Build it and they will ride....

What happens when you create safe and effective cycling routes? This from today's New York Times:

Build it and they will ride. That’s the message conveyed in the latest annual estimate of the number of bicyclists in New York City by Transportation Alternatives, which found roughly 236,000 New Yorkers riding each day in 2009, up 28 percent from 185,000 daily riders the year before.

Full article here.

Obama on the Mountains to Sea Trail

Anyone who has ridden North Carolina's Showdown at Black Creek permanent has been on part of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, a 1,000-mile cross-state hiking route which stretches from Clingmans Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains to Jockey’s Ridge on the Outer Banks. In the eastern part of the state, land for the trail is still being acquired, so the path currently follows some of the state's signed bike routes. The picture above shows Branson and Byron on a road portion of the trail during a sunny 2008 pre-ride of Black Creek.

The Trail's Executive Director is good friend Kate Dixon, who is married to randonneuring buddy Danno. Showdown at Black Creek was initially set up as a fundraiser for the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, with registration money from an October ride donated to the nonprofit.

Near Asheville, the trail crisscrosses the Blue Ridge Parkway. Kate and her organization got a big boost this weekend when President Obama and his wife Michelle hiked a portion of the trail during their stay in Asheville.

You can read a story about the hike here.

The official White House photos shows the President and Michelle on the trail. You'll also see Capn Ende's children among the folks in the trees as they try to get a glimpse of the President during a golf outing.

Here's the Friends of the Mountain-To-Sea Trail Website.

Tom Milton | RIP

Tom Milton, the founder of the saddle company Selle An-Atomica, died yesterday of an apparent heart attack during a double century ride in California. Condolences to his friends and family.

One of his riding buddies has posted an account of the event here.

UFOs & Other Yard Art

You'll occasionally see references on our Raleigh brevets to the UFO. At Lynn's request, I stopped yesterday on our 300K for a close-up. Here ya go. It seems as if these aliens have poked around in a yard sale or two.



Here's another UFO I saw yesterday. I had a hard time getting a good shot, as it was really moving, but it appeared to be friendly.


A couple other pieces of yard art along the way. You'll have to look closely to see this one, as I shot it on the fly...



This cow is one of my favorites. The owners smiled and waved when they saw me stop for a photo op.



Here's Fearless Leader Al, as in take me to your leader...



Here's some of the line-up at the start. There were 39 riders, a record, according to Al, for a 300K. We had one rider from Michigan and several from Virginia and South Carolina. Why such big numbers for this year's rides (about 50 on the 200K)? I'm guessing everyone has PBP in their headlights.




Thanks to all for a great day on the bikes, and especially to those riders for whom the 300K marked their longest-ever ride.

If this only worked for fueling bike rides!!!

Picture of a new friend made at Snow Camp yesterday. And from the shape of the bag, it looks as though he may have been tanking up for a big night!

Obama in Asheville

If you're wondering why our good friend Capn Ende wasn't at yesterday's 300K, here's your answer. Apparently, he's moonlighting as President Obama's personal videographer...

At the Start of the NCBC Morrisville 300K

Scenes from the sidelines at the start of the NCBC Morrisville 300K. Thanks to RBA Alan and volunteers Andy and Bob. There was a fantastic turnout. Here are a few reports from elsewhere, 1- from a rider, 2- another rider, 3- another rider, 4- one more rider, 5- really one more rider, 6- from one volunteer and 7- from another volunteer. Congratulations to all!

Raleigh poised to become bike-friendly?

The bike stories just keep coming. The headline of today's post was lifted from a story on page 1 of today's News & Observer.

The first three paragraphs:

After years of feeling shoved to the Capital City's curb, bicyclists are seeing things start to roll their way.

Just this week, the Raleigh City Council endorsed a plan to add separate bike lanes as part of the $9.9 million makeover of Hillsborough Street.

A few blocks away, in downtown Raleigh, a bicycle-share program could be up and running within months.

