from the looks of it
she has the lungs but not the legs to be a great cyclist
the photos are a high gloss production
that is april
february is nice
why not june?
definitely july.
do not skip july
you have gone this far
you might as well check out november
how is that a calendar?

oh
I didn't see the numbers

if mechanics looked like this... I would bring my bike by the shop more often

no... I did not make that collage/collection
no I was not lucky enough to take those pictures
found them here
cyclepassion

rained all day... no bikes in the alley

grantman cruising without a helmet
against the rules
but it happens
especially when he is playing musical bikes

powers for good rather than evil

a friend of mine went to law school
actually... a number of friends of mine went to law school
I am not so bright
thus... no need for me to go to law school

a friend peter has decided to use some of his powers for good rather than evil

Dear Cycling Friends,

I'm thrilled to announce that scbikelaw.com is live!

The site is designed to be a legal resource for SC cyclists. Please take a look and send me your comments.

It will get better over time, with more information about laws and advocacy. Especially concerning the great work of Natalie and Paul of the Palmetto Cycling Coalition to improve SC bike laws. And the local work of Charleston Moves

Bike to work!

Peter

P.S. Robert Prioleau and others from Blue Ion and Tom Jeffrey and Brady Waggoner from Hook are responsibile for this site. These guys are the BEST!

peter-
that is good stuff
-gwa monster out

bike blog new york style

a bike blog new york style blogs about a pittsburgh alley cat
bikeblog.blogspot.com

fast guys blog too

.



stole this from
RIDE WITH NICK MARTIN

stole this from timmyp

stole this from timmyp
as I told him in his comments
(comments all the way in colorado)
I told him that I like to capture myself in the reflections
in one of the images posted earlier bellow I tucked myself in the doorway

this is a fun one

parkour
love how this unfolds
the music
the action
it is beautifully composed
dispersion
parkour video

izzy wants to learn to ride a bike

izzy wants to learn to ride a bike
there is all sorts of talk about the with training wheels and the without training wheels
I think you may want to follow this lead and start the training wheels method

google instructional video
izzy... do you speak japanese?
izzy
(I thought that izzy had moved, but she did not update her profile and she certainly would have some new photos of her new friends if she had moved)

thought this was nice as I walked to get lunch

sometimes I walk at lunch
sometimes I walk to get lunch
sometimes I just walk

at work... speed/effieciency/skill

not sure if I posted this collection

tonight's ride.... well, this afternoon's ride

today I went in early... real early... tomorrow I need to be in by 7am so I better throw this down quick
to out early and went out for an endurance dirt loop that I do from time to time
okay, I do not do it as often as I would like or as often as I should
but... today I was excited to be able to fit this endurance dirt loop into my day
I need some miles on my mountain bike
any miles
my body needs to grow familiar with this bike again
the positioning of the legs
the balance of the upper body

this post work ride was not decided as I left work
to a certain degree most post work rides are dictated by what bike I have selected in the morning
it can take some planning as bikes may need to be prepped or tunned
so my geared Karate Monkey had to be ready to ride to work if I wanted to ride it after work

things panned out as planned
got out of work after my straight eight
got straight on the bike

went down that same old path down M Street
that same street that takes me to so many biking options

on this day my trajectory was clear
I went down to the Capitol Cresecent Trail, moved onto towpath along side of the the C&O Canal, then over the foot bridge off the towpath then up the trail to MacArther Blvd
across the one lane bridge
across the road and through the parking lot towards the toddler park
I immediately dismounted and started a little hike-a-bike on the most technical section of the cabin john trails

it was a good up and back
it felt great
the pace was not fantastic
there was a great amount of warm up an equal amount of cool down
with some tastee singletrack stuck in the middle
not as much single track as I would have liked
but I was working on a time budget
rolled into across the start line in roughly three hours and then finished the pedal home
the legs could feel it
it felt good

got home and lisa and I took the dogs and the boys into the woods
dean brought some climbing rope
he wanted to climb a tree
there was this big search for a tree to climb
there was this big thing that the rope had to be slung over his shoulder
we eventually found a tree or two for the rope and some climbing
one little tree hung in such a way that I tied a loop at the base of the rope
allowing the boys to stand in the loop and swing
it was over leaves
I spotted grant pretty close
gave dean some space

