My favorite photos from 2010

I didn't take nearly as many photos last year as I have previous years. I spent 1/3 of the year unemployed and a lot less time on the bike total. I also got a better camera built into my phone. It's nowhere near as good as my trusty Canon point and shoot, but I think I generally took "worse" pictures this year than in years past because I didn't always have the Canon on me. Here are my top picks from 2010, in no particular order.

Coming home from a family reunion in Nebraska while I was laid off, I snapped this and desaturated the background.


My wife and I saw this Garden Spider on a fishing trip at a nearby lake. If you haven't figured it out yet, I kind of like spiders.


Snapped during The Crystal Method DJ set that I went to with commuterDude a few months ago, I hit this guy with a quick, medium-powered flash on a long exposure in a very dark part of the club, capturing something like 2-3 seconds worth of tracer from the multi-colored LED he had on a string.


I tested bikes for 3 different manufacturers in 2010: The Swobo Baxter, the KMI Urbana and this one, the Wabi Special fixed gear. While I don't have any one that's more favorite than the others, I can say this one was the most transformative for me.


And while we're at it, I really did like the way the Urbana tackled anything in its way while having that European utility bike look with big, industrial welds and massive, blight-be-damned tires. I can't think of one picture that captured its essence better than this one.


Rowdy was a really old guy. Half Golden Retriever and half Chow, he started having hip problems a few years ago as both those breeds often do. He put us through a scare in February with an infection in his leg, and then had to be put to sleep a few months ago. He was 60 pounds of muscle and fur with the bark of a ferocious beast, the disposition and playfulness of a little puppy and a giant heart of gold.


I took this a few days ago with my wife's old phone (with yet a better camera than the LG Env3 I've been using most of the year) and I like it. This phone takes better macro shots than my old phone did. I really need to learn to carry my Canon around more often, though.


Taken at the beginning of one of the longest days I've had at work in a while, it's hard not to love the colors of autumn.


One of the first things I had to do at my new job was reprogram a bunch of barcode scanners for our warehouse.


Chris moved to the Philipines last year. Before he moved, we took off one an impromptu Dark-Side Ride through Mill Creek Streamway Park. This was taken in a corrugated steel tunnel that goes under the railroad tracks near 91st and Woodland Road, illuminated only by our rear blinkies. I miss hangin' with ya, pare!

October Recap

Man, what a month! Pretty much the usual commute thing, not much other riding. A little bit of driving to take care of some bizarre errands here and there that just couldn't be accomplished any other way.

Today, we turned the keys in for our old apartment. It seems like I've spent the last 3 weeks doing nothing but busting my ass at work, only to come home and bust my ass packing things into boxes, cleaning the old place up, moving boxes between apartments, unpacking those same boxes, organizing things and deciding what's going to remain boxed up for now. I'm a bit of a packrat. I gave away or discarded literally half a ton of random kipple that's been crowding my closets during the process of moving this time.

A lot of what's left had no rhyme or reason to how it was stored, with half a dozen large plastic bins all full of random computer, photography and bike stuff. Most of last week was spent finding a place for every thing, or a thing for every place, but I'm finally satisfied with how stuff is organized. Audio/Visual cables and hardware is finally stored in one thing. Networking stuff in another. Wall Warts and Power Bricks together. Bike parts together. I even have a 5 gallon pail completely full of ethernet patch cables. At least now I have a bunch of small messes of related items rather than one big mess sprawled across many different containers. I can't help but think I need to jettison some more of it, but you never know when you'll need an AUI to UTP transceiver balun or a NuBus Ethernet Card. Oh, wait. I needed one of each last week. Yes, really.

My plan for completing the 100 Pushups program fell completely apart as I encountered nights where I averaged 4 hours of sleep after an eight hour day working and an equal amount of time spent on moving tasks. The balance of my day was taken up by everyday boring stuff and a bike commute to keep me sane.

I'd imagine I have another week or so of getting settled in.

Putting additional stress on things, I barely listened to any music in October. Music gets me through things, and there just wasn't time to put the headphones on and get into the zone at work. And at home... you already know.

