9/1/2010 2:26:43 PM
Family Fun on the Pacific Coast Bicycle Route  

It was over a week ago that Jim Sayer, executive director of the Adventure Cycling Association, and his whole family pedaled through Marin on their way from the Canadian border to the Mexican border. But that's when they appeared on Amanda Eichstadt's KWMR radio show, while laying over at Pt. Reyes Station. Listen to the interview; it's pretty cool, especially Jim's description of arriving at the coast after climbing up from Leggett on Highway 1. - Comment

8/26/2010 5:56:21 PM
Welcome Michele to the Culture of the Bike  

Michele Beasly's account of her conversion to bike commuting is an inspiration! And I'm sure glad she confessed to cribbing the photo from CopenhagenizeCambridge. I was about to yell: "GET A HELMET, GAL!" - Comment

8/24/2010 10:23:53 AM
CalTrain is actually asking for help from cyclists!  

Thanks to Ken Lee for this information, which I never spotted anywhere else. It appears that CalTrain has formed an official Bicycle Advisory Committee "with considerable enthusiasm," according to Mark Simon, Executive Officer for Public Affairs of CalTrain's San Mateo County Transit District.

The first meeting of the BAC is this Wednesday, August 25, in San Carlos. Unfortunately, I don't have the time and place; use the email links below to find out where and when.

Our representatives on the BAC include: Jessica Manzi from SFMTA; Shirley Johnson from SFBC; David Cade; Darcy Forsell, City of San Mateo; Ryan Kauffman from SVBC; Cindi Choi; John Brazil, Bicycle Coordinator for City of San Jose; Carlos Babcock, SVBC; and Jerri-Ann Meyer (former president of SVBC); plus at least six members of CalTrain staff.

The BAC has its own BAC Web page on the Caltrain site. You can also find more information about CalTrain and bikes as well as Bike Program Updates.

Or email the BAC directly. If you're reporting bumps, need bike locker information, offering advice or commending/dissing a conductor, contact Todd McIntyre at SamTrans. - Comment

8/21/2010 5:35:06 PM
Santa Cruz backs out of Tour of CA  

According to an article in the Santa Cruz Sentinel, Santa Cruz has decided not to participate in the Amgen Tour of California in 2011. That, the paper says, "could open the door for Capitola." Wouldn't it be a kick to see the teams slog up Old Soquel-Santa Cruz Road? Or bomb down all 13 miles to the beach? - Comment

7/24/2010 3:50:38 PM
Get Your A** Up That Hill!  

Thus spake Kevin Winterfield, the original founder of the Low Key Hillclimb Series back in 1995. (Egad, was it really 15 years ago?)

This year's first Low Key climb will be Montebello Road, the "traditional" opener, on Saturday, October 2. Staging at Stevens Canyon Reservoir parking lot will commence with registration at 9:15 am, with the mass start rolling at 10:15. Montebello is an ascent of a mere 1940 ft (591 meters) in 5.3 miles (8.5 km), but the ensuing Low Key climbs get hairier as the weeks roll by. All are welcome to tackle the climbs, from casual club riders to hardened pros using them for off-season training. I've never done a Low key myself (mass starts freak me out almost as much as steep ascents). But I know many a Bay Area cyclist who loves them. - Comment

7/13/2010 4:19:13 PM
GQ Interviews Levi  

Yesterday, while resting on the first rest day of the Tour de France, Santa Rosa's Levi Leipheimer gave this interview to GQ. He mostly struggled to explain TdF to the clueless. But he does mention the Tour of California and his hometown (though not by name). - Comment

7/5/2010 3:24:32 PM
Ruth and Steve Riding Across America  

Ten days ago my good friends Ruth and Steve boarded an Amtrak train for Tacoma with their bikes, panniers and eager anticipation. After spending a night staying with friends in Port Townsend, they ferried and pedaled their way into the heart of Washington state. They're headed for New England via Adventure Cycling Association's Northern Tier route and some Canadian Maritime provinces.

