The day after Christmas I was on a group ride with about 12 cyclists. We were on a two laned back road where there are few cars. The road had a small bike lane wide enough to fit one cyclist. At the time, we were riding two abreast doing a double pace-line. The left side pace-line was in the road because the bike lane was only wide enough to fit the right side of our pace-line safely. Furthermore there was some debris and bushes growing into the bike lane. So for our safety we were not all riding in the bike lane.
Crushing a long about 23 mph in our double pace-line a sheriff goes by us pulls in front of us and slams on his breaks making us almost crash into the back of his cop car. He gets out of his car with an attitude and proceeds to lecture us while threatening to give us all a ticket for riding two abreast and not staying within the bike lane. Being the day after Christmas you would think the sheriff would have been in better spirits and have better things to do than harass a few cyclists that were not doing any harm. It is not like we were riding on a busy street in the middle of traffic. We were minding our own business on a back country road with very little traffic.
As the sheriff continued to lecture and threaten us, a few of the cyclist in the group got a little fired up and began to challenge the sheriff with what the bicycling law states about riding two abreast. We went back and forth with the sheriff about our rights as cyclists debating with him the we could ride two abreast. He finally gave us a warning and we went about our group ride.
During the ride I began to think about what a jerk this sheriff was and how poorly he handled the situation. There are far more important things the sheriff could have been doing with his time instead of harassing a group of cyclist enjoying the outdoors. Santa Clause probably was not good to the sheriff so the sheriff was a little grumpy.
When I got home I decide to do a little research about what our rights in this situation really were. I stumbled upon a book called Bicycling and the Law: Your Rights as a CyclistBY BOB MIONSKE, JD FOREWORD BY LANCE ARMSTRONG. I ordered the book knowing it would be a good resource for various situations that come up while cycling.
The Uniform Vehicle Code Section 11-1206. Riding two abreast states. Persons riding bicycles upon a roadway shall not ride more than two abreast except on paths our parts of roadways set aside for exclusive use of bicycles. Persons riding two abreast shall not impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic and, on a laned roadway, shall ride within a single lane.
The book goes on to state that how we were riding was within the law as our rights as cyclists. Next time in the situation I will tell the sherrif to go look up The Unform Vehicle Code Section 11-1206.
If you are a Garmin fan you will love the fact that you can now have it all; POWER, no wires on your bike, move the unit from one bike to another with ease, easy to use, and reliable data. These units are awesome! I have been training and using one for the last year and love it. Can’t wait to get my hands on the Garmin 705 with the power meter option.
Trainer. Navigator. Edge 705 pushes you to do your best, then shows you the way back. This GPS-enabled cycle computer knows no limits. Get heart rate, cadence, turn-by-turn directions, power data (from ANT+Sport™-enabled third-party power meters) — the works. Even share your data with other Edge 705 buddies after your ride. All wireless with a color display, this is no ordinary cycle computer.
Ok all you roadies out there Cerevellum has a prototype for a rear-view video camera and handlebar display unit.
The Cerevellum is an interesting cyclo-computer concept, but it is really much more than that. The system is expandable by way of 4 USB connections on the underside of the head unit so the user can choose the extra features that he or she wants; GPS mapping, power meter, heart rate monitor, etc.
Sounds good so far, but if you look at the rendering, you will see the most interesting feature of the Cervellum, the hindsight component. A small lens in the handlebar end plug (or optionally attached to the seatpost) gives the rider a rearview that is shown right on the head unit’s display screen. Cars or hammer head cyclists approaching from behind can be clearly seen as the rider glances down to view the computer data. More information about the concept is available on the Cerevellum website, so check it out if you want to learn more.
CycleSound had an exhibit at the 2007 El Tour De Tucson bike expo. It is a way cool set up. You get the best of both worlds; bike bag and tunes in one. Just plug your iPod, iRiver, Zen, etc into the bag and listen to music while your ride without cords or earphones.
Why CycleSound?
Superior, highly efficient speakers pre-set for outdoor use.
