It has been a tough month. Well, tough couple of months. Many of the readers can understand the impact a lack of bike riding can have on an avid cyclist. When I should have been basking in my new bike glory, I’ve instead struggled against a series of both planned and unplanned events that seem like a sinister conspiracy to keep me off the bike.

It all started when the office of my day job moved.

The old commute was 10 miles one way, across beautiful scenery that encouraged me to add even more miles – just for fun. Without even “training” I was on the bike over 100 miles every week just in my commute. It made doing even more rides not only easier but also more enjoyable. Cycling can be funny that way – the more you do it the more you want to.

After relocating to the Financial District in San Francisco, my commute was essentially cut in half. There was a subtle change that came along with that that I didn’t expect. Somewhere between 5 and 10 miles is, for me, apparently about where I cross the

threshold into the “exercise zone.” I don’t know what else to call it. It is where the heart rate gets up, and the endorphins start to flow. I simply didn’t seem to have the same emotional lift when I got off the bike for my 5 mile commute as I did when my commute was 10 miles.

It seemed to impact my health too – although I didn’t realize it at the time. Within 6 months or so of the commute I’d added about 10 lbs to my body weight. In retrospect I was not nearly as energetic overall, and my focus at work declined.

Then I went and really threw a monkey wrench into things…

I’ve had very wide feet my entire life. I’ve just accepted it. Even with the Sidi Genius Mega road shoe – possibly the widest mass-produced road cycling shoes on the market – I would still end up with an intense burning pain on the outside of my feet. I later learned I’ve been suffering all these years from a “Tailor’s Bunion” – on both feet. And it could be treated with surgery. But I was looking at a minimum of 5 weeks off the bike per foot. Given the fact that I’m a diabetic, I was advised to expect even longer to recover.

I, of course, opted to do both feet at the same time.

The surgeon was initially against it. He felt it would be better to be reasonably mobile – on crutches. Doing both feet would put me in a wheelchair for weeks. But from my perspective I was looking at 5-8 weeks off the bike. I saw no reason to endure that twice. For me the biggest impact was being immobile at all – so there was very little difference between partial immobile and fully immobile.

After surgery I was stuck almost exclusively in a wheelchair for two weeks – which was actually less than I had expected. However, I had (errrr….. still have) big, clumsy recovery boots that were to be worn at all times I put weight on my feet. Obviously no bike.

At just over 5 weeks I was back in the doctor’s office fully expecting to get the all clear. Instead I heard 4 more weeks in the boots. 4 more weeks off the bike. Grrrrr…..

There was a silver lining however.I was told the critical part of healing is that the foot does not flex. And that brings us back around to those Sidi Genius Carbon Mega cycling shoes of mine. That rigid carbon sole actually serves basically the same function as my recovery boots – keeping my foot flat with the weight (or pressure) equally distributed across the bottom of the foot. I was given the go-ahead to ride in my cycling shoes on the indoor trainer. Still not on the road though – where a simple fall could dislodge the bone (I’m told) and put me back to the beginning.

So that brings up to now – today. I’m waiting patiently for my next appointment. I’m hoping to heal that the feet are healed and I can end a winter of what has been diminishing riding times. And as is usual with me, I seem to stop writing when I stop riding.

So until I’m back on the road I’ll be spinning away indoors. I’ve booked my hotel and flight to the North American Handmade Bike Show – in Salt Lake City this year – so you can watch for continued coverage of that event. Planning the trip to Sea Otter. Registration for Seattle to Portland starts Jan 17 – so I’ll be jumping on that. And I’m trying to figure out what other rides I plan to throw in this year as I try to get back in form after all these lazy months.

Life can be pretty good at throwing obstacles at us to keep us from doing what we love. Sometimes these are logistical, sometimes emotional, and sometimes physical. This isn’t the first time a need to recover has kept me off the bike. And I’m sure life will have even more to throw at me in the future.

Note: I talk about my own personal medical experiences. But remember I’m not a doctor, and nothing I say is intended to be advice on anything you may do in your own person life. My Standard Medical Legal Mumbo Jumbo applies here as well.

