The bicycle facilities at the Stewart’s convenience store on Osbourne and Sand Creek may not be that attractive…
…but they do have a cherubim watching the bikes, so there’s some extra security.
Jason Crane interviews Jenn Clunie, program manager of the New York Bicycling Coalition, about Bike Month in New York State. NYBC is sponsoring activities across the state, including classes in basis cycling skills, urban and mountain bike rides, Bike To Work Day, the Ride of Silence, and the annual Legislative Breakfast.
(Theme music provided by The Magnetic Fields. The song is “The Luckiest Guy On The Lower East Side.” Find out more at The House of Tomorrow.)
I have finally joined the elite cycling ranks. No, not by winning Le Tour or completing Paris-Roubaix or Paris-Brest-Paris. I did it the hard way — by getting hit with a full box of french fries thrown from a moving bus.
I was on my way home from Schenectady to Albany today, riding up State Street, when I felt a bunch of little stinging sensations on my back. The next thing I knew, I was riding through a cloud of what appeared to be McDonald’s french fries as a school bus passed within inches. I could see the kid who threw them jumping back from the window into his seat.
I tried to catch up, but an Xtracyle is not a great pursuit vehicle. The bus hit five or six green lights in a row going uphill, and I broke off the chase.
To add insult to injury, I wasn’t even able to catch a fry in my mouth!
This great bike was parked outside the Muddy Cup on Madison tonight:
I went for a nighttime ride tonight, and decided to explore our soon-to-be neighborhood. We’re moving into the Helderberg Neighborhood (near PS 19) in June. I wanted to explore Helderberg Avenue, which I’d noticed both up by South Main Street and down by Academy Road, but which, according to the map, ends at a few points in between.
I started on South Main and headed southeast on Helderberg. It’s a very quiet street that runs across other fairly quiet streets, so there were few if any cars. I did see quite a few cyclists down the main streets to both sides. The temperature was perfect for a nighttime ride — cool enough for jeans and a fleece, but warm enough to not have a chill in the air.
On the map, the first break in Helderberg Avenue is just southeast of Cardinal Ave. If you’re driving a car, that’s as far as you can go. If you’re riding a bike, though, you can cross Cardinal, ride up a hill that’s also someone’s driveway, and pass between two posts and a garden onto a little paved path that leads to Sycamore Street. Easy as pie, and pretty, too. A jogger passed me on the short path and said, “Nice lights!” The path goes down a little hill to the sidewalk on Sycamore. There’s a three-way stop at this point, so it’s a safe crossing point after you hop the curb. (You can also go down the sidewalk a few feet and exit onto the street via a driveway.)
At this point, Helderberg is more like a wooded alley, with several lovely houses fronting the street. No cars to be seen.
At Pinewood Avenue, Helderberg ends again if you’re driving. For a cyclist, another path leads you through to Ramsey Place. You can continue on Heldenberg all the way to Academy Road, and then across Academy onto one of the campuses. I’m still not sure which part of which campus I’m on when I ride this way. A lot of this area is part of the Albany Medical Center, but not all of it.
In any case, I continued down a campus path to Princeton Drive, then to Holland Avenue. I turned left on Delaware Avenue and then right on one of the most fun streets in Albany — Park Avenue. This is a brick street that rockets straight down to MLK Boulevard and Lincoln Park. I had just had disc breaks installed earlier in the day at the Down Tube, so I zipped down the hill at about 25 mph and jammed on the breaks at the bottom. They worked like a charm. (Although they need to be broken in, as Eric at the Down Tube had cautioned.)
The rest of the ride was a lovely cruise through downtown, including my usual trip to the mall at Empire State Plaza, one of my favorite places to ride at night.
Then it was home to degrease and lube my chain on the screened porch while listening to John Gielgud’s 1941 radio production of Hamlet. What a great night!
One of the best parts of riding my bike is meeting cool people. I’m not a cool guy. I don’t look hip or act hip. I use words like “hip.” I don’t drink, I’m not much of a partier, and I sometimes wear a bowtie to work.
But I ride an Xtracycle with neon lights. And that makes up for a lot.
