For Those About To Commute - We Salute You

Happy Bike Month!  Get your Hallmark cards early, they sell out quick.  May is that magical time of the year when bike commuting percentage rises from .00001% to .001%  It then drops off promptly on June 1st.  Sort of like that dried out Christmas tree still laying in the backyard.

Enough wise-ass comments.  Here in the bike crazy Seattle area, it is cool to see the increase of folks pounding the pedals.  Part of the increase is due to the Group Health Commute Challenge, organized by the Cascade Bicycle Club.  Companies and individuals form teams, mark their progress on the website and go for bragging rights.  Trips and mileage tracked.  A few thousand folks signed up for the festivities. Awesome.

For the 9th year now, I've put together my own team at work, and helped organize some other teams - along with other bike minded folks earning a paycheck at the same place I do.  We have 10 teams total for this year, maybe 80 people signed on.  All good clean fun to get people out there.

It also kick starts my alleged fitness level, which after this winter is pretty lame.  I totally fell off the commuting wagon in, uh, November or so. I'm usually the hard core bike commuter, the last two winters not so.  Call me the soft core commuter now, which also describes the 10 pounds gained.  The occasional mountain bike ride and garage trainer session not enough to keep the pounds at bay.

Commuting to the rescue.  100 - 170 miles a week.  Painful at first, then the source of all goodness.  Let the riding begin.

The Slump is Broken - Commuter 'R' Me

As of today, the commuting slump is broken.  Finally.  34 mile round trip.  I'm embarrassed to admit how many months have passed since I've last commuted to work.  An extremely lame winter, haven't been this lame since, uh, last winter.  Some years I'm the pretty hard core commuter - lights blazing, pouring rain, snow - didn't matter.  The last two years, call me Mr. Lame.

Even so, once I start cranking again, wind up commuting 3 - 5 days a week.  That's upwards of 170 miles per week.  Not too shabby and during the course of a year, I still wind up putting more commuting miles on two wheels then four - usually.

Let the ramp up begin.  My wallet, mental outlook and fitness level, will thank me in a few weeks.  Until then, slow speeds and some ouch factor involved.  Bike commuting rocks.

Levi's Commuter - Aboard the Bandwagon

While searching though Blog Land, came across a post in Bicycle Retailer and Industry News, yapping about Levi's getting into the bicycle clothing market.  Debate if the concept is just a flash in the pan for Levi's, jumping into the commuter/transportation arena, or something that will stay in the Levi's lineup for awhile.

My vote is flash in the pan and Levi's will abandon the concept sooner or later, this whole "cycling thing" a blip on their marketing radar.  Even so, even with hipster alert written all over it, I still think what they're attempting is cool.  How many large, household name companies are pushing bicycling?  And indirectly, that's what they're doing.  Anything that gets cycling in the mainstream media is a good thing.  And if commuting and transportation oriented, even better.

The cycling racer image, of which I'm 100% guilty, will never sell to the mass market of everyday folks and get 'em on bikes.  Not going to happen.  Seeing people riding with street looking clothes - heading out to work, shop, whatever - more of an impact, I think.  The racer wannabe, training ride mentality, is a roadblock to getting more folks on two wheels.  And if the hipster fixie crowd gets more people on bikes, I'm all for it. Skinny jeans, sneakers, and toe straps included.

Check out the Levi's commercial.  When was the last time you saw anything advertising wise from a huge, non bicycle related company, spotlight cycling in such a positive way?  And for that, kudos to Levi's.  With any luck, I'm proven wrong and they sell piles of clothes and people actually wear 'em riding their bikes. 

Nothing wrong with that picture.

Bicycle Commuting Numbers are Up

Interesting article on the increasing numbers of bike commuters in various U.S. cities. Click here to check it out.

I've been bike commuting on and off for 25+ years. The last 7 or so years, very much on, with more miles ridden to work then driven. Yeah, I'm bragging a little. Over those years I've witnessed the increase of bikes buzzing around Seattle. During some commutes, I get a kick out of sitting in a small pack of bikes, waiting for a light to change.

Seattle isn't Copenhagen, at least not yet - and probably never will be. Even so, great to see the numbers up and people using bikes for transportation. If you're already a cyclist, give bike commuting a shot. An easy way to add riding to your normal day, save money, and potentially even time. Give it a go.

