Bicycle - Bicycle's Blog - Victoria Advocate http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/Bicycle Bikes, riding bikes, favorite rides and defense manuevers against those pesky attack dogs who jump out at you from nowhere. Bikes, riding bikes, favorite rides and defense manuevers against those pesky attack dogs who jump out at you from nowhere. en-us Batteries? Check! http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/Bicycle/9419 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/Bicycle/9419 <p>From my desk, I can see a little patch of window on the other side of the&nbsp; newsroom. And I'm reminded: I need to change the batteries in my rear bike light before I ride home. Cyclists, it's getting dark early. Riding without headlights is illegal, but it's just as important to have a rear light, - to keep your rear from getting run over. </p> <p>If drivers can't see you, they can't avoid you. On the up side, this is a great time for people who like early morning rides. The lack of total darkness might pry me out of bed a little earlier.</p> <p>Leslie</p> Missions Tour de Goliad http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/Bicycle/9249 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/Bicycle/9249 <div><font size="4">The weather was gorgeous, the routes scenic and the company delightful during the 17th annual Missions Tour de Goliad bicycle ride on Saturday.</font></div> <div><font size="4">&nbsp;A few&nbsp;hundred of us riders&nbsp;gathered in Courthouse Square were welcomed to the ride and given last minute instructions. We were then&nbsp;let loose on various routes of 85, 50, 25&nbsp;and 10 miles, cheered on&nbsp;by a high school cheer squad. I selected the 30-mile ride since I had to be at work&nbsp;that afternoon. This gave me plenty of time to do the ride, drive back to Victoria, shower, change clothes and be in the office on time.</font></div> <div><font size="4">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I&nbsp;arrived at&nbsp;the ride alone but met up with my Corpus Christi ride buddy, John Rodriguez, who was there without his two bike-riding sons. John&nbsp;also&nbsp;signed up for&nbsp;the 30-mile route.&nbsp;Riders were given directions before the start of the ride and issued a route map, which took us north of the city and into the beautiful Goliad County countryside.</font></div> <div><font size="4">&nbsp;There seemed to be all shapes and sizes of riders and bicycles. One dad&nbsp;pedaled along with his toddler comfortably seated behind him in a little bike trailer. Another father&nbsp;helmed a bicycle-built-for-four with three young boys adding pedal power behind him. There were even a few recumbent bikes where the rider leans back, stretches his legs forward and pedals. I imagine hills would be difficult to climb in those things but they do look comfortable.</font></div> <div><font size="4">&nbsp;On the road after the first rest stop, we were joined by Patricia, one of John's riding friends from Corpus Christi. Patricia was riding with a group of women but I think they were too slow for her so she picked up her pace and headed up the road alone, until she met up with us.</font></div> <div><font size="4">&nbsp;I've bicycled alone several times but prefer&nbsp;the company of other riders, especially on a long&nbsp;route such as this. Having a ride buddy is an enjoyable way to pass the time and&nbsp;make the miles melt away.</font></div> <div><font size="4">&nbsp;At Weesatche,&nbsp;members of the Goliad County 4-H stood at the edge of the road offering bananas, cookies and water to&nbsp;hungry and thirsty riders.&nbsp;Portable toilets were also available at each of the four rest stops on our route. At this stop, we joined Glenn and Danica, who&nbsp;drove up from Corpus Christi. A few miles up the road, they&nbsp;helped a hapless rider whose bicycle frame had broken. At the&nbsp;Church Road intersection, Glenn used his cell phone to&nbsp;call the emergency number listed on each of our numbered ride tags pinned to our jerseys. Danica relayed the location to Glenn, who informed the ride coordinator where the broken-down bike and rider could be found. We then continued on our way south towards town.</font></div> <div><font size="4">&nbsp;A mile or two before the finish, we&nbsp;passed an ambulance tending to an injured bicyclist. An EMS guy told us that a biker had gotten hurt but that was all we were able to learn as we whizzed by.</font></div> <div><font size="4">&nbsp;We rode back to Courthouse Square&nbsp;and were greeted by a singer and a small cheering crowd.</font></div> <div><font size="4">&nbsp;All in all, a great ride. I'll be back for more next year. Anyone with me?</font></div> <div><font size="4">Eric</font></div>


Title: 4H_Riders_101808.jpg
Caption: Goliad County 4-H members offer bananas, cookies and water to hungry and thirsty riders passing through Weesatche on Saturday morning.
