Freeride 2007

It was a fun afternoon and evening. Fun to ride with friends. Met at CRC on 34th and Lyndale, then to the Alt, then Peace Coffee, then The Nomad, and then One on One Bike Studio.

All-City Championship

Here is our route. Scott had GPS. I've had a busy week. Summary: THIS RACE WAS A BLAST! Here is a note I wrote to my sister:

"Hi, the alleycat race was awesome. Incredibly excellent! The neat part was that the organizer had a manifest (list of trips to make) that no one could see until the beginning of the race. It had things like: Go to 1724 Kenwood Pkwy and get the year the brick water tower was built. Count the window panes at the Lake Harriet bandshell. Buy a banana somewhere and eat it at the tent in Powderhorn Park where you'll put your manifest in a sealed envelop to deliver to Grumpy's bar in Northeast Minneapolis...and so on it went. At some of the stops there were free socks, bike parts, or drinks. And some were like get the number from the blue hat in the mural at such-and-such address and use that number for the missing number in the next address on the list. It was about 35-45 (?) miles total zipping around all the "burrows" of Minneapolis (plus one cross-town stop in St. Paul). There were bikers all over the place because no one takes the same course unless you are riding with a few friends, which is pretty common.

The night before the race there were crazy contests like track stands (balancing without moving on the bike...some people did it for 10 - 12 minutes), sprints (pairs of people going full blast for a block or two for mini races) and skids (seeing how long you can skid the back tire...all on fixed gear bikes with no hand brakes or coaster brakes). Those contests started at 10 p.m. after registering at a bar (pay $10 and get a spoke card for the race) and were only halfway done at midnight...I had to bike home and miss some of it. Lots of drinking, music, and a little mayhem but all respectful fun...

You know, some of those race ideas (the alleycat race with the surprise manifest before the beginning so that no one can prepare) might be suitable for a horse event. I guess it is sort of like a scavenger hunt in a way.

I actually think horses are more interesting than bikes in many ways. I'm sure that if we compared history, contributions to society, culture, etc. that bikes and horses would go neck-and-neck. However, bikes don't poop! Your horses are so lucky! If only all horses could get the care you offer."

I'm ready for the next one! Here is one person's Flickr show. Scott S., we might have to split up next time to avoid jousting at the end!

Alleycat Comin' Up

Last night was the registration at The Nomad...about 60 (?) people were there and more people will register today. We rode up to the Hennipen Ave bridge, and then on the east side had trackstand comps, then rode to the warehouse district for paired sprints. So cool. Met lots of new people.

I left a little after midnight and they hadn't even started the skid contest. Got some zzz's and am looking forward to a rainy 3-hour race event today.

Edina Connections for Bike Plan

Today I photographed and labeled several access points to other cities plus some interesting roadway issues. This is for preparing the 10-year comprehensive bike plan. Click the photo album cover below and then you can see a slideshow if you click the option.

100 Mile Bike Trip

Here is an English century (going 100 miles on one day). Today I wrote Slurpy, my fixed gear bike. The group was Dublestylee, Philbilly, Atomkinder, Chelsea, and The Other Scott plus me. No one had any mechanical problems on the group ride, and we all pretty much rode the same speed. Averaged 16 mph. I hit 104 miles. I didn't get sore or any pains except the bottom of my feet. What a great accomplishment for everyone.

Dublestylee put together the map, which took us from the Stone Arch Bridge through White Bear Lake to Marine on St. Croix at the Minnesota/Wisconson border. We took a break there and had lunch at Roberta's. It was a good group. No incidents except an isolated pickup jerk, and a minor dropout wheel problem I had. This was all new territory for me, including the Gateway Trail on the way back. Good weather and a great day to complete this feat.

Biking 16 Miles with Kids

All 3 kids biked with me on a 16+ mile route. We stopped at a playground for our picnic lunch and played tag on the play set. We had so much fun that when we got to the bike shop, it was closed. Here is the gang.

Bridge Biker

Please view this powerful slideshow with audio commentary. I think the biker's name is Dan Schueller: http://www.startribune.com/slideshows/rich_media/1344505.html



Also, there is an account of this story, briefer and in text, in MplsBikeLove.

Dog Bite

So I was biking south on Yosemite in St. Louis Park last night and a girl had two dogs off-leash on the street. One greeted me with this bite mark. The intersting thing is that with a little imagination, it looks like an evil little face. The penetration is very deep in this wound although you can't tell by the photo. I have discussed with both a nurse, a doctor, St. Louis Park Police, the dog's neighbor, the dog's vet, and Animal Control. So far, the owner(s) have chosen not to communicate with me.

I filed a police report because there should be public record of the combination of a biting dog and an irresponsible owner. People that own dogs need to be responsible, and it helps if they are courteous, too.

8/5 update: Case # 07004761. Animal control: 952-924-2618. / 952-924-2125. Officer Bahe.
8/6 called Eric at this number to get a status...left a voice message 11:02.
8/7 called Eric again -- did not hear back -- left another message at 7:13 a.m. The neighbors are at 3929Called again 11:15 a.m. and Eric said he'd call back in 10 minutes. Result: He said I can call at the end of the week.