At any rate, I'm stoked for what November will bring. Stresses at work and at home are settling down. The temperature's falling, and we're going into one of my favorite times of the year to ride.

Getting ready to camp, August Recap

I usually prepare for camping or backpacking a few days early. We're doing the S24O Sunday into Monday and right now it looks like a relatively small turn-out. That's fine with me either way.

I don't know if I ever wrote about it here, but a while ago, Planet Bike sent me their "Keep On Keeping On" rack, a lightweight, strong utilitarian bike rack weighing in at just over a pound but being rated to carry 55 pounds. I've been using it since June, but never have gotten around to really loading it up. It doesn't have a spring-clip (sad panda) but otherwise, it's got the features I like. You know, like rear supports that don't turn my panniers into spoke-food?

I figured I'd load up my stuff (click to see an annotated version of what everything is)


And make sure things were all good:


Looks like all systems are go. Then, I found out that my wife would like to spend all weekend camping. So we'll be heavy camping (propane, coolers, etc) Friday and Saturday, too.

I found out cDude was planning on cooking over campfire. That's not a bad plan, but the wood you can buy at Hillsdale lake is usually green, uncured wood that's nearly impossible to start. I told him I'd rig up a penny stove to see how he likes it. Just in case. The end result was one that uses the jets coming out the side so that the pot can simply rest directly on top of the can for support.



Crappy composite, I know... but it shows how it works.


It brought 2 cups of water to a boil in about 4 minutes. It's certainly not a world record, but it's faster than the one I made last year.


The thing I love about these soda can stoves is that you just need 2 cans, a razor or pair of scissors and a finishing nail or small drill to make them. Well, and a penny or some other round metal object to act as a pressure valve over the filler hole. The fuel is really the most expensive part. Mark my words: knowing how to make these things will make you a hot commodity during the zombie apocalypse. Or something.

As for August... it was awesome and crappy all at once. I logged 275 miles commuting, and more for errands. I didn't have a cyclometer the entire time. I'm pretty sure I got more than 300 miles total this month. I'm not too worried about counting them this year, though. The mornings have been stellar:



The afternoons have been everywhere between the 70s and over 100 degrees, with one day sporting a heat index near 120! Multiple traffic closures and detours have slowed I-35 down to a slog. In the mornings when I'm riding along I-35 and with the direction of traffic, I'm often riding faster than the cars on the highway are moving, for extended periods of time. This has, of course, resulted in a lot of motorists rat-running the highway and opting for the side-streets such as the ones I use to get around.

Also, some old guy on a $2,800 Serotta Colorado keeps passing me every morning. At least he's friendly, but yep, I'm still slow.

August Tunage on heavy rotation:
First State - As You Were
Gravity Kills - Guilty
Barlow Girl - Enough
Golan Globus - Blazer (2005 Radio Edit)
Burn In Noise - Raca
God Lives Underwater - Rearrange
Stabbing Westward - Save Yourself
Duran Duran - Ordinary World
Grand National - Talk Amongst Yourselves (Sasha Involver Remix)
Madonna - The Power Of Goodbye
First State - Reverie

Dark Side Ride Recap

I think we had a total of 13 riders, including one who's new to the full-distance dark side rides (he came to the cave ride too!) and to cycling in general. I think he's hooked.

I saw this right before I went on the DSR. Confident in the Hard-Case's abilities, I rode on it anyway, without any problems. I replaced it Sunday night. This tire had about 3,700 miles on it without a single puncture. The tire on the front is now up to 7,400, also without a single puncture since I put it on.


It's hard to put into words exactly what's so awesome about riding a bike at night. Having only a narrow cone of light ahead of you seems to intensify all of your other senses. Nature's noises and the subtle susurrus of mechanized synergy jump out at you. Variances in temperature and humidity surprise you more. Crisp air off the streams, putrid vapors of roadkill and skunk, earthy tones from nearby gravel roads and the distinct smell of recently-mowed grass fill the nostrils.

All the while, you can be cruising with a small group of people and no one says a word for miles, then spend the next half hour talking about hobbies non-stop. The DSR rides tend to vary a lot in pace. On this particularly cool (for August) evening, some people were hammering just to stay warm. We always re-grouped, though. This was taken at 195th and Holmes.


