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.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Thursday, April 8, 2010
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.
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.
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!
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!
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