Arkel “Tailrider” arrives

Washington #1, BI bronze

According to the League of American Bicyclists, the state of Washington is #1 on its list of Bicycle Friendly States – outranking Oregon by four spots.   The league says it scored all 50 states using more than 70 factors in its ratings.

Bainbridge Island garnered a “Bronze Star” last spring in the league’s 2008 rankings of “Bicycling Friendly Communities.”

Mileage update

Just for the record…  Since my 5,000 mile mark in June, I’ve put 857 miles on my odometer.   Although my weekly mileage pace has dropped off this summer, it looks like I’ll be turning over 6,000 this fall sometime.  Whee!

Bearly believable!

Kim and I were out on a ride yesterday – we climbed Springridge Road to enter Gazzam Lake park on the north side, and as we approached the entrance, noticed a hand-printed sign on the post.  “Warning, a black bear was seen on this trail last night at 5 pm.  Be carefull!” (sic)

Hard core riding

A month ago I finally crossed a threshold I’ve been eyeing – and avoiding – for a long time:  I started strengthening my “core,” which is a hip new way of saying that I started doing abdominal exercises again. 

Toe Jam South: Conquered!

I bicycled up the south side of Toe Jam Hill today, after 15 months of wondering if I could ever do it.  I did it in my very smallest new gear, and even then, I can honestly say that I thought I might die.  Seriously, I was getting prickling pain in my hands and wrists and I was thinking, “okay, this is what a heart attack feels like…”  I know it sounds silly but that sucker is STEEP.  It wasn’t much fun, and I don’t know if  I’ll ever do it again.  But I did it today.  And somehow I’m proud of myself.

Chop wood, carry mail

I haven’t posted much here this summer, maybe because I’ve been going through something of a bicycling identity crisis.   Trying to reach a simple decision about changing the Redline from a two to three chain-ring system triggered a flurry of thoughts and feelings, and since the change was made, it seems I’ve rounded a bend and am heading in a new direction.  I didn’t anticipate any of this, but there’s been a wonderful discovery in it; I’m experiencing an evolving identity as a cyclist that feels meaningful and expansive.

Sexy saddles

Whoa!  In all the recent changes I’ve made to LRB, replacing my saddle isn’t something that had occurred to me – that is, until a few days ago at the New Rose Cafe, where one of the barristas had parked his sweet LeMonde road bike with a lovely brown Brooks leather saddle. 

The middle way

Waves of relief, joy and gratitude today as I rode 26 miles on my “new” little red bicycle with her three new, shiny chain rings. 

Pacing the floor

I’m restless as a broody hen, with my little red bike at the shop getting changed from a double to a triple chain-ring.  It’s a bit like having a loved one in surgery – I’m wondering how things are going, when it will be done, what they are finding as they “go in.”  I just called Tom to ask about getting a bike fitting tomorrow and he mentioned that the back wheel was significantly out of true.