Unneeded 200k

Amber persuaded me to ride the Four Rivers 200k again yesterday even though I have already exceeded my 10,000 mile target for the year. I guess it's good training for the Cracker Swamp 1200k next year.

It was a chilly 47F when we started at Costco, but clear and with a powerful tailwind as we headed to the coast. How many times have we ridden into a head wind, looking forward to turning around, only to find the promised tailwind never materializes? At least when you start with a tailwind, nature can never take that away from you.

Possibly because of the coolness, the bike path and beach path were less crowded that usual.

SART

Beach path

We ate at The Crema but they had no veggie baguettes. Apparently they only have one person who can make them and they weren't working that day. Amber had a veggie quiche which gave her serious stomach problems later :-(

Even the San Gabrielle trail was very quiet and when the sun came out, it was lovely.

San Gabriel trail

We ate lightly at El Monte and Amber got some Tums from the Shell. She really wanted Ex-Lax but they didn't have any. She only ate half of her pastry and we gave the rest to a pigeon who must have thought it was Christmas all over again. It probably ate until it passed out in a food coma and was easy prey for the next cat that came along. Oh well.

The trails had shown signs of recent flooding but the top of the Rio Hondo, which is prone to extreme flooding was impassable. We should have stayed on Lincoln and rejoined the trail at the dam, but we're too stubborn for that.

Top of the Rio Hondo trail

 We got to Chronic Tacos in good time despite Amber's continuing stomach issues and had cheese quesadillas and coke - the usual.

As we headed back on the SART I realized our late start meant we would have to hustle to get to Katella before the gates were locked at 6pm. Amber was in no condition to pull so I pulled at 18mph with Amber hanging on  my wheel as best she could. We got to Katella at 5:56! We rode the rest of the way at a more manageable 14mph and still recorded a 9:35 time.

We got so lucky with the wind with only 15 miles of headwind into Long Beach (as usual). The rest of the ride was either still or with a tailwind.

Close call

Eight of us set out on Greg and Stacy's Four Rivers 200k brevet on Saturday. Kerin, David Danovsky, Garrett Eves, and Hoang Nguyen took off in a fast group while Greg, Stacy, and I waited for Debra who was running late.

The weather was perfect, with almost no wind and temps in the 50s.

Waiting for Debra

Riding along Huntington Beach bike path it was overcast and calm - perfect.

Stacy is getting very good at selfies

We rode a very gentle 14-15 mph inland to the Shell station at El Monte.

Happy to be halfway

Headed back on the Los Angeles River Trail we didn't have too much headwind and Stacy captured this rather nice weather effect.

Like a scene from Monty Python's Holy Grail

Long Beach Marina - the sun came out

The fast crowd at Chronic Tacos

The slow crowd an hour later

As we were making our way through Marina Pacifica on 2nd, a speeding car span out of control and missed wiping us all out by about 100'. Take a look at the picture below. We all stopped as soon as the accident occurred. Look how close the car came to some of us. It's amazing she missed two cars, five cyclists, and didn't crash through the guardrail into the water below.

Missed me!

The egg salad sandwich I had at the Shell might not have been as fresh as some. I started having stomach cramps about three hours later and had to spend some time in the rest room at the beach. Fortunately we don't have any photographs of that.

Fast group at the end

Greg waiting for someone to do something

10,000 Miles for the Year

I finally passed the 10,000 mile mark for the year, which I've done for several years now. I used to think that was a lot until Shai told me he rode 15,000 miles a year. Damn!

I'm starting to plan for next year. I have two events planned - a week of hiking in England with Amber and the 2020 Crackerswamp 1200k also with Amber. I plan on riding my 200k Four Rivers brevet a lot (assuming RUSA gets its permanent insurance settled) and a flattish Super Randonneur series.

