37th Annual Jerry Baker New Years Day Ride

{words & images reed}

January 1, 2008 – I did manage to keep one New Year’s resolution this year – I rode my bike on New Years Day. After a month of cooler than normal temperatures (.9 degrees cooler for an average of 39.8 degrees), snow on December 1st, and record rain fall (3.5 inches above normal and measurable precipitation on twenty five days) I was just not that enthused about getting out on the bike in the rain and cold. I know, pretty wimpy, 39 degrees may not seem cold to many of you. Hey, I just don’t like being wet and cold – there I admit it.

Fortunately the weather broke on December 31st and Seattle’s bike riders got a two day break from the long dark tunnel of overcast skies and rain. I joined in the celebration of the New Year and the weather break by joining the 37th annual Jerry Baker First Ride on New Years Day. Jerry has been an active and important part of the Seattle cycling community and industry for many years. He won the first Seattle to Portland in 1979 when it was a race and has ridden every one since. Jerry has been at the forefront in promoting and administering local cyclocross racing and the Marymoor Velodrome Association. He is a venerated leader of the cycling community here in the Seattle and many riders come out for the First Ride just to say hello and thank you to Jerry.

Around Noon the riders began to arrive at Enatai Beach in Bellevue under the Interstate 90 bridge that links Mercer Island to the Eastside shore of Lake Washington. Although it is hard to see in the photo below, that strange “ball of fire” in the sky is the Sun – a rare sight this time of year here in the Pacific “Northwet”.

About 75 riders started off a few minutes after Noon and the “First Ride” was under way.

After 37 years the “New Ride” has evolved into a social event with friends coming out to see each other and talk about the holidays, last season’s rides and the upcoming season’s plans. The route is well established and the pace pretty “conversational”. Along the way the New Ride picked up other riders joining from their own New Year’s rides and by the halfway point the ride was well over 120 riders strong.

The ride heads north from Enatai, through Bellevue, Medina and up to Evergreen Point for the annual tradition of heading out and back to the dead end of Evergreen Road/76th Ave – hey it’s a tradition!

The ride then heads east on a bike path along Highway 520 to Northrup Way and the south back through Bellevue. Details on the route, including the distance and profile can be found at...Bicycling - click here.

As the ride wound south through Bellevue many riders pulled off to head home or out for a longer training ride around the south end of Lake Washington. It was a smaller group of about 50 of us who finished back at Enatai Park and exchanged New Year’s greetings. It was a great start to 2008 and I know I will be back for the 2009 version.

Iron Horse Trail

{words & pictures reed}

Sunny and warm- time to break out the ONE WAY “fixie” and prepare to start commuting in the “Northwet”!

Two sunny days in a row with temperatures in the mid60’s have provided a much needed break in what seemed like a long week of winter like weather – see (Yesterday We Opted For A Drive).

Sunday when I first sat down to write this entry (an attempt that failed) big rain drops were being pelted against my kitchen window by gusts of wind, tap, tap, tap. We had hail Friday afternoon that was still on the ground when I got home from work. It seemed like winter had descended down on us like a great pyroclastic from a volcano. Well, ok, maybe not that fast or destructively, but fast. It was just last Saturday that I was out on a great local classic ride – the Iron Horse Trail – on a beautiful sunny and warm autumn day.

The Iron Horse Trail is a rail to trails conversion that actually covers over 105 miles and is part of the greater Mountains to Sound Greenway a National Scenic Byway. I rode 18 miles of the Iron Horse Trail from Rattlesnake Lake up to Snoqualmie Pass through the 2.3 mile long Snoqualmie Pass Tunnel and back. While the grade of the Iron Horse Trail never exceeds 2.2% it is still uphill for 18 miles, but the scenery is worth it. The fall colors were if their full glory (at least for here in the Northwest) and the fast and running mountain streams under the tall railroad trestles cooled the air noticeably as you road past. Along the trail three are several popular rock climbing spot which were packed with climbers taking advantage of the weather and the trail was a busy as I have ever seen it with bicyclist, runners and hikers of all ages and abilities. If you ride the Iron Horse Trail bring a headlight and ride the tunnel. The trail though the tunnel is very well maintained, but it is dark, cold and a little wet (there are several areas where water comes down like rain from the tunnel ceiling), but it is worth the effort – very cool.

