Randonneur’s Frenemy
This weekend, Felkerino and I rode our first official brevet of 2015, the D.C. Randonneurs 300K out of Frederick, Maryland. I was feeling pretty lackluster about the whole thing, but the forecast indicated spectacular conditions, leaving us no excuses to skip out on a ride in the countryside with rando buddies. Continue reading
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Peak Blossom Days in Washington, D.C.
This weekend the cherry blossoms reached peak bloom in Washington, D.C. Knowing their fragile nature, people flooded the city to see them– cameras, cars, and all. Continue reading
Chasing MailBoxes 