These two hardy senior cyclotourists are not a couple. They are longtime friends who have been riding together in the South Bay and the mid-Peninsula area for decades. This will be Ruth's third (or is it fourth?) TransAm tour. But Steve, who'd planned to do it once or twice in the past but had to cancel, is tackling the crossing for the first time.

Steve began communicating with those of us back home almost immediately. He'd purchased an iPad specifically for the task. And so far he's written daily. Now his log entries are available online at skylinecycling.tripod.com. I intend to follow their progress daily. And if you are -- or anyone you know is -- out on the Northern Tier route, keep an eye out for them. - Comment

6/27/2010 4:44:53 PM
Local Bike Clothiers Make Good  

Remember Vigorelli? No, not the velodrome in Milan, Italy. I'm reminiscing about the East Bay cycling clothes company, a pioneer in the popularity of Lycra in the '80s. I hardly knew anyone back then who didn't have at least one pair of Vigorelli shorts.

Fast forward to today's Bay Area cycling fashionistas. According to Eric Gustafson in today's SF Chronicle, natural fabrics and urban "crossover" designs have replaced Lycra as all the rage in the bike lane. Looking for a functional wool jersey, a waxed cotton rain jacket or stylish pedal britches? Check out your neighbors B. Spoke Tailor, Luce Goods, Sheila Moon, and Gwen Lutz. - Comment

6/22/2010 4:21:16 PM
Santa Clara County Cyclists: Weigh in on Campos Sentencing  

One fine day in October 2008, Rita Campos drove her car from a side road onto Uvas Road near Morgan Hill, just as Bruce Finch -- an experienced cyclist familiar with the area -- was riding into the intersection. The collision resulted in Finch's death; he left behind a widow and one child.

Campos was recently tried and convicted of a misdemeanor charge of vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence. Probation Officer Leslie Anaya, who is handling her sentencing hearing, is due to submit a report by the end of this week.

If anyone who rides even occasionally in south Almaden Valley along Uvas Road and environs would like to express your thoughts as an addendum to her report, you may contact Anaya directly. According to the email I received about it, she can still attach your letters to the report if she receives them by Monday or Tuesday, June 28 or 29.

As Linda Kahn of San Jose put it, "This could have been any of us out riding! It galls me this woman LIED through her teeth so she would not be held accountable... ." - Comment

6/18/2010 4:33:44 PM
Eben Weiss in SF-SJ? Who knew?  

Supposedly Weiss, aka The Bike Snob, has been visiting our local haunts in the Bay Area. But he sure didn't notify anyone around here. I'm told he was to show up at a Barnes & Noble in San Jose this afternoon -- just about the time I got the email about it. Tonight he's slated to accompany the San Jose Bike Party. Not a lot of publicity going out there, Eb!

In case you've never heard of the Bike Snob (or the BikeSnobNYC as he's apparently now known), his byline appears monthly in Bicycling magazine. And now he's got a book out (which explains the B&N appearance). Maybe if I were a few years younger, I'd understand his brand of humor (if it is, indeed, humor that he's writing?). - Comment

6/16/2010 3:26:31 PM
Oh to be in Paris...and on a bike?  

It's no secret that my favorite country for bicycling is la belle France. Still, I've never, ever wanted to pedal the streets of Paris. Come to find out there's more than one outfitter offering bike tours in the City of Light. Read about one Tour de Paris, with Bubba in the Seattle Times. - Comment

6/11/2010 4:27:35 PM
Michele is bustin' through RAAM  

If you're an RAAM fan (or even mildly interested in who might be racing), check out San Francisco's Michele Santilhano, one solo racer who is determined to be first in Annapolis.

According to "Erin," who is posting to Michele's blog, she was about 23 miles away from the first cut-off in Durango on Friday. Let's keep tabs on her progress! - Comment

6/5/2010 5:05:21 PM
San Francisco a Bike Friendly City?  