Whenever I ride around, I end up having at least one — and usually more than one — conversation about cycling. It often starts with the Xtracycle. People ask the “What is it?” question a lot. After reading something somewhere (maybe the Roots Radicals listserv?), I’ve started saying it’s a “bicycle pick-up truck.” That works surprisingly well. In some cases, we chat about the X for a few minutes and that’s it. More often, though, we end up talking about cycling. The other person’s experiences, cycling in Albany, etc.
Yesterday I was downtown for the Common Council meeting. On the way, I stopped in at the library. When I came out to unlock my bike, a guy in a BMW convertible pulled up next to the bike rack. He was probably in his late 60s. I’m not proud of this, but I’ll admit that my instant reaction was negative. Expensive car, older white guy, probably a banker or some kind of businessman who thinks I’m a hippy freak.
Then he walked over and asked me about the Xtracycle. I gave him the pitch, and he started telling me about his Fuji. “I don’t put as many miles on it as I used to,” he said. “I used to ride 1,000 miles a summer, now I ride maybe 200.” Turns out his name is Jerry, and he’s a cyclist. And I’m a jerk.
This morning, I was at the Down Tube cycle shop on Madison to finish my disc brake installation. There was a guy outside the shop waiting for it to open. He was riding a mountain bike, decked out in a leather jacket with an iPhone attached to his stem with — as it later turned out — Velcro. I had the bags and V-racks off the Packet Boat, which makes it look like a very badass chopper bike, if you don’t mind my saying so. He took off his headphones and complimented me on my bike. We started chatting. His name is Crews, and he runs Crews Hair 360, near one of the El Mariachi locations. We had a great talk about biking and bikes, and agreed to hook up again in the future.
Neither of those interactions would have happened in my car. So in addition to the health benefits and environmental benefits and blah blah blah, I really appreciate the social benefits.
Cycling: It’s Hip!
The only thing that’s as much fun as riding a bike is watching kids have fun riding bikes. My two sons, Bernie and John, spent part of their Sunday morning out on their bikes having a blast. Bernie was on his new Trek, while John was on his “dandy horse” or “draisine,” which I’m sure isn’t what they called it at the Radio Flyer factory. The draisine was invented by Baron Karl von Drais in Manheim, Germany and patented in 1818. It was really just a board with two wheels that you had to propel by walking or running along the ground.
A draisine (photo from WikiPedia)
I’ve read several books on the invention of the bicycle, and I never really understood why riding a draisine was any fun. That is, until I saw John on his bike. That kid can move!
Here are some photos from today’s cycling fun. Happy Bike Month!
Capital Bike Month officially kicked off Friday here in Albany with an urban ride and the opening of the Dream Wheels art exhibition. Bernie joined me on the Packet Boat (Xtracycle) for the urban ride. This is the kind of riding we do all the time, and it’s always fun to be joined by a gang of other cyclists.
We met at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial on the corner of State and Henry Johnson (the same place that Critical Mass meets). We took a nice ride through Washington Park, then up New Scotland past our soon-to-be neighborhood, past Bernie’s soon-to-be school (#19) and up to Buckingham Lake. At about that point, it started to rain. Bernie was riding on the Packet Boat rather than pedaling, so he was getting cold. We headed back home and met up with Jen and John. Our intention was to go back downtown to see the Dream Wheels exhibit. As we’re not yet totally car-free, we drove down and found it impossible to park. Instead, we went to Stuyvesant Plaza and had ice cream and browsed around the Book House. Not a bad compromise.
Here are my photos from the very beginning of the ride:
I took very few photos, but luckily there are many more from:
(Jason sez: Please welcome the first — but not the last! — essay by our newest contributor, Jenn Clunie. When she’s not riding ridiculous distances, Jenn is the Program Manager of the New York Bicycling Coalition. Welcome, Jenn!)
