back on the bike

With all the snow we had this winter, I found it difficult to work up the motivation to bike. But now that it's getting warmer, and the days a getter longer, I'm trying to build up miles again. (It doesn't hurt that I've got to get ready for the 42-mile 5 Boro Bike Tour.)

I snapped this pic today at the end of a very windy 16 miler.

#indielbs

Are you looking to lose a few pounds or even to maintain your weight over the holidays? Need a little motivation? Jen from Indiefixx has started a great new project called #indielbs.

#indielbs is a weight loss challenge that uses twitter, a blog, and some cool indie prizes to help motivate people to lose weight and get healthy. Check out the blog to see how you can win these fabulous prizes (including one of my cozy/cuffs) and follow the #indielbs thread on twitter for added motivation and support.

In addition to donating a prize, I'm also participating. I'll be posting on the blog as I attempt to get back to my regular exercise routine and shed the few pounds I've picked up since summer. You can read my first post here.

aerolock

One more from Coroflot. I totally need this for my road bike - aerobars that double as a u-lock. You know how much I like duel purpose stuff, this totally takes the cake!

Aerolock designed by Ben Guthrie.

orange coat

I'm all about finding bright, visible clothes to wear while riding bike that don't look like, well, neon cycling clothes. I think this orange coat would be adorable to wear while I'm biking as the weather gets cooler. And its waterproof, which would have come in really handy yesterday when I was biking home from cross country practice and got caught in a sudden rain storm!

glorious

I know, I still have plenty of catching up posts to do.  But that doesn't mean I can't post about what's going on right now, right?

The weather today was absolutely glorious.  I can't think of any other way to describe it.  I biked the long way to cross country practice this afternoon.  (I turned my normal 2.5 mile trip into a 12 miler.)  It felt so good to be out in the sunshine.

I plan on being outside biking, running, hiking, etc. as much as possible this fall, to make up for the awfulness which was last fall.  And luckily, the weather forecast for the next week seems to back up my plan.  Hopefully you'll have a chance to enjoy some sunshine this weekend too.

my little bike bag

Tonight I embarked on a quick craft project - a little bag that mounts on my top tube to hold food or necessities when I'm on a long ride.  I've wanted something like this for a while, but decided I would attempt to make one first instead of buying one.

As is usually the case, my first attempt didn't go as well as I'd hoped, but I think its servicable for now.  Plus, I used fabric and velcro that I had on hand, so all it cost me was $1.50 for the zipper and an hour of my time.

what I'm reading: the pine island paradox

After seeing The Pine Island Paradox mentioned on Laura's blog, I promptly added it to my "on the beach" reading list. In the book, author Kathleen Dean Moore writes about her connection to nature, and most importantly what it means to love a place.

For most of my adult life, I've felt more connected to the beach than anywhere else. I worked there for 4 summers during college, and inevitably at some point during the summer, I find myself wishing I was there. But as I sat on the beach reading Moore's description of what it means to love a place, I found myself wishing I was somewhere else - home.

Other than the 7 years I was in college and grad school, I've lived my whole life in a small town in Pennsylvania. And I was never really happy there. Until I started bicycling last year. Suddenly, I was exposed to all the natural beauty that comes with living in a rural place. As I've ridden my bike along the base of the mountains, through rolling farmland, and into sun-drenched valleys, I've realized how lucky I am to live in such a beautiful place.

Today while riding, another rider came up behind me and asked for directions. As we talked, he told me he lived in San Francisco, but had grown up in the area and was thinking of moving back because it was "just so beautiful here." It made me laugh, because on our trips to San Francisco (especially when we were north of the bridge in Marin County), Joe and I marveled at how beautiful it is there, and how we'd like to move. But as I've put more miles on my bike here at home, I've grown so attached to the natural world around me.

Reading The Pine Island Paradox really reminded me of our human need to be connected to nature. It also strengthened my desire to help more people get on bikes. I've lived in this area for 20 years, but I only felt connected to it when I started experiencing it by bike. If more people felt that connection to the natural world around them, imagine what a better world we'd live in.

tri, tri again

This morning I did my second triathlon of 2009.  This one certainly had some advantages over the last one - it was women only (which is just cool), the field was much smaller (200 vs 750), and it was a pool swim (no freezing cold lake).  I'm not totally happy with my time - I had a really rough run.  I developed a horrible side stitch just past mile 1, and it took me a mile to work it out.  

