Saturday was my first official group training ride with the California AIDS Life Cycle folks. For a grand total of 28.5 miles, we rode from Culver City along Ballona Creek, through Santa Monica, up through Brentwood (along Bundy) to Mount St. Mary's College, through the VA, back to Culver City. Combine that with the ride to the meeting point and back, and my total for the day was almost 40 miles. Pretty cool. I discovered that I'm a strong beginner for a group cyclist. I keep a good pace, and I have good endurance. I can also climb steep hills (I did the last part of the Bundy hill 2.5 times!). Woo hoo!
I do have a lot of learn about riding in big groups. Since I am a commuter, I don't follow group rules very well. I'm not accustomed to stopping when it isn't absolutely necessary, and I am definitely not used to always yelling out signals and warnings to other cyclists. I am much more used to yelling at passing cars who are trying to run me off the road. During my worst 5 minutes on Saturday, I couldn't unclip on my right foot resulting in cutting off the ride leader. It was horrible. After he advised me to get used to alternating my feet for unclipping, I tried unclipping the left foot for the next stop sign. You can probably imagine what happened next: I proceeded to crash when I couldn't figure out how to properly shift my weight. When I replied that I didn't really hurt myself, another rider said, "But you hurt your pride." Ummm yeah...
After the training ride, we headed over to a training workshop where we didn't learn very much. Since I have already had my bike professionally fitted to my body (best decision ever!) and my only knee injuries have been a result of other activities, I didn't really learn much. It was sad. Most of what they talked about was common sports sense and the rest of it was so technical and performance-oriented that I can't see myself caring. Do I really see myself getting VO2 tested and strapping on a heart monitor?
My experiences Saturday did further elaborate something I had only vaguely perceived before: the huge cultural rifts within the biking community. I am a commuter which means that I don't care too much about speed: I'm happy to be outside and not using cars. Most of my decisions regarding gear have to do with practicality. Of the cyclists who ride on roads (as opposed to mountain-bikers), I am the extreme opposite of the weekend riders/warriors who drive their bikes to meeting points even if it is within 5 miles of their homes. I have also heard road cyclists complain about triathletes. I can't really understand this. Aren't they way more athletic and well-rounded than the rest of us? Whatever. The way I see it, the more people who ride the better. I also heard some smack-talking about bike messengers. Again, I am completely mystified. Maybe I'll better understand the more I take part in group rides.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Ghost Bikes: Agents of Change?
Just two days ago, I was riding to a doctor's appointment when a woman in a Prius nearly ran me off the road. (This was near the intersection of Westwood and Wilshire.) I yelled at her as I almost slammed into her. I suspect she didn't hear a word: her eyes were clearly focused on entering the parking structure at the Oppenheimer tower. Minutes later my drive chain got stuck between two gears in the middle of the intersection and I felt like I was dead in the water. Talk about scary!
But this brings me to another point: ever since I started commuting by bike, I have noticed that a high frequency of my scariest incidents on the road involved Priuses. (Rarely do my fellow riders believe me on this one.) My doctor confirmed the point. She owns both a Prius and a Civic hybrid and said that Priuses have such terrible visibility that it forces safety-conscious drivers to be especially vigilant on the road. My favorite comment of hers was when she said, "I myself avoid being near Priuses on the road." I am wondering if Toyota is aware that their cars are so dangerous for their fellow vehicles in low emission. It makes me sad that their incidence of near accidents is so close to the other big offenders -- SUVs -- the polar opposite of the Prius in terms of political and environmental ideology. (Full disclosure: my partner and I will likely purchase a Prius in the near future.)
Speaking of dangerous road conditions, the Ghost Bike project is finally getting some widespread attention, not for the project itself but for how it has inspired Portland, Oregon to become even safer for bicyclists. The recent surge in bike-related deaths in the city, which in the past may have caused me to doubt the city's level of safety for bicycles, have contributed to an increased level of activism and awareness within the city's cycling community. And what a result! After the high profile death of an LA cyclist at the corner of Santa Monic Blvd. and Wilshire last year, there was a lot of anger and awareness. It pales to the activism and awareness that produced results like Portland's.
