Traffic Signals. The Grand Equalizer.

Bike. bus.
Bike. work.
Bike. bus.
Bike. home.
Bike. electronics store.
Bike. grocery store
Bike. convenience store (I forgot something at the grocery store)
Bike. home.

You'd think with all that bike I'd have racked up at least ten miles today, but alas it wasn't quite. 8 Distinct trips -- some chained together, mind you. 9.5 miles.

Truth is, my bike is awesome for this kind of stuff. And it's no secret to those of us who ride for the little errands that a bike can be just as fast as a car if not quicker. On my way back from the grocery store, I was behind this sweet Audi S4. A typical suburban couple occupied this marvel of modern automotive engineering. Three hundred forty horsepower. Advanced automatic all-wheel-drive. Piercing High-Intensity-Discharge lights. A purring tone from the exhaust. The light turned green and it took off quickly. Not fast. Certainly not as fast as it could if the driver were pushing this track-worthy sedan to five nines. I pedaled. And pedaled. And a quarter mile later I'm stopping behind the S4 again. This continued for the entirety of two miles. Both of us had an average speed of maybe 8 miles per hour for those two miles if you count the stopped time. While I never busted 22 miles per hour (why bother?), the S4 probably got up to 45 or so just in time to hit the brakes again. And wait. And wait. While my DiNotte and NiteRider grew brighter and closer in the rear view mirror.

Bike commuting and utility cycling doesn't have to be about the 30-mile round trip from suburban hell to your job in the Big City. I used the bus today and that took a lot of miles off of my total, and any one of these little trips that I ran, almost all of my neighbors would have driven for. With as much fuel is burned starting a car, and with the car's emissions systems being disabled (and/or too cold to function properly) for the first few minutes of operation, it's these little trips -- the easy ones that even someone who is out of shape could make on a bike -- that are killing your pocket books at the pump.

If you haven't figured it out by now, there are so many awesome reasons to pick up a bike and ride now that it's close to spring-like weather again. And it's not just about the environment or your wallet.

I sound like a fanatic here, but everything really is different and for the most part better on a bicycle. You can say hi (and get one back) to people walking their dogs or jogging. You can feel the wind in your hair. You can feel better physically and mentally. You can regulate your metabolism and get a better night's rest. You can see things without the slight green tint that auto manufacturers put on auto glass to keep UV rays from fading the interior. You can explore. You can go at your own pace.

And you know what? You might just find that your own pace isn't much slower than that sports car in front of you at the stop light.

One Year Ago... almost to the minute...

I was walking out of Wal-Mart in Olathe, KS with a bicycle in tow. Check this baby out! NEXT PowerX DS-26. 18 gears of pure... uhhh... What the heck was I thinking?!
With it, I had purchased a Schwinn seatpost-mounted rack, a Master Python cable lock, Bell Xenon/LED headlight and LED Tail light, some patches and a Blackburn air pump.

The whole rig set me back $126, all accessories and tax included. My goal was to spend about $100. I went a little over budget, but it was all good. The next morning, I rode to the bus instead of driving, and I was a huffing, puffing mess when I got there.

Weighing in at about 235 pounds, I was living a terribly sedentary lifestyle. If I wasn't sleeping, I was sitting at my computer desk, sitting on the sofa, sitting in my office, or sitting in my car. I remembered how fun it was to ride a bike as a kid, so I thought maybe the bicycle would get my butt back into gear.

A year of (r)evolution
That bike only lasted me about six weeks. When I got rid of it, the rear suspension pivot was squeaking, the bottom bracket was ticking, and the bearings in the freewheel rear hub had completely shelled. Little shavings of metal were appearing, and the wheel was so loose that it was rubbing the brakes and seat stays.

I was a few pounds lighter, and was having a blast riding my bike. With all the passion and nothing to ride, I had to get back into the game. Check out my first few posts on the Blog if you want to get caught up with my Sorrento and Outlook, pictured on the left respectively.

I had a pretty good run of things with the hybrid-ized Outlook and rugged Sorrento for foul weather commuting to the bus. I was riding 4 days a week and adding miles to my commute by getting dropped off at my wife's office and riding home from there. I was also making trips by bike for errands like groceries, going to the coffee shop, and things like that. In January, I started keeping track of my miles ridden.