And if the money materializes, city staff members have a wish list of 25 streets that would get bike lanes or widened shoulders to make things easier on cyclists trying to commute.

A New Transit Hub in Downtown Raleigh?

Raleigh's planning director will unveil a proposal today for a transportation hub that could create a new urban growth center on the western edge of downtown, bringing together riders on buses, light rail, local streetcars and interstate trains.

Here's an N&O story about this ambitious plan.

I Like My Bike...

Don't we all? Actually, that's the name of a song by Hurtbird. Thanks to Cecil R-S for pointing me to this tune... Listen below or find it on iTunes. Enjoy.

Musical Interlude

Bike Lanes on Hillsborough Street?

From today's Raleigh News & Observer:

RALEIGH -- The City Council gave its blessing Tuesday to a plan that would create bicycle lanes on Hillsborough Street.

The lanes still need to be approved by the N.C. Department of Transportation, which has official jurisdiction over the state road.

Raleigh has spent $9.9 million giving a section of Hillsborough Street near N.C. State University a facelift, with roundabouts and new streetscaping. But bicycle lanes were not included in the initial plans. However, several groups and bicycle enthusiasts pleaded their cause.

Read more: http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/21/446967/bike-lanes-get-one-ok-need-another.html#ixzz0ljffs584

Bike Lanes 2.0

Here's a video from Portland, one of the leading U.S. communities on urban bike planning. When I visited there, I came to appreciate the shared lane concept you see about halfway through the video.

The barrier concept being tried, with cars acting as the buffer between bikes and motor vehicles, is similar to some of the bike lanes in Paris, a city which has thousands of bike commuters. There, a small concrete barrier is used to separate traffic.

On the Right Track from Mayor Sam Adams on Vimeo.

Local Farmers Market

I just got a note that a Farmers Market is starting up in our local Five Points neighborhood in Raleigh...

What does this have to do with cycling, you ask? Neighborhood markets encourage folks to walk, or bike, for their produce shopping. So put a basket on that three speed and head on over. And just where do you get a basket, you ask? Why, Gilbert's North Road Bicycle Imports in Yanceyville, of course. He'll also sell you a bike to go with it, like one of those 3 Pashleys parked in front of his courthouse square location.

Meantime, I've improvised a basket on Maxi's Rudge:



The full notice about the Farmers Market is below:

You are invited to the new Five Points Farmers Market starting May 1st at 8am-12pm and the Kick Off party Friday night April 30th before the Saturday market. There will be free food and drink and live music.


Eat Locally… Experience the difference
Bickett Market is a neighborhood market focused on supporting North Carolina products. Our mission is to help small farmers and fishermen in North Carolina by giving them another outlet to sell their goods. We feel that the Five Points neighborhood is a perfect place for us to start this venture. As residents of the Five Points neighborhood we have notice a demand for local quality products, within walking distance or short drive away. We would like to help educate the community on the best way to buy and prepare foods. We are excited about this opportunity to make a difference and look forward to meeting all of you.

We will be sending out an e-mail weekly which will include what items we will be having that week and instructions for purchasing, reserving and paying. Please also look out for our “Neighborhood Door Hanger Survey” so we can get feedback from you on the items you would like us to carry at the store. For more information on the Market please sign-up at the website at the bottom of the page.

Local products we will be carrying include:

North Carolina Seafood- Our Seafood is direct from our coast that is usually sourced out through small scale fisherman and commercial fleets. Along with these sources we own a shrimp boat that we will be utilizing throughout the year to catch shrimp, flounder, Grouper, trigger, Sword, Mahi, Wahoo, Cobia, Snapper and a variety of fresh shellfish including Stump Sound, Figure Eight and Lockwood Folly Oysters and Littleneck Clams. We have partnership with many local fisherman to buy their catch direct off the boat.