• 1/25/2020 Santa Barbara Easy 200k
• 2/28/2020 Five Rivers 300k pre-ride
• 3/21/2020 Borrego Springs 400k
• 3/28/2020 Triple Loop 600k pre-ride

• 5/20/2020 - 6/2/2020 Hiking in England

• 11/5/2020 - 11/8/2020 Crackerswamp

Stacy's K-hound ride

Stacy and Greg Kline are both going for their K-hound award (10,000km of official RUSA rides) this year. Greg already has his, Stacy got hers on Sunday on my Four Rivers 200k brevet. You pretty much have to ride a 200k brevet every week for a year.

It was a beautiful day - 52F at the start with a high of 65F and almost no wind. The trails were quiet and the sunrise was colorful.

We met at Costco and ride down the SART to the beach. The pass under PCH was flooded so we had to walk our bikes around. A little tricky with cleats.

We were both starving when we got to The Crema

and as we sat outside eating we saw the Batmobile drive by

The recent rains had left some puddles but the mountains were heavy with snow.

We ate light at the 7-11 in El Monte so we were ready for a cheese quesadilla at Chronic Tacos. The usual headwind into Long Beach failed to make an appearance which was good because locomotive Greg was busy scraping barnacles off his (boat's) bottom.

The sun was close to setting as we left Belmont. Not quite as spectacular.

This is what you look like when you have finally finished your K-Hound!

Electric Scooter crash

Amber and I rode Back bay on Sunday and came across a young electric scooter rider on the ground with road rash. She was pretty shaken up but surrounded by a group of cyclists who got there before us. I pulled out my Betadine wipe so she could clean up the road rash. I need to get a new one.

She explained that she was zipping along and all of a sudden the handlebars turned and she was thrown off the scooter.

I noticed she had slung her handbag over the handlebars and I have to wonder if that caused the crash. The steering on those scooters is very sensitive and a swinging weight could definitely cause the rider to lose control. This just re-enforces my belief that these scooters are more dangerous than most people realize.

As she was already surrounded by half a dozen concerned cyclists, Amber and I rode on to the Champagne Bakery and were dismayed to discover it has gone out of business. It was always so busy we can't understand how this happened. We feel guilty now for not going more often.

We turned around and rode to the Crossroads shopping center, one of the controls on my Five Rivers 300k. Ha Long makes the best Pad Thai and Amber tried the Garlic Noodles which smelled wonderful.

We ended up with 54 miles, a little climbing, and great weather and food. Next Sunday is Stacy's 10,000th km (k-hound) ride so that'll be a bit of a party!

Brompton and Crackerswamp

Brompton B75

Some time ago I was looking at a Brompton to make travel easier, but I just couldn't justify the nearly $2000 price tag. This year they released the Brompton B75 which uses some older components (probably left over after they upgraded) to bring down the cost to $995. You give up a few things to get this low price, but if you don't care about those things this is a great deal.

• Only one color is available - a kind of blue/green
• Only three speeds are available, no six speed option
• The gear ratio is -12% - suitable for hills but you lose top speed. You can upgrade the chain ring to a bigger one for $40.
• Non-integrated gear shifters.
• Old style M handlebars with more pronounced curves. Gives you more flat places to mount lights, computers, bells etc.
• No rack or mudguards but they can be added
• No front luggage block but it can be added
• Different grips - firmer and push on. Easy to upgrade.
• Cheaper saddle - most riders replace the saddle immediately anyway
• Platform, non-folding pedals - most riders replace the pedals immediately anyway
• Schwalbe Marathon tires - these are great tires

What you get is a real Brompton that folds and rides the same as the regular Bromptons. I suspect once they run out of the old components this model will be retired. A side-by-side comparison of the B75 against a regular Brompton with the same specs shows the B75 is $450 cheaper.

Crackerswamp 2020

Paul has announced he is running the Crackerswamp in November 2020. I rode this in 2016 and we just missed a big hurricane. He's moving it to November to reduce the chance of that happening again. He's also moving the start hotel and tweaking the course a bit. My biggest concern in 2016 was the abysmal hotel he used as ride headquarters. Although it kept the price low, it was awful.