8/11: More Information:

MN Statutes:
http://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/bin/getpub.php?type=s&num=347.50&year=2006
Subd. 3. Potentially dangerous dog. "Potentially dangerous dog" means any dog that:
(1) when unprovoked, inflicts bites on a human or domestic animal on public or private
property;
(2) when unprovoked, chases or approaches a person, including a person on a bicycle, upon
the streets, sidewalks, or any public or private property, other than the dog owner's property,
in an apparent attitude of attack; or

St. Louis Park
DOG OWNER RESPONSIBILITIES in SLP
http://www.stlouispark.org/residents/pet_owners.htm#150
City ordinance requires that Dogs be on a leash that is no more than six feet long when they are being walked.

DOGS NUISANCES in SLP
http://www.stlouispark.org/residents/pet_owners.htm#148
"Dogs may be declared a public nuisance and destroyed if a sworn complaint to a Hennepin County court judge indicates that the dog has attacked or bitten a person outside the owner's or custodian's premises "

ANIMAL BITES in SLP
http://www.stlouispark.org/residents/pet_owners.htm#105
After 10 days, a city staff member will contact you to confirm if your pet is still in good health.

Be sure to report any animal bite: call the St. Louis Park public safety dispatcher at (952) 924-2618.

Sauntercycling

Sauntercycling: Bicycle rides starting at your front door with no time limit, pre-defined route, or destination. Required packing list is water and a credit card. The purpose is to have a spontaneous bike adventure, returning anytime you want.

Jain: "Want to ride out to Bryant Lake Bowl for some beer?"
Axel: "Too much structure. Let's go sauntercycling instead...I don't need to work until tomorrow night."
Jain: "Dude that is sick. Spontaneous adventure. I'm in!"

Steve Gets Fixed

Today after lunch with Steve and Dave, we had a little fun on W 77th street. Steve was in an adventurous mood and gave Slurpy a little ride. Tentative at first, within seconds there were snickers. Then laughter. Grinning ear-to-ear, there was boisterous laughter altnerative with comments like "This is fun!" "I didn't expect this to be so fun," and "I get it now!"




Pictured here is my rear cog, served on ice. So pretty.

I would say that Steve's maiden voyage was one sweet ride. Next time, Dave?

Oops: 10 MPH Speed Limit

1. July 26th: Commuter path workers spray-paint dozens of "10 MPH" on the Kenilworth and Cedar Lake Trail bike paths which are heavily used by bike commuters that often hit 20 MPH or more including yours truly
   
   
2. July 27th: My friend Scot Gore posts a message on MplsBikeLove.com saying,

   Just did my commute ride in to work this AM and noticed new 10MPH stencils on the Kenilworth connector trail and the Cedar Lake Trail. It leaves us transportational cyclists 3 choices
   1) Break the speed limit all the time.
   2) Shift our routes out to Cedar Lake Road or Hennepin Ave
   3) Give it up and get back in the car.
   
   All bad options. I also think it a big deterent to new commuters. Makes biking the commuter trails as slow and frustrating as sitting in traffic. I've left a couple of messages this AM to see if I can learn more about the why's, the what for's, and the how do I make it go away's. Scot

   
   
3. July 28 to July 30: More than 1000 views from the MplsBikeLove community (just one forum example) and more than 60 active posts in the thread, covering the various government leaders and transit leaders (including biking and other) that were contacted. Let's just say that the proverbial phones were rattling off their hooks...
   
   
   
4. July 30th response that dozens or more received from Don P. from the City of Minneapolis:
   

   The MPRB did this by mistake. They are working to correct this. It was never intended to place a speed limit along our commuter trails.

   
   

I was impressed: Within a matter of a few days, the bike community organized itself without any leader and accomplished a very quick visibility and turnaround from the right people. I'm grateful for involvement in this from the Transit for Livable Communities (Steve Clark), the later involvement by the City of Minneapolis (Don Pflaum), the scores of others.

Hmmmm...very interesting you say? Whether this was really just a bone-headed mistake (Park board worker: "But those are our favorite stencils for around the Lakes!") or something more sinister ("Quick, Karl...how can we spin this awful mistake?"), I love how the collective understanding of these bikeways was reinforced to be COMMUTER facilities.

Yes, we have froot booters, dogs on really long leashes, giant unicycle riders reading novels (yup, it happens!), spandex-clad racers, and vegan utility riders hauling goods from Whole Foods...believe me, there is NO reason to start imposing arbitrary rules such as a flippin' speed limit.

Note to spray paint stencil workers: Please do not inhale the product.

Besides, since when were bicycles required by law to inform their drivers what speed is being registered? Unlike cagers, bicycles don't really go much faster than 20 MPH in most conditions for most riders. The important thing, dangit, is to PASS WITH CARE. Believe me, an idiot can do lots of damage at slower speeds.

If you don't believe me, try getting your ass hit by a 200-pound biker going at 9.5 MPH while you're strolling along listening to The Fray and smelling dandelions. Now, wouldn't you rather have a biker going 20 MPH that actually gave you 3 feet of clearance and also bothered to say "On your left" if you were walking like Captain Jack Sparrow?