Mark your calendars!
Dottie and I are cooking up a little group ride adventure for her next trip here. Exact route and details TK, but we hope you’ll keep the afternoon of Saturday, August 22, open for a stylish saunter through the bike lanes around my side of town.
P.S. In other news, I’m in North Carolina (Sapphire/Asheville) for a long weekend. Hoping to rent bikes, hike and eat some good food — drop me an email if there’s anything I shouldn’t miss!
Though we’ve had a brief respite from the usual July heat these past few days, summer is the season when the hilly terrain of Nashville really gets to me.
Caruthers Ave., courtesy of Google Maps--a gradual, 2-block incline
Lately I’ve been trying to look at it philosophically—the sense of accomplishment, building strength and endurance, etc.—but that can be hard when you’re dripping in sweat. I guess I’m not the only one who has trouble with this. Yesterday the Guardian‘s Rick Williams shared some strategies for climbing efficiently on their bike blog. A few were surprising, others were useful reminders of proper technique. Among them: standing up does help, but makes you tire more quickly; your heels should remain level with your toes for maximum force.
And today, my friend Jason shared a blog post from Seth Godin (who rides a recumbent) that gave another perspective, and a nice reminder that lessons learned on a bike apply elsewhere in life.
So true! Unfortunately for my athletic career (ha), I’ve never been good at taking the long-term view when it comes to physical suffering. I have seen some improvement in my hill performance over the past year, but I still can’t learn to like them. Any hill-climbing pros, please feel free to share your secrets to success in the comments.
ETA: my route elevation map, which might show the ups and downs better than Google streetview. Thanks to commenter Catherine for the site! How does your route compare?
My new bike crush is the Pashley Sonnet Bliss. I’ve discussed the Pashley Princess Sovereign previously, which is very similar except the Bliss is different colors and does not have a full chaincase. I seriously conisdered buying a Pashley last year, but the Azor Oma Dutch bike won out based on its incredibly sturdy and smooth ride. Recently I’ve been wanting a Pashley again – not instead of Oma, but in addition to Oma. Is that bad? If loving Pashley is wrong, I don’t want to be right. I can’t buy another bike at this time, anyway, so it’s only imaginary. For now I will be satisfied with my recent test ride at Boulevard Bikes in Chicago. This was the first time I saw a Sonnet Bliss in real life and she is quite blissful 
Test riding the Pashley Sonnet Bliss
Biking with my brother over the Fourth reminded me that our first bike rides ever were taken together. The last time I visited my parents, I dug up some photographic evidence.
These Schwinns were our first bikes ever. We got them for our birthdays (both in April — yes, this is what April looks like in northern Minnesota) in 1985. Charlie was turning 4, and I was turning 5. Training wheels were the way to go back then…
Here I am frowning at the handlebars (this bike stuff was serious business) while Mom adjusts Charlie’s bike and Uncle Bob looks on.
Getting to know you...
Meanwhile, Charlie barely fits on his bike! Moments after Mom let go of the handlebars, he was off…and crashed in the woods since he didn’t know how to brake yet. Oops. I think we may have this on video somewhere.
My brother and his first bike.
How old were you when you took your first ride?
Last night Mr. Dottie and I enjoyed a romantic dinner at a fancy French restaurant. I wanted to wear my new Saja dress, so I wore it. This is not an ideal dress for cycling because of the length. However, when you ride your bike everywhere, it comes down simply to wearing what you want to wear. If I limited my wardrobe because of my bike, I would resent the limitations. If I took a cab to the restaurant instead, I would be incredibly lame. So I threw on some small shorts underneath, put my basket on Oma for the fig leaf effect, and pedaled in a ladylike manner. This was less revealing than a pair of shorts. Actually, the most challenging wardrobe issue was getting Mr. Dottie out of his cargo shorts and “fun in the sun” t-shirt. Turns out, he cleans up quite nicely.
Me and Oma in Lincoln Park
Dapper Greg in Lincoln Park
This week brought a couple of changes for me.
I got a rearview mirror for my bike.
I see . . . me!
Still playing with the best way to adjust it, but it’s nice to be able to keep an eye on what’s behind me without turning my head. I got used to this little luxury while riding Oma last month.
Now for the new friend:
Walter "Wally" Kitten
Oma on the way home
As much as I love the sun, today’s somewhat stormy and cool weather was perfect for cycling. The storms stopped before my ride home, which meant that the trail was dramatically less crowded than it usually would be (people are easily scared off by the rain) but I did not get wet. The temperature hovered in the low 60′s, which meant that I did not sweat. I had a 16 mph headwind, so I simply popped Oma into 4th gear and took my sweet time. Mmmm, lovely. What is your perfect cycling weather?
Each of us is a wealth of information about cycling in our particular cities. Here are a couple of opportunities to share your unique knowledge to benefit the greater cycling community: the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center Image Library and the New York Cycle Club’s Cycling Risk Assessment Study (not limited to New York).
Bike Lane, Madison, WI (from PBIC Image Library)
Read on for the details.
The majority of my waking hours are spent in a skyscraper. My office has a big window with a view of Lake Michigan, but looking at the view only reminds me of what I’m missing. Without bike rides before and after work, my life would be pretty sad. Because of this, I try to really appreciate my time outside: winter, spring, summer or fall, I love it all if I can be outside on my bike. Today I focused on enjoying the summer sun – a rare bird in Chicago, land of the six-month winter. The sun reciprocated by playing fun games with my camera. Betty, of course, was happy to mug.
lalalalalaaa, sang the angels
And on the eighth day, God create the bike...
From me and Le Peug. We’re celebrating with some macarons, brioche, cheese and of course, wine.
Homemade brioche
Not quite perfect, but some of them had feet!
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