It would be well worth an extra $100 or more on the fee to stay the five nights in a decent hotel.

I'm hoping I can persuade Amber and some other friends to come too.

Will New York become the new cycling Mecca?

I ran across an article on the Guardian website today. It says New York just passed a $1.7bn road infrastructure bill that will pay for more than 250 new bike lanes and 1m sq ft of new pedestrian space over the next ten years.

Although the number of frequent cyclists in New York has risen by 26% between 2012 and 2017, the number of cyclists dying has risen too with cyclist and pedestrian fatalities rising by 24%.

It's promising to note that these new bike lanes will be physically separated from traffic, which makes them far safer. Even a curb height barrier greatly improves protection from texting drivers and are widespread in Europe, but less so in the US. The 250 new miles of bike lanes will be built in the next five years.

The five years after that sees a commitment to a fully connected cycling network. We all know about bike paths and lanes that connect two bike unfriendly roads - that seems to be the default. For example, we have the upper SART that connects Waterman to Arlington - two very bike unfriendly roads with heavy traffic and no shoulders - which greatly reduces the value of the bike route. This bill recognizes the problem and seeks to avoid it.

Hopefully Corey Johnson, who introduced the bill, will get his vision in place, on budget, and on time.

Windy and windier

Starting with some good news, for the French. The French parliament has passed laws limiting use of electric scooters that we would do well to copy.

• Riding on the pavement will be prohibited unless in designated areas, and then at walking speed only

• Only one rider will be allowed per device, and no mobile phone use will be allowed

• Users cannot go against the traffic flow and must use cycle paths where available

• Riders will not be allowed to wear headphones while on their scooter

• By next July, the scooters' top speed will be capped at 25km/h

• Users riding on permitted faster roads must wear a helmet and high-visibility clothing

• E-scooters will be banned completely on country roads

Any infringement will be punished by a fine of $150, and up to $1,666 for going over the speed limit.

I rode with the Klines this Saturday on a windy 200k. Fortunately Greg pulled us into the worst of it. I tried the veggie baguette at The Crema and it was awesome. Surprisingly it got me all the way to El Monte. 

Stacy wanted to eat somewhere with a view so we eschewed Chronic Tacos and ate at Tequila Jacks which was very busy but Stacy managed to wrangle us some stools at a counter. She ordered a jalapeno margarita which sounded horrible but she liked it. The view was very nice. 

I took the opportunity to try out some new video glasses. They were uncomfortable and had some poor design features. I wouldn't recommend them, but the video was OK.

On Sunday I rode to Beachwood BBQ in Seal Beach with Amber. It was even windier today. Amber had the frittata which looked so good I'm going to try it next time. Finished with a sore butt and legs but it was good practice for building up to my Five Rivers 300k next year and maybe Willie's JTree to Vegas 300k.

Gi Fly folding electric bicycle

I came across this fascinating bicycle while reading an article on Argentina's economy. The bike is made in Argentina primarily for the US market. It has a number of interesting innovations such as a belt drive, proximity locking, solid tires, quick, simple folding, and an ingenious fender that rolls up out of the way. I really like that the top electric-only speed is 15mph. If you want to ride like a maniac you have to pedal. It's called the Gi Fly.

And it looks pretty good on the road too.

What's the cost, I hear you ask? A steal at $2,729 - hmm - more than I'd pay, but I bet it would be perfect for a lot of people.

If you're interested, the technical specs are here.

I do see a couple of potential issues though.

• If the proximity locking is based on being within bluetooth range of your phone, what happens if the bluetooth fails while your're riding? Do the wheels suddenly lock? Ouch!
• I bet that cool rollup rear fender will snap closed every time you hit a bump!

New PCHRandos RBA

The Los Angeles chapter of RUSA has a new RBA, Kerin Huber, who took over from Greg this year. The most important change is that we are severing all links with CIBC so we can regain control of our finances. It has become clear that we were charging more for rides than we needed to, so Kerin has decided to introduce a flat $5 annual membership fee and reduce the cost of each ride commensurate with the amount of support being offered. In effect offering a frequent rider discount.