State of the art amplification, designed and built especially for CycleSound.
Light Weight, the CycleSound system only weighs 1.5lbs, or the same as a full water bottle.
The CycleSoundsystem attaches right under the seat resulting in a great sound and good center of gravity.
The outer shell is made with water resistant nylon Cordura, just like the highest quality bicycle bags.
The CycleSound system clips on and off in just seconds.
Provides a built-in zippered compartment for your portable player (iPod, iRiver, Zen, etc.) making the CycleSoundsystem totally self-contained.
Road tested for over two years, including seven days and 500 miles on Ragbrai ‘05 & ‘06.
Plays for 8 to 10 hours on 6AA alkaline batteries.
CycleSound was established with the expressed purpose of developing a superior bicycle sound system that eliminates the dangerous need to use headphones and ear buds.
CycleSound’s mission was to create a high-quality bicycle sound system that delivers a great sound, is light weight, looks cool and survives in the rugged outdoors.
After many designs and test prototypes, the CycleSound system is now a reality. Just plug in your player and enjoy the experience of riding to your favorite music. If you ride with friends, you will become the Pied Piper of the group. It is just like taking your spinning class on the road. You just have to hear it to believe the quality of sound the CycleSound system delivers!!
GST added Peter Brown to the team for 2008. Peter Brown will be great addition to the team for 2008. Peter being a Cat 1 racer, brings a ton of experience to the team. Peter was the overall points leader in 2007 in the masters men 45-49 category in the state of Arizona.
Looking for an ideal place to train during the winter months? If so, you need to take a serious look at Tucson, Arizona.
Tucson, Arizona is the place to train during the winter months. Many top cyclist and triathletes come to Tucson, Arizona to train during their winter training preparation. An average winter day in Tucson is sunny and 65 to 75 degrees. The mornings can be a little chilly but nothing to stop you from getting out on the road.
Lance Armstrong used Tucson as his base training camp. He rented a cabin on the top of Mt. Lemon. He would spend his day riding the back roads of Tucson and then finish his ride off with a 30 mile climb to the top of Mt. Lemon which gains a total of about 5,000 feet in 26 to 28 miles.
Tucson has one of the best group rides in the country called the ‘Shoot Out’ according to Bicycling Magazine. The 60 mile loop cuts south from Tucson into desolate, mountainous desert toward Green Valley, Arizona almost to the Mexico boarder. During January, February and March the Shoot Out is loaded with professional cyclist from all over the world. The pack ranges from 100 to 175 fit riders. You can often see local pro riders like Phil Zajicek, Gord Fraser and Curtis Gunn gracing the peloton along with pro triathlete Jimmy Riccitello.
Aesthetics aside, that feeling of new bar tape beneath your palms will change the way you ride–more cushion and less slip make long days in the saddle a safer and more pleasurable experience. If you’ve never replaced bar tape before, now is the time to learn. Roll up your sleeves, wash your grimy mitts and grab your new tape, then go to the link below.
Being in the mortgage business and doing well over the years I was burned out and ready for a change. Although the money was good the passion for the business was just not there. They say do what you love and the money will come. I knew what I loved, that being cycling, but did not know how I could turn my passion into a living.
In February 2007, I was on-line searching for ideas and discovered that the domain name www.RoadBikeRides.com was available. I immediately registered the domain name and the idea was born. We have been working on the development of the site since March of 2007. RoadBikeRides will go live January 2008. Knowing that I needed a blog for RoadBikeRides.com and not knowing how to get a blog up and running I attended the Blog World Expo in Las Vegas on November 8-9, 2007.
While at the Expo Unique BlogDesigns was one of the exhibitors. I spend some time talking to Nate Whitehill and Matt Blancarte about creating a design for the Ride-Stong.com blog. When I got home to Tucson I called them up and had them start in on my blog design.
They did an awesome job and were great to work with! They bring of ton of experience and knowledge to the table and I would highly recommend them. They work with and design some of the highest traffic and money making blogs on the web like John Chow and Shoemoney.
