My Knee, The Traitor

I've been nursing the right knee for the last two weeks since the century, and as of last week, I felt like it was getting somewhat better. So I went on a little bit longer of a ride yesterday and despite a little tenderness, it seemed to be holding up fairly well. So that got my hopes up a little, thinking that I might actually be able to go back to my beloved daily bicycle commutes. You know what they say about getting your hopes up right? Well, basically...don't.

I attempted the usual 10 mile commute to work today and after only about 4 miles, I could tell that I wasn't ready for it. My knee started it's damned aching pain again. By mile 8, I was in a lot more pain and just trying to make it to work at all. By the time I got there, my knee felt like it did the day after the century. Throbbing with pain. So basically, I feel like I just set the healing process back two weeks, and now I have to start all over again. And yes, I knew this was a possible outcome of riding too soon. And yes, I'm an idiot.

So it's back to square one. Stretching, R.I.C.E., and as little cycling as possible. Like pretty much none except for to and from the train. I'm going to try some new physical therapy ideas and some Glucosamine & Chondroitin supplements as well. Supposedly, they can help lubricate joints and help rebuild cartilage.

At this point, I'm willing to try standing on my head and praying to Kneebu, god of the knees.

Girl On The Loose

My "live-in lover" rode her bike to work for the first time today! That old Raleigh we picked up turned out to be a pretty sweet ride. I must say I'm somewhat conflicted though. While I'm thrilled that she may have a new transportation option for her commute, being a daily bicycle commuter myself, I know the pitfalls. Ultimately, it's not as scary for cyclists out there as the media seems to want to portray it, but nonetheless, she's my girlfriend + I'm a worrier = me nervous.

Here's a shot of "The Land Yacht" parked on the streets of West Hollywood where she works.



I'm usually not a big fan of chain / cord locks, but she works about 10 yards away from this spot and can see the bike through a giant window of the schmancy hair salon where she works the whole time. No need to break out the Kryptonite here.

Major Douche

No, I'm not talking about an unfortunately named military officer. I'm talking about this guy:
His name is Rob Anderson, and he is...a major douche. He has spearheaded efforts to kill implementation of a massive pro-bike plan San Francisco, claiming that more bike lanes and bicycle related infrastructure = more traffic jams, more idling and more pollution. The sad part is that instead of him being recognized as a major douche and roundly ignored, his efforts have been successful so far, and San Francisco has been forced to put their plans on hold indefinitely.

You can read more about this story here.

One thing to note about Mr. Anderson. He is exactly the kind of person who I would expect to engage in this sort of crap. Check it out:

"That year Mr. Anderson, who mostly lives off a small government stipend he receives for caring for his 92-year-old mother, also started a blog, digging into local politics with gusto. One of his first targets: the city's most ambitious bike plan to date."

What?? He mooches off the taxpayers and has WAY too much time on his hands? SHOCKER!!!

He also likes to drop craptastic little nuggets like this:

"The behavior of the bike people on city streets is always annoying," he says. "This 'Get out of my way, I'm not burning fossil fuels.' "

...and this...

"Regardless of the obvious dangers, some people will ride bikes in San Francisco for the same reason Islamic fanatics will engage in suicide bombings -- because they are politically motivated to do so,"

Well, he has a point after all. I mean, I don't ride my bike because it's healthy, cheap, good for the environments, fun, and the best thing to happen to me since The Dodgers won the pennant. I do it because I love jihad. Oh yes. Sweet, sweet jihad.

I also noticed, MUCH to my chagrin, that Mr. Anderson's blog had the exact same Blogger template as mine!!!!! I immediately changed it, on the off chance that someone might mistake me for what appears to be, you guessed it...a MAJOR DOUCHE!!!

I Forgot All About You Mr. Knee

The century is over. I survived. I had a great time despite some hand / butt / foot pain towards the end. Here's a picture of me with an inexplicable cocky douchebag smirk on my face at the start of the race.

The smirk is appropriate, as I feel it represents my arrogance and general stupidity in not taking the time to get a proper bike fit before this ride, which would have likely prevented a rather painful injury that I didn't foresee. The caption here should read, "Bike fit??? Puh-lease!! Does it look like I need to waste my time with that? I mean, look at these super-rad sunglasses, this hot Italian road bike and this form fitting spandex clown suit. Can't you tell that I clearly know what I'm doing here? OK, let's ride people!! Out of my way!!!"

So while three body part friends that I was most concerned about did in fact rebel somewhat on Saturday, it turns out the one I needed to be worried about was my damned knee all along. It looks like due to the long distance, and more importantly, my laziness in getting a proper bike fit, I have injured my knee. I'm not sure of the severity, I just know it hurts. Well, I suppose it could be worse, but I consider the fact that I can't ride my bike now without pretty excruciating pain in my right knee, to be pretty bad.