The $5 fee will help offset the costs of our new website which is currently under construction. It will include fully integrated online registration and payment via PayPal, rider and club stats, automatic emailed confirmations, and many other features. Once it is ready we will hook it up to our domain.

Here's a screen print of the home page. Your's truly took the photo at Avila Beach while supporting the California Coasting ride. A modified 400k version of this ride will return in 2021 which will route down this very stretch of road.

Because of insurance issues with RUSA, we will require all riders to be current RUSA members and all riders must be at least 18 on the day of the event. I doubt this will affect many of us. There will be no day-of-the-event registrations. In order to simplify paperwork and avoid chaos at the start of the ride, registration and payment must be completed at least 48 hours prior to the start of the ride, at which time registration will automatically close. We hope these changes will not inconvenience you too much, but in Kerin's first year as RBA we need to keep things simple for the ride hosts.

We have submitted an ambitious ride calendar to RUSA for 2020.
We have a 110k populaire, nine stand alone 200k events, two 300k, a 400/600, and a 200/400/600 event. Thanks to everyone who stepped up. That gives us a full SR series and 11 of the 12 monthly events needed to get you your R12.

I hope we all enjoy hosting our respective events and come back to host more in coming years.

Still hot

I haven't posted for a while because it's been too hot to do long rides, but the legs get desperate so Amber, Marty, Stacy, and I decided to ride my Four Rivers permanent despite predicted highs of 93F in Duarte.

It started off well, with cool, calm conditions and we rode down to the beach and along the beach path at a comfortable pace. As we headed inland to Duarte it heated up, but wasn't too bad. The car wash at the Mobil gas looked inviting but they wouldn't let us through on our bikes. Something about liability, they said. The thermometer said 92F, but it didn't feel too bad.

On the return to Long Beach the temperature spiked noticeably and the moderate headwind slowed us down too, although it cooled us. I tried the fish tacos at Chronic Tacos which were good, but not quite enough to get us back to the start. Fortunately Amber had half a giant cookie which got me home. We finished in 10:28 which isn't a great time, but it was nice to get some solid miles in.

Next weekend is predicted to be 10F cooler - can't wait!

The prior day, Sherry and I had hiked the Exploration Trail, about 9 miles with 1400' of climbing in 2h30 which is a very good time for us. Between the hike and the permanent I had an exhausting weekend. But good!

Exploration Trail

200km at 90F

Greg and Stacy just got back from a successful PBP and were ready to continue working on their K-Hound award. We rode my Four Rivers 200k permanent again, knowing it would be hot.

It was overcast when we started, which was lovely. The overcast burned off by the time we reached the beach. The Crema was out of baguettes so I settled for a quiche and a spinach and cheese croissant. Greg and Stacy are both on a weird no-grains diet so they had bacon and eggs. I must say their diet contradicts everything I've ever learned about losing weight, but I think we can all agree it's working for them.

Outside The Crema

By the time we reached Duarte it was 90F and we were cooking.I was more interested in re-hydration than nutrition and struggling with a headache.

The headwind back to the beach wasn't too bad, thank goodness, but the heat was oppressive. At Chronic Tacos I tried "Beyond Meat" that I've heard so much about. The only way you would think it tastes like meat is if you had never tasted meat. I took maybe four bites before I set it aside in disgust.

Belmont Pier

Greg and Stacy had started the ride at their house, so they pealed off as I headed inland on the SART with a light tailwind. It was obvious to me that I was going to bonk because I had hardly eaten anything in the last 65 miles. I had a Probar with me, but decided to see if I could complete the ride with deficient calories.

During the ride, the spring on my aerobar's elbow pad broke again. I used my tiny bungee cord to stop the pad flopping around until I got home. I have spare springs from when it broke last time, but decided to replace them with spare aerobars I had bought for Lejog. These aerobars have the advantage of being PBP compatible. Stacey is trying to convince me to do PBP in four years. I must be mad.