Anyway, back to the here and now – on Monday I put the One Way in the car to take to work in order to do a shake out ride at lunch. And yes, I have not been bicycle commuting for a while now, lots of excuses, none of them good. Now that the racing season is over and winter has come my commuting season has begun. After a summer of riding a very light (sub 16lb Raleigh Team) bicycle with 20 gears the One Way seemed a little heavy and I was having trouble staying on top of the gear. It did not help that this was only my third ride since September 30^th. I have been off the bike quite a bit since returning from our industry’s annual trade show (Interbike). Alaska Airlines had done a number on my road bike on the return trip to Seattle and that combined with the usual post show, post racing season letdown had me a little down and discouraged. That makes the third bicycle damaged one way or another this year. But after a few miles I started to feel a little better and being out in the bright, warm sunshine felt great. While my legs and lungs eventually felt better, the part of my body in contact with seat did not. It is amazing how just a couple weeks off the bike and the butt goes soft, plus the Brooks saddle on the One Way needs a few more miles, say a thousand, to be really broken in.

The battery is on the charger, the rain gear out and ready, the Ortlieb Messenger bag set and adjusted. I just need to let my saddle sores heal. I pledge I will ride more times and more consistently this year – there now it is out there on the blogosphere, so I need to back it up. But there are so many excuses – I’m cold, I’m getting sick, it’s raining too hard……..

AWAY & AWAY

It's been what seems like ages since we last posted; so here is a incredibly short post with a link to ROAD magazines blog for the doings of Carey, Reed, Dave, and Neil - the editor of ROAD magazine.

Commuting has been solid - so has the time devoted to Interbike which will be happening in 2 weeks; my lack of prose will be blamed on this massive industry event.

If you haven't already clicked on the link above click here: roadmagazine.net

Make sure to scroll down as he as been a firecracker in posting - amazingly enough he has been posting all by phone. I am a bit jealous and lusting after this bit of technology.

Until next week.

Enjoy.

ACCIDENTAL RIDE!?

{words by reed - photos by carey}

{click on images to enlarge}

I am sure that for many bicycle riders/racers out there the idea of business travel must seem like a dream. Imagine having an all expenses paid trip to the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, California – what could be better? And honestly, for awhile it is pretty cool to travel to events of all kinds, visit factories in Asia, and meet with various industry people around the country (and slip out for a ride every so often). But somewhere along the way the glamour and novelty wears off and you start to dread each trip – the packing (especially packing your bicycle), the transportation to and from the airport with bags of all sorts, the long plane rides on full planes, the rushing to appointments, the headaches of mixed-up reservations and poor customer service. But every so often something happens that makes all the hassle and challenges seem like a small price to pay to be exactly where you are at exactly that particular moment. This is a story of that type of experience – an “accidental ride!”

No destination or event can make a 6:40am flight seem glamorous. You have to get up very early, for me 3:45am, to be at the airport at 5:40am. It does not seem to matter what time you fly or where you’re going anymore – the lines are long, security checks are a hassle and the planes are always full. {sunrise, take off, reading material, & clouds}

My coworker, Carey, and I arrived in San Jose on time and quickly walked to the baggage claim area (it’s a pretty small airport). I have flown into San Jose quite a bit and have become accustomed to slow baggage arrival, but this time when my bike came out before any of the regular luggage I was pretty sure something was up. The baggage carousel was turning, but no luggage was coming up. I was getting a little impatient, so I stood up on the edge of the carousel and looked down the belt, only to see –yup – my bag stuck crossways on the belt, preventing any luggage from moving. It was going to be one of those days. Then the rental car (a large cargo van for all the bikes) pickup was sloooow! You might think they would have known we were coming, as we did have a reservation and had provided information regarding our flights; but no, the van was blocked in by other cars and we had to wait in the rain for the parking lot attendants to get the van out. I was beginning to feel cursed.

Finally we were on the road to Monterey. On the way we stopped for a burrito at Super Taqueria – muy bueno! The day was beginning to improve. The skies had cleared by the time we arrived in Monterey to pick up the Diamondback Mission bicycles at Joselyn’s Bicycles. (I need to give a special shout-out to Frank and the entire staff at Joselyn’s for their tireless assistance to make Diamondback’s appearance at the 2007 Sea Otter a success – THANKS!) From Joselyn’s we drove out to the Laguna Seca Raceway, the Sea Otter event location, and started setting up tents. The warm sun and fresh sea breeze made the work go by easily and we were all done by 5:00pm. The rest of our crew wasn’t due to arrive until 7:00pm, so we had some time to visit around the bike expo area and catch up with friends and acquaintances. Since this was Carey’s first Sea Otter, it seemed like a good idea to take her around to the various venues to help her get familiar with the site. So we grabbed a couple of Mission 3 bicycles and headed out for a casual ride around Laguna Seca. If this was a movie or television show there would be sound track music, and my choice for this point in the story would be the Gilligan’s Island theme – “a three hour tour…”

