Category: Cycling

Mountain Biking in the Skyways?

You’re probably wondering how it is that the person who never learned how to ride a bicycle is posting in the Cycling section. But I thought this article might be amusing to people who enjoy biking. The link should work for a couple of weeks. Cyclists get ready for St. Paul’s Tour de Skyway

Of Ducks, Geese, and Swans

As I pedal my way to and from work, I have the opportunity to ponder a great many things. This morning, I spent the ride observing and thinking about waterfowl. I know there are some closet biologists out there that will certainly be able to shed some light on these observations. First, why do swans …

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Oddities of the English Language

While out biking last week with a friend, he brought up and interesting question… Does it seem strange to you that in English, we use the passive “ride” for a bike, as if it’s moving on its own power like a horse, and the active “drive” for a car, as if we’re providing the motive …

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Is it Really January?

I checked the weather before leaving work today and it was 51 degrees! Is it really January? There are still traces of snow along the side of the bike trail, but I can’t believe it will last much longer with temperatures like this; so much for winter. Perhaps it’s just my memory playing tricks on …

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Long Commute

I ended up having a longer than expected commute this morning. It snowed/slushed on and off yesterday, but all of the roads and sidewalks in our area had no accumulation on them, so I decided to ride the East Bay Bike Path into work. Things were going along fine, until I made it two towns …

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First 2006 Commute

Adorned with two new bike flashers that I received for Christmas, I set of in the 32 degree air for my first bike commute in 2006. I’m sure I will truly look like a Christmas tree at night now, as I have three different flashing lights, all with different flash intervals. If people don’t see …

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The Race by Dave Shields

The Race: A Novel of Grit, Tactics, and the Tour de France by Dave Shields A quick, yet thoroughly enjoyable read. While it’s a work of fiction, I think it gives the reader some sense of what it must be like to participate in professional cycling. Dave Shields may not present a likely situation for …

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End of Year Commuting Stats

Last Friday was my last bike commute for the year, so I thought I’d share some of my stats. I commuted 98 days this year by bicycle, totalling at least 2,940 miles; my actual mileage was higher as I tend to wander around and take longer routes to/from work during the summer. Using the average …

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A Cold Morning

The commute this morning was, well, cold. I left the house with the outside temperature a balmy 8 degrees F. It’s one of those days where even an insulated water bottle will freeze by the end of the ride, certainly a character building experience. As I’ve become serious about bike commuting over the past three …

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Swan Lake

There is an inlet along the East Bay Bike Trail that during the winter months, for whatever reason, is very popular with swans. I was riding to work today and took some time to stop to enjoy the view. Noticing that there were a particularly large number of swans today, I started counting them. I …

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