Local Grass Feed Beef and Dairy Products- Our grass feed beef is from Rare Earth Farms which is located in Zebulon NC , which is about 20 miles outside of Raleigh . Karl Hudson III owns and operates the farm and is also residents of the Five Points neighborhood. The beef is 100% black Angus and is Animal Welfare Approved. Our dairy products start with Jackson Farm and we will have milk, cream, butter, and ice cream. We will feature different farms each week with different breeds of beef, dry and wet aged and different cuts too.

Organic Free Range Pork- We will have several different cuts of pork that we are sourcing from local farmers within 60 miles of the store. Our first feature farm will be Coon Rock Farm. They are an organic and bio dynamic farm that produces several different products. They have some of the best pork chops we have ever tasted. They also have home in the Five points neighborhood when they aren’t staying at the farm.

Free Range Poultry and Eggs- We will also offer several different types of free range eggs from different breeds of birds. We will also have whole free range birds that we will be sources out from several different farmers in the area. We also have our own in-house carpenter that can build you your very own chicken coop and we can source a great variety of birds for your home use.

Produce- A wide variety of seasonal produce will be available throughout the year. A lot of the produce is grown right here in Five Points! New Grass Gardens is one of our partners and they set up and maintain gardens in the Five Points neighborhood.

We will carry an array of other goods as we progress…

Other things happening at Bickett Market will include:

Seasonal-Year Round Farmers Market
Special Catered Events featuring Local Farmers

Cooking Demos
Outdoor Event Space with fully catered Events
Community Supported Agriculture Programs CSA’s
Home Delivery for Groceries
To Sign Up email Jason@BickettMarket .com

219 Bickett Blvd
Raleigh, North Carolina

Any questions please e-mail to Jonathan@BickettMar ket.com 919-600-9267 or

Jason@BickettMarket .com 919-291-3286

Jerry's PBP Talk

Riding buddy Jerry Phelps talks PBP during a recent PechaKucha Night in Raleigh. A nice overview. Enjoy!

Smart Commute Challenge

Triangle bike / ped commuters, take note: the annual Smart Commute Challenge is under way. Please sign up and participate. Details are below.

Meantime, check out the local randonneur and randonneur-in-training (above) who are already on board with the challenge. That's Branson and Aubrey featured on the Home Page, taking part in the photo contest. Way to represent!

The SmartCommute Challenge has begun! Pledge online to take a greener commute just once between April 15th and May 15th, and you will be entered to win one of two grand prizes of $1,500 each or many others! All you have to do is pledge to ride the bus, bike (either traditional bike or electric scooter – your choice!), walk, vanpool, carpool, or work from home at least once between April 15 – May 15.

To find out more or take the pledge visit www.SmartCommuteChallenge.org or keep reading! And don’t forget about the Free Emergency Ride Home program which guarantees you a ride home any day you use a smarter commute option!

Already a Smart Commuter? We’re raising the stakes with a new contest. Your participation this year will help your company’s chances to win the employer competition and be recognized as the Greenest Commuting Organization in the Triangle. You can also show off your commute AND your photography skills by entering this year’s photo contest.

Join the thousands of Triangle commuters who do something good for their wallets and the environment by not driving alone to work! Participation is easy. Visit www.SmartCommuteChallenge.org today and take the 2010 SmartCommute Challenge. All you have to do is pledge to ride the bus, bike (either traditional bike or electric scooter – your choice!), walk, vanpool, carpool, or work from home at least once between April 15 – May 15. You could win fabulous prizes, including cash, a foldable bike or a laptop!

Here’s how you can SmartCommute:
• Carpool - find a carpool partner at www.ShareTheRideNC.org
• Vanpool - join an existing vanpool or start a new one before May 30 and the first month’s fare is free!
• Ride the Bus – Call 485-RIDE to get help planning your bus commute or go to www.GoTriangle.org/ and use the new trip planner. If you pledge to try the bus we’ll send you a free regional day pass!
• Bike or walk – Find bike routes, information on how to rack your bike on the bus, walking trails and more at www.GoTriangle.org
• Telework – working from home even one day a week is a great way to reduce your impact on the environment, reduce stress and keep some money in the bank.