After catching up with a few friends and getting the layout of the bike expo down, we headed out to see the dual-slalom and x-country courses. After checking out the dual-slalom course, where our co-worker and friend Mike Hammond would have great success later in the weekend, we discovered a series of small white signs with red arrows that said “cross-country tour.” These signs said “tour;” they did not say “course,” and they did not say “ride,” so we assumed that it was some kind of short “tour” intended for casual riders and families. Why we “assumed” this remains a mystery, although the beverages we had shared with friends in the expo area may have contributed.

It is important to remind you at this time that we had set out for a “casual ride.” We were in street clothes – check out the pictures {click to enlarge}! I had on jeans, tennis shoes, a t-shirt, wool sweater, baseball cap, and leather jacket. Carey had on CLOGS, jeans, and multiple layers including a hooded sweatshirt and beanie! Cue the Gilligan’s Island theme music. What we were on was the Mountain Bike magazine mountain bike tour course that had a short loop of 10 miles, and a longer 20-mile loop. Guess which one we were on! Fortunately Carey and I are pretty fit and regular riders, although this was her first mountain bike ride on a full-suspension bike!

Now, in addition to being in street clothes we had *no helmets*, no water, no food, no tools, and no spare tubes or patch kits. The “tour” course was super fun and was mostly downhill for the first few miles, so by the time we realized we were in over our heads, going back meant climbing, and the terrain convinced us that we only had little further to go before turning around. So on we went – probably not a good decision – and we soon found the single track section! It was an excellent, mostly downhill roller coaster ride – we were whooping and hollering and having the time of our lives. Down and down we went, farther and farther away from the event site, and finally came out of the trees into a valley and right up on a flock of wild turkeys. There must not be any hunting allowed at Laguna Seca because the turkeys, while not happy to see us, did not immediately disappear either.

We were feeling pretty good at this point, but then the climbing started! Pretty soon we were struggling with how to stow extra clothing and it was beginning to sink in that we were in for a pretty long haul. We had not seen anyone out on the course, which was adding to our concerns regarding exactly what we had gotten ourselves into, when we caught up with another rider on the climb. He was in full regalia – Oakley shorts, Fox Racing jersey, pads, Shimano shoes and pedals - and was struggling with the climb. Carey rode right past him and I followed. We exchanged a few pleasantries and rode on. Then there was another downhill section, which we rode cautiously due to our lack of helmets, and the other rider rode right by us with a little kick, and thus a pattern was established that would last for quite a while – we would pass him on the uphill, then he would pass us on the downhill.

Somewhere around what I estimate was mile 14 we began to call the little signs “the red arrows of death,” and our concerns regarding darkness, hunger, thirst, and safety were beginning to take the edge off the “fun.” Finally we came up over the top of a climb (where we took some pictures) and I could see Salinas to the east and the setting sun to the west. Having grown up in the area I was able to estimate that we had about a 5 or 6 mile ride back to Laguna Seca on what looked like a ridge-top trail – wrong again. The trail did follow the ridge line but did not stay on the ridge top. Still by this time we were pretty tired and our clothes were soaking wet. Those last few miles were not as pleasant as they could have been.

I cannot say enough about how well the Diamondback Missions rode. The Missions have six full inches of travel, and are designed as all-mountain bikes – they performed flawlessly on fast descents, on tricky single track, and up steep hills. Remember that Carey was riding in clogs, and she made it up all those climbs without dabbing once – so yes, the Mission is a great ALL-mountain bike. During the entire ride the Missions were never a concern, a tribute both to their design (kudos to Mike Brown) and to their assembly (thanks to Frank and all the guys at Joselyn’s in Monterey).

As the wind began to pick up and the sun set we came across a herd of sheep - yes, a herd of sheep, complete with a shepherd and a dog (the dog was actually letting the shepherd do all the work)! We were seeing more riders, and familiar landmarks were beginning to appear – finally, the end was in sight. As we came over the final climb and started the descent back into the raceway I turned to Carey and said “Well, that was the dumbest, and most fun, thing I have done in a while!” The sun had dipped below the horizon, we had linked up with the rest of our team, and a sushi dinner was calling us – we were in exactly the right place at exactly the right time!

*Diamondback and Raleigh Bicycles do not recommend riding without a helmet at anytime or under any conditions.*

Three days of bike commuting – a good week!