And then the turn-around point in Belton


I'm not sure if this morning was a record low or not, but I don't ever recall needing a windbreaker in August. September will be truly bizarre. I logged a puny 250 miles this month.

Final update: One Ton Paceline S24O: Camping at Hillsdale

We have less than a week to go, so here's how it'll go down Saturday (July 25th, 2009)

Those who care to follow me can meet at the Lenexa Senior Center (Santa Fe Trail Drive and Pflumm just north of 95th St) at about 11:30 AM. We'll take Santa Fe Trail Drive / KC Road to Ridgeview, down to 159th and backtrack over to Mur-Len.

We will all try to meet at Price Chopper at 159th and Mur-Len and leave there at 1:00 PM. At 10 MPH or so, people joining me in Lenexa will probably arrive at Price Chopper with time to spare for bathroom breaks, snacking, or topping off bottles. We'll continue south from there, probably on Mur-len.

Here is an updated map, but we'll take Mur-Len south to 175th and then cut back over to Ridgeview, probably.

Recap:

• Lenexa Rendezvous: Meet at Lenexa Sr. Center, depart 11:30 AM
• Southern Olathe Rendezvous: Meet at Price Chopper, 159th and Mur-Len, Depart 1:00 PM

If you plan on joining us at any other point along the way, let me know in advance.

For those who've asked, this one is going to be rain-or-shine. The extended forecast isn't terribly reliable this far out, but it doesn't look like rain. Either way, I'm camping.

I'll have my phone on. If you have any questions leading up to this or along the way, don't hesitate to call (but e-mail probably works better throughout the week).

Obviously, I'm not giving my mobile number out over the Internet. If you need it and plan on attending, let me know ASAP.

March Recap: Wind

This was the month of March according to Weather Underground's log of wind speed and gusts. This pretty much sums up the whole month. I really don't have anything else to say that this graph won't convey to you.


Karen and I took the A bus out of town. We fought 30+ MPH headwinds for the last leg of the trip (about 3 miles for me).

In Kansas, spring is either very cold or very windy. Sometimes both. Never neither.

Five favorite rides of '08

Kelly over on Dailymile posted the question:

What are your top 5 workout / racing moments of 2008?

Well, given that I don't work out, nor do I race, I opted to go for my five favorite rides of '08. How's that sound?

5. Back in January, I had a beautiful snowy ride home, where the snow on Turkey Creek Trail hadn't been touched recently and my tires seemed to float on cottony, flocculent snow. It was awesome.

4. That last Dark-Side Ride. What an adventure, and so much participation! It's kinda tied for 4th with the June Moon Ride. I just love night rides.

3. My failed 200k attempt earlier this month. It got me a lot of miles, and even more smarts. I'll take away a whole bunch of knowledge and experience from that ride that will help me in the future.

2. My personal coldest full commute a week ago. Although it was less than 15 miles, it taught me a lot, including the fact that it really is easy to stay warm (perhaps too warm) on a bicycle in Kansas City. That, and it was cool to see another cyclist out in it.

1. The successful 200k in June. When I started riding in September 2006, if you would have asked what I thought about the prospects of a ride of this distance, I would have told you that you're nuts. Getting a Century ride out of the way was actually a legitimate concern of mine going into 2008. It was a goal I had to work very, very hard for.

What are some of your favorite rides from '08?

Top Ten Content in 2008

Seems like my product reviews and Tricks Of The Trade are quite popular. Going over 2008's statistics, these were the most popular posts of mine this year (some were not written in 2008)

I have no idea how many people have gone out and bought (or avoided at all costs) the products I covered after reading my review, but I do know how many thousands of people have looked at them this year.

1) DiNotte 200L review
I tried pitching Rob Skaff at DiNotte to see if I could try some other DiNotte products on a review basis only (i.e. I would even send the demo units back) He never responded. This was far and away the most popular page on this site in 2008, particularly after the Daylight Saving Time switch-over.

2) Park Tool MTB-3 review
I bought the first one, and Dave got me a replacement after mine got stolen. It's come in handy on my own commute, as well as for helping others on the road side. I don't leave home without it.