It makes me genuinely jealous. Can you imagine a clearly-designated space for cyclists to wait at intersections like Portland's "bike boxes" in major cities around the country? Surely such a move would help with visibility problems and an awareness that there are bikes out there. What I especially like about the article is its frankness in discussing the type of driving maneuver that causes the most accidents: right-turns at red lights. It was certainly a right-hand turn that produced my scary moment just the other day... So, when is moving day?
But this brings me to another point: ever since I started commuting by bike, I have noticed that a high frequency of my scariest incidents on the road involved Priuses. (Rarely do my fellow riders believe me on this one.) My doctor confirmed the point. She owns both a Prius and a Civic hybrid and said that Priuses have such terrible visibility that it forces safety-conscious drivers to be especially vigilant on the road. My favorite comment of hers was when she said, "I myself avoid being near Priuses on the road." I am wondering if Toyota is aware that their cars are so dangerous for their fellow vehicles in low emission. It makes me sad that their incidence of near accidents is so close to the other big offenders -- SUVs -- the polar opposite of the Prius in terms of political and environmental ideology. (Full disclosure: my partner and I will likely purchase a Prius in the near future.)
Speaking of dangerous road conditions, the Ghost Bike project is finally getting some widespread attention, not for the project itself but for how it has inspired Portland, Oregon to become even safer for bicyclists. The recent surge in bike-related deaths in the city, which in the past may have caused me to doubt the city's level of safety for bicycles, have contributed to an increased level of activism and awareness within the city's cycling community. And what a result! After the high profile death of an LA cyclist at the corner of Santa Monic Blvd. and Wilshire last year, there was a lot of anger and awareness. It pales to the activism and awareness that produced results like Portland's.
It makes me genuinely jealous. Can you imagine a clearly-designated space for cyclists to wait at intersections like Portland's "bike boxes" in major cities around the country? Surely such a move would help with visibility problems and an awareness that there are bikes out there. What I especially like about the article is its frankness in discussing the type of driving maneuver that causes the most accidents: right-turns at red lights. It was certainly a right-hand turn that produced my scary moment just the other day... So, when is moving day?
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
New Year's Resolutions
I normally don't make resolutions, but since I have made some clear goals for 2008 (many of which are related to cycling), I'd put them in the most appropriate place.
1. The AIDS Lifecycle
For years I have promised myself that when given the clear opportunity to participate in the 7-day, 545-mile ride from San Francisco to LA to support AIDS-related services at the LA Gay & Lesbian Center, I would take it. This year, I have no reason to be stuck in LA for the first week of June, so Alina and I are taking the plunge. Why not? We were already planning to make a bike tour of California. We already ride around Southern California for various social events. And we have an activist streak that makes this event ideal. If you feel inclined, please support me (emotionally or financially) on my lifecycle homepage here.
2. Finish the Majority of my Dissertation
This is a self-generated goal designed to allow me to live my life in approximately 18 months. I want to finish my PhD before I turn 30. To do that, I need to defend and file my dissertation with enough time to receive my degree and walk in June 2009. Goals don't accomplish themselves, so here is my mini-goal for 2008. To do that, I need to have a real writing schedule and a clear plan. It's all in the works (and incredibly private), but here's the public component. Please hold me to it if you catch me blogging in excess.
3. Bike More Whenever Possible
I'm pretty sure resolution 1 and my general habits in LA will take care of this resolution, but so will doing the sort of things I did yesterday. For New Year's Day brunch with my family, my partner and I rode down the coast to Long Beach. Sure, I wasn't quite ready for a lengthy power-ride (we finished around 46.5 miles in total), but it was great to remind myself that these things can be done even when one has spent 5 weeks away from the bicycle. I've always taken the saying "spend New Year's Day doing what you want to do all year" to heart and I think riding around in a relatively car-free Southern California on New Year's Day was a great way to do it.