In April, I decided to buy a road bike, but had to save up for it first. I rode more than 350 miles in April alone, and had almost 900 miles for the year under my belt. On May 1st, I bought my Road bike, a Trek 1200 (pictured left below) and thus far, I've put more than 2,000 miles on it alone, and more than 3,000 miles on all of my bikes combined for the year.

I've been on a slow weight loss kick, but I'm now more than 40 pounds lighter than I was a year ago. One year has taken 8 years off of how I feel from an energy and health standpoint. On top of that, I'm having a ton of fun on my bicycles and saving at least $200 per month on gas and parking costs, not to mention the cost of maintenance like tires, brakes, and oil changes. My commute also releases a lot of stress, but when I was driving, I'd often find myself pulling my hair out.

I've also taken a few spills, met some great people, confused the heck out of some cow-orkers, gone on some really brutal rides, and ridden in everything from foot-deep snow or 3-below-zero to 100 degrees in the shade with 110 heat indexes. Only 40 pounds of lost weight doesn't seem like a lot for a year's worth of exercise, but I've noticed a lot of lean mass gain in my lower body. I'm not paying much attention to my weight, and I don't think I need to. Every time I do bother to check it, I'm getting lighter. Even without checking it, I can tell week by week that I'm getting healthier.

Rightfully so, bicycles are wildly contagious. In June, my wife went out to look at bicycles. In the middle of July, she was dead-set on the Electra Townie. She took it for a spin and loved the wind in the hair and the freedom to roll. She bought the Townie 3S and has been riding with me when we have time together. I'm proud of her for getting out, buying the bike she wanted and actually riding it instead of just talking about "riding a bike or hitting the gym one of these days" like so many others do. She's the kind that loves nature and the outdoors and her Townie gives her a new and fun way to experience it. I don't know that she'll ever get into bicycle commuting. She has her own reasons for riding. Everyone has their own reasons for riding; that's one of the many awesome things about bicycles.

So, here's to my first year of using bicycles, buses and alternative transportation in the KC area. There'll be many more to come: this is just the beginning! Stay tuned.

100 miles in 24 hours + my first metric century

I don't consider 100 miles in a day to be a century, especially when it's broken up into three distinct parts like a commute, another commute after an 8-hour break, then a bunch of recreational riding a few hours later. At any rate, I recently got back from the c'dude ride which wrapped up 100.1 miles since I first departed home yesterday at around 6:00am. Once I left my apartment to ride to the start/stop location, I didn't stop riding for more than a few minutes at a time. I put 69.1 miles on all in one run of things, which qualifies as a metric century.

The air tonight was cool and perfect. There were four of us riding. The 'dude himself, clem, badger and I. We had a few bouts of speed but for the most part we just chugged along and ate up the miles as they came. The route was about 34 miles and we finished up in about 2 and a half hours for an average speed around 14 MPH.

Another thing this did was throw my 7-day rolling mileage up over 200. I'm definitely going to enjoy my rest in a few hours.

Solo Mini-Tour of Southeastern Johnson County, KS

Photo: My bike leans against a reflective post as I prepare to leave suburbia. There are heavy earth-movers on the farmland, which probably means yet another shopping center or subdivision is on the way. Click the image to be taken to a photo set of my journey. If you don't want to read my whole post, the photo descriptions tell the story in a terse and chronological fashion.

Here are some highlights, though.

After dropping my wife off at work, I got the bike ready for the journey. The panniers were there mostly because I wanted to have my laptop with me while I ate breakfast. You can't ride around on an empty stomach! I swung by Daily Dose (about 3 and a half miles from JCCC) for a nice hot cinnamon roll and some black coffee to chase it down with while catching up on email and news with my laptop. Then I was off.

I departed south on Quivira and decided to take it until it went no further. I found a bungee, and decided to take the photo above, since I was stopped. The vast farmland caught my eye as a beautiful depiction of southeastern Johnson County. Then I saw the bulldozers. That's a pretty good depiction of the rest of Johnson County.

As I proceeded, I rode through ye olde village of Morse, KS -- one of the many settlements along the Independence route (Santa Fe, Oregon and California Trails). I snapped some pics while in Morse. You should check them out with all the other pics I took.