3) Genuine Innovations Ultraflate review
Most of the problems I had with the Ultraflate are no longer an issue with the Ultraflate 2. I should probably do a follow-up.

4) Make your own studded ice tires
I'd only recommend doing this if you live somewhere that you won't actually ride directly on pavement for a sustained period of time. They work great on ice and hard-pack snow. They don't do any better than knobbies on loose snow, and they're down-right wretched on pavement. While it had a lot of hits for the cold season early in 2008, this posts's popularity has skyrocketed again in the past couple of weeks, boosting it to #4.

5) Mac Luv
Okay. I have no clue why this one keeps getting consistent traffic. It gets hit several times per day from image search engines.

6) Banjo Brothers Saddlebag review
The initial review was good, but later on, I started having a lot of problems keeping the seams from pulling apart. I still have them, but rarely use them. They've been to the seamstress a few times to get repaired.

7) Bontrager Hard-Case Tire pseudo-review
Conclusion: Good for commuting, bad for racing.

8) From the readers: Cold weather gear
This is a relatively new post that took off in popularity after I wrote it. A lot of people search for cold weather cycling attire, apparently.

9) Drying your grimy shoes
I had something to do with this, as I posted about it on CommuteByBike with a link to this post. That's where most of the traffic came from

10) My 1-year commute-a-versary post
Sadly, most of the hits come from people looking for weight loss from bicycle commuting. I didn't lose any significant weight in 2008. I came into 2008 a Clydesdale, and I'm going to leave 2008 a damn-near-clydesdale.

200k Attempt - Part One

It went kind of like this:

I had 2600 last night. Usually, this keeps me out until 11pm or midnight. Not last night. I got home around 8:00PM and started preparing stuff: Making PB sandwiches, charging batteries, checking the forecast, dumping out the panniers and packing them with what I wanted to carry along. That kind of stuff. I also had to do a load of laundry so I could take a spare base layer with me in case I started to soak through one. Charging batteries and laundry kept me up until about 10:00. I got to sleep around 10:30.

I could have gone with one pannier, but decided to balance the bike. With me in pannier #1:

• All the tools I carry on my commute: CO2 inflater and 4 spare carts, inner tube, patches, tire levers, multi-tool, Zogics CitraWipes
• A pair of two-year-old, never-used Hot Hands chemical warmers
• Five half-PB sandwiches (folded over with PB)
• A small bag of assorted crackers
  

Pannier 2:

• 32-ounce flask of Grape Gatorade - BLECH! I hate this flavor. Never again.
• Dry clothes: windbreaker, wicking long t-shirt & long johns, cycling shorts, gloves, socks

Since I moved the tools to the pannier, I re-purposed my Trek SideLoader wedge as a camera carrier for my small point-and-shoot, and had a Polar Bottle (water) and stainless bottle (coffee) in the bottle cages.

I could have traveled a bit lighter. I didn't touch the spare gloves, shorts, or base-layer. I didn't need all the sandwiches, we ate a hearty meal in Weston. Two or three would have been fine. While I didn't use any of my tools, I would not do this without them.

I woke up at 3:30 - A solid 5 hours of sleep. Not bad considering that's about all I get in a normal day and I had gotten almost TWICE that Thursday-into-Friday trying to kill off my sinus bug. 3 days worth of sleep in 2 days is a good thing.

At 3:30, the National Weather Service site was showing hourly stats from 3:00. Temps near 40. Wind out of the southwest. PERFECT! At 4:20, I took my bike down to the Explorer. My wife rode with me to Control #1 (7-11 in Olathe) and left with the truck when c-Dawg showed up. At this time, temps had fallen into the mid-30s and the wind had gone from stiff southwest to light variable. We dawdled until 5:00 sharp, then raided 7-11 to get our permanent route sheet signed and a date-stamped reciept.