It helps that the City of Santa Monica has installed more bike lanes around town in the last month. Those simple lines of paint (and the accompanying reduced vehicle traffic) encourage me in very direct ways for my daily life.
Speaking of encouragement, I've heard a rumor that one of my best friends is moving to Topanga either today or tomorrow -- get this -- without his car. He's also training for the Solvang Century ride, so I will be gaining another cycling buddy. Awesome!
4. Reduce My Injury and Illness Frequency
This kind of goal can only be accomplished through care and persistence. Perhaps some professional guidance as well. (I'm wondering how expensive that will be...) For quite some time I've noticed that my body doesn't respond well to sudden bouts of high-impact activity. That sort of activity stopped well into my 20s. Take my recent knee injury, or the infamous bout of wrist and elbow injuries that started around the time I finished my MA Thesis nearly 4 years ago. For over 7 years, I've noticed that the only way to keep my illness frequency down is to be good to my body. It's just common sense, but well worth noting.
5. Lose 5 Pounds of Emotional Baggage
Kind of speaks for itself and I think it is way more practical than the fitness goals that drive gym memberships up during January. Anyone ever notice how long that influx lasts? Right. Losing 20 pounds of fat is not a very practical goal for January, but I do think working on how one emotionally reacts to the world has a small chance of actually succeeding. Also, I think the bike-related and diss related goals will help with this one.
That's all for the public resolutions. Happy 2008 everybody!
1. The AIDS Lifecycle
For years I have promised myself that when given the clear opportunity to participate in the 7-day, 545-mile ride from San Francisco to LA to support AIDS-related services at the LA Gay & Lesbian Center, I would take it. This year, I have no reason to be stuck in LA for the first week of June, so Alina and I are taking the plunge. Why not? We were already planning to make a bike tour of California. We already ride around Southern California for various social events. And we have an activist streak that makes this event ideal. If you feel inclined, please support me (emotionally or financially) on my lifecycle homepage here.
2. Finish the Majority of my Dissertation
This is a self-generated goal designed to allow me to live my life in approximately 18 months. I want to finish my PhD before I turn 30. To do that, I need to defend and file my dissertation with enough time to receive my degree and walk in June 2009. Goals don't accomplish themselves, so here is my mini-goal for 2008. To do that, I need to have a real writing schedule and a clear plan. It's all in the works (and incredibly private), but here's the public component. Please hold me to it if you catch me blogging in excess.
3. Bike More Whenever Possible
I'm pretty sure resolution 1 and my general habits in LA will take care of this resolution, but so will doing the sort of things I did yesterday. For New Year's Day brunch with my family, my partner and I rode down the coast to Long Beach. Sure, I wasn't quite ready for a lengthy power-ride (we finished around 46.5 miles in total), but it was great to remind myself that these things can be done even when one has spent 5 weeks away from the bicycle. I've always taken the saying "spend New Year's Day doing what you want to do all year" to heart and I think riding around in a relatively car-free Southern California on New Year's Day was a great way to do it.
It helps that the City of Santa Monica has installed more bike lanes around town in the last month. Those simple lines of paint (and the accompanying reduced vehicle traffic) encourage me in very direct ways for my daily life.
Speaking of encouragement, I've heard a rumor that one of my best friends is moving to Topanga either today or tomorrow -- get this -- without his car. He's also training for the Solvang Century ride, so I will be gaining another cycling buddy. Awesome!
4. Reduce My Injury and Illness Frequency
This kind of goal can only be accomplished through care and persistence. Perhaps some professional guidance as well. (I'm wondering how expensive that will be...) For quite some time I've noticed that my body doesn't respond well to sudden bouts of high-impact activity. That sort of activity stopped well into my 20s. Take my recent knee injury, or the infamous bout of wrist and elbow injuries that started around the time I finished my MA Thesis nearly 4 years ago. For over 7 years, I've noticed that the only way to keep my illness frequency down is to be good to my body. It's just common sense, but well worth noting.