Credit: Eric Jensen


Title: 4H_Riders_101808.jpg
Caption: Goliad County 4-H members offer bananas, cookies and water to hungry and thirsty riders passing through Weesatche on Saturday morning.
Credit: Eric Jensen

 4H_Riders_101808.jpg Goliad County 4-H members offer bananas, cookies and water to hungry and thirsty riders passing through Weesatche on Saturday morning. Eric Jensen My bicycle security level has been upgraded to "Pink" http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/Bicycle/9165 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/Bicycle/9165 <p>I re-wrapped my handlebars yesterday -- with super-sexy pink cork tape. Ooooohhh. Looks fantastic with the burgundy bike (that's why I picked it!) Aaahhhh.</p> <p>I also figure this will be a theft deterrent. My understanding is your garden-variety bike thief (especially in a place that's not bike crazy) does not like the drop bars to begin with. My totally un-scientific theory is most bike thieves in Victoria are men (because I hardly ever see women riding bikes here. And I assume a bike thief uses his quarry as the getaway vehicle.) The pink tape definitely gives the otherwise ruggedly handsome bike a girlie flair, which I think would make it unattractive to&nbsp;many men. Namely, the type of&nbsp;guy who steal bikes. </p> <p>More on the crime-prevention topic: Folks, it's good to lock your bike. Let me say though, that merely BUYING the Kryptonite U-lock does not protect your bike. Nor does locking said U-lock to a post near your bike. You know this right? OK, so taking this one step further (we'll call this domain &quot;Advanced-bike locking theory&quot;): Your bike is not effectively locked unless you put the lock through the frame. The frame being the solid part of the bike that doesn't come apart --&nbsp;the jumble of metal triangles (or curves on&nbsp;your cruiser/stylish comfort bike)&nbsp;that makes up most of your bike.</p> <p>I'm worried about this because we saw, this weekend, a bike locked by slipping the U under the handlebars. I appreciate that the owner of this bike is trying -- after all, he shelled out 40 bucks for a good lock. But it would take only an allen wrench (less than $10) to pull off his handlebars in less than five minutes. Then, this poor cyclist is left with a lock -- which has still secured itself to the post -- but no bike.</p> <p>I'm not trying to be snarky here: I've taken great pains to lock my bike only to look down and realize -DOH! - I haven't locked my bike at all. Just a reminder. Once you've locked your bike, think: Is it really locked? How simple a tool could a mustachioed villain use to pry it free?</p> <p>Leslie</p> Disabled Cycle Messenger Service http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/Bicycle/9085 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/Bicycle/9085 <p>Because of ongoing wars in Afghanistan, a shocking number of people there have lost limbs to land mines. This morning, I heard a <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95226049">story on the radio</a> about a group of men who started a bicycle messenger service in Kabul. The men all have just one leg each, yet they're able to deliver pizza and documents throughout the city -- often faster than cars could on the congested roads. Most deliveries cost only $1.</p> <p>It's a pretty amazing story. Where many people in their position can't find a way to feed themselves or their families, these men have carved out a totally unexpected way to make a living. </p> <p>Leslie</p> Welcome to the road http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/Bicycle/9028 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/Bicycle/9028 <p>Every day, I see more bikes in Victoria. Naturally, I'm thrilled and I want to welcome my fellow cyclists to the road. Some of you may not have ridden since you were kids, so it's particularly great to see you've come back around.</p> <p>Here are some tips (some I wish people would have given me) for the new cyclist:</p> <p>1. Bike locks. Bike thieves are soulless cretins who want to steal your ride. They don't care how nice, or not, it is. To illustrate: The crummiest bike I ever owned (in college) was stolen (and eventually recovered.) Boulder, Colorado is filled with awesome bikes that would seem to be far more tempting to a thief. Why was my bike taken, then? Because it was, uh, questionably secured. Lock your bike. Make sure the lock goes through the frame so that the&nbsp;FRAME can't be removed from the thing it's locked to. Make sure you can't just lift the bike over the thing it's locked to. For an added flourish of security, lock your front wheel.