Variable winds continued until we hit Renner. Then, we had a NW wind that was probably gusting to 15 MPH or so. It was enough to make stretches of Renner seem deceptively steep. I pointed out a house to c'Dude that I think is a decoy on Meritex property. Its windows were open despite being near freezing outside, and there's always a light on in what you'd think is the living room. ALWAYS. I'm pretty sure it was built on top of a vertical mine elevator, as it's sitting directly on top of a re-purposed limestone mine-turned-office/warehouse complex: The same complex the Lenexa Midnight ride goes through.

Miles tick by and we ride through a rat-maze of roundabouts, then get stopped just south of Shawnee Mission Park in the cool of pre-dawn, noticing how the whispy cirrus clouds emit pink hues against a sapphire sky while we wait for our turn at the traffic light. A dive down Renner towards Midland made me recall with certain fondness the way Meyer Blvd banks and descends westward from Research Medical Center. After some slogging, I'm greeted with another merry downhill run, one which would send my bike coasting upwards of 40 MPH without any input on the cranks, dumping us out onto Holliday Drive. The clouds are moving in.

Squarely a North wind now: evaporative cooling off of the Kaw River would send chills through my pants and into my legs. The biting, sub-freezing blast was also working its way through my shoes and wool socks.

This was a long exposure I took at a landscaping place. That's how dark it was out here. I had to crank up the levels just to get any detail out of it. It was here that I'd rip open the chemical warmers and add a layer of socks to my feet. It would take almost 20 miles for my toes to feel normal again.


Shortly after that, we encountered a few more cyclists out enjoying the (relatively) nice December weather. It ended up being Badger (whom I've ridden with quite a few times) and Pat, a friend of his. They rode near and beside us for the better part of 15 miles, making conversation. By "us", I mean c'Dude. I was already starting to slow down a bit. We eventually made it to Control #2, QuikTrip, about 33 miles in.


We wove our way through some of KCK's residential turf and slogged a hill on Georgia Ave. that I'd probably give a firm 17% grade if you asked me to guess. A little beagle followed me up the hill slowly, and gave playful chase to us as we veered northward and took off toward the rollers of Wyandotte Lake Park.

This was how I spent most of my ride: In No-Man's-Land, A good 1/4 to 2 miles behind Keith.


At some point, riding through the terrain shown above, 10 miles started to feel like 30, and I started to lose track of time. On up-hills, my legs were becoming useless hunks of meat. I was approaching Bonk from dehydration, lack of electrolyte and lack of fuel. My water -- nearly freezing -- would sting my teeth after it hit my chapped lips, then sink to the very pit of my stomach with that lumpy ache like you get when you accidentally swallow an ice cube. My Gatorade was a wretched flavor that tasted like Grape Big League Chew. What little remained of my coffee was cold. I had no desire to drink, regardless how badly I knew I needed it. Perhaps 45 miles in, I'm already questioning if I have 80 more miles left in my legs today.

Keith would stop just to make sure I was still alive back there. Give me some pointers. Wait while I pinched my nose and tried to suck down as much Haterade as I could while munching on sandwiches and c-store junk food. It was here, on the curvy, shoulderless backroads somewhere near Bonner Springs and Lansing that I knew I was going to severely hinder Keith's chance at the R-12.

Read on for Part 2 or check out my mobile posts from the road.

November Recap

It's been a heck of a month. I had November penciled in for 250 miles when I went arbitrarily throwing miles into months to come up with my 5,000 mile goal. I sqeaked by with just a few more than that, entering November at a deficit of 276 miles and exiting with 267.

That means I have to log 384 miles this month. Assuming I'm man enough to really do the 200k permanent with c'Dude on December 6th, I will be home free, barring any major unforseen incidents. If I don't make that ride or find a lot of evening recreation rides to go on, I could be doomed.

October Recap

(Photo: parking garage at the maul this morning)

First off, MY WIFE IS HOME! Wh00t! The next few days will probably give us a better idea how she's going to do in the long run. She got discharged at 2:00 today, and I had to grab my steed and go full gallop to get home as fast as I could. Side note: I'm a slow Clydesdale, so most roadies might consider my gallop to be more like a trot.

Now, for the good (more miles than I expected for october), the bad (a long ways to go), and the ugly (me).