I'm rocking the R.I.C.E. + ibuprofen regiment, but there's one element to recorvery that I'm trying to figure out just how in the hell I'm going to be able to execute. Not riding my bike. Being that it's become my sole means of transportation, not to mention one of the few really enjoyable things that I do on a regular basis, I just don't see how I'm going to pull this one off. And yet, I don't really see how I can't either. The pain is bad. And obviosuly I don't want it to stay this way.

So now I'm in mad self-diagnosis mode now. I think it's patellar tendinitis, but I'm far from positive. So it's not the end of the world, but it still sucks big time. Hopefully my knee will cooperate and heal quickly.

An Offer They Can't Refuse

In this last day before the Cool Breeze Century, I'm physically feeling the best I ever have. I had a couple of good rides this week and they were just what I needed both physically and mentally to get ready for tomorrow. For the first time I was able to get up to the Observatory without feeling like I was really straining. And I was passing riders that I was never able to before, and on climbs too! So at the risk of sounding vain, I've never been in this good of shape, and it feels great.

I'm a little nervous about tomorrow. Mostly because I've just never been in the saddle for 100 miles in one day before. I think I'm going to be fine in terms of endurance, but if anything will be my proverbial Achilles Heel, it will be pain. My three friends mr. hands, mr. back and mr. neck like to let me know that they are NOT happy whenever I go on longer rides. I'll try to have a civil discussion with these gentlemen ahead of time to explain that it will all be over after the finish line, and if they just cooperate with me, they will be rewarded with many hours of rest and possibly even a Thai Massage from the ladies over at Pho Siam. That's got to be an offer they can't refuse, right? Riiiight.

Dawn Of A New Century

There's been a lot of stuff a' brewin' lately. My time in the saddle has continued to remain at ridiculous levels. With my first "century" coming up (100 mile bicycle ride), I've been trying to log ever longer rides on the weekends, in addition to the daily commutes. I'll even sneak in a couple of Griffith Observatory runs on weekdays on the way to work too. Today my muscles are twitchin' a' plenty. I've taken the Red Line a couple of days this week to help give them a rest.

The picture above is of a fellow cyclist named Mauricio, who besides being the original owner of "The Toothpaste Special," is also somewhat of a badass in the saddle. We did Bicykillers last Thursday and rode from Hollywood to the beach and back on Saturday. It was a great ride for me. That's the first time I've ventured that far west (as far west as I can go on my bike). It was kind of weird seeing sand on my tires for the first time. One un-fun part of the ride was realizing what horrible shape Venice Blvd. is in. I've driven on it countless times but of course, riding on it is something else entirely. Lots of fun potholes, cracks and rough asphalt that had my hands singing with pain. We took Washington back up through Culver City on the way back, which was much kinder to us.

So with just two weeks until the Cool Breeze, I'm going to try and log as many miles as I can, especially since Tam and I will be up in Sonoma this weekend. Great bike riding country up there. Too bad the bike stable isn't portable...yet.

Vive La France!

This has been the first time I've paid close attention to the Tour De France and it's been fun to watch. I've even managed to get Tam to tolerate it for awhile! We caught the first couple of stages up in Portland last weekend, and I've been continuing at home with help of our trusty DVR. I'll admit that I don't watch the ENTIRE stages. I'll usually skim through the first 2 hours or so, stopping occasionally. For me the exciting stuff is the last 20K or so. Those sprinters are insane. So much power and a lot of strategy on the whole team's part.

So in honor of all things French, and because a CICLE ride is finally coming up the Tam can participate in, I'm finally getting the ol' Peugeot back into working condition with riser bars. Here she is so far...

The old drops are on the floor underneath. I think Tam will feel better in a less aggressive position on the bike. I managed to dig up a couple of old stems, handlebars and grips at the Bike Oven last month and I was able to use one of the combos. I think it cost me about $10 for everything! As I have with a few other parts, I pulled the brake levers off the now very stripped and unrideable (may she rest in peace) Basket Bike. The next step is to instal new brake cables.

Most of the brake tutorials online focus on more modern braking systems, so I'm not seeing a lot on old school center-pull Mafacs. I'm going to do some more digging, but may ultimately just wing it. Story of my life.

Bike Snob Does It Again

This just sums it all up so well..

Get Over It: Surmounting The Obstacles To Cycling

Favorite line: Hey, you will get hurt, I promise. But you can also get hurt eating a bagel, watching “Night Court” reruns, or masturbating. (Especially if you attempt all three at once.) It doesn't mean you shouldn't do them.