But I'm trying to focus on the positives.  Even though my bike time was a little slower than I would have liked, I was pleased with how the bike went.  I didn't get passed by a single rider, and spent the bike just focusing on the next person in front of me, picking people off one by one.  Then, part way through the ride, two guys out for their Sunday ride turned onto a road just as I was turning.  One of the guys told me I had a really, really cool bike and wished me luck in the race.  The two guys got a little ahead of me on the downhill, but I managed to hang with them on the next uphill and pass them on the uphill after that.  How's that for a confidence boost?

Now I've got to find a fall tri to do!

triathlon + summer mode

Yesterday, I completed the Got the Nerve Triathlon for the second year in a row!  My time was 1 hour and 44 minutes, a four minute improvement over last year.  I'm really happy about this because the bike course was actually .6 mile longer than the year before.  

I'd really like to do a few more triathlons this year.  I'm thinking about one in York at the end of June, and I'd really like to do a fall one in September or October.  Any suggestions?

This past week, I've moved into full on summer mode.  We put the soft-top on my car (something I haven't done in 5 years), I put some blonde highlights in my hair, and I've been dreaming about trips to the beach.  All I want to do is lay in the sun and read books, unfortunately I've got some orders to go out, and I'm teaching a summer class that starts on Tuesday.  So the rest of this weekend will be a working weekend for me.  How about you?

Enjoy the long weekend!

bike to work day!

Happy Bike to Work day!  Get out there and ride!

And if you must drive, please be careful and watch for all those cyclists.  We're everywhere!

image via barking bird art

its finally here!

I've got to finish packing and prepping for my trip to Phoenix tomorrow, but its really hard to stay focused because I just picked up this from the bike shop:

I'll be counting the days until I come home and can go for a nice long ride.  Between now and then, I'll have to come up with a name.  Any suggestions?

because i like bikes and free stuff

I've been wanting a cargo bike for a while now, but sadly its not in the budget.  So, when I learned that MADSEN Cargo Bikes was giving away two bikes, I couldn't resist entering.  

If you want to enter, all you have to do is provide a link to Madsen's site somewhere on your site.  (Or you could help me win by clicking on the link to Madsen's site.)

Now come on, how cute would I look taking packages to the post office with one of these?

bye bye, Mia

Just got a call from my bike shop letting me know that my bike is totaled.  (That's the problem with carbon frames, there's no way to know if the frame is stressed internally, so after an accident, you really have to replace them.)  You'd think I'd be happy about the prospect of getting a new bike, but I didn't have mine that long, so its really sad.  And Trek doesn't make that model anymore, so I'm looking at something different.  Sad.

RIP, Mia.

damages

I am going to try to refrain from making this a "my life sucks" kind of post, and instead keep it to a "things could be a whole lot worse" kind of post.  This weekend I had a piece come back from a photo shoot damaged.  And of course, I didn't have a contract.  (If you haven't seen Margaux's post yet, now is a good time to read it.)  Fortunately, the borrower is going to reimburse me for the damaged piece,  so its not the end of the world.  I will remember to have a contract from now on.

This afternoon, my bank called to confirm some questionable charges on my debit card.  Turns out, someone had managed to steal my card number.  Now I have to get a new card, but at least the bank caught it right away, and I won't be responsible for any of the theft.

Then I decided to go for a bike ride, to, you know, relieve the stress of the bank card incident.  As I was heading home, I came through an intersection.  I had no stop sign, and was going straight through, so I had the right of way.  Unfortunately, a driver stopped at the stop sign didn't see me, and decided to pull out.  I managed to swerve, and he clipped my back tire, causing me to spin out onto the pavement.  I'm ok, other than some very scraped up knees.  My bike will definitely need a new rear wheel, other than that, I'm not sure until the shop looks at it, but the driver did agree to pay for the damages.  I do feel like the accident could have been much, much worse than it was - I feel fortunate to have been able to walk away.

I think I've had a full enough day, so its off to bed.  Hopefully your Monday was less eventful than mine.

worth watching

Thanks to kathleenlosche on Twitter for the link!

democracy in action

Wow, did I fall off the blogging wagon.  I can't believe its been 10 days since my last post.  Last week was one of those weeks where I think I was really busy, but I can't remember actually accomplishing anything.