Ride on...

Hakkalugi Tear Down and Misc Bike Rambling

Spring appears to have finally arrived, was 60+ degrees for the commute home on Friday, complete with actual sun. Can't complain about that. I can complain about getting out of work late and the nice headwind all the way home, but I won't. In the grand scheme of things, all is good.

I have officially broken my commuting slump with at least five 100+ mile commute weeks now. Plus mountain biking on weekends. I'm back in the groove. The Commute Challenge is over and my corporate team, Team Jerckx, did okay. Not as good as previous years, but I really don't care. As long as people had a good time bike commuting - that's what counts.



On the ride home Friday, was caught for a few minutes while the University Bridge opened for boat traffic below. This would make a nice ramp, no? Good luck sticking that jump.

I am just a shadow of my former self.

Even while stuck on a bridge, Seattle scenery rocks.

The warm weather continued today with temps in the 80s. Positively summer like. Yes please. Errand running gig most the day. Complete with nice family lunch at my favorite Mexican place.

My supply of bike shorts has dwindled down to my favorite pair being worn thin enough to display my ass to anyone close enough to draft; to other shorts in the collection that are also barely usable for various reasons. So, thought I'd hit a few local places for replacements.

First stop, REI in Remond - no bib shorts at all. Once you go bibs, there's no turning back. Stop two was Sammamish Valley Cycle - just a few pairs to choose from. Nada for me. Ran into a co-worker there picking up a brand new Cervelo. Sweet. Stop three was Perfomance - nada again for me. The search continues - and probably online.

Took time this afternoon to strip down the Hakkalugi, it being in dire need of replacement parts and totally disabled after ripping the derailleur off a few weeks ago. I plan to have Davidson in Seattle straighten out the mangled derailleur hanger and possibly spread the rear spacing to 130 or 132.5 mm. It's currently spaced at 135 mm, requiring a mountain bike rear hub. 130 would allow road wheels, 132.5 would allow road and/or mountain bike hubs to be used.

After the frame repair, the beloved 'Lugi will require new chainrings, BB, chain, cassette, and rear derailleur. The left STI shifter is also flaky as is the cassette hub. Add in new cables and bar tape. Plus, I moved the tires and pedals over to Ian's 'cross bike a few weeks ago. It almost makes more sense to buy a new 'cross bike and sell the Hakkalugi frame on eBay after the repair. I doubt I'll do that though. It's a super cool frame and I've been riding it since 1997.

I'll need to figure something out, since the old Ibis serves as the rain bike. Plenty of room for fat tires and fenders. Something my other bikes lack and really needed for Northwest commuting.

After the tear down, a bucket of Hakkalugi parts remain. Wheels and fenders not shown.

One reason I've always dug Ibis, is 'cause they're a little twisted. Not in this manner though. Man, that's one warped hanger. Should be repairable. Steel is real....bendable. I hope.

The old Ibis stripped down and clean enough for living room rug. Well, at least when the wife isn't looking...

The Hakkalugi will roll once again. Just takes some time and dough. Ouch.

Bike to Work Day - Hit and Run Included

To celebrate Bike to Work Day, I was hit by a truck. For real. To save some typing time, my Facebook post says it all...

Riding home from work today, woman in a pickup truck hits me from behind. Just a few inches from totally taking me out.

Cut on elbow is from the truck itself as it buzzed by. Huge dirt mark washed off before pic taken. Woman turns around looking shocked after hitting me. I make eye contact with a "What the hell look" - and she takes off. I guess she figured since I didn't crash (I almost did), everything is okay. Insane.

She's lucky the light was green 50 yards ahead or I would have caught her. Two cops were also working traffic duty at the light. I pointed her out, but she was already up the road. I didn't catch her plate number, but did call it in. Cop at the scene basically said without a plate number, not much they can do - which I realize.

I can't comprehend how a person can hit a cyclist, pedestrian, another car - or whatever - then just take off. They literally have no moral compass. Quite sad actually.

Just a small scrape, arm is slightly sore - no big deal. But it's like being grazed by a bullet. Injury is minor, but just a few inches away from some serious hurt.