I ended up hitting a mile-long stretch of gravel on the southern-most section of Quivira. I was happy I didn't upgrade to 20mm tires on my road bike. 25mm tires were dicey enough, but I really wished I was riding my DB Outlook through there instead of the Trek 1200. I took it to 175th street, which curves around and joins 179th street, a really nice 2-lane road (one either direction) with big, wide, well-kept shoulders that rival most bike lanes in Johnson County.

I made the death-slog granny climb to Metcalf Ave. as I pulled into Stilwell, KS. I continued south on Metcalf to 191st and rode a mile east to Nall. I wanted to snap some photos of ye olde downtown Stilwell, but I didn't feel like tackling another gravel road, and time was wearing thin. I had to return to the college before 12:00 and if I turned around now, I'd give myself about 20 minutes longer than it took me to get this far. With some buffer for a "just in case" mechanical or flat, I turned around and made my way back to the college, using a different route to avoid gravel at the expense of riding on some fairly major arterials.

All in all it was a blast! I put on 31 miles with an average speed of a little over 14 MPH (using my 2H 11M rolling time, which didn't keep ticking as I stopped for photos) and topped off at about 35 MPH on one of the nice downhills. I wasn't pushing it too hard, though.

I'll definitely try to do some more riding like this in the future. I love being out and away from the hustle, bustle, and buildings of the suburbs.

Oh yeah, I rolled past 363 miles today, therefore I have again exceeded the previous months' miles. Although that wasn't a goal of mine, it is an achievement that I'm pleased about. I shot for 300 miles in April but blew it away. Since I've gotten my C/D ratio above 3.0 and I did at least one round-trip for bike to work week, I have already made my May goals a reality. Maybe I'll shoot for 400 miles on the bike this month. I have a lot of work to do to prepare for moving, but if I hit the Monday night ride and Wednesday as well, I could probably pull it off.

Clean Commute - Inspiration for bike to work week

If the weather co-operates with me next week, I am going to try to get at least one round-trip bicycle commute day in, without using the bus or any other motorized transportation. If I can keep it up, I will try to go all week without using the bus. That said, I'd love to see some other people -- who think they live too far from work to bicycle all the way -- to ride their bicycles to the bus for bike to work week!

Really, though, our existing mass transit system offers many benefits. These benefits will be similar for every major metro area that has buses or trains for commuters to use. You'll see why I have been and will continue to use Johnson County Transit's system.

Fossil Fuels
Using fossil fuels presents many, many problems. For those concerned with the environment, cars use a lot of gasoline and produce a lot of pollution. This damage is two-fold, both reducing our supply of natural resources as well as damaging our atmosphere. For those concerned with the source of our oil, cars increase our dependence on foreign oil from abroad, including the middle east. Some people believe oil sales in the U.S. directly bankroll terrorism. Finally some are concerned about the ballooning oil industry. Despite record prices for crude oil, petroleum companies are making record profits to match. Oil tycoons don't feel threatened; Cars are here to stay, and higher costs for raw materials just means that their already exorbitant mark-up nets them even more cash. They laugh all the way to the bank when they see oil prices on the rise.

So, ignore all those "gasoline boycott" e-mails you've been getting. Don't shift what day you pay the piper. Reduce your gasoline usage!

According to numbers I got from Cris at Johnson County Transit (a.k.a. The JO), the Olathe, KS express bus route carries an average of 35 people per trip over 6 trips. Some trips are longer than others, but my guess is the average round-trip route (including the trip back to the bus barn) is around 45-50 miles. It looks like 3.5 miles per gallon is about average for non-hybrid buses that burn diesel. In this case, each bus will burn about 12.8 gallons of fuel in order to deliver those 35 commuters to their ultimate destination. How does that stack up against using a car? Well, each person's share is about 1/3 gallon per trip, or 2/3 gallon per day. My 24 MPG car (actual consumption when used only for getting to and from work) would use about 2 gallons of fuel per day.

To use less, you'd need a car that actually gets 67 MPG or you could car pool with a co-worker in a car that actually gets 34 MPG. I'm not talking about EPA ratings. Very few cars actually get 34 MPG in rush-hour traffic. More realistically, you could car pool with two other co-workers while getting 22 MPG.