I actually managed to slack off a lot this month with 18 of my one-way commutes being by bus. Back in January, I envisioned October to be one of those smooth-sailing months where 300 miles would be sufficient. The reality is that I logged about 500 miles, but still leave October 280 miles behind schedule.

I only got two recreation rides in (the Dark Side Ride and one Monday Night Ride), but made up for it with quite a few errands and rides to church.

Commuting: 387 Miles
Recreation: 52 Miles
Errands: 58 Miles

August 2008 Recap

The sky's staying darker later into the morning. It's getting darker earlier at night. The din of Cicadas fills the evening air. After sunset, they give way to the sound of delighted crickets and the occasional blips of straggling fireflies. Folks, August is OVER.

Once again, I miss my target of 600 miles for the month, and my numbers for August look frighteningly similar to July's.

Commuting/Errand Miles: 474 (July was 467)
Recreational Miles: 62 (July was 72)
Total Miles: 536 (July was 539)
2008 Miles: 3,536

I rode the bus 14 one-way trips in August, and did not drive to work (or to the bus stop) at all.
I had 8 bike-only commute days.

A look at the past:
Week 1: DefCon in Las Vegas (not a lot of riding that week)


Week 2: Hybridzilla Gets Stolen :(


Week 3: Getting back into the swing of things


Week 4: The Twelve coming together nicely. I really, really can't thank you guys enough for helping me replace the essentials for my somewhat long-ish commuting adventures.


Coming up in September:

• Talk Like A Pirate Day and the second anniversary of getting into bike commuting (Sept 19th). Yes, I plan on flying the Jolly Roger again this year.
• My initial road-to-5,000 miles has September marked as a 400 mile month. I have some catching up to do, so I am going to push for another 500-600 mile month.
• I've been staying below 200 pounds reliably for the last 2 months. I still can't get below 190. I don't like setting weight goals, but I want to get below 190 before the end of Sept.
• Although I've written Hybridzilla off as a total loss, I hope to God she turns up somewhere. The Twelve works really well right now, but you know how you feel when something gets stolen.
  

July Recap

This was originally written on 7/31, but Blogger was on the fritz and wouldn't let me post it. Here it is, a few days late.

Oh. Hey. It's July 31st. Here's my weaksauce:
Miles Ridden this Month: 539.5
Commute/Errand/Recreation: 374/93/72
Bike-Only Commutes: 12
Bike-Bus Commutes: 9

June 2008 Recap

Holy smokes! This has been a heck of a month.

June Week One - Parked at church.


While I broke my car-free streak by driving so I could pick my wife up from the hospital after work last week, by all other measures this month was chock full of surprises, miles, and good times with good cycling friends. I also JUST barely squeaked my $15 worth out of the bus pass, using it for 9 one-way trips this month which would have cost me $15.75.

June Week Two: Karen and I chasing down a new commuter


I packed on the "recreation" miles pretty hard these past two weekends, with the June Moon Ride the weekend before last and the 200k Permanent last weekend. I pretty much enjoy every mile I put on a bicycle, so "recreation" is just a term I use for superfluous bike trips that have no transportation value.

June Week Three: Bike Surgery, wheel swap and fender installation.


I suppose I could say I rode 137 miles last weekend just to get to 3 convenience stores and write it off as a really action-packed day of errands but I doubt anyone would buy that. Completing the 200k lets me scratch one of the big to-do's off of my list of goals for 2008: To ride a genuine century.

June Week Four: Lunch break in dress clothes.


With that, I've managed to wrap up June with 848 miles.
479 came from 20 days of bike commuting
139 came from bike errands
230 came from group rides and the 200k
I rode the bus 4.5 round trips (9 one-ways)
I drove once.
2008: 2460 miles so far.

Another month like this might well kill me, but it would put me right back on track for my goal of 5,000 miles.

June Week Five (okay, just yesterday and today): An electric Scooter.