Fairly ironic considering my blog post from yesterday. Still, for all the years and miles I've ridden, my safety record is off the charts; on the good side. Besides bicycles, same story for motorcycles. I'm either damn lucky or pretty good at staying safe.

She hit me on one of the new "Sharrow" lanes in downtown Seattle. Lanes where cars and bikes share the lane and bikes have the right of way. I usually ride in the center of the lane to block people from trying to squeeze by, but let myself drift a bit the left, so she blows past clipping me in the process. Moronic and dangerous.

Stupid mistake I can forgive. Punching the gas and leaving afterwards I cannot. That is world class lame.

I seriously doubt I'll hear anything further about this. I will be back to full on lane blocking for the next trip.

Ride safe...

05/23/11 Update: This morning I received a call from the Seattle Police Department. Apparently the woman returned to the scene a few minutes after I left.

According to the officer, she seemed genuinely sorry. Said she continued to drive away confused as to what happened (maybe because I didn't crash?). She did receive a ticket for "Inattentive Driving" for clipping me. I also have all info needed for insurance, though besides a scrape on the arm, I'm fine. So no action needed there.

So, still a scary situation - but ends on a more positive note.

All Around Fluffy Bike Goodness

Yesterday's commute was chock full of fluffy bicycle goodness. Our coldest April on record appears to be continuing into May. A balmy 44 degrees when I rolled out of the driveway, sunny however, not bad at all. Thank you very much.

On the way in, ran into fellow Ibis Guy, Mark, on the trail. He had the full family in tow; with wife and daughter on the tandem, himself on the old school Hakkalugi, and six year old son piloting a brand new Redline - his birthday present that very day. All of 'em headed to work or school via bike. If that doesn't put a smile on your bike lovin' face, nothing will.

After a hectic day at work, complete with internal interview for possible new job, I change into superhero riding costume for the spin home. Sorta like a skinnier, older version of Superman. I also can't leap tall buildings in a single bound or stop bullets with my teeth.



I stopped by the Cascade club shindig along the Burke-Gilman Trail, all part of the Commute Challenge festivities. Picked up my official Team Captain shirt, reflective bands for my team (to potentially win prizes), a few maps and water bottles, plus a free ice tea sample to chug on the ride home. Combined with almost 60 degree sunny weather, many happy faces, and bikes everywhere. How do we stand it?

I played around with camera while buzzing home...

For all my old school "steel is real" blabbering, I really dig my carbon Ibis. Stupid light and rides incredibly well. Carbon fiber really is the wonder material - as in I wonder if the carbon steerer tube is cracked and waiting to explode into shards. Let's not go there...

Living up to my motto: Look Pro. Go Slow.

Legs feel like February. It's May. I have some work to do. My shock treatment training plan in full swing. Go from near zero to 150+ miles a week ASAP. Legs feel like overcooked linguine most mornings. By afternoon, ready to roll. Sorta. A big lunch plate of spicy teriyaki chicken assists with the healing process. I think so anyway (burp).

Sunset over the Sammamish Slough. Not counting the nice steep climb to my neighhorhood, almost home.

With that, we now conclude this installment of bike fluff. Stay tuned for more fluffy installments as time and interest warrants. Same fluff time, same fluff channel.

Idiots 'R' Them

Yesterday, I'm cruising home from work on the Burke-Gilman Trail. Riding no hands, sitting bolt upright at maybe 17 mph, just daydreaming and rolling at a slow pace.

That shattered in an instant, when racer wannabe passes on the right, using the one foot of pavement between me and the grass. He's doing about 25 mph and I grab my 'bars as he startles me. His handlebars miss hooking mine by two inches. WTF? He's on the drops and hauls past in a blur.

As he goes by, I yell out "Pretty f@%@ing stupid!" and take off after him. He never turns around or acknowledges me, but does crank up the speed a bit. I'm soon on his wheel, he can hear me and powers on, head down in the drops. At one point he almost lost it when his front wheel dropped off the edge of the trail into the grass. I never said anything else and by now had enough and came to my senses. Plus the fact I was suffering to stay on his wheel. I end the stupidity and coast back to cruise mode.

