
Stevil Kinevil at ALL HAIL THE BLACK MARKET hipped me to this list
www.allhailtheblackmarket.com
thanks Stevil!
Top 50 of the most influential cycling blogs
http://extanz.com
yes... GWADZILLA is in the top 50
along with an awesome collection of links!
this is cool...
it makes sense
it was only a matter of time before someone figured it out
Bike Parking on the Street!
of course...
give the bicyclists somewhere to park their bikes
especially after the revised meter system removed all the posts for people to lock their bikes
very cool!
BIKE STREET PARKING BY WABA
BIKE STREET PARKING AT WABA
WABA
http://waba.org/
Bike to Work Day is approaching
http://waba.org
Bike to Work Day is many things... these may be the main two
1. Applauding ourselves for riding our bikes to work
and
2. Trying to get more people to ride their bikes to work
I would like to see a push for people to get more of people to "try" riding their bicycle to work
Bike To Work Day is the perfect day to make this effort
in the work place bicycle commuting employees could try to push the message
an appropriate email...
a BIKE TO WORK poster hung appropriately with appropriate permission
then Bike to Work literature... also with permission and approval
maybe one on one conversations with people at the water cooler
GET MORE PEOPLE ON BIKES!
this is a day that can get people on bikes
Spread the Good Word of the Bike.
BIKE TO WORK DAY in DC
REGISTER HERE

Stingray on Craig's List
http://washingtondc.craigslist.orgnot vintage... repo
but still way cool
drinking that third cup of coffee... walked the dog... sent the kids off in the carpool to school... getting ready to start my day
getting moving in my morning routine
blogging... which is reading blogs... writing blogs... Internets news... Internet articles... and FACEBOOK
often multiple speed play turns in SCRABBLE... also on FACEBOOK
this morning I saw a posting on Liz Hatch's FACEBOOK page
it was not bike related and it was from CNN
the comments under the post sent me following the link
Death at 25: Blogging the end of a life
http://edition.cnn.com
and Eva's blog
65 Red Roses
thoughts on living with CF
http://65redroses.livejournal.com/
Eva died in March of 2010
sad... this morning I was thinking of Josh Bennett... Josh died of cancer earlier this year
there was a small service hosted by the family for the family
there was talk of something at the 9:30 Club
Lisa and I talked about a Sunday brunch with a small group of friends
it never happened... everyone just got back into the routine of their lives
we need to make something happen
SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL
www.saferoutesinfo.org
this morning I took the boys to school
it is becoming part of our routine... the routine may be temporary
but it is our routine now
easy enough... we drive to school and drop the bikes off
my kids and a nieghbor's kid get dropped off at school along with the bikes
after the drop off I walk the dog
then... in the afternoon for pick up... I ride to school on my bike where I unlock the boys' bikes and we ride home together
IT IS AWESOME!
we can do it... others can do it
more people should make this sort of stuff happen
hopefully my example inspires some of the other families
this morning I was pleased to see one of the parents from my kids' school out front
she was handing out reflective vests for the SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL program
kids love gear... kids love free stuff
these vests are safe and they are smart
my boys will be excited to put these on when we ride our bikes home today
I love that comment... at a school SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL meeting last year I tried to express that we are our own worst enemies
the driving behavior of the kid's parents on pick up and drop off is unexceptionable
CHECK OUT RAY LAHOOD on the taking part in some SAFE ROUTE TO SCHOOL action on Grandparents Day
www.letsmove.gov/blog
Let's Move!
and the notion of making Mountain Biking in Rock Creek Park Legal!