{words by reed}

Last week (March 26th – 30th) I rode in to work Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Monday was not a particularly memorable day as bike commutes go; no close encounters with automobiles, no weather anomalies, just an easy and safe commute both ways. Wednesday was memorable for the ride home – it rained, hard! Not your normal Pacific Northwest drizzle, this was more like an Asian Monsoon rain¬ it was hard, cold and wet. Very wet! Even so, my upper body was snug as a bug in my new Showers Pass Elite 2.0 jacket. Thursday was a great day as I was not only able to commute both ways, but I also joined in on the lunch ride (on my new Raleigh Team bicycle, 15lbs 6oz) which was sunny, brisk, and fun. More on Thursday later.

In my last post I promised to tell you about my bicycles. I have two commute bikes right now, a Raleigh Cadent Carbon geared bike and a Raleigh One Way single speed.

But first a few disclaimers:

1. There will be some shameless product plugs in this post (you’ve already seen at least one) – just some props for stuff that I like or that works well on my commute here in the Pacific North-“wet.”

2. I am a bike junkie, and I work in the industry. I know my bicycles are too expensive and too “tech” for many riders. Bicycling is my passion, my livelihood, and my lifestyle. I do not mean to offend, nor is my intent to make others envious; I am just sharing my passion.

3. I commute by bicycle for many reasons, and one of them is to train for races and events – although I do believe the bicycle is the solution to all the world’s problems and that commuting by bicycle is part of the solution for many problems (saving fossil fuels, reducing congestion, air pollution, and helping slow global climate change).

I’ve “tricked out” the Cadent Carbon a little – just to see how light I could build a full-fendered commuter. I am also planning to use it for some longer rides I have planned this summer, like the STP (Seattle to Portland) ride in July – 204 miles in one day. I realize that calling this bike a commuter is a little misleading, but I am commuting on it.

Cadent Carbon Frame and Fork
FSA K-Force Light Crankset and BB (38/52t)
SRAM Force Shifter/Brake Levers
SRAM Force Rear Derailleur
SRAM Force Front Derailleur
SRAM Force 10sp Hollow Pin Chain
Shimano Dura Ace Wheels
Shimano Dura Ace 10sp Cassette (12-27)
FSA Headset
Tektro Long Reach Brakes
Easton EC90 Stem
FSA K-Force Handlebars
FSA K-Force Seatpost
Brooks Team Ti Seat
Topeak WhiteLite HP1W Headlight
Topeak WhiteLite Power Pack
Topeak RedLite UFO Taillight
SKS Fender Set with BuddyFlaps
Vittoria Zaffiro 700x25c Tires

All in (not including water bottles and seat bag, but with lights and fenders), my Cadent weight 19-½ lbs – not bad for a “commuter!”

My One Way also has a few “upgrades:”

Phil Wood Hubs built with DT 14g SS spokes to Mavic A719 rims (built by Reed Graham at Recycled Cycles, who not only has a great first name, but is one of the best bicycle mechanics I have ever worked with – a real craftsman!)
Phil
Wood Bottom Bracket
Phil Wood Rear Cog
Chris King Headset
Nitto Crystal Fellow Seatpost
Brooks B17S Saddle
Honjo-Koken “hammered” metal fenders with BuddyFlaps (installed by Reed Graham, see above, using instructions included in the Winter 2007 issue of Bicycle Quarterly, a must read for bicycle fanatics like me!)

I am not sure how much this bike weighs – it’s all about the single speed, simplicity, and reliability with this bike – no “weight-weenie” fix for this commuter.

Well, that pretty much covers it for this post with one postscript:

Outside of the bike commute, Thursday was not a good day for me. Lots of challenges at work that I was not dealing well with, and I thought the ride home was going to be something of a slog as a result of the brisk 16 miles at lunch. But no, I rode great, there was sunshine for some of the ride and I got to the car feeling terrific . The Cadent had been flawless on the ride. The Brooks Team saddle was just breaking in (more on Brooks saddles and why you should consider one in a future post) and the setup felt perfect. The Cadent was quickly becoming my favorite bike. I loaded it on the roof rack and headed home. Unfortunately I was thinking about work by the time I arrived at my house and completely forgot the Cadent was on the roof rack… Yes, I did it. I drove into the garage…and heard the sickening sound of splintering carbon.

