Into The Wild Blue Yonder

The other day I opined about how sad I was that my camera died just before I got to the jump competition at the SF Bike Expo. Well, I should have known that my friend Richard would have me covered.

Yowza!

Make sure to visit Cyclelicious for more of Richard's view of life.

two views from twin peaks

so i don't have much time these days to go out for a longer ride, but i do have time to go for a ride. i have to or else i get extremely antsy. twin peaks is not far from where i live...so upupUP i go. anyone wanna join?

memorial day weekend:

windy!!



clear, er, how about not foggy



hello there marine layer

a few days later....

clear SF day, hidden GG bridge



clearer day, same view...

oh twin peaks. you are full of surprises. including a new riding partner i never would have expected...stay tuned for tales of the chapparito...

Not into Spandex?

I love how often than not, in the States, most people relate cycling to fast speed-tight clothing-and all things fastfastfast and bloody like Lance. I personally have nothing against lycra, nor nothing against Lance - I think he is great. Say, I just don't wear it because it really is possible wearing your normal clothes and trolling around town. Getting from home to work, school Etc.
The times that I have not 'liked' people in lycra is wen they think I'm cutting 2 seconds off their time training or they probably think I don't know what I'm doing. Shoot, I dodge doors, skip monster potholes, master the art of going over train rails and climb our beloved San Francisco hills, everyday – not just on weekends to train for some race, or show off my expensive bike. And I am very happy most of my bikey friends feel that way.
However, I must also say that I have met some really really nice people in their whole complete lycra outfits. So there.

That said, mostyl, if you are reading this blog, then you know what I mean, I just wanted to share this article I came across today in the NBC Area Blog-Local News:

Not into Spandex? Cycling Can Still Be Your Thing
by Kirs Sanchez
"...Hildebrand says an added bonus to taking up cycling rather than other sports, is that it is an activity you're likely to be able to enjoy longer in life than running, tennis or other higher-impact sports."

I live, ride and am part of a community that knows how to be "being normal" and how to dress the way you would, if you went to go buy milk at the corner store. I consider that cycling, and even thought the article makes me want to explore more foresty trails, mountains and dirt paths, I am a happy person in my city. It is a jungle of its own.
Here are some recent cycling photos from our Flickr pool:

San Jose Via Velo by richardmasoner


Our friend Kate with her Mercian. by AngloMex




Per a totes les edats by Bart Omeu


Ella pedalea con distinción by Quiltro Elemento

Oil spill post.

Over the weekend, I came across this post from the blog HiLobrow. As devastating as the oil spills are, and because I don't watch much TV, photographs and the internet have kept me posted and quasi-up to date. Too depressing.
Here is a great post about the current situation on the other side of our coast, in Boston.

"Carrying our bicycles above our heads we trudged with great difficulty along the submerged pavement of Dartmouth Street and entered the open door of the John Hancock building, which was all but deserted. The once-gleaming marble floors of this temple of finance were entirely blackened with oil. Ascending via emergency stairwell, after an hour of stiff climbing, we stepped out into the building’s observatory level. From it we could see the streets of Back Bay radiating in every direction, while below us the road was yellow from side to side with the tops of the motionless taxis."

Check out the complete post:
City on a Spill by Joshua Glenn »


greader via karen s. - thanks!

so, how'd ya do this week?

i proposed a question on monday to see if you would try to trick that voice in your head that tells you "no, i can't," to flip it and ask, "why not?"

the past couple of weeks i've been taking page street home, as opposed to "the lazy," (aka the wiggle) as coined by a friend of the blog. i don't think the camera phone does that hill justice, but, meh, you can sorta see why people avoid taking it in large numbers.

and just last night was butter lap. i've had a little bit of a cough and crapola allergies lately, so breathing has been rather hard. and breathing is sort of important while going uphill. and last week i had some tire chorro and wasn't able to complete it even though i had started it.

enough with the excuses and other issues i told myself. i have got to finish it this week, and that's that. august is only getting closer, ya know?

on my way to the ferry building, the wind was so strong i almost got knocked into another bicyclist. he was rather kind about it, and we both just went sort of slow down market street since the wind was relentless the whole way.

the little voice in my head kept nudging me telling me i didn't have to do butter today cause it was gonna be hard.

you know what? it was hard with the headwinds, sidewinds, everywhichway winds. but then if i hadn't i wouldn't have been able to see this along crissy field:

or this at the 2nd stop:

hard, but still did it. so worth it. and...after work i love just riding along the flats looking at the bridge in the distance, watching it wax and wane as i travel around it. its firey orange never ceases to amaze me with its stunning beauty sitting majestic among the headlands greens, ocean grays and skies blue.

and yah, that is why i am glad i flipped it.

so, dear readers, on this day being sunset of the week, i wish you a happy great weekend. may it be full of riding and bikes and stuff. ;)

limits

lately i've been rather enamored of the wnyc show, radiolab. i've been listening it to sporadically at work, despite the interruptions involved.

the most recent episode is called "limits." physical limits, mental limits, that sort of thing. the second story in the below segment highlights the RAAM, or race across america. 3000 miles. 10 days. think you could do it? what about going into it with "minimal" training? would you even want to do this? where does this desire to test oneself come from?

the RAAM segment starts at about 16 minutes in.

(i personally recommend that you listen to the first story too, about a woman who discussed completing the 4th ironman triathlon...)

the radiolab page for this show also has a link for a documentary about the race, bicycle dreams.

so as we venture into another week full of commuting, training, living life, working, whatever, try to think of something you previously thought was impossible and then tell that voice in your head, "no."

see what happens.

have a great monday everyone.