5 rides, 4 photos, 2 websites, 1 month!

I've done five longer rides recently:

One 45-miler, similar to one I had done previously, that included Seward Park, the Chief Sealth Trail, and the Elliott Bay Trail from downtown Seattle to Ballard;


(we had to stop at the p-patch, to do some watering, before the ride);

One 48-miler, my first complete round-the-lake ride;

One 62-miler, from the south end of Lake Washington to Black Diamond, to visit (finally) its world-famous bakery;

A 61-miler, last week, to West Seattle, and around its circumference

(on the way through Fremont, I had to wait for the bridge to lower);

    (this is the water taxi I took from downtown Seattle to West Seattle);

And Sunday's 61-miler to and around West Seattle, to and around Magnolia, across the Ballard Locks, and back home

(if you want the best lemonade in town, go to Evan's lemonade stand, at the corner of Howe and West Magnolia Blvd).

Two websites you should check out

1) One day, at Fresh Flours Bakery, I met Bill Thorness, author of Biking Puget Sound.  Buy his book, or check out his website:

http://www.bikingpugetsound.com

2) A friend told me about biking in France--sounds good!  She said that this company is very good, arranges everything from bikes to routes to accomodations.  Here's the link:

http://www.randonneetours.com/byactivity/biking.htm

One month 'til Ragbrai!

What I Learned on My Last Three Rides

The 53-mile ride: I learned that there seem to be as many cows in the rural Puget Sound area, per acre, as I expect to see in Iowa.

The 57-mile ride: I learned that, if you put sunscreen on your forehead, and then ride through the rain, your eyes will sting from the sunscreen running down into them.

The 72-mile ride: I learned that, if you go on a 72-mile ride when you have a cold, it'll be harder than if you didn't have a cold, but that if you are indeed on said ride, Ibuprofen at mile 48 is a good idea.. 

Last Week

Mile 10 - Southern end of Lake Washington

 Mile 20 - Near Kubota Garden

Mile 30 - International District

Mile 40- Gasworks Park

Mile 50 - Lake Forest Park

Mile 60 - Home

Cascade Training Series

My two biking buddies and I are using the Cascade Training Series to prepare for the RAGBRAI. So far, I've been on three of its rides.  The first was a 26-miler, and the most recent a 43-miler. We ride all over Puget Sound, mostly on roads where I've never been, and we learn to cycle as a group.  All you have to do to go on these rides is to join the Cascade Bicycle Club.  The Cascade Bicycle Club promotes biking in the Seattle area, provides biking classes, sells helmets at $10 each, and has free daily rides (year-round!).   To check out the Training Series schedule, visit

http://www.biketoworkday.com/EandR/Ride_CTS_schedule.cfm

We'll be going through Quimby, Iowa, on the first day of RAGBRAI.  According to the Cherokee Area Development website, Quimby was originally named Wendell, but the locals thought that the name sounded too Republican, so they came up with Quimby instead.  And Quimby has a quilt shop--I might just have to stop by!

A Blustery, Beautiful Day

 My partner (with his new bike), a friend, and I headed out yesterday to try to go 50 miles, to Marymoor and back, plus a little bit extra on the Burke Gilman to reach the 50-mile goal.   We wanted to keep up a fairly good speed (for us), but the headwinds were throwing themselves at our bikes.  Will Iowa have that much of a headwind?

But it was an enjoyable ride, nevertheless.  Our friend's rear tube blew within about a mile from our starting point, and he capably and quickly fixed it.  His rear tire itself was bad, so we rode on gently, and in Kenmore found Bothell Ski and Bike, which replaced his tire (also capably and quickly), so we were on our way. 

Not too much to report, other than the beauty of Lake Washington on our right and on our left, a great blue heron rookery, and about a mile farther, some eagles soaring and swooping (probably having just eaten some great blue heron eggs or babies).

On to Redmond we went, where we tried Hancock's Bakery--the roll-ups and fruit tarts are yummy.  After our mechanical problems earlier in the day, we actually arrived at the bakery late enough that some of their goodies were sold out, so we'll have to go back earlier, next time.

Then we rode onto the 520 Trail (so that I would know where it is) and towards Marymoor (so that I would know exactly where it is--last week when I tried to get to the park itself, I got lost).  Turned around and headed home.  And you'd think that since there were lots of headwinds on the way out, there would've been tailwinds on the way back.  No such luck.  There were showers interspersed with sunshine, but no tailwinds to ease our journey.