</p> <p>2. Ride with traffic. That means the same direction as. The more you adhere to traffic laws, the safer you are. For real.</p> <p>3. If you have children who you tote around in a trailer or&nbsp; on-bike kiddie carrier, I salute you. You are setting a great example for your children, which will hopefully help them to grow up with tiny waists and carbon footprints, and expansive lung capacities. But really, your kids need to wear helmets, even if they're not the ones driving. And if you REALLY want to set a good example, YOU should wear a helmet too, Mom and Dad.</p> <p>See you all on the road,</p> <p>Leslie</p> "Yatta!" http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/Bicycle/9005 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/Bicycle/9005 <p><font color="#800080" size="4">Thanks for the kind words, Leslie. I am happy you and Bob Zavala joined me for the Conquer the Coast ride.</font></p> <p><font color="#800080" size="4">Right now, I feel a bit like NBC-TV's &quot;Heroes&quot; character Hiro Nakamura after he teleports himself from Tokyo to New York City. Raising his arms in the air, he shouts &quot;Yatta&quot; (I did it)! Well, I&nbsp;completed the 65-mile Conquer the Coast ride in Corpus Christi on Saturday. That was my &quot;Yatta!&quot; moment.</font></p> <p><font color="#800080" size="4">The&nbsp;course&nbsp;opened with a prayer, &quot;The Star-Spangled Banner&quot; and a countdown at 7:30 a.m. I, along with about 500 other bicyclists,&nbsp;began the ride with a 139-foot climb up the Harbor Bridge. That's where I met up with Leslie&nbsp;and Bob. At the top of the bridge, we&nbsp;were rewarded with a sweeping view of the bay and a half dozen shrimp boats sailing toward the rising run. Beautiful!</font></p> <p><font color="#800080" size="4">Leslie had a flat&nbsp;tire in Portland, about 7 miles into the ride and ,while changing inner tubes, had her picture taken by a Corpus Christi Caller-Times photographer.&nbsp;&nbsp;Leslie's picture made it to the Caller-Times Web site. </font><a href="http://www.caller.com/photos/galleries/2008/sep/28/conquer-coast/11027/"><font color="#800080" size="4">http://www.caller.com/photos/galleries/2008/sep/28/conquer-coast/11027/</font></a></p> <p><font color="#800080" size="4">As Leslie was nearly finished with her tire,&nbsp;I pedaled on ahead to try and catch up with my other ride buddies,&nbsp;John Rodriguez Sr. and John Rodriguez Jr. I caught up with them hours later at the Padre Island rest stop. Leslie and Bob caught up with me at the Port Aransas rest stop and we pedaled to the ferry and across to Mustang Island.</font></p> <p><font color="#800080" size="4">After negotiating that 18-mile stretch of island, we stopped briefly&nbsp;at Padre Island and then tackled the JFK Causeway. Ride organizers had the right lane open for us riders but closed to&nbsp;four-wheeled traffic. After pedaling nearly 50 miles, I thought&nbsp; climbing that causeway would be tough but it went smoothly. Reaching the top, we were once again rewarded with a beautiful view of the bay.</font></p> <p><font color="#800080" size="4">A few turns later, we pedaled through the Corpus Christi Naval Air Station and the last few miles on Ocean Drive. Reaching the finish line 6 hours after we started, riders were cheered and given a ribboned medallion&nbsp;and a hamburger and hot dog lunch. For me, that Dos Equis beer booth was a welcome site (I only had 2 cups of the tasty brew).</font></p> <p><font color="#800080" size="4">This year's ride seemed easier and more enjoyable. I attribute that to the beautiful weather, great support along the way and&nbsp;wonderful riding companions. Thanks Leslie, Bob, John Sr. and John Jr. Hope to see you all at the&nbsp;Missions Tour de Goliad&nbsp;ride&nbsp;in October!</font></p> <p><font color="#800080" size="4">Eric</font>&nbsp;</p> It's official: The coast has been conquered http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/Bicycle/8999 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/Bicycle/8999 <p>First: An important note of congratulations. Since Eric probably won't mention how well he rode during Conquer the Coast on Saturday, I'll do it for him. For the past two years, the fates have conspired against Eric completing the full 65-mile ride. Two years ago, he didn't make it to the Military base on time -- at which point they cart you across by truck. Last year, the full length ride was canceled on account of heavy rain. </p> <p>But this year, Eric rode great! He finished 65 miles, and if I had to guess, I'd say he had a few more miles left in him.