Other stuff worth mentioning:
I made a radio appearance, and it sounds like a BBC radio appearance might also be in the works for next month. I don't go out seeking media attention, but I'm pretty easy to find if you're looking for a cyclist in Kansas City or a blogging bike commuter anywhere in the world. I'm also a so-called "expert" or "pioneer" according to some local advocacy gurus. I'm actually just a regular guy that's kind of nerdy. I have a way with words and I have a passion for bicycling. The truth is I'd rather be well known for my geek knowledge than my bicycle riding, but if what I know can help and inspire others, I'm all for it. It just so happens that bikes are more popular than cryptography, electronics, and UNIX.

To all who stick around, read my ramblings and leave comments: Thanks. I'm glad someone other than I can get some enjoyment from my goofball adventures.

Rolling 7-day miles (as opposed to only week-to-week miles): I don't know why I get so obsessed with this statistic, but it seems to be a good measure of how I'm doing from an endurance standpoint. Take the last 7 days and total them up. Last year about this time, 175 miles in any 7-day period would have me feeling worn down. My average week was 198 miles this month, or about 28.25 miles per day all month long. This means I'm obviously getting more endurance as I pack on the miles. I don't really feel any stronger on the sprints or while climbing hills. If I were training for a race or something, I may feel inclined to work on that. I'm not, however; and I don't really care if I slog up steep grades at 3MPH.

The last order of business is my weight. I failed this goal for June. I ducked briefly below 200 pounds for just a fleeting moment. As of right now, I'm right at 200 and can't seem to shake it. It always seems I can never lose weight if I'm watching it and trying to lose it.

As far as July goals are concerned, I don't really have any. I'm just going to ride and enjoy it, while trying to bring the other two 2008 goals to fruition. Mostly, that means riding a lot and driving very little.

May 2008 Recap

Too much to cover for storytelling here. You just have to read and look at the pictures from May.

Highlights:

• My convoy program for Bike Week was a success
• I only took 6 one-way trips on the bus, effectively making my ultra-cheap $15 bus pass not worth it. Paying as I go would have cost $10.50. People who take the bus both ways every work day spend about $70 per month.
• I did accomplish my goal of 600 miles for May. I rode 618.
• Went on some fun singletrack rides. I need to do that more often.

May Numbers:
16 bike commutes
3 bus-assisted commutes (round trip)
5 vacation days (no commuting)
383 commuting miles
148 Errand miles
88 Recreational miles
618 total miles
0 Car Commutes

2008 Numbers:
91 Bike commutes, 66 of which have been bus-assisted, 25 bike-only
1611 Miles
0 Car Commutes

Goals for June:

• 600 miles
• Finally get my fat ass back under 200 pounds

KC Bike Week 2008 Day 5 - The Wrap Up

This week was a huge contrast to 2007 Bike To Work Week on many levels:

• The weather cooperated every day, with only a few mornings in the 40°s and no rain.
• I am in better shape now
• I live 9 miles closer, making my round trip more feasible. 30 miles instead of almost 50.
• I helped plan this one.
• I got to ride with friends every morning and most evenings. I only encountered Chris once and Karen twice last year during Bike To Work Week.

It's worth mentioning that I met both Chris and Karen during Bike To Work Week last year. Not only that, I met both of them BECAUSE of Bike To Work Week. I really have to pay homage to last year's Bike To Work Week event. It was pivotal on many levels. Not only did I meet two people would eventually come to be my favorite commuting buddies, but the event itself flipped a switch. That switch was one that made me look forward to the days when I could avoid the bus by riding my bike all the way. Prior to last year's event, I would bus to work, and seldom but occasionally ride all the way home. After that event, and after I moved, it was a frequent thing to ride the whole route. One year later, the permanent effects of that moment are still evident.

This is technically the last day for Car-Free Challenge. This is the main thing I was participating in. It's completely possible that people haven't finished logging their miles yet, but I am done with my miles for the Car-Free Challenge. Here's how things stand.

• 182 miles of bike commuting and errands
• 15 miles (7.5 mile points) worth of bus riding from my trip to waldo and back.
• 8.7 miles on a slow-paced group ride monday (not counted)
  

This puts me in 13th place for bicycle transportation, and 20th place among all alternative transportation users.