In my continual quest to push my endurance, stamina and (some would argue) sanity to its utmost limits, I set off at O’DARK THIRTY this past Sunday morning, April 27th, to accomplish my first 300K Brevet, presented by Adirondack Ultra Cycling. For those unfamiliar or yet to be initiated into the world of LSD (Long Slow Distance), let me offer a quick definition supplied by RUSA:
Randonneuring: Randonneuring is long-distance unsupported endurance cycling. This style of riding is non-competitive in nature, and self-sufficiency is paramount. When riders participate in randonneuring events, they are part of a long tradition that goes back to the beginning of the sport of cycling in France and Italy. Friendly camaraderie, not competition, is the hallmark of randonneuring.
It was a bit of a cold start when the six hardy souls rolled out of Schuylerville 4:15am Sunday morning to temps hovering around 40 degrees and light rain. Cycling in the pitch dark, except for the too-dim wattage of commuter lights (note to self: next time, bring your Nightrider HID, no matter how heavy it is) offered an almost surreal experience as fog and mist swirled around our tires and projected eerie shadows back up at our lights. Being able to take over the roads all the way to Fort Edward was an empowering experience for cyclists all too often forced to hug the curb or take our chances with the treacherous objects lying in the shoulder as cars whiz by and refuse to share the road. Having that extra room to navigate proved especially fortuitous when I made the mistake of getting too close to the white line so slick with rain I hydroplaned straight into a crevice between the line and shoulder theretofore unseen in the darkness and it took all of my bike-handling skills learned on the trail to bring that front wheel back and stay upright. “Ahhhhh!!!! Whoa. That was close. Thank GOD I’m a mountain-biker. Everybody awake now?” :)
Luckily, the first hour and a half of dark rain yielded to muted daylight and cloudy skies; when the sun broke through around noon (?), we finally started to shed layers and dry off. It turned out to be a beautiful day to ride one’s bike and for those who cried “uncle” when they saw rain in the forecast, I’m sorry they missed out. The ride around Sacandaga Lake was astoundingly beautiful, especially when we climbed up to Hadley and enjoyed a brief peek at the overlook before continuing onwards to Corinth, Moreau, rural Saratoga county and finally back to our home base in Schuylerville.
While I was experiencing serious sleep-deprivation (couldn’t get more than 3 hrs. the night before–nerves/anxiety/excitement?) and started throwing coffee down the hatch at every Stewart’s checkpoint to jazz myself up, I don’t recall feeling really physically fatigued until ~174 miles in. Considering my longest ride to date was the ADK 200K 27 days prior, I felt this to be a major breakthrough. Even more notable: managed to ride the entire course in my first 2 chain rings, even the bitch of a hill around mile 165 that brought me to granny last month. Dig deep, push, and…you’re up! You’re there! Let’s GO! Clearly all that spring training “Belgian knee warmer style” with my racing friends who kick my butt each and every time we ride together has paid off.
191.51 miles in 11:59 hrs ride time, 14:25 hrs. time out on the road. Not too shabby, considering our slow start in the darkness, 2 flats, 9 control checkpoints/stops and needing to stop at least half a dozen times to fiddle with my front brake that kept rubbing against the rim (grrr).
Yes, I’m tired. Yes, I’m sore as hell. I woke up Monday morning and every joint, sinew and muscle fiber in my body ached. But knowing this exhaustion was well-earned makes it somehow all worthwhile.
As Steve Young says, “The principle is competing against yourself. It’s about self-improvement, about being better than you were the day before.”
I was downtown today visiting the members of my union who work at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. As I left the hotel, I came upon a Falun Gong protest at the Capital building. I didn’t have my regular crappy camera, but I had my crappy phone camera:
After a powerful Earth Day sermon that echoed many of the themes in Michael Pollan’s recent call to each individual to do something about climate change, and included a mention of the Rochester Chicken Club (of which I am a proud member–watch my personal blog for more on that topic), I came out to find this on my parked bike.
And this week, on my ride to yoga class, where I met my daughter, my new Ortlieb panniers managed the task of carrying our two yoga mats admirably.