this morning I spent a little time with my older son Dean's third grade class
I had been invited by their teacher Mrs. Ramsey to come speak with the kids about the idea of petitioning to have the hiking and horse trails of Rock Creek Park opened to bicycles
currently the natural surface trails of Rock Creek Park are marked NO BIKES
it was a nice little informal discussion that involved a slide show of various bicycle photographs
lots of photos of my kids and other kids riding on singletrack trails
some photos of kids doing BMX tricks... even some shots of my older son Dean catching a little air... even a few shots of my younger son on the trail-a-bike
I was pleased to see how many kids ride bikes and how many of the kids live near the park and use the trails of the park
it was also exciting to see how the kids responded to all the photos of people riding their bikes on natural surfaces
in this informal discussion I tried to educate the kids about mountain biking
about how mountain biking does not necessarily involve a mountain
in fact... mountain biking is really just riding a bicycle on natural surfaces
there was talk about the differences between a road bike and road cycling and the tires of a mountain bike or a kids bike that is usually modeled after a BMX bike with fatter tires knobbies
how the natural surface trails require the fatter tire and the more rugged bicycle
there was talk about sustainability and the myth that cycling on natural surface trails tears things up
there were some photographs of me racing in mud and splashing through puddles
I explained the to children responsible riding and not riding or abusing wet trails
there was also an effort to dispel the myth that bicyclists and hikers can not get along
talking about how Dean and his family are avid hikers and dog walkers and how we love to "scramble" and do "parkour" as well as ride our bikes on natural surface trails
mountain biking is a sport that involves an ethic and a code of respect
IMBA and MORE were mentioned... as well as some lines from their code of ethics
the respect is for other trail users as well as respect for the trails
there was discussion about how all over the country mountain bikers are able to share the trails with hikers, dog walkers, and horses... why not in Rock Creek Park?
there was also discussion about urban riding and the inherent dangers of riding a bicycle in the city with all the cars
but I did not want to scare kids with that talk about "the worst case scenario"
it was a good little discussion
the seed was planted
the kids are all going to work on a "persuasive essay" on the topic of mountain biking in Rock Creek Park
hopefully they have enough background information to develop their points
in this discussion I spoke about BMX tracks, Pump Courses, and Mountain Bike Trails
it was discussed that there are no natural surface bicycle options within an hour of our house
all of our mountain bike rides necessitate that we load the bicycles in the car and have to drive an hour or more... making what could be a three hour round trip when it would be more sensible to ride the local trails
I spoke about how the city offers facilities for basketball, soccer, swimming, and ice skating but there are no bicycle options
the only options are riding on the streets or in the alleyways
all the kids understood the risk of riding their bicycles in traffic around cars
I also talked about practice and achievement
and how if someone wants to be good at something they need to practice
I asked kids how often they practice for soccer... basketball... or football
the answers were 2-3 or 5 days a week
thus showing the impracticality of having to load the bikes on the car and drive that three hour round trip to get our ride in
there was discussion of the Michelle Obama Let's Move initiative as inspired by one of the students who did a biography on her a month prior
we talked about the hula hoop and the notion of childhood obesity
the kids knew that in this LET'S MOVE initiative Michelle Obama asks that kids exercise for a minimum of 60 minutes a day
we discussed that there just is not enough time in the day to do that drive and a ride so that kids could get their exercise on the bike
but that it would be simple enough if these trails were made legal in Washington DC
I said the NO BIKES sign in Rock Creek Park is like having a chain link fence around a basketball court forbidding kids to play basketball
I said... lets take down those signs
lets make it legal to ride our bikes on the trails in Rock Creek Park
those trails are for everyone... let them be open for everyone to enjoy... even people on their bikes
I am excited to get a chance to read some of their letters to the First Lady
I am equally excited to see what sort of response we get from Michelle Obama
Michelle Obama and her Let's Move Initiative
www.letsmove.gov
Let's Move Dances well with SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL
check out there blog
www.letsmove.gov/blog
Bikes Belong AIMS TO UNITE ONE MILLION CYCLISTS
www.bikesbelong.org
New Bikes Belong campaign aims to unite one million for the future of bicycling
media release
RickyD hosted an informal fixie ride in "the shed"
I meant to post about it... but did not
sorry... dropped the ball... meant to get the word out
looks like the word got out
lots going on
that one slipped through the crack
the videos make it look so fun
they make it look easy
they make it look fun
check it out at BIKECENTRIC
http://bikecentric.blogspot.com
the fixie is not my thing
off road fixie has never really been a consideration for
well... considered it... talked about it... plotted it... then never made it happen
as the fixie is not really my thing... so off road fixie would only make matters worse
but seeing those videos....
reconsideration.