At least they'll have baguettes!

Kudos to OC Parks and Recreation

Amber and I found out that one of our favorite BBQ places, Beachwood BBQ, is now open for breakfast so we headed out early from Anaheim and got there with a raging appetite. It was well worth the ride so I took the time to speak to the manager and complement him.

Two weeks ago we noticed a small subsidence under the SART that had caused the edge of the bike trail to fall away. Last weekend Orange County Parks & Recreation had closed that section of the bike path off, although it wasn't too difficult to get around the barriers. It astounds me that they think forcing us onto busy roads for a mile is preferable to negotiating a pot hole with cones around it.

This weekend the hole was fixed and the barriers gone. I've never seen a bike path hazard fixed so quickly. Kudos.

PBP is running right now. I followed the progress of some of my friends. I see Greg Kline is ripping the road up and on track for a Charly Miller time. Good luck to all of you.

Sometimes I post an idea for an invention. This post includes an anti-invention. What's that?
You know how long fire trucks can be steered from the front and back at the same time to help them get around tight corners? How about a tandem that can do the same thing so the stoker can get more involved? I can only imagine the chaos this would cause. I hope no-one ever tries to build one of these.

Taking advantage of the weak Pound

About a year ago my daughter and I rode Lejog with Peak Tours. It was almost fully catered with overnights in B&Bs and hotels. It cost about $2200 for 14 days plus $600 for the plane fare. We paid an additional $200 to rent high-quality touring bikes so we wouldn't have to deal with transporting our bikes.

Today I got a email advertisement from Cycling Adventures for some rides. I clicked on one in the Natchez Trace and was astounded to see it cost $1400 for 5 days of cycling - fully catered and camping.

So right now you can get a 14 day tour with every meal catered except the evening meal and great overnight accommodation (and it was great) for $2200 in the UK or a 5 day tour, fully catered and with tents for $1400 in the USA. I'm not saying Cycling Adventures is overpriced, but the weak Pound is making the UK a great place to vacation.

I think the UK is going to crash out of the EU with no deal and the Pound will plummet - possibly reaching parity with the Dollar. The next year may be the best opportunity to have a UK vacation ever.

My daughter and I are heading back next Summer for a one week hiking vacation. I've found tickets on Virgin for $500. The vacation is going to cost about $800 (maybe less by the time we pay). It's going to be great.

Riding in Wisconsin

Amber and I spent the weekend in Green Bay, Wisconsin riding two of Michelle Brougher's populaires on borrowed bikes.

We flew out from LA to Milwaukee on the red-eye and drove to the Quality Inn in Green Bay. This is where Michelle is hosting the Dark Chocolate Cow 1000k, Door County 300k, Chocolate Chicken 120k, and the High Cliff 110k. Michelle loaned Amber her new rando bike and her treasurer loaned me one of his many classic bikes.

That evening Amber and I walked up and down the Fox River bike trail and were very impressed by the Green Bay waterfront. It's well paved, clean, graffiti-free, and beautifully illuminated at night.

Bridge from Fox River trail

The Saturday Chocolate Chicken ride started in Egg Harbor, about a one hour drive from Green Bay. The riders were Michelle and Lisa on a tandem (Lisa's first time), Regina, Amber, and me. I had authorized this route in my role as route committee member and just loved it. It's scenic as heck, on quiet roads, and fairly flat.

Michelle brought a tow vehicle in case her Prius broke down

Regina and Lisa at Northport Ferry

We started by riding north up to, and through, Peninsula State park, then on to Ellison Bay where we ate at the Viking Grill. I was disappointed to find we weren't going to quaff mead out of horned helmets, but the food was great. The black fly there were a joy - the way they can bite you through socks gave me considerable pleasure - not! We continued on to Northport Ferry, meeting many of the 1000k and 300k riders at various times.