Ride total--39 miles.

Looking forward to the Iowa ride!  And, speaking of Iowa, did  you know that Kingsley, Iowa's motto is
"Some bigger....none better"?  Sounds like a good place!

Nine-Day Total : 111 Miles

During a recent nine-day period, I rode:
       32 miles on a Cascade Training Series ride
                 but I got separated from my partner  :(
       3 miles to and from yoga
       7 miles, from Montlake, via the UW campus
      39 miles, Marymoor Park and back
      30 miles on another Cascade Training Series ride

But, I need to up the mileage.  Tomorrow, my partner and I are going to attempt a 50-mile ride, I with my
      trusty Trek, he with his new bike

And I'm going to try to move my avg. speed on the flat up to 13 mph.

Went to AAA the other day, got a map of Iowa, and circled all the small towns we'll be going through.  I'm excited!  Did you know that Washta, Iowa, advertises itself (on their website) as "the coldest spot in Iowa"? Also, its name came into being when a local Native American indicated his approval about a pioneer's gun by saying "Wash-ta, washta" (again, according to their website).  It has a park that sounds beautiful--the Little Sioux River and Ranney Knob Park (BTW, what is a Ranney Knob?). 

More later. 

Test Ride

My partner and I are getting ready for the Cascade Training Series, a group of rides organized by the Cascade Bicycle Club, for riders who have large goals such as the STP (Seattle to Portland), or the RAW (Ride Around Washington), or, in our case, RAGBRAI. The series starts next Saturday, March 20, so on Sunday, we went on a ride to practice some of the things we've learned in the last couple of weeks about group riding, such as--

1) Through Cascade's GEARs (group riding class), we learned that we should ride SMART--
S - Stay attentive
M - Move out of the road or path if you have to stop
A - Act like a car
R - Retain distance between your bike and the others' bikes
T - Talk to people on the ride, to tell them what you're doing, both by wrods
and hand signals.

Also, at GEARS, we learned that every time we ride, we should check
A - Air pressure in the tires
B - Brakes to make sure they work
C - Chains to see that all is well
Q - Quick releases, to make sure that they're in the right positions.

And we learned where to ride in the road, with relationship to cars, how to
go through an intersection on a group ride, how to scan behind our bikes for
cars, and how to "flick" our front wheels to avoid small obstacles that we spot
at the last minute.

At REI on Tuesday evening, we learned from a professional cycling coach from Cycle U
that the first half hour after a long ride is the time when a rider should eat, a rider should try to maintain even and consistent pedal pressure throughout each circular stroke, and hill-climbing is easier when a rider has a hill-climbing mantra, such as "I was born to climb!" or "I love to climb!" BTW, this last piece of advice helps!

On Sunday, wearing several layers of clothing, we set out on the Burke Gilman Trail, where our first stop, near Magnuson, included a close-up view of two eagles sunning themselves next to Lake Washington (picture #1) and another of morning rowers (#2). Next stop, Le Fournil Bakery in Eastlake, where we had to buy an extra almond croissant, because I forgot to take a picture of the first one (#3). These are the awesomest croissants on the north end of Seattle. Then we proceeded on to Golden Gardens--the sailboats in the marina were backed by the snowy Olympics (#4). On the way back, we stopped at the Fremont Farmer's Market, where we bought a bouquet of flowers and farm-fresh mizuma.

No major incidents. My partner's chain became disengaged a couple of times, but the fix was quick, both times.

Ride total: 31 miles.

Brekkie in Woodinville

Last week my partner and I rode out to Woodinville, for huckleberry pancakes at the Barking Frog Restaurant. Since the restaurant is only 13 miles from home, and I wanted to make sure we had a ride of at least 30 miles for the day, I suggested that we ride on a bit farther, before breakfast.

So we went a bit farther, and my partner's front tire blew. Not the tube, the tire itself! The tire suddenly looked like it was developing a bad case of extreme acne and then--POP!--no more riding possible for him.