Reducing the amount of fuel used is the only way to "stick it to the man" or reduce consumption and pollution. Using car pools, mass transit, walking or riding a bike are all viable ways of making it happen.

Congestion and Traffic
Buses are pretty big, but when you consider the fact that sometimes one bus is keeping more than 30 cars off the road and out of the already crowded parking lots downtown, they don't seem so big any more. Using the Olathe bus route as an example, all the trips combined are keeping about 200 cars back here in Olathe instead of on the road and in parking spaces.

Saving Money
Let me do some math for you, using my commute as an example. It's about 22 miles from the bus stop to my office, and at $3.50 per day ($1.75 per trip), it's equivalent to the cost about 1.2 gallons of gasoline. Just to break even on fuel costs alone, you'd have to own a car that actually gets 36 miles per gallon (again, not EPA Rated, but 36 MPG in traffic). Once you count the costs of parking downtown and the wear on your car from about 900 miles driven each month, it's easy to see that there are tangible financial benefits to leaving your car at home or at a park and ride location, or better yet, riding your bike or walking to the bus if it's close enough!

Looking back at April, I saved almost $200 by riding my bicycle and bus to get to work. I also rode 250 miles more than the bare minimum to get to and from work, which works out to about $30 in gasoline. Many of those miles came from combining errands and shopping trips with my commute home. I would ultimately get off of the bus further from home, but it would position me to easily make 3 or 4 stops on my way home, so I wouldn't need to use my car.

Other Benefits to mass transit
There are many other benefits to using mass transit. In the early morning, you can usually catch a half-hour cat nap on your way to work. You could also review those reports one last time before getting dragged into that meeting first thing in the morning. If you'd rather check out the sports page or latest stock prices, you can. Feel like touching up your eye liner? Go for it. Instead of being stressed out in your car, you can relax, play sudoku, listen to your morning radio show, or whatever else you feel like doing. The time is yours, and it's liberating.

While waiting around for a bus doesn't seem like the most convenient thing in the world, it really isn't that bad. The more popular bus routes have pick-ups every 15-30 minutes. It can take a little bit of adjustment, but it works really well. If your work schedule doesn't often demand late nights, the bus will probably work great for you!


Riding your bicycle
(or, you are not too fat, old, out-of-shape, or clumsy to ride a bicycle)

The percentage of people who simply cannot -- for physical reasons -- ride a bicycle at least one mile is nearly infinitesimal. For those with mobility and/or balance problems, there are recumbent bicycles, adult tricycles, recumbent adult tricycles and even so-called "tadpoles" with two wheels in front (for steering) and one in the rear (for power). These solutions allow the rider to sit on a more comfortable seat, as opposed to a saddle. The three-wheeled cycles don't fall over as easily, and all of them allow the rider to comfortably rest their feet on the ground when stopped. The downside is that most trikes, and certain kinds of recumbent bicycles won't fit on the bicycle racks supplied on the bus.

Enough with the bizarre bicycles. Most people reading this could probably ride a comfortable hybrid bike. High-quality hybrid and commuter bikes can be purchased for under $400 at any bicycle shop. Hybrids offer more road comfort than a racing-style road bicycle with curvy handlebars, but they offer better efficiency and less rolling resistance than mountain bikes. This makes them good for most tasks involving a bicycle. A genuine bicycle shop (that is, one whose primary business is bicycles, not a sporting goods store or heaven forbid a store with a toy aisle) will be able to find the right bicycle for you. Not just one that you can stand over and ride, but one that fits both your budget and your body. They'll also make sure it's assembled properly, and adjusted for the best possible riding position. $400 might sound like a lot of money to drop on a bicycle when there are bike-shaped toys at discount stores that can be purchased for under $100 but you really do get what you pay for.

If you can ride one mile, then the battle has been won. The first week or two are the hardest, because your body has to get used to riding. Bicycle saddles are not like the seat in your car or office and they require some getting used to. Once your body has built up some muscle around your "sit bones" where you rub on the saddle, you will find that most bikes are not that uncomfortable to ride. In fact, it's easy to get hooked!