Wide open trail, goof ball passes me on the right, with no room to spare or verbal warning. Ridiculous. I'd be even more hacked nursing a broken collarbone or other injury if this guy took me out. A stupid way to be sidelined for a few weeks. I'm super tolerant of people making dumb mistakes and pretty downright friendly to all, especially on the bike. People who know me would agree. This little moronic maneuver really ticked me off however.

Hopefully he thought it was all worth the risk; while gracing the podium crowning him King of the Burke-Gilman Trail. Race on dude - you're awesome. An awesome idiot.

Crunchy Commute to Bummer Land

Riding home from work today, heading up Eastlake towards the Burke-Gilman Trail, crunching noise emanates from the rear of the steel Ibis, instantly followed by locked up rear wheel. Mr. Derailleur, meet Mr. Spokes. Even though I was in the lowest gear, wasn't even shifting at the time. Damn weird. The results were pretty dramatic....



That my friends, is pretty damn ugly. Wasted '97 era XTR derailleur, chain jammed behind cassette, and severely bent derailleur hanger. It took me awhile to untangle the mess. Plan was to remove the derailleur and convert to emergency single speed to get home. I had all the required tools in my messenger bag. After pulling everything apart, discovered the derailleur hanger was bent enough to rub against the cassette. Incredible. I tried a few cave man methods to bend the hanger back. Insert Dream On by Aerosmith for the correct soundtrack.

A stream of bike commuters buzzed by, since Eastlake is a popular commute route. A few asked if I needed help - including a dude riding a recumbent - I asked if he had an adjustable wrench on him. Score! He had one in his mighty tool bag. The stubby wrench clamped around the hanger gave me the leverage to bend it just enough to clear the cassette. I'll never make fun of recumbent riders again. Well, at least for a few months. Recumbent Dude saved my ass for sure.

Post road side derailleur-ectomy, chain now shortened into pseudo single speed mode, allowing the remaining 15 or so commute miles to be powered by me. Except for the last super steep mile into my neighborhood, that I had to walk; couldn't pull it off with my new "single speed". I was also afraid to really torque on the cranks with the damaged chain, could have easily snapped. That would have just added insult to injury. Or maybe in this case, injury to insult.

Jokes aside, I'm incredibly bummed over this. The entire drive train of this bike needed to be replaced anyway - cassette, chain rings, chain, BB bearings - are all shot. Being tight on dough, I was dragging every mile out of it. Now I've paid the price. Out of all my bikes, this one is the most used by far and my favorite all around bike. It's also the only one currently fitted with fenders, a must for commuting here. Damn, what a pain.

The derailleur hanger is really tweaked, but being steel, think it's repairable. I could probably wrestle it back myself, but I may have a local frame shop perform that operation to be sure everything is back in line. I'll call Davidson tomorrow to get a quote. When I add that cost, plus the drive train replacement, then factor in the flaky left STI old school 8 speed shifter, plus the rear XTR cassette freehub is sticky - a new bike make be cheaper. Ouch.

A new bike in that price range won't be as trick as the old school '97 Ibis Hakkalugi however. I built this bike up in '97 part by hand selected part. The speedo died and was removed years ago. I'm guessing the frame and fork have 20,000+ miles on it. Probably more. Many, many commute rides, some fun rides, and even a 'cross race. It's a damn cool bike. I'll have to weigh out my options.

Bizarrely enough, my carbon Ibis ate a derailleur a few months back, when the replaceable hanger broke off. I've been riding forever and never had this happen on a road bike. Now twice!

I'll wallow in my tears for a short while, then figure something out. Meanwhile, I hope it doesn't rain. Cue up Dream On for an encore...

Back in the Saddle - Part II

To quote an old Aerosmith song, I'm back in the saddle again. Well, commuting saddle anyway. I've been riding on weekends and suffering through the occasional trainer session in the garage; however, the wheels fell off the commuting wagon many months ago. My lamest winter in years. That's been rectified as of today to kick off the Commute Challenge, me being Team Captain of Team Jerckx - that's our official team name - little wordplay on Eddy Merckx. I'd feel kinda lame not rolling it out on kick off day, even if the weather was in the 40s and raining. Yes, a wet 17 miles to work it was.