Of course we first turned back to the restaurant, where we had a lovely huckleberry-laced breakfast. Then on we went to Woodinville (I rode, he walked) to a bike shop that didn't have the armadillo tires that he wanted (but he did order them, to be installed a few days later). Off we went for a new adventure--a walk to the Woodinville Park and Ride, where we caught a bus home, with our bikes mounted on the front. The upside to doing that is that we now know how to ride the bus with our bikes, and thus our repertoire of possible rides is expanded.

The busted tire wasn't the only thing not working. My camera battery was dead. If I'd had my camera, I would've taken a picture of the horse on the Burke Gilman trail, another of the luscious pancakes, and, finally, one of our bikes on the front of the bus--picture these in your mind, so that you don't miss out.

And finally, I'm not blogging a lot, but I am riding a lot, mostly for errands. These days I don't get tired unless my ride is at least 25 miles. For example, last week, I rode once to Ballard and once back. I rode to the University and back. I recently rode to Capital Hill for a medical appointment--round trip, 25 miles. Tomorrow I have another one in the same location, and I'll ride again. In general, I'm blogging only about the special rides. But my frequent shorter rides are helping me prepare for Ragbrai.

This coming weekend, I'll take a class in group riding, offered by Cascade Bicycle Club.

Cedar River Trail

Monday night, I took a tire-changing class at the Cascade Bike Club.

Bad news--my tire was REALLY REALLY hard to get off, because I have some kind of special hard-wall tires.

Good news--because I have some kind of special hard-wall tires, I'll probably never have a flat on the road. But I now know the basics of how to change a tire. :)

Tuesday was predicted to be a dry, morning-foggy, but eventually sunny day, and that's exactly what happened. My partner took off from work, and we drove our bikes to Liberty Park in Renton, whence we began the Cedar River Trail, with the idea of possibly going as far as Black Diamond, where there's a bakery we've been wanting to visit, with a wood-burning stove. After 12 miles, the bike trail turned to a gravel path, making the going slow and uncertain, and so we turned around, bought lunch in a grocery store in Maple Valley, and headed back to Renton for a ride total of 25 miles.

Here we are wearing our new, homemade safety warnings, overlooking the Cedar River.

New Homemade Rainpants

Here I am after a rainy ride in my new homemade Ultrex rainpants--they work great! If you want excellent fabric for outdoor sports, go to Seattle Fabrics on Aurora.

Wanna ride in Venice?

Saturday was a great day for riding in L.A. after a quick stop at the very friendly Ted's Palisades Bicycles to fix a flat.

Let the pictures speak for themselves--if you like beachlife, egrets, sisters, handball, or skateboarding, you'd like the ride I took, from Will Rogers State Park to the south end of Venice and back, about 8 miles RT.

Well, duh!

Who knew that West Seattle has two bridges, not one?

Yesterday was clear and warm in the Pacific Northwest, so I planned on going to West Seattle by bike for the first time.

Crossing the Ballard Bridge, I espied the distant snow-capped Olympic Mountains (pic #1).

Then, downtown, Pier 66 (the summertime concert pier) enticed me to ride across rough-hewn boards, towards the railing, where two lone fishermen stood, trying to catch who-knows-what in Puget Sound. The day's second view of the winter Olympics (pic #2) is specifically what grabbed my attention.

The Seattle Bike Map was unclear as to the route to West Seattle--I thought there was a road-level way across the water. And so I looked for that road by going under numerous overpasses, around abutments, past trucks and cranes, in serpentine fashion until I finally decided to stop in at a deli for OJ and info. It turned out that there is a lower as well as an upper bridge to West Seattle, and, according to the helpful woman in the deli, I had to take the lower-yet-very-tall bridge. I rode the bridge's wide bike path, completely separate from the cars.

I traveled the back roads of West Seattle, including a long downhill ride and then a steep uphill climb (that I couldn't have ridden up, even if I were a 20-year-old Lance Armstrong) along Genessee. My first official stop, of course, was a bakery, where I met my friend and had a pastry (double-baked almond croissant--oh, my!--well worth the trip!). Cafe Nouveau (pic #3) should definitely be added to your bakeries-by-bicycle list.

After the refueling and the chat, I headed down to Alki, where I rode along the beach. Pic #4 shows downtown Seattle from lower Alki. Then I wheeled back to and across the bridge. As I passed downtown, in the Olympic Sculpture Park, I caught a glimpse of a statue I hadn't noticed before, backed by the old P-I Globe (pic #5). Friday afternoon workers were heading home early, and I rode the Burke-Gilman Trail with them, reaching home by 4:00, with lots of daylight left, and a huge appetite for dinner.