I am a wee-bit grumpy about some participants this year who seem to fail to understand the "spirit" of the Car-Free Challenge. Epic thousand-mile interstate road trips don't keep congestion off the road, even if you're car-pooling. Logging recreational rides as commuting isn't fair. Riding a mile to school with 3 kids doesn't entitle you to 4 commuting miles because there were four of you on the road. And stopping at a convenience store along that 40-mile training route you were going to ride anyways? That doesn't make the entire training ride's miles count as an errand.

In discussing the rules with other Bike Week Committee members and some of my Convoy Crew, it's apparent that some verbiage needs to be added. Care should be taken, however, to not exclude those of us who for one reason or another either already choose to or are forced to use a bicycle as a primary mode of transportation. I'd rather avoid phrases like "trips that you'd normally use a car for"

Guess what, though? I'm not in it for the competition, nor am I bitter. I just did what I'd probably have done this week anyways, and logged my miles accordingly. My commute wasn't going to score me a place in the top ten; I knew that already. I already have my rewards: increased health, money saved, and many friends made over the past year and a half thanks to bicycling. This includes finally meeting some more people this week who know me from the blogosphere and took the time to say hi. You know who you are.

Aside from the car-free challenge, I hit the following Bike Week events:

• Family Bicycles pit stop on the Trolley Track Trail
• Mayor Funkhouser's LAB/BFC Platinum press conference

What's next this weekend?

• I'll be riding my bike to the PHP User's Group meeting at Daily Dose tomorrow afternoon
• I'll ride to my place of Worship on Sunday
• I'll also ride to my Birthday party after church, at a local park.

To me, though, This pretty much wraps up Bike Week.

Here are some pics from the homeward commute this evening.

My new shifters. Thanks, JR! Compare to my old grip twisties.


Karen and Chris behind me on Turkey Creek Trail




Karen and Chris ahead of me going through the 79th St. Industrial Park


Eight braze-ons. Count them. I checked, and there are at least 8 more on the back. If you count all the eyelets on my three bikes combined, I have the same number as Chris has on this one touring bike.


Yes, I have some bike envy.


Oh yes. I'm finally a Flickr Pro. I didn't think I would take the plunge, but I simply have too many photos up there to not go for it. Of course, it will take about a year for the ads on this site to recover the $25 I spent on it. Some people collect stamps. I pay someone to host my pictures and keep them organized. Mostly (but not entirely) so that you guys can make fun of my photos. Whatever.

Soak it up, this weekend. It looks like we're in for a continuation of the nice weather.

Random Tunage:
Orbital - Lush 3-2
Fragma - You Are Alive

April Recap

Commute Miles: 219
Errand Miles: 87
Recreation Miles: 23
Driving Days: 0
Full Bike-Only Commutes: 2
One-way bike-only commutes: 6
Bus-assisted commutes: 17

April: 329 Miles
2008: 993 miles

I decided it was time to fix my Trek 1200 myself today. Over lunch, I went to the City Market. This part of town is steeped in history. Near a river and railway port, merchants have been peddling their wares here for ages. These days, it's an urban hot-spot near lofts, with lots of shops and dining establishments. On the weekend, farmers come in and take it by storm. This is a great Farmer's Market.


Nearby, lots of old building are still in use.




I swung by River Market Cyclery to pick up some tools. I also found what I'm sure will be my next set of panniers, but I'll need to save up for them.


The Steamboat Arabia museum in the City Market. This gem of history doesn't get much acclaim what with the Liberty Memorial WWI Museum, Nelson Atkins Museum of Art and various other attractions in KC. Do yourself a favor and pay this place a visit if you get a chance.


Chinese. Nom Nom Nom.


Framed by classical midwest architecture, the Federal Court House looks sleek, shiny and modern... and completely out of place.


More Spring.






I saw the Bike There/Walk There bus. Eric Captured the other side.



After I got home, it was time to dig into my spoke woes with my new tools. Looking at it (and some other spokes) it appears that my panniers have managed to sneak into my spokes a few times too many. Not sure any wheel would survive that. I have a plan, though.




I'm re-building the PVC tubes that used to hold my panniers out of the spokes. It looks like the Axiom ones I want won't be so bad, if I go for it.

Random Tunage:
Madonna - Frozen
808 State - In Yer Face