I need to get me a tomicog
I should build a 69er with an old 26er
and set it up FIXED... I have a great bontrager rear wheel of the 26 inch variety
but of course... no 26er
http://tomicog.blogspot.com/
or course I am just talking smack
Anthill Films...
pushing the limits
pushing the limits of film making
pushing the limits of sports films while filming mountain bikers pushing the limits of their sport
Anthill Films
www.anthillfilms.com
watch the trailer FOLLOW ME
totally unrelated... but funny an alleged third grader from a DC Public School's list of 100 types of bitches http://andiamnotlying.com
No News is Good News...
this is an old saying that holds a great deal of truth
especially if your news alerts pertain to bikes
I run a less than sophisticated GOOGLE ALERT on the topic of BIKE
this gives me a daily feed of news related topics that contain the word BIKE
sadly... each day my GOOGLE ALERTS bring me all sorts of stories
why is this sad?
because each and every day there is a short blurb from somewhere in the country where a child has been hit and killed on the bike
these stories pain me
these stories give me grief
these stories build stress and tension
I want to stop reading these stories
I want these stories to stop
well... it is not the stories... it is the incidents I want to stop
the stories are almost always written from the perspective of a car driver
there is always a bit of a slant to it
perhaps I could become the editor of these stories before they go to print
better yet... maybe I could be the Crime Scene Investigator who asks the questions and gathers the facts
I live in the city... I ride my bike in the city... I ride my bike with my kids in the city
when riding with my two boys I try to teach them to ride safely and to expect the car traffic
but honestly... there is only so much I can do
we need car traffic to hold up their end of the bargain
if I were to ask for three simple things of car drivers it would be this
1. LOWER SPEEDS
2. COMPLETE STOPS AT STOP SIGNS AT THE STOP LINE
and
3. GREATER FOCUS ON THE TASK AT HAND (no phone... no texting... etc.)
these three simple things would have a positive ripple effect that would make the streets better for cars, pedestrians, and cyclists
is asking people to behave too much to ask?
it is not that I am asking people to live by the letter of the law
all I am asking is that they behave under the guidance of COMMON SENSE and COMMON COURTESY
ANDY ZALAN: okay... I will refrain from trying to type together his dossier
google him or follow my links bellow if you want any more information
the other day I saw Andy Zalan on the road side as I was rolling about town with the camera
as I made the turn jumping onto H Street towards Chinatown I caught a glimpse of AZ with camera in hand acting a bit snarky
AZ was going his best Gwadzilla imitation
or was that stalkzilla
either way... I was being mocked
mocked... and the art school photographer missed the shot
having the time I rolled onto the sidewalk altering my trajectory for a few minutes of face time with Andy Zalan
little did I know I was going to get the live and in person break down of the 2010 CMWC: Cycle Messenger World Championships
http://www.cmwcguatemala.com/
not since Destination Dublin have I seen this sort of organization in a courier event
honestly... it sounds like an impressive event
the whole gathering sounds like a fantastic opportunity that will most definitely be a phenomenal event

TEN DAYS OF MESSENGER RACING
TEN DAYS OF MESSENGER MADNESS
The CMWC September 3-13th, 2010 in Panajachel, Guatemala
check out the list of events
http://www.cmwcguatemala.com/content/cmwc-events
it was great to see AZ
it is always great to see AZ
it is inspirational to see him put these events together
I can recall him talking about this years ago when DC bid for the opportunity to host this event
the Messenger community is lucky to have someone like AZ so committed to the cause
registration is up
plan early and save a few bucks
interesting that I have not seen AZ at any of the DCMTB DCCX Events
maybe this year I can enlist him to get involved in our last races of the day
there is talk about DCCX having an absolute beginner race and also a single speed race
Gwadzilla Mention of Andy Zalan
Gwadzilla Mention of The Marcus Cook Award
Gwadzilla Mentions of AZ
DC SLICES...
they are on FACEBOOK
they are on TWITTER
DC Slices is on the streets of DC
a rolling gourmet pizza place
http://dcslices.com/
this is an interesting age
an age of entrepreneurial boom
stuff like this is appearing all over
I love this stuff
especially when the product is good
let me tell you... THIS PIZZA IS GOOD!
I give it FIVE OUR OF FIVE SLICES!
