Urban dwellers run for cover. Country folk say “So?” Hunters raise their guns. Ospreys say “yum!”

I say “Whoa! Where?”

This is not a rational thing… I first saw them in China.

When I asked my Chinese friends where to find one, they laughed and said the equivalent of “Huh?” - maybe something gets lost in translation?

The traditional color is black. It goes well with the coal dust in the air. Most of the bikes in China were black.

Here it is…

Cool, huh? I found it at Flying Pigeon NYC, so if you have some extra change laying around, keep me in mind!

I’ll be out doing hill repeats so I’m strong enough to ride one around here…

- Frank Pedrick

If you’re reading a bicycle blog, you have/have had it… Bicycle Lust!

Don’t get all worked up, now… (just because I’m writing this on Sunday doesn’t mean anything either - I should be out riding)

OK, just because I am/was/will be a teacher, here’s the dictonary definition:
LUST:  /lʌst/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[luhst] Pronunciation Key

This site contains links to a LOT of interesting web sites… go ride your bike!

- Thanks, Peter

The guest speaker at our bike club meeting last night has been involved in bicycling advocacy for some time. He spoke about things that work and things that don’t, about areas in the state of California (and elsewhere) that have been successful in promoting bike use, and what WE can do to promote bicycling in our area.

Broadly speaking, there are two pieces to the puzzle:

Outside - having enough folks who are interested and commited to bicycle use in its many forms and willing to make the commitment to promote bicycle use to the public, city, county and state agencies that make and execute the plans and projects that make it possible.

Inside - who are the people inside those agencies that we need to talk to? How can we best communicate with them so that bicycling issues stay at the top of their priority lists? What can we do to promote cycling in our communities and to increase awareness of bicycling issues by the general public?

In Nevada County, we’re fortunate that a Master Plan for Bicycling has been proposed and adapted by the cities of Grass Valley, Nevada City, Truckee and the County of Nevada. We have a plan, now we have to see it through… by staying in touch with the people on the “inside.”

We have a plan. Now, we need to bring it to life!

Here’s the plan… Nevada County Non-motorized Transportation Master Plan(.pdf file).

I have looked into plans for other areas and will post them in the near future.

- Frank Pedrick

The Tahoe Sierra Century is a local Tahoe fund-raiser with all proceeds benefiting the Music Programs at North Tahoe Middle and High Schools. It’s very well organized, with parent and student volunteers working together throughout the event from check-in, to rest stops, to performing music at the after-ride festivities. It was cool being cheered on by middle and high school students as we crested some of the longer climbs!

Speaking of cool, it was a little chilly at the start of the ride. Most riders wore layers - leggings, arm warmers, jackets or vests and glove liners or long finger gloves. Every rest stop had bags so that extra gear could be dropped off. It was returned to the finish and was easy to find.

I shed my jacket, glove liners, leg and arm warmers at the first aid station - and felt comfortable the rest of the day. The weather couldn’t have been better. Sunny, with a breeze that always seemed to be a head wind - ever notice that? I rode for a while with a local rider who told me the wind always picks up in the afternoon. It did, and turns at the front of the pacelines were short and sweet. I heard that the weather last year was terrible. That’s fall in the Sierras!

There were almost 600 riders.

The start/finish was at the Village at Squaw Valley.

Riding the bike path along the Truckee river.

One cold, one warm?

The rest stop before the climb to Brockway Summit.

A tie-dye welcome sign...

A mix-your-own snack option.

Climbing Donner Pass Road.

Still climbing Donner Pass Road.

Yep, still climbing.

Getting near the top...

Next to the road near the Cisco Grove turn-around point.

Descending Donner Pass Road!

Oh, yeah? The camera decided to do this as I was cruising down Donner Pass at 42 mph...

Dinner music.

The elevations looked like this… about 7500 ft. of gain (and descent!).

Tahoe-Sierra Elevations

My total time this time out was a little long - I hung out at the rest stops longer than usual, visiting. I wasn’t able to ride much during the week before the ride, but felt pretty good.

- Frank Pedrick

Photos are Copyright 2008 Frank Pedrick

- Thanks, Ken!

Recently, I’ve received a number of e-mails from bicyclists in my area regarding dangerous encounters with drivers. The following is a excerpt from one… followed by a response from another rider. I believe it’s important to respond to these threats and to follow through, if possible. Bicycle commuting and riding will increase as we move into a era of more bicycle commuting. It’s vital that we stand up for our rights!

I’ve edited out the names - it’s the incident and follow through that are important.

From a recent e-mail:
I’m asking for your help in dealing with a dangerous situation for bicyclist in Nevada County.

On Monday, September 15, 2008, a *********  bus came dangerously close to hitting me while I was commuting to work by bicycle.  I was riding up the narrow portion of Sacramento St. between the Highway 49/20 on-ramp and the ******* Bike Shop in Nevada City between 6:30 and 7:00 am.  A car was coming down the hill and the bus was heading up the hill.  In spite of the narrow lane width, the bus driver decided to squeeze through the tight gap between me and the car.  I could have reached out with my left hand and easily touched the bus w/o even fully extending my arm.  The bus driver didn’t even bother slowing down.  I estimate he passed me at about 25 mph.

That afternoon I phoned the bus company and spoke with a woman named *****.  I explained the incident to her and told her this was not a first encounter for me.  I asked her to write up a formal incident report on the driver and explained that I was going to file a police report.  She was sympathetic and said she would bring it up at the safety meeting with the drivers to be held Wednesday.