After Wednesday night's debacle that saw four different cyclists mowed down by the driver of a Nissan "Rogue" it may be pretty tough convincing LAB's Bicycle Friendly Communities program that SF qualifies. At least they caught the guy right away, thanks to his own stupidity. Read the story here. - Comment

5/31/2010 11:38:27 AM
Sixty-Three Miles Per Hour!  

That was my "max speed" yesterday on Foothill Blvd. in Cupertino. What? You don't believe it? Neither do I, but there it was on my wireless cyclometer.

I just happened to be standing -- stock still -- over a really sensitive traffic light sensor loop when my the numbers on the speedometer started spewing forth faster and faster speeds. The loop was at the left-turn lane from Foothill onto Cristo Rey Drive. It added half a mile to my total distance too.

The same thing happened at the brand new loop recently installed at Rodrigues Avenue eastbound at DeAnza Blvd., also in Cupertino, but it only kicked up to 20-something mph. Jim tells me this is common with wireless cyclecomputers poised over highly sensitive loops. Go on out and find one in your neighborhood and try it out! - Comment

5/24/2010 9:10:28 AM
The Real Winners of the Tour of CA  

It's us! Californians can now lay claim to one of the world's top professional bike races (not to mention several of the world's top teams). I gratefully attribute this win to the change to a May calendar. The better (if not all stellar) weather brought out a Euro-style roadside party atmosphere that gave us a fresh look at it all, from new venues to a new champion. To sample a smidgen of that party atmosphere, read my Party On! report. Five years and counting! - Comment

5/17/2010 2:11:16 PM
Bike Shop in a Box  

24 Hour Bike Shop has begun distributing their "Bike Boxes" throughout California. Modeled on their vending machines in Nevada and Utah, these boxes of emergency repair items are appearing along popular cycling routes located "out in the middle of nowhere."

According to Jeff Orum, who's apparently seen these saviors along the road/trail, the boxes "are in stores and where you would take the items and pay for them at the store's cash register, or in the case of the Bike Hut [on Tunitas Creek Road south of Half Moon Bay], in their honor system cash box." You'll also find Bike Boxes on Skyline Blvd (Woodside), Portola Valley, Summit Rd (Los Gatos Hills), Half Moon Bay, Aptos, Capitola, Boulder Creek, Big Basin State Park (coming soon!), Ben Lomond, Felton, Sunol, Marin, Woodacre, San Rafael and Lagunitas. Not to mention the seven SoCal locations. I wouldn't call many of these places "the middle of nowhere," but they're still pretty good for ride routes. Just remember, even if you're not equipped with tubes, patch kits, etc., you'll need to carry the cash (or plastic) to pay for them. - Comment

5/11/2010 10:49:28 AM
Win Prizes! Team TIBCO @ Tour de l'Aude & People for Bikes  

South Bay-based women's Team TIBCO is -- even as I blog -- in Europe training their way to the start of Le Tour de l'Aude Cycliste Feminin. Formerly known as the Tour de France Feminin, this 10-day stage race is one of the world's toughest, they claim. You can follow these women via Facebook, Twitter or email updates as they train, sightsee and compete. And win prizes -- although they haven't revealed just what those prizes are.

Meanwhile, PeopleforBikes.org are giving away two commuter bikes -- 2 Breezers and 2 Treks. All ya gotta do is sign their pledge -- a no-brainer really. We're all for bikes, right? BTW, the Breezers will be given away on May 23 -- the same day the TIBCO gals (hopefully) make the podium in Carcassonne. - Comment

5/7/2010 4:07:12 PM
It's All Uphill for the Tour of California  

Well, at least from Keith Williams' point of view. The Stockton wheel maker's home page takes you directly to your choice of videos depicting the major climbs the pros will tackle between May 16 and May 23. Warning: The vids are in Vimeo, so you'll need to "join" Vimeo to download and hear commentary. Meanwhile, here's a preview of Sierra Road in Stage 4:

Stage4-Climb1 from Keith Williams on Vimeo.