the hike was good for me after my ride
not just good for my body
but good for my soul

the other evening has a moment of humility and an moment of fear

the other day after work I had a moment of humility and a moment of fear

after work I looked at my watch and rolled out of the office all energize to make the mose of my commute home
the spring day was at it district best
amazing temperature for a town that is either uncomforably hot and humid or extremely wet and extremely cold for a good portion of the year
so days like this are to be appreciated

the glance at my watch had me thinking I had roughly an hour of riding before I had to meet up with the family at home
as I rolled in the thick traffic down M Street I decided my course
this route leads to many options
there are many car free options
the car free options tend to be my prefered routes

the capitol crescent and mount veron trail each sounded appealing
the canal can be a pleasure when the moment is right
then the memory of my chance meeting on the morning commute with fellow dcmtb/city bikes mountain bike team member matt
matt was headed to work after hitting the hills in rock creek park
while I was dressing my kids and walking my dogs he was hitting the hills

the hills of rock creek park would be my afternoon destination
a destination that is not far from my house so the hour work out fits in
although it only offers for a few times up and down the rolling hills
the hills are not steep and the hills are not long
but the hills are wooded and beautiful and moderately bicycle friendly

the rock creek bike path along rock creek parkway along rock creek through rock creek park took me there in a dash
as it is all not very far from downtown
once on the hills I rolled up the hills
my pace was good
spinning in the saddle
not rolling backwards
so good for me
I did the hills twice

on my second hill up and back I felt a tad smug
smug that a female in her red and white riding get up did not bridge the gap
the gap was increased
as I worked my way back up for a third up and back I recognized a body screaming down the hill
the yell was not heard
so I turned around and chased at an unimpressive speed down the winding curve

at the base of the hill I made contact with fellow dcmtb/city bikes mountain bike team member evan
evan and I made small talk
but rather than stand and chat I asked evan to turn off the power meter and take a slow one with me
we took the hill at a casual conversation pace
a little slower then I usually go

we went up and rounded back
a variation of what I usually do... but more logical in some ways and it goes up and back
rather than up and down before going back
as we rode we saw some deer and some other cyclist
once back at our original desination we spoke for a moment then realized the time
we should be riding before we headed back
so we got ready to ride
with a glance at the watch I felt like I could squeeze in one more ride

I told evan to do his thing
he told me he was going to take off
so we nodded and evan took off
I decided I would try and take off with him
in too easy a gear and riding in the saddle evan pulled away fast
so I dropped it a few gears and got out of the saddle
the distance between us was holding true
we were moving at the same pace
I did not think I could catch him
but i felt that I could pull in behind him

so we pedaled
I thought for a second... this is how long? how much time is that? how much time had passed?
I slowed my pace
I turned around
20 seconds had not passed
we had not clearned the first curve
I was ready to blow up
I let him go
I used the hill to carry my bike
pushed the pedals towards home

feeling a little pumped
not so much humiliated
just seeing more reality then I usually like to see
I took the energy from that moment and recovered from my over expendeture and hit the hill in front of my house a few times
sure it made me arrive home a few minutes later than expected
but I could not resist

as I entered the back gate the boys were getting ready to exit
guess they were all headed out after an afternoon snack
I went in to change then returned to hang with the boys as lisa walked the dogs
dean and grant were out on their bikes
grant at two doing quite well starting and stopping on his little bike with training wheels
while four year old dean was enjoying about the seventh day of his first week with the training wheels off

it is an anxious affair watching your children do certain things
watching a young boy discover his limits is a very difficult thing at that
watching them jump off obstacles that may be high
watching them ride their bikes faster than they can control

both the boys were full of smiles and an inch closer to crashing than I like
trying not to be too protective of a parent I try to give them space
only to interfer when I feel I must
only to give occasional guidance rather than excessive coaching
as I am forced to spot grant down the slide grade to the alley behind our house
my being by his side is not only to slow him down
but also to monitor for cars entering the alley
people can drive a bit too fast coming down the alley
some people have unknown business and may not expect children in our alley whidh dead ends into the woods of rock creek park