I splurged on the panniers after I decided that an XtraCycle is not right for me, at this point. (Sorry, Jason!) An XtraCycle is great if you want to be able to give someone else a ride, but my 17 and 19-year olds aren’t likely to want to be seen on the back of their mom’s bike. And everyone else I might be traveling with would likely ride their own! So, I got the panniers instead; they hold plenty of groceries and are very easy to use. I recommend them if you’re in the market.
Bikes, chickens, and yoga…together here on RocBike.
Dozens of friendly people, all on bikes.
What’s not to like?
Since I moved to Albany, I’ve been working a lot and socializing very little. Tonight, I met a huge gang of fun folks all at once at Critical Mass. Much like Rochester, this CM is a very laid-back affair. All different types of cyclists on all different types of bikes, including two guys on unicycles with 36″ wheels. Amazing!
We met at the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Washington Square Park. There were about 30 riders, ranging in age from 1 or 2 to … um … older than that. Experienced. Then again, I was probably in the top 10 in terms of age. When the hell did that happen? Ah well, we pudgy Pillsbury Doughboy types gotta have our day, too, right?
The weather was drop-dead gorgeous. Perfect temps, late enough that the sun was very mellow, a light breeze. It was everything you could ask for in cycling weather.
Before the ride started, we were approached by an Albany cop who was wondering what we were up to. He was alerted by the presence of the Red Bull crew — two young women who travel in a car with a huge Red Bull can, distributing canned joy for free to all takers. The officer was concerned because there was a run/walk happening in the park, and he didn’t want us colliding with the participants. We told him we were about to split, and he couldn’t have been nicer, so all was well. A few minutes later, we were out on the street.
I won’t recount the route, but we covered a decent amount of territory — maybe 10 miles up Central, through Pine Hills, down Clinton through Arbor Hill, up State (which, as Gavin said, “sucks every time”). By the way, if you’ve never been passed by a unicyclist up a steep hill, it’s something to see. One wheel. No gears. Faster than me. Oy!
At one point, going north on Hackett, we spotted another cyclist maybe a half-mile ahead. A cyclist named Carolyn and I hammered up to 22 or 23 miles an hour to catch up to the guy (and believe me, hammering on the Packet Boat/Xtracycle is quite a challenge). When we got there, I asked if he wanted to join us, and he nervously declined. We looked back, only to realize that the entire group was turning off onto another street. So it was hammerfest number two to catch up.
We also went on a tour of all the homes a cyclist named Marylou lives in or has lived in, including her folks’ place. It was very charming, although we didn’t get to meet her parents.
I was happy to import one thing from Rochester — the tradition of yelling “Happy Friday!” to folks along the route. It really seems to have a positive effect on the folks who see us pass by. Plus, I just like yelling in public.
After the slog up State, the mass had split into two groups. A bunch of us waited at the corner of Lark and Madison in front of the Dunkin’ Donuts, which is a hangout for motorcyclists. I chatted with a guy named Louis who struck up a conversation because of my Silver Surfer t-shirt. After a while, the gang caught up and we headed to the Palais Royale. They don’t have food, though, so about half the group went to The Madison instead, where we feasted on pizza, fries, onion rings, burgers, soda and beer.
Eventually, that group broke up and I rode up Madison toward home. On the way, I ran into Tom, one of the CM riders. He said a bunch of cylists were at Mahar’s on Madison, and he offered to show me the way. Eric, another CMer, joined us, and we met up with the gang at Mahar’s, which is really worth visiting if you’re into beer. And pretty cool even if you’re not.
After Mahar’s, it was off to Randy’s House Of Bike Porn. This is a lovely house just a few blocks north of where I’m living. It features a basement with maybe 30 bikes — tall bikes, tandems, every kind of road and street bike. It’s amazing. Some of us sat outside and chatted while the rest ogled the bikes and took them for test rides.
All in all, it couldn’t have been a better intro to this part of Albany’s bike culture.
I think I’m going to like it here.
Riding the same route to work every can become dull, I like to spice it up every once in a while with a alternative route. From my apartment, there are really only a couple of roads that go to my company campus, but I have found a couple of off-road options that are pretty fun, and gives me a reason to ride the mountain bike to work. I found this one a while back (while there was still snow on the ground!):
I start off by going east down pine, past this park with this pond. Back in those trees there is an adventure trail complex that is accessible from Birch street.