5. Lose 5 Pounds of Emotional Baggage
Kind of speaks for itself and I think it is way more practical than the fitness goals that drive gym memberships up during January. Anyone ever notice how long that influx lasts? Right. Losing 20 pounds of fat is not a very practical goal for January, but I do think working on how one emotionally reacts to the world has a small chance of actually succeeding. Also, I think the bike-related and diss related goals will help with this one.
That's all for the public resolutions. Happy 2008 everybody!
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Return of the Bicycle
Despite much temptation, I refrained from following up about the LA MTA and its bad decisions, despite regular coverage by the national press, local opinions and a rumored LA Weekly article circling about. I am personally waiting for someone more versed in the particulars of LA transit history to weigh in on the matter (I really wish that Mike Davis had a blog).
Anyway, I'm done. As we say in Portuguese, "acabou!" Focusing solely on transit in LA makes me extremely sad, especially when there is increasing evidence that city residents and commuters aren't taking care of their most vulnerable populations. It's enough to ruin my week.
It is for this reason that I present to you, my casual and loyal readers, the return of the swing bike! Not since last winter's rage for fixed-gears has a bike seemed so interesting. Imagine a completely impractical bike made solely for the souther California beach-biking culture! There's no commuting, no going on tour, and definitely no dodging cars in traffic: it's just pure fun. I know too well the importance of fun in promoting bikes within car-saturated SoCal; it was definitely a huge factor in my "bicycle awakening" four years ago. My only hope is that the swing-bikes don't get too disruptive when I take the beach route along PCH, that is if they catch on.
In my temporary locale of Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro a swing bike would be far too impractical. With the plethora of cargo bikes and mountain bikes that I see every day, I couldn't imagine it having a place. (Also, considering the near monopoly that caloi has here, I can't imagine alternative novelty bike such as these becoming popular.)
And with that, I leave you with a swing-bike poppin' a wheelie.
Anyway, I'm done. As we say in Portuguese, "acabou!" Focusing solely on transit in LA makes me extremely sad, especially when there is increasing evidence that city residents and commuters aren't taking care of their most vulnerable populations. It's enough to ruin my week.
It is for this reason that I present to you, my casual and loyal readers, the return of the swing bike! Not since last winter's rage for fixed-gears has a bike seemed so interesting. Imagine a completely impractical bike made solely for the souther California beach-biking culture! There's no commuting, no going on tour, and definitely no dodging cars in traffic: it's just pure fun. I know too well the importance of fun in promoting bikes within car-saturated SoCal; it was definitely a huge factor in my "bicycle awakening" four years ago. My only hope is that the swing-bikes don't get too disruptive when I take the beach route along PCH, that is if they catch on.
In my temporary locale of Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro a swing bike would be far too impractical. With the plethora of cargo bikes and mountain bikes that I see every day, I couldn't imagine it having a place. (Also, considering the near monopoly that caloi has here, I can't imagine alternative novelty bike such as these becoming popular.)
And with that, I leave you with a swing-bike poppin' a wheelie.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Scooting Across America
One of the things I hope I someday have the guts to try is travel across the U.S. without a car. And, in keeping with the theme of this blog, I present Rucking Across the U.S., a travel-blog of scooting across america on a ruckus scooter. These scooters are way more tough than my Kymco, but they are still pretty small. Thanks to billtron for the link!
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On another note, buses in Rio de Janeiro cost more if they are air-conditioned. Today the temperature was well above 38 degrees centigrade. I shelled out some cash to avoid the heat for my research travels around the city. And I was far from the only one. I watched people let empty, non-air conditioned buses pass them by to catch those frescão (air conditioned) buses even if it meant waiting in the heat and standing up the entire ride. Summer in Rio is some serious business.
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On another note, buses in Rio de Janeiro cost more if they are air-conditioned. Today the temperature was well above 38 degrees centigrade. I shelled out some cash to avoid the heat for my research travels around the city. And I was far from the only one. I watched people let empty, non-air conditioned buses pass them by to catch those frescão (air conditioned) buses even if it meant waiting in the heat and standing up the entire ride. Summer in Rio is some serious business.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Car-Free No More?
