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Portland Pedalpalooza 2010

I had the good luck of being down in Portland last weekend for the starting festivities of Portland's Pedalpalooza, a 2 week event of "bikey fun." Each day there are a dozen different rides organized by people who love their bikes, and almost all the rides and events are free. I attended the Cirque du Cycling parade on Mississippi Ave; as you can see by the pictures there were a lot of crazy bikes and outfits. It was a beautiful day, and the streets were overflowing with people, beer, and live music. I never feel as embraced for my love of cycling as I do in Portland. I didn't want to leave! But after walking around for 2 hours, buying a shirt, and eating vanilla bourbon ice cream in a freshly made waffle cone for lunch, I finally headed home. My only regret was not having my bike with me, so I could only watch instead of play along. Pedalpalooza is still going strong, so if you're in the Portland area, you should definitely get in on the fun! All the info you nee can be found here: http://www.shift2bikes.org/cal/viewpp2010.php

Very cool bike design

Mexi biker!

I loved that kids participated too

Where else are you going to ride your crazy bikes?

My favorite bike, a functional beer keg and tap!

Bike to Work Day!

Tucked inside of Bike to Work month is Bike to Work day. I imagine Bike to Work day is to bike commuters, what Arbor day is to trees. You just go about your normal business, and then one day a year people praise you, shower you with attention, and hand you goodies. Maybe it's more like Halloween? In any case, it definitely felt like a holiday and everyone was in a great mood. It was so much fun!

I got an REI coupon, Smartwool stickers (my love of Smartwool products will need a whole post of it's own), a water bottle, Clif bars, bananas, apples...my bag was overflowing trying to fit it all in.

If only Bike to Work day could come more than once a year. Happy riding! (and be safe)

A Year of Biking

A little over a year ago I was trying to lose weight, and the results were slow. I was only managing to get in a 3 mile run about 3 times a week. I’d just gotten my sister’s bike fixed up and ready to ride, but I was nervous to take it out. So when my sister came to visit, and insisted I ride with her, that’s when my life really started to change.

We went on the streets, next to cars, and up the steepest, longest hill in the area. It was the hardest thing I’d ever done (I breathed so hard I was coughing the rest of the night), but it was so fun I wanted to do it again. I never would have tried that on my own, or believed I could make it up such a huge hll, and the fact that I did it without any biking experience gave me confidence in myself I’d never had before.

So I got up a couple of weeks later, got on my bike, and rode to work. I was scared of cars, the hills left me gasping for breath, I got to work super sweaty, but it was so much fun I couldn’t imagine getting to work any other way again. The weight started to fall off because combining my commute and workout meant I was exercising 5 times a week without having to wake up early to run or go to the gym after work.

With each season came the need for different gear. In the summer I bought lightweight shirts and a sturdy commuter bike to better handle potholes, in the fall I found a yellow windbreaker,gloves and lights for night riding, in the winter I bought a hat, rain pants, and my ugly but effective biking booties (this picture shows what I looked like commuting through the winter).


Unless it's pouring out, icy, or I'm sick (in other words, it's unsafe) you will see me on my bike. This year I biked in 20 degree weather, I biked in the dark, I biked in the rain. And I loved every second of it.

I never drove to work, but if I had I would have saved $3,600 in parking fees (not to mention gas, maintenance, etc.), I save $876 a year by not getting a monthly bus pass (although some of that now goes towards bike gear and maintenance). I have biked 2,860 miles just to and from work, I have lost 65 pounds, and those are just the quantifiable aspects of biking. Every morning I wake up excited to ride, and feeling lucky that I have the capability to do so. I feel so much happier, healthier, and alive on a daily basis. I hope more people will join me soon so they can experience the feeling.

(me and my bike today! Here's to many more years of biking!)

An Unfortunate Incident

This morning on my commute into work there was a red light that is usually pretty short, and almost no cars go through the cross street that has the green, so I saw it was turning yellow and biked past two other cyclists, who were already braked, to keep my momentum on the hill. A few minutes later one of those bikers caught up to me and lectured me about rolling through red lights, and told me that I am the reason cars are mean to cyclists. It really bothered me.