If you live within 5 miles of your job or a bus stop, then you should just trust me when I say that you can probably ride a bicycle 5 miles once you've gotten used to it. Your legs are fully capable of it. Back in September, I bought a bike that was just about the most inefficient thing I could buy. It had cheap front and rear suspension which made it difficult to pedal and It had wide, low-pressure knobby tires with a lot of rolling resistance. The engine -- my own body -- hadn't gotten a genuine work out in over ten years. I was 100 pounds heavier than I was when I graduated high school. I had bad knees, sore feet and ankles every morning when I woke up. As heavy and out of shape as I was, and as horribly inefficient as the bike was, I was still able to ride it 5 miles in a single sitting. If you don't believe me that all you have to do is start riding, check out the inspiring story of The Amazing Shrinking Man as he went from 581 pounds to 241 pounds in a little over a year with the help of a bicycle and other lifestyle changes.

Challenges to cycling or walking
Sure, riding your bike or walking to work does present its own set of challenges. What if your hair gets messed up? What if you get sweaty? How are you going to carry your briefcase to work? How will you get home if it starts storming in the middle of the day?

I'm not saying that a bike can replace a car all the time, and my family still owns two motor vehicles: a fuel-efficient compact car and a modest-sized SUV with a flexible-fuel V6 engine that can accept a blend of Ethanol and Gasoline up to E85.

Here are some hurdles I had to conquer.

Getting Sweaty
My first few days of commuting by bike, I got really, really sweaty. Fortunately, I had a half hour to cool down on the bus before getting to work, but I still had damp work clothes on. I solved the problem by riding in shorts (or jeans if it's cool enough) and a t-shirt, while gently rolling my dress clothes and placing them in a backpack. I may switch to using panniers (saddle bags that hang next to the rear wheel on either side) as the summer gets closer and my back gets sweatier from carrying a backpack. Now that I'm in better shape, I pace myself as well so that I don't sweat much while I ride in the morning.

Carrying stuff
Not only do I usually carry my business casual attire to work, but I also carry a laptop, occasionally carry my lunch, and sometimes use my bicycle for other errands such as light grocery shopping. Both of my commuting bicycles (a hybrid and a road bike) have racks on the back, with bungees to hold things down to them as needed.

Being Prepared
I'm not the type to worry excessively about bad things, but I like to be prepared. On both of my commuting bikes, I carry at least one spare inner tube, some tire patches, and a way to inflate the tire. For my hybrid, I just use a hand-held miniature air pump that fits easily in my bookbag. The tubes and tire changing tools sit inside a little pack under the seats. For my road bike, I use an inflater that takes cheap CO2 containers (for pellet guns) which fits nicely inside the under-seat pack with the inner tubes.

Cleaning up a bit at the office
When I get to the office, I still might be a little sweaty, so while I change clothes, I slap on another layer of deoderant, sometimes use a bit of foot powder, and/or use a refreshing wipe (like the Old Spice Cool Contact wipes) on my brow, arms and legs. This cools me off a bit and wipes off any road dust or grime. I usually run a comb through my hair as well; My helmet usually gives my hair an interesting look.

My 127th Street Rant

Well, the 127th Street Improvement committee had another public meeting on April 5th. I wasn't notified of it, so I didn't attend. What bothers me is that it seems some people went through painstaking steps to make sure everyone who lives along 127th street not only knew about and showed up to the meeting, but made sure they were all really angry and bitter, too.

Click here to take a look at the comments that were gathered from April 5th's Meeting

I'm going to pick apart some of the arguments here. I'm paraphrasing and condensing some comments that are in the same spirit.

It's not hard to see the angst spawned from that that two feet of pavement in the form of a bike lane. "There's no room for bike lanes." "I am absolutely against bike lanes!" "Please consider the views of Olathe residents before non-resident bikers"

First off, It's CYCLISTS, Folks! Bikers ride Harleys, Gold Wings and Triumphs, not Treks, Le Monds and and Bianchis!

What's not so funny is that, taking into account 143rd street and other roads with bike lanes, the road lacks a wide outer lane where the bike lane is present. There's really not much, if any width being added to the pavement for the bike lanes. I haven't seen if the proposal for 127th also fits the paradigm, but my guess is that it probably does.