I guess youth groups come here in the summer for team building exercises. There were things like wooden walls to climb and rails to walk across (I didn’t get pics of that stuff).
This bridge crosses a narrow point in the pond, and leads to more adventure (trails). The other side comes out on a soccer complex on the main road I normally go to work. I can go that way or back through the trails and get to work down birch.
Another route:
These power lines run along the crest of the hill behind campus. I tried riding there from this point near my house (after a healthy climb up the hill). This part of the trail is pretty rough, so I gave up and looked for a different point to jump on. I found it on Redstone Hill Road:
This isn’t some sort of public multi-use path or anything, it’s obviously a service path for the powerlines, but I could tell that people had brought bikes and atv’s through here before.
Eventually, I emerged from the trail, behind campus, next to the satellite farm. But there’s a fence there!
To keep me out or to keep the satellites in? I guess I could have assumed I couldn’t get through this way, but wanted to try. I ended up going around the satellite farm.
I found a weird little trail that cuts off from the powerline trail through the woods next to the satellite farm, with religious markers nailed to the trees, as well as a statue and big cross in a clearing…
The trail took me out to the main road, right next to campus. I couldn’t find anything there that marked it or gave any indication that there was a trail there. Weird.
on campus, the other side of the satellite farm, they look so little from down here. Campus is actually pretty nice to ride around.
I work on the 3rd floor of the building you can see over the parking lot. And here is a legless coyote:
They’ve installed a few of these around campus to help scare away the geese that take over campus every summer. I don’t think the geese are fooled though, there were definitely still some geese hanging around about 20 feet away.
A bike rack conveniently located right outside my building. The Univega road bike on the left and the Roadmaster mtb on the right have not moved since I started three months ago, and probably several months before that. The wheels are flat and the chains are rusty. But that Trek just started showing up in the last couple of weeks since it got nice. I am no longer the only bike commuter on campus! Hopefully more soon, with bike-to-work week coming up, I have a friend who is helping to push it as a company-wide initiative.
Anyway, I hope that if you ride to work every day, you can find at least one or two fun alternative routes to get there, and live it up!
I don’t really have a “commute” because I don’t have an office that I go to each day. Instead, my day is a combination of work from home and travel to the hotels and other sites where our UNITE HERE union members work. Most of the sites I represent are in downtown Albany, but two of my hotels are in Schenectady. Up until today, I’ve driven to Schenectady for site visits, but today I decided to ride.
I’ve been down Central Avenue enough to know that if I can avoid it, I will. It’s congested, there are no shoulders, and it’s just not that nice to look at, either. If you start at my house and take Central all the way to Schenectady, it’s a shade over 14 miles one way. I plotted out a different course, though, and it turned out to be a lovely ride.
Rather than Central, I started out on Sand Creek Road, which goes from Albany to Colonie, past Colonie High School and the Colonie Center Mall. I stayed on Sand Creek until it ended at Watervliet Shaker Road, which is also Routes 155 and 157. I stayed on that road until it became Consaul Road, and that took me right to State Street in Schenectady. It was a beautiful ride. Lots of trees, a fair amount of open farmland, wide shoulders most of the way and relatively few cars. And it’s just over a mile further than the direct route down Central Ave. I made the 15-ish miles in an hour and 20 minutes on the Packet Boat (Xtracycle). The temperature was perfect for the ride — just below 70 degrees by the time I arrived in Schenectady. I wasn’t really even sweating, which was nice, because I did the ride in my work clothes.
After the site visit, I cycled down to Schenectady’s Little Italy, where a co-worker had recommended Perreca’s Bakery. I got some capicola, salami and turket, fresh bread and two slices of delicious homemade pizza. I ate the pizza at the outdoor tables next to the bakery, basking in the sun and the light breeze, then loaded up the goodies in the Packet Boat and set off along the reverse route back to Albany. It was another peaceful and exhilarating ride — if you can describe something as both “peaceful” and “exhilarating.”