Commuting Tip #42: Spare PC makes an excellent dryer for wet bike clothes. Disable screen saver and/or hit keyboard throughout the day to keep the heat cranking. Rotate clothes a bit after a few hours for even drying. Presto, warm and dry clothes for ride home. Horrified look on coworkers faces included at no extra charge.

Exhaust fan of PC makes a nifty shoe dryer. Being a Mac fan, I always knew PCs were good for something. Before you get your geek tizzy all lathered up, I've been involved with PC and Mac support for decades now. Pros and cons to both. The old PC does make an excellent shoe dryer however...

The 17 miles home only offered a spritz of rain. I didn't miss the pair of sloshy Sidi shoes at all. Here, my trusty Ibis Hakkalugi rests against a public notice informing peasants a 2 mile stretch of the Burke-Gilman Trail - one of the most used trails in the U.S. - will soon be closed for 6 months for renovations. No detour info provided. Sweet. Besides being my commute route, about a zillion people use this trail on sunny weekends. The summer sounds like a perfect time to close it. Excellent idea. Detours around this will not be easy, since a mixture of confusing and/or busy roads are the only option. For commuting, I'll probably just use the bus lane of the busy road mentioned (no shoulder on this road) and time trial for 2 miles to make it quick as possible. I'm betting other bike commuters will be pulling off the same commando operation.

Now that my commuting slump has been officially busted, let the riding begin. My body says it's February, the calendar says it's May - time to get moving. Ramping up from zero to 170 miles per week (my full commute schedule) takes time. With my lame winter, late start, and Commute Challenge now in full swing - I'll be rushing that pace a bit. It'll be fun and painful at the same time. Let the commuting wheels start rolling.

Snap Goes The Hanger

Super nice fall morning for the ride into work today. Almost 60 degrees, sunny, changing leaves - yes please. As I was cruising along the Burke-Gilman Trail, passed a slightly chunky dude on a cool old school Gios. He jumped on my wheel and I towed him into Seattle. Waiting at a cross street, he pulled up along side and we exchanged greetings - as I watched the sweat drip off his nose.

Gios Dude said he's seen me on the trail before and usually couldn't catch me, now 2 month into riding, held on - didn't know if I got slower or he got faster. I told him he got faster (even though I'm not all that fast myself) - enjoy the day - and with that I continued to work.

Ride home was warm, much cloudier, but no rain. I left my real camera at home, so goofed around with my incredibly cheap cell phone camera. Only interesting shot posted above. I'll mess around with it some more. It's so crappy, puts a interesting spin on the results.

After stowing the cell phone/camera back in the messenger bag, continue home and hit the climb into my neighborhood. It's a decent hill, about 500 foot elevation gain in maybe a mile - it's respectably steep - and something I get to enjoy on every ride. Some days are more "enjoyable" then others.

I'm grinding my way up the hill, in the saddle, and hear a creaking noise with every power stroke - right foot only. With each stroke trying to diagnose what the hell it is - BB bearing gone bad, weird spoke noise, aliens invaded my frame?

It didn't take long to figure it out, just a few more crank revolutions - 'cause that's when my rear derailleur exploded off the frame. WTF? Closer inspection revealed a broken derailleur hanger. Freaky. I'm guessing the aluminum hanger was creaking out it's death song before shearing off. In 25+ years of riding as an (alleged) adult, that's never happened before. Damn strange. Fairly spectacular noise as it blew apart.

I'm about 1/2 mile from home, so just carried the wounded Ibis the remainder of the commute - with Sidi shoes, messenger bag full of junk - and slightly cramping lower back. Fun. I can't really complain though. After years of commuting and riding, my first mechanical meltdown - on the road anyway.

What's wrong with this picture?

Houston, we have a problem.

Lucky for me, the carbon frame Ibis has a replaceable derailleur hanger. I'll order one off the Ibis site tomorrow. I'm guessing with close to 10,000 miles on this rig, the hanger must have been flexing enough to weaken it - would have been much uglier if the frame had broken instead.

Looks like I'll be riding my old school steel Ibis until I get this back on the road. No problem there.

Running is Dangerous - Stick to Bikes

Bizarrely humid in the Seattle area today. You'd think with how damp it can be here, this would be a common occurrence. Not true. It's usually damp and chilly, not damp and hot - like today.

