Traveling Notes

We are home. The flight home yesterday was generally without incident, a pleasant surprise given the general lack of sleep thanks to a 4:00am wake up to get to the airport in San Jose. A word or two about that airport. First, the little taco stand has great burritos. Not what one would expect in […]

California Cycling

So I went for a little lunchtime spin with my boss today, as he had an extra bike. The bike, an old Cannondale (let’s say, late 80s or early 90s) actually fit me quite well. The steering felt absolutely scary at first, what, without a loaded basket on the front. This made the initial descent […]

Cycling News

I was remiss with mentioning the Spring Classics campaign this year, mostly because I’ve been too busy (read: lazy) to write much of anything. So here’s a brief recap: Tom Boonen was shut out from the big three (the Tour of Flanders, Gent-Wevelgem and Paris-Roubaix). (The success of his season now rests on winning the […]

California

Yes, we are in California. Scotts Valley, specifically, just north and east of Santa Cruz. I’m here working with my manager for a week. Jen and the boys are taking in the sights and enjoying the weather. Expect photos soon.

A Rare Moment of Clarity

It is exceedingly rare for me to agree with much of anything the Republican hacks at the Corner write, but John Podhoretz is absolutely correct in

About the Weather

Thanks to a weekend forecast full of rain, wind, and cold temperatures, the Iron City Populaire has been rescheduled until May 13. It wasn’t an easy decision, since randonneuring is supposed to be all about suffering (right?), but I hoped this would be a nice introduction, and I knew I could get a far better […]

Cycling

From Matt Chester: Riding a bicycle, like playing a musical instrument or sailing a boat or driving a racing car, allows those who are otherwise unsure and awkward to exhibit moments of fluidity and grace in a way not readily possible with dance shoes, a basketball, or a pair of boxing gloves. From square one, […]

Food as Fuel

Today’s Post Gazette includes the editorial “Corn Is Food, Not Fuel” by Manfred Kroger. Kroger’s point is simple: ethanol is far from being the silver bullet to cure our fuel woes. In fact, ethanol may require more energy to produce that it provides (there is some disagreement in the scientific community about this) and, more […]

Iron City Populaire (2)

Based on email messages and activity on the Bike Pittsburgh message board, there could be a decent turnout for this event next weekend. The route has changed quited a bit from what I first envisioned, and it clocks in at the proper populaire distance of 101km, with roughly 3400 feet of climbing (yes, yes, sorry […]

A Lesson in Bicycle Geometry

In preparation for the new, urban commute (and carrying a laptop on a regular basis), I decided to add some sort of load carrying capacity to the Steamroller. The dream was to have a proper porteur rack, but custom models are upwards of $200 (and being custom, take months to arrive), and the only non-custom […]