I’ll admit that I was a bit… preoccupied… when Andy Schleck originally announced his retirement. At that time, I was eyebrows deep into launching a local independent bike shop paired with a cafe. During our unfortunately short run before total, catastrophic collapse (you could say we ‘bonked‘) I was understandably out of the pro-cycling happenings. Knee-deep in trying to ensure there is enough money to keep the lights on from day to day (there wasn’t) you don’t find yourself with a lot of time to keep up with the pro peloton. One thing I learned during this process – you need a fair amount of up front capital (runway to use business parlance) to keep a cafe/bike ship afloat until business builds up.

Well… let’s hope Andy Schleck sacked away some of those sponsorship dollars because guess what… while I was busy failing at running a bike shop/cafe, he was busy launching one.

Apparently that was the mistake in my business plan. I was supposed to win the Tour de France first…. THEN open the bike shop. Lesson learned.

My son Teo and his first bike on TopSport exposition ,where we present Andy Schleck Cycles pic.twitter.com/Gc73wQSi7C

— Andy Schleck (@andy_schleck) September 12, 2015

I swear you can’t make this stuff up.

Pictured right is Ian Hespelt. The 31 year old cyclist has been arrested in connection with a recent Critical Mass incident involving a U Lock and a Zip Car. According to an ABC7 article on the story, neighbors were “shocked”, saying “…he’s not a violent person.” Well, the actions caught on film which he is now being accused of enacting sure are violent.

Could this guy seriously be a more perfect stereotype for the Critical Mass cyclist gone amuck? And truth be told, if this guy really isn’t normally a “violent person” does this speak to the mob mentality that, by some accounts, has unfortunately taken over Critical Mass? After all, the person in the video is wearing a tee shirt that appears to say “Non-Violence is our strength” – all while bashing the car with a U Lock.

I will admit a part of me thought this was all just a little too perfect at first. This is San Francisco. I’m cynical of everything. It reminded me of the video of the protests of the Google bus some time ago. The video showed a “google employee” saying all the things that everyone expects them to say. All the things that make many others in the city hate them. And it was totally staged… the guy didn’t even work for Google.

Now I’m not saying this guy is a plant… but damn. If he were they picked the perfect person. Even though many will tell us that hipsters are dead, Mr. Hespelt unfortunately represents exactly what most would expect someone to look like at Critical Mass. He went from being Just Another Cyclist to looking like Just Another Asshole.

Let’s get him some canvas kicks and an earflap hat to finish it off.

I seem to be spending a fair amount of time being frustrated with cycling stories in the media lately. I was hot off of my rant about the Jeff Jacoby opinion piece when this NPR article popped up in my social media. The article’s title clearly indicates the slant of the article: “As More Adults Pedal, Their Biking Injuries And Deaths Spike, Too.” Yet another title geared to perpetuate the myth that cycling is inherently dangerous. Or at least that was my take on it.

OK. So on the surface, you take an activity that occasionally results in some injuries, get more and more people doing it, and logically you’ll get more people getting injured. Simple, right?

Sure – until you then go and try to show how it somehow more than that.

The article does do a good job of citing several studies on both injuries counted by hospital admission records, as well deaths resulting from interactions with motor vehicles.

Hospital admissions because of bike injuries more than doubled between 1998 and 2013, doctors reported Tuesday in JAMA, the journal of the American Medical Association. And the rise was the biggest with bikers ages 45 and over.

“There are just more people riding and getting injured in that age group. It’s definitely striking,” says Dr. Benjamin Breyer, who led the study at the University of California, San Francisco.

^{— Michaeleen Doucleff, http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/09/02/436662737/as-more-adults-pedal-their-biking-injuries-and-deaths-are-spiking-too}

So yea – again all I’m seeing is more people doing it, a natural increase in the number of injuries. The real question – is the rate of injuries and/or deaths per cyclists changing?

NHTS data shows us that in total miles ridden almost doubled between 1995 and 2009. Of those, the biggest single category of increase was “Social & Recreational.” The hospital injury study ^[1] shows reported injuries grew from 8,791 in 1999 to  13,046 in 2009 – less than double. That sounds like things are getting safer to me – not worse. Interestingly however, the same time frame from the same report shows hospital admissions increased from 553 in 1999 to 1,239 in 2009 – more than double. It is unclear if that is due to the seriousness of the injuries themselves, or perhaps societal changes due to health care coverage.