Compared to my east coast roots, it's nothing, but in any case - while riding to work this morning - I'm actually roasting a bit. The pavement is wet, low hanging clouds, sun peeking though in spots. It did make for some cool looking scenery on Lake Washington however.

I risked taking the fender-less Ibis and lost the bet, ground was wet enough to get everything nice and corroded with road grit. Awesome. On top of that, I left home really late, then scored a flat tire on the way in. Nothing more fun then changing a filthy wet tire - that fits stupid tight on the rim. Ah, joy. I then wasted all my water attempting to clean my hands off. I arrive at work pretty late - even for me. I'm making it all sound worse then it was, since I still enjoyed the ride. I guess I'm sick that way.

For the trip home, left work late - cosmic way of leveling things out. I'm almost home, off the Burke-Gilman Trail, and heading up Juanita Drive towards my neighborhood. There's a small bridge to cross, no shoulder, so I usually take the sidewalk - narrow walk with railings on both sides. Sometimes a jogger or someone taking a stroll is on the sidewalk as well, so I need to slow down to allow room to pass.

As I hit the bridge today, it's getting dark, but I can see a woman jogging towards me on the bridge. As we get closer, I slow down for her to pass - then notice blood all over her face, dripping down her jacket and onto the ground. She's actually cupping one hand under face to catch the blood. Yikes. She's a mess.

We stop and I asked her what happened. She loses it a bit and starts crying, said she just fell while jogging and bit through her lip. Her mouth is a bloody sight, dripping all over. I ask her if she needs any help - is her car nearby? Said she's running over to the medical clinic on the corner, since it's closer then running home. Good idea - the clinic is only about 100 yards away - if even that. I tell her it looks worse then it actually is, she'll be fine (I hope) - and she takes off.

I continue my ride home, I'm sure with a few stitches, she'll be okay and running again soon. Ouch.

Ass Kicking 'R' Me

I'm riding home from work today, just left my building - doing a little sidewalk surfing, crossing a street - attempt to bunny hop up the curb, since many pedestrians using the sidewalk and I don't wanna be rude. Small, ancient sewer grate to clear also. I'm moving at a walking pace.

I successfully hop the curb and sewer, though both SPD pedals simultaneously release mid flight. I land straddling the top tube, feet down, SPD cleats skidding across the sidewalk. The nose of my old school Flite saddle impales my tail bone and general ass area. Ouch. Lucky for me, I don't go down.

I casually clip back in and pedal away, like I meant to do that. Sidewalk full of people probably thinking, "Nice going Racer Boy - ha!" Yeah, it was funny, I gotta admit.

About 5 seconds after pedaling away, man - that hurt. My ass and tail bone still hurt hours later. Mighty impressive indeed.

Blood on the Trail

Riding home from work today on the good ol' Burke-Gilman Trail, watched a recumbent cyclist take a nice crash. He was up ahead a ways, but I still had a good view of the festivities. Went down quick on its side and slid a bit down the trail.

Recumbent bikes are weird enough to begin with, so interesting - and yeah, slightly humorous - to see one wad up at speed. This one had the whole windshield and huge plastic aero tail piece shtick going on. To put on my wise ass hat, if these contraptions are so aerodynamic and fast, why do I never see one riding faster then 15 mph?

In any case, I caught up to the guy before he even untangled himself from the smoldering wreckage, as did someone else riding in the opposite direction. Pretty big older dude, baffled as to why he crashed - while he examined his bleeding elbow - dripping nicely by this point.

"It just went down on me", "I'm bleeding like a stuck pig" comments as he stood up. I notice blood smears on the yellow plastic tail section. The other cyclist checks his front tire - totally flat - that explains it. Quick loss of air, washed out front end, recumbent and pilot sliding sideways on pavement. Ouch.

We ask if he needs any help, besides the cut elbow - he looks fine. I mention I'm carrying no spare tubes for that wheel size. I think about patching the tube for him, 'cept I'm in a rush to get home for an appointment - running late as is already.

He says he's okay, will call his wife to pick him up. "Are you sure?" "Yeah." The other cyclist asks again, with the same response. He's got it covered.

With that I take off for home, guilt free. I would have patched the tube if needed, just the way I am. Fellow cyclist is a fellow cyclist - even on a recumbent.

