Comments on: A Critical Masser at Tuesday Night Urban Assault

By: Joey

Joey — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 15:32:05 +0000

Hey Adam, thanks for the shoutout! I too was sorry to see you leave early, as the ride only got more interesting as the night wore on and we hit up the river trails. But I had a great time, and everyone was really friendly and supportive, even though I don’t have an expensive brand name bike (I don’t even know what mine is, if anyone remembers it was the silver MTB with the red fork and a couple stickers), and I was just wearing cutoff shorts and a t-shirt. Now I have a better idea what to expect next week, and I think it will only get easier every week. I hope. See you all Tuesday!

By: Keith

Keith — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 02:09:15 +0000

Glad to see you made it out. I was #10 last night and I too “ride to the ride”. I think the ride brings in a lot of people from the suburbs, which I think is awesome as it gives them some positive exposure to the city – something they don’t get in the news too much. I race road and off-road, but I also year-round bike commute on the days I’m not car-pooling with my wife. Many of the people on the TNUA rides are racers, and that’s definitely Scott’s background as well. You’ll see that Scott’s goals with the rides are getting people out on bikes, exposing them to different parts of the city, having fun, and doing it SAFELY. We do blow stop signs when there are no cars, but we yield the right-of-way when we should. As the rides go on, we will work on some biking skills like pacelines, drafting, etc. The point of having a ride leader is safety and ensureing no one gets left behind. It’s too bad you left early, because the rest of the ride was a lot of fun. Don’t worry about sitting out on parts tht you would rather not do. I’ve broken a few fenders by off-roading with them, so I know where you are coming from. Part of the reason we did the off-road in Maplewood Park last night was to expose people to the type of stuff that makes up a cyclo-cross race – like the one this Sunday Sunday Sunday at Cobbs Hill Park, but also to make sure the guy with the exploding flat caught up before we left Lake Ave and rode the Genesee River Trail. The rider was told we were heading up Lake Ave.
PS – No need for Lycra, but if you have ever worn cycling specific clothing, you will find out that there is a reason people choose to wear it (and it’s not to look cool). Believe me – you fit in on the ride whether you think so or not. Hope to see you out there again.

By: brucew

brucew — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 01:09:34 +0000

Yikes! The article that will not die… At least that link doesn’t contain the five photos that shipped with the article. Some idiot posted them on his blog here: http://www.brucew.com/blog/2006/09/05/267

How many cycling fashion mistakes can you spot?

By: Adam Durand

Adam Durand — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:11:33 +0000

Hey Bruce, I figured there were some die-hard commuters there in disguise. Actually, I knew you were there and a certain AP article makes note of your car-free habits. Thank you for representing Rochester bike commuting on the national level. The T-shirt is a special one-up gift from my girlfriend, but Jason here says that if I dare to design a RocBike bike commuting T-shirt, he may very well dare to have it printed. Thanks for the tip about the accessibility of future rides, I will not shy away as winter approaches. I look forward to seeing you soon at TNUA!

By: brucew

brucew — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 22:43:06 +0000

Thanks for your plug, Adam. I was sorry to see you leave early last night before I could ask where you got your shirt. You may not have realized it, clad in Lycra and my 50+ jersey as I was, but I’ve been car-free since 1999.

Yeah, I’m a utility cyclist myself. And that was my new winter commuter rig I rode last night. It’s not outfitted like your bike, but even in utility cycling, it takes all kinds.

There were at least four other guys on the ride who are dedicated bicycle commuters. You may not have spotted them because they don’t risk their commuter rigs to TNUA escapades, and own dedicated TNUA bikes.

TNUA is a great learning opportunity for all riders. Sport and rec riders can learn from us that cycling in all weather is doable, and that cycling (gasp!) is also a form of transportation. I make certain the drive-to-the-ride people know I ride-to-the-ride.

As a utility cyclist, besides learning how to ride strictly for the joy and not for a destination, it was on the TNUA last year that I really sharpened my bike handling skills, learned how to descend properly, learned how to ride safely in a pack, and, of course, how to ride in the snow.

I hope to see you back. It’s not necessary to declare a wardrobe emergency. The Lycra disappears with the colder weather. It wasn’t until this past summer that I owned any Lycra or jerseys at all. I did TNUA all last year in jeans and sweatshirts.

Oh, and don’t be put off by the training parts of the ride later in the season. It’s perfectly acceptable to sit them out, just as I sat out most of the off-road excursion last night.