Looking at it from this perspective, the overall tone of the article that “cycling is getting more dangerous” just is not evident in the data. The article draws a lot of attention to the fact that there were increases in injuries and death in certain age groups, but then in the title and tone extrapolates that to all cycling. And then the summation, while technically true, definitely implies a cause for these injuries that is simply not in evidence:

But at the end of the day, reducing cycling accidents may boil down to something simpler: Making sure that bikers know the rules of the road — and that drivers know how to deal with bikers.

 

NPR, as an organization, definitely seems to be doing a lot more cycling-related journalism as of late. This is very likely just a response to an overall increase in cycling. This particular piece, however, I found to be a bit disappointing and not in line with their normal quality.

^{[1] Sanford T, McCulloch CE, Callcut RA, Carroll PR, Breyer BN. Bicycle Trauma Injuries and Hospital Admissions in the United States, 1998-2013. JAMA. 2015;314(9):947-949. doi:10.1001/jama.2015.8295. http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2432153}

According to Boston Globe Opinion Columnist Jeff Jacoby, you have no business being on the road on your bike. His latest opinion piece reuses tired old (and factually inaccurate) arguments to explain why efforts to increase bicycle access and utilization in our cities is, in his words, “irresponsible and dangerous.” But it is an opinion piece – right? I mean, he’s just stating what he thinks, not any actual facts.

Except for the things is cites as facts – that actually aren’t.

All of which might be marginally more tolerable if bikers operated under the same restrictions that drivers do. But cyclists pay no taxes, don’t have to be insured, undergo no safety inspections, and needn’t register their vehicles. They don’t have to carry an operator’s license, and aren’t required to pass a written or a road test in order to pedal in the streets. And have you ever seen a cop ticket a cyclist who ran a red light, weaved recklessly among lanes, or made an illegal turn? Me neither.

^{— Jeff Jacoby, “Urban roads aren’t meant for Bicycles.” Boston Globe}

Now I actually wish it were true that as a cyclist I pay no taxes. That would be fantastic, and I could continue to live in this city I’m in now that is becoming increasingly financially prohibitive. As I have with so many others Mr. Jacoby, I’ll forgive your misunderstanding of the facts on where the tax dollars to fund infrastructure come from. Not to mention the gross imbalance in the amount of maintenance dollars requires to support a bike lane compared to motor vehicle lanes. It is true that I’m not required to be insured, mostly because it is pretty damned hard for me to cause enough damage to make that a requirement. It is also true that I’m not required to undergo safety inspections. Not sure about Boston, but I’ve never had a safety inspection on my car either. Both my bicycle and my car do have legally required safety equipment, and I can get a ticket in either if I chose to ride without something legally required. Bicycle registration has been demonstrated to be cost prohibitive for the gains provided to society. Bicycle operator licenses have a huge hurdle to overcome in regards to where they are required, and how children fit into that framework. You would think that a journalist would be smart enough to look to see if others have posed these objections before writing about them all as if they were new, unique insights of your own.

Oh – and the idea about cyclists not getting tickets? Well there is this, this, this, and this just to get started.

My particular favorite part however is the video he uses to “demonstrate” his belief that riding a bicycle in traffic is inherently “deadly.” Interestingly enough, to my view the most dangerous part of this guys commute involves the cars illegally parked, blocking the bike lane. To that end, even though I don’t feel particularly vulnerable on the road personally, I’ll agree. Cars breaking laws are probably the single greatest threat to my safety.

The basic premise of his argument – which many have employed before him – is that cycling on the roads is dangerous. This is a straw man argument at best. If we accept the argument that if something is too dangerous, then it shouldn’t be done (and we shouldn’t enact changes to make it safer) then we are left with pretty much nothing that we can do with our frail human bodies other than stay in a safe bubble. We required seat belts in cars because driving a car is an inherently dangerous activity. Few made the argument that we should stop driving cars because too many people were getting killed. Yet somehow this is the exact argument Mr. Jacoby is making.

No. What our dear Mr. Jacoby has done is recycle a bunch of used, disproved opinions, cloaked them in a patronizing tone of “trying to protect people” and used them as a justification of why he gets mad at someone that cost him a couple of seconds of travel time getting from one red light to another while crossing the city.