I thought about grabbing a few pictures of the carnage, thought that would be rude - so skipped it. How often do you see a crashed, blood stained recumbent?

Hey, admit it - you'd check out the pics if posted....

Long Way to Work

Earlier riser I am not. This morning however, I was up at 5:00 AM - stupid early for me - partly due to a stiff neck. I couldn't get comfortable, so just gave up and hit the shower. I'm also pretty busy at work and thought I'd get in early for a change. After a slow breakfast and change into bike duds, I was out the door at 6:00 AM or so. Really early for me. Weather was overcast and 56 degrees. Welcome to the Pacific Northwest.

Rolling along to work, kind of tired at first - this being day 6 of riding without a break - I loosened up and felt better. No rush today and I just cruised at a slow 15 mph pace with no effort at all. The Burke-Gilman Trail was less crowded then usual, but still the occasional bike commuter, jogger, or dog walker to keep me company. No pushing it all for this commute, speeds low and sightseeing high. The overcast conditions making Lake Washington look more dramatic. I could hear bald eagles in the trees, their call is unlike any other bird. Bike commuting on the Burke-Gilman, you can't ask for a much better set up. Trust me on that.

When I hit my usual trail exit that dumps me onto Seattle streets, I elected to stay on the trail and continue towards Fremont, a funky - though becoming more developed - part of Seattle. Plan to arrive at work early now canceled. Plan now to use the extra morning time for a longer ride. Yeah, that's the ticket.

I roll through Fremont along Lake Union, go under the Fremont Bridge and continue on the bike path for awhile longer - thinking I'm damn lucky to live here. Seattle is an awesome place to be a cyclist. After a bit, I turn around back through Fremont and over the bridge into downtown Seattle - a different route then I usually take. Nice change of scenery.

Even after my scenic detour, I still get to work a few minutes early and clock a 20+ mile commute. Sweet. A killer way to start the day. I'll have to take the longer route more often. It's worth getting up early for, even with a stiff neck.

Ride on.

The Tour - Rock On

As I'm riding to work today, while sitting at red light in downtown Seattle - this woman to left of me standing on the sidewalk, waiting to cross the street - sees me in my full Euro Geek regalia and yells out "When does the Tour de France start?"

As the light changes, I yell back "July 3rd, Saturday". And with that, she punches the air and yells out "Rock on !!"

Yes, rock on indeed.

Ampco Sucks - Sorta.....

I drove to work on Monday, since I still felt a little pummeled from the race on Saturday. I usually bike commute most of the week, but drive a day or two for various reasons - like from being pummeled in mountain bike race.

I work in downtown Seattle, which means you gotta pay to park - no way around it. This new high rise apartment building opened a up a few months ago, about two blocks from work, complete with spiffy new underground parking. Since it's new and looking to attract customers, they offer a cheap rate - $8 for 10 hours of parking. Yeah, that's cheap for downtown Seattle. I've parked there a few times over the last few months.

Monday, I get stuck at work for a bit, and run over the paid 10 hours. When I get to my car, parking lot dude just got done sticking a ticket under the wiper. I'm 35 minutes over the paid time.

I try to reason with the guy - stuck at work, only 30 minutes over, gimmie a break - no go. Expired is expired. I'm annoyed, toss the ticket into the car and leave. I've been tagged with this maybe twice in 10 years of working downtown - usually something like a $20 fine.

While sitting at a light on the way home, I check out the ticket. $71 for this little round of "expired". Okay, I was late - but a $71 fine for being 35 minutes late on a $8 parking deal, seems a little insane to me. I'm hacked.

When I get home, call the number on the ticket to complain. I get a voice mail box that takes my info and claims it will return my call within 3 business days. I call again the next day and leave another message. Nothing ranting, just stating that $71 seems a little steep. I predict a return call never to happen.

Amazingly, I do get a call later in the day (now that would a fun job, eh?). After a short conversation, the dude on the other end lowers the fine to $35. Still a rip off, but a smaller rip off, if you will. Man, working downtown is fun.

I'm glad I bike commute most of the time. Nothing sticks it to the man like bike commuting - all free, all good, and no $71 charge to park for an extra 35 minutes.