I feel like such an idiot! I am in mourning. The frame, fork, seatpost, and seat are toast (see photos). The top of the Brooks just caught the garage door with enough force to bend the saddle rails, break the fork, and damage the frame and seatpost. The good news – the house and car (and consequently my marriage) suffered no damage, and I have a new Cadent coming the week of April 11th. A special shout-out to Chris Li at Bikeaway Source Bicycle Shop in Bedford, MA for giving up a Cadent (they are in very short supply) that he did not have a customer for – I owe you a big favor!

THE SEASONS ARE CHANGING

{words by Reed Pike}
Finally – the first bike commute of 2007!

March 20, 2007 and I finally rode my bicycle to work. I know, I know. But really, I have some great reasons for missing almost 50 days of commuting.

First, though, I want to apologize in advance for the length of this post. My experience this morning was too spectacular and too rewarding not to record and share with others. So before I enumerate the “excuses” for not commuting on the bike sooner, and before I share my particular motivation for riding today, let me highlight my morning’s ride.

It was crisp and cool this morning as I began my ride, the sun was just beginning to light up the eastern horizon at 6:55am. It was not raining, reason enough to celebrate a spring ride in the Seattle area, but the streets were still wet from yesterday’s rain – almost an inch of rain. I quickly hooked up with the Lake Washington Bicycle Route, a network of streets, bike lanes, and bike paths that circumnavigates the lake and provides spectacular views of Mercer Island, the skyline of Seattle with the Olympic Mountains as a backdrop, and of course the lake itself.

The lake was a little choppy this morning from a southwest wind that was temporarily clearing out the cloud cover, and as the day brightened I crossed several creeks running full with yesterday’s rainfall; clear, cold water running over the moss-covered stones and sandy bottoms that make such great salmon spawning habitat. The sound of the rushing water was a clean and bright sound that seemed alive.

Soon I was riding through a more urban area on streets lined with trees showing the first signs of spring. There were trees that were just leafing out, and fruit trees in full flower. Several times as I rode through areas protected from the slight breeze, the petals fell around me like snowflakes and I was riding across carpets of pink and white blossoms. The experience was sublime; it was like nature was providing a “pink” carpet for my ride. I arrived at work (17 ½ miles and 1 hour and 4 minutes later) bathed in sunshine and reassured that long ago I made the correct lifestyle and professional choice—bicycling!

Now as great as that ride was, I am sure (or I hope) you are wondering why it took me so long to get back on the bike. There were reasons—good reasons:
1. I sold my commuting bicycle (yes, many of us have dedicated commute bicycles here in Seattle – equipped with long fenders with buddy flaps, racks, bells, etc.) and I was waiting for my new one to arrive. Even working at Raleigh we often have to wait for new bicycles, just like you, and we ship the first ones to our dealers before we fill employee orders. It always seemed like the bicycle would be here in a few days—but no, weeks went by.
2. I missed my commuting buddy. Last year through the darkest months, come rain or snow, after a late night of work or other activities, regardless of the circumstance, Pat was ready to ride. Pat has left the company and I now have no one waiting for me, except myself (see below).
3. I am a wimp. I was born and raised in Northern California, and lived in San Diego for 11 years. Down there if it rains, you just wait for the rain to stop then go ride. In the Seattle area if you don’t ride in the rain, you pretty much don’t ride. Worse, I just cannot abide having cold hands and feet! I am a wimp.

So, what motivated me to overcome these obstacles and ride this morning? Well, there were reasons—good reasons:
1. My new commuting bicycle finally arrived! It’s a tricked-out Raleigh Cadent Carbon (more on that—and pictures—in a future posting).
2. It wasn’t raining this morning when I walked out to get the paper, so the wimp factor was mitigated.
3. I am just back from the National Bike Summit in Washington, DC, March 14-16. Highlights included reintroduction of the Bicycle Commuter Act (amending the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend the transportation fringe benefit to bicycle commuters) in the House and Senate; an inspirational presentation from the Mayor of Louisville, former Secretary of Transportation Rodney Slater; and a surprise appearance from 2006 Tour de France winner Floyd Landis (Dave Hull {Raleigh Customer Service Manager} w/ Floyd Landis) Plus our little Washington State delegation had some success—after our meeting with Justus Geist, Legislative Correspondent for Senator Maria Cantwell, Justus sent us an e-mail notifying us that Senator Cantwell has decided to co-sponsor the Bicycle Commuter Act. Wow!
4. Finally, my boon traveling companion on the trip to Washington, Dave Hull, rode yesterday in the pouring rain – both directions.

With that kind of motivation how could I not ride? I have probably taxed your attention span to its very limits, so enough for now. I hope that I will see all of you on your bicycles soon. Until then, “Enjoy the Ride!”