Lets Have A Look At His Chart Doctor...

So the bike disease has been exhibiting some interesting symptoms recently. Here's a closer look:

Symptom #1: Dramatic Change in Diet

It's becoming hard to mentally reconcile the old intake with the new. I used to drink every day (not with complete reckless abandon..most of the time). I used to smoke. I used to eat...pretty much anything I wanted, and more importantly in any quantity I desired. I'm not a hardcore calorie counter, and I'm not good at completely cutting out anything that I really love to eat, but I just eat less of it now. This can be directly linked to the "Bike Disease" because I was cycling my heart out and having virtually nothing to show for it in terms of weight loss. I was just putting back all of those calories I was burning off. Q: How can I be all smug about riding a bike everywhere if I'm still sporting a "muffin top?" A: I can't.

As a result, my regular breakfast has changed from this:

To this:

I think that's pretty self explanatory.

Symptom #2: Alarming Increase in Number of Bicycles in Apartment

Thanks to a very understanding girlfriend, I have managed to store a borderline...OK maybe not so borderline number of bikes in and near the apartment over the last year. Right now, the "Stable" includes 6 bikes. With the help of Craig and his "list," that will hopefully soon drop to 4.

Let's a have a look at the specimens:

Bianchi Campione Del Mondo aka "The Toothpaste Special"

This is a beautiful Italian steel frame from the mid-nineties. Now my daily commuter and someday touring bike.

Pinarello Surprise

My "go fast and pretend you know what you're doing" bike.

IRO Mark V (pictured here when one could still have a reasonable amount of space in a Red Line car)

The bike that has been identified as the origin of the Bike Disease. Soon to be retired due to financial / space concerns (and the fact that my knees are pissed at me).

Flying Pigeon

Don't get me started.

Unfortunately "The Grocery Getter" and "The Frog" are not making an appearance in this post. The former is..well...ugly and prefers to sleep out behind the apartment, and the latter is under construction (I swear).

Symptom #3: Strange Change In Clothing

Apparently, 20 miles of bike commuting M-F isn't enough for me. So I've been taking to extra rides where I don't really have a destination. Consequently, I've been spotted getting on my bike with only the following items:

No backpack? No U-lock? Wait, you mean you're just riding...to ride? I thought the day would never come. Not to mention the whole spandex thing. But that's for another post.

What's...happening..to me??!!

More updates as the disease evolves...

The Bike Disease

My obsession with the bicycle which I commonly refer to as "the bike disease" has now taken on a new strain. Apparently just commuting nearly every day on the fixed beast wasn't enough for me. Now I'm set on donning the spandex and learning how to race too. Of course, that meant acquiring a new (to me) bike. It's a beautiful celeste green Bianchi Campione road bike that's roughly 15 years old. It's not as light and fast as the new carbon bikes with top grade components, but it should be good enough to get me started.

I'm going to start training with Team C.I.C.L.E. as much as possible and hopefully I can start getting into some actual events soon. Tomorrow I'm going to attempt to brave the "Montrose Ride." I feel like I've already come a long way fitness wise just from commuting all the time and crushing those Los Feliz hills with just the one gear at my disposal, so hopefully I'll be able to keep up better than I did on my humbling attempt at the Wolfpack Hustle last week. I got dropped like a bad habit around mile 6, and limped home with my tail between my legs. Now that I've worked out the bottom bracket issues on the Bianchi, I should be able to bring it next time and make a better showing. I hope.

C.I.C.L.E. - Explore the Urban Forest

So I just finished editing and scoring my video of the last C.I.C.L.E. Urban Ex ride. The ride was a great success despite the August-like blistering temps. Check it Out!

CICLE Urban Forest Expedition by James OToole is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Rising Gas you Say? Bring It On!

With the risk of sounding way to pleased with myself, I must say that all of this talk of rising gas prices is having the exact opposite effect on me than it appears to be having on the majority of my fellow Americans. I'm down to driving one day a week in "the Beast," and while we still take Tam's Mariner on the occasional jaunt, I spend very little time behind the wheel these days. U-oh, SMUG ALERT!!

Oh well, I just don't care if it sounds snooty. Bring on the high gas prices! Sure I might have to pay a little more at the grocery store, but all the more reason to but locally anyway. And if getting the squeeze at the pump is what it's going to take to get people to realize that our dependence on oil is one of the biggest problems we face, and that WE have to take that knowledge and DO SOMETHING about it, then so be it!