Longboard Commute

Riding to work yesterday morning on the Burke-Gilman trail, I caught up to this skateboarder dude I've chatted with before - but it's been awhile. I slowed down and said hello once again as we cruised down the trail together. I asked him a few questions about his board, a longboard, since it was different then the previous board I've spotted him on. Super friendly guy, and you can see the passion and hear the enthusiasm as he describes his equipment and what he's doing.

And what exactly is he doing? Commuting to work via skateboard, 13 miles each way. That's right, 26 mile round trip. He's also not just paddling along, he's pumping the board side to side to generate movement. Pretty damn cool. Most cyclists just blow by the guy, without batting an eye. Not me, I can't help but to get a buzz just watching him do his thing.

If you think pumping a skateboard 13 miles to work is a little nuts, he also does the STP bike ride every year on a longboard. That's Seattle to Portland for you non Pacific Northwest types. That's 200 miles, pumping a skateboard for 12 hours a day, for 2 days. Crazy, but awesome. Before you shake your head wondering why, plenty of people also wonder why you'd ride a bike for 200 miles, or to work for that matter. Different strokes for different folks.

The dude's name is James Peters and he's also 40+ years old. Being, uh, 40+ myself, I get a big kick out of people "my age" still doing their thing - cycling, skating, skiing, running, surfing - whatever. There's something cool and very inspiring about that, 'cause as anybody in that age bracket knows - it's really easy to let other aspects of life squeeze that out of the picture, but we don't let that happen - 'cause it's part of who we are.

James also has a website, called Pavedwave, that focuses on the longboard and pumping scene. Interesting Seattle Times article on him posted there, along with some great videos. Even if you don't skate, check it out. If you catch him on the Burke-Gilman trail, slow down and say hello, then watch his technique up close.

Part of my interest in what he's doing is from my own dabbling with skateboards. As a kid in the '70s I skateboarded a bit, along with some friends. These were the days of Tony Alva and the Dogtown crew. The images of them skating pools in tube socks and Rector pads are burned into my brain, from the pages of Skateboarder magazine. For an excellent documentary on that era, check out Dogtown and Z Boys. Well worth the couch time.

Later, like 30 years later, I picked up a Sector 9 Longboard and occasionally goof around on it - as do my kids. Nothing serious, skater I'm not. Still, it's fun to play around on it.

In any case, whatever your "thing" is, people like James Peters keep it alive - and that energy spills over to keeping cycling alive for me - my "thing". As I pedaled away from James that morning, I felt even more psyched about riding to work then usual, just from our little chat session. And that kind of energy is priceless.

Bike to Work Day

Like the sign says - Today is F5 Bike to Work Day. F5 is a secret code word for Rainy. Today is Rainy Bike to Work Day. Not quite. Not really rainy, just Seattle wet. No secret codes either, F5 is a local IT related company that's big behind bike commuting. Can't argue with that.

I saw only a slight increase in riders today, probably due to the weather. Still, any increase is a good increase - we'll take it. The more the merrier, even on wet pavement.

Two examples of various stations set up around the Seattle area. Free snacks, maps, water bottles, Cologno frames and bags full of small unmarked bills. I lied about two items, see if you can figure it out.

Water bottles as far as the eye can see.

Fellow Ibis Guy, Mark, hides his Hakkalugi in the bushes while he collects free water bottles.

My Hakkalugi rests comfortably in the wet grass, while I collect free Clif Bars.

On the ride into work, it was a like deja vu all over again, catching up with fellow Ibis Guy Mark and his family riding together. Mark pulling trailer with young son warmly inside, his wife and daughter on a Burley tandem. They were dropping the kids off at school, then riding on to work. How cool is that?

For the ride home, shared the way with Burke-Gilman pal Gordon. Semi-fast cruise and conversation made the commute fly. Not a bad way to get home, eh?

Bike to Work Day is part of Bike to Work Month and that means Commute Challenge. At the moment, my team is officially kicking ass. Out 1600+ teams signed up, we're currently in 13th place overall for mileage. And that my friends, ain't too shabby.

Another week or so left to roll for the month. Most drop out of the bike commute scene after May ends. Some will stick with it. Others, like me, are addicted for life.

Roll on.