I could have told him a lot of things; I really try to be one of the most responsible bikers on the road for that exact reason, I've been doing this for a year, I knew the light was about to turn green and I double checked no cars were coming, but instead I just kind of nodded and said I don't usually do it (which is also true).

I want to let it go, but he really bothered me. I would never tell another cyclist how to bike in that situation, especially pulling up next to them on a busy road (another act that gives us cyclists a bad name). I see other cyclists fly through red lights all the time, and that's at their own risk. I am not entirely innocent, I probably should have braked and waited the half second for the light to turn green, but I know my commute, and what I did wasn't even remotely reckless, and it wasn't his place to scold me.

I can deal with drivers being mean to me, but I find it very discouraging when fellow bikers don't treat each other reasonably or try to give each other the benefit of the doubt.

Puppy on board!

With all the summer biking we plan to do, both me and my husband hated the idea of having to leave our new puppy at home while we went out and played in the sun. We debated many methods of having her come with us; basket (she grew out of the biggest ones quite quickly), baby trailer(ridiculous for a dog & bulky on roads), and so finally Gerritt thought up the brilliant idea of a backpack. It works great. She seems pretty comfortable, she's fastened in tightly so she can't jump out, and we've taken her on a few trial runs and she seems relaxed and calm. I think it's going to work! Plus it's great listening to people's reactions as we bike by. They always do a double take and then break out in a smile.

March travel

I wasn't home in Seattle much in the month of March due to work travel at the beginning of the month, and some vacation time at the end of the month. I did get to see how some other cities bike though.In San Francisco I only got to see a small part of the city, mostly downtown, since I was mainly there for work. I didn't see a ton of bikers downtown, but that's probably because DT San Fran is nuts. So many people, so many cars, tons of steep hills, and the roads looked pretty torn up too. I did manage to run along the Embarcadero, which is a big sidewalk/trail that runs along the water. It was lovely and warm, and while I mostly saw joggers, a few bikes passed by as well. Next time I'm in the city I hope I'll get a chance to see some more bike friendly areas, because I'm sure they are there. San Francisco is a huge city.

We were in Boston for a big convention, so I didn't see as much of this city as I would have liked either. I spent one morning jogging/sightseeing along the Charles River, around City Hall, and then through the Boston Commons. It was all very flat, which was great, and probably the reason I saw quite a few bikers. My favorite cyclist was an older man riding back and forth along one stretch of road with a radio attached to this handlebars. He was listening to the morning news at full volume. He was probably crazy, but there are worse ways to spend your time.

I always try to convince people that they don't need to join a gym to get in shape; that you have everything a gym has to offer right outside (it's way better for your body and it's free!), but I have to say Boston really contested that theory. Running in 20 degree weather was pretty painful, and with all the snow they get in the winter time, I'd probably jump on the gym bandwagon if I lived there too.

my new bike!

For my birthday I got a road bike! I'm pretty indecisive when it comes to big purchases, but the Fuji Roubaix was on sale at Performance, plus through the powers of twitter I got an extra 10% off. I tried the bike out, remembered how awesome road bikes are, and it was a pretty easy choice after that. I haven't had a chance to ride it very much; I got a flat tire the first time I took it out, and since then it's been rainy and cold.

I forgot how different being on a road bike is compared to my commuter bike. The road bike is so much lighter, my center of balance is completely different, and I got the small clip pedals (my commuter has campus pedals) so I have to be more efficient at clipping in as well. I am hoping for sunny weather this weekend so I can start getting used to being on a road bike again!

Worst Day of the Year Ride

Ever since we got into biking we've wanted to go down to Portland and bike in the city that's always voted #1 in the nation for cycling. I grew up close to Portland, but never spent a lot of time there. So back in February me, my husband, and our friend Matt decided to participate in the Worst Day of the Year Ride.

The weather actually turned out to be sunny and perfect for riding. We started the morning with donuts, coffee, and a drumline at the starting area. It was a relaxed 18 miles, and a perfect introduction to biking around the city. I can see why Portland is considered so bike friendly; tons of bike lanes, those fancy green sections at stop lights, and overall it's very flat and easy to navigate. Plus there are tons of trails, beautiful scenery, and even the bridges are bike friendly. I (very unsafely) took this picture.