If residents want to reduce the amount of their property that needs to be bulldozed, they should fight the 24-foot-wide landscaped median. A dozen or so people had some push-back on the wide median. More than three dozen pushed back on bike lanes.

Last but not least on this point, there are plenty of cyclists in Olathe, and I've seen several just in my little part of the world, who, like I, use their bicycle for basic transportation to and from work, to the store, or for running errands. Not all adult cyclists are weekend group-ride warriors in spandex superhero costumes*.

*no offense meant to road cyclists and/or group riders that choose to wear cycling-specific clothing, but you look ridiculous to non-cyclists.

From comments like "bike lanes invite novices into the road, which isn't safe", "children should use the sidewalks instead of bike lanes", and "I have never seen a child ride their bike to school", it's safe to say that the average attendee thought that bicycles are playthings for kids.

Children under 12 should not be using bike lanes. They should not be using sidewalks along major arterials, either. The sidewalk crossings that span residential entrances to arterial roadways are VERY DANGEROUS even to an adult cyclist or jogger. Children should be using residential streets for travel, and proper signaled crosswalks should be their only interaction with an arterial roadway, wherever necessary. I understand that crossing a main road is mandatory for many children to get to school or their favorite park. Bicycle lanes are not for kids.

Novice riders are safer in a bike lane where they're more visible approaching intersections than they would be on sidewalks. This is also one reason I say children should not ride bicycles on sidewalks next to an arterial roadway. If the novice cyclist stays in the bike lane, and motorists stay out of the bike lane, the bike lane will be the best balance of safety and efficiency for a cyclist to travel, regardless of experience level.

Others are taking issue with existing trails and bike lanes, as if they're efficient for bike travel. "Keep the bike lanes on 143rd and Dennis" "There's already a bike trail" "Are the bikers going to do laps?" "What good will a short bike lane do?"

Regarding bike lanes on the further-south streets such as 143rd, those streets are very far out-of-the-way. These are probably the same people who were complaining about the 127th street bridge lacking interstate highway access. Every second arterial has highway access. The rest have no access. College, 127th, 143rd, and 159th lack highway access. The arterials between them such as 119th, 135th (santa fe), and 151st do have highway access. This means that no one needs to go more than two miles out of their way to find a safe road to cross the highway. It would make sense for a bike lane to exist on 127th street.

The trails are not efficient transportation. They are safe from traffic and very scenic, but nothing more. They wind around, they're hilly, they carry traffic in both directions on a very narrow stretch of pavement, and they get easily covered with mud, water, and debris from the nearby creeks. Suggested maximum speed on the trails is 10 miles per hour. When I rode from 127th and blackbob to 119th and Quivira, I covered about 5 miles on Indian Creek Trail with an average speed of about 10 miles per hour as I didn't want to run anyone over coming around a blind curve. The trip took me more than 30 minutes. If I used the road, it would have been a 3-mile trip, and probably with an average speed approaching 16 miles per hour for a travel time closer to 10 minutes.

A short bike lane (2 miles long where the improvements are taking place) in and of itself will do several good things. As most trips by "vehicular cyclists" are 10 miles or less, 2 miles of bike lane will improve the safety of at least 20% of the ride for anyone using that stretch of road. Also, it brings a challenge to Overland park to section off a few feet of their already wide 127th street as a bike lane. 127th is so wide east of Pflumm that they could easily add a bike lane with nothing more than some paint on the road and a few roadside signs. The 127th street bridge in Olathe is also wide enough to paint a bike lane onto. West of Ridgeview, 127th street (known as Harold) already has an on-street bike lane. With some effort between KC road and Ridgeview, that 2-mile stretch of bike lane could turn into 10 miles of safe cycling without a whole lot of impact to existing infrastructure.

Others also doubt the feasibility of cycling as economic or good for the community. "Please explain the economic development standpoint for bike lanes" and "Bike lanes are less beneficial to the community than leaving my back yard intact" (remember, these are paraphrases).

This is selfish, short-sighted balderdash. Economically speaking, bicycling is just about the best way to travel. It's four times faster than walking, doesn't require fuel made from foreign resources, increases health, decreases stress, and increases your interaction with others you see along the way. When gasoline is at $5 per gallon and an SUV -- which you won't even be able to give away, much less sell -- gobbles $40 in fuel for every 100 miles driven, people will be looking at bicycles. A $2 lunch of a few ham-n-cheese sandwiches and some fruit can fuel a 30 mile bike ride.