My car-free status in Los Angeles may be threatened in the somewhat near future. Last night I received an email from my partner that she wants us to buy a Prius after the field portion of her research is done. I honestly don't know when that will be, but it looks like it might be happening before the end of calendar year 2008. This would be a huge change for me, mostly because I would actually be a part of the car-owning masses once again. At the moment the only vehicle under my name is my little scooter, the Kymco People 150.
Partner has a gas-guzzling truck for research purposes that I occasionally use when I visit my parents or when the two of us go on backpacking trips. (Edit: Partner has just informed me that at 25mpg, the truck is not a gas-guzzler. My apologies.) But it isn't my truck (hence the title of this blog!) and it has never felt that way. I don't know how to park it well, I only drive it when I have to, and if I had my druthers I would never have to use it. A car-free existence for me is a happy existence. It is from this perspective that the somewhat imminent purchase of the Prius forces me to pause. Will this be a life-altering purchase? Will I rejoin the LA car-culture once again (complete with regular complaints of traffic, parking, and rising gas prices), or will the Prius maintain the status of the truck: a rarely used necessity mostly for trips that won't suffice on two wheels. I guess we shall see. Maybe I'll rebel and purchase a high-end electric scooter. We shall see.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
More Sad Decisions from the MTA
It's been a real winner of a year for those who ride the MTA in Los Angeles. First, to pull itself out of a serious financial shortfall (of 100 milliong dollars) that had nothing to do with ridership, the MTA voted to raise the rates of daily and monthly passes. That's right: punish the people who ride the most and who are in the most need of affordable transportation to cover for financial problems.
Then just last week, the LA Times announced that in order to save money on the Metro subways and light-rails, the MTA is––get this––spending more money on unnecessary turnstiles. They first announced such a consideration last week. So sad. As today's LA Times shows, I'm not the only one who feels this way. Those LA residents who have used the turnstile-free train system relished the freedom and ease of paying for your ticket and almost never being questioned during the ride. It is a beautiful openness that reflects the best of Southern California. Apparently the original reason for not using turnstiles was both a matter of safety and an attempt by the city to encourage ridership. This is all based on the fact that it does indeed feel better to ride public transportation when you are trusted to do your part. I would even say it encourages civic pride, something all too absent in Los Angeles.
Overall, I think the most dismaying part of the decision to add turnstiles is that this decision comes at the same time that plans to extend rail access to the west side are in jeopardy due to NIMBY-ism, and two of LA's major east/west thoroughfares are about to become one-way roads. As my sympathetic observer from today's LA Times states:
Word. We are in dire need of better transportation planning. Now.
Then just last week, the LA Times announced that in order to save money on the Metro subways and light-rails, the MTA is––get this––spending more money on unnecessary turnstiles. They first announced such a consideration last week. So sad. As today's LA Times shows, I'm not the only one who feels this way. Those LA residents who have used the turnstile-free train system relished the freedom and ease of paying for your ticket and almost never being questioned during the ride. It is a beautiful openness that reflects the best of Southern California. Apparently the original reason for not using turnstiles was both a matter of safety and an attempt by the city to encourage ridership. This is all based on the fact that it does indeed feel better to ride public transportation when you are trusted to do your part. I would even say it encourages civic pride, something all too absent in Los Angeles.
Overall, I think the most dismaying part of the decision to add turnstiles is that this decision comes at the same time that plans to extend rail access to the west side are in jeopardy due to NIMBY-ism, and two of LA's major east/west thoroughfares are about to become one-way roads. As my sympathetic observer from today's LA Times states:
There is, finally, something dismaying about the plan in purely symbolic terms. This MTA move to close off the transit system comes at a time when politicians are pushing a variety of misguided plans to allow cars to move more freely through the region. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's support for widening the 405, paired with the new proposal to turn Olympic and Pico boulevards into streets that would act as one-way thoroughfares during rush hour, make it clear that shopworn transit strategies more appropriate for 1950s Los Angeles than the 2007 version still have plenty of political currency.
Word. We are in dire need of better transportation planning. Now.
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