Rainy Yet Pleasant Friday Commute

I decided to ride in today, after my usual excuse making and debating.  Copper talked me into it.  Thanks girl.

Even as dark clouds loomed in the sky up above I decided to pedal in to work today, and as usual, I'm completely thrilled with my decision.  Part of my push to pedal is the fact that the Dakota 50 is looming ahead, just like the dark clouds this morning.  It's a pretty big race for me, considering it's the only race I'm doing this year.  I haven't really been riding off road enough to feel totally prepared and so any mile I can get in this month, I'll take.  And, pulling Copper behind me is probably a good thing; adding 75 lbs to my load is a good training method. 

The rig at home

Cool old buildings along Pacific

Building explosion.

Sharrow!!!!

Gray sky.

50th & Center

The view of Cop in her trailer

I turned out onto Center St. and immediately hit a red light.   No matter, I'll just take a picture!

I headed down Center to Twin Ridge Rd and then headed up to Woolworth and through Field Club on down to 32nd.  One of the best parts of my commute it through the Field Club Golf Course and Historic area.  It's so pleasant with its shady, tree lined, wide streets with slow moving traffic that it will always be a part of my commute.

  I made my way toward Leavenworth and sped down toward 13th where I hit a red light.  Up next to me pulled a giant truck and the window slowly rolled down.  Now, any of you that have ridden much in traffic may understand that this isn't always the best thing to have happen; yes, I may be stereotyping that big truck dirvers aren't neccessarily bike friendly.  I was proven wrong!  The guy driving rolled his window down and said, "That's the coolest thing I've ever seen.  How do you get your dog to stay in there?"  "A lot of treats," I responded and pedaled onward.  Nothing else too eventful between there and the shop happened and I arrived on time to open Greenstreet.

We arrived safe and sound!

Happy Copper!

I'm actually just getting around to publishing this and it's Sunday.  I'm happy to report, I've ridden to and from work (and did about 15miles for the Ladies' Ride on Saturday) every day for the last 3!

Have you been riding?

-SJ

Bike Friendly Businesses

Today was a good day.  As far as a day off goes, it wasn't too terribly relaxing, but a productive day is hard not to enjoy.  It started out with pedaling to the Omaha Bikes meeting this morning to catch up with all of the happenings of our local advocacy group. Check out Omaha Bikes!  and get involved, dang it.

These meetings happen the 2nd Tuesday of every month and I attend them regularly.  It's a public meeting so if you want to know what is going on in and around Omaha in the way of anything bicycle related, this is your chance.

Today's meeting was well attended by the usual crew.  I was particularly enthusiastic because I've spearheaded a project involving "Bike Friendly Business" designations.  The idea is to approach different businesses that are patronized frequently by cyclists and ask them to recognize and appreciate this fact by providing (most already do) bike racks and a good attitude towards cyclists.  Whether this means extending a discount (which a few have agreed to), or having great outdoor seating available, or just being willing to fill a water bottle, as long as they decide that they want to be called bike friendly and make the effort to really do so, we'll put them on the map on the Omaha Bikes website and encourage cyclists to continue to give them business. 

So, today before the meeting I went to the new and wonderfully decadent Jones Brothers Cupcakes in Aksarben Village and chatted with owner, Bill Jones, about the idea.  He was into it!  As I enjoyed my iced coffee I got more and more excited about the potential of this actually working and the enthusiasm spreading across the city. Wouldn't that be swell??!  Thanks Bill for agreeing to be our first Bike Friendly Business!  I told Omaha Bikes about this and they were of course as excited as I am.  We (Omaha Bikes) have created little window decals and I grabbed a few at the meeting.  As soon as I left the meeting, I pedaled back over to Jones Bros and gave the decal to Bill who agreed to put it on the front door and offer 10% off to anyone arriving to his fine establishment by bicycle. Enjoy their huge patio, nearby bike rack, and fun atmosphere. Success!!!!!  Sweet, cupcakey success. 

With a little wind in my sails, and caffeine in my legs, I pedaled down to Wohlner's Grocer and asked to speak to the manager.  I had the same conversation and the same response, "Sure, that sounds like a cool idea."  2 door decals later, Wohlner's is officially bike friendly. 

Since I felt that I was on a roll (literally and figuratively), I stopped into Blue Planet Natural Grill and had yet another promising discussion.  Blue Planet now has an Omaha Bikes door decal that nicely compliments their bike rack, outdoor seating, and a good attitude!  They're extending a 10% discount as well to those hungry customers who pedal their way to a naturally delicious meal (or beer!...do I hear handlebar happy hour?).  Thanks Blue Planet!!

I'm pretty excited about this finally taking off!  Imagine: rolling up on two wheels to a coffee shop, restaurant, bar, book store, etc., and not only being allowed in with your sweaty helmet hair and bugs stuck to your face, but actually feeling appreciated for making the effort to go green and commute by bicycle!!!  