with grant at my side I hold his shirt as I run along side of him
he giggles and takes his feet off the pedals
he is accustom to pushing the tricycles up the little driveway hills and riding them down
I try to explain to him that on the bicycle you can keep your feet on the pedals
and then you can us the pedals to stop
I try to demonstrate by backpedaling the cranks with his feet still on the pedals

dean rolls up the hill getting out of the saddle to get up a few more feet before he turns around
still not fully comfortable without training wheels he allows the bike to stop pointing up hill
then walks the turnn around

with grant pedaling down the flats I watch as dean grins his way down the hill
going down the hill is not enough of a thrill
for some unknown reason he feels compelled to wiggle the handlebars back and forth
he is getting wild
I try to instruct him not to get so wild

some time passes
grant has needed a few pushes to get started from a stop
grant has switched between bike and trike a few times
there may have been a discussion about the helmet
grant never wants to wear his helmet
daddy wears his helmet
dean wears his helmet
grant wears his helmet
well... those words arenot always enough
there can be a fight some times

dean crashes
he is down the block a few garages
it was not a bad crash
he is tangled in the bike
I give him a shout
I give him a way

I get a shout and a wave back that he is okay
he is back on the bike
he is a touch kids
he works his way up and back a few times
there is some wildness
there are some near crashes

at the back gate to my house I hear the sound of the dogs coming up the wood stairs
mommy is back from her hike
I walk towards the gate
dean comes screaming down the alley towards us
he starts with the wiggling of his handlebars
turns out he is showing off

sure enough he gets wild
he gets out of control and crashes
this time is different
the speed and the direction of the crash
and how he hit
face first
a serious face plant

lisa runs over with me a few steps behind
I intercept him
not sure how
not sure why
before the tears there is some serious heavy breathing
a list of questions
as I clutch him close he tells me he wants his training wheels back on
without being too unsympathetic I try to explain that he crashed because of the wild wiggling of the handle bars and not due to not having training wheels off
we did not argue
then his very red face let out some very big tears
then some bawling

as I rush towards the house with my son in my arms
I check over his body for tender points and areas of injury
as I touch his arms and his legs
dean tells me it is his face
by this time we are inside and I am trying to get him to drink some cold water so we can rinse the blood out of his mouth
the cold water is not to his liking
too much heavy breathing and tears

there are a whole lot of questions coming from this small little four year old
I try to interpet his questions and his thoughts
so much of a child's fears are their lack of understanding that certain things will pass
experiencing something for the first time can be scary
getting hurt can be scary
dean is convinced that he lost a tooth
I had scanned his mouth
but outside when it was filled with blood
now after a little sip and spit... just like at the dentist
I take a look at his mouth
I go through his mouth tooth by tooth
dean tries to tell me where the tooth is missing
he tries to touch it
it is not missing
but it is loose
I try to explain to him that the tooth is attached and held by the gums
I try to show him my gums and then assure him that it will tighten up
I also tell him that I have experienced this same thing many times and I know that it is usually better the next day

we sit down for pizza
dean still a little shaken sits in my lap
it is vace pizza
we got a medium white pizza and a large pepperoni
pepperoni is his favorite
he is not going to eat anything
he is not sure about eating with his loose tooth
there is no arguement
he would eat if he were really hungry

that was a few days ago
since then dean has ridden his bike without training wheels
he has also ridden a neighbors tricycle and a neighbors bike with training wheels
he is four and I am very proud of him

parkour

parkour... it is interesting that it is given a name and a philosophy
then again I never saw it as a focus
urban obstacles were just part of our crossing town
but the world of parkour has taken crossing town to a whole nother level
parkour is like a sport
in the same way that skateboarding can be a social activity and a sport
only without the board

what is interesting about parkour and the sub culture that surrounds it is the existence of a modern day paradox
while parkour takes no equipment what so ever... just your body and the surroundings
it seems that documenting the action seems like part of the excitment

parkour is so simple it is virtually timeless
yet there are these kids that take still photos and video then make mini-movies on their computers
it is the wonderful modern cross of high tech and low tech
and a great deal of it is really cool
the music, the edits, and the tools used to create the record is all very high tech

my four year old is hooked
we have not made a movie yet
he and his buddy have already been pushing me
I need some more little mpegs
then I need to figure out iMovie
oh
and I need to keep my four year old from jumping off something too high
while I need to try and keep my 2 year old from jumping at all

here is GOOGLE VIDEO RESUTLTS for Parkour
the music and the edits really capture the energy in some of these short videos

reminder: washcycle

.
just a reminder to cyclists in the dc area
the WASHCYCLE has vital news and information that may effect your cycling future

check it out!

run forest run

lance armstrong is scheduled to run the New York City Marathon
in an interview with lance he was quoted saying...

