If you tried to view the 11/29/07 update on the advocacy page and found nothing, it is because the entire site has been moved to another host name. I’m now uploading to the new host and the page should load correctly.
–Corrie
Check out the latest on this project on the advocacy page.
A stakeholders meeting at the Asotin County Aquatic Center on Thursday, taught me a great deal about how these projects get done–mostly, how slow grind the gears of bureaucracy. It would bed nice if we could just make a correction this intersection happen over night. Among the concerns, how to handle traffic flow during construction.
The good news is that everyone seems very knowledgeable and very positive about the need for this work. I’m pleased that bikes are even being considered, but even more than that, we seem to be high on the list of considerations.
You’ll find a pdf with three alternative plans from the last study done in 2004. These are just ideas at this stage but you’ll find them interesting even if you don’t see paths explicitly marked.
–Corrie
If you read RoadbikeRider’s page of tips for warm toes and still have doubts about winter cycling, you might need more encouragement.
Try this IceBike home page for lots of information on gear and technique for riding on ice and snow. They are crazy. It says so on the web page. Should you belong? There is a mailing list as well.
So this touring thing is pretty cool when the company carries the luggage . . .Here are more ways to get your mind off the fact you’re spinning your wheels on the trainer indoors. Ugh.
Biking Bis - Bicycle Touring and More :: statebicycletour/index
2008 Across State Bicycle Tours
Here’s a list of some of the top multi-day sponsored bicycle rides for 2008, listed by state. Most rides include mechanical support, medical support, meals, sag vehicles, and provisioned rest stops.
If you don’t drink Gatorade you probably have another favorite sports drink. Arguably Robert Cade created that market. Listen to the story at NPR or read the AP story. –Corrie
Robert Cade, Inventor of Gatorade, Dead at 80
by Greg Allen
Morning Edition, November 28, 2007 · Dr. Robert Cade, the man who invented Gatorade, has died. Cade created Gatorade at the University of Florida in 1965 as a way to both quench players’ thirsts and replace carbohydrates and electrolytes lost through sweating in the intense Florida heat. He succumbed to kidney failure. He was 80.I think this is the same video used yesterday as an illustration of irresponsible, risky, cycling. No argument. –Corrie
Sclipo: Learn how to navigate thru New York Traffic from the pros.
Learn how to navigate thru New York Traffic from the pros.
This is a video of a Alley Cat, which is a bike messenger race. The video is taken from the helmet of one of the racers. You will see all the tricks they use to get thru the city faster than anyone else. Don’t stop, don’t brake, don’t fear, just pedal like a SOB!!
–Corrie
So, some drunk out there may have my number and there’s really nothing I can do about it. Still, I’m likely to keep riding. Alan Durning’s post on Gristmill , an envirnonmental blog, thoroughly addresses this question.
Here’s a quote I’d like you to consdier:
. . . as many as half of car-bike crashes are the cyclist’s fault: the cyclist ran a stop sign, made an illegal turn, rode against traffic, or otherwise broke the law.
This is an excellent article with lots of supporting links. It considers not only safety risks but health benefits and addresses the safety gap between US and European cyclists.
–Corrie
The first stakeholders meeting will be held Nov. 29th. Apparently we have all been interviewed and now we are being brought together.
Read an update on the Advocacy Page.
–Corrie
On Friday Doug and I road south of Asotin.. A fellow on a mountain bike left the boat launch about 10 minutes ahead of us. We caught up with him just South of Asotin. He was riding on the left side of the road. His presence became a threat to us riding on the right when we encountered northbound cars. I don’t feel comfortable correcting someone’s cycling, but riding the roads is dangerous enough without cyclists making it more dangerous by riding erratically or incorrectly.
If you haven’t read Bicycling Magazine’s current issue, you might want to look at Special Report: Fixing America’s Broken Traffic Laws.
Or maybe you shouldn’t. You might not want to get on a road bike ever again. These Sonoma County cyclists were killed while cycling safely. 700 cyclists in the US die each year. Yes, die. While the figure below seems to show a decrease in bicycle deaths since 1975, the article challenges this trend pointing out when more cyclists are on the road the accident rate is reduced.
Despite all the advocacy efforts in Sonoma County, CA–the focus of the report–cycling is still dangerous. Apparently the key is changing the culture to recognize that bicycles belong.
Such countries as the Netherelands have much reduced bicycle accident rates–but then about half the population cycles or walks. Turns out being a cyclists makes you more aware of cycles on the road and therefor more careful. Duh.
Riding on the wrong side of the road won’t help. Double Duh.
I should have handed this guy a club card and asked him to visit the safe cycling section of the advocacy page. Triple Duh!
Read the article in Bicycling and then visit Organizations on the Advocacy Page to see what groups have to say about improving cycling safety. Be sure to check out the video at the top about what Berkley has done to make cycling safe.
–Corrie
Biking Bis - Bicycle Touring and More :: Biking in wilderness forbidden, even in Marin County
Biking in wilderness forbidden, even in Marin County
by Gene Bisbee at 05:00AM (PST) on November 24, 2007 | Permanent Link | Cosmos
Argue as he might, Steven Gravenites couldn’t convince the federal judge in San Francisco earlier this month that he should be found innocent of possession of a bicycle in a wilderness area.
The 45-year-old mountain biker and well-known Marin County, California, wheel-builder was fined $60 but was able to reclaim his bike. Rangers had taken as evidence for illegal trail riding in the Point Reyes National Seashore in June.