SO, if you know of a place that you think would be a good candidate for a Bike Friendly Business designation, let me know!!   I can then start the conversation and see where it goes. 

Happy Trails,
SJ

Park City Bike Trip!

This is how I spent my weekend! Not exactly commuting specific, but it includes bikes so I decided to share.  Pretty much all day Saturday and Sunday I rode some incredible mountain trails in Park City, Utah. The trip was completely funded by one of our shop vendors, QBP (Quality Bicycle Products) and I'm so glad that I had the opportunity!  As usual, pictures don't do justice to the beauty I got to surround myself with. But, try to enjoy them anyway.

I think I smiled non-stop.  Such nice trails!

A guy dressed up as a Sasquatch kept jumping out at people in the woods.  Hysterical!  I had to have a pic.

Pristine singletrack trails all over the mountain in Deer Valley begged to be ridden and enjoyed.  So I did!

This section was obviously a bit advanced.  I rode some technical trail features, but not this one which included a huge drop off the other side of this ladder.  Yikes.  Fun to see other people do it though.

My new buddies Toby and Russ from Dekalb, IL.  Nice riding with you guys!

Did you really think there'd be a whole weekend without me getting excited about food?!  This was an oasis to the senses after spending about 3 hours on the mountain (feeling a little lost for part of it) and dreaming of food.  Free and delicious!  Hooray!!!!

July 24th Ladies Ride

Fun ride today gals; thanks for joining me!  There were 21 of us in all out there pedaling north this morning for our weekly Saturday a.m. Ladies' Ride that leaves from Greenstreet Cycles around 9:15 a.m. 

The weather couldn't have really been nicer.  Well, ok, I guess I could have enjoyed a bit less wind, but the temp and humidity (or lack thereof) made for a splendid morning!  We left the shop and headed out and over the Kerry Bridge and pedaled north toward the Narrow's Park where we observed the still flooded river banks and checked out the playground.  We then left the park and headed a little further north until we hit gravel and then decided that coffee was calling our names.  Good ride, all in all.

Thanks again gals!
-SJ

Eventful Commutes Recently!

What a beautiful day for a ride!

I woke up this morning and as usual, had the internal dialogue: to commute or not commute, that is the question.  I have a commitment right after work today where I shouldn't probably be overly sweaty and so this was my first hurdle.  I decided to just bring a change of clothes and pedal slowly to my after work dinner which is conveniently located downtown!  Obstacle #1, done...

Then, it was the typical Copper debate: do I or don't I bring my pup?   I then realized that since I obviously couldn't bring her to dinner, I'd have to leave her at home.  But then I thought about who was working with me today at Greenstreet...my roommate Jonn!  I hoped (and actually still am hoping since I haven't talked with him about this yet and Copper is already here with me at the shop) that he would be able to take her home with him after work tonight. So I brought her along!

My actual commute was quite pleasant.  The weather is nice and I ran into a few fun interactions along the way.  First of all, when I was climbing up Twin Ridge Road toward Woolworth I noticed a shiny silver Mercedes slowing to a stop and the window steathily rolled down as I rolled up and stopped to see what was going on.  At this point I recognized a customer/Ladies' Ride rider as the driver of the car!  She stopped to tell me hello.  "At first I thought it was a mom and her child but as I got closer I realized it was a dog in the cart and thought, that has to be Sarah!"  Thanks for stopping Patty.  Nice to see you!

Secondly, as I was cruising down Leavenworth I saw a woman riding (in the street! not on the sidewalk! good job!) with rack and bags; clearly commuting on her way to work.  How exciting!!  Of course I sped up and actually kind of ran a red light initially to catch up with her and quiz her about her ride.  Turns out, today was her first day of riding all the way from her house to work down at Hot Shops!  Congratulations to you Lori!  I chatted with her along the way and showed her my favorite route to get that direction.  She followed me along and we talked about the joys of commuting and the obstacles of weather and hills.  Fun to have someone to chat with on the ride. 

So, here I am, at the bike shop excited for my ride home.

Did you ride your bicyle today?!  Tell me about it.

-SJ

Ladies' Ride Record!

It's true, we had a record number of ladies show up for the ride this morning!!  21 total pedaled out starting at Greenstreet Cycles this a.m. around 9:15 and headed out over the Ped bridge and south since the trail had mostly dried out and we hadn't been that way in a while.  Thanks for riding everyone!!!

The real reason we ri

Winter Boots, No Sunglasses, and a Bad Attitude...But wait...

And I still rode in.

So basically I had so many things (excuses) going through my head that I almost didn't ride.  But you know sometimes when you have so much going against you that you just have to find a way to make it happen?  That was me this morning. 

