Over the past two years, I’ve cycled more than I have in the rest of my adult life combined. We had bikes on Malta, and I regularly used my old clunker to get exercise or to ride into town for supplies or a movie. Here in Victoria, my Dad kindly loaned me his old bike, and I use it pretty much along the same lines.
Becoming a regular cyclists has made me more observant of some cycling-related behaviour. So, in no particular order, some random thoughts on cycling:
My new favourite pet peeve is asshats who cycle on the sidewalk. As somebody said on Twitter when I complained about this: “it’s called side-walk, not side-ride”. If you can’t cycle on the road, then leave your bike at home. When someone’s riding on the sidewalk toward me (and they’re frequently grinning like an idiot), I refuse to change direction. If they run into me, I’m pretty sure they’re going to end up worse off.
There’s an odd camaraderie among cyclists with which I’m uncomfortable. They always want to chat with me when we’re stopped next to each other at an intersection, or when we happen to be locking up our bikes at the same moment.
As you probably know, there are a lot of retirees in Victoria. I’m often struck by how many more elderly men I see out riding than elderly women. Why is this?
I watch these guys go by, yelling “we’re not holding up traffic - WE ARE THE TRAFFIC!” and I wonder about the definition of traffic, and whether they fit into it. Before they got there, traffic on my way home consisted of people obeying traffic laws, and doing their best to get home in time for dinner while allowing others to do the same. Critical Mass riders seem to take glee in subverting all that. They are the traffic? Huh. How is it, then, that they storm through lights and disregard numerous traffic laws, getting away with it just because there are so many of them?
Over at Slate’s excellent Green Lantern column, I read about yet another of those tiny debates that green-minded people have (you may recall my razor question a while back) about which products are the most product choices:
As a new middle-school teacher, I’m facing a challenge I never thought about before: assigning a list of school supplies for my students. My colleagues tell me that there’s a real downside to wooden pencils, since it gives students an excuse to get up every few minutes and use the pencil sharpener. But am I being environmentally irresponsible by asking parents to buy plastic mechanical pencils?
This seems profoundly trivial for the average person, but I suppose a teacher generates a lot of pencil-related consumption over their career.
They are now eons beyond Gmaps because while Gmaps will show you the google satellites and topography maps, MapMyRide will show me google’s new terrain maps which I much prefer! And they even show me the elevation of my intended (or already executed) ride, per feet and per miles! And you can change it to kilometers if you like. And it’s awesome. Did I mention that?
I like the concept. I’ve been logging a few of my recent, short, errand-filled rides around town. They also provide a way to search for recommended cycling routes. The site is clearly designed for more aspirational athletes, but I enjoy plotting my bike rides on the Google Maps-powered interface when I get home.
Speaking of interface, MapMyRide could use the attention of a serious interaction designer. The site is so crammed with menus, features and advertising–it’s a bit of a dog’s breakfast. I always have difficulty finding what I’m looking for. Which is too bad, because the underlying functionality seems robust.
Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP) was originally a 1200km long bicycle race from Paris to Brest and back to Paris. It is the oldest bicycling event that is still regularly run…
Cyclists participating in the event must first complete a series of brevets (randonneuring events) within the same calendar year as the PBP to qualify. A series consists of the following rides: 200km, 300km, 400km and 600km. Each ride can be replaced by a longer ride.
You apparently have to complete the 1200 km in 90 hours, so you barely sleep at all. And, having done a very gentle bike trip in Brittany a few years ago, I can tell you that that territory is seriously hilly.
I also learned the term randonneuring. A randonneur participates in long distance bike races where there’s more of an emphasis on self-sufficiency and endurance than competition.
Roland recently wrote up a 2007 Social Geek Gadget List for the Web 2.0 geek in your life. Then he decided that list was a little materialistic. Now he’s written another list, “some Vancouver-centric suggestions for getting away from the screen”
Get your SGeek to play in the snow. Tubing, Tobogganing, Cross Country Skiing and Snow Shoeing are inexpensive. Get a gift certificate or buy a lesson at a place like Cypress.
On your bike sunshine! We are blessed with a mild but rainy climate. Get your SGeek a light (under $20) or some raingear and bike in the rain and the dark! It's fun and great exercise.
Theatre tickets
Dance tickets
Music Tickets
Gift certificate at fav restaurant
Knit him or her a scarf. Essential and stylish in Vancouver.
As somebody who never wants anything for Christmas, I fully approve.
Over the past two years, I’ve cycled more than I have in the rest of my adult life combined. We had bikes on Malta, and I regularly used my old clunker to get exercise or to ride into town for supplies or a movie. Here in Victoria, my Dad kindly loaned me his old bike, and I use it pretty much along the same lines.