About half way through the ride my left pedal fell off my bike! Luckily there was a bike shop just up the street that fixed it for me no problem. The event started and ended at the Lucky Lab brewery (all the different breweries are another reason to love Portland). After the ride there was chili, bread, and beer. It was a great day, a great ride, and I can't wait to bike around Portland some more. Cheers!

Lunch time bike ride

The weather in Seattle has been ridiculously gorgeous the last few days, and so to make a Monday of being stuck inside the office more bearable I decided to do something I've been wanting to do for a long time.

I got on my bike, in my work clothes, and headed to South Lake Union (about a mile away) for some delicious kahlua pork sliders and spicy pork tacos from Marination Mobile. I ate in the sun and made it back to my desk in less than an hour. It made me so happy I'll have to do it again very soon.

The Rain

Waiting at a stoplight on my bike in downtown Seattle.

I always think of January as the worst month of the year in terms of weather here; this January was an exception (thanks El Nino!). The temperatures have been mild, the rain has been nice to me and mainly fallen before or after my rides, and it's even starting to get lighter. I am grateful.

Even when it is rainy in Seattle it's rare for it to be pouring. Biking in drizzly rain can actually be fun. Cars seem to be more aware of me, and there's something refreshing about biking past all the umbrellas and rain gear. When you just accept the fact you're going to get wet it's really not bad at all, although I much prefer it to happen on my way home when I'm not trying to get to work on time and it doesn't matter if I show up drenched. I am lucky though that my commute only takes me 30 minutes. Any longer and I'm sure I'd be less tolerant.

I did ride one day where it was pouring. I didn't realize until I was already on my bike and soaked within minutes. The only dangerous part was that the bike lanes were waterlogged, which meant I couldn't see where the potholes were. One big pothole you don't brace yourself for can lead to falling, but luckily I took it slow and made it home safely enough. Although I resolved never to bike in a downpour again.

I am relieved that the sun is starting to come up sooner and go down later. Biking in the dark just takes a lot more concentration, a lot more lighting, and a lot more gear. I can't wait for the spring when it doesn't take me 10 minutes to put on workout pants, rain pants, biking shoes, booties, workout shirt, bright yellow windbreaker, biking gloves, smartwool hat, and helmet.

The one thing I will miss about biking at this time of the year though is the amazing sunrises and sunsets. They make me giddy as I ride into work and home. Pedaling hard while taking in the view brings me home refreshed and recovered from a boring or busy workday feeling strong and alive. I haven't found any better way to end an 8-hour day of sitting in a very gray office!

A beginning

Three facts you should know about me: I'm a girl. I live in Seattle. I bike. The first fact is important because the ratio of Seattle bike commuters makes me a minority; more men ride to work then women by a ratio of 3:1. The 2nd fact is important because my daily biking adventures happen in Seattle, it's a city I love, and as a biker, the city loves me back more than almost any other city in the US. The last fact is why I wanted to blog in the first place. To convince others that if I can bike, then seriously, anyone else can too.

I biked a lot as a kid, some in junior high, but once I got my driver's license I let my bike sit in the garage never to be used again. Fast forward 10 years. My husband bought a bike last February, and I fixed up my sister's road bike to try riding too. I started bike commuting when my sister came for a visit in April, and quickly showed me that biking in traffic is not as terrifying as it seems, and that even the most intimidating hills can be tackled if you have a high tolerance for pain.

Since May I've biked about 2,000 miles, lost 50 pounds, and completely fallen in love with my bike. The freedom to get around without relying on a car or bus or any other type of vehicle is entirely liberating and exhilarating. Yes, biking can be scary, yes, driver's can be mean, yes, the rain and cold weather can make it hard, but nothing compares to the feeling of flying down a hill, the wind in your hair, the fresh air, and the grin on your face.

With this blog I plan to track my daily commutes, discuss the greatest and worst things about bike commuting, hopefully meet fellow bikers, and convince others that leaving the car at home and getting on a bike is one of the best decisions you'll ever make.