Today's mileage: 50 miles

46 Miles!

A friend (a veteran RAGBRAI rider) told me that among his RAGBRAI peers, it's been said that the best way to prepare for RAGBRAI is to drink a six-pack of beer and sit on a picket fence for three days--ouch!

Yesterday was supposed to be the best day this week for riding--only a 40% chance of rain. When I headed out in the morning, the skies had not yet opened up.

The first photo is one of my favorite biking vistas in Seattle--the Cascades viewed from the Montlake Bridge (although I'll admit it looks even better on a spring morning).

Next stop: the Hi-Spot Cafe in Madrona. I'd heard about this place for a while, and couldn't wait to try their cinnamon rolls (I'm definitely a believer in "Bakeries by Bicycle", in case you hadn't noticed).) Moist, delicious, cinnamon-y, and well-worth its reputation. Only problem was, I couldn't eat all of it--had to save it for later. The place itself is charming, with lots of light and friendly tables. I'm looking forward to going back, to try their scones, but it looks like the kind of place that would be pretty crowded on a weekend.

On to Lake Washington Blvd. with the idea of heading to Renton, which is the starting point of the Cedar River Trail, which I hope to ride to Black Diamond someday. Along the way to Renton, I stopped at the Rainier Beach Library, to get my library passport stamped (a Seattle Public Library program to get Seattle residents to visit all the city libraries). By the time I left the library, it was pouring.

Pouring, but not cold. That is an important point. If it were 36 degrees and pouring, I would've headed home. But it was 49 degrees and pouring, so I kept going.

Riding along Rainier Ave. S. wasn't much fun, honestly, because heading south, there isn't a bicycle lane. So I rode a sidewalk, dodging cracks and garbage cans. Once I got to the Renton Airport, the road was good, and I even rode about a mile of the Cedar River Trail--can't wait to do the whole length of that trail.

Heading back north on Rainier, there's a bike lane, so the return trip on Rainier was much easier.

On the way back home, the rain was steady, and, with Lake Washington and its birds always to my right, I grew soggy but determined to reach home before dark fell, still at about 4:45 these days. I stopped at a shelter at Seward Park for a little snack, not really hungry, but knowing that my body needed fuel.

I reached home at 3:45, wet and tired, and looking forward to next week's ride, and I hope there'll at least one dry day.

All my gear needs washing! In my many layers, I looked like a riding mudsicle.

The Most Beautiful City

Is there a city more beautiful than Seattle, for biking? If there is, I can't imagine it.

Yesterday, as I left home, I needed my snow mittens, because without them, my fingers would have frozen. I headed south, on the Burke Gilman, landed (for my first stop) at the Essential Bakery on Madision--yum! Then, I took the Seattle Bike Map's suggestion for getting to Lake Washington, by traversing Harrision over the hill, to Lake Washington Blvd., where I rode the several miles to Seward Park.

Side note-- (and a a good one)--I didn't have to walk up any of the hills I encountered on my ride, which means I'm getting stronger. A bunch of guys, as I approached Seward Park, were flying their radio-controlled airplanes (picture #1). Then, after riding around Seward Park (view of Mt. Rainier from Seward, picture #2), I rode to Beacon Avenue along Orcas, also a recommendation of the Seattle Bike Map. I thought the hills would be horrendous, but they were do-able. I got to downtown Seattle via 15th, so that I was able to take picture #3, a view of downtown from the Jose Rizal Park.

In downtown Seattle I hit the Elliott Bay Bookstore, the Central Library, and the Seattle Art Museum (first Thursdays are free!) to see Michelangelo's drawings (hint: if you're an artist, don't throw away your drawings--somebody might want to see them someday).

And finally, I rode along the Elliott Bay path to lower Magnolia, then across the Ballard Bridge just after dark had descended. The bike-and-walking path across the bridge is pretty narrow, so it's better to cross the bridge in daylight. And I rode the last 10 miles home, along the Burke Gilman trail, during bicycle rush hour. There are some really stupid bike riders out there. I saw one guy who flew across an intersection after the light had turned yellow, and he missed, by about one foot, being hit by a car making a turn. Bikers, please protect yourselves!

Total mileage for the day: 41.8