First of all, I couldn't find my shoes.  I looked high and low and couldn't find my cycling shoes.  So I almost didn't ride.  Then I almost rode a different bike but then I wouldn't have been able to bring Copper!  So, I decided to come up with a (hot) but creative solution to bring Cop with me!  My winter cycling boots with cleats that worked with my pedals.  I looked like a total weirdo in my lycra shorts, tank top, messenger bag, and winter boots. Don't laugh; ok, do.

Secondly, I couldn't find my sunglasses.  Then I realized I left them at the shop and found a second, sub-par pair right before I walked out the door.  But apparently I put them on the counter inside before I went out and locked the door.  At this point I was running pretty late since I spent so much time looking for my shoes so I didn't go back in.

But enough about the bad stuff...

Positive things:
*Copper got into her trailer by herself!!!!  No coercing with food, no lifting a 75# dog in kicking and whimpering, nothing but a happy hop into her Burley Tail Wagon!  Good girl Cop.

*Lots of positive responses from everyone I encountered on the way.

*A pretty entertained homeless guy musing about the dog behind me 

*All sorts of thinking/day planning thoughts!

*No honking or hateful things said to me!

Overall, a good ride in. I just wish I had my summer cycling shoes here and not my winter boots!

-SJ

Warm Wednesday

It's a muggy one out there and at points on the ride in I felt that, although I was cruising down a hill, the air wasn't moving at all.  Sticky!  But still really fun.  I'm glad I rode in today.  It seems like it's been a while and I was starting to feel guilty.  I've ridden off road on my new Salsa Dos Niner http://salsacycles.com/bikes/dos_niner/ , which I adore, a few times lately and am really loving that.  I'm registered for this fun little race and need to keep putting miles in, both on and off the road. http://www.dakotafiveo.com/       I raced it last year and took 2nd in my category and for some reason want to torture myself and do it again.  The best course I've ridden in a while and fun camping with fun people makes this a great way to spend Labor Day weekend. 

Anyway, back to commuting...   I saw 6 people on bikes today on my ride in!  I think that I'll count the number of cyclists I see on my daily trip in and report accordingly.  My favorite today was a kinda crazy looking guy who had turned an old Trek mountain bike frame into some sort of crazy low rider.  The rear wheel was the same I think (I flew by him on my way down Leavenworth so the details may not be 100% accurate) and the front wheel and fork had been replaced with a super long choppered out fork and probably 16" wheel.  Hysterical.  I also enjoyed the mom and son duo I saw pedaling out of Field Club. 

I left Copper at home today and she only pouted for a minute.  Yoga tonight and with out a car to lock her in, we'd all be doing a little different version of Downward Dog.  She likes to get on the mat with you and challeng the pose.  So, I ditched my guilty feelings of leaving the doggy at home and turned them into positive thoughts about pedaling in!

Over and out.
SJ

Farmer's Market

I have actually been riding so much lately that it hardly seems worthy of posting each trip!  So I'll start with what's most recent and work back a bit...

This morning Copper and I took a little trip out to Tranquility to test out my new mountain bike. I'm afraid I'm in love!  This is unlike any bike I've been on before and I'm out of my mind excited about it!  It's a Salsa Dos Niner and I can't wait to ride it again!

Yesterday I rode to the Aksarben Village Farmer's Market and met Matt (my other love aside from the bike) for a stroll through the strip of vendors.  It was a cloudy morning and not too hot, which was glorious considering all the heat as of late.  After some delicious pastries from The Parthenon Greek Restaurant stand he had to run and I continued wandering from booth to booth.  I ended up filling my pannier full of carrots, basil, a green pepper, a little jar of raw honey, a huge yummy tomato, and a cucumber.  I had it in my mind that a fresh summery salad was in order. 

I pedaled home thinking I may get caught in the rain.  On my way I decided a few more things were a necessary part of this salad so I stopped at the handy HyVee and picked up some spinach, tofu, sunflower seeds, soy nuts, and craisins and shoved it all somehow into my single bag!  I was happy that it all fit!  I pretty much pedal to the farmer's market every Sunday and am always glad I did.  No parking issues to deal with, and I can justifiably eat what I want and not feel guilty since I'll just burn it off on the way back home.

(p.s. the salad was delicious!!)

Saturday was the Ladies' Ride and we rode about 18 miles I think.

Friday I rode into work and then Greenstreet donated 6 mountain bikes to All Our Kids, which is an after school mentoring program for at risk youth.  Friday evening they had a picnic where we gave the bikes to the award winning kids.  This event was at 56th and Mormon Bridge Road which is pretty far north.  I then pedaled home in the heat which was less than pleasant but still felt good to put in a few extra miles. 

Where are you riding?!

-SJ

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