“I’ve been training some, but I wouldn’t call it serious. It’s just something to fill a void in my life after I quit competing as a professional cyclist.”

MSNBC
(news shared with me from my brother)

sami moves west...

the gravitational pull of the west coast has dragged two more cyclists to the west
sami and john have gone west
I would guess that Izzy is gone as well

sami is keeping a racing diary at SPOKEPOST.com
not associated with SPOKES magazine

looks like Izzy is without an Internet connection in the west
check out Izzy's Blog just the same
some great images
Izzy is sort of cute
bummer I never linked her up with my buddies Roscoe and Brutus

while we are on the topic

while we are on the topic of the dangers of living
here is a gwadzilla archive from roughly a year ago
last year was a difficult year for me and the bike

in my first race I crashed on the first rock... the tale of the race and the injury are at the archived page
(I did finish the race... fixing a flat was a bitch with a dislocated and broken index finger on one hand)

then in the fall... on my first off road ride on a new cross bike I dislocated my shoulder
ouch!
that is two trips to the Emergency Room in six months
proving that after one injury... you do not get knocked off the list for mishaps/accidents/crashes

and
a great gwadzilla archive (#3) with some messenger photos from December of last year
(some good shots of Cargo Mike and his Cargo Bike... as well as a kid on a kruiser)

all these pages are worth a look
take a glance
when I get a break I will blog about the present day

dc streets

cyclist down

we are all brothers on the bike
this is not a solidarity that demands a smile or a wave at each passing
but when another soldier goes down
I think that we should all pause for a moment

I am back from my pause

megan ann of of chainsaw panda on a bike in austin posts about a friend on the bike who was the victim of hit and run
the end of a story that no one ever wants to hear

ride of silence

checkers is safer than javolin catching

the fact is the second you get off the couch out from in front of television then out your front door
well... the odds of something happen to you increase
there are various activities and interests that increase the odds of something happening
by something happening I am in this case refering to injury

years ago I was enjoying the pleasures of snowboarding on a healthy regular basis
there were times when I would be carving this massive gs turns at maximum speed and I would slam to a panic stop halt and remind myself that I did not have health insurance
then I would point it down the hill and put it out of my mind
the skill... the risk... and the danger all grew and accelerated together

the snow was good and the freedom to try stuff increased
with the increase in trying new things there were those elevated risks
seemed like a number of people were getting hurt
I was riding the chair with one guy that spent his summers at mount hood and his winters in summit county
we were going to take a few runs together as we happened to run into each other at the chair
as we road the old falcon chair up peak ten we talked about the options, our directions, our intention
the burn sounded good
but a hike up to billy's bowl may have been the choice
as we scanned the runs benieth of us there was a site

a bad site.... a man down... patrolers alread on the schen
it did not look good
the guy by myside immediately recognized the downed rider
I knew the name but did not know him well
he was there with his board still on his feet
his body on one side of a tree and his leg on the other
still connected but clearly a broken femer

the dangers are known
the risks are part of the game
no one would wish such an event upon anyone
it sucks for someone to get hurt doing the things they love
the injury in itself is a bummer
but the inability to part take in the passion that brings such pleasure may be a bummer of greater weight
to watch your friends go on without you

no it is not the end of the world
but... it is a bummer

last week a friend broke his clavicle
hopefully this is no more than a speed bump in the road of life for him
as I tried to tell him
he is a cyclist for life, not just for one season
hopefully he meands up quickly

I need to give this Sopranos my full attention

google PARKOUR
some cool stuff
even better... GOOGLE VIDEO PARKOUR
when we were teen agers.... that is so much like how we spent out time
both in the city and in the woods
but we lacked the cool french name and well... weren't doing flips and any of that real crazy stuff