</p> <p>Second: Bob Zavala, who works downstairs in the Advocate's interwebs department is one tough hombre. Don't mess with him. Bob has been shopping for a bike and generally saying how much he'd like to go out on long rides. Bob, Greg and I went for a ride the weekend before last. Since Greg had to work he couldn't go to Corpus, he suggested Bob borrow his bike for the ride. Bob rode the whole 65 miles without any training and he didn't whine once. AND he finished before some folks who were decked out in full spandex ensembles.</p> <p>Both of these guys finished the ride despite waiting for me to fix a flat about 7 miles into the course ( I think I ran over some glass. People who throw glass bottles on the road suck.) It took me longer than usual, because a small&nbsp;crowd, including a photographer from the <a href="http://www.caller.com/photos/galleries/2008/sep/28/conquer-coast/11027/">Caller-Times</a>&nbsp;was watching. A really nice Portland Police officer finished pumping up the tire for me. What a guy! Even though I took an insanely long time fixing my tire (OK, Greg is right. He does me no service by always changing the tubes for me. But I'm better at finding and patching leaks) I did get to feel a little smug at the last rest stop. A couple of women who had pretty nice road bikes decked out with lots of gadgets, noted the chain grease on my legs and said I looked like &quot;A real bicycle rider.&quot;</p> <p>I told them I had to change my tube early in the ride. &quot;Did you do it, or did someone do it for you?&quot; one asked. I told her I had all the tools on my bike; I changed the tire myself (mostly). Neither one knew how to change her tire -- I told them they really ought to learn. Usually, it's easy and no one wants to be stranded at the side of the road. I'm thinking of working on a video flat tutorial for the blog. Any other maintenance suggestions?</p> <p>As great as the ride was, the highlight for me was seeing DOLPHINS while riding the ferry. Real, live DOLPHINS. You can't beat that.</p> <p>Leslie</p> Conquer the Coast http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/Bicycle/8910 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/Bicycle/8910 <p><font face="Verdana" size="4">&nbsp;<font color="#800080">If you happen to run into me in Corpus Christi this Saturday, please don't run into me. I, along with some 1,100 other bicyclists, will be taking part in the annual Conquer the Coast bicycle ride. It should be fun as well as challenging.</font></font></p> <p><font face="Verdana" color="#800080" size="4">&nbsp;The ride begins and ends&nbsp;under the Harbor Bridge near downtown Corpus Christi. I've signed up for the 65-mile ride and Leslie said she is also interested in taking part. The route is mostly flat but riders must pedal over two big bridges, three or four smaller ones and take a short ferry ride to Mustang Island.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana" color="#800080" size="4">Trophies were awarded to the top finishers last year and the rest of us got medallions with the number of miles we&nbsp;completed embossed on it. It rained&nbsp;during the 2007 ride&nbsp;so everyone&nbsp;did the 25-mile course. Hopefully, the weather will be better this year.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana" color="#800080" size="4">&nbsp;You can register for this ride online at </font><a href="http://www.conquerthecoast.org"><font face="Verdana" color="#800080" size="4">www.conquerthecoast.org</font></a><font face="Verdana" color="#800080" size="4">.&nbsp;Online registration deadline&nbsp;is Thursday.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana" color="#800080" size="4">&nbsp;Anyone want to come with me?</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana" color="#800080" size="4">Eric</font></p> The time for fresh air and sunshine is now http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/Bicycle/8848 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/Bicycle/8848 <p>If you've been waiting for better weather to take your bike out, you've run out of excuses. The past three days have been perfect for riding -- although I could still do with a little less wind. Seriously folks, dust off those seats, pump up those tires and go for a ride.</p> <p>Leslie</p> Velma, bring me the Tiger Balm! http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/Bicycle/8826 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/Bicycle/8826 <p>Holy cow. </p> <p>A <a href="http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/bizarre/6002668.html">Vermont man </a>is cycling to California to participate in a 508-mile bike race. Because once you've ridden 3,000 miles another 500 is cake. Joe Desena, I salute you. You give hardcore a new name.</p> <p>Leslie</p>