Also, hundreds if not thousands of cyclists might use the bike lanes over the next 10 years. What's the biggest party you've thrown in your back yard?

---

That said, there are many other options. Brent, a fellow JCBC member made a good point that the scope of this project is very much overkill and that alternatives exist. We don't need a superhighway through suburbia. What's really angering the residents are things like high speeds, litter, noise, traffic jams, and a wide right-of-way that eats into their property more than they deem necessary. Brent has some suggestions that less lanes, and more bike/pedestrian space is a good solution. Maybe a two-lane boulevard with a shared center left-turn lane would work. Perhaps widen the road a bit, straighten it out, take out some of the hills near Pflumm, and keep the speed limit low and well-enforced.

Also, there were a few people there with their heads on straight at the last meeting. If you're one of them, please realize that I'm thankful you provided your opinion. Moving forward, Olathe needs more trails, more bike lanes, and more exposure for alternative transportation.

Well, I did it (half way so far)

Photo: Southwest Boulevard, leaving Kansas City.

No bus today. I mean, the bus was probably running. I probably could have taken it, but I did not. After talking to Eric from KCBike.Info and Jeff from Greased Melon, I decided to go for it. Props to them, as I probably wouldn't have had the courage to blindly hop on the road and go here without doing a reality check with fellow cyclists first. I took Broadway to Southwest Boulevard, which turns into Merriam lane, which lands me awfully close to the Trek store that hosts my usual Monday night group ride.

I'm here. I made it; by the time I get home, I'll have ridden all the way home from work without any help other than my lunch and my trusty steel steed.

What a flippin' wonderful day for a ride

Photo: I'm sneaking up on a herd of deer that are blocking my path.

I left home at about 6:00, figuring I'd ride to the 127th street trailhead of Indian Creek Trail, and ride it as far as I could by 7:00, turn around, and ride home, hopefully getting home around 8:00 which is about the time the sun is down around here.

I ended up winding through Warren T's stomping grounds. I think I got lost right around 7:00. I recall the trail is supposed to go a few miles into Missouri but shortly after crossing Nall (2 miles from the MO state line) I ran into a soccer park, where the trail made a big loop and turned me right back around. It was almost time to turn back anyways, so I just went with the flow, flipped my GPS over to the "Tracks" screen so I could follow my breadcrumbs back home.

Some guy on a mountain bike dropped me on the trail. Rule one of dropping someone is to make sure if you are going to cop an attitude, ride next to someone, give them 'the look' and then try to power off into the distance, make sure you can actually stay ahead. I didn't go into attack mode. I was already 16 miles deep in a 26-mile journey. I just kept my pace (about 14 mph). This guy stopped gaining ground on me about 200 yards ahead. Another 1/4 mile and he was losing ground on me and really sucking wind but we were on a flat stretch! I eventually caught up with him, and casually sauntered by with the industry standard "on your left". How delightfully childish of him.

Then... THEN!! These bugs -- I don't know what they were, baby mosquitoes perhaps -- they were EVERYWHERE by the time 7:30 rolled around. I had to squint my eyes, breathe only through my nose, and frequently blow what one might call "snot rockets" except there was more insect mass than mucous. I foraged onward with my head facing slightly down. My arms became engulfed in these critters and they sounded like light rain on my helmet as I breezed through clouds of swarming, gnat-like organisms.

I finished my ride out back on 127th street, just as I'd come to the trailhead. Back over the viaduct that is the middle leg of my morning commute. Back up Ridgeview. Back home.

Aside from the bizarre creatures I encountered (including the 200 pound variety that attempts to prove his superiority in vain) it was a very pleasant ride. Oh yes, and the trail detour through corporate woods, while paved, might as well be made of boulders. What a disaster!

Snow, close calls, and revenge

Well, I stepped outside and thought I saw a snowflake fall. I decided to grab the ski goggles just in case it was going to really start coming down, but didn't need them on the way to the bus. The snow was just a light dusting. Maybe it will continue a bit? I kind of like riding in the snow.

