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Fun Saturday Ride
Posted On Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010 By David Veatch
Sometimes people don’t yell at you. That’s nice.
To Wear, or Not to Wear…
Posted On Friday, September 19th, 2008 By David Veatch
BikeSnobNYC is a blogger I read every now and again. I tend to grow a bit drowsy when he dives into the Craig’s List swamp, but on the other hand, his take on much of cycling culture is spot on, or at least good for a laugh, and his sarcastic, biting, no mercy sense of humor is truly inspiring. Still, something he wrote recently struck a chord with me, and as such, I’ll share it with you. To wit: This journal [theridejournal.com] is nicely ecumenical in its approach to cycling, but one theme that came up and made me think was that of looking good on the bike. Not looking good in the sense of looking like a Euro-pro, but rather looking good in the sense of being able to wear street clothes comfortably while riding. In particular, in “Velocouture,” Patrick Barber points out that up until now in the US cycling style has been driven by sport rather than practicality, since riding here is traditionally seen as a recreational pastime and not as a means of transportation. “In a way,” he writes, “thinking about cycling in street clothes requires that you shift your thinking about why you are on more »
4,000 Miles and Counting…
Posted On Friday, September 19th, 2008 By David Veatch
Early in my ride this morning I hit 4,000 miles for the year. That may not be much to some, but it’s pretty damn good for me. Yay, me!
… All the Damn Vampires.
Posted On Tuesday, September 16th, 2008 By David Veatch
I gave blood today. It was my first time. I know… I’m a bad person. I should regularly give blood. For someone with a BSW, you’d think I’d be more charitable, wouldn’t you? Well.. I gave today. So hush. The actual experience was pretty tame. I filled out a questionnaire, and then they took my temperature and blood pressure, and checked my heart rate and hemoglobin. Everything was within the necessary limits, so they made me drink a bottle of water and eat a donut before they’d stick me. Having done their bidding, I laid down on the gurney and they stuck me with a needle. Not just any needle, mind you, but a huge needle with a cavernous gaping maw in the business end that spoke to me from the depths of Hades, demanding, what else but, a blood sacrifice. The nurse, oblivious to the dialog between the needle and I, simply asked me to squeeze a little stress ball for 5 seconds on and off. While I was squeezing, I had to wonder about the implements they were using. Some of them looked like legitimate torture devices. There were these pliers on the instrument stand next to the more »
Johnny Bondon Found Guilty
Posted On Sunday, September 14th, 2008 By David Veatch
Fantastic news! Mark Breeding attended the court proceedings and filed the following report: Mr. Bondon was found guilty of attempted assault with the judge describing it as classic road rage. He escalated a minor exchange into a terrifying confrontation that required police involvement. The penalties prescribed by the judge include: ninety day sentence with two days served in jail, two years probation and an anger management class. Mr. Bondon is presently free on bond. Summary of the trial proceeding: Defense claims that the cyclists hit the Bondon Hummer with a water bottle and yelled profanities at him for turning in front of them. Bicyclists Matt and Richard assert that they did nothing aggressive beyond the comment of “you couldn’t wait ten seconds” before turning. From this the stories converge to the point of the Hummer being driven across the yard to intercept the riders and a confrontation taking place. Bondon claims no bumping of the cyclists or physical attack took place. Richard and Rachel made it clear they thought that a possible life or death situation was taking place, initially believing that Mr. Bondon was carrying a handgun. The judge felt that he needed to send a message to Mr. more »
Bike Commuting Causes Pollution
Posted On Thursday, August 21st, 2008 By David Veatch
Last night at pool league, a friend of mine brought in a copy of the Wall Street Journal. There was an article about a local San Francisco wanna-be politician, Rob Anderson who has effectively stalled the installation of bike lanes in San Francisco because… Cars always will vastly outnumber bikes, he reasons, so allotting more street space to cyclists could cause more traffic jams, more idling and more pollution. Mr. Anderson says the city has been blinded by political correctness. It’s an “attempt by the anti-car fanatics to screw up our traffic on behalf of the bicycle fantasy,” he wrote in his blog this month. I am not able rightly to apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a conclusion.
House Passes Bike Commuting Fringe Benefit Bill
Posted On Wednesday, June 18th, 2008 By David Veatch
Just what the title says. If I understand it correctly, it’s just like flex dollars applied towards health benefits, but applied towards bike commuting expenses. Furthermore, I don’t think it’s a mandatory program. Anyone care to clarify? On a related note, I wrote an e’mail to my insurance agent months ago to ask if there were any discounts or benefits that could be applied due to my bike commuting. I haven’t heard back yet. Huh.
On Being Elitist in the Chilly Morning Air
Posted On Tuesday, June 17th, 2008 By David Veatch
While the debate rages on and moves to topics unrelated to road rage (as one would fully expect), and while Noah asks similar questions regarding attire, I consider my own morning. The air was definitely chilly at <60°F. It’s amazing how quickly we adapt, isn’t it? Three months ago, 60°F was a delight. This morning it was a touch chilly. I paused briefly to consider my own attire, and decided to forgo additional layers and weather the chill, knowing that this afternoon would be warmer. Within minutes of my ride, I was plenty warm, and glad of my choice. I didn’t think about the article or the debate in the comments section on my ride in. I rarely think about such things. Most of my attention is on the road, obstacles, cars, and sheer enjoyment of my commute that I never, not once, felt in my car. Now and again, when I have something pressing on my mind, I’ll spend a larger portion of my ride inwardly turned. But that’s rare. When I got to work and plugged in, however, the debate had continued and expanded since yesterday. It’s odd to me how an article about a man using an more »
Mileage Goal… Halfway There.
Posted On Monday, June 16th, 2008 By David Veatch
Oh, and another thing… I hit 2,528 miles this weekend. That’s over halfway to my 5,000 mile goal for the year. Other interesting things from my bikejournal.com… er… journal: This month I’ve spent 25 hours, 10 minutes and 32 seconds in the saddle. I’ve spent 177 hours, 27 minutes and 23 seconds in the saddle all year. Approximately, of course. That’s more than a full week. I’ve burned roughly 150,000 calories this year riding my bikes. I’ve ridden over 182 separate times. Ride on…
Road Rage Incident in Longview
Posted On Monday, June 16th, 2008 By David Veatch
I know I said, not long ago, that I would refrain from posting negativity here. In posting this, I hope to avoid negativity. Let me know how it works out, will ya? An incident occurred on June 4th that has had the cycling community in KC up in arms. I’ve not mentioned it here b/c I didn’t want to talk about it before it went public. It’s in the KCStar now, complete with the same rough-around-the-edges style of commenting from both cycling supporters and detractors alike. To be clear, I wasn’t there. I don’t know exactly what happened, but I’m going to try to make the court date on July 28th to show my support for Maher. My brief encounter with him at the Epic Time Trial was extremely positive, and left me with a very good impression. See, I’d ridden off to use the portapotty, and like a completely doltish noob, did so without my helmet. That’ll get you DQ’d from an official USCF event in no time flat. Fortunately for me, they knew I was a doltish noob, and instead of DQ’ing me, Maher brought me my helmet without the slightest hint of disparity. Because I wasn’t there, more »