Now what if I told you that if half of the people in the jammed up roads you are driving were on bicycles instead of cars, you’d be able to get to your destination faster? Would that change your perspective?

I’m annoyed. I’m sick of it. I’m pissed. I’m speaking only of San Francisco – and I may be digging my own stick-a-frame-pump-through-my-front-spokes kind of grave, but I do not believe that Critical Mass has any place, relevance, or purpose in the city of San Francisco any longer. (Caution: Strong language to follow)

Yet another unfortunate incident has taken place during a Critical Mass ride, and as per usual these days there is video, and it found its way to You Tube.There was a time when Critical Mass represented a good, relevant, valid message. There was precious little infrastructure in place on the city streets. But the honest truth of the matter is – bike are on the cusp of becoming a mainstream part of transportation in this city. San Francisco is poised to consider legislation to allow bicycles to “semi-legally” roll through stop signs. New bike lanes and new bike infrastructure are being put in place on the streets of the city every day. Improvements are happening.

So why in the hell would you ride the wrong way down a street, intentionally run into a car from the opposite direction, and then pretend to be a victim and assault a driver and their rental car? What good can that possibly accomplish?

The days of fighting with direct confrontation in this city are over. We are riding a wave of support based on positive acts of demonstration.

These people seem so hell bent on the fight that they can’t realize they’ve won. These actions are going to take all the gains and flush them down the fucking toilet. There is absolutely no room for this type of demonstration in a civilized conversation. People honking at me on the road, telling me I don’t belong there, non of that makes me as ashamed to be a cyclist as this nonsense caught on film here. This is absolutely asinine. Thanks for setting us back jack asses…

I’m pretty adamant about the fact that we are NOT all victims out on the road. Cycling is, statistically speaking, actually an amazingly safe, fun, and healthy activity. The Beastie Boys told us that “you gotta fight, for your right, to party.” You know what – everyone did. And the party is spreading to street after street, ordinance to ordinance.  Too many people in Critical Mass now seem to be dedicated to taking us back 10 years. They are trying to cling to the ideal of cyclists as marginalized members of society. They are trying to drag us back there – to justify their anger in a thin cloak of fighting for rights that have already been won.

You know what – mission accomplished. As a cyclist in the city of San Francisco, I am ashamed and appalled that you choose to ride the same form of transportation that I do.

You do not represent me as a cyclist. You do not represent nor stand up for what I want as a cyclist. You only help to foster the worst possible image of those of us on 2 wheels. Fuck you and get out of the way of the progress that has been so hard won.

Yes – there are still improvements to be made in how we plan transportation laws and financing. Breaking car windows is not that path.

One of the valid questions being asked is “Can San Francisco as a city actually do anything to change this law?” In truth, the answer is probably no. Stop signs – including their design, placement, and requirements – are actually regulated at the state level. Idaho’s law is was enacted at the state level. However, cities in Colorado have actually done what people are asking for in San Francisco, so it is not something inherently unique.

However, San Francisco does actually have a different option to achieve functionally that same goal. And it is one that has been utilized before.This tactic focuses not on actual law change, but rather on enforcement – or the complete lack thereof.

One example of this is San Francisco’s Sanctuary Ordinance – which sets aside enforcement of federal immigration laws. With this precedent in mind, it is conceivable that San Francisco could adopt a similar policy of non-enforcement for cyclists rolling through stop signs but still yielding the right of way as necessary. This may not be as far fetched as some think given the support from members of the Board of Supervisors already on the record.

However, the other interesting consideration is the state of Colorado. I’m still digging into this one, but Colorado has several jurisdictions that have enacted legal “Idaho Stop” laws within city boundaries, apparently in cooperation with the Colorado Department of Transportation. I will continue to look into how this was done from the legal perspective, and what differences in Colorado law allowed this to happen (Please, if you have information, references, or info please drop me a note, hit me up on twitter or Facebook.)

In short, while those that support the law would likely prefer to see this changed at the state level, there are in fact mechanism to achieve the same results within the city of San Francisco, while still operating within legal bounds.