As I was coming up Strang Line Road for the last leg of my commute, I had a car come within inches of me. It took me by surprise, and made my heart skip a beat. The inside lane was wide open, so I don't know if I got buzzed intentionally "to teach me a lesson" or if it was just accidental. If it was accidental, the driver was merely inches from hurting me. It was a green 2004 Ford Mustang V6 and I got the plate numbers.

I didn't need them, though. Out of nowhere, I saw an Olathe Police cruiser next to me (going the speed limit in the inside lane.) It must have been less than a quarter mile behind me when the incident happened, but there were no other cars between him and the Mustang. I was hoping beyond hope that he saw what happened.

As he passed me, I saw him veer into the outside lane. I was sure he was going after the reckless Mustang driver. A few seconds later, the emergency lights kick into action. The mustang pulls over. This is all unfolding about a quarter of a mile up the road from me. A little while later, as I pass, I thank the officers who are talking to the driver. They wave to me.

I'm not sure if the motorist got a ticket or not, but I wouldn't be surprised. Even if the driver didn't get ticketed, I'm sure that being pulled over for failing to give a cyclist some room will change the way that person sees us. Hopefully the officers gave the driver a quick lesson on traffic laws regarding bicycles, too. I'd be happier if the motorist was cited with willful reckless endangerment or something that would cause the loss of driver's license. Then they can ride a bike, wouldn't that be poetic?

One officer seemed visibly angry and was standing on the sidewalk. Perhaps a fellow cyclist or motorcycle rider? At any rate, justice was served today.

Top ten things...

I posted something similar on BikeForums a while back, but it seems my top ten always evolves. I'm still very new to utility cycling, so I'm certain that it'll take a good year or two before I really find my top ten groove.

10) The way my knobby tire tread looks like it's standing still or going backwards under Sodium streetlights. It's strangely hypnotic, and I have to tell myself to keep an eye on traffic instead of watching the pretty pattern when I'm riding my mountain bike.

9) The increased sharpness of all my senses.

8) Free parking pretty much anywhere!

7) In winter, being halfway to my destination before I could even have my windows scraped off, and never being cold waiting for my vehicle to warm up.

6) I can blow off steam on my way home. If I've had a bad day at work, I can just hammer it until I'm about ready to pass out. By the time I'm home, I'm far too tired and lazy to be pissed at much of anything.

5) The looks, questions, and awe of other people. Co-workers, people working at places I ride to, and drivers on the road always seem to be curious. Some of them assume I've lost my driver's license or I'm too poor to own a car. Others think I'm going to get myself killed, and some actually root for me. Once in a while, people talk to me and ask my why I'm doing it.

4) My health. I'm getting stronger and healthier. I haven't lost much weight yet, but my waist is shrinking, which can only mean I'm toning up. My heart and lungs are feeling better than they have in 8 years.

3) There's nothing that wakes me up faster than making that first big climb on my bike.

2) When I'm riding, all the distractions fade away. I have time to think about things on my way to work. I've actually solved problems and come up with some of my best ideas while I'm just sitting there pedaling away!

1) The zen of transportation under my own power

The commute this morning was peaceful and chilly. I got out a little later than I'd like, but at least I got to bed early last night and got a good night's sleep for a change.

Also, I added a few new Links to my blogroll. A Midnight Rider is a fellow bike commuter that comments frequently, and some other readers of mine post on Commute By Bike. They're definitely worth a read.

Snowy Singletrack Saturday

I decided with the weather, it would be a novel idea to go have some singletrack fun after making two MORE grocery trips today, and playing around on my way to the pharmacy - the shortest way is to go through a field, which is fun on a mountain bike.

There are a few acres of abandoned yet practically unusable land kind of between my apartment and one of the entrances to the Mill Creek Streamway MUP/Bike Trail. I've walked around in it a few years ago, and recall there being some wheel ruts but it mostly looked like paths that deer had carved through the brush.

I also did some rock climbing. All in all, I put on about 4 miles today, but less than a mile of that was on pavement, and it was snowy pavement anyways. There was a LOT of climbing involved in the pseudo-wilderness, but it was fun, and the return trip was mostly downhill.

Click the photo for a page with all the pictures I took.