At the ferry Michelle had put an info control in the window of the ticket office but, despite providing the clearest instructions imaginable, at least one rider couldn't find it. We headed back along a parallel route, crossing and re-crossing our outbound route enough times to confuse my gps system, but not Michelle. We rode a large chunk of Door county and it is gorgeous.

About eight miles from the end we were at the last control in Bailey Harbor. While reviewing the route I felt a control a mere eight miles from the end was excessive but it seemed perfect on the day. Kelly's bike (1000k rider) was outside so I went in to say hello to her. Despite having met at least twice already today, she looked at me without a gleam of recognition. "Who is this guy, and why is he talking to me?" It wasn't until I invoked Michelle's name that she realized I wasn't a weird stalker.

Bailey Harbor

We got back to Egg Harbor after a very leisurely day and I had the best plate of loaded fries imaginable before the drive home.

The eponymous Chocolate Chicken

Sunday we rode the High Cliff 110k from Green Bay to the Marina in Sherwood and back. This was even flatter than the previous day. Michelle and Lisa had been working the 1000k all night so it was just Regina, Amber, and I today.

Fox River trail

We started south on the Fox River trail and worked our way over flattish wood and farm land to the High Cliff State Park marina.

High Cliff State Park marina

Again, we met up with some of Michelle's 1000k riders so I was able to offer them a few slices of my pizza. Then we headed back up to Green Bay, finishing on the Fox River bike trail again. What a great way to finish a ride.

The best part of the trip, though, was that the St. Brendan's pub across the street from the hotel sold Murphy's Stout.

Murphys!

While supporting the 1000k riders, Cathy accidentally purloined a sign advertising a Christian school.
It made us all chuckle to see that the sign had an error on it and advertised 3K instead of Pre-K. If this is a quality school, I can only cringe at the thought of what kind of kids a merely average Christian school might churn out. I'm thinking Mike Pence.

3K or Pre-K ?

Post flu ride

I had a light case of the flu last week so was feeling a bit fragile for today's ride. Amber and I just rode The Crema. Fortunately it was calm and overcast for most of the ride and never got too hot. That was a blessing considering how I felt.

It was nothing like as busy as last Sunday so we were able to treat ourselves to a table at The Crema and only had to wait 10 minutes for it.

Still overcast at the pier

I had an idea for a tail light. How about one that looks like a miniature cop car light-bar? Drunks would see it from 100 yards back, think there's a cop half a mile ahead, and stop or turn around. Probably illegal. That proves what a good idea it is!

There were many planes towing advertising banners up and down the beach. One in particular caught my eye.

Museum of Weed - I hear they have a great gift shop

Summer is here

I rode Anaheim to Seal Beach and back with Amber on Sunday. We were going to ride Back Bay, but it was 77F by 9am at Anaheim and I really didn't feel like climbing Pioneer in 90+ degrees so we opted for the easier ride.

Everything was crazy busy - I don't know why. The bike path, the roads, The Crema had a 60-90 minute wait. So we just bought stuff at the counter and ate outside.

Really hot

As soon as we started heading inland on the way back the temperature shot up. Even with the onshore tailwind it was tough riding. When we got back to the cars I was toast. It was 91F. Yuck!

Greg and Stacy are off to Europe tomorrow and will be doing some tough riding to get ready for PBP next month. I wish them the best.

Bicycle cartoon

Found these at https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/jun/28/a-cyclists-guide-to-biking-the-city-a-cartoon

Enjoy.

Greg and I were talking the other day and both expressed frustration at having to leave things at airports because of questionable security issues. We realized all airports have a collection of things, such as tiny penknives, that people had to leave behind at security. Why not give us a chit that we can redeem at our destination for something similar. Charge us a small fee. Take my one inch key-ring penknife at LAX and let me have a similar one that you confiscated from someone else at Denver International when I get there.

On the way back I'll had it in (because I will forget to put it into checked luggage again) and maybe get my original back at LAX. We don't lose our stuff, you don't accumulate mountains of crap, we're all happy.