Ran across another beautiful and thoughtful cycling blog featuring content for women. Pretty Damned Fast strives to be about “Women’s cycling in all of its forms,  especially when it’s done with style.” Blogger Tayler and Anna Maria come from backgrounds in photography and fashion, and that design ethic comes across beautifully in not only the visual layout of their blog, but also the stories they include. Well worth adding to your daily feed readers.

Find the blog at http://www.prettydamnedfast.com/.

As someone that has ridden group rides in a grand total of 2 different states, I feel uniquely positioned to have an opinion on the best group rides of the entire planet. It is from this perspective of decades of experience and miles of riding that I can say with absolute authority: The Seattle to Portland ride from Cascade Bicycle Club is the absolute best group ride, anywhere, ever.

OK. So all hyperbole aside, this really is an incredibly well run and enjoyable ride. Every year they offer up tickets for 10,000 participants – and every year they sell out. Participants can opt to do the approximately 210 mile course in either one or two days – both of which are fully supported.

This year saw a change in route from previous years, diverting riders through military property of the Lewis-McChord joint base. Here, two day riders enjoyed the sandwiches and wraps of the first day’s lunch stop under the shade of Military aircraft wings and other assorted military vehicles. The closed roads of the base provided a nice break with almost no car traffic present – although riding past signs warning of shells being fired over the roadway was a little unnerving.

The first day was overcast but comfortable, with a max recorded temperature of 73 degrees. Day 1 features what is famously known as “the big hill” just outside of Puyallup. Beginning at about mile 43 there is a gain of about 400 feet over 3 miles. While the Pacific Northwest is generally quite hilly and rugged, the organizers have found a route that is actually surprisingly flat – and this is indeed the single biggest climb. Personally I actually found the small climb into Napavine on the second day more challenging. While not nearly as long or high, it comes at a time early on the second day when many are still shaking off the stiffness of the first day’s ride. All that effort is definitely rewarded, however. If you ever do this ride, you absolutely must stop for the banana bread at the top of the hill in Napavine.

The midpoint for two day riders is at the college in the town of Centralia. The grounds of the college are open to tent camping, and the prerequisite food vendors and beer garden are in full effect.

I happen to have friends and family that live very close to Centralia so myself and my riding buddy didn’t camp at the college. However, after overhearing some of the great stories the next day we both talked about doing the camping bit next time we do this ride. Part of your ride fees include transportation of your bags, via truck, to the midway and finish lines both days. In other words, you get to enjoy your ride while someone else handles the logistics of getting your camping gear transported.

At various times along the route – especially at the beginning where folks are really bunched up – there were police helping to control intersections and minimize conflict between the cyclists and motorists. While some of the route is on dedicated bike paths and/or closed roads (like in the military base) the vase majority of the route is on normal roads with normal traffic.

One noticeable exception to this is crossing the Lewis And Clark bridge into Oregon. The bridge is two lanes in both directions, with almost no shoulder. In addition to that, this is logging country and the shoulders are littered with tree bark and pieces of wood that could make the trip disastrous. To help alleviate this, local police hold the cyclists up at one side of the bridge waiting for a group of significant numbers to form. Then, the bridge is closed to traffic in one direction and the cyclists are allowed to cross with full use of the two south bound lanes. There are some sketchy expansion joints on the bridge to be aware of, but overall it creates a great experience with minimal issues.

From there, a full half of the second day is in the state of Oregon along Highway 30. While not especially hilly, the rollers at that point in the route can be a little taxing – especially if you start to try and rush getting to the end. However, the shoulders along 30 are wide enough that great pace lines can form.

And then there is the finish line. There is actually a fair amount of time spent in down-town Portland proper, but you can feel the excitement and anticipation (or suffering for some) as everyone realizes the end is close, but not yet there. Suddenly you find the sidewalks becoming fuller and fuller. Then kids start holding their hands out for high-fives. Then you start to feel like a finisher of the Tour de France as the barricades start, holding back folks cheering for their friends, family… and everyone else. Hand slapping spectators while riding along… I can’t imagine a better note to end on.

Took a bit of a vacation. Avoided following the Tour de France (for no specific reason) and headed up north to Washington and Oregon for some great camping, and to ride in the Seattle to Portland ride. Vacation was great, but now back to your regularly scheduled blogging….