THAT IS THE WHOLE PIE!
not only is the pizza super tastee
the experience is fast and fresh
fast and fresh and moderately cheap...
closer to cheap than expensive
that all said after realizing nothing is free or easy in this town
so... if you are stepping out for lunch and you see the DC SLICES pizza truck
give it a try
I tried it... I like it... I will seek it out again
fast... fresh... and affordable
awesome... all that on top of being super tastee?
good stuff... good deal
I will get it again
this reminds me... I was going to try and get him a friend's phone numberright... gotta make that happen
a post on former DCer turned Pittsburgher Lolly Walsh had a post on her blog that inspired this rant
Lolly's Blog
Reimagine an Urban Paradise
http://onenightlemonadestand.wordpress.com
here is the rant that is based off a comment I made on her FACEBOOK page...
I am all for distracted driver laws and I have no issue with laws about cyclists and texting
but things should be better thought out
the car is not a bicycle and the bicycle is not a car
there need to be laws that pertain to them and their differences
not to get into running a stop sign or running a red light
but if there is a thought about the potential worst case scenarios...
well... then it would be clear that their should be different penalties as they are different crimes
yes I said it... bicycles are not cars
no "ah ha!" from the car driver
the roads were not made for cars
well yes... cycling is closer to being a pedestrian than being a car
the law should reflect such
take a measure of the dangers... driving while texting... cycling while texting... walking while texting
the cycling "worst case scenario" is nearly identical to the walking while texting "worst case scenario"
that said... I would like to see people walking on the sidewalk more focused on walking than texting
BOOK EM DANO!
enforcing a texting cyclist before enforcing a texting driver is like prosecuting a BWI before a DWI
a rant for another post
control the car chaos
then ask others to stand in order
until then
we are all just running with the bulls
CONTROL THE CAR CHAOS!
this is the classic post...
a post started but never finished
a post started but never proofed
without a proof... it is tough to bother to hit PUBLISH AND POST
I will give this a quick scan and throw it on the page
not sure if there is any meat to this message... but I figure it should hit the page just as well
some highlights from this post
-Monday
-flat repair clinic given to my kindergarten age son's class
-ran into Mayor Fenty and became his MVP for the day
-sore from racing my bike the day prior
here is what came off the top of my head as I drank that third cup of coffee...
here it is Monday... Monday Afternoon... okay... now it is Monday Night... as I edit time has changed... many moons have passed... this it is Wednesday... Wednesday Morning
started this post but never really got things started... hectic day
not sure if I will try to work this thing out
the moment may be gone
yes... today I was Adrian Fenty's MVP
the morning came on with that shock that Monday often delivers...
ugh! IT IS MONDAY!
everyone was a little slow out of the gate
everyone in the house was questioning if there was just one more day to the weekend
my body was sore from a day of racing my mountain bike on Sunday
while both Dean and Grant were clearly dragging from having sleep overs on both Friday and Saturday this weekend the morning arrived with a little precipitation as the boys got dressed I asked if they wanted to ride their bikes home from school
there was mention of the rain there was no hesitation...
the rain did not offer any threat in fact Dean added that he thought it was fun to get to ride his bike in the rain last week
so it was decided... the boys would ride their bikes home from school which of course meant that I needed to load the bikes into the car
in the garage I am reminded...
GRANT GOT A FLAT LAST NIGHT
one more barrier to over come
with the Honda Element packed with my kids... a kid from down the block... two bikes... and my black dog Brutus we headed across town
down the hill and then up the hill to the kid's school
to assure that Dean gets to class on time I send him off ahead
each time I give him a list of safety instructions for crossing the streets
with the flat tire we walked Grant's bike to school
I offered to take Grant's bike
Grant objected... Grant walked his bike with pride knowing that it would be fixed and he would be able to ride it home from school after I handle the flat repair
in the school I breeze through and say hello to the teachers and give high fives to a large assortment of kids... lots of high fives
then out the door with a mental list of what needs to happen
having scanned the garage for a 20 inch tube the night prior I knew that I would have to buy a new tube or patch the old one
with my fingers crossed I thought I could find what I was looking for at Target
with the dog in the car I headed for the woods
at the corner of Connecticut and Porter I saw some people campaigning for Mayor Adrian Fenty
at a closer glance I saw that one of the people in this gathering was Adrian himself
having the time I decided to stop and say hello
with all sorts of energy and enthusiasm the Fenty supporters worked to get support from passerbys
eye contact and hand shakes then a request for name and email addresses
I got some eye contact and I got a hand shake but I wanted more
I wanted to see if I could plant some seeds
I wanted to see if I could catch Fenty's attention and push for an increase in the pedestrian and bicycle safety campaigns
in between passerbys I chewed Adrian's ear
I was short and concise trying to get a simple message across...