Tuesday morning I waited at the bus stop so I could speak with the driver.  I found out his name from a passenger waiting to board the bus.  This passenger remembered the close encounter as he had been on the bus the previous morning.  I introduced myself to him and asked him why he had placed my life in jeopardy.  He initially feigned ignorance.  Upon further questioning he “remembered” the incident.  Without going into detail, his basic response was “I saw you.” and “I wasn’t going to hit you.”  I guess that’s a gamble he’s willing to make.  I asked him to make a different choice next time: Wait until you have enough room to pass safely.

I spoke with the bus company representative on Tuesday afternoon and told her I was extremely worried about the drivers lack of concern over a bicyclist safety.  I asked her to ask her drivers if they would feel comfortable standing less than an arms length from the right side of a bus driving past them at 25 mph.  I also filed a police report.

This is about the fourth or fifth time I’ve come close to being struck by a *******  bus in the past two to three years.  In one of those previous encounters I was riding up the hill in the bike lane. The bus cut the corner and was traveling in the bike lane when it nearly struck me.  I reported that incident to the bus company.  The person I spoke to said there wasn’t a bus traveling that route at that spot at that time of day!  Another incident was near the fairgrounds as I was heading into Grass Valley.  Once again, the bus entered the clearly delineated shoulder area and came within arms length of striking me.  This time it was on a straight stretch of road.

I spoke with several bike riding friends about this recent encounter.  I found I am not the only person who has had a near miss with a bus while bicycling in Nevada County.

I would like to keep a bicyclist from being hit by a local bus by getting the bus company to take our concerns seriously.  With this in mind I propose the following:  Anytime you have a Too Close For Comfort encounter with a bus: 1) Call the bus company.  Report the incident to them and ask them to write-up that particular driver.  They will want to know where the encounter occurred and at what time.  They will be able to determine who the driver was with that info.  2)  Call the appropriate police department or sheriff’s office and file a report.  3) Send a short email to me with details of the incident. I’ll keep them on file for future reference.  4) If you hear of a cyclist being struck by a bus please contact me.

If the bus company gets enough complaints then maybe they can convince their drivers that there is a problem.  They may also be able to determine if all the drivers are at fault, or if only one or two drivers need to be dealt with.  Also, if the worst happens and a bicyclist is struck, there will be a paper trail indicating that the bus comapny failed to deal with a pattern of dangerous driving.

Thanks for your help.

And, a response from another rider…
Fuel for the fire: In 5 years of riding almost daily from Nevada City, I’ve
had more close calls with buses than I have with pickup
trucks. I applaud your efforts to address these issues with the authority
head-on, but my gut feeling is that the drivers would just as soon see
cyclists squished like bugs as heading home for dinner. I doubt a casual
reprimand will change anything.

- Thanks to the riders who sent these to me!

Over the past few days, I’ve talked with many bicyclists who complained of seemingly unprovoked rude behavior by motorists. Several wondered how we could educate motorists about our perspective. Now, that is a problem! I just can’t seem to catch up with cars for a “Frank” discussion… “Hand signs” don’t seem to help either, no matter how good they feel or justified they may be.

We can’t do too much about “them.”

However, we can “play by the rules.” When we ride, we’re ambassadors for the sport. If we run stop signs, bunch up or are rude and/or inconsiderate, we’re representing bicyclists…

Share the road. Be kind and courteous. You may be helping another bicyclist down the road!

Here are the “rules.”

- Frank Pedrick

Yesterday was one of those fabulous, almost, but not quite Fall, mid-September days here in the Sierra foothills. 

It was little bit chilly as I rode over to the bike shop for a 7:30 a.m. start - this group leaves ON TIME, so there was no turning back for more layers - grin and bear it, I reckon… The descent into the South Yuba River canyon can be mighty cold, but the crawl (I mean climb!) out and up the other side more than makes up for it. The descent is almost always in the shade and the ascent is almost always in the sun, no matter what time of day or which direction we ride.

There were 7 other riders ready to go, men and women, so once we figured out who was going which way (there are a couple of options), we rolled out - on time.

As I guessed, the ride into the river canyon was chilly, but I have a 53/11 gear, so about the only time I get “spun out” is if I take flight or fall off of a cliff - either of which I’ve experienced so far. I was climbing and warming up again before I knew it.

I’m really lucky to live in such a beautiful area. I’ve lived here for 15 or so years and have ridden some rides around here countless times. I’m still not tired of them or bored with them! Yeah, many of the roads are narrow and there are occasional rude drivers (they seem to be everywhere, huh?)… but the beautiful countryside and challenge is always there!

We passed a couple teenagers in North San Juan who called out “Spandex Warriors!” as we rode by - kinda catchy…

There is a dog along the way that is inside a very long, fenced pasture. For years, he has run along the fence as I ride past. Yesterday, I clocked him at 25 m.p.h.! Sustained.

As we head back toward town, there’s point where we turn a corner and can see a wide vista of the river valley around Bridgeport, and the road ahead. The road is about 1 1/2 lanes wide, so I scan for traffic that will be coming up the hill. The bridge at the bottom is a good place to enjoy the river for a bit and maybe eat a Cliff bar or something - it’s a good 4 climb back out of the canyon. The last two miles are mostly exposed and sunny - it can be oven-like! We were early enough yesterday for it to be pleasant. Gotta love those climbs!

There just aren’t any flat rides around here, which for me, keeps the rides interesting / challenging!

Here’s a map of the (Oaktree-Bridgeport )ride and the elevations… and here’s the Oaktree - Bridgeport Ride Slip (.pdf) if you’re in the neighborhood.

 This ride is about 42 miles, with 4484 ft. of ascent (and descent). Fun, huh? 

Oaktree-Bridgeport Elevations

Oaktree-Bridgeport Map

- Frank Pedrick

“The Acoustic Motorbike” by Luka Bloom

- Thanks, Ken!