Today’s post is one I have been saving for a rainy day. It’s pictures and stories that go with all my bicycle jerseys. And it’s raining in Austin finally, so feast your eyes on the colorful designs and logos, and hear about what is behind them all. Continue reading
Back on February 27, 2017, I had the good fortune to collect a fantastic prize, The Fairdale Weekender Archer: A Review of My New Bicycle I Won in a Raffle! After a year, I decided to not ride the Fairdale until I Just Passed 10,000 Miles Riding My Fuji Bicycle in 2.5 Years. That’s Awesome! about a month ago. On June 25, I had An Imagined Chat With My Fairdale Weekender Archer Bicycle. And as of September 1, I’m happy to announce that I have begun riding Sophie the Sea Foam Fairdale again. So here is a post about that.
[NOTA: Este blog NO incluye spoilers.]
He estado mirando La Vuelta a España, y no estoy desilusionado. Es la tercera de los tres Grandes Vueltas, y también la menos reconocido. Pero todavía nos ofrece una oportunidad mirar a los profesionales de bici haciendo un montón de millas y montanas también, con rapidez, chocos, accidentes y más – entonces, toda la dramática de Francia y Italia. En este blog, toco en unos de los asuntos en por qué a mí me da gusto y tal vez hará la misma para Vosotros. ¡Es la pasion que te toca!
I met Lawson Craddock tonight and was impressed. Not because he’s a hero or did something heroic (which he denies being or doing). But because he’s a human being who rides a bike and overcame adversity to accomplish his goal. And he has thus far maintained what seems to be an authenticity, humility, humor and quiet strength. And also because he’s community-minded, aware of his good fortune and support he has from friends and family and the wider world. Many of those things resonate, inspire or apply to me, and maybe to you too. So as so-called heroes go, he’s very relatable. That plus of course he’s a kick ass cyclist and a nice guy to boot. Continue reading
True story: Yesterday I was out for my morning walk near a downtown Austin, Texas cemetery, since I’m cat and housesitting. I had on my Elmer Fudd hat that covers my ears and neck, headphones tuned to the classical radio station. I was heading south and in the distance, I saw a flash of pink heading toward me. It got bigger, and I recognized after watching the Tour de France: it was Lawson Craddock. He became famous due to getting a broken scapula on Stage 1 and fundraising almost $200,000 for the Houston Alkek Velodrome, where he trained as a youth.
Lawdog, as he’s known, wasn’t going too fast, but I didn’t have time to get out my camera or think of anything brilliant to say. So I just said, “Hey, buddy! It’s A Dude Abikes!” Like a puppy dog quizzically cocking its head to the side when confused with something, he looked right at me. A flash of recognition may have been there, or maybe not, since I’ve been posting notes on his Strava page. The moment passed, and he kept on riding. How can I not blog about that? Continue reading
Hey there! Yes, you, reading this blog. Let me say thank you. I really appreciate it. You’re one of a select, special number of people who will see this. That’s pretty cool. Sure, it might be nice if thousands saw it, but I kinda like it like this. It’s more intimate. Although I’ve never met most of you, it’s like I’m telling a handful of friends about my bike ride. So yeah, let me tell you about it. Continue reading
Former cyclist Saurabh (“Do you even bike, bro?” No.) and I hit Cap City Comedy Club for a sweet Wednesday night delicious yuk-fest. (Do you see what I did there?) The opening act from Austin, who just moved to Atlanta, was named Austin. The second act was from St. Louis and drats if I can’t find his name. Both are funny gentlemen. But the headliner was a familiar face, a comedy stalwart (who has no actual warts) and was on the Late Show with David Letterman a whopping 46 times, has HBO and other TV specials, podcaster and nice guy who had us laughing uncontrollably. He’s also a sex robot and rides a bicycle… in LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA! Here’s a little post about Jake Johannsen. You might also enjoy… Jake Johanssen*. You can’t win them all, but I felt like a winner tonight! (*The title of one of his comedy specials.) Continue reading
A bike friend had some bib shorts he was no longer using and generously offered them to me. (I trust he washed them first.) I was skeptical, because well, bib sounds like something a baby wears. But he swore by them, so I figured I’d give them a try. For the beginning cyclist or experienced one who’s not tried them, here’s what happened. Continue reading
Vision Zero ATX (www.VisionZeroATX.org) is based on an idea that came from Sweden:
Vision zero is the simple idea that every death and serious injury in traffic is preventable. People will make mistakes, but those mistakes should not lead to anyone losing their life or being severely hurt.
Simple, but not easy. So far this year (as of August 1st), 40 people have died on roads in Austin, Texas — the US’s 11th biggest city. Most are vehicles versus other vehicles. More than a few involve pedestrians. Just a few involve bicyclists. Compared to many cities, that’s not alot, but according to Vision Zero ATX, we can do better.
Sometimes (like now) when I find myself lacking a topic, I’ll peruse other blogs on WordPress for ideas. There’s Biking in LA who does a very regular coverage of all things bike (including way too many accidents) in, you guessed it! — Los Angeles. Jack Akehurst, Life Behind Bars (as in handlebars – clever!) just wrote about his riding and use of Strava over in Nottingham, England. Half-fast Cycling Club from Washington State I think is almost done with a very impressive cross-country cycling tour. Pam LeBlanc, Fit City is here in Austin, Texas (ATX); she just covered the arrival of the Texas 4000, a ride to Alaska for cancer awareness and fundraising. Sheree, View from the Back over in France wrote about her trip to watch a bike race in the Basque Country. I’m sure I’ve left a few out (let me know!), but they’re all interesting when I get time to look. You’re encouraged to go check them out!
Meanwhile, here’s what I’ve landed on to blog about… Continue reading
A Dude Abikes 