Riding the DC Randonneurs Flèche 2010

Two NC Randonneurs are mixing it up and hopping on the DC Randonneurs Flèche this weekend. Jerry and I are joining team captain Lynn K for the event, which got underway officially this morning.

Our team's name is "Team Nutz to DC," since we're starting in Emporia, Virginia, famous for the peanuts grown in the area and its "Great Peanut Tour" bicycle ride. Lynn elaborates on the team name: "slightly crazed people riding to DC.. The "z" is for zombie, and maybe there is an acronym in there somewhere." She's too modest to mention that both her and Jerry could be "nutz" for doing their second flèche of the year. They were teammates with Mike D for the NC Flèche a couple of weeks ago. Lynn captained that team, too.

Our team is launching Saturday morning at 6:30. RBA Bill Beck sent along the following roster and start times for the other teams. Good luck and safe riding to all of them.

I'll be posting as much as I can on Facebook. Wish us luck!

DC Randonneurs Fleche Roster 15‐18 April 2010

Anciens and Poets 4/16 @ 0700 369K

David G

Robert M

Randy M

Rick R

Blue Ridgers @ ???? 380K

Tom R

Hank G

Fred R

Alejandro S

Carnivores 4/17 @ 0630 371K

Crista Borras (T1)

Bill B

Mary C (T2)

Chris M

Maile N

Kelly S (T2)

Chuck W (T1)

FrankenFleche 4/17 @ 0700 377K

George W

Nick B (T?)

Jan B (T?)

Chris B

Craig D

Jim L

Full Monty in the Fleche 4/17 @ 0700 381K

Ray S

Jeff E

Nancy K

Eric P

Todd S

Nutz to DC 4/17 @ 0630 375K

Lynn K

Jerry P

Branson K

Richmond Grays 4/17 @ 0700 368K

Paul D

Carol B

Al P

Sins of the Fleche 4/17 @ 0700 374K

George M

Gary D

Cheryl G (T)

Lowell G (T)

Cliff H

Jim L

Team Rouge 4/17 @ 0700 368K

Bill A

Tyler B

Scott G

Stan M

Velo Expresso Gelato 4/17 @ 06:45 388K

Lane G

Ed F (T)

Mary G (T)

Mike R

Flèche Names

One of the best parts about doing a flèche is picking the name. The 2010 Carolina Flèche teams, with 31 riders, were named:

Team 1 (Riders on the Bubble) 4 members
started at 09:00 from Apex, North Carolina

Team 2 (Diamond and Bents) 5 members
started at 08:00 from Bishopville, South Carolina

Team 3 (Flèche with 2 Veg) 3 members
started at 08:00 from College Hill, North Carolina

Team 4 (FEZ (Flèche Eating Zombies) 6 members
started at 07:00 from Petersburg, Virginia

Team 5 (Flèche Crawlers) 4 members
started at 09:00 from Durham, North Carolina

Team 6 (Flèche and Blood) 3 members
started at 10:00 from Atlantic Beach, North Carolina

Team 7 (Sandhill Ramblers) 6 members
started at 07:30 from Greensboro, North Carolina

Thanks to Tony for posting the names on the NC list.

For sheer length, our 2007 team name surely takes the cake, Shirley:

Night of the Day of the Dawn of the Son of the Bride of the Return of the Revenge of the Terror of the Attack of the Evil, Mutant, Hellbound, Flèche-Eating Subhumanoid Zombified Living Dead, Part 3.

We even made a poster.



Cap'n Ende came up with the name and we all praised his cleverness. Imagine our surprise once we realized it had been plagiarized from a wikipedia entry. The horror!

Ain't Google Fun? Part 3

Morrisville NC 200K / April 10, 2010

This is the ninth season that I've lined up for the Morrisville, NC 200K. As I was waiting for the start, I was struck by some changes I've witnessed in my years as a randonneur.