Yes, there are alternatives to traveling by car.  Yes, even in L.A. And guess what? You don't have to be an Olympic athlete to use a bike as major source of transportation. Just educate yourself and get on that saddle. The rest will take care of itself.

A Day Inside The Concrete Crater

Last Saturday was the Los Angeles leg of the Velocity 2008 Tour. I had the pleasure of attending my first track racing event, and two words best sum up the day. Hot and Inspiring.

Yes, it was a scorcher that day. Temps were at least in the upper nineties, and without a whole lot of shade to go around at the Encino Velodrome, it felt even hotter most of the time. But what am I complaining about? The racers are the ones who actually had to compete in that furnace!

I had a nice ride out from Hollywood. I took the Red Line to North Hollywood, then took my first trip on the Chandler Bikeway that runs alongside the Orange Line Busway. I have mixed emotions about the path as a whole. It's great to have a fully dedicated bike path that takes you out of traffic (most of the time). But as with virtually every other bike related piece of infrastructure in this city, oh are there ever flaws galore. But that's for another post.

I arrived at the race a little early, so I spent a while roasting, reading and watching the competitors steadily arrive over the course of the morning. Unfortunately, it looks like the "concrete crater" has seen better days. The track itself looks to be in good shape, but the grandstands are fallig apart. It's all splintering wood and peeling paint. I'd love to get involved in some fundraising to spruce the place up. For now, I just bought a $10 t-shirt.

Once the races started, I was glued to the track. The speed, the power, the blistering heat. It was a lot of fun to watch, and I found myself saying, "I gotta do this!" So I'm going to try to make it to one of the open training sessions at the Velodrome, which are held every Wednesday.


You can check out all of the pics here. I'll post some video soon too.

Did someone say more rides?

So in a weekend already packed full of bike mania, there is yet another ride to choose from! The Glo-Ride is being held in honor of Mark A. Nealy, a cyclist who passed away after a battle with cancer last month. Riders are asked to bring "glow sticks, led lights, E.L. Wire, x-mas lights, or whatever you can think of to make us "Glo" like he did for us." I didn't know Mark personally, but this is an opportunity to pay homage to someone who clearly meant a lot to the cycling community, so it will be a priority to be there.

So it looks like the preferred Friday ticket should be: Blade Runner Alleycat at 7:30pm, followed by the Glo-Ride at 10:00 pm.

It's only Thursday and this weekend is already ruling big-time.

Bikesplosion Weekend!!

There's so much going this weekend in the land of bike!

Friday night is the Blade Runner Alleycat downtown. I'm going to head down there and cover as much as humanly possible with my camera(s).

Saturday is the Velocity Tour track races at the Encino Velorome. Once again, I'll soaking it all up and promise to share it all here.

Sunday is the Heliotrope Village Block Party and I'm going to try to be there, schedule be damned!

Get more details on times, fees and adult beverage related inquiries at Swarm.

Hope to see lots of cyclists out there doing our thing. No, not THAT thing. You know, the other thing.

Goose Xing

On my way to Highland Park from Burbank yesterday, racing against rain that never really came, I encountered a new brand of pedestrian. Geese!

I've seen all kinds of wildlife IN the river, but rarely if ever, do I see any critters actually venture up ON to the bike path. Of course, being a photo dork, I had to stop and snap some pics. Little did I know that these jaded little Goose celebs were NOT into any paparazzi action. I received a few hisses, followed by some lunges, which was all I needed to just get back on my bike and be on my way.
I'd like to take this opportunity to apologize for offending the the local goose population along the river, and promise that next time I come across any fine feathered friends in my bicycle travels, I'll just ring the damn bell and keep on pedalling.

"Um...My Hands Are Glowing. Is That Normal?"

A lot to talk about this week including: Dutch and Army Bikes, the impending arrival of the Flying Pigeon, shants vs. pants and my undying love for the milk crate.

For now though...

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the Glo-Glove!!

I don't own a pair of these (yet), but they are most definitely on my never ending list of "bike stuff I MUST have as soon as I can scrape more of those damn nickels together." I'm not sure how comfortable they'd be for everyday riding but at the very least, they would be good for a night ride in high traffic.

According to the specs, they're visible up to 1 mile with a "search light" (I'm guessing we can substitute headlights here) AND up to 4 miles with Night Vision Goggles!!! Finally!!!! I can't tell you how many times I've wished those people driving with their stupid night vision goggles on could see me when I indicate a vehicular left turn in front of them! Now, thanks to Blumenthal Uniform Company Inc., THEY CAN!!!