I spent this week in DC (ok, I spent the nights in Baltimore) at the National Bike Summit.  Today was spent on Capitol hill, lobbying for bicycling.  I wasn't super psyched before I came to the summit, because I didn't feel like I had much time.  Now, I'm so happy that I went.  There's so much work to be done, and the issues are so important.

My brain is too fried to go into details, so I'm calling it a pretty early night.  I'm just so relieved that I'm staying in Baltimore tonight.  I can sleep in until 8, and still get to my class with plenty of time to spare!

the wonder that is the internet

I knew, through her wonderful comments on my blog, that Laura Crawford is a metalsmith and bicyclist from Long Beach, CA.  But my apologies to Laura, because I never spent much time browsing her blog.  Until today!

Laura's blog has led me into bike design nerd heaven.  Any post that starts, "The more time I spend on my bike, the more I'm realizing how easy it is to wind up looking like a bum." is sure to catch my attention.  Laura writes a guest column for The Epicurean Cyclist, and she found these fantastic wool arm warmers:

What a fantastic product shot!

The Epicurean Cyclist is a blog by bicycling photographer, Russ Roca - who has this fantastic idea for a bicycling media campaign.  I would love to steal it for my bike club.

Also through Epicurean Cyclist, I came across two companies selling fantastic bike gear -Velo Orange and Rivendell Bicycle Works - which has this saddle bag I am now coveting.

Ok, make that three companies - how great are these panniers by Queen Bee Creations?

Thanks, Laura!

the groundhog lies

The groundhog was obviously lying, because rumor has it that its going to be nice this weekend.  Its been forever since I've been for a nice, long bike ride - and I'm looking forward to it so much I thought I'd do a little round-up of some great bike stuff I've spotted around the internet lately.

Normally, I'm such a chicken - but bike riding makes me brave - and lately I've been feeling the urge to go careening down a mountain on my bike.  Which is totally fueled by this folding bike the Bergmonch.  A folding bike thats also a backpack that makes it easy to hike uphill and bike down.  Ridden by a monk!  Watch the video for yourself and tell me you don't want one:

Bergmönch from Thomas Kaiser on Vimeo.
via TreeHugger

I love that people have been using design as a way to make bicycling more accessible.  And I love that multiple people emailed me about this light lane - a rear bike light that creates an instant bike lane behind you. 

Sadly, its only a prototype, but I'm betting a production model would sell like crazy.

Until that time, I might have to satisfy myself with the Knog Skink - such a simple, elegant solution to bike lighting.  No crazy, ugly plastic clips here.  I love it when good design meets bike accessories.

via Bike Hugger and available for purchase here.

24 miles

Today I rode 24 miles, my longest ride to date.  It was cold and windy, and my legs are tired now, but it was worth it to be out in the fresh air and scenery.  I have to remember to bring my camera on a ride soon, because the farmland that I ride through is absolutely picturesque.  Here's my route, courtesy of MapMyRide:



And no, I didn't ride on the Interstate, the road I was on runs right next to it.

sunshine, fresh air and exercise

Its such a beautiful day here - even though its cold, the sun is shining.  I already met my mother-in-law for a bike ride this morning (which included a stop for coffee).  

I'm finally getting to go out and use my new bike and I'm in a better mood than I've been in months.  Yesterday I rode halfway up a mountain and I'm still feeling the buzz.  

Last night we were over at my parents house, where my mother got a Wii Fit for Christmas.  While I'm in favor of anything that gets people to exercise (and it is pretty fun), it certainly doesn't give you the satisfaction of getting in a quality run or a nice challenging bike ride.  (Both of which I did yesterday.)

I'm so happy to be back on my feet - I'm a much happier person when I'm getting in regular exercise.  (And Grizzly's much happier now that he gets to go for runs again too.)

Since New Year's is always the time when people set fitness goals, I thought I'd share my plans for 2009.  No half or full marathons in the works (I'd like to stay injury free this year) but I'm going to do a 5k every month.  (I didn't do any last year, and I miss them.)  I'll be doing the Mt. Gretna triathlon again in May, and my mother-in-law and I are planning a three day bike trip on the C & O Canal in June (with our reluctant husbands in tow).  

Anyone else have any fun fitness goals for 2009?