One obvious change is the growth in ridership. In 2002, 26 riders finished Al's 200K. This year, at least 50 names were on the sign-in sheet. I'm not sure whether all finished, but it makes for an impressive sight to see so many riders on the course -- several of them for the first time. (How many of the riders who were at the 2002 event also showed up this Saturday? Six.)

Al's 200K used to kick off the brevet season, and unless you did a fleche or Richard Lawrence's 200K in High Point, your Tar Heel brevet season was likely a mere four events long -- a 200K, a 300K, a 400K and the final 600K to the beach and back. Occasionally, a 1000K would be added to the mix to help riders seeking the treasured R-5000 medal, but that was it.

Today, the opening event in Al's series is just one more tour date in a busy North Carolina randonneuring schedule. Al's events remain the season opener for the majority of riders. But if you can stand cold-weather riding, RBA Tony Goodnight offers events in January, February and March. Tony took the reins of the High Point series when Richard retired and has considerably expanded the offerings. Al has also begun hosting an annual August event that ends at a Morrisville park, serving as an informal club picnic. And this year, I see he has also added an October event to the calender. The buffet just keeps getting bigger.

Back in 2002, there was no such thing as a permanent, and there was no R-12 award. Today, with a least a dozen Tar Heel riders working to keep their R-12 streaks intact, 200K "pick-up" rides are as common as toothpicks at a corncob eating contest. On any weekend where the brevet schedule is open, you're usually able to scare up company for the permanent of your choice, selected from the growing list of North Carolina routes.

Back in 2002, I probably rode an aluminum Raleigh that I owned at the time. Not a bad bike, but it was not built specifically for randonneuring like the machine I'm riding now. North Carolina is fortunate to have a framebuilder, Chuck Lathe, who makes Coho bikes with lots of rando details. On Saturday's ride, there were five Cohos, including one ridden by Chuck himself.

The brevets in North Carolina -- and in many other states as well -- have become regional affairs. It is fairly common for riders from surrounding states to show up at our events, and we have made many friends from South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Georgia and Ohio. Our riders also travel to other states to test their legs in new scenery. In my opinion, everybody benefits from the cross-pollination of clubs. Occasionally we go national. On Saturday, we had a guest rider from Seattle, Eric Vigoren, who serves on RUSA's board and is also the organization's treasurer. And there was something of an international flavor to Saturday's group, with riders among our ranks who developed their legs in Mexico, England or Belgium.

The influx of women riders is one of the best thing that has happened to our local scene. There was only one woman at the 2002 event. Saturday, I'd guess there were a dozen, with several from out-of-state and several locals who have become enthusiastic members of the R-12 club.

The informal post-ride get-together at Al's house after the 200Ks has become something of a tradition. Perhaps that happened back in 2002, but it was nothing on the scale of the latest gatherings. These days, roll into the finish when the weather is good and you're likely to find a dozen riders sprawling in lawn chairs, reliving the ride's highs and lows, eating tomato sandwiches and sampling a glass of Al's homebrew. Those social gatherings have become one of my favorite aspects of the rides. I remember the joy I felt in 2002 after finishing my first 200, my first 300, my first 400. I love being on hand when new riders roll into the finish and reach those same milestones.

Just like in 2002, Saturday's ride was another great day on the bikes. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone at the 300K. And the 400...

Snapshots from a Solo Mule

I rode Dean's 100K today, nice and slow, and took lots of picture breaks. A great day to be in the countryside.

Having your cake and eating it, too...

I've got some great pals. I recently reached a little cycling milestone and the rando crew honored me with a cake at the start of yesterday's 200K. Nice! That really made my day. After that gesture, I almost hated to drop em on the uphills....almost.

A heartfelt thanks to the whole bunch who did that (I suspect Dean as the ringleader). The best part was that everybody got a slice at the finish. It went perfectly with the homemade brew that Fearless Leader Al served up.