DC A CIVIL CITY
I made mention that DC should not be "the murder capital" we should redefine the DC identity
make DC a better place... make DC Civil... make DC A CIVIL CITY
again I stepped aside and let Fenty shake hands and gather support
then when there were no passerbys.... I stepped back in and chewed his ear some more
there was mention of his father...
then a short discussion of his kids
I spoke about how I was surprised to see his dad driving his car so close to his work
Adrian defended him saying he had to take "the twins" to baseball
after asking their ages I thought... maybe they should ride their bikes to practice and if the streets are not safe enough for the kids to ride their bikes we should work to make them more safe
their mini rally was over I got my two cents in
Adrian called me over as he packed up his gear
with pride Adrian pointed out his SMART CAR and boasted about its excellent gas mileage
then the mayor invited me into his group for one more action
Adrian told me that every day after they pound the pavement they gather like a sports team in a little circle and do a short cheer
I was dubbed MVP and got to lead the cheer
ONE TWO THREE.... FENTY... FENTY... FENTY!
one last hand shake then Adrian directed me to get the email address of his campaign from woman by his side
then we were on with our day
down the hill and into the park
I parked the car at Klingle Mansion and walked the dog on The Melvin Hazen Trail
the woods are lush and green in the foreground I could hear a wide assortment of bird activity if I focused on the birds I could almost drown out the sound of leaf blowers and car horns in the distance
the hike was short there are things that need to get done
exercising the dog is not as vital as it was when he was young
with the dog still in the car I headed to Target in search of a 20 inch inner tube
with no list drawn up I focused on a few things... first the inner tube... then Mentos and 2 Liter bottles of soda
after that... anything in between is fine
BONUS! they had the tubes I was looking for
DOUBLE BONUS! SODA AND MENTOS ARE MARKED DOWN
the science fair project is not going to be that costly... just very sticky
yes... Dean and I are going to try and do something with the Mentos-Soda Bottle Fountain as his science fair project
shocked that I spent nearly 200 dollars on nothing I left for home
before I could unpack the groceries I got a call it was my wife Lisa telling me she had forgotten to put the promised chili in Dean's lunch
so I heated up some chili, filled up a thermos with chili and macaroni, and headed back to the kid's school
bringing what I needed to repair Grant's flat tire
at school I was greeted by another 100 high fives
the boys were stoked to see me
Grant was so stoked to see me that I asked his teacher if I could give an instruction on "how to fix a flat tire..."
the tutorial went well
we started off with some basic Q&A.... "who has a bike? who knows how to ride a bike? who rides a bike with training wheels? who rides a bike without training wheels?
then there was a breakdown of the bike... again some Q&A... which of course is a dangerous thing as all the children have a vital anecdote that they feel is related to the topic at hand
being the soccer coach for a number of these kids there were children who wanted to tell me about soccer...
we tried to stay on task... but we also did not want to rudely shut anyone down
the flat was repaired and the children were still well entertained from the talk about the parts of the bike and the right tool for the job
we moved to bicycle safety
there was talk about helmets
there was talk about the dangers of cars
I could have talked all day... but I needed to wind things up and do some stuff before it was time to pick them up
I was pleased with my impromptu presentation it all seemed like good preparation for Wednesday's presentation to my older son Dean's class
on Wednesday I am meeting with Dean's Class to lead an advocacy session each student in the class is going to write a letter to Michelle Obama and the MOVE IT campaign to try and get mountain biking in Rock Creek Park legal
once home I unpacked the stuff from Target and did a few things... not much time before I had to get on my bike and ride across town to ride home with the boys
the boys were nothing short of stoked to be able to get on their bikes after school
the ride home is not always direct
we often extend the ride or tool around on the bikes on the way home
the journey is the destination
that was Monday... just one day
a day among many days
the rest of the week would deliver more of the same
http://www.fentyreelect.com/
http://www.letsmove.gov/