Because this clearly a law enforcement / civil service type website, there is no mention whatsoever of these possibly being of use to a cyclist. But the upside is, while you visit the site you can browse for your favorite brands of body armor, drug tests, handcuffs & restraints and defense spray!!

Do The Test

This might be the best public service announcement I've ever seen. In other words, we need more of this here. Ok smarty, put on your smart hat on and pay attention to the balls...

Welcome To Fantasy Island...Michigan?

Looking for a vacation spot this spring? Check out Mackinaw Island.

From their website...

On your first night, under an unbound sky ablaze with flirting stars, your troubles merely drift away. Waking to the sound of horse hooves on silent streets, the fail-safe plot you dreamed begins with the daylight. Wrapped in all its graces and grand passions, you’re on Mackinac Island.

O.K. Flirting stars, troubles drifting away, horse hooves and whatnot. Sounds good. A little flowery, but good. But read on my friend, read on...

Mackinac Island is the truly "all natural" theme park of America. Limited to transportation of horse and buggy, bicycle or foot, surrounded by water, it has escaped the vast changes of time.

Whoaaaa horse and buggy!!! Back up. No cars? You mean to tell me there are no freakin' cars on the whole damn island?! As Mr. Roarke would say: "Smiles, everyone... smiles!"

I must admit it's not the biggest island out there (think Catalina, only smaller), but hell, to roam the (8) streets for one day without inhaling bus fumes and dodging Hummers? I'm sold. Sign me up Tattoo.

My Bike Picks For This Weekend

If mass night rides are your thing, there are a couple of options on Friday, with Los Angeles Critical Mass and the return of HollywoodRidazz.

On Saturday, C.I.C.L.E. is hosting another of it's Beginning Bike Handling Skills Workshops. This is a great way to hone your bike riding skills (and get some if you don't have them to begin with!) from friendly and more importantly, certified instructors.

On Sunday, join the T-Bone Tony Benefitz Ride (he broke his arm on a group ride recently) in the LBC.

Go To Hell...mets!!!!

Warning: If you think that wearing a helmet is oh so very tres un-cool, then you may not give a rats' ass about the following post.

An article in the most recent issue of Urban Velo mentioned a cool site with a good mission. H.E.L.L. (helping people live longer) is a group (well, two guys at least ) that's raising money to purchase and distribute free helmets to anyone who wants one. You can donate to their cause, request a helmet or purchase one at cost for a mere 25 clams at their site. I think this is GREAT IDEA!

And by the way...Don't you think it's time to get over how cool you think you are and just wear a friggin' helmet already?

I'll Show You Mine...

I was already familiar with Gmaps Pedometer, which is a pretty slick little hack using Google Maps to plot routes for activities. But after playing around with the most recent incarnation of Google Maps, I was able to do what I've been wanting to for a while now: Plot multiple routes on the same page! 

I still haven't seen a map app (ok that's just fun to say) that's dedicated to bicycling, but this seems to be the best way for me to look at my most commonly used routes all at once without confusion. I've only added my main commuting stand-by routes so far, but I'm going to keep adding more as much as possible until the tentacles spread all over the city. Muuuuuhuuuhhhahah!!!!

Here's a link to what I've done so far. The Usual Routes

It's not the most intuitive app to figure out at first, but once you figure it out, it's pretty easy to draw routes, change their color and opacity and lay them across the grid. Pretty sweet!

Go to the "My Maps" tab to start routin'!!

Nuts At The Wheel

Here's a site that I stumbled upon a while back. Nuts At The Wheel is a site where you can report people who are driving like their, you guessed it, NUTS!! It sounds like a good idea in theory to me. I don't know if any prosecution of drivers comes from these reports, but at the very least, it's good web space for cyclists to vent after a hairy encounter on the roads.

Click on the Reports tab if you want to call someone out!

Because sharing is caring (or something like that...)

I was bitten by the bicycle bug about a year ago. Sure I'd ridden bikes all of my life, but I'm talking about a serious bite here. Like a chunk of my ass is missing serious. Obsession would be one word for it, but I'm averse to hyperbole so let's say...Infatuation.

So I've spent the last year eating, sleeping and well...you know...BIKES! Growing up in Los Angeles, I used to love driving a car. Now I have nothing but contempt for the concept. Once I realized that I can get nearly everywhere I need to be (and most places I WANT to be) on my bike, my beast of a mid-sized SUV lays rotting behind my apartment, waiting for it's inevitable demise.

I thought It would a good idea to share all of the things I've discovered about bicycling over the last year of obsession...I mean...infatuation with as many as people as possible, to give people a place to find all of the stuff I had to dig up that was buried deep in the internets and to share my experiences and new finds along the way. So here goes. Hope you all enjoy.