Another Hands

The North Carolina randonneuring community would like to send out special recognition to Ian Hands, who successfully completed his first 200K on Saturday. That's Ian celebrating at the finish.

Ian is the son of Adrian Hands, a local rando legend who is currently in India receiving treatment for ALS.

You can read more about Adrian here.

Ian made us all proud and we know Yo A is equally proud.

Vollis Simpson in the NYT

I love destination riding. Pick a place -- a restaurant, a park, the beach, a meeting -- get on the bike and go. I like using my bike in a primary role of transportation, as opposed to recreation, although I must admit those two pursuits are interwoven.

One of my favorite destinations is Vollis Simpson's farm, down near Wilson. Vollis is known in art circles for his massive whirligigs, which grace museums across the country. Here's a Raleigh whirligig in action. Vollis' Lucama property is a whirligig wonderland. Here's the Street View in Google Maps.


View Larger Map

You'll see lots of bicycle components incorporated into his work. He told me he went to a recent police auction in Wilson and came home with a trailer load of old bikes that he uses for parts.







He also has a workshop full of smaller works, including these beauties:





I just saw a link on Facebook to a NYT slideshow on Vollis. It's definitely worth a look and read, as it includes a lot of Vollis' history.

NC Weekend in the Flèche

That long night ride caught up with me today. I fell asleep on the sofa to City Lights and woke up in time to see Charlie getting a flower from the woman he loved. That's a nice place to wake up.

Just back home from a weekend fleche, led by Team Captain Extraordinaire Lynn K. A flawless route that found the very best of back roads on our 230-mile trek through the coastal plain from Petersburg, Virginia to Atlantic Beach, NC. Teammates included Lynn and Gordon on the tandem, Jerry, Maile, Joel "Dr. Pumper" D and yours truly.

Every ride has its themes and stories. If I had to write ours, it would have lotteries and bears. And chickens. And Squawkers. And worms. And dogs. And trailers and wenches.

After a winter where many rides struggled to get above freezing, we deserved the picture perfect, rain-free, sun-soaked day, with highs in the 80s, followed by a rain-free, moon-soaked evening, where the temperatures never dropped below 50, although the air got a little moist just before dawn.

The countryside? Lots of abandoned farmhouses, open fields and swamps swollen from a recent rain. I've seen a lot of North Carolina, but I've never been in the corner of the state we passed through, with towns like Jackson, Seaboard, Roxobel and Kelford and Black Jack and Chicod.

Mechanicals? Nothing major. Joel had two flats. One in the morning, one in the evening.

Physical problems? Maile had knee pain from a stumble last weekend but she soldiered on with the help of Aleve. She said when you have one big pain to focus on you forget about all the little ones.

We were the first of seven teams to roll into the finish, and that meant we were on hand when the other teams rolled in to the finish. The party was on in the Island Inn parking lot, with regional riders from Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia in on the celebration/ My one regret is that I didn't pull out my camera and get a picture of each team at the finish. But I know you have them, so please send them along and I'll post.

I've lifted several pictures from Maile's Flickr site. You can see the rest of em here.

Other reports: Vance has a ride report here. Maria has one here, and Keith has one here. BobO just added his here.

As other reports pop up, I'll post. If you have a picture of your team, please send em along.

A big congrats to all the first time fleche finishers -- I know of several of those. As always, congrats to Brother Rob. And a big thanks to Team F.E.Z. for a fun 24 hours.

Maile, this one's for you...



And remember, no matter how far you ride, Busty LaRue is watching...

100 Months of 100 Mile Rides

Congratulations to Mike D, shown here with Jerry, as they take time out of their flèche ride today to celebrate Mike's incredible feat: he's ridden at least one 100-mile-ride for the past 100 months! To put that in perspective, if my math is right, Mike began his streak 8 years and 4 months ago, meaning January 2002. Wow- way to go, Mike! Here's to another 100 more..